If there was
any more of this nonsense, he said, the succession to the throne
would have to be altered.
"For a time all went well; the festival of summer sports was
approaching, and the young Vespaluus was too engrossed in
wrestling and foot-running and javelin-throwing competitions to
bother himself with the strife of conflicting religious systems.
Then, however, came the great culminating feature of the summer
festival, the ceremonial dance round the grove of the sacred
serpents, and Vespaluus, as we should say, 'sat it out.' The
affront to the State religion was too public and ostentatious to
be overlooked, even if the king had been so minded, and he was not
in the least so minded. For a day and a half he sat apart and
brooded, and every one thought he was debating within himself the
question of the young prince's death or pardon; as a matter of
fact he was merely thinking out the manner of the boy's death. As
the thing had to be done, and was bound to attract an enormous
amount of public attention in any case, it was as well to make it
as spectacular and impressive as possible.
"'Apart from his unfortunate taste in religions;' said the king,
'and his obstinacy in adhering to it, he is a sweet and pleasant
youth, therefore it is meet and fitting that he should be done to
death by the winged envoys of sweetness.
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