DARKNESS AND DAWN OR SCENES IN THE DAYS OF NERO NINTH ISSUE. TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES Punctuation has been standardized. Characters in small caps have been replaced by all caps. Non-printable characteristics have been given the following transliteration: Italic text: --> _text_ bold text: --> =text=. This book was written in a period when many words had not become standardized in their spelling. Words may have multiple spelling variations or inconsistent hyphenation in the text. These have been left unchanged unless indicated with a Transcriber’s Note. Footnotes are identified in the text with a number in brackets [2] and have been accumulated in a single section at the end of the text. Transcriber Notes are used when making corrections to the text or to provide additional information for the modern reader. These notes are identified in the text with an asterisk and number in brackets [*2] and have been accumulated in a single section at the end of the book. DARKNESS AND DAWN OR SCENES IN THE DAYS OF NERO An Historic Tale BY FREDERIC W. FARRAR, D.D., F.R.S. ARCHDEACON AND CANON OF WESTMINSTER, AUTHOR OF “THE LIFE OF CHRIST,” ETC., ETC. NEW YORK LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. LONDON AND BOMBAY 1897 _Copyright_, _1891_, BY F. W. FARRAR First Edition, September, 1891. Reprinted December, 1891; January and April, 1892; January and September, 1893; February, 1895; May, 1896. University Press: JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE. VXORI DILECTISSIMAE LIBERORVM PIENTISSIMAE MATRI LABORUM OMNIUM ET CURARUM PARTICIPI FIDELISSIMAE HVNC LIBRVM D. D. D. FREDERICVS GVILIELMVS FARRAR Dolce color d’oriental zaffiro, Che s’accoglieva nel sereno aspetto Dell’aer puro infino al primo giro, Agli occhi miei ricomincio diletto, Tosto ch’io usci fuor dell’aura morta, Che m’avea contristato gli occhi e’l petto. DANTE, _Purgatorio_, I. 13-18. The orient sapphire’s hue of sweetest tone, Which gathered in the aspect calm and bright Of that pure air as far as heaven’s first zone, Now to mine eyes brought back the old delight Soon as I passed forth from the dead dank air Which eyes and heart had veiled with saddest night. PLUMPTRE. PREFACE