“And this is why the Senate voted for him to be Pontifex” Marcus stated rather than asked. Livia nodded.
“He was bequeathed many tracts of land by some of those who loved him on the Capitol” Livia said. “They say he had buried his own gold when the barbarians attacked and that the Gauls didn’t find it when they ransacked his house. He is certainly helping many families to rebuild their own houses and to pay for food” she added quietly as Marcus nodded slowly. He had heard the stories of Javenoli inheriting vast swathes of land inside and outside the city from families who had died on the Capitol.
“The women were stronger than many of the men, I hear” Livia said as she dropped her eyes from Marcus’ keen gaze.
Marcus nodded slowly as he sat back and thought through the ideas he had been cogitating as Livia had spoken. “Today” he said, his voice firm as Livia and young Lucius looked at him. “I will make three suggestions to the Senate” he said, the firmness in his voice suggesting that suggestions was as far removed from the commands he would give as Dictator than anyone could imagine. “First we must re-consecrate all the temples across the city. Every building that has been destroyed and defiled must be cleansed and purified. We will need to search for the appropriate texts in the Sibylline Books” he said solemnly before continuing. “Secondly we will give a new peace treaty with Caere for their generous support to our priests during this war with the Gauls. Without their support we would not have all of the sacred objects and the knowledge of the gods that will restore Rome back to greatness.” His eyes flashed as he spoke, Livia staring at him with a half open mouth as the words tumbled from his mouth. “And finally,” he said as he looked to Livia and smiled. “For the women of Rome who gave up their lives and their gold for our great city, I will ensure that a new law is written. Rome will allow laudatory orations to be spoken at funerals for all women of Rome” he said as Livia’s face burst into one of happiness. “We must be proud of our women and their sacrifices, and their great deeds should be called when they pass to their ancestors. What they have done on the Capitol Hill is befitting of such at a tribute” he said with true feeling. Marcus noted the happy smile on Livia’s face as she looked back at him and rose to put a hand on his arm.
“Oh Marcus” she said. “The women of Rome will be delighted” she said.
Marcus’ brow creased as a sudden thought came to him. “Livia, my darling” he said quickly, standing as he took a deep breath and hugged her tight. “You are right” he said. “We should all celebrate” he added quickly as he looked to young Lucius. “Young, old, patrician, plebeian, everyone should celebrate. We shall hold a magnificent games, the Capitoline Games” he added as he span around with Livia in his arms. “Feasting, chariot racing, singing and dancing” he said. “We must restore Rome to its glory and return to normality. What better way could there be than to keep everyone’s minds full of happiness” he said. “I will announce it at my triumphal march speech.
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Chapter 32
The speech had been followed by the loudest cheers that Marcus could ever have imagined. All the new laws were passed, the games agreed, with the selection of officials to plan the games coming only from those families who had been on the Capitol during the siege, a new addition that Javenoli had requested but to which Marcus had instantly agreed.
The city was starting to rebuild and the old families and plebeians seemed to be in a better, more agreeable, state of mind than Marcus could ever remember. His exile and the enormous fine that came with it, had been rescinded and he had given up the role of Dictator after the triumph, as befitted the old ways. Yet despite the improved happiness of the Roman population there were new calls for the people to move to the city of Veii, the arguments based on the fact that Rome was indefensible, its low walls destroyed by the Gauls and the quarry’s which were dotted around the city could not produce enough stone to build new walls quickly enough to defend against any new attacks from their enemies. Two or three of the patrician families had argued for the move, and Marcus had been angry that the calls for the population to move to the hated city he had defeated only a few years previously were being listened to.
He had spent some hours speaking to the new Pontifex Maximus and Javenoli seemed even more incensed by the calls to move to Veii than Marcus was. Yet despite this the calls for the population to move were rising every day as plebeians and patricians alike struggled to rebuild their homes. Many of the old houses, where the families had either been killed by the Gauls or simply not returned to Rome, were being torn down to provide building materials for new houses. Many of the old roads were being re-shaped as men grabbed as much space as they could, claiming land that had previously belonged to their neighbours and starting to build low walls across streets and corners which had been in place for centuries. With so few men in Rome the law was still powerless to intervene and some had already grasped their opportunity to take anything which was not already claimed by a returning family.
As Marcus sat in the study of his old house on the Palatine Hill, only just starting to take shape itself, he tapped the stylus he was writing with against the wooden board of the wax tablet in his hands. He was composing a speech for a dinner party than night and was thinking of comparing the changes he had made to the Roman legions, their larger shields, shorter swords and use of lighter throwing javelins in the early attacks, to the Gallic all-out attacks. His mind was working through the defensive lines and how well they had matched the frenzied Gallic attacks when his peace was interrupted by a hammering on the front door. He cocked his head as he heard the voices urgently requesting to see him, and then turned to see the face of one of his new slaves peer around the study door and say that two Senators were here to see him.
Marcus walked to the hallway, his frown widening as he saw several members of the Senate were standing in the doorway, all looking agitated.
“Gentlemen?” he asked as he stepped up to them, concern etched in his face. “What brings you to my humble dwelling on such a fine day” he asked, looking to each of them in turn.
“Camillus” said Sergius Cox the elder, the father of the man who had fought so well at Gabbi. “You must have heard of the constant calls for the people to leave Rome and move to Veii” he said, his white eyebrows bunching into a deep frown as he looked up at Marcus, who nodded with frustration written across his face. Cox looked around at the other Senators. “A meeting has been called at the Comitia and two of the Tribunes, Longus and Fidenas” he said quickly “have gathered a crowd of supporters to call for people to leave.” He rubbed his hands against his thighs as he looked up at Marcus. “Senator Javenoli has gone to argue against the move, but I fear the crowd are all for leaving” he added almost apologetically.
Marcus closed his eyes for a moment. Veii again he thought as he balled his fists, a movement that many of the men staring at him noticed as their eyes flicked down to his hands and then back to his face. “Then let us enter the debate, gentlemen. We must stop this foolish behaviour once and for all.” The group of elders marched behind Marcus as he set off down the long hill that led to the Forum and across to the Rostra. As he marched along, he started to boil over with the frustration of the constant calls to move to Veii, his mind running through a series of arguments and comments he would make to the mass of people.
As he entered the Forum he was shocked to see the volume of people within the cities central square. Men and women were gathered in groups, all staring ahead and straining to listen to the two Tribunes, who were in full flow, their voices drifting over the heads in front of Marcus and the group of Senators. People pointed and moved aside as Marcus approached, no need for Lictors as the tide of people split aside as they whispered his name. Longus nudged Fidenas as they saw the movement, both men narrowing their eyes and becoming even more frantic in their appeals to the people as Marcus approached.
On reaching the Rostra Marcus stood with his arms folded across his chest and his right leg forwards
as the two Tribunes eyed him suspiciously but continued to list the present issues with the city of Rome. No defences, houses smashed by the Gauls, the years it would take to rebuild the city, the lack of support from the gods when the Gauls defeated them. Marcus stood and listened to every word, his face a picture of calm as he waited by the Rostra. As Fidenas came to a natural close he looked across to Marcus as the crowd began to mumble, heads turning and nodding as the general chatter rose to a thunderous noise. Marcus stepped on to the Rostra and turned slowly to face the crowd of people. Heads turned to him, faces stared at him and people began to call for silence as he stood and looked over the heads of the crowd.
Marcus looked to the two instigators of the meeting. “Tribunes, your ideas are not to my tastes” he said coldly, his eyes moving back to the people in front of him. “People of Rome” he said as he took a moment to survey the crowd and ensure every last man, woman and child was looking at him. “I have listened to the argument put forward and I am at a loss to understand how we, proud people of this city, can countenance such thoughts.” He turned to the group of Senators and lifted an arm. “When the Patres of Rome were besieged on the Capitol” he turned back to the crowd. “When you, good folk of Rome, were besieged with them, others hiding for months in the hills awaiting the time to return to your homes” he said slowly and with passion. “Through all this time the men of Rome and their gods clung to the Capitol, the seat of Jupiter greatest and best” he said as he turned his head towards the temple, noticing people’s gazes following his lead. “Shall we forget their suffering? Shall we forget the sacrifice of Devotio by the heads of the old families? Shall we let our city, which we have won back by the blood of your families, grow desolate after our victory?” Grumbles started in the crowd, but he held up a hand for silence.
He looked at the two tribunes, who stared back defiantly as he turned back to the crowd. “When we follow the guidance of the gods, all is well in Rome. When we scorn the gods, all is ill” he said as he set his face into a stern scowl. “Remember” he called, more loudly. “We defeated Veii by divine injunction, draining the lake and finding the entrance tunnels to the city that we had besieged for ten years. For years we had allowed the love of the gods to wane as we argued about the justness of holding men at a siege for many years. Years in which I ensured payment was given to those families driven to poverty by the lack of the strong arms of their men to toil in their fields. By divine support did we defeat that city” he shouted, his voice measured but loud. “And to this fight with the Gauls” he shouted. “Only when the envoys at Clusium ignored and violated the law of nations and we did not punish them” he said angrily. “Did we ignore our duty and call down the punishment of the gods” he called. “At the Allia we lost because we ignored the sacred sacrifices to the gods and did not worship Jupiter, Mars and Juno who have looked over this city for generations.” He closed his eyes and let his shoulders drop, before opening them again and looking hard into the crowd in front of him. “But we did not neglect our duty on the Capitol” he said. “You women and you men who saved the great temple from being overrun by the barbarians have brought the gods back to our side. The heavens restored our city and gave us back our sense of duty. A duty which I, and the Senate” he looked across to the white-clad men behind him. “And the good men of the plebeian council” he said with a nod towards several men he noticed were standing in the front rank of onlookers. “Will die defending.” He took a moment to look around the sea of faces, nobody turning from his gaze as he looked out over the crowd. “Our city was founded with all the right auspices and due rites. Would you desert your gods for the defeated city of Veii? How could we hold Jupiter’s Feast anywhere but the Capitol? What of Vesta’s eternal flame? Will you snuff it out in Rome to light it in another city? One that Queen Juno left, her voice heard to speak as her sacred statue was removed from the dying city?” He stared wide-eyed at the crowd. “What of the sacred shield of Mars? Would you leave all our gods behind?” Again, he paused to let his words sink in as he stared out at the silent crowd.
“You may say that Rome is rubble and ashes, that the stench of the dead permeates the city and that we have no defences like Veii, with their great walls. But what if those walls fall? Will we simply move on to Gabbi or some other city, wandering homeless until we have no enemies who may come knocking on our doors? But I tell you” he called, his voice growing loud again. “That these men, here today, were calling for you to move to Veii before the Gauls came. And until then these walls, small as they might have been, have been defeated by no enemy. Not the old Etruscans, nor the combined might of the Volsci or Aequians has beaten you in war” he said as he let his outstretched finger point across the heads of the crowd. “These streets are centuries old. I say we stay and rebuild this city. Bring the stone from Veii and build new walls. Honour our gods as we did in the old days and build strong defences against which our enemies will flounder. If you go” he frowned “I grant that you take your strong hearts with you. But I do not wish you the luck of Rome, a luck that is given by the gods for our god-fearing nation. Here is the Capitol, the centre of the greatest city on earth, where the old skull was found so that this city would be the head of the known world” he said as he held his head high and waited for the crowd to start to shift as they watched him. “I will stay” he said, “and the gods will surely bless all those who stay in Rome.”
As he finished, he turned and moved backwards, an eruption of noise behind him started to grow and swell, almost as loud as the battlefield against the Gauls. The Tribunes stood and denounced his words as people shouted abuse and called for the Senate to decide what they should do. Even the plebeian council were unsure which way to turn, many moved by Marcus’ words as much as by the thought of leaving their own homes and land. Eventually, after an hour of debating at the Rostra the Senate called a meeting and agreed to discuss the matter formally, once and for all. They adjourned to the Curia Hostilia and sat in conference.
The meeting had raged for hours, the crowds of people mostly returning home for supper as the light began to fade and the air grew chill and cold. Auspices had been taken, but none could be agreed upon and the fate of Rome hung in the balance.
Javenoli stood and waved away another angry outburst from a supporter of the move to Veii. He shook his head and called loudly for silence, Marcus, sat with his brother Lucius, grinned as the old man held everyone’s gaze with his new authority.
“Gentlemen” he started. “We must decide one way or the other. There is no easy answer to this question and we have looked for omens to help up to decide” he said as his tired eyes ranged across all the faces which looked toward him. “We have considered every angle” he added in frustration as he paced to the centre of the room, his eyes cast down to the floor. As he spoke, he heard a group of soldiers moving around the building to change the guard. He watched as they slipped through a low doorway along the wall and disappeared, the voice of their Centurion calling them to a halt as they came to stop behind the wall and under the high windows which ran beside the doorway.
“We need divine intervention” Javenoli said, his words spoken just as a sudden silence fell in the Curia, the sudden hush causing each Senator to take a sharp intake of breath as the combined senate seemed to be holding its breath. As he looked up, every man in the room heard a loud voice come from behind the windows. The voice boomed loudly into the sudden silence which had fallen into the room, as the Centurion gave his orders to his men for their guard duty.
“We might as well stay here” the voice said.
The Senate rose as one, eyes flashing to each other as the hush remained. Those who did not know that the voice was from the guards outside stared open-mouthed at the ceiling and began to pray to Jupiter for the divine voice and for his intervention. Javenoli called for order, which took a whole ten minutes to gain and so the Roman Senate agreed that they would stay in Rome and rebuild the city.
THE END
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Historical Notes
The Senones were a Gallic tribe who had amassed great tracts of land in Southern France over many generations and had also settled in north eastern Italy. It appears that a branch of this tribe, supported by other Gallic tribes, crossed the low hills into mainland Italy. There are suggestions that Dionysius of Syracuse bribed the Gauls to enter Etruscan lands as he was concerned that the Romans may expand their empire and take control of his lands in Sicily. I’ve chosen to ignore these claims as it seemed improbable that a whole nation would move en-masse at the bidding of another kingdom with whom there is no clear evidence of alliance. I also liked the fact that Livy suggests that the Gauls had been ‘called’ to the land around Clusium by their gods, something I expanded on and which brought the central religious figure of Aengus the druid into the story. I attempted to match the religious symbolism of the Gauls as a contrast to the overall story of Camillus as a man of religious duty, and therefore I sent the Gauls on a journey following their sacred birds, the crows (again my invention, though we do know that they worshipped animals and birds).
Vae Victis Page 41
