CHAPTER XXI.
In the house of Cornelius Cinna a slave had just announced that it wastwo hours after sunrise.[360] Cinna, though he had slept but badly,had long been out of bed, he would not, however, receive any of thenumerous visitors, who were enquiring for him in the atrium, but waspacing the peristyle to and fro with his head sunk on his breast.Cornelia, who was taking breakfast in the dining-room with Chloe andone or two slave-girls, sent repeatedly to call her uncle.
"Directly--in a minute," was all the answer, and Cinna began to walk upand down the colonnade.
His mind was principally occupied with an incident, which certainlyseemed significant. Shortly before midnight his slave Charicles hadbrought him a mysterious note, which had been left with the door-keeperby a man concealed in a cloak. The paper, which was doubly tied roundfor safety, contained but a few words: "You are surrounded by spies; beon your guard."
There was no signature, nor did the large thick writing--a feignedhand no doubt--afford any clew. "Surrounded by spies!" This idea,stated with such uncompromising plainness, haunted his excited fancywith urgent persistency. He had long known, that under Domitian's ruleespionage and underhand reporting everywhere spread their treacheroussnares. And yet it came upon him now, as something impossible andshocking. In vain he racked his brain to guess who could be the senderof this mysterious warning, and at last he came to the conclusion, thatthe whole thing was perhaps the spiteful jest of some enemy--or a traplaid by Caesar himself.
While her uncle thus paced the arcade in gloomy displeasure, Corneliaeat her breakfast in the best of humors. The early day shone so gailyand invitingly into the room, the air, purified by the night's rain,was so sweet! Besides, had not Cornelia, as she thought, the mostparticular reasons for seeing the whole world rose-colored to-day? Thesoft light in her eyes showed that she had recovered a peace of mind, ahappy confidence, which for some time she had lost entirely.
"Chloe," she said at last, when the girls had left the room: "Didyou not notice anything yesterday? I mean when I came back into thesitting-room, after offering sacrifice?"
Chloe raised her round head on her fat, short neck, and grinned likea simpleton. Cornelia, who was usually excessively annoyed by thisbehavior, seemed on the present occasion to be superior to all pettyvexation. She went on pleasantly enough:
"The faith in the universal Mother has its mysteries. At our thirdvisit you yourself saw how Barbillus can work by means of his divinemission. You fell to earth in awe-stricken terror, but the goddesssmiled on you as she did on me, the first time I knelt before her inthe holy of holies. So I venture to tell you, that my heart is full ofunutterable peace and joy. Did you not see yesterday, that I was quiteuplifted with happiness?"
Chloe grinned wider than ever.
"No," she said with incredible stupidity.
"Then you must be stricken blind. I was almost beside myself; for Isis,the all-merciful, has bestowed on me the most precious of her gifts.She promises me protection against every danger, and in proof of hergrace will send her divine brother Osiris to me with a message. Hewill lay his hands on my head, and so inspire into me a spark of hiseternal light. Do you comprehend the immensity, the infinitude, of thiscelestial mercy? The divine miracle is to be accomplished at the nextnew moon, and then no farther penance or sacrifice will be needed. Ishall henceforth be the sealed and adopted daughter of the goddess forever."
Chloe stared blankly in her face. "Yes," she said, after a few minutessilence. "Barbillus is a great man! At first there were many things Ithought impossible; but now that I have seen them with my own eyes, Ibelieve in everything.--Everything, everything! If he were to tell mehe could cut the moon in halves, or bring Berenice's hair[361] downfrom heaven--I should not doubt, I should bow before the magician."
"Oh! I am so happy!" said Cornelia, while the bright color mounted toher cheeks. "Only yesterday how sad I was; my heart was darker than themidnight sky, and the wailing of the storm found an echo in my soul.Now, to-day, all nature hardly smiles so brightly and happily as myrefreshed and joyful spirit. This excursion to Ostia comes exactly atthe right moment, as if I had planned it myself--it is as if Quintushad read my inmost soul. I want to be out in the open country by theeverlasting sea, away, far away from this crush of houses.... Ah! andwith him!"
"It is lucky then, that our stern master, your uncle, makes nodifficulties. He is usually averse to all expeditions, which may extendtill nightfall. I almost think he was inclined to say: 'No.' It was nottill he heard that Caius Aurelius was to be of the party...."
"It is true," said Cornelia. "And I myself was surprised to find how hewas silent at once at the name of the Batavian." She blushed scarlet."It almost looks, as if he thought I needed some one to watch mybehavior."
"It is only that he is anxious," said Chloe. "And he has a high opinionof Aurelius."
"Oh! I know--he has told me often enough. It would be a heaven-sentboon to him, if I would throw over Quintus and condescend to marryAurelius."
"That would be a bad exchange!" cried Chloe. "The senatorialpurple[362] for the ring of a provincial knight."
A slave now announced, that Quintus Claudius was waiting in the atrium,that he sent his greetings, and wished to know whether Cornelia wasready to start, or whether Claudia and Lucilia should quit theirlitters and come into the house. Cornelia started up from her couch andflew to meet her lover.
"My uncle is in a very bad humor," she said. "It will be best not todisturb him. Let us start without any leave-taking."
"And Chloe?"
"We will leave her at home."
Quintus smiled; as they stood there in the narrow passage, lighted onlyby one small window, he threw his arm round the tall, fine figure and,unseen by the ostiarius, pressed a burning kiss on her lips--but Chloeappeared with travelling-cloaks and Tyrian rugs, and the little caravanset forth at once.
There were four litters, one for each person, followed by a smallescort of slaves. The Numidian guard of the Claudian household, and theBatavian's Sicambrians, who were to accompany them into the country,were awaiting them, mounted on good horses, by the pyramid of Cestius,where the carriages also were standing.
They first stopped at the house of Aurelius, but here there was nodelay. Hardly had they knocked at the door, when Aurelius came out tomeet his friends, ready to start. He was followed by a litter, in whichlay a fair-haired, weather-beaten, somewhat haggard-looking man.
"This is a seaman, who has brought me news from my native land," saidAurelius to the ladies. "In all the wind and rain last night, he cameup from Ostia, and as his ship sails to-day for Parthenope and Greece,he wants to return to the port as quickly as possible."
"A fellow-countryman!" exclaimed Quintus. "You Batavians are not toonumerous in Rome, and I can imagine that the meeting must have givenyou keen pleasure."
"Great pleasure!" said Aurelius, as he got into another litter, "thoughthe worthy Chamavus has found but ill-luck under my roof. Only think,as he came into the court-yard he slipped on the wet marble flags andinjured his ankle. I begged him to remain and rest, but he assures mehis voyage to Hellas admits of no delay...."
"Poor fellow!" said Lucilia glancing back at the litter. "He doescertainly look very suffering."
The flaxen-haired German bowed silently to the ladies, and then turnedto Aurelius with a resigned shrug, as though to say, what could not becured must be borne.
Meanwhile a crowd of idlers had, as usual, collected round the litters,and Aurelius felt his anxiety rising at every instant; he spoke almostangrily to one of the bearers, who could not settle the fastenings ofhis scarlet tunic to his satisfaction.
However, they were now fairly off. Past the temple of the Bona Dea[363]they turned into the Delphian Way,[364] as it was called, and on thefarther side of the Aventine reached the huge monument--then alreadya century and a half old--which has survived the storms of so manyhistorical cataclysms to the present day. At that time the pyramid ofCestius, cased from
top to bottom in white marble, did not present thedismal aspect it now wears--a pile of weather-stained basalt--standingin silent dignity on the cemetery-like desert of the Campagna. A busypopulation stirred at its foot, and the morning sun shone brightlyon the gilt inscription, which recorded that the deceased had beenPraetor, Tribune, and member of the body of High Priests.
On the eastern side was a second inscription, less monumental andimposing than that on the north, but to Quintus and Aurelius of themost pressing interest. There was there an "_album_," as it wascalled, one of the large square stones on which public announcementsor notices were written, and here, in tall, red letters, the followingadvertisement might be read:
"Stephanus, the Empress' steward, advertises for his escaped slave,Eurymachus. Whoever brings back the fugitive, dead or alive, willreceive a reward of five hundred thousand sesterces. Eurymachus is talland slight, lean and pale, with dark eyes and black hair. His backbears the scars of many floggings. In escaping, he is reported to haveinjured his foot."
The statement of the reward stood out bright and fresh, while the restwas somewhat washed out; the sum was increased every day, and had beendoubled since the previous evening. Magus and Blepyrus made everyconceivable effort to clear a way through the mass of people[365] thatcrowded round this notice, and almost blocked the whole width of theroad, shouting and gesticulating. In vain; the mob were so possessed bythe one idea, that they had neither eyes nor ears for anything else.
"Five hundred thousand sesterces!"
"More than a knight's portion!"[366]
"And how long ago did it happen?"
"Four days."
"Impossible!"
"He must be above ground."
"Bah--he has some patron who hides him."
_Pros_ and _cons_ were discussed in loud confusion; the cries of thetwo slaves were lost in the storm of voices, and the procession came toa stand-still in the midst of the chaos.
"Use your elbows," said Aurelius in Gothic. Magus faced about with ashrug, as much as to say there was indeed nothing else to be done.Then, with a contemptuous glance at the mob, above which he towered,with slow but irresistible force he elbowed his way.
"He works like a flail!" cried one, and "Oh! my ribs!" wailed another.
"They are the daughters of Titus Claudius."
"What do I care? the road is for every one."
"Certainly--for all alike. Let those who want to go on, get out andwalk if the crowd is too great; it is only a hundred steps to thechariots."
"Aye, get out!" cried a chorus. "We have as good a right to be here asour betters. Get out! Get out!"
The mob closed upon them threateningly from both sides; QuintusClaudius turned pale. If he could not succeed in scaring off thepeople, and if this irresponsible populace insisted on having theirown way, all must be lost. The lame foot of the pretended seamanmust inevitably attract the attention and rouse the suspicion of arabble, whose heads were full of the notice and description beforethem--discovery was inevitable.
With a leap Quintus Claudius was standing on his feet, and went forwardwith calm dignity to face the tumult.
"What do you want?" he asked sternly. "Why do you dare to stop thepublic way?"
His cool self-possession worked wonders--their noisy audacity wasquelled.
"Make way," continued Claudius, while a faint flush rose to his brow."I, Quintus Claudius, the friend of Caesar, command you."
"Not Caesar himself would let our ribs be battered," shrieked acroaking voice.
But the excuse came too late. Whether it was Caesar's name, or theimposing and attractive presence of the young patrician, who stoodunapproachable as an avenging Apollo, looking calmly on the tumult ofhis antagonists--the crowd parted with a dull murmur, and the road wasfree. Quintus and Aurelius had some difficulty in dissembling their joy.
"Stupid creatures!" said Lucilia. "What queer fancies men take."
Cornelia smiled with an expression of supreme contempt. Nothing shouldhave induced her to walk, she said, and she would have liked to see anyone try to make her.
They safely reached the spot on the road to Ostia, where the chariotsawaited them. Here again they found an excited crowd. Driving insidethe city walls was prohibited by day, and they here found not only thecarriages of the wealthier citizens, but vehicles for hire in numbers,from the lightest chariots to the heaviest conveyances for travellingor pleasure parties. The drivers noisily and vehemently offered theirservices to the passers-by, while sellers of eatables and coolingdrinks carried their baskets round with monotonous cries, and eatingand drinking went on in the arbors by the roadside. Laughter and song,scolding and cursing were audible in a variety of tones.
The party of excursionists got into a large four-wheeled chariot[367]belonging to Caius Aurelius. The fugitive was helped by Blepyrus andMagus into a two-wheeled vehicle, known as a cisium,[368] which stoodsomewhat apart loaded with provisions,[369] but which had room on itsback-seat not only for Eurymachus, but for his two faithful assistants.
"He insisted on it," said the Batavian to Lucilia; "the worthy man wasanxious not to intrude on our party."
"That was very wise of him," replied Lucilia. "He is better off in aprovision wagon with Magus and Blepyrus, than in the most splendidchariot--and really, here with us there is scarcely room forhim.--Besides, it would seem he brought no slaves with him from Ostia?"
"All the crew were indispensable on board," replied Aurelius coloringslightly.
Quintus felt that Aurelius could not carry on the deception anyfarther, without involving himself in inextricable discrepancies. Hetried to divert the conversation into a less dangerous channel, andsoon succeeded in so completely engaging the gay Lucilia's talentfor repartee, that the second vehicle and the traveller in it seemedentirely forgotten.
With eight Numidians as outriders, the little party made their waysmoothly and unhindered along the fine high-road. The Sicambriansfollowed as a rear-guard. That valiant equestrian, Herodianus, who hadbeen quite upset by his deeds of prowess the night before, remained athome against his usual custom.
Now again Quintus glanced back at Eurymachus, who had maintained aquite marvellous composure during the scene at the pyramid of Cestius.His disguise was, in fact, most successful. None but the most practisedeye, or the scrutiny of the most suspicious, could have detected thepale, enfeebled fugitive under the fair, curling hair and tanned,weather-beaten face of the mariner.
The Cappadocian horses made a good pace. In an hour and a quarter theyhad reached the little town of Ficana,[370] and as soon as they hadpassed it they saw the marshes, which here border the coast of Latiumand the distant houses of the seaport.
During their rapid drive they had overtaken several carriages andhorsemen, and now the Numidian vanguard galloped past a man, whoselight travelling-cloak hung carelessly over his shoulders, while abroad Thessalian hat[371] shaded his face from the sun, and who sathis horse comfortably rather than rigidly. Two slaves trotted by hisside on mules. As the carriage gained upon him he turned his head, andLucilia exclaimed:
"See, Quintus! there is Cneius Afranius!"
Quintus was unpleasantly startled, for he knew how keen the eye of thelawyer was, and how great his skill in solving the riddle of the mostinvolved mystery. But a glance at Caius Aurelius reassured him.
"You know," said Aurelius, "that his mother lives at Ostia. Besides,"he added in a whisper, "even if he were to notice ... I pledge my word,that Afranius will not betray us."
The carriage had now overtaken the rider. Afranius, surprised anddelighted, waved a well-shaped, though rather large hand, and set spursin his horse in order to keep up with the carriage. His horse jibbedand resisted a little, but then fell into a steady canter.
"What an unexpected meeting!" cried Afranius. "Are you going to Ostia?"
"As you see," replied Quintus.
"My trireme sails to-night," said the Batavian gaily. "I am stayinglonger in Rome than I had intended, so I am sending it back--home toTraject
um. Our friends here have come with me for the sake of thedelightful expedition. What a splendid day it is!"
Afranius nodded the Thessalian hat.
"Quite delightful!" said Lucilia.
"And you, my worthy friend Cneius," continued the Batavian, "whatbrings you here to Ostia? Do you suffer from your old longing toembrace your mother? Are you--escaping the noise of the city? Or haveyou business to attend to."
"Something of all three. I am riding out as much from duty as forpleasure. You know of my proceedings against Stephanus, Domitia'ssteward. All I have hitherto been able to do has been in vain; but now,at last, a person whose name I will for the present keep to myself,has revealed to me certain facts which very probably--well, I will sayno more. But at any rate I propose this very day to hear what certaincitizens of Ostia have to say. If only I could get at all the witnessesequally easily, then indeed--or at any rate one, the most important ofall. Unfortunately I see no hope for it."
"Why!" asked Quintus.
"Because he has vanished and left no trace."
"Then have him hunted up," said Lucilia.
"Others are doing that already. Perhaps there were never before somany persons in search of one escaped slave, as there are after thiswretched Eurymachus."
Quintus turned pale, and even Aurelius felt a certain embarrassment atthe sound of that name.
"But how is it," asked Quintus, "that Eurymachus did not long sincedeliver his testimony? What can have induced him to spare hisprosecutor?"
"Eurymachus did not learn the facts he now knows, till within a fewdays of his flight, and it was his highly inconvenient knowledge whichgave cause for his sentence of death."
"But he might have spoken some days before his escape."
"Nay, but he could not; he lay in chains with a gag in his mouth, thatmight have smothered the voice of Stentor."
"And are you certain," persisted Aurelius, "that your informant did notdeceive you?"
"Perfectly certain. So certain, that I would pay down five hundredthousand sesterces on the spot in hard cash--only unfortunately I donot own so much--if only I could have that daring rascal under my handfor five minutes. It is humiliating! Bah! Why need I lose my temperfor nothing? He is safe on shore, by this time, at Utica[372] orNicopolis[373] and I am heartily glad to think so. I only hope, that atthe critical moment Stephanus may not follow his example. I am afraid,that model of all the civic virtues knows his way too, to foreignshores!"
And he set spurs into his horse, as if suddenly pressed by someurgent business. His thoughts had involuntarily reverted to thatgreater Stephanus, whose misdeeds had filled an empire with horror. Hereflected on the boldly-planned conspiracy, of which the failure wouldclear the way for Domitia's minion, since it must inevitably lead tothe death, or at least the banishment, of his accuser. All the moreprompt and resolute then must their immediate action be against thesteward. Perhaps some combination might be devised which, come whatmight, would be fatal to that criminal, whatever the issue might beas regarded Domitian, and such a plot and attack on Stephanus wouldhave this additional advantage: that his foes would appear politicallyguiltless. Every one must confess, that a man who could fight sovigorously for distinction in the forum, could not at the same time beforging plots, which might risk his whole career.
The lawyer's last words had greatly disturbed and agitated Aurelius,and he appeared to be on the point of whispering something to Quintus.He thought better of it, however, and asked Cneius Afranius how ithappened that Fabulla, his respected mother, still remained in Ostia inspite of the advanced season.
"It is strange, is it not?" answered Afranius. "With the metropolis ofthe world so near, to be so indifferent to it! Quite like Diogenes!"
"Has she never been to Rome?"
"Never once. She is accustomed to the quiet of Rodumna, and devoted toa country life, and she holds the City of the Seven Hills in invincibleaversion. Ostia appeared to offer a suitable suburban residence; acousin of hers, who has been staying in Egypt since March, has a smallestate there, which she is taking care of in his absence, and is ashappy doing it as Diana on the hill-tops; all the more so, as shefancies she would be a hindrance to my advancement, if she lived withme in Rome. However, when I am fairly launched and settled, I shallinsist on her coming."
"I understand," said Aurelius; and he thought to himself: "You arewaiting till our plot succeeds--or fails."
Quintus, who was still very anxious lest Afranius might ride toonear to the disguised slave, and ask him unpleasant questions--thoughthere was nothing to fear from the advocate--did his best to engagehis friend's attention. He alluded to the last speech he had deliveredbefore the centumvirate, paying him many polite compliments, which theother laughingly disclaimed; then the cause itself was discussed, andtheir debate became eager and almost business-like.
Cornelia had been unusually talkative; not long before Afranius hadjoined them she had, with considerable humor, given an account of anexcursion to Pandataria,[374] that she had made not long since fromSinuessa,[375] with her uncle and the Senator Sextus Furius. Claudiaand Lucilia too had chatted and laughed; only the two young men hadbeen silent. Now the parts had suddenly changed, and Lucilia was almostcross, particularly as the lawyer, on his bony grey steed, wouldpersist in talking to Quintus and Aurelius, instead of addressingCornelia and Claudia as politeness required--not to mention herself;though even she, as it seemed to her, did not look so very badlyto-day; for Baucis had coiled her hair with unprecedented skill andprecision, and her new gold pin, with a handsome ruby head, suited herdark hair to admiration. To be sure, it was a pity that the carefulfolds in which she had arranged her stola to fall over her ankles couldnot be appreciated, while she sat in the carriage half covered byCornelia's fuller draperies...!
"Listen, Quintus," she began, as her brother was again on the pointof addressing Afranius: "You are frightfully uninteresting to-day. Forthe whole way you have hardly spoken a hundred words, and now, whenAfranius has at last roused you from your drowsy dulness, you can talkof nothing but lawsuits."
"You cannot imagine," said Claudia with a sly glance at Lucilia, "whata sworn foe she is to all that concerns lawsuits. The mere name of theCentumvirate cuts her to the heart, and if she hears of a speech beingmade which lasts more than two, or at the outside three hours by thewater-clock,[376] she faints outright."
Lucilia had colored scarlet.
"You are quite mistaken," she cried eagerly. "But everything at theproper time! On the contrary, I am devoted to the pursuit of law andjustice, but not under this glorious sun and within sight of the sea.The sins and strife of men belong to the Forum, to the Basilica, to theSenate-house. Here, where all is bright and beautiful, I expect gayconversation and happy laughter."
"She is right," said Cornelia.
Afranius drew himself up to a rigid and military bearing.
"I crave your forgiveness, stern judge!" he said with mock gravity."I am greatly grieved to have offended against so wise a clause inyour code of social morals. I have justly merited your lecture, andcould do no less than take myself off, if I were not humbly resolvedto earn your forgiveness by proving my sincere penitence--how sincereyou will see by my entertaining and amiable behavior for the future.I only crave that you will grant me the opportunity of showing myrepentance.... Do me the favor then of allowing me to invite you, oneand all, to pay a visit to my mother's little country-house. I canpromise you, that you will be charmed, enchanted, inspired! It is atiny villa, but in the loveliest garden--quiet, rural, idyllic. Themuraena and Lucrine oyster are unknown there, to be sure, but as forsalads--lettuces as big as...." and with a flourish of his hand hedescribed a vast circle in the air--"true Cappadocians, though grownat Ostia; and fresh eggs, pears as yellow as wax, and mighty loaves ofcountry bread. A few pigeons or chickens are soon cooked.... You spoilttown's-folk will positively revel in this rural simplicity! Then thereare the alleys, where vines hang in wreaths from the trellis...!"
"It is heavenly!" cried Claud
ia, again glancing knowingly at Lucilia."Quintus, we must really accept so tempting an invitation."
"With pleasure; but first...."
"I understand," interrupted Afranius. "I too must first attend tobusiness here. But listen to what I propose. I will first conduct theseladies to my mother's house, and then I will fly on the wings of thewind to speak to the good citizens of Ostia. You meanwhile...."
"Nay, that will not do," interrupted Aurelius. "Before my triremeweighs anchor, I have a communication to make to you."
"To me?"
"Yes, to you. A communication of the greatest importance, in connectionwith your action against Stephanus. Allow me, therefore, to amend yourproposal. Write a few words of explanation to your mother on your waxtablets, and give it to your slave to deliver; he may then conduct theladies. The men on horseback can escort them to her house, and then putup at the nearest tavern. You, meanwhile, accompany us to the ship.And," he added after a pause for reflection as to what fiction he mightput forward to the three girls, "we will, at the same time, see myfellow-countryman, the seaman from Trajectum, on board his own vessel,which is to sail to-day for the East."
"Which seaman?" asked the lawyer looking round.
"That I will explain presently."
"Well, whatever is agreeable to the ladies, is agreeable to me...."
"Oh! we are in the country here," said Cornelia, "and may dispense withceremony. Only your mother will be startled...."
"Delighted, you mean. She can wish for no more agreeable surprise."
"So be it then!" cried Aurelius; "and when all is settled, we will jointhe festivities."
The first houses of Ostia were now visible on either hand, and thebustle and stir in the road grew busier. Seamen of every nation,fishermen with red worsted caps, porters, and barrowmen, pushed andcrowded each other. In five minutes they had reached the quay; at thefarther end of the mole lay the trireme, gaily dressed with flags, andtowering majestically above the fishing vessels and barges. The youngmen got out, and the carriage rolled away, escorted by the Sicambriansand Numidians, as far as the embowered villa, which it reached in a fewminutes.
FOOTNOTES:
[360] A SLAVE HAD JUST ANNOUNCED, THAT IT WAS TWO HOURS AFTER SUNRISE. In aristocratic families the hours of the day were announced by a slave, kept specially for this purpose.
[361] BERENICE'S HAIR. A constellation, so called from the glittering hair of Berenice, daughter of Magas of Cyrene. See Cat. 66.
[362] THE SENATORIAL PURPLE. From ancient times the privilege of wearing a broad purple stripe upon the edge of the toga was one of the distinctions of the Roman senators. The second class (_equites_) among other prerogatives, possessed the right to wear a gold ring on the finger. But at a very early period abuse of this privilege crept in, until members of the third class, nay, even freedmen, presumed to assume this badge of honor. The severest punishments, such as confiscation of property, etc., could not prevent the misdemeanor. At the time of my story, the gold ring was actually as common as the use of the "von" in addressing simple citizens in Austria at the present day. See Mart. _Ep._ XI, 37, where the freedman Zoilus ventures to don a huge gold ring. The ring worn by Caius Aurelius--though legitimately his--must therefore have seemed all the more contemptible, in comparison with the senatorial purple. By the way, it may be said, that in the time of Tiberius the use of the purple was also abused. See Dio Cass. LVII, 13.
[363] THE BONA DEA. A somewhat mystical divinity, allied with the Ops, the Fauna, and the Hellenic Demeter. Her temple stood on the northeastern slope of the Aventine Hill.
[364] THE DELPHIAN WAY, (_Clivus Delphini_), led from the Circus Maximus to the Porta Raudusculana.
[365] CLEAR A WAY THROUGH THE MASS OF PEOPLE. When people of distinction went out, this making a way through the crowd was often done with much ostentation, but it was always the duty of a few slaves to walk before their masters, and thus smooth the way for them.
[366] KNIGHT'S PORTION. 400,000 sesterces.
[367] A LARGE FOUR-WHEELED CHARIOT. Allusion is here made to the _rheda_ (the travelling-coach) or the _carruca_ (a comfortable, nay, magnificent equipage).
[368] CISIUM. Such two-wheeled cabriolets were principally used when the greatest speed was desired. (See Cic., _Rosc.: cisiis pervolavit_)
[369] LOADED WITH PROVISIONS. Aristocratic Romans, even on short journeys, carried a large quantity of baggage, principally table furniture and provisions, for the taverns so often mentioned were intended exclusively for the lower classes.
[370] FICANA..A small town half-way between Ostia and Rome.
[371] THESSALIAN HAT. This was worn principally in travelling. Thessalia was the name given to the eastern part of northern Greece.
[372] UTICA. A city on the coast of the province of Africa, north of Tunis.
[373] NICOPOLIS. A city of Epirus, at the entrance of the Ambracian Gulf, opposite Actium.
[374] PANDATARIA. An island in the Tyrrhenian sea, opposite to the Gulf of Gaeta.
[375] SINUESSA. A city on the Gulf of Gaeta.
[376] THE WATER-CLOCK (_clepsydra_) served as a measure of time, especially in affairs connected with the administration of justice. A water-clock usually ran about twenty minutes.
CHAPTER XXII.
"Do not be uneasy, Quintus," Aurelius whispered, as Cneius Afraniusdismounted and threw the bridle to his slave. "By all the gods, thisman is as trustworthy as you and I are! It would be perfect madness,not to give him an opportunity for an interview with Eurymachus.His fight with Stephanus is in the interest of common humanity, andparticularly in that of our protege."
"It is all the same; I do not like the business at all."
"Then, so far as you personally are concerned, you can keep altogetheraloof."
Quintus looked enquiringly at him.
"Why are you so surprised?" Aurelius continued. "It seems to me a verysimple matter. I will put myself forward as his protector, and you canplay the part of entire innocence. You need not frown, as if I hadsuggested some cowardly action; if the whole matter ever comes to beknown, it will make wonderfully little difference, whether Afranius isin possession of the whole or only of half the truth. You will saveyourself nothing but immediate embarrassment. I, for my part, am soperfectly intimate with Afranius, so completely his friend...."
"If you suppose...."
"Only explain the case to your slave, Blepyrus. He must not beimplicated. Your best way to avoid difficulties will be not to come onboard. I could not even have invited you to come on with me, if I hadnot felt it a duty to inform you of my intentions."
Quintus nodded.
"Very good," he said thoughtfully. "Then tell our friend, Eurymachus,not to mention my name. I, meanwhile, will part from Afranius as thoughI had business to attend to, and I will wait for you on shore. How longwill you remain on board?"
"Twenty minutes. Afranius must get through his examination as quicklyas possible."
This brief dialogue had been carried on in haste and in a whisper.Afranius had been giving instructions to his slave, as to how to treathis hired nag, which was somewhat overtired, and he now joined Quintus,while Aurelius hurried off to the two slaves, who carried, ratherthan led, Eurymachus. Three words sufficed to explain the situation.The wounded man cast a look of mournful gratitude at his preserver,Quintus, who bowed to him with feigned indifference; then he releasedBlepyrus, and rested his arm on the Batavian's shoulder. Blepyrusturned to follow his master, who went off with long strides landwardsalong the high-street.
By every human calculation the perilous work was now happily finished;all the rest might be considered and carried out at leisure. IfStephanus could be really unmasked in all his villany, they might yetsucceed in bending the
severity of the law in procuring the fugitive'sreturn, and in securing him the happiness of a free and independentexistence. Quintus drew a deep breath; that would be a worthy end tohis bold beginning. He felt that Eurymachus, now that he had seenhim again, was far more to him than a high-souled slave. He felt aspiritual sympathy, a sort of ideal friendship for him, like that of adisciple for his master. His last struggle to resist the overpoweringurgency of this sentiment had died effete.
After walking about ten minutes, Quintus turned back again, and just ashe reached the strand the boat came to shore with Afranius, Aurelius,and the Goth. Eurymachus, then, was safe on board, and if the lawyer'sradiant expression did not belie him, his interview with the fugitivehad yielded a rich harvest. As the men stepped on land, he turnedeagerly to Aurelius and asked him when the trireme was to start.
"Everything was made ready yesterday," replied Aurelius. "In fiveminutes they will be off with all the oars plied."
He looked across the waters, and raised his right hand to wave afarewell.
"Good-luck go with you!" he said in a low voice, but loud enough forQuintus to hear him. "Greet Trajectum fondly from me."
In a few minutes the trireme began to move. Slowly at first she madeher way through the crowd of merchant and fishing-vessels, which lay atanchor. But the captain's hammer-strokes beat faster and faster, andthe oars dipped deeper and more strongly in the dashing waves. Now,gliding past the jetty at the end of the quay, the trireme was afloaton the open sea, and rode the broad blue waters like a swan. The menstill stood gazing after the proud and beautiful vessel--Aurelius,for his part, not altogether without a vague and melancholy homesickfeeling. Although he knew, that within a few hours the trireme wouldturn aside from her course and steer for the roads of Antium, still,the dear north-country and the image of the mother he had left behindhim, suddenly seemed brought nearer to him. He had but spoken the nameof his home--but it had filled his soul with yearning. He thought ofthe immediate future.--Ere long he too might be a fugitive, wearyand persecuted like Eurymachus, escaping on board that very ship,and thanking the gods if he might only flee unrecognized. And thenRome, and all that it contained of dear and fair, would be closedagainst him forever. All--Claudia? the thought sank down on his soullike lead. Claudia in Rome, and he hundreds of miles away, with thefearful certainty of never seeing her again! But if she loved him--thenindeed...! If she would follow him, as Peponilla[377] had followedher banished husband, amid the ice-hills of Scandia, or on the barrenshores of Thule,[378] spring would blossom for him more exquisitethan the rose-gardens of Paestum! But what was there to justify hishopes of such immeasurable happiness? She had given him proofs of herfriendship, no doubt, and when he was reading the Thebais, or when hespoke to her of his northern home, she had a way of listening--it hadoften brought light and warmth to his soul like a ray of promise--butthen the revulsion had been all the more violent; her greeting wouldsound distant and measured, her smile would seem cold and haughty. Oh!if only he might have time to conquer this indifference.
But a voice was now calling him to the scene of action, and ifthat action were to result in failure!--He almost regretted havingso unresistingly yielded to the eloquence of Cinna and to his ownpassionate patriotism--though indeed, as he told himself, his eagerpassion for Claudia was not the least of the motives that urged him toaction, nay, but for that passion he might still have been hesitating.As it was, it had dragged him with the force of a possession into thewhirlpool of conspiracy. He longed to stand before her--his chosenlove--as a victor over tyranny, as a liberator of the empire, and sayto her: "Now, noble heart, I may sue for thy love, for I have a grandadvocate in the gratitude of my country."
All this swept through his mind like a waking dream, as he gazed insilence at the immeasurable sea. Then, coming to himself, and turninground, his eyes met those of Quintus. They were the very eyes--thosedear, beautiful, unforgettable eyes--of his loved Claudia, only lesssweetly thoughtful, less tenderly dreamy. Suddenly his resolve wastaken. As soon as it should be possible, this very day if it might be,he would learn his fate from the woman he loved, and make an end ofthis miserable uncertainty.
"Was all prepared?" asked Quintus, as Cneius Afranius withdrew to oneside and wrote some notes on his tablets.
"All quite ready," replied Aurelius. "He will be cared for, as if hewere my own brother."
"And what did he tell Afranius?"
"I do not know; they were alone together. Afranius begged to keep itsecret, until he had everything ready to complete his case againstStephanus."
Afranius seemed to be entirely absorbed in thinking over what he hadlearnt on board the trireme, and Aurelius had to call him twice byname, before he roused him from his reverie.
They were now walking along the quay in the direction previously takenby the chariot The two-wheeled cisium, which had been waiting on theopposite side of the market-place in front of a tavern, followed themwith Magus and Blepyrus, while Afranius' slave led the grey hack andhis own mule.
"What a tremendous crowd and bustle!" exclaimed the lawyer. "Not suchan emporium as Puteoli, to be sure, but busy enough and not lessnoisy! Look at that barge with those gigantic blocks of marble--eachbig enough to fill an average store-room! And there--that is reallystupendous!"
He pointed to a spot on the quay, where the crowd was thickest. Acrane there stood up, from which a gigantic rhinoceros was hanging inmid-air, supported by broad bands and girths.
"A cargo of beasts for the centennial games,"[379] said Quintus."There, to the left, are a dozen of iron cages ready to receive them.Half Asia and Africa have been plundered for the amphitheatres."
They went nearer, for an interest in wild beasts was a naturalinstinct, in all who had ever breathed the air of Rome. The hum andclatter of the seaport were dully drowned now and again by a hoarseroar--the growl of one of the lions from Gaetulia, restlessly pacingup and down behind the bars of their prison, which had just been landed.
"That is something like a cageful!" said the Batavian.
"The freight of two vessels," remarked Quintus, glancing at thetwo large ships, one of which had already unloaded and gone to itsmoorings. "Our gladiators may pray for good-luck."
Another deep roar, as wild and hungry as ever resounded through themidnight desert, drowned his voice. They were now within a few paces ofthe landing-place, and from hence they could command a complete view ofthe enormous array of cages, loaded on low trucks, which were waitingto be transported to their destination by road. Hyrcanian tigerspressed their glossy striped coats against the iron bars; Cantabrianbears, standing on their hind legs, poked their sharp muzzles betweenthe railings; leopards from Mauritania, hyaenas, panthers and lynxesgnashed their blood-thirsty jaws; aurochs and buffaloes whetted theirsheathless horns, or stared in lazy indifference on the strangesurroundings. There were a few rhinoceroses too, a great rarity atRome; and some enormous crocodiles, which excited the astonishment andcuriosity of the maritime populace. Farther off, fastened together inlong rows, were numbers of wild asses from the hills of Numidia, wildhorses, giraffes and zebras; for even such beasts as these had theirpart in the mighty fights in the Flavian amphitheatre.
Quintus and Aurelius lounged idly towards the cages, while Afraniusstudied the movements of the crane, which was now beginning to lowerthe grotesque monster. The two young men came to a stand in front of alion of unusual size, which was snorting at the bars of its cage, andstanding in a haughty and threatening attitude, its head and tangledmane held high in the air. It was, in fact, the same beast as had justnow sent out that terrific roar. His keeper, leaning against the cornerof the cage at a respectful distance, had tried to coax and pacify thebrute, and as the two gentlemen approached the cage he respectfullywithdrew to one side. The lion watched him as he moved, and then, as heturned his head and perceived the two strangers so close to the bars,he drew back a pace as if startled, bellowed out for the third time histhundering and appalling roar; and blind with fury, rushed at the ironrailing.
"He seems to have some personal objection to me," said Quintus. "Hisfiery glare is steadily fixed on me. My word! but it increases myrespect for our gladiators; to stand face to face with such a beast inthe arena, must have an unpleasant effect on the nerves. Here we seenature in all its unmitigated ferocity."
The lion was, in fact, standing with a burning eye fixed on Quintus, asthough in him he recognized an old enemy.
"Let us go," said the young man, frowning. "It is only a dumb,unconscious brute, and I am ashamed to have been so shaken by his mereroar. Aye, blink away, you hairy old villain. Thirty inches of steelbetween your ribs will reduce even you to silence, and that must beyour fate at last, however wildly you may rage and foam over bleedingmen first."
"That is a thorough bad one," said the negro keeper, who spoke Latinwith difficulty. "I have tamed more than fifty; but all trouble isthrown away on this one. He is one of the mountain lions, and hisfather was a magician. I saw that at once, when the hunters broughthim, that black tuft on his forehead shows it plainly."
And, in fact, a tangled lock of black hair hung from the brute's manebetween his eyes.
"Is it your business to tame lions?" asked Quintus.
"I tame the mildest, and the fierce ones are kept for the fights. Ihave brought up three tame ones for the centennial games--as high asthis--and they do the most wonderful things that have ever been shownin Rome. They take live hares[380] in their jaws and carry them threetimes round the arena, without even squeezing them."
But Quintus was not listening; he had turned away. The brute's scowl,as he kept his glaring eyes fixed on him, filled him with an uneasyfeeling. Cneius Afranius appealed to him, too--with a pressingreminder, that a welcome was awaiting him--not to forget the youngladies and his mother in favor of rhinoceroses and giraffes; so theygot away from the crowd and back to the high-road, where the chariotwas waiting with the slaves.
The venerable Fabulla had received her guests at the garden gate, andhad conducted them with repeated effusions of delight and gratitudeto her pretty little house, almost hidden among olives and holm oaks,and bowered in ivy and vines. Here the young girls were seated underan autumn-tinted arbor-porch, and helped themselves to the grapeswhich hung within reach overhead. In front of them, on a round-tableof pine-wood, stood a wicker basket of sweet-smelling wheat-bread, ahalf-emptied bowl of milk, and a dish of apples and pears. Near themlay a distaff, tied round with scarlet ribbons, and a spindle, forFabulla was never for an instant idle, and spun her yarn even in thepresence of such illustrious strangers.
"Children," said Cneius Afranius, "this is the true Elysium.... Theshade, the dull green of the olives, the vine-garlands, the deliciousair, the fresh milk--it is superb! But to feel fully equipped for theenjoyment of it all, I must first get rid of all my business; for thepresent, then, I leave you to your fate. I must drink a cup of thismilk--and then farewell. We shall live to meet again! Within an hour Ishall be here again." And with the tragic air of an actor playing thedying Socrates, he took up one of the red clay cups and solemnly liftedit to his lips.
"Stop, stop!" cried the good mistress. "You are taking mistressLucilia's cup."
"Ah!" cried Afranius, replacing the cup he had drained on the tablewith mock penitence. "Mistress Lucilia will not be too severe, I hope,to forgive the mistake on the ground of my thirst and absence ofmind.... Mother, your cows are improving, decidedly improving. Neverdid this nectar taste so truly Olympian as to-day. Great Pan himselfmust bless them."[381]
And with these words he quitted them.
When Quintus and Aurelius had also refreshed themselves, they all roseto wander through the garden under Fabulla's guidance. Quintus andCornelia led the way, followed by Aurelius and Claudia. The mistressof the house came last with Lucilia, who was in the highest spirits,and never tired of praising the beautiful curly kale and the splendidheads of lettuce, or of singing fantastical rhapsodies in praise of theautumn pears and late figs. She had at once detected the happy pride,with which Fabulla regarded the pretty little estate, a pride whichfound an unmistakable echo in Afranius' jesting praises. A strangeimpulse prompted her to humor this natural vanity, and give the worthylady, whom she found particularly attractive, a simple and genuinepleasure. At the bottom of her heart agriculture and horticulturewere as absolutely indifferent to her as any other form of humanindustry; but she had a happy gift of throwing herself into sympathywith every sphere of feeling. She spoke with delight of the charms ofa country-life, and declared quite seriously, that the noise of thecity was irritating and exhausting--an assertion to which her bloomingappearance emphatically gave the lie.
Fabulla was perfectly enchanted with the girl's ways and manners; shehad never thought it possible, that so fresh, sweet, and unpretendinga creature could come out of Rome--that den of wickedness andperversion--still less out of the house of a Senator, and under thevery thunder-bolts, so to speak, of the Capitoline Jupiter. She tookthe bright, young creature to her heart with all the fervor of aconvert; all the more eagerly because Claudia, though beautiful, wassomewhat taciturn, and Cornelia, with all her graciousness, was stillthe unapproachable great lady, mysteriously shut up within an invisiblewall against the advances of strangers.
Lucilia was, in fact, absolutely overflowing with amiability andgraciousness. When, after a quarter of an hour of wandering, Fabullaexplained that she must now go indoors to make some arrangements fortheir mid-day meal, Lucilia begged to be allowed to make herselfof use, and to take the opportunity for seeing the kitchen, thestore-rooms, and the slaves' apartments. Fabulla was enchanted;she pressed a kiss on her new friend's brow, and said in a tone ofmelancholy:
"You are just like-my sweet Erotion![382] She was not so pretty as youare, to be sure, nor so elegant, but her eyes were like yours, andshe was just as bright, and had the same love for the garden and forhouse-keeping.--Ah! and such a good heart! How often have I dreamedof future happiness for her when she has come, tired out with play,and sat on my lap and laid her head on my breast. Then she would go tosleep, and I would sing some old song, and sit dreaming and hoping tilldarkness fell. But the gods would not have it so! A handful of ashes ina marble urn is all that is left me of my sweet little girl."
She ceased speaking, and wiped her kind, honest eyes with the back ofher hand. Lucilia gazed thoughtfully at the ground.
"It is a long time since," Fabulla added presently. "Twenty-two yearsnext March; but every now and then a feeling comes over me, as if I hadlost the dear child only yesterday."
"Poor mother!" sighed Lucilia.
Fabulla affectionately stroked her thick, waving hair.
"Do not mind me!" she said; "such dismal reflections do not suit wellwith the gaiety of youth."
"Mirth and sadness dwell side by side," replied Lucilia, "and to enjoywhat is pleasant and endure what is sorrowful is the only sensible way."
Then they went on between the box-hedged garden-beds.
The two couples meanwhile had wandered apart. Quintus and Cornelia weresitting at the farthest side of the orchard, on a rough stone benchin the deepest shade of the fruit trees, while Aurelius and Claudiaremained meditatively pacing up and down the main walk.
"How happy I feel!" said Cornelia. "Quintus, my dear love, what morehas the world to offer us? If it will only leave us undisturbed, sothat we may enjoy the gifts of the gods in peace! But you are verysilent, my dearest; must I wake you from your dreams with a kiss? Hashappiness struck you dumb? Only think--before the year is out I shallbe your wife! Yes, your wife; and I may call you my own forever. I neednever give you up again, as I must now, when every hour of happinessends in a parting."
She clung fondly to him, and looked into his face with radiantdevotion. Her eyes glowed with feeling, and the fair marble of herthroat and arms gleamed so softly bright, that Quintus, overcome by theinspiration of the moment, clasped her passionately in
his arms, andtheir lips met in a long and eager kiss.
"Cornelia--fairest and dearest of mortal creatures!" he whisperedtenderly, as she released herself, "you draw the very soul out of mybody with your perfect, heaven-sent love! Oh! my sweetheart, I too canpicture no purer or more noble delight, than that of living one inspirit and hope with you. Aye, Cornelia, I am weary of the bustle ofthis fevered world, of the vacuous comedy of ambition, of dominion,of all this parcel-gilt vulgarity. I long for rest and solitude in apeaceful home. I ask no splendor, no pomp of triumphs, nor lictors withtheir fasces. I only want to be at peace with myself--I only seek thatglorious harmony, which reconciles all the discords of life. And thatpeace, that respite and rest, I hope to find with you, my sweetestCornelia."
"My whole being, body and soul, are yours," replied Cornelia. "Do whatyou will with me. If love can bring peace, your hopes must certainly befulfilled. But tell me, my dearest, do you really so utterly contemnfame and glory? Will you never make any effort to attain what, merelyas a Claudian, you must desire: the triumph of an immortal name? Arepeace and the joys of love so absolutely antagonistic to the winning oflaurels? Do not yet abandon the post, where the gods have placed you.Be all they have created you to be: a son of that glorious race, which,not so long ago, gave us an Emperor! You know me well, my dearest;you know I would worship you still, even if the Fates deprived you ofall--everything; if you were a fugitive, a beggar, scorned, hated, Iam still and forever yours. But, as it is, you are rich and noble, andwhy should I deny, that fame and pomp and splendor have a charm for me?Even the outward gifts of fortune are bestowed by the gods, and thebest thanks we can offer is to enjoy."
"Nay, do not misunderstand me, sweet soul! I do not wish to retireinto the desert like an eastern penitent, nor to fling away the lastdrinking-cup like the philosopher of Sinope.[383] It is only empty andfruitless activity that I long to escape, the mad whirl of a life whichswallows men up to the very last fibre, and leaves them not a secondfor reflection. It is only from afar, that you know that heart andbrain-consuming turmoil. Cinna is one of those who contemn it, and youhave grown up under his roof. But I see it close, and I shudder at thesight. Is it worth while to have lived at all, when our last hour onlycuts the thread of a tissue of follies? To what end this hollow, noisyand bewildering drama? There would be more consolation and refreshmentin studying the inside of an ant-hill."
"You are so serious," said Cornelia. "What can be the matter with you?You used to say things like this, but only as a man out of conceit withhis surroundings. And now you look so strange, so mysterious...."
"You are right, dear heart; I am too grave for so sweet an-hour.Forgive me, my darling. In time you will know better what it is, that I... I cannot explain to you at present."
And he drew her once more to his breast, and kissed her passionately.
Aurelius and Claudia had behaved with far greater coolness andpropriety. Behind this moderation, it is true, lurked an unrest whichnow and again betrayed itself in small details. As the Batavian, by wayof opening the conversation, tried to paint the particular beautiesof the autumn season, a faint flush mounted to his brow, and Claudiamade some observations on the noble dimensions of three pumpkins in avoice that trembled, as though she were craving some favor from Caesar.Both were in that mood of self-conscious confusion, which is peculiarto lovers in anticipation of an important explanation. And Claudia wasstill more obviously embarrassed, when Caius Aurelius observed thatsuch gourds grew at Trajectum too.
"It might happen," he went on after a pause, "that circumstances mightrequire me to return home sooner, than I at first intended...."
Claudia pulled the leaves off an olive-branch.
"That would be a pity," she said in a constrained tone. Then shecolored, and went on eagerly: "For, in fact, many interesting featuresof our metropolis are still unknown to you."
"Oh," replied Aurelius, "I am not particularly devoted to seeingfeatures of interest. What I far more regret, is taking leave of somany excellent friends, so many hospitable houses where I have passedhours of delightful intercourse, and heard so many noble ideas...."
"Ah, yes, of course," said Claudia, breaking the olive-twig into littlepieces. The Batavian sighed.
"Above all," he went on, "I can never forget how kindly yourillustrious father received me...."
"Oh!" exclaimed Claudia.
"And your mother.... You cannot imagine how deeply I reverence thatnoble matron, how grateful I am to her for allowing me daily admissionand intimacy in her house. Ah! sweet mistress, how happy I have been inthat family circle! Your brother, I may venture to believe, has becomemy best and truest friend; even Lucilia, who generally is so severelycritical, has not been unkind to me.... You may laugh at me, but Iswear to you, that when I am forced to leave I shall leave a piece ofmy heart behind!"
Claudia looked down and walked on in silence, her hand shook.
"Madam," the young man went on, and his voice trembled with agitation,"when I am gone--forever, when miles of land and sea divide us--willyou sometimes think with kindness of the stranger....? Will you recallthe hour in which we met, our happy days at Baiae, and this blissfultime in Rome...?"
"Indeed I shall," Claudia murmured almost inaudibly.
They had now reached the southern end of the broad walk, where a brickwall was visible through a screen of shrubs; the patches of light,which the sun cast on the gravel through the leaves, were visiblyaslant to the left, and the observation struck Aurelius to the heart;from the register afforded by this natural time-keeper, he perceivedthat the best of the day had slipped by unused. He was suddenly seizedwith a kind of panic: these rays of light symbolized his happiness. Itwas escaping him, vanishing fast--he must lose it, if he did not thenand there find some spell to command and keep it.
He stood still.
"Listen!" he said with an effort. "I cannot help it.... Before I go, Imust ask you a question. I almost feel as though I could foresee theanswer.--It is all the same, I must speak. Only one thing I would begbeforehand: Do not laugh at my blind self-deceit. You know me--I amneither highly gifted nor of noble birth, but I have a faithful natureand a heart full of never-failing devotion--and you are the object ofthat devotion. Therefore I must ask: could you bear to make up yourmind to be my wife? I ask no promise, Claudia, no binding vows--only aword to give me hope, a single word of comfort and encouragement. Ifyou can, oh Claudia, speak it! If you cannot, at any rate I shall befree from the anguish of uncertainty."
Claudia had listened to him in rigid silence, but as he ended, shegave him her hand--looked up in his face--and smiled through her tears.Aurelius stood in speechless surprise; he tried to speak, but in vain.This transcendent happiness seemed to have paralyzed his powers.
"You dear, foolish man," said Claudia with glowing cheeks. "What have Idone, that you should put a poor girl like me to the blush? I, who havelooked up to you in all humility...."
"Claudia!" cried the Batavian, trembling with rapture. "Am I notcheated by a dream? You--mine? I am delirious--raving."
"Nay, it is the truth. I am yours now and till death."
"Quintus, Claudia, Cornelia," shouted a clear, girlish voice, "are youplaying at hide-and-seek? or has some tricky god turned you all intotrees? Come forth, Fauns[384] and Dryads![385] The couches are ready inthe triclinium, and a banquet is prepared, that is worthy of Olympus."
Aurelius did not seem particularly interested in the information. Howgladly would he have dreamed away the remainder of the day out hereunder the verdurous shade! But society asserts its rights, and love,particularly when it is a secret, must early learn to take patience.
"Let us be prudent and say nothing of this," said Claudia as they wentin. "My father has certain schemes in his head, as perhaps you know--hehas not spoken out about them as yet, but Lucilia told me she was sureof it, and Lucilia has eyes like a Pannonian lynx.[386] Sextus Furius,the senator--you know him--wants, they say, to make me his wife, andmy father is not averse to it. We shall have a fight
for it, dearCaius...."
"And you say it as calmly...."
"Shall I worry beforehand over things I cannot prevent? But I will domy utmost to win my father over. He is stern, but he loves me, and forhis daughter's happiness he would make a sacrifice--a sacrifice I sayadvisedly, for you know how strictly he adheres to his principles, andone of his principles is a prejudice against the class of knights...."
"And if your hopes deceive you--if all is in vain?"
"Then I remember that the old saying: 'Where you, Caius, are, therewill I, Caia, be'[387] is a pledge no less sacred than obedience toparents; and I too am of the race of Claudius!"
They had reached the open plot in front of the house, where CneiusAfranius was standing with Lucilia and his mother, cutting ripe grapesinto a basket with a sharp knife. Dressed in a flowered tunic, the citylawyer was humming the air of a Gaulish popular song; every now andthen he interrupted himself with a cry of surprise at the huge size ofthe grapes, or a jesting word to the young girl, and all the time hisjolly pleasant face, ruddy with the exertion and with the October sun,shone like a living tribute to Bacchus.
"There!" he exclaimed, as Quintus and Cornelia also appeared upon thescene, "now, a few leaves, and men Zeuxis[388] himself could not painta prettier picture! Aha! here are our peripatetic[389] philosophers!Come along, our country dining-room is quite ready! Come, Quintus, andsee if Fabulla's spelt porridge and cabbage sprouts[390] are to yourliking; I am credibly informed too, that there is a fish salad withchopped eggs and leeks. Such a cybium[391] as my mother makes, you havenever tasted. Even the great Euphemus, with all his art, must yield tothat triumph of culinary skill. Walk in, most worshipful company, walkin, for here too the gods abide!"
FOOTNOTES:
[377] PEPONILLA, the wife of Julius Sabinus, who had incited an unsuccessful insurrection in Gaul, lived for nine years with her husband in a subterranean cave, always hoping the emperor would pardon the hunted man. But Vespasian was inexorable, and when Julius Sabinus was discovered, condemned not only him, but his faithful wife, to death. See Dio Cass. LXIV, 16. In Tacitus (_Hist._ IV, 67) she is called Epponina, in Plutarch (_Dial. de amicit_, 25,) Empona.
[378] THULE ([Greek: Thoule]) an island in the German ocean, was the moat extreme northern point of the earth known in those days. See Tac. _Agr._ X., Virg. _Geog._ I. 30. It it supposed to be what is now called Iceland, or a part of Norway.
[379] A CARGO OF BEASTS FOR THE CENTENNIAL GAMES. A catalogue of animals, dating from the time of Gordian III, (238 to 244 A.D.) mentions thirty-two elephants, ten tigers, sixty tame lions, three hundred tame leopards--but only one rhinoceros.
[380] LIVE HARES. See Mart. _Ep._ I, 6, ("the captured hare returning often in safety from the kindly tooth") 14 ("and running at large through the open jaws,") 22, 104.
[381] GREAT PAN HIMSELF MUST BLESS THEM. Pan, son of Hermes and a daughter of Dryops, or of Zeus and the Arcadian nymph Callisto, etc., etc., is a divinity of the fields and forests. Cneius Afranius here uses the adjective "great" in the sense of "powerful," "influential,"--corresponding with the hyperbolical tone of the rest of his speech. The totally different expression, "the great Pan," in the sense of a symbolical appellation of the universe, originates in a verbal error, according to which the word Pan is derived from the Greek [Greek: pas] "all" "the whole" while it really comes from [Greek: pao] (I graze.)
[382] MY SWEET EROTION. A child of this name, who died in early youth, is mentioned by Martial, _Ep._ V, 34, 37, and X, 61.
_Ep._ V, 34.
"Ye parents Fronto and Flaccilla here, To you do I commend my girl, my dear, Lest pale Erotion tremble at the shades, And the foul Dog of Hell's prodigious heads. Her age fulfilling just six winters was, Had she but known so many days to pass. 'Mongst you, old patrons, may she sport and play, And with her lisping tongue my name oft say. May the smooth turf her soft bones hide, and be O earth, as light to her, as she to thee!" FLETCHER.
_Ep._ X, 61.
"Underneath this greedy stone Lies little sweet Erotion; Whom the Fates, with hearts as cold, Nipp'd away at six years old. Thou, whoever thou mayst be, That hast this small field after me, Let the yearly rites be paid To her little slender shade; So shall no disease or jar, Hurt thy house, or chill thy Lar; But this tomb be here alone The only melancholy stone." LEIGH HUNT.
[383] PHILOSOPHER OF SINOPE. The well-known Cynic philosopher Diogenes, born at Sinope on the Black Sea, 404. B.C.
[384] FAUN (from _faveo_--to be favorable). A god of the fields and woods, akin to the Greek woodland deity, Pan.
[385] DRYAD. The embodied life-principle of the tree, a tree-nymph.
[386] PANNONIAN LYNX. Pannonia, now Hungary. Lynxes were also imported from Gaul.
[387] WHERE YOU, CAIUS, ARE, THERE WILL I, CAIA, BE. An ancient formula, in which the bride vowed faith and obedience to the bridegroom.
[388] ZEUXIS of Heracleia in Greece, a famous artist, who lived about 397 B.C. His contest with Parrhasius, in which he painted grapes so deceptive, that they lured the birds, is well known.
[389] PERIPATETICS (wanderers.) A name given to Aristotles' school of philosophers, from its founder's habit of delivering his lectures, not seated, but walking about.
[390] CABBAGE SPROUTS. In the spring the young cabbage shoots (_cimae, prototomi_) were eaten, in the summer and autumn the larger stalks (_caules cauliculi_) see Mart. _Ep._ V. 78.
[391] CYBIUM ([Greek: kybion]). A sort of mayonnaise made of salt tunny-fish, cut into squares. See Mart. _Ep._ V. 78, where the sliced eggs are not lacking. There were two kinds of leek (porrum:) _porrum sectile_ (chives) and _porrum capitatum_.
END OF VOL. I
Transcriber' Note
The following table summarizes the various textual issuesencountered, and their resolution. A number of punctuation errorsand inconsistencies have been corrected. Where the errors seemmost likely to be attributable to printer's errors, they have beencorrected as noted below.
The name "Friedlander", mentioned as a source a number of times inthe notes, is variously spelled "Friedlander", "Friedlaender", and"Friedlaender".
p. 7 the commencement of this story[,/.] Corrected.
p. 43 in the wall.["] Removed.
p. 61 n. 115 amounted to 60[./,]000,000 bushels Corrected.
p. 75 min[i]ature Added.
p. 97 in Caesar's name[?/.] Corrected.
p. 98 glanced at her significantly[.] Added.
p. 114 dissipation....["] Added.
p. 129 ['/"]and I honor and admire it. Corrected.
p. 170 n. 265 the most corrupt in all Rome[,/.] Corrected.
p. 171 pantomi[n/m]e Corrected.
p. 183 n. 278 (Pliny, _Ep._ X, 98.[)] Added.
p. 188 po[in/ni]ard Transposed.
p. 211 n. 295 was often used for writing[,/.] Corrected.
my dear Quintus,["] he said Added.
p. 214 interrupted his father, ["]and I do Added.
p. 229 ["]If it is ever in my power Added.
p. 246 n. 341 to receive rain-water[,/.] Corrected.
p. 265 It i[t/s] all th
e same Corrected.
p. 275 ["]Chloe," she said at last, Added.
["]Chloe raised her round head Removed.
p. 280 to the present day[,/.] Corrected.
p. 282 discovery was inevitable.[.] Removed.
p. 296 n. 378 Virg. _Geog._ I. 30.[)] Removed.
Quintus Claudius: A Romance of Imperial Rome. Volume 1 Page 22
