At moments he did not know clearly what was happening in his mind; he had merely the feeling that misfortune was on the horse with him, sitting behind his shoulders, and shouting in his ears, "Rome is burning!" that it was lashing his horse and him, urging them toward the fire.
A rettenetes hír hatására majd megőrült, elméje vadul működött, néha azt sem tudta, mi történik vele, csak az volt az érzése, hogy lován a háta mögött ül a balsors, a fülébe kiabálja: „Róma ég!”, s őt is, lovát is korbácsolva űzi, hajtja bele a tűzbe.