Philip, and Melissa's and Alexander's evil fortunes,
placed them in the ranks of the foremost foes of tyranny.

Within ten months of his accession Macrinus was overthrown, after his
defeat at Immae, where, though the praetorians still fought for him
bravely, he took ignominious flight; Julia Domna's grandnephew was then
proclaimed Caesar by the troops, under the name of Heliogabalus, and
the young emperor of fourteen had a statue and a cenotaph erected at
Alexandria to Caracalla, whose son he was falsely reputed to be. These
two works of art suffered severely at the hands of those on whom the
hated and luckless emperor had inflicted such fearful evils. Still, on
certain memorial days they were decked with beautiful flowers; and when
the new prefect, by order of Caracalla's mother, made inquiry as to who
it was that laid them there, he was informed that they came from the
finest garden in Alexandria, and that it was Melissa, the wife of the
owner, who offered them. This comforted the heart of Julia Domna, and
she would have blessed the donor still more warmly if she could have
known that Melissa included the name of her crazed son in her prayers to
her dying day.

Old Heron, who had settled on the estate of Diodoros and lived there
among his birds, less surly than of old, still produced his miniature
works of art; he would shake his head over those strange offerings, and
once when he found himself alone with old Dido, now a freed-woman, he
said, irritably: "If that little fool had done as I told her she would
be empress now, and as good as Julia Domna. But all has turned out
well--only that Argutis, whom every one treats as if our old Macedonian
blood ran in his veins, was sent yesterday by Melissa with finer
flowers for Caracalla's cenotaph than for her own mother's tomb--May
her new-fangled god forgive her! There is some Christian nonsense at the
bottom of it, no doubt. I stick to the old gods whom my Olympias served,
and she always did the best in everything."

Old Polybius, too, remained a heathen; but he allowed the children to
please themselves. He and Heron saw their grandchildren brought up
as Christians without a remonstrance, for they both understood that
Christianity was the faith of the future.

Andreas to his latest day was ever the faithful adviser of old and young
alike. In the sunshine of love which smiled upon him his austere zeal
turned to considerate tenderness. When at last he lay on his death-bed,