re left by the Emperor with full powers to carry
on and complete the work which he had begun. It was his purpose however,
so soon as the difficulties in the army should be composed, himself
immediately to return, and remain till the task were ended--the great
duty done. But, as many causes might conspire to prevent this, they were
clothed with sovereign authority to do all that the welfare of the city
and the defence and security of religion might require. I will not
charge Aurelian with an unnecessary absence at this juncture, that so he
might turn over to his tools a work, at which his own humanity and
conscience, hardened as they were, revolted--or rather that they,
voluntarily, and moved only by their own superstitious and malignant
minds might then be free to do what they might feel safe in believing
would be an acceptable service to their great master. I will still
believe, that, had he intended the destruction of Piso and Julia, he
would, with that courage which is natural to him, have fearlessly and
unshrinkingly done the deed himself. I will rather suppose that his
ministers, without warrant from him, and prompted by their own hate
alone, ventured upon that dark attempt, trusting, when it should have
once been accomplished, easily to obtain the pardon of him, who, however
he might affect or feel displeasure for a moment, would secretly applaud
and thank them for the deed.

However this may be, Aurelian suddenly departed from Rome, and Fronto
and Varus filled his place; and their first act of authority was the
seizure of Piso and the Princess. At Tibur we knew nothing of these
events till they were passed; we caring not to hear of the daily horrors
that were acted in the city, and feeling as secure of the safety of Piso
and Julia as of our own.

It was on a gloomy winter evening when they were borne away from their
home upon the Coelian to the dark vaults beneath the Temple of the
Sun, Fronto's own province. But here again let Piso speak for himself,
as I find recorded in the fragment of a letter.

* * * * *

* * * The darkness of the night scarce permitted me to see, he says,
whither we were borne, but when the guard stopped and required us to
alight from the carriage in which we had been placed, I perceived that
we were at the steps of the temple--victims therefore in his own regions
of a man, as much more savage than Aurelian, as he than a beast of the
forest. We were denied