n Vinicius, for whom one who had
wandered in from a strange people had less worth than the meanest worm.
When he heard Lygia's thanks, he grew terribly pale; and when Nazarius
went out to get water for the birds, he said,--"Lygia, canst thou endure
that he should give thee gifts? Dost thou not know that the Greeks call
people of his nation Jewish dogs?"

"I do not know what the Greeks call them; but I know that Nazarius is a
Christian and my brother."

When she had said this she looked at Vinicius with astonishment and
regret, for he had disaccustomed her to similar outbursts; and he set
his teeth, so as not to tell her that he would have given command to
beat such a brother with sticks, or would have sent him as a compeditus
[A man who labors with chained feet] to dig earth in his Sicilian
vineyards. He restrained himself, however, throttled the anger within
him, and only after a while did he say,--"Pardon me, Lygia. For me thou
art the daughter of a king and the adopted child of Plautius." And
he subdued himself to that degree that when Nazarius appeared in the
chamber again, he promised him, on returning to his villa, the gift of a
pair of peacocks or flamingoes, of which he had a garden full.

Lygia understood what such victories over himself must have cost him;
but the oftener he gained them the more her heart turned to him. His
merit with regard to Nazarius was less, however, than she supposed.
Vinicius might be indignant for a moment, but he could not be jealous of
him. In fact the son of Miriam did not, in his eyes, mean much more than
a dog; besides, he was a child yet, who, if he loved Lygia, loved her
unconsciously and servilely. Greater struggles must the young tribune
have with himself to submit, even in silence, to that honor with which
among those people the name of Christ and His religion was surrounded.
In this regard wonderful things took place in Vinicius. That was in
every case a religion which Lygia believed; hence for that single reason
he was ready to receive it. Afterward, the more he returned to health,
the more he remembered the whole series of events which had happened
since that night at Ostrianum, and the whole series of thoughts which
had come to his head from that time, the more he was astonished at the
superhuman power of that religion which changed the souls of men
to their foundations. He understood that in it there was something
uncommon, something which had not been on earth before,