that Glaucus would be cured of his wounds and come to Rome. When he saw
him, therefore, in the house of prayer, he was in truth terrified, and
at the first moment wished to discontinue the search for Lygia. But on
the other hand, Vinicius terrified him still more. He understood that
he must choose between the fear of Glaucus, and the pursuit and
vengeance of a powerful patrician, to whose aid would come, beyond
doubt, another and still greater, Petronius. In view of this, Chilo
ceased to hesitate. He thought it better to have small enemies than
great ones, and, though his cowardly nature trembled somewhat at bloody
methods, he saw the need of killing Glaucus through the aid of other
hands.

At present the only question with him was the choice of people, and to
this he was turning that thought of which he had made mention to
Vinicius. Spending his nights in wine-shops most frequently, and
lodging in them, among men without a roof, without faith or honor, he
could find persons easily to undertake any task, and still more easily
others who, if they sniffed coin on his person, would begin, but when
they had received earnest money, would extort the whole sum by
threatening to deliver him to justice. Besides, for a certain time past
Chilo had felt a repulsion for nakedness, for those disgusting and
terrible figures lurking about suspected houses in the Subura or in the
Trans-Tiber. Measuring everything with his own measure, and not having
fathomed sufficiently the Christians or their religion, he judged that
among them, too, he could find willing tools. Since they seemed more
reliable than others, he resolved to turn to them and present the affair
in such fashion that they would undertake it, not for money's sake
merely, but through devotion.

In view of this, he went in the evening to Euricius, whom he knew as