At a royal feast, Caligula, Roman emperor from 37 to 41 AD, suddenly burst out in uproarious laughter. He laughed and laughed, and the rest of the company laughed with him.
The fun-smitten host at length fell back in his chair exhausted, and a guest near his chair respectfully inquired the reason for his merriment.
With a wave of his fat hand over the crowded banquet hall, the jovial monarch replied: "Nothing, but that upon a single nod of my head, you would all have your throats cut."*
羅馬皇帝卡利古拉公元三十七年到四十一年在位。有一次，御宴之上，他突然縱聲大笑，笑個不停，侍宴者也都隨着笑起來。
卡利古拉樂不可支，直笑到幾乎氣絕，靠在椅背上。御座附近一個賓客畢恭畢敬，問他為什麼那樣開心。
那滿心歡喜的皇帝，舉起肥大的手，橫向一揮，盡指滿堂賓客，回答說：「沒什麼，唯一原因是，朕只要一點頭，就可教你們全部刎頸而死。」*
*卡利古拉二十五歲即位，因專橫暴虐，反覆無常，臣下人人自危，最後遭刺殺。
卡利古拉笑，而滿堂賓客皆笑，使人想到秦檜、楊愿的故事。《容齋續筆》卷十五載：宴會上，秦檜因所食入鼻腔，打了個噴嚏，啞然自笑；楊愿善佞，見狀也「陽（假裝）噴飯而笑」，於是更得秦檜歡心。中外佞人，醜態實無兩樣。