This masterful production personifies the evil of two of the cardinal sins, lust and gluttony. The first of these is shown in the fate of the Emperor Vitellius who fell in love with the vestal who was considered the most beautiful and holy of all. He makes known his desire to have her, but the chief of the church vehemently denies him. Whereupon Vitellius, young and impetuous, determines to take her by force. He sends a small detachment of soldiers, who break into the room where the vestal is at prayer, the men with drawn swords storm into the sacred precincts and carry off the vestal. She is taken to the Emperor’s palace, where an orgy characteristic of his reign is in progress. She shrinks in horror from the scene that confronts her, but the will of Vitellius cannot now be gainsaid. The news of the Emperor’s action has reached the head of the church in the meantime, and that old dignitary spreads the alarm far and wide. The people are thoroughly aroused at the fate that they now know has befallen the vestal whose only offense was a beautiful face. Headed by the old man, they make their way to the palace, where they beat down the guards and not only recapture the girl, but rout Vitellius and his vile associates. The spirit of the mob is now running rampant and they pursue the royal sinner until he takes refuge in a sewer. To his hiding place they come, and we at last see the vestal witnessing with her own eyes the fate of the Emperor; he is seized bodily and thrown into the Tiber. The penalty of gluttony is portrayed in the fate of Heliogabalus, another Roman Emperor, whose only thought in life was his gastronomic pleasure. He spent his days seated with his cronies around the restive board, and not the gravest affairs of state could distract his attention from the wine and viands. He leads this happy-go-lucky existence until the advent of a hostile fore. Vaspasian, who proclaims to the people his rights for Heliogabalus’ throne. The news is brought to the fat Emperor, but it does not alarm him. After a series of events, however, he meets the fate he deserves, for the foe storms his palace, while he, fat and well fed, is, as usual, seated at a well-laden table. The soldiers demolish the feast so as to give him his greatest pain first, and then gorging him well, they end his miserable existence.