"Utinam populus Romanus unam cervicem haberet!"
Ancient Rome--The Emperor Gaius "Caligula" Caesar once said of the Roman people, "I wish the Roman people had but a single neck [to cut]." "Little Boots" ruled a mere four years, finally having his throat cut by two of his Praetorian Guards. He was stabbed over thirty times, including in the genitals. His jaw was split with the blow of a sword. Thou art mortal, thou art mortal. They slaughtered him in 41 C.E., only a few years after the alleged crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth.
Not much has changed since those days, has it? Actually, some things have: there have been four American Presidents assassinated in 200 years and not by Patricians. This is a higher hit ratio than the twelve Caesars, who usually murdered eachother: Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, and John Fitzgerald Kennedy, all felled by the gun. There were no guns in Rome, murder was up close and personal.
The ante was upped before September 11th, 2001. Patricians and plebes have never gotten along, and I doubt that they ever will. Caesar: Beware the Ides of March. Гаврило Принцип Sic Semper Tyrannis. So mote it be.
Magnificent phrase
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