by F. W. Farrar
CHAPTER XXIV
_BRITANNICUS UNDERGOES A NEW EXPERIENCE_
‘For life, with all it yields of joy and woe, And hope and fear--believe the aged friend-- Is just a chance of the prize of learning love; How love might be, hath been indeed, and is; And that we hold thenceforth to the uttermost Such prize, despite the envy of the world.’
BROWNING, _A Death in the Desert_.
It was New Year’s Day in Rome. The day was kept as a universalholiday. Everybody aimed at cheerfulness, and abstained from anyword of evil omen. Quarrels were suspended; calumny was hushed. Fireswere kindled on every side, and fed with scented woods and leaves ofodorous saffron. The gilded fretwork of every temple-roof glimmeredwith twinkling reflections of the sacred flames. All the people wereclad in white, and went in procession to the Capitol. The lictorswere provided with new fasces; the magistrates were clad in newpurple, and assumed, for the first time, their curule chairs ofivory. The white oxen of Clitumnus were led for sacrifice to thealtar of Jupiter, their necks wreathed with garlands. Friendsexchanged presents, which, even when they were of trifling value,yet served to show that they had not forgotten to express their love.Among presents from Octavia, and Titus, and Pudens, and Pomponia,and other friends, Britannicus, who had now recovered, was greeted byEpictetus with the customary gift of gilded dates--called _strenæ_,whence the French _étrennes_--and a little honey in its snowy comb.These the poor lame boy had bought, with such copper coins as he hadbeen able to save, at the little market for such trifles near thePorta Mugionis; and he had not forgotten to bring a few sprigs ofvervain, good-naturedly given to him as an augury of blessing by oneof the priests at the half-forgotten shrine of Vacuna, on the SacredWay. But Britannicus had received more splendid presents than these.Agrippina had given him a double-branched silver candelabrum, upthe shaft of which crept a wild-cat towards two unsuspecting birdsperched on either dish above. But when he showed it to Octavia sheshuddered. To her fancy it seemed as if Nero were the wild-cat, andherself and her brother the harmless birds.
Never had Britannicus and Octavia been more sad than in the dayswhich followed Nero’s frustrated plots to assassinate his brother.They knew that further attempts would not be long delayed. OnFebruary 13 Britannicus would be fifteen years old, and it would beimpossible to withhold from him the manly toga. But he felt sure thatthe sword was dangling by a hair over his neck, and that he would notlong be suffered to live.
And thus, in the dawn of youth, he found himself in a situation soterrible that it has shaken the fortitude of many a full-grown man.Even the iron nerves of Cromwell were affected by the daily danger ofassassination; and now Britannicus never sat down to a meal withoutdread of treachery, and never went to bed without a misgiving asto whether that sleep would not be his last. From the latter terrorTitus relieved him as much as he could, by nightly drawing his owncouch across the door. Onesimus had told Titus that if any deed ofdarkness were in immediate contemplation he would be almost sure tohear of it from Acte. Yet, in spite of all, the poor boy’s mind mighthave been unhinged by the secret and manifold dangers with which thehatred of the Emperor surrounded him, had it not been for the lessonswhich he had heard from the humble followers of the gospel. Nevercould he forget the awful expansion and dilatation of spirit whichhad accompanied the emotion he had experienced at the Christiangathering. At that moment he had felt a foretaste of immortality.
And, happily for the Empress and himself, there remained one moretranscendent experience before the fall of the thunderbolt whichseparated them from each other.
The Ides of January were kept as a festival to Jupiter, and the nextday was also the anniversary on which Octavianus had been saluted bythe title of Augustus. The day was therefore observed with variousceremonies, and, as they were chiefly of a public character, itwas easier for the children of Claudius to move about with lessobservation than usual. They had long desired to hear the words ofone who had seen Jesus, and on the morning of January 14 a letterreached Octavia from Pomponia, conveying a cautious intimationthat now their wish could be granted. Their young companion FlaviusClemens was to visit the Palace in the afternoon, and after they hadsupped with Aulus Plautius they were to arrange the way in which therest of the evening should be spent.
When the supper was over, the two boys, Clemens and Britannicus,disguised in the dress of humble slaves, went with Pudens down theVelabrum and along the bank of the Tiber, which they crossed by theisland and the Fabrician and Cestian bridges. The region in whichthey found themselves was poor and squalid, and was largely inhabitedby Jews. The Jewish and Gentile Christians at this early periodworshipped in separate communities, but they met together on so greatan occasion as the visit of an Apostle. But the laws about assembliesand foreign superstitions were a two-edged sword which might easilybe wielded with fatal effect, and it was desirable for the Christiansto hold their gatherings with as little publicity as possible, inorder to escape the hatred both of Jews and Pagans. This meeting,therefore, was to be held at a remote spot in the hollow of oneof the _arenariæ_, or sand-pits, and those who attended it were touse one or other of the Christian watchwords. They were to approachthe place in scattered groups and from different directions, whilescouts were stationed in the neighbourhood to give instant signal ofapproaching danger.
Using these precautions, Britannicus and his attendants foundthemselves among the latest arrivals at the rendezvous. The winterdarkness, deepened by the overhanging sides of the tufa quarry,rendered it necessary to have a few lights, but most of the assembledChristians extinguished or concealed their lamps. The dimness, thesilence, the starry sky which overhung them, the strained expectation,the signs of intense devotion, made the scene overwhelming in itssolemnity. At last a little group of the chief Christian presbyters,headed by Linus, was seen to approach. They passed under the shadowof the cliffs, and emerged before the table, on which one or twolamps were burning. Then the presbyters divided to the right andleft hand, and the light fell full on the face and figure of one manwho stepped a pace or two to the front.
He was dressed, as was not unusual at Rome, in Eastern costume. Hewas a man a little past the prime of life. The hair which escapedfrom under his turban was already sprinkled with grey. His dark eyesseemed to be lighted from within by a spiritual fire; his figurewas commanding, his attitude full of dignity. His face was a perfectoval, and the features were of the finest type of Eastern manhood.When once you had gazed upon him it seemed impossible to takethe eyes from a countenance so perfect in its light and spiritualbeauty--a countenance in which a fiery vehemence was exquisitelytempered by a pathetic tenderness. His whole appearance was magnetic.It seemed to flash into all around him its own nobleness, and tokindle there that flame of love to God and man which burnt on thealtar of his own heart. That such a soul should be convinced ofa truth seemed alone sufficient to convince others. That suchlips should testify to a fact rendered all disbelief of the factimpossible to those who once fell under his influence. That sucha man could be the herald of a new religion seemed like a certainpledge that the faith which he held must sooner or later overcomethe world.
In his aspect was something indescribably different from that wornby the noblest philosophers of Rome. On all sides, in the Romanamphitheatre and in the Roman streets, you saw faces which werecruel, and proud, and seamed with every evil passion; faces cunning,and sly, and leering, and degraded; the slavish faces of those whowere slaves in soul, and the ignoble faces of those whom an ignoblesociety had cowed by its terror and degraded by its vice. Even in theSenate you saw noble lineaments on which servility, and care, and alife spent under tyrants and in households where every slave mightbe a potential enemy, had impressed the stamp of gloom and fear. Butin the face of this Apostle there was softness as well as strength,and hope as well as courage. His eyes shone with a joy which seemedto brighten in the midst of affliction, as the stars brighten in thedeepening twilight.
As he entered the whole assembly rose to
their feet by a spontaneousmovement of reverence, and then no less spontaneously some of thosepresent fell upon their knees. But instantly his voice was heard,as, in an accent of command, almost of sternness, he bade them rise.
‘Rise,’ he said, ‘brethren and saints. What homage is this? We aremen of like passions with yourselves. I do not mistake your feelings.Ye think that such reverence must be due to a disciple whom, unworthyas he was, yet Jesus loved. But know ye not that every true saintamong you is nearer to Him now by His Spirit than it was possible forus to be in the days of His flesh? Has not our brother Paul taughtyou in his preaching that your bodies are temples of the Holy Ghost,who dwelleth in you, except ye be reprobate?’
Then Linus rose and said, ‘Let us kneel and thank God in prayer thatHe has suffered an Apostle of His Son to visit us, and then we willjoin in a common hymn.’
When the simple prayer was over they united their voices in thatearliest Christian hymn which has been happily preserved for us byClement of Alexandria. They began in accents soft and sweet and low--
‘Shepherd of sheep that own Their Master on the throne, Stir up Thy children weak With guileless lips to speak, In hymn and song, Thy praise, Guide of their infant ways.’
Then the strain swelled louder--
‘O King of saints, O Lord, Mighty, all-conquering Word; Son of the highest God, Wielding His wisdom’s rod; Our stay when cares annoy, Giver of endless joy; Of all our mortal race Saviour, of boundless grace, O Jesus, hear!’[57]
They knelt down once more, and the strain of thanksgiving rose amongthem, with no confusion in its blended utterance, as they respondedto the words of their bishop. And when the voices ceased Nereus, theslave of Pudens, said, after a brief pause, ‘O that John of Bethsaidawould tell us first of that Resurrection whereof he is one of theappointed witnesses!’
John rose, and gave them the narrative which long years after heembodied in his Gospel.
He told them of the startling words of Mary of Magdala on that firstglad Easter morning; and how he himself and Peter ran together to theempty tomb, ere yet they knew the Scripture that He must rise againfrom the dead.
He told them of the vision of angels which appeared in the tomb toMary, and how Jesus had spoken to her in the garden.
He told of the appearance to the Ten, and the words of peace; andagain, on the next Sunday, to the Eleven, when He convinced thedoubting Thomas, and bade him to be not faithless, but believing.
He told them of the appearance on the shore of the misty silver sea,and of His last behest to Simon Peter; and he corrected the falseimpression as to what had been said concerning himself, which had notbeen, as had been mistakenly reported, that he should not die, but‘If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?’
And as he spoke these words, in a voice which rose like a divinemelody, the attention grew more and more rapt, and, as he ended, theawful, penetrating, thrilling sound of the tongue began to be heard.But John checked it by a gentle lifting of his hand, and Linus said,‘Let the spirits of the prophets be subject to the prophets. Let usrather hear the witness of the Lord.’
Then Hermas, slave of Pedanius Secundus, the City Prætor, rose, andasked, ‘What meant the Lord by those words, “that he tarry _till Icome_”? When should be the day of His coming?’
‘That question we also asked,’ said John, ‘before His death; andthough He spake of signs of the times, like the redness and loweringof the sky, yet He added to us, “Of that day and that hour knoweth noman--no, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father.”’
‘And are there no signs of the time now?’ asked Linus.
‘There are many,’ he answered, ‘by which we may know that the comingof the Lord is even at the door. I have walked through this Babylon,and have seen all the splendour of her merchandise, as of Tyrus inold days, and amid it all--slaves and souls of men. Yea, and as Ihave witnessed all the cruelty and all the vileness, like the scum ofthat seething caldron which the prophet saw of old, I feel compelledto ask with him, “Shall I not judge for these things?” saith theLord; “shall not My soul be avenged on such a nation as this?” Yea,sometimes a voice seems to ring within me which says, “Woe, woe! tothe dwellers upon earth!” The great tribulation must come of whichthe Lord spake and the Antichrist must be revealed, and God mustaccomplish the number of the elect.’
‘The night is drawing in, O brother, revered in the Lord,’ saidLinus; ‘and it were well that we should speedily separate to ourhomes. But ere we part give to us one word of exhortation of howwe are to save ourselves from this untoward generation.’
The Apostle raised his hands towards heaven, and his eye seemed to belit with heavenly ecstasy as he answered in this brief exhortation:‘My children, love one another. Love is the fulfilling of the law.There is no fear in love. Perfect love casteth out fear, because fearhath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. And thiscommandment have we from Him, that he who loveth God love his brotheralso.’
When he had thus exhorted them they broke out with passionatejubilance in the hymn--
‘Fisher of men, the blest, Out of the world’s unrest, Out of sin’s troubled sea Taking us, Lord, to Thee, With choicest fish, good store, Drawing thy nets to shore,
‘Lead us, O Shepherd true; Thy mystic sheep, we sue! O path where Christ hath trod, O way that leads to God, O Word, abiding aye, O endless Light on high, O glorious Life of all That on their Maker call, Christ Jesus, hear.’
All present knelt in prayer, ending with the united utterance of thewords that the Lord had taught; and the great _Amen_ rose like thelow sound of distant thunder. Then the Apostle raised his hands andblessed them. Again the _Amen_ and the solemn _Maranatha_ rolledthrough the air like the sound of mighty waters, and after a momentof deep stillness the assembly peaceably departed.
Britannicus and his attendants, wishing to avoid notice, waited fora time, until the twinkling streams of light from the torches andlanterns carried by the worshippers grew fainter and more scattered.Hence it happened that they were left the last in the _arenaria_,except the little group of deacons and presbyters who stood roundJohn of Bethsaida. The young prince had been deeply moved by thelook and by the words of the Beloved Disciple. He wished to see himnearer, and whispered to Pudens not to go until he had passed them,for never yet had he seen so glorious a specimen of lofty and holymanhood.
But the boy’s heart thrilled with strange emotion as the Apostlepaused on his way, and, standing before the little group, fixed hiseyes upon his face, approached him, and softly laid his hand upon hisshoulder.
He motioned to all except Flavius Clemens to stand aside, and he wasleft speaking to the two youths.
‘My sons,’ he asked, ‘do ye believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?’
The youths were silent, till Britannicus, who felt in his heart theconfidence of an exceeding peace, said--
‘My father, I know not. All that you have said to us is beautifulas a song of heaven. It stirs my heart; it seems to give wings to myspirit; but I know too little, and all is yet too strange.’
‘My son,’ said the Apostle, ‘go in peace. It is given me to knowwho thou art; thy slave’s attire does not conceal thee from me. Nay,start not; none else shall know. But the seed hath been sown in thyyoung heart; it shall blossom and bear fruit in a life beyond. Forthere is a baptism, not of water only, but of blood. Would to Godthat thou mightest remain for the furtherance of the kingdom of HisSon; but it may not be. And my message to thee is, “Be strong, andHe shall comfort thine heart, and put thou thy trust in the Lord.”’
He laid his right hand gently on the young prince’s head and blessedhim, and his whole soul seemed to thrill under that holy touch.
‘And hast thou no word for me, my father?’ said Flavius Clemens.
The Apostle turned towards him, and kindly laying his left hand onthe boy’s dark curls, he said--
�
��I say to thee, as the Lord said to another, “And thou too, my son,when thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself and wentest whither thouwouldest; but when thou shalt be old another shall gird thee andcarry thee whither thou wouldest not.” Thy life shall be prolonged,and thou shalt rise to great things; but thy heart shall be theLord’s, and many a year hence thou too shalt be His witness. One ofyou shall see my face no more, but the Angel of His Presence blessyou both.’
He spoke, and passed out of their sight into the gloom, leaving intheir hearts a sound as of angelic music, a light as of purple wings.Neither of them spoke, or could speak. In silence and haste theymade their way back over the dark flowing river to the house of AulusPlautius. Flavius was conducted home by faithful Christian slaves,while the escort of the Empress accompanied her and her brother tothe Palace, which still rang with sounds of revelry. And that nightTitus wondered at the radiant serenity of the countenance of hisfriend, and Britannicus slept as sweetly as a child; and as heslumbered the spirits of the blessed dead seemed to keep guard overhim, and he smiled to hear strange snatches of immortal melody.
