by Italy itself, that is, by Cethegus, with the least
possible help from Byzantium; so that, after the victory, the Emperor
could not avoid giving the dominion over the country to its saviour,
even if only as a governor. Then he would soon gain time and
opportunity to excite the national pride of the Romans against the rule
of the "Greek-lings," as they contemptuously called the Byzantines.
For, although for two hundred years--since the days of the great
Constantine--the glory of the Empire of the world had been removed from
widowed Rome to the golden town on the Hellespont, and the sceptre of
the sons of Romulus seemed to have passed over to the Greeks; though
East and West formed _one_ state of antique culture opposed to the
barbarian world; yet even now the Romans hated and despised the Greeks
as much as in the days when Flaminius declared humbled Hellas to be a
freedman of Rome. The old hate was now increased by envy.

Therefore Cethegus was sure of the enthusiasm and support of all Italy,
which, after the removal of the barbarians, would also banish the
Byzantines from the country; and the crown of Rome, the crown of the
Western Empire, would be his certain reward.

And if he succeeded in exciting the newly-awakened national feeling to
an offensive war on the other side of the Alps, when he had again
erected the throne of the Roman Empire on the ruins of the Frankish
Kingdom at Orleans and Paris, then the attempt would not be too rash
once again to subdue the Eastern Empire and continue the Empire of the
World in the Eternal City from the point at which Trajan and Hadrian
had left it.

In order to reach this distant and shining goal, every step on the
dizzy path must be taken with the greatest prudence; any stumble might
precipitate him into an abyss. In order to gain his end, Cethegus must
first of all make sure of Rome; on Rome alone could his plans be based.

Therefore the new Prefect bestowed the greatest care upon the city that
had been entrusted to him. He wished to make Rome, morally and
physically, his surety of dominion, belonging alone to him, and not to
be wrested from him.

His office gave him the best pretext for carrying out his plans. Was it
not the duty of the _Praefectus Urbi_ to care for the well-being of the
populace, and for the preservation and security of the city? He
understood perfectly well how to use the rights of his office for the
furtherance of his own aims. He easily won the sympa