“Nero said that!” said Drusus, with a cry of surprise.
“Ay; that and more,” continued Sejanus. “But I do not wish to breed enmity between brothers.”
“What more has he said about me?” commanded Drusus, angrily.
“He says thou wilt never be a man,” replied the wily Sejanus.
“And why?” asked Drusus, flushed with anger.
“Be not angry if I tell thee.”
“Nay, O Sejanus.”
“He says thou art advised too much by thy mother.”
“No one seeks her counsel more than he does,” cried Drusus.
“Princes of the blood of the Divine Augustus should receive counsel from statesmen,” slyly suggested the minister.