“Give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt.”
Cesar Augustus was a man of power and control. His army was feared and his infrastructure begat the phrase “all roads lead to Rome”. Augustus was no foolish ruler.
He was a Ringmaster.
Panem et circenses; bread and circuses.
It was his secret power.
You give the people the food they need and entertainment to keep them busy and they will comply with anything you require of them.
It is why the Colosseum was so popular.
The people had no idea that they were in fact being ruled by fear. For as long as you did what Cesar wanted, believed what he wanted to believe and honored him as a God, you were part of his circus.
The greatest trick the devil played was convincing the world he didn’t exist, right?
The ringmaster ruling over his corrupt circus, he pulled all the strings, and crucified those that went against his reign. Quite literally.
My Lord rocked that particular boat.
And even the great Cesar Augustus couldn’t keep him down.
For the power of the great Augustus and the entire Roman empire pales in comparison to the light and word of our Lord.
Phineas Moody is the Augustus of his own empire. The ringmaster, he who calls the shots and keeps the acts in his circus in line.
And as long as they do exactly what they’re told, Cesar Moody is content. The greatest show on earth runs on the very same power that kept those citizens in line.
For nobody ever had the chance to outshine Augustus, and you give nobody the option of outshining you.
Twice, you tried to crucify Sir Renault, fearing what he stood for. And just like our Lord before him, you couldn’t keep him down.
But you felt the power that transcends anything you could ever hope for as those nails found purchase in your flesh.
Augustus isn’t used to being upstaged, is he?
And as long as Andy Fish does what he’s told, you’ll spare him, won’t you. As long as he plays ball, you will hold back showing him your true colors.
He has no idea that he’s being ruled by the same fear that controlled the Roman Empire. Another measly act in your circus.
But like the early Christians, martyring themselves by the hand of the Roman empire, Vayikra will not play ball in your circus.
We will not tremble in fear before the Nightmare Academy.
We will stand tall as a beacon of light in amongst the darkness of your empire.
And all roads do NOT lead to your Rome, Phineas. They lead to Revolt. A bloody battle, a brutal crusade and your inevitable vanquishing.
That’s where our Crusade meets your Circus.
You’ve spilled our blood but you will not keep Vayikra down.
For as powerful as Augustus was, his reign of terror ended eventually. As will yours.
Only, your demise will be a lot more bloody than his, demon.
For as it is writ, so it will be.
“In verbo tuo.”