Quintus Claudius: A Romance of Imperial Rome. Volume 1

by Ernst Eckstein

  CHAPTER IX.

  The morning was already grey over the distant Sabine hills[190] whenQuintus, followed by his clients and slaves,[191] left the scene offestivity. With him came Clodianus and the poet Martial; the formeraccompanied, like himself, by a number of dependents and satellites,the latter by a single slave, whose smoky little lamp looked absurdenough by the side of the handsome lanterns and torches of the rest ofthe escort.

  "A mad night!" sighed Martial, looking up. "The stars are alreadytwinkling like eyes dim at leave-taking. Illustrious Clodianus, youwill make my excuses to my patron, the chamberlain Parthenius, ifI should fail to offer my morning greeting. Getting up early is mygreatest torment,[192] even when I have crept between the coverlets atbetimes, and to-day, after this unpardonable dissipation...."

  Clodianus laughed.

  "I will explain it to him," he roared out in the fresh morning air."However--I shall hardly see him before noon. I am as tired myself, asif I had been sawing stone all night."

  "Yes, it is frightful to be so tired! I would give ten years of mylife, if I might only sleep half the day. But on the contrary, beforecock-crow, I must be out of bed, fling my toga over my shoulders, andbe bowing to noblemen! By Castor! if I were not an ass, I should longsince have fled to the peace and quietness of my native town!"

  "Well, sleep to-day till sundown! Just now Parthenius will be mostwilling to excuse you, for his head is so full of business, and Caesarmakes such incessant claims upon his time, that he is glad when hisbest friends leave him in peace."

  "I heard the same thing from my father," added Quintus. "Some greatstroke seems to be in hand. Is nothing known of the facts?"

  "Pah! it is the talk of the town. Plots dangerous to the state, treasonto religion and society, conspiracies against Caesar...."

  "But the facts--the details...?"

  "You know," said Clodianus laughing, "that in affairs of state, silenceis as important, as valor is in battle!"

  "Well said!" cried the poet.[193] "With a little suitableembellishment, that may be turned into a brilliant epigram. Now, noblefriends, I will bid you farewell. Our roads are no longer the same. Imust climb up here to the temple on the Quirinal, while you go downinto the valley. In life it is just the reverse. Apollo preserve you!"He hastily turned up the street, while Clodianus and Quintus went onalong the 'Long Way.'

  "Aye!" said the crafty Clodianus. "I have constantly to remind myselfof the duty of silence; more than once has my rash tongue run away withme. I come of an easy-tempered race, which are apt to talk withoutstopping to think. It is wrong, by Hercules!--it is wrong!"

  They had now reached the Subura.[194] The height of the five, six, ormore-storied houses,[195] and the narrowness of the way here, onlyallowed the day to dawn slowly and late, and deep gloom still prevailedin the numerous taverns[196] and entries. At the same time busy lifewas already stirring on all sides; itinerant bakers[197] were wanderingfrom door to door crying their fresh bread. Pedagogues,[198] withtheir writing implements and clay lamps, were leading files of boys toschool. Here and there, from a side alley, might be heard the croakingchant of a teacher, and the babble of spelling children.[199] Groupsof worshippers, on their way to perform their morning devotions in theneighboring temple of Isis, hurried across the loudly-echoing pavement.

  "Day is coming upon us apace," said Quintus, as he stopped in front ofthe entrance to the "Cyprius street"[200] and held out his hand to theadjutant.

  "Our roads part here, and we must make haste if we mean to reach homebefore sunrise."

  "Will you be at the Baths at about noon?"

  "Possibly.--If I get up in time."

  "Well then--let us hope that the wine-cup of Lycoris may leave you freeof headache."

  "The same to you! Farewell." And with these words Quintus went on hisway, while Clodianus turned off to the right.

  "Cyprius street" grew at every step more select and consequently moredeserted; to the left the Baths of Titus stood up, a sharply-definedmass, against the rose-tinted sky. Each time that Quintus Claudiuswalked up the street, this vast pile seemed to have a fresh spell forhim. The contrast between the ponderous mass, and the tender flush ofAutumn dawn behind him, filled him with pleasurable admiration, and hiseye followed a flock of pigeons, which for some few minutes soared toand fro above the great building and then, with sudden swiftness, flewacross the road.

  "They came from the left," said he to one of his companions. "Now, ifI believed in augury from the flight of birds, I should be forced tosuppose that some evil was hanging over me."

  He was still speaking, when from the same side, where a narrow pathcame down from the great Baths, a muffled figure rushed upon him andhit him a blow with a bare poniard. Happily the ruffian at the sameinstant slipped on the sloping pavement--which was rendered even moreslippery by the early morning dew--so that the dagger missed its aim,and instead of piercing the young man's throat, passed across hisleft shoulder and through the folds of his toga, which it cut throughas sharply as a razor. And before Quintus quite understood what hadhappened, the assassin had glided away between the slaves with thesuppleness of a panther, and vanished in the direction of the Subura.The young man gazed at his arm, where the toga and under-garment hungin long strips; the wound was but skin-deep, a spot of blood had hereand there oozed out.

  "Let it be!" said Quintus to the slaves, who had crowded round himwhen their first stupified astonishment was over. "I know very wellwhere that blade was sharpened, and for the future I will be morecautious. But one thing I must say to you; my good people, each andall, be silent as to this attack. You too, my excellent friends andclients--you know how easily my noble father is alarmed. If he knewthat there was in all Rome a villain, who had threatened my life, hewould never know another moment's peace."

  "My lord, you know us!" exclaimed the slaves and freedmen, and theclients too professed their devotion.

  "His revenge is prompt!" thought Quintus, as he went onwards. "I alwaysknew him to be an example of audacity and ruthlessness--still, suchimpatience as this is somewhat a surprise to me."

  Then suddenly he stood still, as a new and almost impossible ideaflashed across his mind.--"If it were ... supposing.... CouldDomitia...?"

  He pressed his hands over his eyes, and that which had at first seemedso plain, intelligible and obvious, now sank back into the mists ofdoubt and conjecture.

  The slaves had by this time extinguished their torches andlanterns.--Broad daylight shone in cloudless beauty over thewidely-spread city of the Seven Hills. The great temple of Isis layflooded with gold; a procession of priests,[201] bearing the image ofthe goddess, came marching down the street.

  "Get on!" cried Quintus. "I am tired to death. It was a folly,Blepyrus, to dismiss the litters."

  "It was wisdom, my lord!" said the slave. "If I still am honored withyour confidence, I would again repeat...."

  "Ah well!" Quintus interrupted. "Very likely you are right--you leechesare always right.[202] If only you attain a proportionate result! Butif exercise were everything, I should be the lightest-hearted man inEurope. Nay, my good Blepyrus, this dissatisfaction, this intolerablesense of ill lies deeper...."

  In a few minutes they had reached home. The ostiarius[203] was standingat the door, as if the master of the house were impatiently expected.Quintus was about to cross the threshold, when he heard himself loudlycalled by name.

  "What do I see? Euterpe! All hail to you--so soon returned to Rome?"

  "Yes, my lord, since yesterday," answered the flute-player hastily."And ever since I came, I have been incessantly trying to find you. Doyou still remember," she went on in a low voice, "what you promised meat Baiae?"

  "Certainly, my pretty one. Quintus Claudius sticks to his bargain ...besides.... But who is the grey-headed old man with you there? Yourhusband or your father?"

  "My husband is young, and my father is dead.--This is Thrax Barbatus,Glauce's father."

  "And who is Glauce?"


  "What--did I never tell you about Glauce--out there, on the hills byBaiae? I must have forgotten in the midst of all my trouble. Glauce isto be married to our Eurymachus...."

  "Ah! the heroic sufferer, that Stephanus had flogged?"

  "The very same, my lord! And you promised me to remember...."

  "True, true--come to me in the course of the afternoon...."

  "Ah! my lord, but that will be too late. Eurymachus is in danger of hislife...."

  "What, again!"

  "Oh! be merciful, most noble Quintus! Give us only five minutesaudience! You alone can save him."

  "Come in, then!"

  He led the way through the atrium into his private room.

  "My lord," the flute-player began again, "I will tell my story shortly.Eurymachus rebelled against the Empress' steward, who wanted topersuade him to all sorts of disgraceful conduct. Stephanus floggedhim first, and then obtained permission to crucify him at the nextfestival. This I heard from the gate-keeper. But there was no festivalfixed for yesterday, so there is still some hope, and we entreatyou...."

  "Be calm--for the present your friend is in safety."

  "Impossible--he is lying in chains...."

  "He _was_ lying in chains. His execution was fixed for yesterday, butat the last moment he was snatched from the jaws of peril."

  "What?" cried Thrax Barbatus, speaking for the first time. "Did I hearyou rightly, snatched from his fetters! Then Glauce was able to carryout what she proposed."

  "Free?" said Euterpe, looking up at Quintus in bewilderment.

  "As I tell you."

  "Oh, now I see it all!" cried Thrax Barbatus. "This pretended journeyto Ostia--what had your husband to do in Ostia? And Philippus, my son,who has hardly been in Rome a week--why should he want to accompanyDiphilus...." Then, seized with terror, he sank on the ground beforeQuintus and threw his arms round his knees.

  "Oh, my lord! do not take advantage of the rash words of a miserablefather!" he exclaimed vehemently. "Do not betray, what my tongue letslip in my fear and anxiety."

  "Be easy, old man!" said Quintus benevolently. "I am not one of thespies of the city-guard. Your friend is a hero, and courage alwayscommands my sympathy."

  "Thanks, thanks!" sobbed the old man, covering the young noble'shands with kisses. "But tell me, pray, how it all happened; how is itpossible that, in the midst of such a crowd of servants...."

  "All is possible to those who dare all. What I heard--and themerest accident prevented my being an eye witness--aroused as muchastonishment in me, as in you. All the bystanders seemed to have beenparalyzed. It was like an eagle in the Hyrcanian mountains,[204]swooping down on a lamb. One man particularly, a stalwart,broad-shouldered fellow, did wonders of valor...."

  Thrax Barbatus drew himself up with the elasticity of youth. Happypride sparkled in his eyes, and an expression--a radiance, as it were,of beatific affection illuminated his rugged and strongly-wrinkledfeatures.

  "That was Philippus, my son!" he said with a trembling voice. "Oh! itwas not for nothing, that he fought for years against the Dacians, notin vain that he endured frost and heat. There is not a man in all thelegion that is his match in skill and strength; not one that can beathim in running or in lance-throwing. But speak, my lord; you look sograve, so sad! What is it? Oh, for God's sake, in Christ's name--itis impossible! My son, my Philippus!--but he could stand againsttwenty--speak, my lord, or you will kill me...."

  "Poor old man," said Quintus much moved, "what good will it do toconceal the truth from you? Your son is dead. Scorning to fly, heexposed himself too long to his foes. He died like a hero."

  Thrax Barbatus uttered a soul-piercing cry, and fell backwards to theground; Euterpe flung herself upon him and clasped his head to herheart, weeping bitterly.

  "Thrax--dear, good friend," she sobbed out: "Control yourself, collectyourself! Show yourself strong in this terrible trouble! Consider, youwill have Glauce, and Eurymachus, who loves you like a son."

  The old man slowly pulled himself up; he pushed Euterpe violentlyaside, and then sinking on to his knees, raised his hands inpassionate appeal to Heaven. His lips moved in prayer, but no sound washeard. Quintus, lost in astonishment, stood leaning against a pillar,while Euterpe wept silently, her face buried in her arm. A terriblestorm seemed to be raging in the old man's soul; his breast rose andfell like a wind-tossed sea, and a wild fire glowed in his eyes. Butby degrees he grew calmer, and his features assumed an expressionof sorrowing and silent resignation. It was as though a tender andbeatific ray of forgiveness lighted them up, growing clearer eachmoment. After a time he rose.

  "Pardon me, my lord," he said slowly. "I was stricken down by thevastness of my grief. He fell like a hero, you said? And Eurymachus issafe?"

  "He escaped," replied Quintus, "which, alas! is not quite the samething. Every effort will be made to recover possession of the fugitive.Well, we must see what can be done. Accident has enlisted me on yourside, and I will play the part out to the end. For the present leaveme; I am tired out, and a tired man is of no use as an adviser; butthis evening, about the second vigil,[205] I will find my way to yourdwelling, unaccompanied."

  "Father in Heaven, I thank Thee!" cried Thrax Barbatus vehemently."Blessings, oh! blessings on the head of this noble and generous youth!Farewell, my lord! Never, never will I forget your gracious kindness tous helpless wretches."

  With these words he left the room, and Euterpe followed him. Quintuswent at once to his curtained cubiculum,[206] undressed with the helpof the faithful Blepyrus and soon fell asleep.

  FOOTNOTES:

  [190] SABINE HILLS. The Sabines, an old Italian people, were the neighbors of the Latins. Their country extended northward to the domains of the Umbrians, southward to the Anio river.

  [191] FOLLOWED BY HIS CLIENTS AND SLAVES. Aristocratic people rarely appeared in public without a train of followers.

  [192] "GETTING UP EARLY IS MY GREATEST TORMENT." See Martial, _Ep._ X 74, where the poet, as the sole reward for his verses, begs to be permitted to sleep as long as he likes in the morning.

  [193] "WELL SAID!" CRIED THE POET. Martial often flattered his superiors, even to servility. See Mart. _Ep._ XII, 11, where he praises the poetic gifts of Parthenius.

  [194] SUBURA. A densely-populated district between the Forum Romanum and the Vicus Patricius, occupied by the poorer classes.

  [195] HOUSES. For the height of the houses in ancient Rome see Friedlander I, 5 etc.

  [196] TAVERNS. All sorts of booths, stands, work-shops, taverns and barbers' shops stood in front of the houses in the smaller streets, greatly impeding the passers-by. The confusion at last increased to such an extent, that Domitian found himself compelled to have the most obtrusive structures removed in certain quarters of the city. One of Martial's epigrams (VII, 61) is founded on this incident.

  [197] ITINERANT BAKERS. Mart. XIV, 223:

  "Arise; the baker is selling the boys their breakfast."

  The breakfast probably consisted of _adipata_, _i.e._ pastry or cakes made with fat. Bread was baked at home till the last years of the Republic; afterwards there were public bakehouses for the poorer classes.

  [198] THE PEDAGOGUE was a slave, whose duty it was to take children to school.

  [199] THE BABBLE OF SPELLING CHILDREN. The Romans attached great importance to a distinct and accurate pronunciation; reading was taught twice a day, and children began to learn before the age of seven.

  [200] THE CYPRIUS STREET (_vious Cyprius_) led from the Subura to the Flavian amphitheatre.

  [201] A PROCESSION OF PRIESTS. Solemn processions of priests through the city formed one of the principal features in the worship of Isis.

  [202] YOU LEECHES ARE ALWAYS RIGHT. Blepyrus, as his master's constant companion, would watch over his health, if not as a qualified physician, at any ra
te, as an empirical adviser. The household leech in noble families was almost always a slave or freedman, and those who practised independently were often in the same position.

  [203] OSTIARIUS. The porter, who sat in a niche of the entrance-corridor (_ostium_).

  [204] HYRCANIAN MOUNTAINS. Hyrcania was the name of a rough mountainous region near the Caspian Sea.

  [205] THE SECOND VIGIL. The Romans divided the time from sunrise to sunset into four vigils (night-watches) of three hours each.

  [206] CUBICULUM. Sleeping-room.