by Charles Swan
To return to the two boys. They were educated in the same neighbourhood, but had no knowledge that they were brothers. And as for the wife of Eustacius, she preserved her purity, and suffered not the infamous usage which circumstances led her to apprehend. After some time her persecutor died.
In the mean while the Roman emperor was beset by his enemies, and recollecting how valiantly Placidus had behaved himself in similar straits, his grief at the deplorable mutation of fortune was renewed. He despatched soldiers through various parts of the world in pursuit of them; and promised to the discoverer infinite rewards and honours. It happened that some of the emissaries, being of those who had attended upon the person of Placidus, came into the country in which he laboured, and one of them he recognized by his gait. The sight of these men brought back to the exile’s mind the situation of wealth and honour which he had once possessed; and being filled with fresh trouble at the recollection—“O Lord!” he exclaimed, “even as beyond expectation I have seen these people again, so let me be restored to my beloved wife. Of my children I speak not; for I know too well that they are devoured by wild beasts.” At that moment a voice whispered, “Be faithful, Eustacius, and thou wilt shortly recover thy lost honours, and again look upon thy wife and offspring.” Now, when the soldiers met Placidus, they knew not who he was; and accosting him, they asked if he were acquainted with any foreigner named Placidus, with his wife and two sons. He replied in the negative, but requested that they would tarry in his house. They consented; and he conducted them home, and waited on them. And here, as before, at the recollection of his former splendour, his tears flowed. Unable to contain himself, he went out of doors, and when he had washed his face he re-entered, and continued his service.* By and by the appearance of their ancient master underwent a more exact scrutiny; and one said to the other, “Surely this man bears great resemblance to him we inquire after.” “Of a truth,” answered his companion, “you say well. Let us examine if he possess a scar on his head, which he received in action.” They did so, and finding a scar which indicated a similar wound, they leaped up and embraced him, and inquired after his wife and sons. He related his adventures; and the neighbours, coming in, listened with wonder to the account delivered by the soldiers of his military achievements and former magnificence. Then, obeying the command of the emperor, they clothed him in sumptuous apparel. On the fifteenth day they reached the imperial court; and the emperor, apprized of his coming, went out to meet him, and saluted him with great gladness. Eustacius related all that had befallen him; he was then invested with the command of the army, and restored to every office that he had held prior to his departure. When the soldiers were numbered, they were found to be too few to meet the enemy. He therefore drew together from all parts the young men of the country; and it fell in the lot of the village where his own children were educated, to send two to the army; and these very youths were selected by the inhabitants as the best and bravest of their number. They appeared before the general; and their elegant manners, united to a singular propriety of conduct, won his esteem. He placed them in the van of his troops, and began his march against the enemy. After the rout of the foe, he caused his army to halt for three days at a certain place, where, as it happened, his wife was living in poverty. Strange to say, the sons themselves, in the general distribution of the soldiers, were quartered with their own mother, but all the while ignorant with whom they were stationed.
About mid-day the lads, sitting together, related the various mutations to which their infancy had been subject; and the mother, who was at no great distance, became an attentive auditor. “Of what I was, while a child,” said the elder of the brothers, “I remember nothing, except that my beloved father was a leader of a company of soldiers; and that my mother, who was very beautiful, had two sons, of whom I was the elder. We accompanied our parents from the habitation in which we had constantly resided during the night, and embarking on board a vessel that immediately put to sea, sailed I know not whither. Our mother remained in the ship, but wherefore, I am also ignorant. In the mean time our father carried my brother and myself in his arms, and me he left upon the nearer bank of a river, until he had conveyed the younger of us across. But no sooner had he accomplished his design, and was returning to my assistance, than a wolf darted from a thicket and bore my brother off in his mouth. Before he could hasten back to his succour, a prodigious lion seized upon me, and carried me into a neighbouring wood. Certain shepherds, however, delivered and educated me amongst them, as you know. “What has become of my father and my brother, I know not.” The younger brother here burst into a flood of tears, and exclaimed, “Surely I have found my brother; for they who brought me up frequently declared that I was emancipated from the jaws of a wolf.” Then did they exchange embraces and shed tears. The mother, who listened, it may be well supposed, with intense interest to what was going forward, felt a strong conviction that they were her own children. She was silent, however; and the next day went to the commander of the forces, and entreated permission to go into her own country. “I am a Roman woman,” said she, “and a stranger in these parts.” As she uttered these words, her eye fixed with an earnest and anxious gaze upon the countenance of him she addressed. It was her husband, whom she now for the first time recollected; and she threw herself at his feet unable to contain her joy. “My lord,” cried the enraptured matron, “I entreat you to relate some circumstances of your past life; for, unless I greatly mistake, you are Placidus, the master of the soldiery, since known by the name of Eustacius, whom our blessed Saviour converted, and tried by such and such temptations : I am his wife, taken from him at sea by a perfidious wretch, but who accomplished not his atrocious purposes. I had two sons, called Agapetus and Theosbytus.” When Eustacius heard this, he looked at her earnestly, and saw that it was his wife. They embraced and wept; giving glory to God, who brings joy to the sorrowful. The wife then observed, “My lord, what has become of our children?” “Alas! “replied he, “they were carried off by wild beasts ; “and he repeated the circumstance of their loss. “Give thanks,” said his wife, “give manifold thanks to the Lord; for as His Providence hath revealed our existence to each other, so will He give us back our beloved offspring.” “Did I not tell you.” returned he, “that wild beasts had devoured them?”
“True; but yesternight, as I sat in the garden, I overheard two young men relate the occurrences of their childhood, and whom I believe to be our sons. Interrogate them, and they will tell you.”
Messengers were immediately despatched for this purpose, and a few questions convinced Eustacius of the full completion of his happiness. They fell upon each other’s necks and wept aloud. It was a joyful occasion ; and the whole army rejoiced at their being found, and at the victory over the barbarians. Previous to their return the Emperor Trajan died, and was succeeded by Adrian, more wicked even than his predecessor.* However, he received the conqueror and his family with great magnificence, and sumptuously entertained them at his own table. But the day following the emperor would have proceeded to the temple of his idols to sacrifice, in consequence of the late victory; and desired his guests to accompany him. “My lord,” said Eustacius, “I worship the God of the Christians ; and Him only do I serve, and propitiate with sacrifice.” The emperor, full of rage, placed him, with his whole family, in the arena, and let loose a ferocious lion upon them. But the lion, to the astonishment of all, held down his head before them, as if in reverence, and humbly went from them. On which the emperor ordered a brazen bull to be heated, and into this his victims were cast alive; but with prayer and supplication they commended themselves to the mercy of God, and three days after, being taken out of the furnace in the presence of the emperor, so untouched were they by the fire that not a hair of their heads was singed, nor had the fiery vapours in any way affected them. The Christians buried their corpses in the most honourable manner, and over them constructed an oratory. They perished in the first year of Adrian, A.D. 120, in the calends of November; or, a
s some write, the 12th of the calends of October.*
APPLICATION.
My beloved, the emperor is Christ; Placidus, any worldly-minded man. The stags are the senses. The large and beautiful stag is reason; it ascends a precipice, which is justice or rectitude. The horns are the old and new law. The wife of Placidus is the soul; the two sons are the will and the works of man. The master of the ship is a prelate, who would detain the soul from error; and the ship is the Church. The river is the world; the lion is the devil; and the wolf, the flesh. The shepherds are confessors; and the ploughmen, preachers. The messengers sent in pursuit of Placidus represent the patriarchs and prophets.
* “Sir Placidas is the name of a knight in the Faerie Queene.”—WARTON.
* A curious picture of the olden times!
* Neither Trajan nor Adrian deserve this character; but the former is vilely slandered.
* However careless the structure of this tale, it conveys an admirable moral. It teaches that the eye of God is vigilant for the safeguard of mankind; and that in the darkest hour with which humanity can be visited, “all things are working together for good.” But the tendency of the whole of these stories is unexceptionable.
TALE CXI.
OF VIGILANCE IN OUR CALLING.
A CERTAIN nobleman had a white cow, to which he was extremely partial. He assigned two reasons for this. First, because she was spotlessly white; and next, because she gave abundance of rich milk. The estimation in which the nobleman regarded his beast increased so much, that he constructed golden horns for her, and thought for a long time how she might be best secured. Now, there lived at that time a man called Argus, who was entirely faithful to his employer, and, moreover, possessed an hundred eyes. The nobleman despatched a messenger to Argus, to request his attendance without delay. On his arrival, he said, “I commit to your custody my cow with golden horns; and if you guard it securely I will liberally remunerate you. But if you permit her horns to be stolen, you shall die the death.” Argus accordingly received the cow under his charge; and every day attended her to the pasture, and watched her with unremitting care. At night he drove her home. But there dwelt in these days a certain avaricious knave called Mercury, whose skill in music was surpassing. He had a great desire to possess the animal so narrowly watched; and he went frequently to her keeper, in the hope of prevailing with him, by prayers or promises, to deliver the horns to him. But Argus fixed a shepherd’s staff, which he held, firmly in the ground; and addressed it in the person of his master:* “Thou, oh staff, art my master, and at night I shall return to your castle. You will question me about the cow and her horns; I answer, ‘My lord, the cow has lost her horns; for a robber, coming while I slept, ran off with them’. Now, you reply, ‘Rascal! had you not an hundred eyes? How was it that they were all asleep, while the robber stole the horns ? This is a lie, and I will put you to death.’ And if I say that I have sold it, I shall be equally exposed to the indignation of my lord.” “Get thee gone, then,” answered Mercury: “thou shalt have nothing.” “With this threat Mercury departed, and the next day returned with a musical instrument. He then began to tell Argus stories, and to sing to him; until at last two of his eyes dropped asleep; then two more, and finally, the whole head sunk into a deep slumber. Mercury perceiving this, decapitated him, and bore away the cow with her golden horns.*
APPLICATION.
My beloved, the nobleman is Christ; the white cow is the soul. The milk represents prayer and supplication, on account of which he gave her golden horns, that is, eternal life. Argus is any prelate, who ought to be circumspect and watchful. The pastoral staff is the ecclesiastical power communicated to him; the songs are put for singing women. Then, if the prelate fall asleep, the head is cut off, that is, he loses eternal life. Mercury is the devil.
* A similar colloquy to that in this story occurs in the Turkish Tales:—
“Let me suppose that I am at court (continued he, taking his cap off his head, and laying it on the floor before him), let me suppose my cap to be Togaltimur, and see if I can have the confidence to insist upon a lie in the face of the king. Entering into his presence, I salute him. Saddyq, says he to me, let my black horse be got ready, I mean to ride him to-day.—Sir, an accident has befallen him; yesterday, in the evening, he would eat nothing whatever that was offered to him, and he died at midnight; nor can I imagine what has killed him.—How! my black horse, that carried me so well but yesterday, is he dead? Why must it be he rather than so many others that are in the same stable? What story is this you tell me? Begone, you are a liar. Thou hast either sold my horse to some foreigner, who went away with him last night into his own country, or killed him yourself in some freak or other. Think not of escaping my vengeance, you shall be punished according to your deserts. One of you stab that villain to the heart this moment; cut him to pieces!”
* “The classical story of Argus and Mercury, with some romantic additions.”—WARTON.
TALE CXII.
OF THE CARE OF THE SOUL.
THE Emperor Gorgonius had a beautiful wife, who was delivered of a son. The boy grew up a universal favourite; but on attaining his tenth year the mother died, and was splendidly interred. By the advice of his counsellors, the emperor took another wife, who conceived a dislike for her son-in-law, and did him many injuries.† When this was communicated to the king, being desirous of gratifying his new spouse, he banished the young man from the kingdom. Thus driven from his home, he turned his attention to physic, and became in the course of time a great and perfect physician. The emperor, hearing of his celebrity, was much pleased at it; and happening a short time afterwards to fall sick, sent letters to recall him. When the son understood his father’s pleasure, he made haste to comply with it, and by his skill in medicine soon restored him to convalescence. The fame of this cure spread through the whole kingdom. Now, it chanced that his stepmother sickened even to death, and physicians from every place were summoned to attend her. They all, however, unanimously declared that death was inevitable, and, full of grief at the intelligence, the emperor desired his son to undertake the cure. “No, my lord,” said he, “I cannot comply with your wishes.” “If you deny me,” returned the father, “I will again banish you the kingdom.” “Then,” he replied, “you will act with the greatest injustice. You acknowledged yourself my father, yet banished me from you through this very woman’s suggestion. My absence occasioned your sickness and sorrow, and my presence produces a like effect upon the queen, my unkind stepmother; therefore I will not cure her, but will immediately depart.” “The queen,” returned the father, “is afflicted with the same infirmity that I was, and which you so effectually dispelled: let me entreat you to preserve her also.” “My beloved father,” answered he, “although she has the same infirmity, her complexion is different. When I entered the palace, the joy you felt at my return contributed to your speedy recovery; but the reverse happens to my stepmother. If I speak, she is full of grief; if I touch her, she is carried beyond herself. Now, nothing is more beneficial to the sick than compliance with their wishes. She cannot bear my presence, and why should you wish it?” By these excuses the son evaded the matter, and his stepmother died.
APPLICATION.
My beloved, the emperor is our first parent, Adam; the first wife is the soul; and the son is Christ, who cures our infirmities. The stepmother is the devil.
† Warton says, in his analysis of this story, “The son of king Gorgonius is beloved by his stepmother.” This is a mistake. The Latin text is, “Rex, aliam uxorem duxit, quæ filium primæ uxoris non dilexit, seel opprobria multa sibi intulit.” Nothing can be plainer.
TALE CXIII.
OF SPIRITUAL CONTESTS.
THE Emperor Adonias was exceedingly rich, and delighted in tournaments and in tilting. He once held a tournament, and caused it to be proclaimed that the conqueror should obtain a magnificent reward. This caused a great assemblage of the princes and peers of the kingdom; and the emperor ordained that the knights should be
divided, so many on one side and so many on the other. But they who first entered the field were to dispose their shields and arms in order in a certain place; and further, whosoever of the adverse party would touch the shield of another with his lance, immediately he whose shield was touched, being previously armed by a maiden selected for the purpose, should descend to the contest, and if he proved victorious, should be crowned with a kingly crown, and eat meat at the royal table. Now, a certain knight, having diligently inspected the shields of his antagonists, was wonderfully taken with one bearing three apples or; and that shield he touched. Instantly the owner of it armed and met his opponent, and, after a short conflict, cut off the challenger’s head, and received the promised recompense.*
APPLICATION.
My beloved, the emperor is our Lord Jesus Christ; the tournament is the contest between God and the devils; the shields are some of the attributes of the Almighty; and the field is human nature. The shield bearing three golden apples is the Trinity in Unity, against which the knight—that is, any man—strikes when he commits a mortal sin. The reward of the conqueror is eternal life.
