Andivius Hedulio: Adventures of a Roman Nobleman in the Days of the Empire

by Edward Lucas White

  CHAPTER XXXI

  RECOGNITION

  I do not recall any special feat of the Imperial beast-killer during thesummer and autumn of the year in which I had fooled Bulla and beentransferred from the stud-farm to the Choragium, which was the year inwhich Crispinus and Aelian were consuls, the nine hundred and fortiethyear of the City, [Footnote: 187 A.D.] and the eighth of the Principate ofCommodus. But, when the season for spectacles in the arena opened with thefirst warm, fair weather of the following spring, he returned to hisfavorite sport with redoubled zest, amounting to a craze.

  It was during the spring and early summer of this year that he began tomake huge wagers with wealthy senators, betting that he could kill aspecified number of a specified variety of animal with a specified numberof spears or arrows; always proposing so to limit himself as to number ofweapons that the exploit appeared impossible. The result was thatavaricious Midases were eager to wager, as they felt certain of winning.Yet he never lost, not once.

  And, after each wager made, or won, he made the next on a narrower marginat smaller odds, until he struck the whole nobility numb by offering towager even money that he could kill one hundred full-grown male bears fromhis usual platform with one hundred hunting spears, covenanting that hewas to lose if he needed one hundred and one spear-casts to lay out thosehundred bears limp, flabby and utterly dead. This appeared so utterly animpossibility that Aufidius Fronto offered to put up two million sestercesagainst him. The pompous sham philosopher, who feigned the profoundestcontempt for riches, could not resist what looked like enormous gains. Hemade the wager, and Commodus won.

  Now I cannot insist too positively on the amazing, the incredible strengthand skill and nerve required for this fatiguing and taxing feat. Any otherman I ever knew or heard of would have shown evidences of weariness longbefore he had despatched his hundredth bear; would certainly have betrayedthe terrific strain on his nerves. Commodus was, apparently, as fresh, asjaunty, as full of reserve strength, as far from being unsure of himselfwhen he finished the hundredth bear as when he drove his first spear intothe first.

  Now it requires altogether exceptional strength so to cast even the bestdesign of hunting-spear, as keen as possible, as to drive it through thematted pelt, thick hide and big bones of a bear; in so driving it, to aimit so that it will pierce his heart calls for superhuman skill. And toreiterate this feat ninety-nine times in succession argues a perfection ofeye, hand and nerve never possessed by any man save Commodus. Any otherman would have felt the strain, most men would have become so anxioustowards the end as to become agitated. He kept calm and cool.

  I thoroughly enjoyed the discomfiture of Aufidius Fronto and relished hisfutile efforts to appear indifferent to his money loss.

  Not many days later Commodus made a similar and still more hazardous wagerwith Didius Julianus, the most opulent and ostentatious of the senators,who was afterwards nominally Emperor for two months and five days. Thiswager covenanted that Commodus, from his platform in the arena, woulddespatch one hundred full-grown male lions, in their prime and vigorous,with one hundred javelins. On this arduous frivolity they wagered tenmillion sesterces and had the actual gold, fifty thousand big, broad, goldpieces, carried into the arena and piled up in a gleaming mound on amonster crimson rug for all to behold. This bit of ostentation was likeDidius Julianus and not unnatural for Commodus. I have never seen any manperform so easily so difficult a feat. Killing a lion with three javelinsrequires very unusual strength and skill. To kill ten lions with fortycasts would tax the muscles, dexterity and nerves of the best spearman theworld ever knew. To kill a hundred lions with, barely one javelin apiecewas bravado to propose and miraculous to accomplish. Accomplish it he didand without any visible effort or strain. Eighty-nine of the hundred heshot through the heart; the remaining eleven with difficult fancy shotswhich he was, against all reason, tempted to essay, and which, against allprobability, uniformly were fully successful.

  Didius Julianus paid his wager without any show of chagrin, as he couldwell afford to do.

  At once Commodus offered to bet that he could kill a hundred similar lionswith a bare hundred arrows. Didius at once wagered the same sum he hadjust lost and the bet was made. The exhibition was delayed more than amonth until it had been possible to accumulate at Rome a full hundredfull-grown male lions. Then Commodus again shot in sight of a pile of goldpieces on an expanse of crimson velvet spread on the sand of the arena.

  Commodus won as before, with exactly the same number of heart shots andfancy shots. If one miracle can be greater than another this featsurpassed its predecessor. For a lion takes a great deal of killing beforehe dies, and each of these hundred lions died as quickly as any lion everdoes. Instant killing of a lion with a javelin is a miracle, even moremiraculous is instant killing of a lion with one arrow. Commodus so killedthe full hundred.

  I know of no more astounding demonstration of his infallible andtremendous muscle power than the fact that, shooting at a lion fullytwenty yards away, and in the act of rearing rampantly at the beginning ofa bound, he sent his arrow into the roof of its mouth, through the brain,the entire length of the spinal cord and so far that its point protrudedfrom the dead beast's rump above the root of its tail. Galen, who, asoften, was in the amphitheater in case of injury to the Prince, and whowas in the habit of dissecting such dead beasts as interested him, cutalong the path followed by the missile, cleaving the dead lion in twolengthwise and laying the two halves hide downward on the sand, so as todemonstrate to a bevy of curious and awed spectators the incredible pathof that arrow.

  Commodus lived on miracles. Of all the thousands of darts, javelins andspears which I saw him throw, of all the countless arrows I saw him shoot,not one ever missed its mark, not one merely hit the beast aimed at,everyone, even if launched at an ostrich skimming the sand or a gazelle,struck deep and true precisely where he had aimed it.

  As I am about to narrate the occurrence which put an end to the insensateindulgence in beast-killing in which Commodus had revelled, I am remindedthat, besides his vilifiers, who assert that he publicly exhibited himselfas an ordinary beast-fighter, and his apologists, who maintain that he notonly did not do so, but never so much as drove a chariot in public orspilt human blood with an edged weapon, there are others who, while notretailing or inventing any fictions or attempting to blink or suppress anyfacts, yet inveigh against Commodus as absurdly assuming the attributes ofHercules while really a weakling and as pretending to powers which henever possessed, as having been largely or wholly a counterfeit spearman,a make-believe archer, a sham swordsman and a mock athlete.

  Among other alleged proofs of these baseless contentions they cite theecstatic joy with which, to the limit of the supply gathered from allparts of the African deserts, he day after day, on the sands of the arena,delightedly clubbed ostriches, alleging that killing an ostrich with asword or club is child's play and no feat of skill. As to this particularcitation of vaunted evidence, as in their contentions at large, they areegregiously mistaken and far from the facts and the truth.

  Actually, for a lone man, on level ground, far from any shelter, an angryfull-grown young male ostrich is a formidable assailant and a dangerousantagonist. No living creature that roves the surface of our earth movesfaster than a healthy ostrich. When running it skims the arena, whenattacking it darts. It kicks forward, raising its long and powerful leghigh in the air and bringing it down with a blow so swift that the eyecannot follow it and so forcible that I have seen one such stroke smashall together the collar-bone, shoulder-blade, upper arm-bone and half theribs on that side of its unfortunate victim, a big, agile, vigorousNubian, habituated to ostriches in their haunts. And, if the leg missesits mark, as it very seldom does, the bird, as it hurls past its enemy,pecks viciously at his face, its sturdy beak being capable of inflicting aserious wound wherever it strikes, and often destroying an eye, its usualtarget.

  To stand alone, far out in the arena, bare-headed, clad only in adiaphanous silken tunic, armed
only with a club no longer or thicker thanhis forearm; so habited and armed to await the assault of an infuriatedbird so bulky, so swift, so agile and so powerful; to dodge jauntily, butinfallibly, both the stroke of the leg and the stab of the beak, andinvariably to bring his club down on the darting head and finish the birdneatly with that one blow; this was equally a feat of self-confidence, ofdexterity, of agility and of strength. I hold no man justified incondemning Commodus because he gloried in clubbing ostriches.

  The incident I recall occurred when spring had already waned and wasmerging into summer. The lower tiers of the Colosseum were well filledwith senators, nobles and other persons of sufficient importance to beinvited. None of the Vestals were present and their box was occupied byMarcia and her intimates. There were enough spectators seated to give theamphitheater an appearance of gaiety and vivacity almost as great as if ithad been filled by all classes of the populace. The weather was clear,warm and sunny, with a light, soft breeze.

  Commodus had exhibited his dexterity as an archer by shooting a greatnumber and great variety of small antelopes, each one of which he hadkilled with a single arrow. Next he began clubbing ostriches and disposedof a dozen or more. Altogether there were about fifty. It wascharacteristic of Commodus that he was impatient of any delay betweendifferent exhibitions when he was thus displaying his prowess. After theostriches he intended to mount his platform and shoot fifty or sixtylions. In order to have them handy to begin on as soon as the last ostrichwas despatched he had commanded that those which were to be let out ofposterns should be disposed behind the doors and that some of the cages ofthose which were to be liberated from cages should be hoisted from thecrypt and set ready in the arena. A full dozen of such cages had been setout. I was not with the gang hoisting these cages and marshalling otherlions behind posterns, but was at the opposite end of the arena with asmaller gang which was engaged in getting ready a score or more of tigerswhich were to be let out after the lions and which were giving a greatdeal of trouble.

  Commodus was facing my end of the arena and so had his back to the lionsin their cages, which were about thirty yards from him. The liberatedostriches did not seem to pay any attention to the caged lions and each,as he was driven back towards Commodus by men with long hayforks, withwhich they caught the birds' necks and held them off, turned furiously onCommodus and charged him viciously. Each bird Commodus dodged with oneslight instantaneous and effortless movement; each bird fell dead at once,neatly clubbed on the head.

  As he clubbed the last ostrich I saw a lion step dazedly and tentativelyout of one of the cages. Of course, it was not intended that any of thelions should be liberated until the Emperor had mounted his platform,approved the bow selected for him or chosen one for himself, and similarlyinspected and approved as many arrows as he expected to need. It washardly possible that any cage-door came open by accident. I conjectured aplot similar to that which I had seen fail when the piebald horse threwhimself and his fall and the wreck of the chariot he helped to draw failedto cause the death of Palus the Charioteer.

  The lion, once he was wholly out of his cage, sneaked forward his lengthor more, crouched, and bounded towards Commodus. A shout of dismay, horrorand warning went up from the audience. Marcia shrieked and leapt to herfeet. Most of the spectators also stood up, the audience rising in a sortof wave as it emitted its yell of consternation.

  Commodus whirled round, saw the lion, stood and eyed him precisely as ifhe had been a charging ostrich; appeared to measure the diminishingdistance, showed no sign of perturbation, crouched slightly, dodged as thelion sprang at him; dodged so slightly that I was sure the lion had him,but so effectively that no claw touched him; straightened up as the lion,wholly in the air, shot past him; swung his short club and brought it downon the lion's neck; and stood there, triumphant, by a lion stretched outmotionless on the sand, totally limp and unmistakably dead.

  Marcia fainted.

  So did half her guests.

  So did some of the older senators.

  Commodus, not so much as noticing the perturbation of his guests, not evenMarcia, called out to the overseer in charge of the cages:

  "Not a man of you dare move. Stand where you are."

  The guards, a batch of whom were stationed at each postern by which theattendants entered and left the arena, ran towards the Emperor. He orderedthem to summon all their fellows from all through the Colosseum and whentheir chief officer approached him gave orders that they form a cordonbehind the cages and see to it that no man of those who had been gettingout the cages should escape.

  While this was being done the spectators had reseated themselves, theinanimate had been revived and even Marcia had recovered consciousness andcomposure and, with her guests was as before their fright.

  When all were in order Commodus ordered:

  "Let out another lion!"

  The overseer in charge of the cages and the officer of the guardsdemurred.

  "Do as I tell you!" Commodus browbeat the overseer. To the officer hesaid:

  "If I, with only a tunic and club, am not afraid of a lion charging me,you and your men, in armor and with shields and swords ought not to beafraid." "We are not," the officer declared, "we are concerned for you,not for ourselves."

  "Pooh!" said Commodus. "If I could kill the first handily when I was notexpecting him, I can kill all the rest the same way when I know what iscoming. A lion, by that sample, is as easy to dodge and club dead as anostrich or easier. Send me another."

  Another was let out amid the dead silence of the dazed and astoundedspectators. Commodus killed the second as handily as the first.

  Now I must say that no exploit recorded of any human being or traditionalof any legendary hero, outclasses as a feat of strength, coolness, courageand perfect coordination of all the mental and physical faculties, thisact of Commodus' in killing two successive lions with a palm-wood club. Acharging lion is an object so terrifying as to chill the blood of adistant onlooker. Very unusually good nerves and very exceptional self-confidence are required to face with composure a portent which appears soirresistible. And when the lion emits his tremendous roar and rises,bodily, into the air in his mortal spring, mouth wide open, its crimsoncavern glaring, teeth gleaming, eyes blazing, mane erect, paws spread,claws wide, the stoutest heart might well quail. Yet, after barelyescaping one lion, this foolhardy coxcomb, this vainglorious madcap,joyously called for another and jauntily despatched him: whatever may besaid against Commodus as a man and an Emperor, as an athlete he believedin himself and justified his belief.

  He called for a third, in spite of Marcia's shrieks, gesturing to her tosit down and keep still, and laughing up at her. But by this time AemilusLaetus, who was afterwards the last Prefect of the Praetorium to Commodusand who was then an officer of the Guards, superior to the officer who hadprotested, approached, saluted and spoke to the Emperor. Their conferencewas conducted in tones too low to be overheard, but it was afterwardsreported, both by those who claimed to learn of it from Commodus and bythose who claimed to have been informed by Laetus, that he had urged uponthe Emperor that his personal importance to the Republic was too great forhim to risk himself so needlessly, and that Commodus had yielded to hisexpostulations.

  At any rate Commodus ordered arrested and bound the entire gang who hadbeen handling the lions' cages. He then walked up to them and enquired whohad let out that lion. When no one confessed to having been responsibleand several were accused by their fellows, the Emperor gave orders to leadoff all concerned, hale them not before the Palace court, nor thecommission in charge of prosecutions for offences against ImperialMajesty, but before the regular public magistrate in charge of trials formurder, assassination, poisoning, homicidal conspiracy and the like.

  "Let him put the entire gang to the torture," the Emperor was reported asordering. "Let him prosecute his enquiry until he gets a confessionplainly naming the man who bribed the poor wretch who left that cage half-fastened, or the man who bribed the man who forced him to do it,
or thewhole chain of scoundrels, from the noble millionaire conspirators whohatched the idea, through their rabble of go-betweens down to the fool whohocussed that door-snap."

  After the prisoners were marched off Commodus had the herald apologize forthe interruption of the entertainment, proclaim that it would now proceedand request everyone to remain to enjoy it. Then he mounted his platform.

  Yet this was his last exhibition of himself in the role of beast-slayer. Iconjecture that as the episode of the piebald horse enlightened him as tothe facilities for unobtrusive assassination afforded his enemies by hispublic appearances as a charioteer, so this episode of the accidentallyliberated lion awakened him to the ease with which it might be arranged,whenever he entered the arena as a beast-slayer, that some monster mightbe loosed at him rather than for him. At any rate he never again took hisstand in the arena for his long idolized sport. Beast-slaying hethenceforth eschewed.

  Of course it was not by any means at once that we in the Choragiumrealized that the Emperor had abandoned his vagary. We knew only that wewere suddenly unemployed and were merely glad of the respite and thenuneasy at the change. I had time to reflect how marvellous had been myluck. Commodus himself had three several times asked me questions about myability to control beasts; Galen had many times stood by me or passed nearme, often with his eyes apparently meeting mine. Satronius Satro had stoodand gazed at me, not three yards away. A score of other senators, all ofwhom had known me in the days of my prosperity, had been as near me, andnoblemen to the number of something like a hundred. Not one of these hadidentified me.

  If I escaped recognition it was, I conjectured, because of the deep-seatedhabit of mind of noblemen and more exalted personages and of men, likeGalen, who have risen to a station in life which places them on anequality with nobles; the habit of mind which makes them regard a slavenot as a human being, to be looked at as an individual, as they look at anequal or any freeman, but as a mere object like a door, or gate or pieceof statuary or of furniture or a sort of utensil. Such men look full at aslave, if unknown to them, without really perceiving him. From this cause,I conceive, I escaped recognition, detection, and annihilation.

  Much less than a month after the episode of Commodus and the two lions Iwas reading in my quarters, when the slave detailed as my personal servantentered and, cringing, said that there was a gentleman who wanted to seeme. I gazed at him severely and said:

  "I think you are mistaken. Please remember what the procurator told youabout persons desiring to intrude on me."

  The fellow fairly cowered, visibly sweating and trembling, but insisted:

  "I really think that you really will be glad to see this gentleman."

  I perceived that some unusual enticement must have been offered thepitiful wretch to induce him to brave the terrors of the punishments withwhich the procurator had threatened him if he allowed any would-bevisitors to reach me. It also appeared to me that the fellow was fond ofme and had the best of intentions.

  "Show the gentleman up," I finally said.

  He had been gone but a very short time when the door opened and incame....

  Tanno!

  He shut the door fast and, without a word, we were clasped in a closeembrace.

  When our emotions quieted sufficiently I pressed Tanno into a chair andresumed mine. We gazed at each other some time before either masteredhimself enough for words. Tanno spoke first, veiling his feelings beneathhis habitual jocularity. He said:

  "Caius, you are certainly unkillable or bear a charmed life. You have beenofficially certified as dead two several times. First you were butcheredby the Praetorians at Ortona, then you were assassinated by a disgruntledpublic-slave in the Umbrian Mountains: after two demises here you are, asalive as possible. Please explain."

  "I feel faint," I said, "and, illogically, both thirsty and hungry."

  I signalled for my servitor and, almost at once, he brought plenty of theChoragium's more than passable wine, fresh bread and a variety of coldviands. A draught of wine and a mouthful of bread and ham made me feelmyself. Then I told about my close shaves when I three several timesbarely escaped assassination at the hands of partizans of Bulla, about thekindness of the _Villicus_ and procurator and why I had changed my name.

  "Why didn't you send at least a tiny note to Vedia and let her know youwere alive after all?" he queried.

  "I have lain awake night after night," I replied, "composing letters toVedia and to you, letters which would tell you what I wanted if, by goodluck, they came into your hands, but which, if they fell into the hands ofsecret-service agents, would tell nothing and not so much as arouse enoughsuspicion to cause them to investigate me and take a look at me. I couldnot frame, to my satisfaction, even one such letter. I knew that anymessenger I employed would most likely post off to some Imperial spy andshow him my letter before he took it to its destination or instead ofdelivering it. I canvassed every possible messenger, from my personalservitor here in the Choragium, through all the slaves I knew here or inthe Colosseum who are free to run about the city, up to every sort ofstreet-gamin, idler, loafer, sycophant and what not. I could not think ofany kind of messenger who would be safe, nor of any letter which would notbe dangerous. Much as I wanted to apprise Vedia of my survival I could notbut feel that any attempt on my part to communicate with her or with youwould lead straight to betrayal, detection, recognition and the death fromwhich Agathemer saved me."

  "I believe you were right," Tanno agreed. "It has all come out for thebest. You are alive and unsuspected and I have found you."

  "How did you find me?" I queried.

  "Galen," he said, to my astonishment, "told me that you were sheltered inthe Choragium, cloaked under the style and title of Festus the Beast-Tamer. He said he recognized you last fall, but did not judge it wise togive me or Vedia so much as a hint as long as you were busy in the arenain full view of all Rome on festival days and under the eyes of our entirenobility during our Prince's exhibitions of himself as Hercules Delirans.When Commodus abruptly realized that beast-killing might not suit hishealth because of the opportunities it gave for accidentally letting lionsor tigers or what not out of their cages at unexpected moments, since hewas not likely to revert to his renounced sport and you were not likely tobe so much in demand and therefore less likely to be much underobservation, Galen thought it safe to tell me. He says he has alwaysbelieved that you had nothing to do with Egnatius Capito's conspiracy, hadmerely been seen by some secret-service agent while talking to Capito,never were a member of his conspiracy, never conspired against Commodus,never were disloyal, have never been and are not any danger to our Prince,and therefore are a man to be shielded rather than informed on. So he kepthis face when he recognized you in the arena masquerading as Festus andkept his counsel till he judged the time ripe to tell me.

  "I at once told Vedia, in person and privately. She is overjoyed, and,just as her encounter with you on the Flaminian Road not only stopped herproposed marriage to Orensius Pacullus, but made her feel she never wantedto hear of him again, so your resurrection and reappearance now hasspoiled an apparently prosperous wooing of her by Flavius Clemens, who isas good a fellow as lives; noble, rich, handsome, charming and just such asuitor as Vedia might and should have married if you were really dead, andone she could not, in any case, help flirting with. She must haveadmiration, attention and admirers. With all her love of gaiety she lovesyou unalterably."

  "I infer," I said, "that she told you of our encounter on the FlaminianWay."

  "She did," he answered, "and gave me a full report of your story of youradventures from Plosurnia's Tavern till she saw you. As soon as weconferred we both started to use all our influence and any amount of cashnecessary (we both have cash to spare, hoards of it) to arrange for yourlegal manumission by the _fiscus_, your disappearance, and your comfort insome secure shelter until it might be safe for you to reappear as yourselfin your proper station in society.

  "We found we should have no difficulty in arranging for
your manumission.It has already been favorably reported on the recommendation of theauthorities of Nuceria. We had only to slip a small bribe or two toexpedite matters. But when we sent off a dependable agent, armed with allthe necessary papers, to set you free from your captivity on the Imperialestate, and provide you with plenty of cash to make everything smooth foryour disappearance, he was confronted with a most circumstantial story ofyour assassination and burial, with the official reports of both and theaffirmation of an upper inspector who had investigated the matter.

  "We could not but think you dead in fact and Vedia was as heartbroken asfive years ago, if not more so, for the glamour of that romantic encounterwith you was magical. I believed you dead and was astounded when Galengave me his information. Vedia is as amazed as I."

  After some mutual desultory chat he fell to questioning me about myadventures and, drinking and eating when the humor took us, we spent mostof the day together, I rehearsing for him all that I had told Vedia andmuch more in detail and also telling of all which had befallen me sincethen.

  When Tanno left, it was as late as he could possibly remain and yet reachthe Baths of Titus in time for the briefest bath there.

  Next day he came again.

  By this time both he and I had had time to think over the situation and toarrive at definite conclusions as to what was best to do. I was delightedto find that his ideas and mine agreed as to all essentials.

  When he first came in he said:

  "I had mighty little sleep last night. I could hardly close my eyes forthinking over your marvellous adventures. The more I ponder over them themore wonderful they seem; especially your involvement with Maternus; yourencounter with Pescennius Niger; your presence in the Circus Maximus whenCommodus:--I mean Palus:--drove his car over the axles of the stalledchariots and escaped between them out of the smash and wreckage; yourinvolvement with the mutineers, and your safety in Rome all these months,even in the arena of the amphitheater. I congratulate you."

  Then he told me his plan which he had already talked over with Vedia andwhich she approved. There happened to be in Rome a distinguished andwealthy provincial of senatorial rank, about to leave for Africa, wherehis estates were situated and where he owned vast properties nearCarthage, Hippo Regius, Hadrumetum, Lambaesis and Thysdrus, in all ofwhich places he had residences of palatial proportions and luxury. He hadbeen making enquiries among his acquaintances for a slave much of the sortAgathemer had been to me. He had not found one to suit him. Tanno thoughtthat I would suit him and could easily pass myself off as the sort of manhe wanted. Then I would get out of Rome unsuspected and be comfortable andwell treated in the most Italian of all our out-provinces, in a delightfulclimate, amid abundance of all the good things of life.

  I agreed with him.

  Then he disclosed his plan for bringing this about. By influence orbribing or both he would arrange to have me sold out of the Choragium,ostensibly as now superfluous there, and to have me bought from the_fiscus_ by a dependable and close-mouthed go-between buyer, who wouldagree to hold me for quick resale to a purchaser designated by Tanno. ThusNonius Libo, the wealthy provincial who was to be induced to purchase me,would know nothing of my identity with Festus the Animal Tamer or of myconnection with the Choragium.

  I acclaimed this project, as far more promising than Vedia's plan toseclude me in the dreary wilds of Bruttium.

  Tanno gave me a letter and went off. I found the missive a long and lovingletter from Vedia: one to soothe and transport any lover.

  Tanno had said that he would not visit me again except as was absolutelyneedful, considering it reckless and venturesome to run the risk of someImperial spy noticing his visits to the Choragium and makinginvestigations. Though he remarked that no man in Rome seemed less likelythan he to be suspected of disloyalty, intrigue or of being a danger tothe Prince.

  Within a very few days he paid me one more visit to inform me thateverything had gone well, that all necessary arrangements had been madefor my sale by the _fiscus_ out of the Choragium, and all necessarypreparations made to take full advantage of it.

  A few days later I was formally sold for cash to a provincial slave-dealer, named Olynthides. In a slave-barrack which he had hired for themonth only I found myself with a motley crew, but kept apart from them andcomfortably lodged, well fed and considerately treated, as valuablemerchandise.

  The day after Olynthides had bought me Nonius Libo came to inspect me. Hetalked to me in Latin and in Greek, commended my fluency and polish in theuse of both, had me write out a letter in each at his dictation, read bothand commended my accuracy, script and speed; questioned me about thehistory of music, painting, and sculpture and as to my opinions on theworks of various sculptors, painters, architects and composers; askedabout my tastes along these lines and as to jewelry, fine furniture,tapestries, carpets and the like; also as to my personal tastes concerninglodging, bathing, hunting, food and clothing and was I a good sailor andfond of the sea; and stated that I suited him.

  I was not present at his chaffering with Olynthides but, after no longinterval I was summoned into the courtyard and Olynthides handed me overto Nonius Libo, along with a bill of sale.