uerable and pious; by united council these:--

"Whereas we have experienced the benefits and the gifts of the gods, and
do also enjoy the victory which they have given us over our enemies, and
moreover salubrity of seasons, and abundance in the fruits of the earth;

"Therefore, acknowledging the aforesaid as our benefactors and the
providers of those things which are necessary for the commonwealth, we
make this our decree, that every class of the state, freemen and slaves,
the army and civilians, offer to the gods expiatory sacrifices, falling
down in supplication before them;

"And if any one shall presume to disobey this our divine command, which we
unite in promulgating, we order that man to be thrown into chains, and to
be subjected to various tortures;

"And should he thereupon be persuaded to reverse his disobedience, he
shall receive from us no slight honours;

"But should he hold out in opposition, first he shall have many tortures,
and then shall be executed by the sword, or thrown into the deep sea, or
given as a prey to birds and dogs;

"And more than all if such a person be a professor of the Christian
religion.

"Farewell, and live happy."

The old man in the fable called on Death, and Death made his appearance.
We are very far indeed from meaning that Agellius uttered random words, or
spoke impatiently, when he just now expressed a wish to have the
opportunity of dying for the Faith. Nevertheless, what now met his eyes
and was transmitted through them, sentence by sentence, into his mind, was
not certainly of a nature to calm the tumult which was busy in breast and
brain; a sickness came over him, and he staggered away. The words of the
edict still met his eyes, and were of a bright red colour. The sun was
right before him, but the letters were in the sun, and the sun in his
brain. He reeled and fell heavily on the pavement. No notice was taken of
the occurrence by the spectators around him. They lazily or curiously
looked on, and waited to see if he would recover.

How long he lay there he could not tell, when he came to himself; if it
could really be said to be coming to himself to have the power of motion,
and an instinct that he must move, and move in one direction. He managed
to rise and lean against the pedestal of the statue, and its shade by this
time protected him. Then an intense desire came upon him to get home, and
that desire gave him a temporary preternatural strength. It came upon h