(And Semper Cuni Linctus, the very night that he reamed his subaltern for taking native superstitions
seriously, passed an olive garden and saw the Seventeen . . . and with them was the Eighteenth, the
one they had crucified the Friday before. Magna Mater, he swore, creeping closer, am I losing my
mind? The Eighteenth, whatshisname, the preacher, had set up a wheel and was distributing cards to
them. Now, he turned the wheel and called out the number at which it stopped. The centurion
watched, in growing amazement, as the process was repeated several times, and the cards were
marked each time the wheel stopped. Finally, the big one, Simon, shouted "Bingo!" The scion of the
noble Linctus family turned and fled . . . Behind him, the luminous figure said, "Do this in
commemoration of me."
"I thought we were supposed to do the bread and wine bit in commemoration of you?" Simon
objected.
"Do both," the ghostly one said. "The bread and wine is too symbolic and arcane for some folks. This
one is what will bring in the mob. You see, fellows, if you want to bring the Movement to the people,
you have to start from where the people are at. You, Luke, don't write that down. This is part of the
secret teachings.")