Callista : a Tale of the Third Century

by John Henry Newman

  CHAPTER XIII.

  AND RESURRECTION.

  Jucundus was quite as much amused as provoked at the result of thedelicate negotiation in which he had entangled his nephew. It was agratification to him to find that its ill success had been owing in norespect to any fault on the side of Agellius. He had done his part withoutshrinking, and the view which he, Jucundus, had taken of his state ofmind, was satisfactorily confirmed. He had nothing to fear from Agellius,and though he had failed in securing the guarantee which he had hoped forhis attachment to things as they were, yet in the process of failure ithad been proved that his nephew might be trusted without it. And it was aquestion, whether a girl so full of whims and caprices as Callista mightafter all have done him any permanent good. The absurd notion, indeed, ofher having a leaning for Christianity had been refuted by her conduct onthe occasion; still, who could rely on a clever and accomplished Greek?There were secret societies and conspiracies in abundance, and she mighthave involved so weak and innocent a fellow in some plans against thegovernment, now or at a future time; or might have alienated him from hisuncle, or in some way or other made a fool of him, if she had consented tohave him for her slave. Why she had rejected so eligible a suitor it wasnow useless and idle to inquire; it might be that the haughty or greedyGreek had required him to bid higher for her favourable notice. If thenegotiation had taken such a turn, then indeed there was still moregratifying evidence of Agellius having broken from his fantastic andpeevish superstition.

  Still, however, he was not without anxiety, now that the severe measuresdirected against the Christians were in progress. No overt act, indeed,beyond the publication of the edict, had been taken in Sicca--probablywould be taken at all. The worst was, that something must be done to makea show; he could have wished that some of the multitude of townspeople,half suspected of Christianity, had stood firm, and suffered themselves tobe tortured and executed. One or two would have been enough; but themagistracy got no credit with the central government for zeal and activityif no Christians were made an example of. Yet still it was a questionwhether the strong acts at Carthage and elsewhere would not suffice,though the lesser towns did nothing. At least, while the populace wasquiet, there was nothing to press for severity. There were no richChristians in Sicca to tempt the cupidity of the informer or of themagistrate; no political partisans among them, who had made enemies withthis or that class of the community. But, supposing a bad feeling to risein the populace, supposing the magistrates to have ill-wishers andrivals--and what men in power had not?--who might be glad to catch themtripping, and make a case against them at Rome, why, it must be confessedthat Agellius was nearly the only victim who could be pitched upon. Hewished Callista no harm, but, if a Christian must be found and held up _interrorem_, he would rather it was a person like her, without connectionsand home, than the member of any decent family of Sicca, whose fair famewould be compromised by a catastrophe. However, she was _not_ a Christian,and Agellius _was_, at least by profession; and his fear was lest Jubashould be right in his estimate of his brother's character. Juba had saidthat Agellius could be as obstinate as he was ordinarily indolent andyielding, and Jucundus dreaded lest, if he were rudely charged withChristianity, and bidden to renounce it under pain of punishment, he wouldrebel against the tyrannical order, and go to prison and to death out ofsheer perverseness or sense of honour.

  With these perplexities before him, he could find nothing better than thefollowing plan of action, which had been in his mind for some time. Whilethe edict remained inoperative, he would do nothing at all, and letAgellius go on with his country occupations, which would keep him out ofthe way. But if any disposition appeared of a popular commotion, or amovement on the part of the magistracy, he determined to get possession ofAgellius, and forcibly confine him in his own house in Sicca. He hopedthat in the case of one so young, so uncommitted, he should have influencewith the municipal authorities, or at the praetorium, or in the camp (forthe camp and the praetorium were under different jurisdictions in theproconsulate), to shelter Agellius from a public inquiry into hisreligious tenets, or if this could not be, to smuggle him out of the city.He was ready to affirm solemnly that his nephew was no Christian, thoughhe was touched in the head, and, from an affection parallel tohydrophobia, to which the disciples of Galen ought to turn theirattention, was sent into convulsions on the sight of an altar. His father,indeed, was a malignant old atheist--there was no harm in being angry withthe dead--but it was very hard the son should suffer for his father'soffence. If he must be judged of by his parents, let him rather have theadvantage of the thorough loyalty and religiousness of his mother, a mostzealous old lady, in high repute in the neighbourhood of Sicca for hertheurgic knowledge, a staunch friend of the imperial government, which hadbefore now been indebted to her for important information, and as stauncha hater of the Christians. Such was the plan of proceedings resolved on byJucundus before he received the news of his nephew's serious malady. Itdid not reach him till many days after; and then he did not go to see him,first, lest he should be supposed to be in communication with him, next,as having no respect for that romantic sort of generosity which risks thechances of contagion for the absurd ceremony of paying a compliment.

  It was thus that Jucundus addressed himself to the present state ofaffairs, and anticipated the chances of the future. As to Aristo, he hadvery little personal interest in the matter. His sister might havethwarted him in affairs which lay nearer his heart than the moralemancipation of Agellius; and as she generally complied with hissuggestions and wishes, whatever they were, he did not grudge her herliberty of action in this instance. Nor had the occurrence which had takenplace any great visible effect upon Callista herself. She had lost herright to be indignant with her brother, and she resigned or ratherabandoned herself to her destiny. Her better feelings had been brought outfor the moment in her conversation with Agellius; but they were notordinary ones. True, she was tired, but she was the slave of the world;and Agellius had only made her more sceptical than before that there wasany service better. So at least she said to herself; she said it wasfantastic to go elsewhere for good, and that, if life was short, then, asher brother said, it was necessary to make the most of it.