Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1863-10-19

she were to violate he soNs, there IS no
punishment other thar falls.to the lot of |
all who sin. But thg--Ron1an Vestal. if |
she violated her VOW = chastity, could |
hope for no mercy. She was buried |
alive
In spite Of this, su. is the madness
view with the Vestal. 1 heavy bribe to |
one of the inferior Fr~sts bought him
the opportunity. Sh saw him. again
saw him pale, eager, t1:nulous with pas.
sion, standing before r.
81" Pardon! 0 julia i, pardon! but I
must speak. ThougG<,e thunder of the
great gods strike n. [ must tell thee
that love thee!"
lie paused, silenc9rsey an imperious-
gesture, then listeneGS.o his fate from
lips pale as marble
20 most rash, mos3npious, and most
unhappy May the Is : forgive thee!
Leave me now, and n.Eer look upon me
again p
Lsve, despair, win perhaps, lending
its aid, drove Aureliu - a frenzy Of pas.
sion. lie was alone. q he way he came
was open. lie felt gant's strength
AiSiC atoou tie liggtt Ii - lovely form be-
lore tim. Shoaid he ave and lose her
forever, when she 81 almost withia
his grasp. In a rash .aoment of impet-
uous maddening pass iii, he seized her
IN his arms, and bore sr from the gar
den, to which he ha@. purchased admis-
sion.
In him, passion coaauered all rever-
ence ior custom and elglon. In her,
piety subdued, if it di3s not conquer the
daWhlhg love. A msflent she felt the
thrill ct that i1npassiG grasp; in an
other, she woke to all he terrors of her
situation, and her lois inpiety She
shrleked and struggle They were pur-
sued. A crowd gathss 1 around words
of horror passed fror. one to another
she was taken from hS arlSs. and here's
cued by a file of soldif fr6nP mob that
would have torn IL in pieces--was'
thrown into dangeo snd leaded with
: youth, gs1fus, IN cs1e lis nfbass flis Ala
Rome was outraged. There was not a
citizen so saithless OF Immoral who was
not ready 10 punish, with tortures and
death, such shocking impiety.
The trial was shert-there vas but
enc voice, and that was vengeancel In
any ordinary case, where the criminal
was Roman citizen, and a. patrician, he
would have been beheaded; but in this,
the crowd demanded Taat he should re-
ceive not only cruel, bat an ignolnini :
Gus Punishment. I'D leones !'' (to the
lionsD shouted the mob; and he was
led back to his dungeon, loaded with
chains, and guarded, that he might not
take his own life, and SO disappoint
the popular vengeance.
All these circumstances. were known
to the lovely vestal, whose beauty had
been The cause. Of the fearful tragedy
which now approached its consumma-
ton. She pftied Aurelius; she, forgav'
him. H she did not love him, there wa:
enough Of tender interest for him in he
heart to enable her to understand, per
haps to admire, even the desperate mean
by which he sought to gain possession 0
her person
She sought out the priest by who's
means Aurelius had gained access to th
garden. His looks betrayed him to he
penetration. Accused of his completely
he threw himself upon her mercy.
"Go," said Julian, bring me-all th
intelligence you can Of this unhapp
prisoner, whom you have helped to ~
in. Find out when he is to be punishe'
and bring me word"
He departed on shis errand. Julia
; had resolved upon her course. She wou
z have sought the intercession of the Po
tifix Maximas-she would have throw
a herself at the feet of the Triumvirs, b
|, she dared net. Different motives wou
, prevent either from showing mercy
:, The high priest was fanatic for religic
t or its observance the Triumvirs fear
It that huge monster, the populace
n Rome
n The priest returned with his intel
e genee. He need not to 60 far to obts
d it. All Rome rang with the news th
ID on the very day, at the usual hour, t
impious Aurelius, for the sacrilege
N attempting to carry off a vestal virg
le was to be given tc the savage AfriC
Sc lions, at the Fiavisn Amphitheatre,
Id 1t was the talk of the whole city
il Rome took special holiday. That
in mense structure, now called the Coli
We um, whose sublime ruins tourists V
'e. by moonlight, WAS filled with seve
is thousand spectators-triumvirs, co
We tiers, patricians, knights, noble lad
he and the people. But if seventy The
Il and gathered within the walls, upon
Ter stone seats which rose one above
'ry other, to see their fellow. w.creature t
res limb from limb by wild beasts made
) it age with hunger, there were milf
tho wbo tbro,1Aa pit ont filiiup tho CIV