Caesar, on returning to Rome, was angry because he had returned, and after
some days was filled anew with a wish to visit Achaea. He even issued an edict
in which he declared that his absence would be short, and that public affairs
would not be exposed to detriment because of it. In company with Augustians,
among whom was Vinicius, he repaired to the Capitol to make offerings to the
gods for an auspicious journey. But on the second day, when he visited the
temple of Vesta, an event took place which changed all his projects. Nero feared
the gods, though he did not believe in them; he feared especially the mysterious
Vesta, who filled him with such awe that at sight of the divinity and the sacred fire
his hair rose on a sudden from terror, his teeth chattered, a shiver ran through his
limbs, and he dropped into the arms of Vinicius, who happened there behind him.
He was borne out of the temple at once, and conveyed to the Palatine, where he
recovered soon, but did not leave the bed for that day. He declared, moreover, to
the great astonishment of those present, that he deferred his journey, since the
divinity had warned him secretly against haste. An hour later it was announced
throughout Rome that Caesar, seeing the gloomy faces of the citizens, and
moved by love for them, as a father for his children, would remain to share their
lot and their pleasures. The people, rejoiced at this decision, and certain also that
they would not miss games and a distribution of wheat, assembled in crowds
before the gates of the Palatine, and raised shouts in honor of the divine Caesar,
who interrupted the play at dice with which he was amusing himself with
Augustians, and said:
"Yes, there was need to defer the journey. Egypt, and predicted dominion over
the Orient, cannot escape me; hence Ach~a, too, will not be lost. I will give
command to cut through the isthmus of Corinth; I will rear such monuments in
Egypt that the pyramids will seem childish toys in comparison; I will have a
sphinx built seven times greater than that which is gazing into the desert outside
Memphis; but I will command that it have my face. Coming ages will speak only
of that monument and of me."
"With thy verses thou hast reared a monument to thyself already, not seven, but
thrice seven, times greater than the pyramid of Cheops," said Petronius.
"But with my song?" inquired Nero.
"Ah! if men could only build for thee a statue, like that of Memnon, to call with thy
voice at sunrise! For all ages to come the seas adjoining Egypt would swarm with
ships in which crowds from the three parts of the world would be lost in listenmg
to thy song."
"Alas! who can do that?" said Nero.
"But thou canst give command to cut out of basalt thyself driving a quadriga."
"True! I will do that!"
"Thou wilt bestow a gift on humanity."
"In Egypt 1 will marry the Moon, who is now a widow, and I shall be a god really."
"And thou wilt give us stars for wives; we will make a new constellation, which will
be called the constellation of Nero. But do thou marry Vitelius to the Nile, so that
