CHAPTER X
LOCUTUS EST!
Every house in Nemausus thrilled with life. Sleep was driven from thedrowsiest heads. The tipsy were sobered at once. Those banqueting desistedfrom conversation. Music was hushed. Men rushed into the street. Thebeasts in the amphitheater, startled by the strange note, roared andhowled. Slowly the chief magistrate rose, sent to summon an edile, andcame forth. He was not quick of movement; it took him some time to resolvewhether he or his brother magistrate was responsible for order; when hedid issue forth, then he found the streets full, and that all men in themwere talking excitedly.
The god Nemausus, the _archegos_, the divine founder and ancestor hadspoken. His voice was rarely heard. It was told that before the Cimbri andTeutones had swept over the province, he had shouted. That had been inages past; of late he had been sparing in the exercise of his voice. Hewas said to have cried out at the great invasion of the Helvetii, that hadbeen arrested by Julius Caesar; again to have trumpeted at the outbreak ofCivilis and Julius Sabinus, which, however, had never menaced NarboneseGaul, though at the time the god had called the worst was anticipated. Thelast time he had been heard was at the revolt of Vindex that preceded thefall of Nero.
Some young skeptics whispered: "By Hercules, the god has a brazen throat."
"It is his hunting horn that peals to call attention. What he will saywill be revealed to the priestess."
"Or what the priestess wishes to have believed is his message."
But this incredulous mood was exhibited by very few. None ventured openlyto scoff.
"The god hath spoken!" this was the cry through the streets and the forum.Every man asked his fellow what it signified. Some cried out that theprince--the divine Aurelius Antoninus (Caracalla)--had been assassinated,just as he was about to start from Rome for Gaul. Others that theprivileges of the city and colony were going to be abrogated. But one saidto his fellow, "I augured ill when we heard that the god had been cheatedof his due. No marvel he is out of humor, for Perpetua is esteemed theprettiest virgin in Nemausus."
"I wonder that the rescue passed off without notice being taken of theaffair by the magistrates."
"Bah! it is the turn of the Petronius Alacinus now, and he will not bestirhimself unnecessarily. So long as the public peace be not broken----"
"But it was--there was a riot, a conflict."
"A farcical fight with wind-bags. Not a man was hurt, not a drop of bloodflowed. The god will not endure to be balked and his sacrifice made into ajest."
"He is hoarse with rage."
"What does it all mean?"
Then said a stout man: "My good friend, it means that which always happenswhen the priesthood is alarmed and considers that its power is menaced--itscredit is shaken. It will ask for blood."
"There has been a great falling off of late in the worshipers of the godsand in attendance at the games."
"This comes of the spread of the pestilent sect of the Christians. Theyare the enemies of the human race. They eat little children. The potterFusius lost his son last week, aged six, and they say it was sacrificed bythese sectaries, who stuck needles into it."
"Bah! the body was found in the channel of the stream the child had fallenin."
"I heard it was found half eaten," said a third.
"Rats, rats," explained another standing by.
"Well, these Christians refuse to venerate the images of the Augustus, andtherefore are foes to the commonwealth. They should be rooted out."
"You are right there. As to their religious notions--who cares about them?Let them adore what they will--onions like the Egyptians, stars like theChaldeans, a sword like the Scythians--that is nothing to us; but when theyrefuse to swear by the Emperor and to offer sacrifice for the welfare ofthe empire then, I say, they are bad citizens, and should be sent to thelions."
"The lions," laughed the stout man, "seem to respond to the voice, whichsounded in their ears, 'Dinner for you, good beasts!' Well, may we havegood sport at the games founded by Domitius Afer. I love to lie in bedwhen the _circius_ (mistral) howls and the snowflakes fly. Then one feelssnug and enjoys the contrast. So in the amphitheater one realizes theblessedness of life when one looks on at wretches in the hug of the bear,or being mumbled by lions, or played with by panthers."
Perhaps the only man whom the blast did not startle was Tarsius, theinebriated slave, who had been expelled the house of Baudillas, and whowas engrossed only with his own wrongs, and who departed swearing that heexcommunicated the Church, not the Church him. He muttered threats; hestood haranguing on his own virtues, his piety, his generosity of spirit;he recorded many acts of charity he had done. "And I--I to be turned out!They are a scurvy lot. Not worthy of me. I will start a sect of my own,see if I do not."
Whilst reeling along, growling, boasting, confiding his wrongs to thewalls on each side, he ran against Callipodius just as the words were inhis mouth: "I am a better Christian than all of them. I don't affectsanctimoniousness in aspect, but I am sound, sound in my life--a plain,straight-walking man."
"Are you so?" asked Callipodius. "Then I wish you would not festoon insuch a manner as to lurch against me. You are a Christian. Hard times arecoming for such as you."
"Aye, aye! I am a Christian. I don't care who knows it. I'm not the man tolapse or buy a _libellus_,(5) though they have turned me out."
Callipodius caught the fellow by the shoulder and shook him.
"Man," said he. "Ah, a slave! I recognize you. You are of the family ofJulius Largus Litomarus, the wool merchant. Come with me. The games are ina few days, and the director of the sports has been complaining that hewanted more prisoners to cast to the beasts. I have you in the nick oftime. I heard you with these ears confess yourself to be a Christian, andthe sole worthy one in the town. You are the man for us--plump and juicy,flushed with wine. By the heavenly twins, what a morsel you will make forthe panthers! Come with me. If you resist I will summon the crowd, thenperhaps they will elect to have you crucified. Come quietly, and it shallbe panthers, not the cross. I will conduct you direct to the magistrateand denounce you."
"I pray you! I beseech you! I was talking nonsense. I was enacting a partfor the theater. I am no Christian; I was, but I have been turned out,excommunicated. My master and mistress believe, and just to please themand to escape stripes, and get a few favors such as are not granted to theothers, I have--you understand." The slave winked.
Beside Callipodius was a lad bearing a torch. He held it up and the flarefell over the face of the now sobered Tarsius.
"Come with me, fellow," said Callipodius. "Nothing will save you butperfect obedience and compliance with what I direct. Hark! was not thatthe howl of the beasts. Mehercule! they snuff you already. My good friendAEmilius Lentulus Varo, the lawyer, will be your patron; a strong man. Butyou must answer my questions. Do you know the Lady Quincta and herdaughter? Quincta is the widow of Harpinius Laeto."
"Aye, aye! the wench was fished out of the pond to-day."
"That is right. Where are they, do you know their house?"
"Yes, but they are not at home now."
"Where are they then?"
"Will you denounce them?" asked the slave nervously.
"On the contrary. They are menaced. I seek to save them."
"Oh! if that be all, I am your man. They are in the mansion of Baudillas,yonder--that is--but mum, I say! I must not speak. They kicked me out, but Iam not ungenerous. I will denounce nobody. But if you want to save theladies, I will help you with alacrity. They charged me with beingdrunk--not the ladies--the bishop did that--more shame to him. I but rinsedout my mouth with the Ambrussian. Every drop clear as amber. Ah, sir! inyour cellar have you----"
A rush of people up the street shouting, "The will of the god! the will ofthe god! It is being proclaimed in the forum."
They swept round Callipodius and the slave, spinning them, as leaves arespun in a corner by an eddy of wind, then swept forward in
the directionof the great square.
"Come aside with me, fellow," said Callipodius, darting after the slavewho was endeavoring to slink away. "What is your name? I know only yourface marked by a scar."
"Tarsius, at your service, sir!"
"Good Tarsius, here is money, and I undertake to furnish you with a bottleof my best old Ambrussian for your private tipple, or to make merrytherewith with your friends. Be assured, no harm is meant. The priests ofNemausus seek to recover possession of the lady Perpetua, and it is my aimto smuggle her away to a place of security. Do thou watch the door, and Iwill run and provide litters and porters. Do thou assure the ladies thatthe litters are sent to convey them in safety to where they will not belooked for; say thy master's house. I will answer for the rest. Hast thouaccess to them?"
"Aye! I know the pass-word. And though I have been expelled, yet in theconfusion and alarm I may be suffered again to enter."
"Very excellent. Thou shalt have thy flask and an ample reward. Say thatthe litters are sent by thy master, Largus Litomarus."
"Right, sir! I will do thy bidding."
Then Callipodius hastened in the direction of the habitation of AEmilius.
Meanwhile the forum filled with people, crowding on one another, allquivering with excitement. Above were the stars. Here and there below,torches. Presently the chief magistrate arrived with his lictors, and amaniple of soldiers to keep order and make a passage through the mobbetween the Temple of Nemausus and the forum.
Few women were present. Such as were, belonged to the lowest of thepeople. But there were boys and men, old and young, slaves, artisans,freedmen, and citizens.
Among the ignorant and the native population the old Paganism had a stronghold, and their interests attached a certain number of all classes to it.But the popular Paganism was not a religion affecting the lives by theexercise of moral control. It was devoid of any ethic code. It consistedin a system of sacrifice to obtain a good journey, to ward off fevers, torecover bad debts, to banish blight and mildew. The superstitious lived interror lest by some ill-considered act, by some neglect, they should incurthe wrath of the jealous gods and bring catastrophe on themselves or theirtown. They were easily excited by alarm, and were unreasonable in theirselfish fervor.
Ever in anticipation of some disaster, an earthquake, a murrain, fire orpestilence, they were ready to do whatever they were commanded, so as toavert danger from themselves. The words of the Apostle to the Hebrewsdescribing the Gentiles as being through fear of death all their lifetimesubject to bondage, were very true. The ignorant and superstitious may besaid to have existed on the verge of a panic, always in terror lest theirgods should hurt them, and cringing to them in abject deprecation of evil.It was this fear for themselves and their substance that rendered themcruel.
The procession came from the temple. Torches were borne aloft, a longwavering line of lurid fire, and vessels were carried in which dancedlambent flames that threw out odoriferous fumes.
First came the priests; they walked with their heads bowed and their armsfolded across their breasts, and with fillets of wool around their heads.Then followed the priestesses shrouded in sable mantles over their whitetunics. All moved in silence. A hush fell on the multitude. Nothing washeard in the stillness save the tramp of feet in rhythm. When theprocession had reached the forum, the chief priestess ascended therostrum, and the flambeau-bearers ranged themselves in a half-circlebelow. She was a tall, splendidly formed woman, with profuse dark hair, anivory complexion, flashing black eyes under heavy brows.
Suddenly she raised her arms and extended them, letting the black palldrop from her shoulders, and reveal her in a woven silver robe, like a webof moonlight, and with white bare arms. In her right she bore an ivorysilver-bound wand with mistletoe bound about it, every berry oftranslucent stone.
Then amidst dead silence she cried: "The god hath spoken, he who foundedthis city, from whom are sprung its ancient patrician families, whosupplieth you with crystal water from his urn. The holy one demands thatshe who hath been taken from him be surrendered to him again, and thatpunishment be inflicted on the Christians who have desecrated his statue.If this, his command, be not fulfilled, then will he withhold the waters,and deliver over the elect city to be a desolation, the haunt of thelizard and the owl and bat. To the lions with the Christians! _Locutus estDivus Archegos!_"
Perpetua. A Tale of Nimes in A.D. 213 Page 10
