CHAPTER XXXIII.
A GOOD CONFESSION.
The cry came from the keeper's wife, whom we have described as kindlydisposed to her. She was a Lybo-Phoenician, and spoke a broken Latin; butthe language of sympathy is universal, in spite of Babel. "Callista," sheexclaimed; "girl, they have sent for you; you are to die. O frightful!worse than a runaway slave,--the torture! Give in. What's the harm? you areso young: those terrible men with the pincers and hot bars!"
Callista sat up, and passed from her vision to her prison. She smiled andsaid, "I am ready; I am going home." The woman looked almost frightened,and with some shade of disgust and disappointment. She, as others, mighthave thought it impossible, as it was unaccountable, that when it came tothe point Callista would hold out. "She's crazed," she said. "I am ready,mother," Callista said, and she got up. "You have been very good to me,"she continued; "I have been saying many prayers for you, while my prayerswere of no good, for then He was not mine. But now I have espoused Him,and am going to be married to-day, and He will hear me." The woman staredat her stupidly, as much as to make it evident that if afterwards a changetook place in her, as in Callista, that change too, though in so differenta soul, must come of something beyond nature. She had something in herhand, and said, "It's useless to give a mad woman like her the packet,which my man has brought me."
Callista took the packet, which was directed to her, and broke the seal.It was from her brother. The little roll of worn parchment opened; adagger fell out. Some lines were written on the parchment; they were datedCarthage, and ran as follows:--
"Aristo to his dearest Callista. I write through Cornelius. You have nothad it in your power to kill me, but you have taken away half my life. Forme, I will cherish the other half, for I love life better than death. Butyou love annihilation; yet, if so, die not like a slave. Die nobly,mindful of your country; I send you the means."
Callista was beyond reflecting on anything around her, except as in a sortof dream. As common men think and speak of heaven, so she now thought andspoke of earth. "I wish _Him_ to kill me, not myself," she said. "I am Hisvictim. My brother! I have no brother, except One, who is calling me."
She was carried to court, and the examination followed. We have alreadygiven a specimen of such a process; here it will be sufficient to make useof two documents, different in kind, as far as they go, which have comedown to us. The first is an alto-relief, which once was coloured, notfirst-rate in art or execution, and of the date of the EmperorConstantius, about a century later. It was lately discovered in the courseof excavations made at El Kaf, the modern Sicca, on the ruins of a churchor Roman basilica, for the building in question seems to have served eachpurpose successively. In this sculpture the praetorium is represented, andthe tribunal of the president in it. The tribunal is a high throne, withwings curving round on each side, making the whole construction extend toalmost a semicircle, and it is ascended by steps between the wings. Thecurule chair is at the top of the steps; and in the middle and above itare purple curtains, reaching down to the platform, drawn back on eachside, and when drawn close together running behind the chair, andconstituting what was called the _secretarium_. On one side of thetribunal is a table covered with carpeting, and looking something like amodern ottoman, only higher, and not level at top; and it has upon it theBook of Mandates, the sign of jurisdiction. The sword too is representedin the sculpture, to show a criminal case is proceeding. The procurator isseated on the chair; he is in purple, and has a gold chain of triplethread. We can also distinguish his lawyers, whether assessors or_consiliarii_; also his lictors and soldiers. There, too, are the notariesin a line below him; they are writing down the judge's questions and theprisoner's answers: and one of them is turning round to her, as if to makeher speak more loudly. She herself is mounted upon a sort of platform,called _catasta_, like that on which slaves were put up for sale. Twosoldiers are by her, who appear to have been dragging her forwards. Theexecutioners are also delineated, naked to the waist, with instruments oftorture in their hands.
Callista : a Tale of the Third Century Page 42
