tailieunhanh - Caesar Dies

Golden Antioch lay like a jewel at a mountain's throat. Wide, intersecting streets, each nearly four miles long, granite-paved, and marble-colonnaded, swarmed with fashionable loiterers. The gay Antiochenes, whom nothing except frequent earthquakes interrupted from pursuit of pleasure, were taking the air in chariots, in litters, and on foot; their linen clothes were as riotously picturesque as was the fruit displayed in open shop-fronts under the colonnades, or as the blossom on the trees in public gardens, which made of the city, as seen from the height of the citadel, a mosaic of green and white | Caesar Dies 1 Caesar Dies The Project Gutenberg EBook of Caesar Dies by Talbot Mundy This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at Title Caesar Dies Author Talbot Mundy Release Date December 9 2003 EBook 10422 Language English Character set encoding ASCII START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CAESAR DIES Produced by Jake Jaqua CAESAR DIES by Talbot Mundy I. IN THE REIGN OF THE EMPEROR COMMODUS Golden Antioch lay like a jewel at a mountain s throat. Wide intersecting streets each nearly four miles long granite-paved and marble-colonnaded swarmed with fashionable loiterers. The gay Antiochenes whom nothing except frequent earthquakes interrupted from pursuit of pleasure were taking the air in chariots in litters and on foot their linen clothes were as riotously picturesque as was the fruit displayed in open shop-fronts under the colonnades or as the blossom on the trees in public gardens which made of the city as seen from the height of the citadel a mosaic of green and white. The crowd on the main thoroughfares was aristocratic opulence was accented by groups of slaves in close attendance on their owners but the aristocracy was sharply differentiated. The Romans frequently less wealthy because those who had made money went to Rome to spend it -- frequently less educated and in general not less dissolute--despised the Antiochenes although the Romans loved Antioch. The cosmopolitan Antiochenes returned the compliment regarding Romans as mere duffers in depravity philistines in art but capable in war and government and consequently to be feared if not respected. So there was not much mingling of the groups whose slaves took example from their masters affecting in public a scorn that they did not feel but were careful to assert. The Romans were intensely dignified and wore