Monstrorum Misericordia
Junius Secundus Cato made his way down the dark and filthy alley that
lay in the nameless warren of streets between the old Temple of Luna and
the Temple of Diana in the lower Aventine. Regularly he glanced over his
shoulder concerned over the possibility of being followed, a concern that
had only grown since he had slipped out of his villa in the Piscina Publica
the low-lying district east of the Aventine Hill and begun the long walk west
along the Via Nova. That street was the lesser of two roads in Piscina Publica
and was less often used after the fall of night. Secundus had chosen the Via Nova
for that very reason hoping to avoid prying eyes as he made his way towards the
Porta Ardeatina a secondary postern or lesser gate that primarily served cart
traffic during the day and which was often closed by night.
