The Litchfield County post., 1828-07-31
THRILLING SKETCH. ERoM SALATHIRL.l

lace ana ngure, was led m by the SoldIery. The lion rOared, and ramped against the bars of his den at the sight. The guard put sword and buckler into the hands of 1 the Christian. and he was left alone. He drew the mantle from his face, and bent a slow and firm look around the ampthea- ire. His fine cOuntenance and lofty bear ing raised an universal sound of admra- l ton. He might have stood for an Apollo encounlering the Python. His eye at list turned on mine. Could believe my sen- ses ConstaDtius was before mo
 All my rancor vanished. An hour past l could have struck the betrayer to the 1 heart; ! could have called upon the sever est vengeance of man and Heaven to smite the destroyer of my child. But to see him hopelessly doomed; the man whom I had honored for his noble qualities, whom l had even loved, whose crime was"at the worst but the crime of giving way to the strongest temptation that can bewilder the heart of. man; to see this noble creature flung to the sslvage beast, d wing in tortures, ! torn piecemeal before my eyes, and his misery wrought by me, ! would have obtested earth and heaven to save him. But my tongue cleaved to the roof of my mouth. My limbs refused to stir. I would have thrown myself at the feet of Nero |; but l sat like man of stone-pale, ,paral- yzed-the beating of my pulses stopt-my eyes alone alive.
 The gate of the den was thrown back, and the lion rushed in with roar, and a bound that bore him half across the arena. l saw the sword glitter in the air :; when it waved again it was covered with blood. A howl told that the blow had been diven home. The lion one of the largest from Numidia, and made furious by thirst and hunger; an animal of prodigious power, crouched for an instant as if to made sure of his prey, crept few paces onward, & sprung at the victim's throat. He was met ny second wound, but his impulse was irrisistible, and Constantius was flung upon the ground. A cry of natural horror rang round the amphitheatre. The struggle was now for instant life or death. They rolled over each other, the lion reared up- on his hind feet, and with gnashing teeth and distended tallons, plunged on the man; again they rose together. Anxiety was now at its widest heigth. The sword swung round the champions head in bloody circles. They fell again covered with blood and dust--The hand of Constan- tius had grasped the lions mane, and the furious bounds of the monster could not loose the hold but his strength was evil dently giving way; he still struck terrible blows, but each was weaker than the one before till, collecting his whole force for last effort, he darted one mighty blow in- to the lions throat, and sunk. The sav- age yelled and spouted out blood, fled how ling around the arena. But the hand still grasped the mane and his conqueror was dragged whirling through the dust at his heels. An universal outcry now arose to save him, if he were not already dead.- But the lion, though bleeding at every vein, was still too terrible, and all shunk from the hazard.-At last the grasp gave way, and the body lay motionless on tho ground.
 What happened for some moments af- ter know not. There was a struggle at the portal; female forced her way thro' the guards, rushed in alone and flung her. self. upon the victim. The sight of new prey reused the lion; he tore the ground with his talons he lashed his streaming side with his tail he lifted up his mane & barred his fangs. But his approach was no longer with bound he dreaded the sword and came snuffing the blood on the sand, and stealing around the body in cir- cults still diminishing.
 " The confusion in the vast assemblage was now extreme. Voices innumerable called for aid. WoHen screamed and fain- ted men bursted into indignant clamours at this prolonged cruelty. Even the hard hearts of the populace, accustomed as they were to the sacrifice of life, were reused to honest curses. The guards grasped their arms, and w,ited but for sign from the Emperor. But Nero gave no sign.
 "I looked upon the woman's face. It was Salome! sprung upon my feet. | called on her name; called upon her by every feeling of nature to fly from that place of death, to come to my arms, to think of the agonies of all that loved her. She had raised the head of Constan- titus on her knee, and was wiping the pale visage with her hair.--At the sound of my voice she looked up, and calmly east l ing back the locks from her forehead fixed