The young
man was now in the borderland of new attainment. He was full of the
joy and the wonder of discovery. He was like a child--eager for
understanding and impatient of delay. Now he thought with the pagans
and now with the Jews.
At his palace a letter had been waiting for the tribune. It was from
his friend Appius. "My excellent and beloved Vergilius," it said, "I
address you with a feeling of deep concern for your safety. To-night
by tabellarius, my letter shall go down to the sea on its way to
Jerusalem. And now to its subject. This morning I went to the public
games, and, returning, I was near my palace when a messenger, bearing
the command of Augustus, overtook and stopped me. Quickly I made my
way to The Laurels. Our great imperator was in his chamber and reading
letters. He gave me a glance and greeted me. I saw he wished me to
come near, and I stood close beside him. Then, with that slow, gentle
tone, he hurled his lightning into me--you remember his way. He told
me, as he read, that you were making rapid progress in Jerusalem; that
you had become a conspirator, a prophet, and were likely soon to be an
angel.
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