Lords of the World: A story of the fall of Carthage and Corinth

by Alfred John Church

  CHAPTER XXXI.

  MUMMIUS.

  Scipio had furnished Polybius with a letter addressed to Mummius, who,as one of the consuls of the year, was likely, sooner or later, to takecommand of the forces that were to operate against Corinth. Thanks tothis he found no difficulty in obtaining for himself and Cleanor accessto the great man. He had also the advantage of having made the consul'sacquaintance during his sojourn in Italy. Mummius was a "new man",[63]one of the class which their enemies describe as upstarts, their friendsas "self-made men". He was rude and uncultured, with just so mucheducation as enabled him to spell through a state document and sign hisname. But if he was ignorant and unrefined, on the other hand he washonest, a plain man who did his duty up to his light, not given eitherto self-indulgence or greed, and humane at least up to the Romanaverage.

  The friends found him immersed in business, a kind of business, too,with which he was wholly unfitted to deal. This, however, did notprevent him greeting Polybius in friendly fashion, and speaking a fewwords of welcome to Cleanor.

  "What can I do for you, gentlemen?" he asked, when these salutations hadbeen exchanged.

  Polybius briefly described what he had seen, and suggested that somesteps should be taken to put a stop to this waste of valuable property.

  "This sort of thing is quite beyond me," exclaimed the consul in someirritation. "I don't understand what you mean by these treasures of art.However, I will see to it. But I have done a good stroke of business forthe treasury. There are hundreds of statues about the city, which,indeed, is fairly blocked up with them. What they could want with somany I can't conceive. As for being statues of great men, as they tellme, I can hardly believe it. Why, the whole country is not a quarter ofthe size of Italy, and we haven't a half or anything like a half. But asto the statues. The agents of King Eumenes of Pergamus were hereyesterday, and gave me five thousand sesterces apiece for the pick of ahundred statues. That makes a fine sum of money, more than a knight'squalification, as you know."[64]

  "Five thousand apiece! is that all?" cried Polybius. "I don't know, ofcourse, what the statues were, but I am pretty sure that King Eumeneswould send an agent who knew what he was about. And if he had the firstpick, I should say that the king has made the best bargain that he evermade in his life. Five thousand, indeed! It would not have been a badstroke of business, I should say, if he had paid fifty thousand. I knowthat he gave double that to Diagoras of Rhodes for Myron's DancingFaun."

  "You astonish me," said Mummius. "I never dreamt of such sums. Why, atInteramna--my native place, you know--they put up a statue of my father,twice the size of life, and the sculptor thought himself very well paidwith five thousand sesterces, the town finding the stone. But I supposeyou know all about these things. However, I have passed my word, and Ican't go back from my bargain. But the king didn't get quite the pick,as you call it. I sent Duilius my quæstor round the city to look abouthim and choose a cargo of specimens to send over to Rome. He told methat he knew something about these matters. And he can speak Greek,which is something."

  At this point of the conversation one of the consul's lictors knocked atthe door and announced that the transport contractors had called byappointment.

  Polybius and his companion offered to go away. "No," said Mummius,"there is nothing private, and I have something else to say to youafterwards. Bring them in," he went on, speaking to the lictor.

  The contractors were three in number, the owners of as many transportships. They had undertaken to convey three ship-loads of statues toRome. One of them had a catalogue of these works of art, which he handedto the consul. Mummius had another copy.

  "Would you be good enough," he said to Polybius, "to go over the listwith these gentlemen. You will tell me whether it is all right, and youwill see what sort of choice Duilius has made."

  The list contained some two hundred items in all, and there was scarcelyone of them which Polybius did not know or had not heard as being amaster-piece in its way. There were works amongst them of all the famoussculptors of Greece, from Phidias downwards--Polyclitus, Myron,Praxiteles, and the masters of the Rhodian and the Pergamene schools.

  "Well," said the historian, when the list had been carefully gonethrough, "Duilius has done his business very well. He has got the pickof the treasures of Corinth. And King Eumenes, though he has doneexceedingly well, can hardly have made the extravagantly good bargainthat I thought. Yes, this is a very fine list indeed."

  The consul's face grew visibly brighter.

  "That is good hearing," he cried. "I sha'n't have done so badly afterall; but I wish very much that I had seen you a little sooner. Now, myfriends," he went on, addressing himself to the contractors, "you hearwhat this gentleman says. He is a friend of mine, and knows all aboutthese matters. You understand that you have a very valuable cargo. Areyour transports water-tight and seaworthy in every way?"

  "Certainly, sir," said the spokesman of the three. "I don't believe youcould find better ships between the Pillars and Tyre."

  "Well, I hope they are what you say. But mind this, you are answerablefor the cargo. I paid your price, and I expect you to do your work. Mindthis, if you lose them, you will replace them with others just as good.Isn't that fair, Polybius?"

  "Certainly, sir," said the Greek, preserving a quite masterly command ofhis countenance.

  This business concluded, the consul went on:

  "You have done me, or tried to do me, a good turn; I only wish that youhad come a few hours sooner. Now I should like to show you that I amgrateful. You have heard, I suppose, of Diæus?"

  "Not a word, sir," replied the historian, "except that he disappearedafter the battle."

  "Well," said Mummius, "he is dead. He poisoned himself at some place inArcadia. His property, of course, is confiscated. I am told that thereare about thirty talents of silver and half a talent of gold. Whateverthe amount, half of it is at your service."

  "I thank you, sir," returned Polybius, "but I don't care to enrichmyself with what has belonged to a countryman. Diæus was no friend ofmine, but I should not like it to be said that I have been a gainer byhis death."

  "You are an honest man," cried the consul, "and I wish that there weremore like you here, and, for the matter of that, at Rome. But can I doanything for you?"

  "Yes, sir, you can," said Polybius. "Let me use this money to redeemsome of these poor creatures who are to be sold. I know many of them;some I may almost call friends. It is heart-rending for one who has seenthem as they were to see them as they are now."

  "Good!" answered Mummius, "you shall have the whole of the money, and Iwill tell the quæstor to see that it goes as far as possible. Thereshall be no bidding against you. And now farewell; but you and youryoung friend must dine with me to-day."

  FOOTNOTES:

  63: A _novus homo_ was one who could not reckon among his ancestors anyone who had risen to the rank of consul or prætor.

  64: Five thousand sesterces would be £40, 7_s._ 1_d._, and the total price paid would be a little over £4000; the property qualification of a knight was £3600.