Bedrock of Empire

by Thomas M D Brooke

  Also standing behind me was my legal advisor Aulus. He’d spent much of the previous evening explaining to me the laws of inheritance and how legal precedents affected them. I was yet to listen to the two contesting claimants. Both Bonifatius and Cadmus stood either side of the clearing in the centre of the Forum. Bonifatius was joined by Kanutus. The thin middle-aged lawyer had his hands behind his back and appeared to be practising arguments in his head. Strangely enough, Cadmus had elected to represent himself – a risky and inadvisable tactic according to Aulus, but one within his rights. The two brothers eyed each other coldly, both holding an air of superiority. From the brief contact I’d had with each of them this morning, I’d gathered both were confident of victory. Both seemed to think that this court case was a mere formality; for some reason I couldn’t fathom, they appeared to have come to the conclusion that I’d promised as much to each of them before they travelled to hear my ruling.

  Before we could reach a verdict, I needed to hear each of their cases once again. I might have heard their arguments already, but the crowd hadn’t, and there was a certain amount of procedure to go through – not to mention theatre. I raised my hand for silence and waited for the audience to settle down. I then cleared my throat, paused, and announced in my best parade ground voice, ‘Let us begin. Firstly Aulus, can you read out the will so all can hear it?’

  Aulus stepped forward and started reading from the scroll of papyrus. ‘The dying wish of a servant to the Republic, the last will of Iohannes Paulus, former tribune to the legions of Spain and successful owner …’

  I gave a small cough and interrupted. ‘Would you mind moving on to the part that refers to the two sons?’ I didn’t want to be here all day.

  Aulus inclined his head, before taking a deep breath and stating, ‘For this, the gods have blessed me with two sons that any man would be proud of. They, like me, served with distinction in the legions and now can fulfil their role in procuring more gold for our Roman Republic. As that is our family’s only aim in life, to enrich our benefactor Augustus Caesar, under whose tutelage, our mighty Republic prospers.’

  There were a few cheers from the crowd at the mention of the imperator’s name.

  Aulus continued. ‘Both my sons have different virtues. Bonifatius is a great organiser and administrator. I am sure this will serve him well when looking after my mines. Cadmus is equally talented, but in a different way. He is very resourceful and inventive. It is my wish that they both use their talents to further our family’s prospects. Thus, jointly, Bonifatius can be aided by his brother Cadmus and together forge a successful partnership.’

  There was a silence after Aulus finished, which was broken by me. I addressed the two brothers. ‘It is quite clear to me that your father wished for his land and mines to be jointly owned by you both. Can either of you please enlighten me as to why I should favour one of you over the other?’

  Bonifatius’ lawyer went first. He outlined his client’s case, doing his best to mimic the lawyers of Rome. His voice rose subtly, rising in power and eloquence, with flamboyant hand gestures accentuating his argument. His argument had changed little from my earlier findings, concentrating on the laws of intestacy that favoured the elder son and how well Bonifatius had run the mines since his father’s death. The crowd played along – some cheered his points, whilst others jeered. I guessed that both claimants had paid for the crowd to be dotted with their own men, thinking that may sway my decision one way or another. I sat impassive throughout the performance, trying my best to adopt a visage of concentration and deliberation. I was careful not to favour one side over the other – the crowd needed to see Roman justice at work.

  Kanutus argued, ‘The sequence of seniority is implicit in the wording of the will. After all, why else would their father praise my client’s virtues before that of the younger brother? Clearly, he felt Bonifatius’ claim to be the greater.’

  There was a loud clapping of hands and snapping of togas from the crowd after this point, clearly thinking that he had scored a decisive point. I raised my hand for silence and decided that Cadmus should be allowed to respond to this argument. ‘What do you say to that? It sounds as if your father may have wished for your elder brother to be the senior partner?’

  Cadmus shook his head and said in a clear voice that resonated with surprising power, ‘Not at all. After all, was not our own imperator confirmed as the heir to the divine Julius Caesar after the sighting of a comet? One that appeared after the death of Julius Caesar and is accepted by one and all to signify his immortal soul gaining ascendancy and being received into the realms of the immortal gods. If the order of seniority is signified by chronological order alone, we would still be ruled by the traitors that assassinated the divine Julius. Wasn’t the murderer Brutus originally recognised as Julius Caesar’s heir?’

  The crowd gave a genuine gasp of shock at the mention of the tumultuous events that had torn the empire apart fifty years before. I was quite surprised myself, and I signalled Aulus over to me. I whispered quietly in his ear, ‘Why’s he bringing up all that nonsense? They only invented the story about the comet to bury the rift caused by the civil wars.’

  Aulus put his hand by my ear so no one could lip-read what he said and whispered back, ‘Careful, Cassius. He’s trying to trap you. If you dismiss his argument regarding the imperator, he may later argue that you are denying the legitimacy of Augustus to rule. That would, needless to say, be a treasonous act.’

  ‘Crafty fox,’ I seethed through clenched teeth.

  I turned back to the crowd and gave a magnanimous smile to the younger brother. ‘Yes, I think that is a fair point you make. I don’t think that order of seniority can be signified by the wording of the will alone.’

  Some in the crowd cheered, but Bonifatius’ face purpled in rage.

  I held up my hand for silence. I’d be damned if I was going to let Cadmus get away with it that easily. ‘However, the elder brother’s lawyer has made a very convincing case. Bonifatius is the elder brother, and the laws of intestacy do normally favour the elder son. Why should I deviate from that path?’

  Bonifatius’ face returned to its normal colour, a smile once again creasing his face.

  Cadmus wasn’t the slightest bit perturbed. He started listing his own achievements, highlighting to the crowd his success in developing new sources of wealth for the province and the empire. ‘The new mines I have unearthed will one day dwarf the paltry amounts extracted from the open mines. My deep mines will enrich this city and make this the most prosperous region of the empire.’

  Once he had the attention of the crowd, he lowered his tone, signifying its ominous portent. ‘The previous mines will soon dry up. Already revenue is down. All that has been built here will soon fade and pass.’

  The crowd started whispering in worried tones. He continued, his tone rising. ‘Only I have the knowledge to unearth these new veins of wealth. Only I can uncover this hidden bedrock of unlimited prosperity.’ He then spun around and pointed at me. ‘Do you want to be responsible for depriving the people of this city that wealth? Do you want to be the man to tell the imperator Augustus that the tribute owed Rome from these mines will not be coming? All because you favoured the elder brother over me?’

  There was a cacophony of noise from the crowd as the different factions started arguing over the likelihood of this. I used this brief period of pandemonium to once again consult Aulus. ‘Is he really allowed to threaten me like that?’

  Aulus nodded. ‘Of course. He is allowed to use any means at his disposal to sway the verdict his way. You might not like him, but he has a point. Do you want to be the man to tell Augustus that there was an opportunity to increase the gold revenue from Spain, but you didn’t take it because of a few dead slaves?’

  It was more than a few, but I took his point. In reality, from a purely legal point of view, both brothers held a strong case. As they had now outlined their arguments, I once again held my hand up for silence. I summed
up my thoughts, so all could hear. ‘I find this case a very regrettable one. Two capable and talented brothers, each able in their own way, just as their late father stated.’ I gave a long and theatrical sigh. ‘I would like to follow the late father’s wishes.’

  Both brothers gave me a worried look, so I held up my hand in mock surrender. ‘But clearly, your relationship with one another has deteriorated to such a degree that option is no longer open to me.’

  I gave another sigh. ‘From the evidence put before me, it is clear that Bonifatius is undoubtedly very accomplished in running his late father’s vast mining empire.’

  The elder brother gave a slight bow and a grateful smile.

  But this was quickly wiped away, as I added, ‘But I cannot ignore the fact that Cadmus has been the more successful in uncovering new veins of wealth to add to that same enterprise.’

  I shook my head in mock regret. ‘Such a pity that you couldn’t work together in unison.’

  Also a pity that one was a crook, the other a mass murderer, but I didn’t share that with the crowd. I raised a finger, as if an idea had just come to me. ‘However, whilst the father was still living, you two brothers did exactly that! Such a pity that we cannot resurrect your dear father from his grave, and then this regrettable divide in your family could be healed.’

  A few in the crowd gave murmurs of sympathy, but both brothers looked concerned. This wasn’t what they wanted to hear. Bonifatius’ lawyer, Kanutus, lost patience at my meanderings and blurted, ‘But not even the gods have that power! So you need to choose between the brothers! Clearly, my client has the stronger case.’

  There was a series of shouts from the other side as they disputed this.

  I held up my hand for silence, and said, ‘I have a duty to the Republic, and to the law, to honour the wishes of the will. I may not be able to resurrect their own father, but maybe I can substitute one father for another.’

  There was a shocked gasp from the crowd, and both brothers started yammering in protest. I stamped my foot, and shouted, ‘Silence!’

  On cue, Marcus signalled, and my Praetorians all clashed their spears on their shields, the noise reverberating around the square like a crack of thunder.

  This got everyone’s attention and brought up everyone short. The brothers looked around uneasily.

  I continued in a calm voice. ‘Iohannes Paulus clearly stated that his only aim in life, for both himself and his family, was to their benefactor Augustus Caesar. Who better to act as a surrogate father to the two boys than the father of our beloved Republic himself? Therefore, I award all holdings of the departed Iohannes Paulus to be bequeathed to the imperator Augustus.’

  Both brothers turned round to me in fury. The elder Bonifatius said, in a voice seething with anger, ‘You cannot possibly expect us to accept this. I have worked in those mines since I was a young boy. No one knows more about—’

  I interrupted him, giving him a mild smile. ‘And you will continue to do so. You’re right, nobody else has the expertise to extract the gold as well as you two. So you will both continue in your current positions, running the mine as you have before, just in Augustus’ name.’

  Cadmus looked confused. ‘But who will profit from the revenues?’

  I shrugged. ‘Augustus will want his fair share to be sure, but as he has always extracted a fair slice of the profits by form of tribute, I find it unlikely that he will wish to increase this.’

  Bonifatius looked taken aback. ‘So will we still keep the rest of the gold?’

  I looked at him shrewdly. ‘Providing that all gold is still minted through Tarraco, as agreed by law. Remember, the mine is owned by Augustus now, so any subterfuge in this matter will mean you are stealing from the imperator himself.’

  Bonifatius went as white as a sheet.

  I then looked at the younger brother. ‘Furthermore, all resources of said mines will now also belong to the imperator. When you purchase new labourers for your mine, you will be doing so in the imperator’s name – I would suggest you not forget that in your future dealings.’

  I said to Bonifatius, ‘As you are the elder brother, you will be responsible for purchasing all slaves and marshalling all resources for the enterprise. As your father said, you are an excellent administrator.’

  I swung back to the younger brother. ‘Cadmus, you may continue your exploratory digs in the Gallaecian mountains, but you must bow to your elder brother’s wishes in terms of manpower. In return, you may check his books to make sure you are still receiving your fair share of the revenue.’

  The younger brother gave me a shrewd look. ‘What if we refuse?’

  I narrowed my eyes. ‘Then you can explain to the imperator why you refuse to work for him. I’d be careful though, his temper is said to be sharp.’

  Cadmus gave me a grudging smile. ‘You’re more clever than you look.’

  I dismissed his compliment with a wave of my hand. ‘Let it be declared by the power of the city of Rome, her Republic, and the Senate that rules her, that this case has been resolved.’

  The assembled crowd cheered, although, fair to admit, some did look a little bemused.

  Chapter Thirty-six

  The sun beat down on the southern road that led from Asturica Augusta as my small column of men marched away from Gallaecia. Marcus and I were at the front of the column, bronze breastplates reflecting the strong sun, as we walked in front of our men. The only mounted member of our troop was Aulus, who galloped his horse in the distance, kicking up a high plume of dust as it ran through the dry and parched plain.

  Marcus took his helmet off and wiped the sweat from his brow. ‘What I don’t understand is why you left either of them in control of the mine. If what you told me is true, why give them the chance to abuse their positions again?’

  I watched my brother-in-law to the south turn the fast stallion around and start galloping back towards us. ‘I had no choice, Marcus. If I’d stripped the lands away from them entirely, they would have challenged my ruling. Besides, they had a point. Only they have the knowledge to mine those mountains. Who else could have taken over control? Me? You? Germanicus? None of us would know where to start.’

  Marcus squinted into the sun as he watched Aulus come galloping back. ‘But you did take away their birthright.’

  I shrugged. ‘Yes, it was something Aulus told me. Only the imperator had successfully proscribed lands and estates away from their rightful owners. If it worked before, why not now? I think the brothers will accept the ruling when they realise they can enrich themselves just as easily as they had previously.’

  He looked at me. ‘Then why bother to give their mines to Augustus at all?’

  I sighed. ‘Because it was the only way I could control their excesses. Now the mine is owned by Augustus, I doubt Bonifatius will have the nerve to steal from the imperator himself. He didn’t strike me as that brave. As for Cadmus, well, he’s still a worry. But the slaves are under the control of the elder brother now, not him. Cadmus might delve ever deeper into those mountains, but I trust Bonifatius’ miserly nature to prevent Cadmus needlessly throwing slaves’ lives away without a care. It wasn’t much, but it was all I could offer those poor wretched souls trapped under those mountains.’

  Marcus nodded, then smiled. ‘Do you think the imperator will be pleased to find out he now owns several mines in Gallaecia?’

  I gave a light laugh. ‘I have no idea. I’ll worry about that when I get back to Rome. At least I’ve secured the gold trade for the time being.’

  Marcus looked back at Flavus, who walked alongside Maris, chatting amicably behind the mules carrying our gold. ‘So two of your missions have been successful. Do you think Germanicus will be angry that the monoceros got away?’

  Maris and Flavus had become firm friends on the journey back to Asturica. From the sound of their tales, they would have never made it back if they hadn’t worked together; their small band had come under attack again, and Flavus had killed the traitor A
udax. I gave a grunt. ‘Almost certainly. But what could I do? Once it was out of its cage, we’d never have been able to catch it again. Blantek made that much very clear.’

  Marcus nodded solemnly. ‘Poor Blantek. We’re leaving a lot of friends behind us in those mountains. That outlaw has a lot to answer for. I’m glad you killed him.’

  I know my mind should have turned to Iovis and the band of legionaries that had given their lives so we could escape, but instead, my mind turned to Viviana. I hadn’t had a chance to say goodbye, and now I was unlikely ever to see her again. ‘Life is like that sometimes, Marcus. Some tales are cut short before their time.’

  The sound of galloping hooves turned us back to Aulus, who pulled up his sorrel stallion just before us. ‘Cassius, this is the greatest horse I have ever ridden! He will be the prize of my stables. How can I ever thank you?’

  I gave a laugh. ‘It’s a pleasure. After my last encounter with mounted combat, I think I prefer my own two feet. We might have a battle persuading Bricius to take him back on his ship however.’

  Aulus gave the horse an affectionate pat on its neck. ‘Don’t worry about that, Cassius. Even if I have to pay to have him shipped back to Rome with my own coin, it will be worth it. Such speed, such agility.’

  The journey back to Tarraco went without incident, although we had to push hard to get back in time for the governor’s games. A shiver ran down my spine as we marched past the old ruins of Numantia, and we didn’t dally in its vicinity. We camped along the way, Marcus securing us a camp each night. The journey was swift, as we marched late into the evenings before rising and starting early the next day. I felt bad about pushing my men so hard after all they had endured, but I knew I dare not offend the governor by arriving late for his spectacle. So we arrived back in Tarraco, dusty and weary, but before the end of Augustus.