SCENE FIRST.
In Antioch. An open colonnade, with statues and a fountain in front of it. To the left, under the colonnade, a flight of steps leads up to the Imperial Palace.
A company of Courtiers, Teachers, Poets, and Orators—among them the court-physician, Oribases, and the poet, Heraclius—are assembled, some in the colonnade, some around the fountain; most of them are dressed in ragged cloaks, with matted hair and beards.
Heraclius.
I can endure this life no longer. To rise with the sun, plunge into a cold bath, run or fence oneself weary
Oribases.
'Tis all very wholesome.
Heraclius.
Is it wholesome to eat seaweed and raw fish?
A Courtier.
Is it wholesome to have to devour meat in <g>great</g> lumps, all bloody, as it comes from the butcher?
