42. Hormisdas, a fugitive prince of Persia, observed to the
emperor, that, if he made such a horse, he must think of
preparing a similar stable (the Forum of Trajan). Another
saying of Hormisdas is recorded, "that one thing only had
displeased him, to find that men died at Rome as well as
elsewhere." If we adopt this reading of the text of Ammianus
( displicuisse instead of placuisse), we may consider it
as a reproof of Roman vanity. The contrary sense would be
that of a misanthrope.