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“
[51]
But there was once a workman who
made a glass cup that was unbreakable. So he was given an audience of the
Emperor with his invention; he made Caesar give it back to him and then threw it
on the floor. Caesar was as frightened as could be. But the man picked up his
cup from the ground: it[p. 91] was dinted like a bronze bowl; then he
took a little hammer out of his pocket and made the cup quite sound again
without any trouble. After doing this he thought he had himself seated on the
throne of Jupiter, especially when Caesar said to him: 'Does anyone else know
how to blow glass like this?' Just see what happened. He said not, and then
Caesar had him beheaded. Why? Because if his invention were generally known we
should treat gold like dirt. Myself I have a great passion for silver.”
Petronius Arbiter. Petronius. Michael Heseltine. London. William Heinemann. 1913.
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