“I will leave thee,” said Livia, magnificent in the control of her temper and actions; “but before I depart I will speak some final words.” Her voice was clear and loud as she added: “Woe unto thee, O Tiberius! No astrologer is required to read thy future. ’Tis written on thy evil face. The furrows upon thy brow will deepen. Thy night-seeing, vampire-like eyes will delight in the sight of blood. In thy nostrils will be the stench of the putrefying corpses of thy murdered victims. Thy mouth will be red-stained like that of the Cyclops, not by wine, but by the blood of innocent wretches. ’Twill no longer be the face of a human being, ’twill be the sodden despotic face of a monster.” “Have done, O Livia! have done!” cried Tiberius. “I will speak. Woe unto thee, Tiberius! Thy life will be more unhappy, if that were possible. Rome, that was happy under the Divine Augustus, will rise and execrate thee. Sejanus, who helps thee in thy infernal plans, carries a scorpion sting behind his smooth and polished servility. Thou shalt dwell in miserable solitude,--in a solitude that shall resound with the yells of the despairing, with the shrieks of the tortured, and with the groans of the dying. Hate has become incarnate in thee. Murder, dripping with blood, will be thy spouse.” “By the eternal gods, cease this tirade! By Hercules--” he cried, as if to strike her. “Ay, strike me! Strike thine old mother, who has lived too long! Oh that I should have lived to see this unhappy day! But woe unto thee, Tiberius! Thy relations all suffer under the pall of thy displeasure. Thy mother is insulted. Thy son is denied his just rights. Thy adopted daughter, Agrippina, and her children tremble in fear of thee. The pious Antonia’s eyes are red with weeping for her son Germanicus. Only the insanity of Claudius protects him against thy hate. The wretched Roman people are becoming enslaved by thy dastardly system of spies. Are thy kinsmen all wrong? Are the people also wrong? Art thou, and thou only, the one who is right? Woe unto thee, O infamous son! I have finished. Would that my words should always ring in thine ears! Woe unto thee; I repeat it,--woe unto thee!” Saying these words, Livia raised her arms to heaven as if she were invoking a curse. She walked slowly to the door and entered the council chamber. Her face was flushed, and her lips slightly trembled, but her step was firm. As she smiled and bowed to those whom she recognized among the crowd, her bearing was full of composure, dignity, and majesty. Instead of becoming angry at the last words of Livia, Tiberius sneered and smiled sarcastically. Not wishing to appear before the guests, he sent word that the audience was at an end. When Sejanus arrived at the palace, he was immediately received. “Hail to thee, O Tiberius!” said the minister, as he entered the room. “Thank the gods, thou hast at last appeared, O faithful minister!” said Tiberius, giving a deep sigh of relief. Chapter VI