Rabbi (Judah) had under his house a subterranean passage which led to the palace of the Emperor Antoninus. One could go under ground from the palace to the house of Rabbi, and the Emperor went daily in secret to study with Rabbi. Whenever he wanted to go, he used the subterranean passage so that no one should see him. On every one of his trips he took two servants with him, for he did not like to go alone,

and he killed one of them when he came to the door of the house of Rabbi, and the other he put to death when, on returning from the house of Rabbi, he reached the door of his own house, for he did not want anyone to know that he was studying Torah.

One day he said, "Dear Rabbi, pray see to it "that there should be no one in your house when I come to you to study."

One day on coming to Rabbi, he found Rabbi Hanina ben Hama studying with Rabbi. The Emperor became very much frightened and said, "Rabbi, have I not told you that when I come no one should be with you? Why did you not obey my order? You have a visitor now though you know very well that this is the time when I come to study with you."

Then Rabbi replied to the Emperor, "This is not a human being, but an angel."

"If he is an angel," said the Emperor, "let him go out and tell the man who is sleeping by the door to come in."

He meant that he should revive the dead man whom he had killed by the door and bring him in.

Rabbi Hanina went out and found the man dead. So he thought to himself, "What shall I say to the Emperor? Shall I tell him the man is dead? But it is not proper to bring bad news. If I go away and let the dead man lie here without telling the Emperor

anything, I am guilty of contempt of the Government." So R. Hanina prayed and the man came to life and went in to the Emperor.

The Emperor was very much frightened and said, "I know that with your prayers you can bring the dead to life, as R. Hanina has done with this man, still I must insist that whenever I come to you there shall be no one here."

Every day the Emperor served Rabbi at table with meat and drink and when Rabbi wanted to go to bed, the Emperor bent down so that Rabbi could mount on his back and get into his bed more easily.

And the Emperor used to say, "Step on my back so that you may get into your bed."

But Rabbi said, "It is not proper to show disrespect to the Emperor."

And the Emperor replied, "I pray that I may be your servant and your footstool in the world to come."

He also asked him, "Am I going to have a share in the world to come, my dear Rabbi?"

And Rabbi replied, "Yes."

Then the Emperor said, "Is it not written that there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau"? (Ob. 1.18).

Rabbi replied, "This means only those who act like Esau."

Then the Emperor said, "Does it not say that all their kings and all their princes and all their lords and all their dukes shall be destroyed"? (Ezek. 32.29).

And Rabbi replied, " 'Their kings', means, some of their kings, excepting Antoninus the son of Severus; "and 'their princes,' with the exception of Keti'a,

son of Shalom," who had also become a proselyte before his death."