After these preliminaries I launched into my story. He listened
attentively and with every indication of lively interest, with few
interruptions. Once he clapped for his pages and had in snow-cooled wine
to refresh me and soothe my throat. Upon my account of my wrestle with
Nemestronia's leopard he cut in with a series of questions as to my power
over animals. When I came to my encounter with Pescennius Niger he was
keenly interested, as in my report of his reputation in Marseilles,
according to Doris, and uttered one or two remarks. Otherwise he was
apparently absorbed in my narrative.
When it was over he said:
"I believe you, your story sounds true; all of it. You have had amazing
adventures and have escaped alive manifestly by the special favor of the
immortal gods, particularly of Mercury. Like you, I pay special attention
to winning and keeping the favor of Mercury, though, of course, for me, as
for all soldiers, Mithras is the most important god.
"You may be very sure that I shall, as far as may be, provide that no
informer or secret-service agent can ever again succeed in gaining
credence for baseless fabrications, such as those from which you have
suffered. I shall endeavor to have it arranged that reports of any one
agent be checked up by reports of another, the two being wholly unknown to
each other.
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