t that stopped the revels of
Antipater:

"Lift up my soul; let me not be ashamed---I trust
in Thee, God of my fathers;
Send, quickly send, the new king whose arrows
shall fly as the lightning,
Making the mighty afraid and the proud to bow
low and the wicked to tremble.
Soon let me hear the great song that shall sound
in the deep of the heavens;
Show me the lantern of light hanging low in
the deep of the heavens."

The voice of the singer grew faint and the lyre dropped from her hands.
They could see her reeling, and suddenly she fell headlong to the rug
beneath her pedestal. Antipater rose quickly with angry eyes.

"The accursed girl!" said he. "A Galilean slave of my father. She is
forever chanting of a new king."

Hot with anger and flushed with wine, he ran, cursing, and kicked the
shapely form that lay fainting at the foot of its pedestal.

"Fool!" he shouted. "Know you not that I only am your king? You shall
be punished; you shall enter the cage of the leopard."

He went no further. Vergilius had rushed upon him and flung him to the
floor. Antipater rose quickly and approached the young Roman, a devil
in his eyes. Vergilius had a look of wonder and self-reproach.

"What have I done?" said he, facing the Jew. "Son of Herod, forgive
me. She is your slave, and I--I am no longer master of myself. I
doubt not some strange god is working in me, for I seem to be
weak-hearted and cannot bear to see you kick her."

The declaration was greeted with loud laughter. Antipater stood
muttering as he shook the skirt of his toga.

"'Tis odd, my goodfellows," said Vergilius, "but the other day I saw a
man scourging his lady's-maid. Mother of the gods! I felt as if the
blows were falling on my own back, and out went my hand upon his arm
and I begged him--I begged him to spare the girl."

All laughed again.

"You should have a doll and long hair," said Antipater, in a tone of
contempt.

The proud son of Varro stood waiting as the others laughed, his brows
and chin lifting a bit with anger. When silence came he spoke slowly,
looking from face to face:

"If any here dare to question my courage, within a moment it shall be
proved upon him."

None spoke or moved for a breath. Antipater answered, presently:

"I doubt not your courage, noble Vergilius, but if you will have it
tried I can show you a better way, and one that will spare your
friends. Come, all