gainst him, who
succeeded in getting him stripped of all his possessions, driven from
Athens, and condemned to perpetual exile.

Friendless and beggared, Gisippus slowly travelled on foot to Rome,
intending to ask Titus to help him. He found that his friend was now a
rich and powerful man, enjoying the favour of the young Prince Octavius,
and living in a splendid palace. Gisippus did not dare to enter it, as
his clothes were now worn to rags, so he stood humbly by the gate like a
beggar, hoping that his friend would recognise him and speak to him. But
Titus came out in a hurry, and never even stopped to look at him; and
Gisippus, thinking that he was now despised, went away confounded with
grief and despair.

Wandering at random about the streets, he came at nightfall to a cavern
where thieves were wont to gather, and laid down on the hard ground and
wept himself to sleep. While he was sleeping, two thieves entered with
their booty and began to quarrel about it, whereupon one killed the
other and fled. In the morning some watchmen found Gisippus sleeping
beside the dead body, and arrested him.

"Yes, I killed him," said Gisippus, who was now resolved to die, and
thought that this would be a better way than taking his own life.
Thereupon, the judge sentenced him to be crucified, which was the usual
manner of death in these cases. By a strange chance, however, Titus came
into the hall to defend a poor client. He instantly recognised Gisippus,
and, wondering greatly at the sad change of his fortune, he determined
at all costs to save him. But the case had gone so far that there was
only one way of doing this. And Titus took it. Stepping resolutely up to
the judge, he greatly astonished everyone by exclaiming:

"Recall thy sentence. This person is innocent; I killed the man!"

Gisippus turned round in astonishment, and seeing Titus, he concluded
that he was trying to save him for friendship's sake. But he was
determined that he would not accept the sacrifice.

"Do not believe him, sir. I was the murderer. Let the punishment fall on
me," he said to the judge.

The judge was amazed to see two men contending for the torture of
crucifixion with as much eagerness as if it had been the highest honour
in the world; and suddenly a notorious thief, who had been standing in
the court, came forward and made this surprising declaration:

"This strange debate has so moved me that I will confess everything," he
said. "You cannot