by Felix Dahn
CHAPTER VI.
Cethegus took a deep draught from the cup which stood before him, whichwas made of chased gold and shaped like a tower.
He was considerably changed since that last night in Rome. The wrinkleson his temples were more sharply defined; his lip more firmly closed;his under-lip protruded still farther than before; and the ironicalsmile, which used to make him look younger and handsomer, very rarelyplayed round the corners of his mouth. His eyes were generally halfshut; only sometimes did he raise the lids to dart a glance, which,always dreaded by those upon whom it fell, now appeared more cruel andpiercing than ever.
He seemed to have become, not older, but harsher, more inexorable, andmore merciless.
"You know," he began, "all that happened until the fall of Rome. In onenight I lost the city, the Capitol, my house, and my Caesar! The crashof the fall of that image pained me more than the arrows of the Goths,or even of the Romans. As I was about to punish the destroyer of myCaesar, my senses forsook me. I fell at the foot of the statue ofJupiter. I was restored to my senses by the cool breeze that blows overthe Tiber, and which once before, twenty years ago, had restored awounded man."
He paused.
"Of that another time, perhaps--perhaps never," he said, hastilycutting short a question from his host. "This time Lucius Licinius--hisbrother died for Rome and for me--and the faithful Moor, who hadescaped the Black Earl as if by miracle, saved my life. Cast out of thefront entrance by Teja--who, in his eagerness to murder the master, hadno time to murder the slave--Syphax hurried to the back-door. There hemet Lucius Licinius, who had only just then reached my house by aside-street. Together they followed the trace of my blood to the hallof the Jupiter. There they found me senseless, and had just time tolower me from the window, like a piece of baggage, into the court.Syphax jumped down and received me from the hands of the tribune, whothen quickly followed, and they hurried with me to the river.
"There very few people were to be seen, for all the Goths and friendlyRomans had followed the King to the Capitol to help to extinguish theflames. Totila had expressly ordered--I hope to his destruction!--thatall non-combatants should be spared and left unmolested. So my bearerswere allowed to pass everywhere. It was thought that they carried adead man. And they themselves, for some time, thought so too. In theriver they found an empty fishing-boat full of nets. They laid me init. Syphax threw my bloody mantle, with the purple hem of the 'princepssenatus,' upon the shore, in order to mislead my enemies. They coveredme with sail-cloth and nets, and rowed down the river, through thestill burning boats. When we had passed them, I came to myself. Syphaxbathed my face with the water of the Tiber. My first glance fell on thestill burning Capitol. They told me that my first exclamation was,'Turn back! the Capitol!' And they were obliged to keep me quiet byforce. My first clear thought was naturally: 'To return; to takerevenge; to re-conquer Rome.' In the harbour of Portus we met with anItalian ship laden with grain. There were seven rowers in it. Mycompanions approached it to beg for wine and bread, for they also werewounded and exhausted. The rowers recognised me. One of them wanted totake me prisoner and deliver me up to the Goths, sure of a rich reward.But the other six had served under me at the Mausoleum. I had nourishedthem for years. They slew the man who wanted to betray me, and promisedLucius that they would save me if it were possible. They hid me inheaps of grain while we passed the Gothic guardships which watched atthe entrance of the harbour, Lucius and Syphax put on the dress ofsailors, and rowed with the others. Thus we escaped. But while on boardthis vessel I was dangerously ill from my wounds. Only the ceaselesscare of Syphax and the sea-air saved me. For days, they say, I onlyreiterated the words, 'Rome, Capitol, Caesar!' When we landed atPanormus, in Sicily, under the protection of the Byzantines, I rapidlyrecovered. My old friend Cyprianus, who had admitted me intoTheodoric's palace when I was made Prefect, received me at Panormus ascaptain of the harbour. Scarcely recovered, I went to Asia Minor--or,as you say, Asiana--to my estates; you know that I had splendidpossessions at Sardes, Philadelphia, and Tralles----"
"You have them no longer--the columned villas?"
"I sold them all, for I was obliged at once to find the means ofengaging fresh mercenaries, in order to liberate Rome and Italy."
"Tenax propositi!" cried Procopius, amazed. "You have not, even now,given up hope?"
"Can I give up myself? I have sent Licinius to enlist a wild and savagerace, the Longobardians."
"God protect your Italy if _they_ ever set foot in it."
"I have also succeeded in winning the Empress to my cause, and by hermeans the propositions of peace made by Cassiodorus were refused at thelast moment. For Rome must be freed from the barbarians! But when shallI find means to move this lazy colossus, Justinian? When will fate callme to my battle-field--Italia?"
At this moment Syphax entered the room. He brought Cethegus a messagefrom the Empress. It ran:
"To the Jupiter of the Capitol. Do not leave your house to-morrow untilI call you.--Theodora."
On the next day the Emperor Justinian was standing buried in deepreflection before the tall golden crucifix in his room. The expressionof his face was very grave, but without a trace of alarm or doubt.Quiet decision lay upon his features, which, else not handsome ornoble, at this moment betrayed mental power and superiority. He liftedhis eyes almost threateningly to the crucifix.
"God of the Cross," he said, "Thou puttest Thy faithful servant to ahard proof! It seems to me that I have deserved better. Thou knowestall that I have done to the honour of Thy name! Why do not Thy strokesfall upon Thine enemies, the heathens and barbarians? Why not?"
He was interrupted in his soliloquy by the entrance of the chamberlainsand wardrobe-keepers.
Justinian exchanged his morning garment for the robes of state. Hisslaves served him upon their knees.
He apparelled himself in a tunic of white silk, reaching to the knees,embroidered with gold on both sides, and confined by a purple girdle.The tightly-fitting hose were also of silk of the same colour. Hisslaves threw over his shoulders a splendid mantle of a lighter shade ofpurple, with a broad hem of gold thread, upon which red circles andsymbolic animal-forms, embroidered in green silk, alternated with eachother. But the pearls and precious stones which were lavishly strewedover it, rendered the design almost invisible, and made the mantle soheavy, that the assistance of the train-bearer must have been indeed awelcome relief.
On each of his arms the Emperor wore three broad golden bracelets. Thewide crown was made of massive gold, arched over with two rows ofpearls. His mantle was fastened on the shoulder with a costly brooch oflarge precious stones.
The sceptre-keeper put into the Emperor's hand a golden staff thelength of a man, at the top of which was a globe made out of a singlelarge emerald, and surmounted with a golden cross.
The Emperor grasped it firmly and rose from his seat.
A slave offered him the thick-soled buskins which he usually wore, inorder to increase his height.
"No; to-day I need no buskins," said Justinian, and left the room.
Down the Stairs of the Lions, so called from the twenty-four immensemarble lions which guarded the twelve steps, and which had been broughtfrom Carthage by Belisarius, the Emperor descended to a lower story,and entered the Hall of Jerusalem.
This hall derived its name from the porphyry columns, the onyx vases,the golden tables and the numerous golden vessels which, arranged onpedestals and along the walls, were said to have formerly decorated theTemple of Jerusalem. These treasures had been taken to Rome by Titus,after the destruction of Jerusalem. From Rome the Sea-king Geiseric hadtaken them on his dragon-ships, together with the Empress Eudoxia, tohis capital, Carthage. And now Belisarius had brought them fromCarthage to the Emperor of the East.
The cupola of the hall, representing the firmament, was wrought inmosaic. Costly blue stones formed the ground-work, in which was inlaid,besides the sun, the moon, the eye of God, the lamb, the fish, thebirds, the palm
, the vine, the unicorn, and many other symbols ofChristianity, the whole zodiac and innumerable stars of massive gold.
The cost of the cupola alone was estimated as high as the whole incomeof the taxes on property in all the Empire for forty-five years.
Opposite the three great arches of the entrance, which were closed bycurtains--it was the only entrance to the hall--and were guardedoutside by a threefold line of imperial body-guards--the "GoldenShields"--stood, at the bottom of the semicircular hall, the elevatedthrone of the Emperor, and below it on the left the seat of theEmpress.
When Justinian entered the hall with a numerous retinue of palaceofficials, all the assembly, consisting of the highest dignitaries ofthe realm, threw themselves upon their faces in humble prostration.
The Empress also rose, bowed deeply, and crossed her arms upon herbosom. Her dress was exactly similar to that of her husband. Her whitestola was also covered by a purple mantle, but without hem. She carrieda very short sceptre of ivory.
The Emperor cast a slight but contemptuous glance at the patriarchs,archbishops, bishops, patricians and senators, who, above thirty innumber, occupied a row of gilded chairs set in a semicircle andprovided with cushions. He then passed through the middle of the halland ascended his throne with a quick firm step. Twelve of the chiefofficers of the palace stood upon the steps of the two thrones, holdingwhite wands in their hands. A blast of trumpets gave the signal to thekneeling assembly to rise.
"Reverend bishops and worthy senators," began the Emperor, "we havecalled you together, to ask your advice in an affair of great moment.But why is our Magister Militum per Orientum, Narses, absent?"
"He returned only yesterday from Persia--he is sick and confined tobed," answered the usher.
"Where is our treasurer of the Sacri Palatii, Trebonianus?"
"He has not yet returned from his embassy to Berytus about the code."
"Where is Belisarius, our Magister Militum per Orientum extra Ordinem?"
"He does not reside in Byzantium, but in Asia, in the Red House atSycae."
"He keeps too far apart in the Red House. It displeases us. Why does heavoid our presence?"
"He could not be found."
"Not even in the house of his freedman, Photius?"
"He has gone hunting to try the Persian hunting-leopards," said Leo,the assistant-huntsman.
"He is never to be found when wanted, and is always present when notwanted. I am not content with Belisarius.--Hear now what has latelybeen communicated to me by letter; afterwards you shall hear the reportof the envoys themselves. You know that we have allowed the war inItaly to die away--for we had other occupation for our generals. Youknow that the barbarian King sued for peace and the quiet possession ofItaly. We rejected it at that time; awaiting more convenientcircumstances. The Goth has answered, not in words, but by veryinsolent deeds. No one in Byzantium knows of it--we kept the news toourselves, thinking it impossible, or at least exaggerated. But we findthat it is true; and now you shall hear it and advise upon it. Thebarbarian King has sent a fleet and an army to Dalmatia with greathaste and secrecy. The fleet entered the harbour of Muicurum nearSalona; the army landed and carried the fortress by storm. In a similarway the fleet surprised the coast-town of Laureata. Claudianus, ourgovernor at Salona, sent numerous and strongly-manned vessels to retakethe town from the Goths. But a naval combat took place, and the Goth,Duke Guntharis, beat our Squadron so thoroughly that he made prizes ofall the vessels without exception, and carried them victoriously intothe harbour of Laureata. Further, the Gothic King equipped a secondfleet of four hundred large ships at Centumcellae. It was formed for themost part of Byzantine vessels, which, sent from the East to Sicily toreinforce Belisarius, in ignorance that the Italian harbours were againin possession of the Goths, had been taken by a Gothic earl, Grippa,with all their crews and freights. The goal of this second fleet wasunknown. But suddenly the barbarian King himself appeared with thefleet before Regium, the fortress in the extreme southern part ofBruttia, which place we had won on our first landing in Italy, and hadnot since lost. After a brave resistance, the garrison of Herulians andMassagetae were forced to capitulate. But the tyrant Totila sailedimmediately to Sicily, to wrest from us that earliest of Belisarius'sconquests. He beat the Roman governor Domnentiolus, who met him in theopen field, and in a short time took possession of the whole island,with the exception of Messana, Panormus and Syracusae, which wereenabled to hold out by reason of their formidable fortifications. Afleet which I sent to attempt the reconquest of Sicily was dispersed bya storm. A second was driven by the north-west wind to thePeloponnesus. At the same time a third fleet of triremes, equipped bythis indefatigable King and commanded by Earl Haduswinth, sailed forCorsica and Sardinia. The first of these islands presently fell to theGoths, after the imperial garrison of the capital city of Alexia hadbeen beaten before the walls. The rich Corsican Furius Ahalla, to whomthe greater part of the island belongs, was absent in India. But hisstewards and tenants had been ordered, in case of a landing of theGoths, in nowise to oppose them, but to aid them to the best of theirpower. From Corsica the barbarians turned to Sardinia. Here, nearKaralis, they beat the troops which our magister militum had sent fromAfrica to conquer the island, and took Karalis as well as Sulci, CastraTrajani and Turres. The Goths then settled down in both islands andtreated them as permanently-acquired dependencies of the Gothickingdom, placing Gothic commanders in all the towns, and raising taxesaccording to Gothic law. Strange to say, these taxes are far less heavythan ours, and the inhabitants shamelessly declare that they wouldrather pay the barbarians fifty than ninety to us. But all this was notenough. Sailing to the north-east from Sicily, the tyrant Totila unitedhis squadron with a fourth fleet, under Earl Teja, off Hydrus. Part ofthis united fleet, under Earl Thorismuth, sailed to Corcyra, tookpossession of that island, and thence conquered all the surroundingislands. But not yet enough. The tyrant Totila and Earl Teja alreadyattack the mainland of our Empire."
A murmur of terror interrupted the august speaker.
Justinian resumed in an angry voice:
"They have landed in the harbour of Epirus vetus, carried the townsNicopolis and Anchisus, south-west of the ancient Dodona, and taken agreat many of our ships along the coast. All this may excite yourindignation against the insolence of these barbarians; but you have nowto hear what will move you in a different way. Briefly, according toreports which reached me yesterday, it is certain that the Goths are infull march upon Byzantium itself!"
At this some of the senators sprang to their feet.
"They intend a double attack. Their united fleet, commanded by DukeGuntharis, Earls Markja, Grippa, and Thorismuth, has beaten, in acombat of two days' duration, the fleet which protected our islandprovinces, and has driven it into the straits of Sestos and Abydos.Their army, under Totila and Teja, is marching across Thessaly by wayof Dodona against Macedonia. Thessalonica is already threatened. EarlTeja has razed to the ground the 'New Wall' which we had there erected.The road to Byzantium is open. And no army stands between us and thebarbarians. All our troops are on the Persian frontier. And now listento what the Goth proposes. Fortunately God has befooled and blinded himto our weakness. He again offers us peace under the former conditions,with the one exception that he now intends to keep possession ofSicily. But he will evacuate all his other conquests if we willacknowledge his rule in Italy. As I had no means, neither fleets norcohorts, to stop his victorious course, I have, for the present,demanded an armistice. This he has agreed to, on condition thatafterwards peace is to be concluded on the former conditions. I haveagreed to this----"
And, pausing, the Emperor cast a searching glance at the assembly, andlooked askance at the Empress.
The assembly was evidently relieved. The Empress closed her eyes inorder to conceal their expression. Her small hand grasped convulsivelythe arm of her throne.
"But I agreed to it with the reservation that I should first hear theopinion of my wife, who has lately been an advocate for
peace, and thatalso of my wise senate. I added that I myself was inclined to peace."
All present looked more at ease.
"And I believed that I could tell beforehand what would be the decisionof my counsellors. Upon this understanding, the horsemen of Earl Tejaunwillingly halted at Thessalonica; unfortunately they had alreadytaken prisoner the bishop of that city. But they have sent him herewith other prisoners, carrying messages and letters--you shall hearthem and then decide. Reflect that if we refuse to conclude a peace,the barbarians will soon stand before our gates, and that we are onlyasked to yield that which the Empire has given up long ago, and whichBelisarius in two campaigns failed to reconquer--Italia! Let the envoysapproach."
Through the arches of the entrance the body-guard now led in severalmen, in clerical, official, and military costume. Trembling andsighing, they threw themselves at the feet of Justinian. Even tearswere not wanting.
At a sign from the Emperor they rose again, and stood before the stepsof the throne.
"Your petitions and lamentations," said the Emperor, "I receivedyesterday. Protonotary, now read to us the letter from the Bishop ofNicopolis and the wounded Governor of Illyricum--since then the latterhas succumbed to his wounds."
The protonotary read:
"To Justinianus, the unconquerable Emperor of the Romani, Dorotheos,Bishop of Nicopolis, and Nazares, Governor of Illyricum. The placewhence we write these words will be the best proof of their gravity. Wewrite on board the royal barge of the Gothic King, the _Italia_. Whenyou read these words, you will have already learned the defeat of thefleet, the loss of the islands, the storming of the 'New Wall,' and thedestruction of the army of Illyricum. Quicker than the messengers andthe fugitives from these battles, have the Gothic pursuers reached us.The Gothic King has conquered and spared Nicopolis. Earl Teja hasconquered and burnt Anchisus. I, Nazares, have served in the army forthirty years--and never have I seen such an attack as that in whichEarl Teja overthrew me at the gates of Anchisus. They are irresistible,these Goths! Their horsemen sweep the country from Thessalonica toPhilippi. The Goths in the heart of Illyricum! That has not been heardof for sixty years. And the King has sworn to return every year untilhe has peace--or Byzantium! Since he won Corcyra and the Sybotes, hestands upon the bridge of your Empire. Therefore, as God has touchedthe heart of this King, as he offers peace at a moderate price--theprice of what he has actually gained--we beseech you, in the name ofyour trembling subjects, and of your smoking towns, to conclude apeace! Save us and save Byzantium! For your generals Belisarius andNarses will rather be able to stop the course of the sun and theblowing of the wind, than to stay King Totila and the terrible Teja."
"They are prisoners," said the Emperor, interrupting the reader; "andperhaps they speak in fear of death. Now it is your turn to speak,venerable Bishop of Thessalonica; you, Anatolius, commander of Dodona;and you, Parmenio, brave captain of the Macedonian lancers. You aresafe here under our imperial protection, but you have seen thebarbarian generals. What do you advise?"
At this the aged Bishop of Thessalonica again threw himself upon hisknees, and cried:
"O Emperor of the Romani, the barbarian King, Totila, is a heretic, andaccursed for ever, yet never have I seen a man more richly endowed withall Christian virtues! Do not strive with him! In the other world hewill be damned for ever, but--I cannot comprehend it--on earth Godblesses all his ways. He is irresistible!"
"I understand it well," interposed Anatolius. "It is his craft whichwins for him all hearts--the deepest hypocrisy, a power ofdissimulation which outdoes all our much-renowned and defamed Greciancunning. The barbarian plays the part of a philanthropist soexcellently, that he almost deceived me, until I reflected that therewas no such thing in the world as the love which this man pretends,with all the art of a comedian. He acts as if he really felt compassionfor his conquered enemies! He feeds the hungry, he divides thebooty--your tax-money, O Emperor!--amongst the country people, whosefields have been devastated by the war. Women who had fled into thewoods, and were found by his horsemen, he returns uninjured to theirhusbands. He enters the villages to the sound of a harp, played by abeautiful youth, who leads his horse. Do you know what is theconsequence? Your own subjects, O Emperor of the Romani, rebel to him,and deliver your officers, who have obeyed your severe laws, into hishands. The peasants and farmers of Dodona did so by me. This barbarianis the greatest comedian of the century, and the clever hypocriteunderstands many other things besides fighting. He has entered into analliance against you with the distant Persians, with your inveterateenemy Chosroes. We ourselves saw the Persian ambassador ride out of hiscamp towards the East."
When Anatolius had ceased speaking, the Macedonian captain gave hisreport, which ran:
"Ruler of the Romani--since Earl Teja gained the high-road ofThessalonica, nothing stands between your throne and his battle-axe butthe walls of this city. He who stormed the 'New Wall' eight times insuccession, and carried it at the ninth attempt, will carry the wallsof Byzantium at the tenth. You can only repel the Goths if you havesevenfold their number. If you have it not, then conclude a peace."
"Peace! peace! we beseech you, in the name of your trembling provincesof Epirus, Thessaly, and Macedonia!"
"Deliver us from the Goths!"
"Let us not again see the days of Alaric and Theodoric!"
"Peace with the Goths! Peace! peace!"
And all the envoys, bishops, officials, and warriors sank upon theirknees with the cry of "Peace!"
The effect upon the assembly was fearful.
It had often happened that Persians and Saracens in the east. Moors inthe south, and Bulgarians and Slavonians in the north-west, had madeincursions into the country, slaying and plundering, and had sometimesbeaten the troops sent against them, and escaped unhindered with theirbooty. But that Grecian islands should be permanently conquered by theenemy, that Grecian harbours should be won and governed by barbarians,and that the high-road to Byzantium should be dominated by Goths, wasunheard of.
With dismay the senators thought of the days when Gothic ships andGothic armies should overrun all the Grecian islands, and repeatedlystorm the walls of Byzantium, only to be stopped by the fulfilment ofall their demands. They already seemed to hear the battle-axe of the"Black Earl" knocking at their gates.
Quietly and searchingly did Justinian look into the rows of anxiousfaces on his right and on his left.
"You have heard," he then began, "what Church, State, and Army desire.I now ask your opinion. We have already accomplished an armistice.Shall war or shall peace ensue? One word will buy peace--our assent tothe cession of Italy, which is already lost. Whoever among you is infavour of war, let him hold up his hand."
No one moved; for the senators were afraid for Byzantium, and they hadno doubt of the Emperor's inclination for peace.
"My senate unanimously declares for peace. I knew it beforehand," saidJustinian, with a singular smile. "I am accustomed always to follow theadvice of my wise councillors--and of my Empress."
At this word Theodora started from her seat, and threw her ivorysceptre from her with such violence, that it flew far across the hall.
The senators were startled.
"Then farewell," cried the Empress, "farewell to what has ever been mypride--my belief in Justinian and his imperial dignity! Farewell allshare in the cares and honours of the state! Alas, Justinian! alas foryou and me that I must hear such words from your lips!"
And she hid her face in her purple mantle, in order to conceal theagony which her excitement caused her.
The Emperor turned towards her.
"What! the Augusta, my wife, who, since Belisarius returned toByzantium for the second time, has always advocated peace--with a shortexception--does she now, in such a time of danger, advise----"
"War!" cried Theodora, uncovering her face. And, in her intenseearnestness, she looked more beautiful than she ever did when smilingin playful sport. "Must I, your wife, remind you of your honour? Willyou suffer these bar
barians to fix themselves firmly in your Empire,and force you to their will? You, who dreamt of the re-establishment ofthe Empire of Constantine! You, Justinian, who have taken the names ofPersicus, Vandalicus, Alanicus, and Gothicus--you will allow thisGothic stripling to lead you by the beard whithersoever he will? Areyou not the same Justinian who has been admired by the world, byByzantium, and by Theodora? Our admiration was an error!"
On hearing these words, the Patriarch of Byzantium--he still believedthat the Emperor had irrevocably decided upon peace--took courage tooppose the Empress, who did not always hit upon the strict definitionof orthodoxy of which he was the representative.
"What!" he said, "the august lady advises bloody war? Verily, the HolyChurch has no need to plead for the heretic. Notwithstanding, the newKing is wonderfully mild towards the Catholics in Italy; and we canwait for more favourable times, until----"
"No, priest!" interrupted Theodora; "the outraged honour of this Empirecan wait no longer! O Justinian!"--he still remained obstinatelysilent--"O Justinian, let us not be deceived in you! You dare not letthat be wrung from you by defiance which you refused to humblepetitions! Must I remind you that once before your wife's advice, andwill, and courage, saved your honour? Have you forgotten the terriblerebellion of the Nika? Have you forgotten how the united parties of theCircus, of the frantic mob of Byzantium, attacked this house? Theflames arose, and the cry of 'Down with the tyrants!' rang in our ears.All your councillors advised flight or compliance; all these reverendbishops and wise senators, and even your generals; for Narses was awayin distant Asia, and Belisarius was shut up by the rebels in the palaceon the shore. All were in despair. Your wife Theodora was the only heroby your side. If you had yielded or fled, your throne, your life, andmost certainly your honour, would have been lost. You hesitated. Youwere inclined to fly. 'Remain, and die if need be,' I then said; 'butdie in the purple!' And you remained, and your courage saved you. Youawaited death upon your throne, with me at your side--and God sentBelisarius to our relief! I speak the same now. Do not yield. Emperorof the Romani--do not yield to the barbarians! Stand firm. Let theruins of the Golden Gate overwhelm you if the axe of the terrible Gothcan force it; but die an Emperor! This purple is stained by theimmeasurable insolence of these Germans. I throw it from me, and Iswear by the wisdom of God, never will I again resume it until theEmpire is rid of the Goths!"
And she tore off her mantle and threw it down upon the steps of thethrone. But then, greatly exhausted, she was on the point of sinkingback into her seat when Justinianus caught her in his arms and pressedher to his bosom.
"Theodora," he cried, "my glorious wife! You need no purple on yourshoulders--your spirit is clothed in purple! You alone understandJustinian. War, and destruction to the Goths!"
At this spectacle the trembling senators were overwhelmed with terrorand astonishment.
"Yes, wise fathers," cried the Emperor, turning to the assembly, "thistime you were too clever to be men. It is indeed an honour to be calledConstantine's successor, but it is no honour to be _your_ master! Ourenemies, I fear, are right; Constantine only planted here the deadmummy of Rome, but the soul of Rome had already fled. Alas for theEmpire! Were it free or a republic, it would now have sunk in shame forever. It must have a master, who, when, like a lazy horse, it threatensto sink into the quagmire, pulls it up by the rein; a strong masterwith bridle, whip, and spurs!"
At this moment a little crooked man, leaning on a crutch, forced hisway into the hall, and limped up to the steps of the throne.
"Emperor of the Romani," he began, when he rose from his obeisance, "areport reached me on my bed of pain of all that the barbarians haddared, and of what was going on here. I gathered all my strength anddragged myself here with difficulty, for, by one word from you, I mustlearn whether I have been a fool from the beginning in holding you tobe a great ruler in spite of many weaknesses; whether I shall throwyour marshal's staff into the deepest well, or still carry it withpride! Speak only one word: war or peace?"
"War! war!" cried Justinian, and his countenance beamed.
"Victory! Justinian!" cried the general. "Oh, let me kiss your hand,great Emperor!" and he limped up the steps of the throne.
"But how is this, patrician, you have all at once become a man!" mockedthe Empress. "You were always against the war with the Goths. Have yousuddenly become endowed with a sense of honour?"
"Honour!" cried Narses, "after that gay soap-bubble Belisarius, thatgreat child, may run! Not honour but the Empire is at stake. As long asdanger threatened from the east, I advised the Persian war. Nothing wasto be feared from the Goths. But now your piety, O Empress, andBelisarius's hero-sword, have stirred up the hornets' nest so long,that at last the whole swarm flies dangerously into our faces. Now thedanger threatens from that side, and I advise a Gothic war. The Gothsare nearer to Byzantium than Chosroes to the eastern frontier. He who,like this Totila, can raise a kingdom from an abyss, can much moreeasily hurl another kingdom into an abyss. This young King is a workerof miracles, and must be stopped in time."
"For this once," said Justinian, "I have the rare pleasure of findingmy Empress and Narses of one mind."
He was on the point of dismissing the assembly, when the Empress caughthis arm.
"Stay, my husband," she said. "To-day, for the second time, I have thehonour to be proved your best adviser! Is it not so? Then listen to meand follow my further advice. Keep this wise assembly--all exceptNarses--confined in this hall.--Do not tremble, Illustrissimi; thistime your lives are not in jeopardy. But you are unable to keep asecret; at least unless your tongues are slit. For this time, we willinsure your silence by confinement.--There exists a conspiracy againstyour life, Justinian, or at least against your free will. A certainparty had decided to force you to a war with the Goths. This object,truly, is now attained. But either to-night or to-morrow early theconspirators will again finally assemble. We must allow them to do so.We must not hinder them in their purpose by letting them know thattheir object is already planned. For dangerous persons--personssuspected long ago, and--O Justinian--very very _rich_ persons areconcerned in it. It would be a pity if they escaped my snare."
Justinian was not alarmed at the word conspiracy.
"I also knew of it," he said. "But is it already so far advanced?To-morrow! Theodora," he cried, "you are more to the Empire thanBelisarius or Narses!--Captain of the Golden Shields, you will keep allpresent confined here until Narses comes to fetch them. Meanwhile, mypious and wise fathers, reflect upon this hour and its teachings!Narses, follow us and the Empress."
So saying, Justinian descended the steps of the throne. When he, withTheodora and Narses, had left the Hall of Jerusalem, the entrance wasimmediately blocked with threatening spears.
