by the violence of my daughter on the one hand, and of my sister on the other. They are women; and, for different reasons, the violence of both is excusable. I have been for a considerable part of this day with Licinius, and have heard from him enough to satisfy me how guiltlessly you yourself have been involved in this affair; and your speedy liberation from confinement is more than enough to confirm my belief of all that he said. Yet there is much which I do not understand-I pray you speak openly, and fear nothing-you have indeed nothing to fear. Was it in consequence of any private meeting with my niece-nay, I mean not to suspect you of any thing amiss-in one word, how was it that you happened to be taken into custody with that unhappy girl?"

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Sir," I replied, "you are a noble Roman, and the near kinsman of Athanasia. You have a right to put these questions, and whatever reluctance I may have to overcome, I feel that I have no right to refuse an answer. I might easily say, and truly, that it was not in consequence of any connection between myself and Athanasia that I came into the situation of which you know the consequences already. And yet in saying so, I should not tell you the whole truth, which I do desire to tell you. Know, then, that I came to this place on that unfortunate night, not only without any expectation of seeing Athanasia, but for a purpose entirely unconnected with her." And so I told Sempronius, plainly and distinctly, the story both of my unwilling entrance into the mausoleum, and of my forcible abduction from it. In short, I saw no reason to conceal any thing from the person who was most likely to be able to serve Athanasia, if any thing to serve her were possible. Finally, seeing how kindly he received this communication, I told him I had gathered from the lips of Sempronia, the moment before, that she considered me as the lover of Athanasia.

"What I have felt," said I," what I still feel, and I perhaps shall ever feel, in regard to her, is nothing. I have never spoken of love to Athanasia, and I have no reason to suspect her of having ever thought of me otherwise than as a common acquaintance, perhaps a friend."

"It is well," he said; "you speak honestly, and as be

comes a man of the Valerian blood. Be assured, that your candour shall do you no injury in my estimation. But as for poor Athanasia, I swear to you I cannot yet. bring myself to believe that she hath in reality been privy to such things as have been discovered concerning these Christians."

"Discovered!" said 1. "I pray you, what has been discovered concerning them? If you allude to any of the wild stories that are circulated about their religion, you may depend upon it, 'tis all mere madness to believe a word of it. I have read in their sacred books myself, and I swear to you, that so far as I have seen, nothing can be more simple, benign, humane, than the morality inculcated by their leader.'

"Poh! poh!" he answered; "I was not thinking of their creed, which, for aught I know or care, may be sublime enough; for there was always a mysterious sort of philosophy current among those old Asiatic people. But I speak of the designs of these men; in one word I speak of their conspiracy."

Conspiracy!" said I. "What? How? Against whom? I will pledge my life, no conspiracy was sheltered beneath yon tower that night. I swear to you, they are simple people, and were thinking of nothing but their worship."

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Worship!" quoth he, with a smile; "I promise you it will not be so easy to persuade me that Cotilius has suddenly become a man of so much piety, either to our gods or to the deities (if they have any) of the Christians. What, Cotilius! By Jove, Rome does not hold at this moment a more bold, daring, godless rascal. You may as soon try to make me believe that Capaneus himself came to Thebes with a hymn in his mouth. No, no -the sworn friend of Domitian will not easily gain credit for his new-sprung sanctity."

"Cotilius" I answered. "That was the very name of the man who seized me, as I have told you."

"I should have guessed as much," quoth he. "Yes, I promise you, how little soever poor Athanasia might have known, secrets you may depend upon it they had; and

Cotilius was well aware at what peril they should be revealed."

"The late example of Thraso," said I, "must indeed have alarmed him."

"What," said he; "do you speak of the old fanatic Syrian who died t'other day, rather than join in the sacrifice of Jupiter? My good friend, you know little of Cotilius, if you think it was of danger by such means avertible that he stood in terror. No, no-had the worst of his fears been the necessity to worship all the deities between Ganges and Rhine, I assure you he would have slept more soundly on his pillow than I think he has done ever since the death of Domitian—the most grateful sacrifice, by-the-way, that I believe either Olympus or Tartarus has received for these many days."

"But surely," said I, "you do not believe, Sempronius, that Athanasia had any knowledge of the man's secret designs, if he had any. He may have used Christianity, or desired to use it, as a weapon against the state; but be certain, neither she nor Thraso, nor any of those really attached to their religion, had any notion of his purpose."

"It may be so, indeed," he answered,-" Heaven grant it may be so. I can indeed scarce imagine it to be otherwise. Christianity itself is a crime-a grievous crime; but were it possible to show that the poor girl had no other offence but her share in this fanaticism, means, methinks, might be contrived among us to move the clemency of Trajan. As for Cotilius, I will speak to you more at length of him anon. I will bid adieu to my sister, and take order about my daughter; and then, if it so please you, we shall walk together to the city."

To this I agreed, but Sabinus, being apprehensive of appearing to come late home, rode on to the camp of the Prætorians. He whispered to me, however, that unless he were most necessarily detained, he should be ere long at the house of Licinius, in case he might be able to offer me any further assistance.

CHAPTER VII.

"To you," said the senator, as we went on, "who have so lately come from your island, the whole of this expiatory spectacle is probably quite new; but I am sure Sabinus could not have been aware what was its purpose, otherwise he would not have been guilty of so grievously offending the feelings of my sister, and some of the rest of my kindred, by remaining a witness of these most private rites. The priestess is indeed inconsolable, and her grief has set half her other passions in motion likewise. Athanasia was as dear to her as if she had been her daughter; so, in truth, she was to us all, ever since her own parents died. Well, if kind heart and noble understanding had been to stand vouchers for happiness, I should have said (father though I be myself) that Rome did not contain such a creature as my brother's orphan. But Cotilius, this knave Cotilius, has, I fear, blasted her hopes and ours."

"It occurs to me," said I," and I should have mentioned it to you before, that there seemed to be no great understanding between this Cotilius and Athanasia. She was evidently displeased with many things he both said and did; and he, on his part, did not appear much to relish her interference."

"True," he continued, "you have already hinted as much; and I assure you, these are some of the circumstances in the whole case that tend most to excite my hopes concerning its termination. Great Heavens! what would Caius have said had he dreamt that his orphan girl was to be suspected of having sympathy with any of the dark designs of that shame to Roman knighthood? But you, of course, are a stranger to every thing of this man's history."

"With its end, at least," I replied, "it is like we may all be soon enough acquainted."

"Yes," quoth he, "Heaven grant we have not cause too deeply to remember it; but as for me, I have known him from the beginning, and I swear to you that from the first day I saw him, I considered his face as something ominous to look upon. Jove avert that I should prove in this to have been a keen-eyed augur. I have told you already that he was in great favour with Domitian."

"And the reverse, of course," said I, "both with Nerva and Trajan."

"Even so," he continued," and with all reason; for you must know, that in all the disturbances which occurred on the accession of the last sovereign, and in particular in those most foul intrigues among the Prætorians, which at one time brought Nerva's own life into immediate danger, and compelled him to bare his neck to the swords of the soldiery at his palace gate, this Cotilius was more than suspected to have had a deep and most traitorous concern. When Petronius and Parthenius* were hacked in pieces, it needed no great witchcraft to detect some of the moving spirits who produced that catastrophe ; but proof there was none at the time, and even had there been proof enough the good old man would have been too timid to act upon it. These things, however, could not be forgotten either by Nerva or his successor. Hitherto the strong hand of the present emperor has repressed every rebellious motion; but be sure that no man ever lived more an object of suspicion than this man has done ever since Nerva adopted Trajan."

"And you think," said I, " that among other intrigues, it had occurred to this man to make his own use of the Christians? despised and persecuted though they be, there can, indeed, be no doubt that their numbers are considerable, and that their faith is a strong bond of cohesion."

"Yes, yes, Valerius,” replied the senator. "Now, at last, I think you begin to see something of the matter. Their numbers, Heaven knows how or why, multiply daily, in

* These were the principal conspirators by whom Domitian was slain. They were afterward butchered by the Prætorians, who regretted the tyrant; and it was supposed to be chiefly in consequence of that slaughter, and its shameful consequences to himself (for he was compelled, among other insults, to return public thanks to the butchers), that Nerva called to his aid the personal vigour and high military genius of Trajan.