Chapter 12 - Page 2

and the crowning
of a mysterious king of prophecy, who, many said, was now waiting the
death of Herod. It baffled him. He saw signs that many had their
heads together in this plot. So far, however, he had not been able to
lay hands upon them. There were many theories about the new king.
They were strange and conflicting and zealously put forth. They
differed as to whether he were yet born and as to his divinity, his
character, and his purposes. The Sanhedrim held that when he came into
the world there would be certain signs and portents seen of all men.
This conflict of authority increased the confusion of Herod. When
Vergilius came to his capital the king was mired on the very edge of
the great mystery.

Powers of darkness ruled the city of Jerusalem. The sword, the lance,
the dagger, and the wheel were wreaking vengeance and creating new
perils while they were removing old ones. The king had tried vainly to
repair the past. He gave freely to the poor; he erected gorgeous
places of amusement; he built the new temple and a great palace in the
upper city. The splendor of the latter structures had outdone the
imperator. No shape born of barbaric dreams, to be slowly spread upon
the earth in marble and gold, had so taxed the cunning and the patience
of human hands. Such, in brief, were the character, the troubles, the
home, and the city of Herod.