Callista : a Tale of the Third Century

by John Henry Newman

  CHAPTER XXV.

  CALLISTA IN DURANCE.

  We will hope that the reader, as well as Agellius, is attracted by theword Callista, and wishes to know something about her fate; nay, perhapsfinds fault with us as having suffered him so long to content himself withthe chance and second-hand information which Jucundus or Juba hassupplied. If we have been wanting in due consideration for him, we nowtrust to make up for it.

  When Callista, then, had so boldly left the cottage to stop the intruders,she had in one important point reckoned without her host. She spoke Latinfluently, herself, and could converse with the townspeople, most of whomcould do the same; but it was otherwise with the inhabitants of thecountry, numbers of whom, as we have said, were in Sicca on the day of theoutbreak. The two fellows, whom she went out to withstand, knew neitherher nor the Latin tongue. They were of a race which called itselfCanaanite, and really was so; huge, gigantic men, who looked like the sonsof Enac, described in Holy Writ. They knew nothing of roads or fences, andhad scrambled up the hill as they could, the shortest way, and, being freefrom the crowd, with far more expedition than had they followed the beatentrack. She and they could not understand each other's speech; but herappearance spoke for her, and, in consequence, they seized on her as theirshare of the booty, and without more ado, carried her off towards Sicca.As they came up by a route of their own, so they returned, and entered thecity by a gate more to the south, not the Septimian; a happy circumstance,as otherwise she would have stood every chance of being destroyed in thatwholesale massacre which the soldiery inflicted on the crowd as itreturned.

  These giants, then, got possession of Callista, and she entered Sicca uponthe shoulder of one of them, who danced in with no greater inconveniencethan if he was carrying on it a basket of flowers, or a box of millinery.Here the party met with the city police, who were stationed at the gate.

  "Down with your live luggage, you rascals," they said, in their harshPunic; "what have you to do with plunder of this kind? and how came you byher?"

  "She's one of those Christian rats, your worship," answered the fellow,who, strong as he was, did not relish a contest with some dozen of armedmen. "Long live the Emperor! We'll teach her to eat asses' heads anothertime, and brew fevers. I found her with a party of Christians. She'snothing but a witch, and she knows the consequences."

  "Let her go, you drunken animal!" said the constable, still keeping hisdistance. "I'll never believe any woman is a Christian, let alone so younga one. And now I look at her, so far as I can see by this light, I thinkshe's priestess of one of the great temples up there."

  "She can turn herself into anything," said the other of her capturers,"young or old. I saw her one night near Madaura, a month ago, in the tombsin the shape of a black cat."

  "Away with you both, in the name of the Suffetes of Sicca and all themagistracy!" cried the official. "Give up your prisoner to the authoritiesof the place, and let the law take its course."

  But the Canaanites did not seem disposed to give her up, and neither partyliking to attack the other, a compromise took place. "Well," said theguardian of the night, "the law must be vindicated, and the peacepreserved. My friends, you must submit to the magistrates. But since shehappens to be on your shoulder, my man, let her even remain there, and wedepute you, as a beast of burden, to carry her for us, thereby to save usthe trouble. Here, child," he continued, "you're our prisoner; so youshall plead your own cause in the _popina_ there. Long live Decius, piousand fortunate! Long live this ancient city, colony and municipium! Cheerup, my lass, and sing us a stave or two, as we go; for I'll pledge a_cyathus_ of unmixed, that, if you choose, you can warble notes as sweetas the manna gum."

  Callista was silent, but she was perfectly collected, and ready to availherself of any opportunity to better her condition. They went on towardsthe Forum, where a police-office, as we now speak, was situated, but didnot reach it without an adventure. The Roman military force at Sicca wasnot more than a century of men; the greater number were at this moment atthe great gate, waiting for the mob; a few, in parties of three and four,were patrolling the city. Several of these were at the entrance of theForum when the party came up to it; and it happened that a superiorofficer, who was an assistant to what may be called the military residentof the place, a young man, on whom much of the duty of the day haddevolved, was with the soldiers. She had known him as a friend of herbrother's, and recognised him in the gloom, and at once took advantage ofthe meeting.

  "Help," she said, "gentlemen! help, Calphurnius! these rascals arecarrying me off to some den of their own."

  The tribune at once knew her voice. "What!" he cried, with greatastonishment, "what, my pretty Greek! You most base, infamous, andunmannerly scoundrels, down with her this instant! What have you to dowith that young lady? You villains, unless you would have me crack yourAfrican skulls with the hilt of my sword, down with her, I say!"

  There was no resisting a Roman voice, but prompt obedience is a rarity,and the ruffians began to parley. "My noble master," said the constable,"she's our prisoner. Jove preserve you, and Bacchus and Ceres bless you,my lord tribune! and long life to the Emperor Decius in these bad times.But she is a rioter, my lord, one of the ringleaders, and a Christian anda witch to boot."

  "Cease your vile gutturals, you animal!" cried the officer, "or I will ramthem down your throat with my pike to digest them. Put down the lady,beast. Are you thinking twice about it? Go, Lucius," he said to a private,"kick him away, and bring the woman here."

  Callista was surrendered, but the fellow, sullen at the usage he had metwith, and spiteful against Calphurnius, as the cause of it, cried outmaliciously, "Mind what you are at, noble sir, it's not our affair; youcan fry your own garlic. But an Emperor is an Emperor, and an Edict is anEdict, and a Christian is a Christian; and I don't know what high placeswill say to it, but it's your affair. Take notice," he continued, as hegot to a safer distance, raising his voice still higher, that the soldiersmight hear, "yon girl is a Christian priestess, caught in a Christianassembly, sacrificing asses and eating children for the overthrow of theEmperor, and the ruin of his loyal city of Sicca, and I have beeninterrupted in the discharge of my duty--I, a constable of the place. Seewhether Calphurnius will not bring again upon us the plague, the murrain,the locusts, and all manner of _larvae_ and _maniae_ before the end of thestory."

  This speech perplexed Calphurnius, as it was intended. It was impossiblehe could dispose of Callista as he wished, with such a charge formallyuttered in the presence of his men. He knew how serious the question ofChristianity was at that moment, and how determined the ImperialGovernment was on the eradication of its professors; he was a goodsoldier, devoted to head-quarters, and had no wish to compromise himselfwith his superiors, or to give bystanders an advantage over him, bysetting a prisoner at liberty without inquiry, who had been taken in aChristian's house. He muttered an oath, and said to the soldiers, "Well,my lads, to the Triumviri with her, since it must be so. Cheer up, my starof the morning, bright beam of Hellas, it is only as a matter of form, andyou will be set at liberty as soon as they look on you." And with thesewords he led the way to the _Officium_.

  But the presiding genius of the _Officium_ was less accommodating than hehad anticipated. It might be that he was jealous of the soldiery, or oftheir particular interference, or indignant at the butchery at the greatgate, of which the news had just come, or out of humour with the day'swork, and especially with the Christians; at any rate, Calphurnius foundhe had better have taken a bolder step, and have carried her as a prisonerto the camp. However, nothing was now left for him but to depart; andCallista fell again into the hands of the city, though of the superiorfunctionaries, who procured her a lodging for the night, and settled tobring her up for examination next morning.

  The morning came, and she was had up. What passed did not transpire; butthe issue was that she was remanded for a further hearing, and was toldshe might send to her brother, and acq
uaint him where she was. He wasallowed one interview with her, and he came away almost out of his senses,saying she was bewitched, and fancied herself a Christian. What preciselyshe had said to him, which gave this impression, he could hardly say; butit was plain there must be something wrong, or there would not be thatpublic process and formal examination which was fixed for the third dayafterwards.