Page:The collected works of Henrik Ibsen (Volume 5).djvu/372

336 But wait, wait! The Galileans of Caesarea shall atone with their blood, and the whole city shall go up in flames as soon as I have time at my disposal.

My lord and friend,—if you would permit me

Permit me, first. Say yourself whether I ought to tolerate such things? Say whether my zeal can bear with such insults to the divinities who hover over and shield me? But what can I do? Have I not laboured through many a long night to disprove these unhappy delusions,—writing, Libanius, till my eyes were red, and my fingers black with ink? And what good, think you, has it done? I have reaped scorn instead of thanks, not only from the fanatics themselves, but even from men who pretend to share my opinions. And now, to crown all these mortifications, I find you acting as spokesman for the complaints of a handful of citizens against Alexander, who at least does his best to keep the Galileans in check.

Oh, my august friend,—that is precisely our ground of complaint.

Do you tell me this?

'Tis not with my own good will that I do the city's errands. I urged upon the council that they ought to choose for this task the most distinguished