o visit her in the tower where she lived, promising to let down a
basket to draw him up as far as the roof. Virgilius was enchanted at
this quite unexpected favour, and stepped with glee into the basket. It
was drawn up very slowly, and by-and-by came altogether to a standstill,
while from above rang the voice of Febilla crying, 'Rogue of a sorcerer,
there shalt thou hang!' And there he hung over the market-place, which
was soon thronged with people, who made fun of him till he was mad with
rage. At last the emperor, hearing of his plight, commanded Febilla to
release him, and Virgilius went home vowing vengeance.

The next morning every fire in Rome went out, and as there were no
matches in those days this was a very serious matter. The emperor,
guessing that this was the work of Virgilius, besought him to break
the spell. Then Virgilius ordered a scaffold to be erected in the
market-place, and Febilla to be brought clothed in a single white
garment. And further, he bade every one to snatch fire from the maiden,
and to suffer no neighbour to kindle it. And when the maiden appeared,
clad in her white smock, flames of fire curled about her, and the Romans
brought some torches, and some straw, and some shavings, and fires were
kindled in Rome again.

For three days she stood there, till every hearth in Rome was alight,
and then she was suffered to go where she would.

But the emperor was wroth at the vengeance of Virgilius, and threw him
into prison, vowing that he should be put to death. And when everything
was ready he was led out to the Viminal Hill, where he was to die.

He went quietly with his guards, but the day was hot, and on reaching
his place of execution he begged for some water. A pail was brought, and
he, crying 'Emperor, all hail! seek for me in Sicily,' jumped headlong
into the pail, and vanished from their sight.

For some time we hear no more of Virgilius, or how he made his peace
with the emperor, but the next event in his history was his being sent
for to the palace to give the emperor advice how to guard Rome from
foes within as well as foes without. Virgilius spent many days in deep
thought, and at length invented a plan which was known to all as the
'Preservation of Rome.'

On the roof of the Capitol, which was the most famous public building
in the city, he set up statues representing the gods worshipped by every
nation subject to Rome, and in the middle stood the god of Rome herself.
Each of