stranger, one who would learn of you the ways of business and trade. An apprenticeship perhaps, if it be your will-"

Nummus and Praesens Pecunia looked upon the man, feeling for him tender, mysterious friendship. Therefore said they, "Thou art a great man, but an over humble.'

Said Simon, "I have known misfortune." He waited while the masters of the Forum studied him yet further.

At length said Nummus, "We do know thee not: it is settled." But Praesens Pecunia was not quite so hard. Said he, "Thou wouldst not, I am sure, be content with any small, simple clerkship in our argentaria. Yonder is the sign of our place, in the great Basilica's side-NUMMUS AND PRAESENS PECUNIA, ARGENTARII. All the world trembles when it hears- But-to a test of thee. I have it. We are not, at present, in high favor with our sovereign [whispering] Cæsar. Art thou meant for man of business, thou❜lt find a way-a method whereby to get us a concession, secure again for us the favor of Cæsar. Enough. Farewell."

But Simon laid strong hands upon the litter, that the slaves could not on with it, so that Nummus and Praesens Pecunia marvelled. And even as Jacob of old would not let the angel go till that he had blessed the Jew, so, here also, Simon of Cyrene would not suffer the litter of Nummus and Praesens Pecunia to proceed from the Forum, till he had gotten a promise from their lips.

"And ye—if I get you the favor out of Cæsar, will ye then take me as your partner into your argentaria ?"

"Yea, at a third of the value of the business-for we must have again the countenance of Cæsar-the which we have lately lost.—But that thou canst not do for us, else we could do it for ourselves."

Simon let them go, both Nummus and Praesens Pecunia, for his head was whirling to inventive thought.

He ran about the Forum like a distracted person.

Then perceived he that the multitudes were returning from the games. Thought he: "Now Cæsar will be got back home, I will see what I can do."

He therefore went to the Palatine, and up to Cæsar's domus. There the way was blocked by a giant, which said his name was "Obstans," and which guarded the portal of the palace. A mighty spear held he in his hand, the which a common man could hardly lift up from the ground.

Now Simon took the giant, and bent him to the earth, and bound him foot and hand to his own spear, and flung him across his shoulder,

and so carried him, fast, before high Cæsar. For he thought, “Cæsar will have to give me attention, so."

And Cæsar, puffing and purpling, was shouting unto a many that timidly stood round about him: "My power! Oh my power! Ye would take it from me. Brambles and dogs! I have made you all companions, and yet ye would take my power away. See! The very argentarii refuse to fill my coffers more, and the people withhold from me further taxes. What shall little Cæsar do, he that is believed to rule the winds encompassing the earth? Shall he spit money? Either bankers or people-nowhere else. And the people are with the soldiers. And ye with all of them! Ah damned 'ye'! Oh I am woe, I am woe.'

So he buried his face in his fat hands, and shook the mountains of his corpulency.

He looked again at his companions, asking in a small, piping voice: "Have I done you wrong, good sirs? If so, admonish me. Cæsar is ever willing to learn of his friends whenever he hath done wrong. Hath he levied too great taxes? Do the people refuse to pay further? Must he cut the court expenses? Come hither, sirrah. Thou answerest not me. Then I have wronged thee not.-Throw him to the lions. Away! No mercy! I say, 'no mercy,' and I yet am Cæsar. Him also-him also throw. My people I fear in the multitude, not by scores or dozens. No, no: to the lions! None of all these fit to be gladiators—even today at the games there were none. So-"

Through the tail of his eye he caught one glimpse of Simon, holding the giant over his shoulder, bounden tight to his own great spear. Ceasing to speak, Cæsar turned slowly round.

With ever-widening eyes gazed he on Simon.

"By mine own divinity!" As happy he looked as a sweet child. "Thanatos! Art thou here, Thanatos? Look! What is thy name? Art the sort of gladiator I long have sought. Wilt not die forWho? Simon of Cyrene? Well enough. Long ago heard I concerning thee by the pen of Lampadephorus. And they that brought the letters unto me, there was fraud in them both. I saw thee also upon the street this day. not die for me? Fighter-both hands! I love thee."

Them therefore I executed.
Gods! Dimacherus! Wilt

Then cast Simon of Cyrene the giant hurtling away. And standing at a little remove from the Great Ideal Sinner, the Glutton of Blood, he said to him: "I fear thou dost not wholly understand me, O Cæsar."

Cæsar frowned. But Simon quaked not. "There was once," said he, "a mouse which assisted a lion."

Then Cæsar smiled.

"Give me thy countenance, O Cæsar, thy beneficent patrocinium, to be a man of business in thy name, and under thy protection, and I will hand over unto thee on the very morrow ten millions of sestertia. For I, unlike thy people, am not ungrateful. Believe me, O Cæsar, I am not ungrateful at all."

"Hast thou money, man?"

"None."

Then laid back Cæsar his fat head, and placing his pulpy hands upon his swollen stomach, laughed in intolerable silence. He straightened forth, and roared.

"Sirrah! Sirrah!" It was like the voice of a devil from the throat of a hippopotamus. "Thou art insane. How canst thou bring me, fool, a fabulous treasure, seeing thou hast no money?"

"That, O Cæsar, is the thing I must know. Shall Cæsar, from his tribunal, descend to talk of business, of pennies? Shall not his people, rather, raise for him whatsoever thing he needeth, asking but his countenance alone?"

Cæsar smiled a sweet, fatuous smile. After arising, he said: "Walk with me. To the stables. The rest of you follow at some distance."

He took the Jew and led him to a place where one was painting the hoofs of horses, and another was gathering up the dung of Cæsar's favorite steed into a silver basket. Cæsar said to Simon

"Thou mayest speak now."

Saw Simon that he durst go no further with his secrecy. Said he, "Who is there can keep anything from thine ears, O Cæsar? My plan was this. I had truly nothing at all. But Nummus and Praesens Pecunia did require (as I chanced to learn) for high success thine imperial countenance. Thou, upon the other hand, didst truly need the millions thy people would not further surrender up unto thee, being ungrateful to thee that thou art Cæsar. Here come in I, saying to the bankers: 'Nummus and Praesens Pecunia, here is for thee Cæsar's countenance.' Then unto thee, Cæsar: 'Cæsar, Lord of all This World, behold thy coins on which thine image rests, and which thy people would not yield up unto thee, being ungrateful; but now they are thine again."

"And thou!" whispered Cæsar. "Where cometh in thy profit? Thinkest thou I am simple?"

"Nummus and Praesens Pecunia have promised me," said Simon, "if I do bring to them thy countenance, thy fast and durable countenance in their work and trade, that then they will surrender unto

me, as a pure gift, a third part in their business. And thinkest thou, O Cæsar, that I, once thou hast made me great-"

"It is enough. Let me think. Thou art- Yes, thou wouldst ever be grateful. Let me think. I could always get money from thee when I would. Thou wouldst ever have it, then. Remarkable. Thou art a remarkable Thou hast a great head for business. So thou seekest to be a money-maker! Wouldst not die for me, rather, upon the sand?”

"See, O Cæsar, I have no quality as dimacharus at all, being only a simple shepherd that now would change his occupation into that of a man of business and trade."

"By Hercules, Simon of Cyrene, if thou canst change to that then thou canst change to yet a better also-a dimachærus. A most remarkable head for business, all the same. I have half a mindBy all the pains of the world, had thy plan occurred to me, Cæsar, I believe I should have adopted it. But no: it is thine. Troops!"

Troops came, a many of them, and Cæsar gave them charge that they should take the Jew into the school of a certain lanista, Sanguinarius, who should render the Jew instruction how he might prepare to die for Cæsar on the bloody sand.

CHAPTER XL

THE MAN WHO COULD NOT FAIL

As Cæsar ordered, so it was done.

And Sanguinarius was a favorite of Cæsar. Yet would Simon of Cyrene not learn of him (already he had learned of Lampadephorus in better ways) and he pretended to be ignorant and wholly unable to master the use of swords.

Then, on a day, when Sanguinarius, seeing that Simon would not learn, and dreading the judgment of Cæsar, when that he should find the Jew had made no progress, went up-this filthy giant-unto Simon, and gave him foul words, and saith unto him: "See! there lie two pointless swords. Take thou them up, and fight as dimachærus, even in the way I have shown thee, else will I master thee and kill thee, yea with this very sword which I hold and which hath a point. Fight."

But Simon ran unto a statue (one of those which stood within the schola, file on file) a statue of Mercury. And he ripped it from its great base, and swinging it round his shoulders, cried: "Aggressor am not I, yet tempt me not."

And Sanguinarius and a many of the other gladiators which were there, at bloody training, ran straight at the Jew.

And he beat them small as the dust before the wind.

And he killed Sanguinarius, both him and many others of the mighty gladiators-Furor, Strongyllion, Clarus, Preclarus, Celeber, and Celebratus. But Sanguinarius was the chief lanista and supervisor of the school.

And Simon's heart was as wax, for he saw he had killed many favorites of Cæsar.

Yet thought he, "Who is this Cæsar that I should fear him?”

So he ran straightway to the house upon the Palatine. And they which stood at guard before the door made way, remembering the fate of Obstans. And the Jew rushed up to Cæsar, crying: "I have killed thy favorite, Sanguinarius, also Furor, Strongyllion, Clarus, Preclarus, Celeber and Celebratus, eke many another gladiator also. For these, they would have killed me, inasmuch as I could not learn to use the sword. And being set upon, I did kill them. Even with the statue of great Mercury, which stood within the hall, killed I them! O mighty Cæsar! Mercy!"

Then said Cæsar, softly: "Thou killedst Sanguinarius! Sanguinarius dead! Was ever anyone that could kill Sanguinarius ? Statue of Mercury? What sayest thou? Mercury? That statue-I remember-"

Simon answered him and said, "Even as I have declared to thee, O Cæsar, so it was done."

And Cæsar adjudged him, saying: "I love thee for thy might, but hate thee for the things thou hast done therewith. Get thee out of here. Let me not see thee more. Thy case I take under advisement."

Now Simon beheld that he had received a kind of pardon, but only for this that he had been bloodier than Sanguinarius. Moreover, he had no patrocinium either for Nummus or for Praesens Pecunia, or any money or advantage for himself. He therefore gat him not upon the Forum, but into the lower streets and passages of the city. Turning a corner, he came straightforth on a prophecy-a great procession of wagons, each with a cage of Numidian lions, or it might be Hyrcanian tigers, leopards from Pontus, or hippopotami from Egypt. He sank within a doorway, and the bellowing symbols of Cæsar's bloodlust went on their way to the great vivarium (never to be wholly filled) beneath the amphitheatre.

What a pleasure unto Cæsar!

And every day or two, as he had known, a similar procession