- Lydon: [about Glaucus] Marcus, I won't fight him.
- [Marcus gives up]
- Gar: Then I will... if our champion's too unsteady.
- Lydon: [glares at Gar] Sit down, boy.
- [Gar suddenly realizes that he's overstepped his bounds and slowly backs away]
- Lydon: I want all you heroes to understand something very clearly. Whoever feels like killing Glaucus may do so, but that man first kills me.
- [He picks up a dagger and holds it out to each of the gladiators in turn, but none refuse to take it]
- Lydon: What? No one wants to be Pompeii's new champion?
- [He stops in front of Gar and meets his eyes squarely as he holds out the dagger, and Gar looks down uncomfortably. Lydon hands the dagger to Gar and leaves the room abruptly]
- Fortunata: You have deserted me. I've given you my life, my sons, my loyalty. And all to see you in the end embracing death instead of me.
- Gaius: [as Vesuvius erupts] . I thought at last, to take a stand, to end my endless fascination between cowardice and courage, to see how nature mocks me with her own suicide. How all my agony in speculation was as useless as my life has been.
- Fortunata: No. Not useless my love. We had each other.
- Gaius: All will be well Fortunata. Cleansed of this world's corruption, the universe may someday bring forth a better... ahhh how can it be better? Unless devoid of man.