"Herod and his friend, the Essene Marsyas, who had become a dangerous Roman, filled with a Jew's cunning and the boldness of a wolf-suckled Romulus, till misfortune cut him down--this same fallen Herod and his friend have dropped out of sight, except as Death may bare its arm and reach down to cut off the head of the one and the income of the other. This much in three days; but Rome hath taught herself to forget in a twinkling. "But Caesar hath been for many days troubled of a dream. He telleth it thus, in no more words, no fewer: 'I cast dice with Three; three grisly hags, and I lose, though the tesserae were cogged!' His collection of soothsayers, the completest in the world, offered as many readings as there are numbers of them in the court. But Tiberius drew his lip and bared his teeth at them and called them pea-hens and cockchafers. Even Thrasullus, he lampooned--Thrasullus, whom once he feared. "Whereupon, the store of haruspices and augurs that feed upon superstitious Rome were brought in--only to furnish mirth for the court and victims for Tiberius. "Then Macro, rummaging about in musty and alien-peopled corners of the Imperial City, brought forth a wonder! "It--and would I could call the sex of the creature--came hither from the Orient. On that naked fact, Rome is left to build its biography, describe its looks and fathom its purpose. For it came before Caesar, and stood, a column in white--hooded, mummied, shawled, veiled in white! The court hath had spasms, since, fearing that it might have been a leper, but I say that there was no sick frame within those cerements! It had the stature and brawn of a man, but it managed its garments with the skill of a woman. It came, heard Caesar's dream, plucked off a husk of its wrappings, produced pigment and stylus and wrote thereon. "Then it vanished quite away. "A hundred courtiers rushed upon the wrapping that it left, and Caesar, pallid even under his wrinkles, screamed to them to pursue the Thing and fetch it back. But it was gone; vanished into thin air. "Then Macro plucked up courage and, taking up the cloth, fetched it to Caesar to read. "And Caesar, ashamed to show fear in the face of his court, snatched the linen away and read--to himself! "Now, whether the writing assured Tiberius that he was the comeliest monarch on the earth, or unfolded this scheme which is to follow, no man knows. But that which was written contained persuasion which worked on Caesar's mirth, for he smiled, as he hath not smiled since Sejanus tasted death. "'Go forth and search out that soothsayer,' he commanded Macro, 'that I may give him whatsoever thing he would have!' But Macro hath not discovered the soothsayer unto this day. "Meantime Caesar cleared his audience-chamber, but despatched a slave to bring me back to him. "And when I came I was bidden in whispers to take Caligula to the deepest hidden villa on Capri, and entertain him until I was bidden to return.