"ἐπὶ τοῦ τροχοῦ γὰρ δεῖ σ'ἐκἕι στρεβλούμενον
εἰπεῖν ἅ πεπανούργηκας."
Aristoph. Plut. 875. See also Virg. Æn. vi. 616.
[20] The allusion is to the fire placed under the revolving wheel, by which the sufferer was slowly roasted. A reference to this species of torture will be found in ch. 50 of Tertullian's Apology.
[21] "Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there, that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana?"—Acts xix. 35.
"Harpers have sung and poets told,
That he, in fury uncontrolled,
The shaggy monarch of the wood
Before a virgin fair and good
Hath pacified his savage mood;
But passions in the human frame
Oft put the lion's rage to shame."—Scott.
"Eternal spirit of the chainless mind!
Brightest in dungeons, Liberty!"—Byron.
[BOOK VII.]
The scornful reproaches of Leucippe stirred up a tumult of conflicting passions in Thersander's mind; he was incensed by her taunts, vexed at his ill success, and perplexed how to secure the accomplishment of his desires. Without saying another word he rushed out of the house to give vent to the storm and tempest of his soul.[1] Shortly after, having conferred with Sosthenes, he went to the jailor, and endeavoured to persuade him to administer a dose of poison to me; this, however, the jailor refused to do, his predecessor having suffered death for taking off a prisoner in this manner. Failing in this, he obtained his consent to introduce a man (who was to pass for a criminal) into my cell, under pretence of wishing to extract some secrets out of me through him. The man had been previously tutored by Thersander, and was casually to introduce Leucippe's name, and to say that she had been murdered by the contrivance of Melitta. Thersander's object in persuading me of her death was to hinder me (in case I obtained a verdict of acquittal) from instituting any further search for her recovery, and the name of Melitta was introduced in order that, after learning Leucippe's death, I might not entertain any thoughts of marrying her, and so by settling at Ephesus might interrupt Thersander in the prosecution of his schemes, but on the contrary, might be induced to quit the city without delay, from hatred to Melitta for having contrived the death of my beloved.