Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero

by Henryk Sienkiewicz

  Chapter XXVI

  IT was known in Rome that Caesar wished to see Ostia on the journey, orrather the largest ship in the world, which had brought wheat recentlyfrom Alexandria, and from Ostia to go by the Via Littoralis to Antium.Orders had been given a number of days earlier; hence at the PortaOstiensis, from early morning, crowds made up of the local rabble andof all nations of the earth had collected to feast their eyes with thesight of Caesar's retinue, on which the Roman population could never gazesufficiently. The road to Antium was neither difficult nor long. Inthe place itself, which was composed of palaces and villas builtand furnished in a lordly manner, it was possible to find everythingdemanded by comfort, and even the most exquisite luxury of the period.Caesar had the habit, however, of taking with him on a journey everyobject in which he found delight, beginning with musical instrumentsand domestic furniture, and ending with statues and mosaics, which weretaken even when he wished to remain on the road merely a short time forrest or recreation. He was accompanied, therefore, on every expeditionby whole legions of servants, without reckoning divisions of pretorianguards, and Augustians; of the latter each had a personal retinue ofslaves.

  Early on the morning of that day herdsmen from the Campania, withsunburnt faces, wearing goat-skins on their legs, drove forth fivehundred she-asses through the gates, so that Poppaea on the morrow of herarrival at Antium might have her bath in their milk. The rabble gazedwith delight and ridicule at the long ears swaying amid clouds of dust,and listened with pleasure to the whistling of whips and the wild shoutsof the herdsmen. After the asses had gone by, crowds of youth rushedforth, swept the road carefully, and covered it with flowers and needlesfrom pine-trees. In the crowds people whispered to each other, with acertain feeling of pride, that the whole road to Antium would be strewnin that way with flowers taken from private gardens round about, orbought at high prices from dealers at the Porta Mugionis. As the morninghours passed, the throng increased every moment. Some had brought theirwhole families, and, lest the time might seem tedious, they spreadprovisions on stones intended for the new temple of Ceres, and ate theirprandium beneath the open sky. Here and there were groups, in whichthe lead was taken by persons who had travelled; they talked of Caesar'spresent trip, of his future journeys, and journeys in general. Sailorsand old soldiers narrated wonders which during distant campaignsthey had heard about countries which a Roman foot had never touched.Home-stayers, who had never gone beyond the Appian Way, listened withamazement to marvellous tales of India, of Arabia, of archipelagossurrounding Britain in which, on a small island inhabited by spirits,Briareus had imprisoned the sleeping Saturn. They heard of hyperboreanregions of stiffened seas, of the hisses and roars which the ocean givesforth when the sun plunges into his bath. Stories of this kind foundready credence among the rabble, stories believed by such men even asTacitus and Pliny. They spoke also of that ship which Caesar was tolook at,--a ship which had brought wheat to last for two years, withoutreckoning four hundred passengers, an equal number of soldiers, anda multitude of wild beasts to be used during the summer games. Thisproduced general good feeling toward Caesar, who not only nourished thepopulace, but amused it. Hence a greeting full of enthusiasm was waitingfor him.

  Meanwhile came a detachment of Numidian horse, who belonged to thepretorian guard. They wore yellow uniforms, red girdles, and greatearrings, which cast a golden gleam on their black faces. The points oftheir bamboo spears glittered like flames, in the sun. After they hadpassed, a procession-like movement began. The throng crowded forward tolook at it more nearly; but divisions of pretorian foot were there, and,forming in line on both sides of the gate, prevented approach to theroad. In advance moved wagons carrying tents, purple, red, and violet,and tents of byssus woven from threads as white as snow; and orientalcarpets, and tables of citrus, and pieces of mosaic, and kitchenutensils, and cages with birds from the East, North, and West, birdswhose tongues or brains were to go to Caesar's table, and vessels withwine and baskets with fruit. But objects not to be exposed to bruisingor breaking in vehicles were borne by slaves. Hence hundreds of peoplewere seen on foot, carrying vessels, and statues of Corinthian bronze.There were companies appointed specially to Etruscan vases; others toGrecian; others to golden or silver vessels, or vessels of Alexandrianglass. These were guarded by small detachments of pretorian infantry andcavalry; over each division of slaves were taskmasters, holding whipsarmed at the end with lumps of lead or iron, instead of snappers. Theprocession, formed of men bearing with importance and attentionvarious objects, seemed like some solemn religious procession; and theresemblance grew still more striking when the musical instruments ofCaesar and the court were borne past. There were seen harps, Grecianlutes, lutes of the Hebrews and Egyptians, lyres, formingas, citharas,flutes, long, winding buffalo horns and cymbals. While looking at thatsea of instruments, gleaming beneath the sun in gold, bronze, preciousstones, and pearls, it might be imagined that Apollo and Bacchus hadset out on a journey through the world. After the instruments camerich chariots filled with acrobats, dancers male and female, groupedartistically, with wands in their hands. After them followed slavesintended, not for service, but excess; so there were boys and littlegirls, selected from all Greece and Asia Minor, with long hair, or withwinding curls arranged in golden nets, children resembling Cupids, withwonderful faces, but faces covered completely with a thick coatingof cosmetics, lest the wind of the Campania might tan their delicatecomplexions.

  And again appeared a pretorian cohort of gigantic Sicambrians,blue-eyed, bearded, blond and red haired. In front of them Romaneagles were carried by banner-bearers called "imaginarii," tablets withinscriptions, statues of German and Roman gods, and finally statues andbusts of Caesar. From under the skins and armor of the soldier appearedlimbs sunburnt and mighty, looking like military engines capableof wielding the heavy weapons with which guards of that kind werefurnished. The earth seemed to bend beneath their measured and weightytread. As if conscious of strength which they could use againstCaesar himself, they looked with contempt on the rabble of the street,forgetting, it was evident, that many of themselves had come to thatcity in manacles. But they were insignificant in numbers, for thepretorian force had remained in camp specially to guard the city andhold it within bounds. When they had marched past, Nero's chainedlions and tigers were led by, so that, should the wish come to him ofimitating Dionysus, he would have them to attach to his chariots. Theywere led in chains of steel by Arabs and Hindoos, but the chains wereso entwined with garlands that the beasts seemed led with flowers. Thelions and tigers, tamed by skilled trainers, looked at the crowds withgreen and seemingly sleepy eyes; but at moments they raised their giantheads, and breathed through wheezing nostrils the exhalations of themultitude, licking their jaws the while with spiny tongues.

  Now came Caesar's vehicles and litters, great and small, gold or purple,inlaid with ivory or pearls, or glittering with diamonds; after themcame another small cohort of pretorians in Roman armor, pretorianscomposed of Italian volunteers only;* then crowds of select slaveservants, and boys; and at last came Caesar himself, whose approach washeralded from afar by the shouts of thousands.

  [* The inhabitants of Italy were freed from military service byAugustus, in consequence of which the so-called cohors Italica,stationed generally in Asia, was composed of volunteers. The pretorianguards, in so far as they were not composed of foreigners, were made upof volunteers.]

  In the crowd was the Apostle Peter, who wished to see Caesar once inlife. He was accompanied by Lygia, whose face was hidden by a thickveil, and Ursus, whose strength formed the surest defence of the younggirl in the wild and boisterous crowd. The Lygian seized a stone to beused in building the temple, and brought it to the Apostle, so that bystanding on it he might see better than others.

  The crowd muttered when Ursus pushed it apart, as a ship pushes waves;but when he carried the stone, which four of the strongest men could notraise, the muttering was turned into wonderment, and cries of "Macte!"were heard round about
.

  Meanwhile Caesar appeared. He was sitting in a chariot drawn by six whiteIdumean stallions shod with gold. The chariot had the form of a tentwith sides open, purposely, so that the crowds could see Caesar. A numberof persons might have found place in the chariot; but Nero, desiringthat attention should be fixed on him exclusively, passed through thecity alone, having at his feet merely two deformed dwarfs. He wore awhite tunic, and a toga of amethyst color, which cast a bluish tingeon his face. On his head was a laurel wreath. Since his departure fromNaples he had increased notably in body. His face had grown wide; underhis lower jaw hung a double chin, by which his mouth, always too nearhis nose, seemed to touch his nostrils. His bulky neck was protected, asusual, by a silk kerchief, which he arranged from moment to moment witha white and fat hand grown over with red hair, forming as it were bloodystains; he would not permit epilatores to pluck out this hair, sincehe had been told that to do so would bring trembling of the fingers andinjure his lute-playing. Measureless vanity was depicted then, as at alltimes, on his face, together with tedium and suffering. On the whole, itwas a face both terrible and trivial. While advancing he turned his headfrom side to side, blinking at times, and listening carefully to themanner in which the multitude greeted him. He was met by a storm ofshouts and applause: "Hail, divine Caesar! Imperator, hail, conqueror!hail, incomparable!--Son of Apollo, Apollo himself!"

  When he heard these words, he smiled; but at moments a cloud, as itwere, passed over his face, for the Roman rabble was satirical and keenin reckoning, and let itself criticise even great triumphators, even menwhom it loved and respected. It was known that on a time they shoutedduring the entrance to Rome of Julius Caesar: "Citizens, hide your wives;the old libertine is coming!" But Nero's monstrous vanity could notendure the least blame or criticism; meanwhile in the throng, amidshouts of applause were heard cries of "Ahenobarbus, Ahenobarbus! Wherehast thou put thy flaming beard? Dost thou fear that Rome might catchfire from it?" And those who cried out in that fashion knew not thattheir jest concealed a dreadful prophecy.

  These voices did not anger Caesar overmuch, since he did not wear abeard, for long before he had devoted it in a golden cylinder to JupiterCapitolinus. But other persons, hidden behind piles of stones and thecorners of temples, shouted: "Matricide! Nero! Orestes! Alcmaeon!" andstill others: "Where is Octavia?" "Surrender the purple!" At Poppaea, whocame directly after him, they shouted, "Flava coma (yellow hair)!!" withwhich name they indicated a street-walker. Caesar's musical ear caughtthese exclamations also, and he raised the polished emerald to his eyesas if to see and remember those who uttered them. While looking thus,his glance rested on the Apostle standing on the stone.

  For a while those two men looked at each other. It occurred to no onein that brilliant retinue, and to no one in that immense throng, that atthat moment two powers of the earth were looking at each other, one ofwhich would vanish quickly as a bloody dream, and the other, dressedin simple garments, would seize in eternal possession the world and thecity.

  Meanwhile Caesar had passed; and immediately after him eight Africansbore a magnificent litter, in which sat Poppaea, who was detested bythe people. Arrayed, as was Nero, in amethyst color, with a thickapplication of cosmetics on her face, immovable, thoughtful,indifferent, she looked like some beautiful and wicked divinity carriedin procession. In her wake followed a whole court of servants, male andfemale, next a line of wagons bearing materials of dress and use.The sun had sunk sensibly from midday when the passage of Augustiansbegan,--a brilliant glittering line gleaming like an endless serpent.The indolent Petronius, greeted kindly by the multitude, had givencommand to bear him and his godlike slave in a litter. Tigellinus wentin a chariot drawn by ponies ornamented with white and purple feathers,They saw him as he rose in the chariot repeatedly, and stretched hisneck to see if Caesar was preparing to give him the sign to go hischariot. Among others the crowd greeted Licinianus with applause,Vitelius with laughter, Vatinius with hissing. Towards Licinus andLecanius the consuls they were indifferent, but Tullius Senecio theyloved, it was unknown why, and Vestinius received applause.

  The court was innumerable. It seemed that all that was richest, mostbrilliant and noted in Rome, was migrating to Antium. Nero nevertravelled otherwise than with thousands of vehicles; the society whichaccompanied him almost always exceeded the number of soldiers in alegion. [In the time of the Caesars a legion was always 12,000 men.]Hence Domitius Afer appeared, and the decrepit Lucius Saturninus; andVespasian, who had not gone yet on his expedition to Judea, from whichhe returned for the crown of Caesar, and his sons, and young Nerva,and Lucan, and Annius Gallo, and Quintianus, and a multitude of womenrenowned for wealth, beauty, luxury, and vice.

  The eyes of the multitude were turned to the harness, the chariots, thehorses, the strange livery of the servants, made up of all peoples ofthe earth. In that procession of pride and grandeur one hardly knewwhat to look at; and not only the eye, but the mind, was dazzled bysuch gleaming of gold, purple, and violet, by the flashing of preciousstones, the glitter of brocade, pearls, and ivory. It seemed that thevery rays of the sun were dissolving in that abyss of brilliancy. Andthough wretched people were not lacking in that throng, people withsunken stomachs, and with hunger in their eyes, that spectacle inflamednot only their desire of enjoyment and their envy, but filled themwith delight and pride, because it gave a feeling of the might andinvincibility of Rome, to which the world contributed, and before whichthe world knelt. Indeed there was not on earth any one who ventured tothink that that power would not endure through all ages, and outlive allnations, or that there was anything in existence that had strength tooppose it.

  Vinicius, riding at the end of the retinue, sprang out of his chariotat sight of the Apostle and Lygia, whom he had not expected to see, and,greeting them with a radiant face, spoke with hurried voice, like aman who has no time to spare,--"Hast thou come? I know not how to thankthee, O Lygia! God could not have sent me a better omen. I greet theeeven while taking farewell, but not farewell for a long time. On theroad I shall dispose relays of horses, and every free day I shall cometo thee till I get leave to return.--Farewell!"

  "Farewell, Marcus!" answered Lygia; then she added in a lower voice:"May Christ go with thee, and open thy soul to Paul's word."

  He was glad at heart that she was concerned about his becoming aChristian soon; hence he answered,--

  "Ocelle mi! let it be as thou sayest. Paul prefers to travel with mypeople, but he is with me, and will be to me a companion and master.Draw aside thy veil, my delight, let me see thee before my journey. Whyart thou thus hidden?"

  She raised the veil, and showed him her bright face and her wonderfullysmiling eyes, inquiring,--

  "Is the veil bad?"

  And her smile had in it a little of maiden opposition; but Vinicius,while looking at her with delight, answered,--

  "Bad for my eyes, which till death would look on thee only."

  Then he turned to Ursus and said,--

  "Ursus, guard her as the sight in thy eye, for she is my domina as wellas thine."

  Seizing her hand then, he pressed it with his lips, to the greatastonishment of the crowd, who could not understand signs of such honorfrom a brilliant Augustian to a maiden arrayed in simple garments,almost those of a slave.

  "Farewell!"

  Then he departed quickly, for Caesar's whole retinue had pushed forwardconsiderably. The Apostle Peter blessed him with a slight sign of thecross; but the kindly Ursus began at once to glorify him, glad thathis young mistress listened eagerly and was grateful to him for thosepraises.

  The retinue moved on and hid itself in clouds of golden dust; they gazedlong after it, however, till Demas the miller approached, he for whomUrsus worked in the night-time. When he had kissed the Apostle's hand,he entreated them to enter his dwelling for refreshment, saying that itwas near the Emporium, that they must be hungry and wearied since theyhad spent the greater part of the day at the gate.

  They went with him, and, after rest
and refreshment in his house,returned to the Trans-Tiber only toward evening. Intending to cross theriver by the AEmilian bridge, they passed through the Clivus Publicus,going over the Aventine, between the temples of Diana and Mercury. Fromthat height the Apostle looked on the edifices about him, and on thosevanishing in the distance. Sunk in silence he meditated on the immensityand dominion of that city, to which he had come to announce the word ofGod. Hitherto he had seen the rule of Rome and its legions in variouslands through which he had wandered, but they were single members asit were of the power, which that day for the first time he had seenimpersonated in the form of Nero. That city, immense, predatory,ravenous, unrestrained, rotten to the marrow of its bones, andunassailable in its preterhuman power; that Caesar, a fratricide, amatricide, a wife-slayer, after him dragged a retinue of bloody spectresno less in number than his court. That profligate, that buffoon, butalso lord of thirty legions, and through them of the whole earth; thosecourtiers covered with gold and scarlet, uncertain of the morrow, butmightier meanwhile than kings,--all this together seemed a species ofhellish kingdom of wrong and evil. In his simple heart he marvelled thatGod could give such inconceivable almightiness to Satan, that He couldyield the earth to him to knead, overturn, and trample it, to squeezeblood and tears from it, to twist it like a whirlwind, to storm it likea tempest, to consume it like a flame. And his Apostle-heart was alarmedby those thoughts, and in spirit he spoke to the Master: "O Lord, howshall I begin in this city, to which Thou hast sent me? To it belongseas and lands, the beasts of the field, and the creatures of the water;it owns other kingdoms and cities, and thirty legions which guard them;but I, O Lord, am a fisherman from a lake! How shall I begin, and howshall I conquer its malice?"

  Thus speaking he raised his gray, trembling head toward heaven, prayingand exclaiming from the depth of his heart to his Divine Master, himselffull of sadness and fear.

  Meanwhile his prayer was interrupted by Lygia.

  "The whole city is as if on fire," said she.

  In fact the sun went down that day in a marvellous manner. Its immenseshield had sunk half-way behind the Janiculum, the whole expanse ofheaven was filled with a red gleam. From the place on which they werestanding, Peter's glance embraced large expanses. Somewhat to the rightthey saw the long extending walls of the Circus Maximus; above it thetowering palaces of the Palatine; and directly in front of them, beyondthe Forum Boarium and the Velabrum, the summit of the Capitol, with thetemple of Jupiter. But the walls and the columns and the summits of thetemples were as if sunk in that golden and purple gleam. The parts ofthe river visible from afar flowed as if in blood; and as the sun sankmoment after moment behind the mountain, the gleam became redderand redder, more and more like a conflagration, and it increasedand extended till finally it embraced the seven hills, from which itextended to the whole region about.

  "The whole city seems on fire!" repeated Lygia.

  Peter shaded his eyes with his hand, and said--

  "The wrath of God is upon it."