of heaven; of gold in place of clay; of the
desert blossoming like the rose. "That which is now worth sixty pieces
of silver will not cost a single obol. Fountains of milk shall spring
from the rocks; men shall sleep, well satisfied, among the wine-presses.
The people shall prostrate themselves before Thee, and Thy reign shall
be eternal, O Son of David!"

The tetrarch suddenly recoiled from the opening of the pit; the mention
of the existence of a son of David seemed to him like a menace to
himself.

Iaokanann then poured forth invectives against him for presuming to
aspire to royalty.

"There is no other king than the Eternal God!" he cried; and he cursed
Antipas for his luxurious gardens, his statues, his furniture of carved
ivory and precious woods, comparing him to the impious Ahab.

Antipas broke the slender cord attached to the royal seal that he wore
around his neck, and throwing the seal into the pit, he commanded his
prisoner to be silent.

But Iaokanann replied: "I shall cry aloud like a savage bear, like the
wild ass, like a woman in travail! The punishment of heaven has already
visited itself upon thy incest! May God inflict thee with the sterility
of mules!"

At these words, a sound of suppressed laughter arose here and there
among the listeners.

Vitellius had remained close to the opening of the dungeon while
Iaokanann was speaking. His interpreter, in impassive tones, translated
into the Roman tongue all the threats and invectives that rolled up
from the depths of the gloomy prison. The tetrarch and Herodias felt
compelled to remain near at hand. Antipas listened, breathing heavily;
while the woman, with parted lips, gazed into the darkness of the pit,
her face drawn with an expression of fear and hatred.

The terrible man now turned towards her. He grasped the bars of his
prison, pressed against them his bearded face, in which his eyes glowed
like burning coals, and cried:

"Ah! Is it thou, Jezebel? Thou hast captured thy lord's heart with the
tinkling of thy feet. Thou didst neigh to him like a mare. Thou
didst prepare thy bed on the mountain top, in order to accomplish thy
sacrifices!

"The Lord shall take from thee thy sparkling jewels, thy purple robes
and fine linen; the bracelets from thine arms, the anklets from thy
feet; the golden ornaments that dangle upon thy brow, thy mirrors of
polished silver, thy fans of ostrich plumes, thy shoes with their heels
of mother-of-pearl, that s