"’When he hath a paroxysm of his disease he customarily chanteth strange things which some esteem to be prophecies; but whether his sayings be truly prophetic or not I can not inform thee.’ "’Perhaps thou dost remember the words of some of his pretended prophecies?’ "’Yea, verily! For since he hath been with me he hath hardly ever chanted anything but a certain song which I have heard him repeat very often when the disease taketh him.’ "’Repeat thou those words!’ "Then with a certain show of exultation I chanted the same words that Gaius had uttered, and, when I had finished, Licinius cried out fiercely, ’Thou dost believe, indeed, that the words of Gaius are a sure prophecy, and thou dost rejoice at my threatened overthrow!’ "I looked smilingly upon the emperor, but made no answer; and thereupon he fell into a great rage and said unto me, grimly enough: ’Thou art a tall man, bishop! Verily, I think thou art fully a head too tall, and this day I will reduce thee to a more proper stature by cutting off thy head’; and when he saw that I was unterrified by this threat, he added, ’And the boy’s head also!’ "Then gazing fixedly upon him, I did say: ’Surely thou mayst do so, for thou art a blood-soaked, merciless tyrant enough for any crime. But this deed would make thee contemptible; for it would prove that thou art not only a tyrant, but also a fool!’ "Then turning almost livid with suppressed wrath, he cried out, ’What dost thou mean, thou insolent?’ "’I mean that some years ago when the bold and eloquent preaching of the brave and righteous presbyter, Arius the Libyan, did operate to save for thee a large part of thy fleet, thou didst order that he should never be molested in the public discharge of the duties of his sacred office; wherefore, even the Christians, who knew thee to be a bloody tyrant, and a desecrator of the sacrament of marriage by an infamous law, and a violator of all the sanctities and decencies of life, still did give thee credit for intelligence. But if now thou shalt murder those who, even unintentionally, have given thee warning in time to save thy whole navy, all men will regard thee as an idiot.’ "’How save my whole navy?’ "’By keeping the ships thereof upon thine own side of the Mediterranean; for the words are, "_when_ the great ships shall cross the middle sea," and perhaps it may signify not until _then_?’ "’By Jupiter Stator,’ he answered, vehemently, ’I think that thou art right! And that accursed "when" shall never happen. For this honest saying of thine, thou mayst go hence free, and take the lad Gaius with thee!’ "And thereupon I withdrew; but I am certainly advised that his purpose holds good never to send his fleet across the Mediterranean." "How dost thou know that?" asked Constantine, eagerly.