were uttering a chant. He spoke of the world's redemption from sin
and sorrow; of the glories of heaven; of gold in place of clay; of the
desert blossoming like the rose. "That which is now worth sixty pieces
of silver will not cost a single obol. Fountains of milk shall spring
from the rocks; men shall sleep, well satisfied, among the wine-presses.
The people shall prostrate themselves before Thee, and Thy reign shall
be eternal, O Son of David!"

The tetrarch suddenly recoiled from the opening of the pit; the mention
of the existence of a son of David seemed to him like a menace to
himself.

Iaokanann then poured forth invectives against him for presuming to
aspire to royalty.

"There is no other king than the Eternal God!" he cried; and he cursed
Antipas for his luxurious gardens, his statues, his furniture of carved
ivory and precious woods, comparing him to the impious Ahab.

Antipas broke the slender cord attached to the royal seal that he wore
around his neck, and throwing the seal into the pit, he commanded his
prisoner to be silent.

But Iaokanann replied: "I shall cry aloud like a savage bear, like the
wild ass, like a woman in travail! The punishment of heaven has already
visited itself upon thy incest! May God inflict thee with the sterility
of mules!"

At these words, a sound of suppressed laughter arose here and there
among the listeners.