In travel-worn garb Vergilius went early to see the king.

Accustomed to the grandeur of Rome itself, he yet saw with astonishment the beautiful groves, the lakes, canals, and fountains sparkling in the sunlight which surrounded the great marble palace of Herod.

In the shadow of its many towers, each thirty cubits high, Vergilius began to feel some dread of this terrible king.

At least fifty paces from the door of his chamber, in the great hall above-stairs, he could hear the growl of the old lion.

In Herod was the voice of wrath and revenge and terror.