And Abraham Went Out . . .

Quote from a Historical Novel

 In the novel "Dear and Glorious Physician," (1959) Diodorus, Syrian tribune, writes to Lucanus (much later St.Luke) in a letter from Rome:

". . . The fate of Rome, the fate of the desperate taxpayers, is nothing to such as these. Let the public debt mount! Let the middle class be crushed to death under taxes, extortions and exploitation! Why did the gods create the middle class if not to serve as oxen drawing the chariots of senators followed by multitudes of ravenous beggars? An honest man, a man who works and honors Rome and the Constitution of the Republic, is not only a fool. He is suspect. Send the tax collector to him for fresh robberies! He is probably not paying his 'just' share of the taxes."

". . . Rome is not my Rome, the Rome of my ancestors. The Founding Fathers are forgotten, or mentioned only when some politician wishes to commit more infamy. The days of fortitude  faith, and character are gone forever, and the days of courage and discipline. Why then do I struggle? Because it is in the nature of a free man to struggle against slavery and lies. If he falls, then he has fallen in a good fight, if hopeless."

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"George Santayana