Page:Gesta Romanorum - Swan - Wright - 1.djvu/329

Rh Romans assented with joy, and Aurelius indulged for that year in every wish of his heart. Then mounting a noble steed, he rode furiously into the abyss, which, with a dreadful crash, immediately closed over him.

My beloved, Rome is the world, in the centre of which, before the nativity of Christ, was the gulf of hell, yawning for our immortal souls. Christ plunged into it, and by so doing ransomed the human race.

Tiberius ascended the throne he was remarkable for his wisdom. His eloquence