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THE ROMAN EMPERORS IN MARBLE. 53
whispered into his co-divinity’s ear, and then placed his
own ear at the latter’s mouth. Jupiter Capitohnus, who
never answered in the same way, had, however, ground
to complain, if not on his own, on his kinsmen’s behalf;
for the emperor had had a number of the most beautiful
of Greece’s statues of the gods transported to Rome, and
beheaded, in order to give them other heads, bearing the
features of his own face ; and it is said that he had de-
signed the same fate for the Olympian Zeus.
This is undoubtedly based on madness. Caligula’s
age, too, suspected that all was not quite right in his
brain. There were whispers of a love-potion that had
taken away his understanding. But give omnipotence
to a scrapegrace, put slaves and flatterers around his
throne, and madness may come on without the arts
of Canidia.
Caius was jealous. The statues of great men, which
Augustus had removed from the overfilled Capitol to
the field of Mars, he broke into pieces ; for Rome had
enough with one great man. If at the theatre he no-
ticed that a handsome fellow attracted the eyes of the
women, woe to that man! He was doomed: he had
stolen from Caesar the exclusive homage which the fair
sex owed him. Jealousy comes out in him with the
whole artlessness of childhood, when the public claps
hands for Porius the charioteer, who in his joy over a
victory gives freedom to his slave. Caligula cries from
his seat :
" This people shows a gladiator greater honor
than its prince !
" and he rushes out so hastily, that he
entangles himself in his toga and falls down the steps.
On such an occasion it was, that he wished the Roman
people but a single neck, to ease the executioner.
His tyranny, as previously indicated, bears an en-
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