Yet it was not all triumph even to Nero. Amid all his festivities it was possible for this man to suffer sometimes from the stings of a guilty conscience. He carried for years the terrible memory of his mother's murder, and confessed once that he was haunted by her ghost, which followed him with whips and scorpions like one of the Furies. On account of these pangs of conscience, he did not dare to visit Athens, for there he knew he would see the ancient temple and enclosure of the Awful Goddesses. Sparta was also unapproachable to him, since the laws of Lycurgus singled out such crimes as his for conspicuous punishment. He did not dare to visit the Eleusinian mysteries, for the crier there warned off all murderers and parricides. Such superstitious fears as these kept him thus away from those very places to which his tastes would have first led him.

During his expedition his extravagance was without limit, and in order to satisfy his demands worse oppression arose in Rome. Those whom he left behind to govern in his absence were only too glad of the opportunity of practising tyranny on their own account. Enormous sums of money were raised by means of the greatest cruelty and extortion, and Rome became a scene of plunder and bloodshed. The richest and most illustrious men of Rome were marked out as victims, and ordered to despatch themselves—a common order in these times, which no one ever presumed to disobey. But Nero did not restrict his cruelty to Rome. His love for Greece, and everything Greek, did not at all deter him from plundering the country of his love. The very cities which had listened to his voice, and given their applause, were made the victims of his rapacity, and the most eminent citizens were banished or put to death, so that their property might be seized.

Meantime the state of Rome began to grow alarming. The people found the tyranny of Nero's subordinates unendurable, and loud and fierce clamours arose. Despatches were sent to

the emperor warning him of the state of things, and urging his return. Nero, however, by this time had been excited by a new scheme, which was to cut a canal through the Isthmus of Corinth. He therefore remained longer, so as to insure the accomplishment of this work, and gain by it immortal glory. While seeing about this, he still continued his public exhibitions, and divided his time between bloody tragedies in real life, and false ones on the stage.

At last, however, danger increased everywhere.

on the point of insurrection. The flame began to spread elsewhere. The regent Helius left Rome in alarm, and hurry. ing over to Greece, came to Nero at Corinth. The report which he brought back rendered a further stay in Greece impossible, and Nero was forced to quit the scene of his glory, after having been there about a year.

Nero arrived in Naples first, and there made a triumphant entry, which was worthy of the marvellous genius who had carried off so many prizes. Other cities repeated the scene of triumph, and at length all splendours culminated at Rome. Before him there passed a long procession, which carried the victorious crowns and wreaths which he had won, and held aloft inscriptions which proclaimed the splendid genius of the great Roman who had conquered all the Greeks in their own special domain. The city resounded with songs of praise and sacred hymns, directed to Apollo, the presiding deity of music and poetry. After the long procession there appeared the triumphal car, which once was used by Augustus. There sat Nero, and by his side Diodorus the musician. Flowers were strewn in the way before the emperor. Victims were offered up, and the smoke of the sacrifice and of incense arose, and the streets resounded with the shouts and acclamations of those who sought to express by fitting cries the most appropriate welcome to such a victor.

Now, amid all this, there was one thing which filled Nero

with anger and resentment, and that was the absence of Cineas. He had expected that he would have been the first to accompany him to Greece, to share his triumphs and behold his accomplishments. Instead of that, he had never made his appearance, nor even sent an excuse. In an expedition of this kind Cineas was all-important. The respect which Nero felt for his splendid attainments increased his desire that he should be present, and aggravated his disappointment at his absence. At first he thought that this absence was owing to the jealousy of Tigellinus, and angrily charged his favourite with the offence; but from the representations of the latter he learned that this was not the case.

Amid the excitement of his tour through Greece, he made no inquiries after Cineas; but still, to the very last, thought that the Athenian would make his appearance. He sincerely believed that Cineas was losing the highest enjoyment of which he was capable, in not hearing his own divine voice; and often, when the theatre rang with the acclamations of thirty thousand voices, he thought to himself,-Oh, if Cineas were here!

But month after month passed away, and still Cineas came not, and his absence grew more and more unaccountable. At first Nero felt no resentment, for he thought that Cineas would be sufficiently punished by learning the full extent of all that he had missed. But soon resentment came, and the thought grew up in the mind of Nero that he was slighted, till the thought became positive suspicion, and suspicion deepened into conviction. Then his rage knew no bounds, and his soul was filled by one all-consuming desire for vengeance.

Not till he arrived at Rome did he make inquiries after Cineas. He then learned all the facts,-that Cineas had gone to Britain, and then, returning with Labeo, had set out with the latter for Judea.

This completed the rage of Nero. Cineas had known that he was in Greece, and yet had chosen to go to Judea. For

It was

what? For idle curiosity. Certainly not for fighting. And he had proved himself indifferent to the genius of Cæsar. a slight, an insult. He should die!

The very first thing that he did was to send off a command for the arrest of Cineas and his transportation to Rome for trial.

"He shall die this time," said Nero to Tigellinus. "I will try and see if death cannot be made terrible even to him."

XXXIV.

The End of Nero.

HE applause which Nero had heard in the streets of
Rome was destined to be the last that was offered

to that mixture of tragedy and comedy which composed his life. Hardly had he returned, when he discovered a most dangerous conspiracy. This he crushed, and then, thinking that his future was secured, he determined to leave the dangers of the capital, and enjoy himself in a safer place. He therefore went to Naples, and gave himself up for a time to his passions and his music. There he found everything to his taste. His soldiers could overawe the populace of an inferior town. The beauty of the surrounding country gratified him. The scenery of Naples was always agreeable to him, and the delights of Baia were close at hand.

But his enjoyment here was only for a short time. The whole world was roused, and rose up to free itself from an oppression which was not only terrible but also contemptible. For some time there had been trouble in Gaul, and here the first movements took place. There was a man named Vindex, who was descended from the old kings of Aquitania, who now came forward prominently as the deliverer of a world. Actuated either by hatred of tyranny, or by personal ambition, or by both, he determined to cast down Nero from the throne which he had disgraced. He wrote letters to the governors of the surrounding provinces, and among others to Galba, who com