ry; and then they are said to have smiled
serenely and stroked his beard, which instantly changed from black to
yellow, thus causing his story to be believed, besides winning for him
the soubriquet of Ahenobarbus, which means 'brazen beard.' But that
which happened in our own time will make all these credible. When
Antonius rebelled against Domitian, and a great war in Germany was
expected, Rome was greatly disturbed till suddenly there arose among the
people a rumour of victory, and a story ran through Rome that Antonius
himself was killed, and that the army under him had been utterly
exterminated. And this report was so clear and forcible, that many of
the magistrates offered sacrifice for the victory. When the originator
of it was sought for, as he could not be found, but the story when
traced from one man to another was lost in the vast crowd as if in the
sea, and appeared to have no solid foundation, all belief in it died
away: but when Domitian set out with his forces to the war, he was met
on the way by messengers with despatches describing the victory. The day
of this success was the same as that stated by the rumours, though the
places were more than two thousand five hundred (English) miles distant.
All men of our own time know this to be true.

XXVI. Cnaeus Octavius, the admiral under Aemilius's orders, now cruised
round Samothrace. He did not, from religious motives, violate Perseus's
right of sanctuary, but prevented his leaving the island and escaping.
But nevertheless Perseus somehow outwitted him so far as to bribe one
Oroandes, a Cretan, who possessed a small vessel, to take him on board.
But this man like a true Cretan took the money away by night, and
bidding him come the next night with his family and attendants to the
harbour near the temple of Demeter, as soon as evening fell, set sail.
Now Perseus suffered pitiably in forcing himself, and his wife and
children, who were unused to hardships, through a narrow window in the
wall, and set up a most pititul wailing when some one who met him
wandering on the beach showed him the ship of Oroandes under sail far
away at sea. Day was now breaking, and having lost his last hope, he
made a hasty retreat to the town wall, and got into it with his wife,
before the Romans, though they saw him, could prevent him. But his
children he had entrusted to a man named Ion, who once had been a
favourite of his, but now betrayed him, and delivered them up to the
Romans,