Galen?"

"Too much of a man to be an emperor," said Galen, smiling amid wrinkles.
"By observing a man's virtues one may infer what his faults are. You
would try to rule the empire honestly, which is impossible. A more
dishonest man would let it rule itself and claim the credit, whereas you
would give the praise to others, who would shoulder off the work and all
the blame on to you. An empire is like a human body, which heals itself
if the head will let it. Too many heads--a conference of doctors--and
the patient dies! One doctor, doing nothing with an air of confidence,
and the patient gets well! There, I have told you more than all the
senate knows!"


Came Scylax, out of breath, less menial than most men's slaves, his head
and shoulders upright and the hand that held a letter thrust well
forward as if what he had to do were more important than the way he did
it.

"This came," he said, standing beside Sextus' couch. "Cadmus brought
it, running all the way from Antioch."

His hand was trembling; evidently Cadmus had by some means learned the
contents of the letter and had told.

"I and Cadmus--" he said, and then hesitated.

"What?"

"--are faithful, no matter what happens."