JULIA } NIGIDIA } Roman girls, daughters of the PAULA } guests of Eudemius GRATIA } NERISSA, nurse to Varia HITO, master of the household of Eudemius CHLORIS, of all nations, living upon Thorney SADA, a Saxon } inmates of her house EUNICE, a Greek } ELDRIS, a Briton, a convert to Christianity WARDO, a Saxon, a slave in the house of Eudemius VALERIUS, a Roman, a soldier of fortune TOBIAS, a Hebrew, a worker in ivory RATHUMUS, a British peasant, bound to the soil SUSANNA, a Hebrew woman, his wife NICANOR, a story-teller, their son WULF, the Red, a Saxon free-lance CEAWLIN, a Saxon chieftain FATHER AMBROSE, of the Christian church NICODEMUS, the One-Eyed, a British freedman MYLEIA, his wife MARCUS, a slave in the house of Eudemius BALBUS, a convict JUNCINA, a fish-wife on Thorney SOSIA, her daughter A flower-girl, a Saxon singer, slaves, trades-folk, soldiers of the military police; guards and overseers of the mines, and miners; Roman nobles and patrician women; Saxon men-at-arms, and men of the outland nations Scene: Britain in the last days of Roman power Time: between A.D. 410 and 446 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- LIST OF TOWNS AND RIVERS WITH THEIR MODERN SITES AND NAMES Abus Flumen Humber River. Ad Fines Broughing, Hertfordshire. Anderida Pevensey. Aquae Solis Bath. Bibracte _Unknown_. Caledonia Scotland. Calleva Silchester. Corinium Cirencester. Cunetio Folly Farm, near Marlborough. Deva Chester. Dubrae Dover. Eboracum York. Gobannium Abergavenny. Glevum Gloucester. Isca Silurum Carleon. Leucarum Llychwr, county of Glamorgan. Londinium London. Noviomagus Holwood Hill, parish of Bromley. Pontes Staines Portus Magnus Porchester. Ratae Leicester. Regnum Chichester. Rutupiae Richborough Sabrina Flumen Severn River. Serica China. Tamesis Flumen Thames River. Tripontium _Near_ Lilburne. Uriconium Wroxeter. Urus Flumen Ouse River. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE MANTLE OF MELCHIOR BOOK I ----------------------------------------------------------------------- NICANOR: TELLER OF TALES Book I THE MANTLE OF MELCHIOR I Nicanor the story-teller was the son of Rathumus the wood-cutter, who was the son of Razis the worker in bronze, who was the son of Melchior the story-teller. So that Nicanor came honestly by his gift, and would even believe that his great-grandsire had handed it down to him by special act of bequest.