A Struggle for Rome, v. 3
Page 20
CHAPTER IV.
After the lapse of many weeks, Cassiodorus and Julius returned fromByzantium, bringing--no peace.
On landing, Cassiodorus, weary of the world and its ways, retired atonce to Brundusium, to his Apulian cloister, leaving Julius to reporttheir ill-success to the King in Rome.
Totila received his friend in the Capitol, in the presence of theleaders of the army.
"At first," related Julius, "our prospects were sufficientlyfavourable. The Emperor, who had formerly refused to receive theambassadors of Witichis, could not shut his palace doors in the face ofthe most learned man of the West, the pious and wise Cassiodorus. Wewere received with kindness and respect. In the council held by theEmperor, men of distinction, such as Tribonianus and Procopius, raisedtheir voices in favour of peace. The Emperor himself seemed inclinedthereto. His two great generals, Narses and Belisarius, were fighting,at different points of the south-eastern frontier of the Empire,against Persians and Saracens; and the campaign in Italy and Dalmatiahad demanded such great sacrifices, and had lasted so long, that warwith the Goths had become hateful to the Emperor. It was indeed notlikely that he would entirely renounce the hope of reconquering Italy,but he saw the impossibility of doing so at present. He thereforewillingly entered into negotiations of peace, and accepted ourproposals for further consideration. His first thought was, as he toldus, to bring about a provisional division of the peninsula; the farlarger portion of the country, to the south of the Padus, to belong tothe Emperor, the northern half to the Goths. One day at noon, we hadleft the Emperor's presence with great hopes; the audience had turnedout more favourably than all former ones. But in the evening of thesame day we were surprised by the arrival of the Curo-palata Marcellus,accompanied by slaves carrying the gifts which it is customary topresent to parting guests--a not-to-be-mistaken sign that allnegotiations were broken off. Confounded at this sudden change,Cassiodorus decided, for the sake of his work of peace, to dare theutmost--namely, to seek an audience of the Emperor after thepresentation of the parting gifts. Tribonianus, who had always opposedthe war, and who highly esteemed Cassiodorus, allowed himself to beprevailed upon to sue for this extraordinary grace. The answer came ina very ungracious threat of banishment should he ever again venture topetition for anything against the clearly-expressed will of theEmperor, Never, never would the Emperor conclude peace with thebarbarians, until they had entirely evacuated the kingdom. Never wouldhe look upon the Goths in Italy as anything but enemies. In vain wetried," Julius continued, "to discover the cause of this sudden change.We only learned that, after our last audience, the Empress, who is saidto be often suffering, had invited her husband to dinner in herapartments. But it is certain that the Empress, formerly known to bethe most zealous advocate of war, has lately given her voice in favourof peace."
"And what," asked the King, who had listened quietly, and with anexpression of countenance more threatening than anxious--"whathas procured me the honour of such a change of sentiment in thecircus-girl?"
"It is whispered that, becoming more and more anxious for the salvationof her soul, the Empress desires to use all pecuniary means--not for awar, the end of which she scarcely expects to outlive--but upon theerection of churches, and especially for the completion of the churchof St. Sophia. It is said that she wishes to be buried with the plan ofthis church imprinted upon her bosom."
"No doubt as a shield against the anger of the Almighty, at theresurrection of the dead! The woman thinks to disarm her God with herhundred churches, and to bribe Him with the sums expended. What madnessthis belief engenders!" murmured Teja.
"We could discover nothing," repeated Julius; "for I cannot think theshadow of suspicion which crossed my mind, perhaps the shadow of amistake, of any moment."
"What was that?" inquired Totila.
"That evening, as I left the palace at a late hour, thinking overTribonianus's unfavourable report, the golden litter of the Empress wascarried past me by her Cappadocian slaves from the quadrangle of thegarden where stands the Empress's palace. The trellised shutter waslifted a little by the inmate of the litter--I looked up--and it seemedto me as if I recognised----"
"Well?" asked the King.
"My unhappy protector, the vanished Cethegus," concluded Julius sadly.
"That can scarcely be," said the King. "He fell when Rome was taken. Itwas surely a mistake when Teja thought he heard his voice in hishouse."
"_I_ mistake that voice!" cried Teja. "And what meant his sword, whichAdalgoth found at the corner of the street?"
"He may have lost it earlier, when he hurried to the Tiber from hishouse. I distinctly saw him conduct the defence of the chain from hisboat. He hurled his spear at me with all the force and steadiness lentby intense hatred. And I struck him, I am sure, when I cast the spearback again. And Gunthamund, that excellent shot, told me that he wascertain that he wounded the Prefect in the neck. His mantle with thepurple hem was found by the river, pierced by many arrows and coveredwith blood."
"No doubt he died there," Julius said, very gravely.
"Are you such good Christians, and do not know that demons areimmortal?" asked Teja.
"They may be," said the King, "but so are angels!" and, with a frown onhis brow, he continued: "Up, my brave Teja! now there is new work forthy sword. Hear it, Duke Guntharis, Wisand, Grippa, Markja, Thorismuth,and Aligern--I shall soon have enough to do for you all. You have heardthat Emperor Justinian refuses to make peace, and will not leave us inquiet possession of Italy. It is evident that he considers us inclinedto peace at any cost. He thinks it can never hurt him to have us forenemies; that in the worst case we shall quietly await his attack inItaly; that Byzantium will always be able to choose the moment,repeating it until successful. Well--we will show him that we canbecome dangerous! That it might be wiser to leave us Italy, and notirritate us! He will not let us enjoy our kingdom? Then, as in thedays of Alaric and Theodoric, he shall again see the Goths in hisown country! At present only this--for secrecy is the mother ofvictory--we will reach the heart of the Eastern Empire as we oncereached Rome--on canvas wings and wooden bridges.--Now, Justinianus,protect thine own hearth-stone!"