er. But he bore the memory of
these events easily, for he had thrown the man aside dying, not at an
inn, but in a field near Minturna. This one thing he had not foreseen,
that Glaucus would be cured of his wounds and come to Rome. When he saw
him, therefore, in the house of prayer, he was in truth terrified, and
at the first moment wished to discontinue the search for Lygia. But on
the other hand, Vinicius terrified him still more. He understood that he
must choose between the fear of Glaucus, and the pursuit and vengeance
of a powerful patrician, to whose aid would come, beyond doubt, another
and still greater, Petronius. In view of this, Chilo ceased to hesitate.
He thought it better to have small enemies than great ones, and, though
his cowardly nature trembled somewhat at bloody methods, he saw the need
of killing Glaucus through the aid of other hands.

At present the only question with him was the choice of people, and
to this he was turning that thought of which he had made mention to
Vinicius. Spending his nights in wine-shops most frequently, and lodging
in them, among men without a roof, without faith or honor, he could find
persons easily to undertake any task, and still more easily others
who, if they sniffed coin on his person, would begin, but when they had
received earnest money, would extort the whole sum by threatening to
deliver him to justice. Besides, for a certain time past Chilo had felt
a repulsion for nakedness, for those disgusting and terrible figures
lurking about suspected houses in the Subura or in the Trans-Tiber.
Measuring everything with his own measure, and not having fathomed
sufficiently the Christians or their religion, he judged that among
them, too, he could find willing tools. Since they seemed more reliable
than others, he resolved to turn to them and present the affair in such
fashion that they would undertake it, not for money's sake merely, but
through devotion.

In view of this, he went in the evening to Euricius, whom he knew as
devoted with whole soul to his person, and who, he was sure, would do
all in his power to assist him. Naturally cautious, Chilo did not
even dream of revealing his real intentions, which would be in clear
opposition, moreover, to the faith which the old man had in his piety
and virtue. He wished to find people who were ready for anything, and to
talk with them of the affair only in such a way that, out of regard to
themselves, they would guard it as