this accursed tribe. They are preaching, not on their holydays to a mob
of beggarly knaves, men and women dragged up by their hot and zealous
caterers from the lanes and kennels of the city, within the walls of
their filthy synagogues, but they preach every day, to the very princes
and nobles of the state--at the capitol to the Senate--here in thy
palaces to all the greatest and best of Rome and, by the gods! as I
believe, make more converts to their impieties than all the army of
their atheistical priesthood. Upon Probus, Piso, and Julia, hang the
Christians of Rome. Hew them away, end the branches die. Probus, ere
tomorrow's sun is set, feeds the beasts of the Flavian--then--'

'Hold, Fronto! I will no more of it now. I have, besides, assured Piso
of his safety.'

'There is no virtue like that of those, who, having erred, repent.'

Aurelian looked for the moment as if he would willingly have hurled
Fronto, and his temple after him, to Tartarus. But the bold man heeded
him not.

'Shall I,' he continued, 'say what it is that thus ties the hands of the
conqueror of the world?'

'Say what thou wilt.'

'Rome says, I say it not--but Rome says, 'tis love.'

'What mean they? I take you not. Love?'

'Of the princess Julia, still so called.'

A deep blush burned upon the cheek of Aurelian. He paused a moment, as
if for some storm within to subside. He then said, in his deep tone,
that indicates the presence of the whole soul--but without passion--

'Fronto, 'tis partly true--truer than I wish it were. When in Syria my
eye first beheld her, I loved her--as I never loved before, and never
shall again. But not for the Emperor of the world would she part from
young Piso. I sued, as man never sued before, but all in vain. Her image
still haunts the chambers of my brain; yet, with truth do I say it, but
as some pure vision sent from the gods. I confess, Fronto, it is she who
stands between me and the will of Heaven. I know not what force, but
that of all the gods, could make me harm her. To no other ear has this
ever been revealed. She is to me god and goddess.'

'Now, Aurelian, that thou has spoken in the fullness of thy heart, do I
hold thee redeemed from the invisible tyrant. In our own hearts we sin
and err, as we dare not when the covering is off, and others can look in
and see how weak we are. Thou canst not, great Caesar, for this fondness
forget and put far from thee the vision of thy mother, whom, in dreams
or