Chapter XXVI

IT was known in Rome that Cæsar wished to see Ostia on the journey, or
rather the largest ship in the world, which had brought wheat recently
from Alexandria, and from Ostia to go by the Via Littoralis to Antium.
Orders had been given a number of days earlier; hence at the Porta
Ostiensis, from early morning, crowds made up of the local rabble and of
all nations of the earth had collected to feast their eyes with the
sight of Cæsar's retinue, on which the Roman population could never gaze
sufficiently. The road to Antium was neither difficult nor long. In
the place itself, which was composed of palaces and villas built and
furnished in a lordly manner, it was possible to find everything
demanded by comfort, and even the most exquisite luxury of the period.
Cæsar had the habit, however, of taking with him on a journey every
object in which he found delight, beginning with musical instruments and
domestic furniture, and ending with statues and mosaics, which were
taken even when he wished to remain on the road merely a short time for
rest or recreation. He was accompanied, therefore, on every expedition
by whole legions of servants, without reckoning divisions of pretorian
guards, and Augustians; of the latter each had a personal retinue of
slaves.

Early on the morning of that day herdsmen from the Campania, with
sunburnt faces, wearing goat-skins on their legs, drove forth five
hundred she-asses through the gates, so that Poppæa on the morrow of her
arrival at Antium might have her bath in their milk. The rabble gazed
with delight and ridicule at the long ears swaying amid clouds of dust,
and listened with pleasure to the whistling of whips and the wild shouts
of the herdsmen. After the asses had gone by, crowds of youth rushed
forth, swept the road carefully, and covered it with flowers and needles
from pine-trees. In the crowds people whispered to each other, with a
certain feeling of pride, that the whole road to Antium would be strewn
in that way with flowers taken from private gardens round about, or
bought at high prices from dealers at the Porta Mugionis. As the
morning hours passed, the throng increased every moment. Some had
brought their whole families, and, lest the time might seem tedious,
they spread provisions on stones intended for the new temple of Ceres,
and ate their prandium beneath the open sky. Here and there were groups,
in which the lead was taken by persons who had travelled; they talked of
Cæsar's present trip, of his future journeys, and journeys in general.
Sailors and old soldiers narrated wonders which during distant campaigns
they had heard about countries which a Roman foot had never touched.
Home-stayers, who had never gone beyond the Appian Way, listened with
amazement to marvellous tales of India, of Arabia, of archipelagos
surrounding Britain in which, on a small island inhabited by spirits,
Briareus had imprisoned the sleeping Saturn. They heard of hyperborean
regions of stiffened seas, of the hisses and roars which the ocean gives
forth when the sun plunges into his bath. Stories of this kind found
ready credence among the rabble, stories believed by such men even as
Tacitus and Pliny. They spoke also of that ship which Cæsar was to look
at,--a ship which had brought wheat to last for two years, without
reckoning four hundred passengers, an equal number of soldiers, and a
multitude of wild beasts to be used during the summer games. This
produced general good feeling toward Cæsar, who not only nourished the
populace, but amused it. Hence a greeting full of enthusiasm was
waiting for him.

Meanwhile came a detachment of Numidian horse, who belonged to the
pretorian guard. They wore yellow uniforms, red girdles, and great
earrings, which cast a golden gleam on their black faces. The points of
their bamboo spears glittered like flames, in the sun. After they had
passed, a procession-like movement began. The throng crowded forward to
look at it more nearly; but divisions of pretorian foot were there, and,
forming in line on both sides of the gate, prevented approach to the
road. In advance moved wagons carrying tents, purple, red, and violet,
and tents of byssus woven from threads as white as snow; and oriental
carpets, and tables of citrus, and pieces of mosaic, and kitchen
utensils, and cages with birds from the East, North, and West, birds
whose tongues or brains were to go to Cæsar's table, and vessels with
wine and baskets with fruit. But objects not to be exposed to bruising
or breaking in vehicles were borne by slaves. Hence hundreds of people
were seen on foot, carrying vessels, and statues of Corinthian bronze.
There were companies appointed specially to Etruscan vases; others to
Grecian; others to golden or silver vessels, or vessels of Alexandrian
glass. These were guarded by small detachments of pretorian infantry
and cavalry; over each division of slaves were taskmasters, holding
whips armed at the end with lumps of lead or iron, instead of snappers.
The procession, formed of men bearing with importance and attention
various objects, seemed like some solemn religious procession; and the
resemblance grew still more striking when the musical instruments of
Cæsar and the court were borne past. There were seen harps, Grecian
lutes, lutes of the Hebrews and Egyptians, lyres, formingas, citharas,
flutes, long, winding buffalo horns and cymbals. While looking at that
sea of instruments, gleaming beneath the sun in gold, bronze, precious
stones, and pearls, it might be imagined that Apollo and Bacchus had set
out on a journey through the world. After the instruments came rich
chariots filled with acrobats, dancers male and female, grouped
artistically, with wands in their hands. After them followed slaves
intended, not for service, but excess; so there were boys and little
girls, selected from all Greece and Asia Minor, with long hair, or with
winding curls arranged in golden nets, children resembling Cupids, with
wonderful faces, but faces covered completely with a thick coating of
cosmetics, lest the wind of the Campania might tan their delicate
complexions.

And again appeared a pretorian cohort of gigantic Sicambrians, blue-
eyed, bearded, blond and red haired. In front of them Roman eagles were
carried by banner-bearers called "imaginarii," tablets with
inscriptions, statues of German and Roman gods, and finally statues and
busts of Cæsar. From under the skins and armor of the soldier appeared
limbs sunburnt and mighty, looking like military engines capable of
wielding the heavy weapons with which guards of that kind were
furnished. The earth seemed to bend beneath their measured and weighty
tread. As if conscious of strength which they could use against Cæsar
himself, they looked with contempt on the rabble of the street,
forgetting, it was evident, that many of themselves had come to that
city in manacles. But they were insignificant in numbers, for the
pretorian force had remained in camp specially to guard the city and
hold it within bounds. When they had marched past, Nero's chained lions
and tigers were led by, so that, should the wish come to him of
imitating Dionysus, he would have them to attach to his chariots. They
were led in chains of steel by Arabs and Hindoos, but the chains were so
entwined with garlands that the beasts seemed led with flowers. The
lions and tigers, tamed by skilled trainers, looked at the crowds with
green and seemingly sleepy eyes; but at moments they raised their giant
heads, and breathed through wheezing nostrils the exhalations of the
multitude, licking their jaws the while with spiny tongues.

Now came Cæsar's vehicles and litters, great and small, gold or purple,
inlaid with ivory or pearls, or glittering with diamonds; after them
came another small cohort of pretorians in Roman armor, pretorians
composed of Italian volunteers only;* then crowds of select slave
servants, and boys; and at last came Cæsar himself, whose approach was
heralded from afar by the shouts of thousands.

[* The inhabitants of Italy were freed from military service by
Augustus, in consequence of which the so-called cohors Italica,
stationed generally in Asia, was composed of volunteers. The pretorian
guards, in so far as they were not composed of foreigners, were made up
of volunteers.]


In the crowd was the Apostle Peter, who wished to see Cæsar once in
life. He was accompanied by Lygia, whose face was hidden by a thick
veil, and Ursus, whose strength formed the surest defence of the young
girl in the wild and boisterous crowd. The Lygian seized a stone to be
used in building the temple, and brought it to the Apostle, so that by
standing on it he might see better than others.

The crowd muttered when Ursus pushed it apart, as a ship pushes waves;
but when he carried the stone, which four of the strongest men could not
raise, the muttering was turned into wonderment, and cries of "Macte!"
were heard round about.

Meanwhile Cæsar appeared. He was sitting in a chariot drawn by six
white Idumean stallions shod with gold. The chariot had the form of a
tent with sides open, purposely, so that the crowds could see Cæsar. A
number of persons might have found place in the chariot; but Nero,
desiring that attention should be fixed on him exclusively, passed
through the city alone, having at his feet merely two deformed dwarfs.
He wore a white tunic, and a toga of amethyst color, which cast a bluish
tinge on his face. On his head was a laurel wreath. Since his
departure from Naples he had increased notably in body. His face had
grown wide; under his lower jaw hung a double chin, by which his mouth,
always too near his nose, seemed to touch his nostrils. His bulky neck
was protected, as usual, by a silk kerchief, which he arranged from
moment to moment with a white and fat hand grown over with red hair,
forming as it were bloody stains; he would not permit epilatores to
pluck out this hair, since he had been told that to do so would bring
trembling of the fingers and injure his lute-playing. Measureless vanity
was depicted then, as at all times, on his face, together with tedium
and suffering. On the whole, it was a face both terrible and trivial.
While advancing he turned his head from side to side, blinking at times,
and listening carefully to the manner in which the multitude greeted
him. He was met by a storm of shouts and applause: "Hail, divine Cæsar!
lmperator, hail, conqueror! hail, incomparable!--Son of Apollo, Apollo
himself!"

When he heard these words, he smiled; but at moments a cloud, as it
were, passed over his face, for the Roman rabble was satirical and keen
in reckoning, and let itself criticise even great triumphators, even men
whom it loved and respected. It was known that on a time they shouted
during the entrance to Rome of Julius Cæsar: "Citizens, hide your wives;
the old libertine is coming!" But Nero's monstrous vanity could not
endure the least blame or criticism; meanwhile in the throng, amid
shouts of applause were heard cries of "Ahenobarbus, Ahenobarbus! Where
hast thou put thy flaming beard? Dost thou fear that Rome might catch
fire from it?" And those who cried out in that fashion knew not that
their jest concealed a dreadful prophecy.

These voices did not anger Cæsar overmuch, since he did not wear a
beard, for long before he had devoted it in a golden cylinder to Jupiter
Capitolinus. But other persons, hidden behind piles of stones and the
corners of temples, shouted: "Matricide! Nero! Orestes! Alcmæon!" and
still others: "Where is Octavia?" "Surrender the purple!" At Poppæa,
who came directly after him, they shouted, "Flava coma (yellow hair)!!"
with which name they indicated a street-walker. Cæsar's musical ear
caught these exclamations also, and he raised the polished emerald to
his eyes as if to see and remember those who uttered them. While
looking thus, his glance rested on the Apostle standing on the stone.

For a while those two men looked at each other. It occurred to no one
in that brilliant retinue, and to no one in that immense throng, that at
that moment two powers of the earth were looking at each other, one of
which would vanish quickly as a bloody dream, and the other, dressed in
simple garments, would seize in eternal possession the world and the
city.

Meanwhile Cæsar had passed; and immediately after him eight Africans
bore a magnificent litter, in which sat Poppæa, who was detested by the
people. Arrayed, as was Nero, in amethyst color, with a thick
application of cosmetics on her face, immovable, thoughtful,
indifferent, she looked like some beautiful and wicked divinity carried
in procession. In her wake followed a whole court of servants, male and
female, next a line of wagons bearing materials of dress and use. The
sun had sunk sensibly from midday when the passage of Augustians began,
--a brilliant glittering line gleaming like an endless serpent. The
indolent Petronius, greeted kindly by the multitude, had given command
to bear him and his godlike slave in a litter. Tigellinus went in a
chariot drawn by ponies ornamented with white and purple feathers, They
saw him as he rose in the chariot repeatedly, and stretched his neck to
see if Cæsar was preparing to give him the sign to to his chariot. Among
others the crowd greeted Licinianus with applause, Vitelius with
laughter, Vatinius with hissing. Towards Licinus and Lecanius the
consuls they were indifferent, but Tullius Senecio they loved, it was
unknown why, and Vestinius received applause.

The court was innumerable. It seemed that all that was richest, most
brilliant and noted in Rome, was migrating to Antium. Nero never
travelled otherwise than with thousands of vehicles; the society which
acompanied him almost always exceeded the number of soldiers in a
legion. [In the time of the Cæsars a legion was always 12,000 men.]
Hence Domitius Afer appeared, and the decrepit Lucius Saturninus; and
Vespasian, who had not gone yet on his expedition to Judea, from which
he returned for the crown of Cæsar, and his sons, and young Nerva, and
Lucan, and Annius Gallo, and Quintianus, and a multitude of women
renowned for wealth, beauty, luxury, and vice.

The eyes of the multitude were turned to the harness, the chariots, the
horses, the strange livery of the servants, made up of all peoples of
the earth. In that procession of pride and grandeur one hardly knew
what to look at; and not only the eye, but the mind, was dazzled by such
gleaming of gold, purple, and violet, by the flashing of precious
stones, the glitter of brocade, pearls, and ivory. It seemed that the
very rays of the sun were dissolving in that abyss of brilliancy. And
though wretched people were not lacking in that throng, people with
sunken stomachs, and with hunger in their eyes, that spectacle inflamed
not only their desire of enjoyment and their envy, but filled them with
delight and pride, because it gave a feeling of the might and
invincibility of Rome, to which the world contributed, and before which
the world knelt. Indeed there was not on earth any one who ventured to
think that that power would not endure through all ages, and outlive all
nations, or that there was anything in existence that had strength to
oppose it.

Vinicius, riding at the end of the retinue, sprang out of his chariot at
sight of the Apostle and Lygia, whom he had not expected to see, and,
greeting them with a radiant face, spoke with hurried voice, like a man
who has no time to spare,--"Hast thou come? I know not how to thank
thee, O Lygia! God could not have sent me a better omen. I greet thee
even while taking farewell, but not farewell for a long time. On the
road I shall dispose relays of horses, and every free day I shall come
to thee till I get leave to return.--Farewell!"

"Farewell, Marcus!" answered Lygia; then she added in a lower voice:
"May Christ go with thee, and open thy soul to Paul's word."

He was glad at heart that she was concerned about his becoming a
Christian soon; hence he answered,--

"Ocelle mi! let it be as thou sayest. Paul prefers to travel with my
people, but he is with me, and will be to me a companion and master.
Draw aside thy veil, my delight, let me see thee before my journey. Why
art thou thus hidden?"

She raised the veil, and showed him her bright face and her wonderfully
smiling eyes, inquiring,--

"Is the veil bad?"

And her smile had in it a little of maiden opposition; but Vinicius,
while looking at her with delight, answered,--

"Bad for my eyes, which till death would look on thee only."

Then he turned to Ursus and said,--

"Ursus, guard her as the sight in thy eye, for she is my domina as well
as thine."

Seizing her hand then, he pressed it with his lips, to the great
astonishment of the crowd, who could not understand signs of such honor
from a brilliant Augustian to a maiden arrayed in simple garments,
almost those of a slave.

"Farewell!"

Then he departed quickly, for Cæsar's whole retinue had pushed forward
considerably. The Apostle Peter blessed him with a slight sign of the
cross; but the kindly Ursus began at once to glorify him, glad that his
young mistress listened eagerly and was grateful to him for those
praises.

The retinue moved on and hid itself in clouds of golden dust; they gazed
long after it, however, till Demas the miller approached, he for whom
Ursus worked in the night-time. When he had kissed the Apostle's hand,
he entreated them to enter his dwelling for refreshment, saying that it
was near the Emporium, that they must be hungry and wearied since they
had spent the greater part of the day at the gate.

They went with him, and, after rest and refreshment in his house,
returned to the Trans-Tiber only toward evening. Intending to cross the
river by the Æmilian bridge, they passed through the Clivus Publicus,
going over the Aventine, between the temples of Diana and Mercury. From
that height the Apostle looked on the edifices about him, and on those
vanishing in the distance. Sunk in silence he meditated on the
immensity and dominion of that city, to which he had come to announce
the word of God. Hitherto he had seen the rule of Rome and its legions
in various lands through which he had wandered, but they were single
members as it were of the power, which that day for the first time he
had seen impersonated in the form of Nero. That city, immense,
predatory, ravenous, unrestrained, rotten to the marrow of its bones,
and unassailable in its preterhuman power; that Cæsar, a fratricide, a
matricide, a wife-slayer, after him dragged a retinue of bloody spectres
no less in number than his court. That profligate, that buffoon, but
also lord of thirty legions, and through them of the whole earth; those
courtiers covered with gold and scarlet, uncertain of the morrow, but
mightier meanwhile than kings,--all this together seemed a species of
hellish kingdom of wrong and evil. In his simple heart he marvelled
that God could give such inconceivable almightiness to Satan, that He
could yield the earth to him to knead, overturn, and trample it, to
squeeze blood and tears from it, to twist it like a whirlwind, to storm
it like a tempest, to consume it like a flame. And his Apostle-heart
was alarmed by those thoughts, and in spirit he spoke to the Master: "O
Lord, how shall I begin in this city, to which Thou hast sent me? To it
belong seas and lands, the beasts of the field, and the creatures of the
water; it owns other kingdoms and cities, and thirty legions which guard
them; but I, O Lord, am a fisherman from a lake! How shall I begin, and
how shall I conquer its malice?"

Thus speaking he raised his gray, trembling head toward heaven, praying
and exclaiming from the depth of his heart to his Divine Master, himself
full of sadness and fear.

Meanwhile his prayer was interrupted by Lygia.

"The whole city is as if on fire," said she.

In fact the sun went down that day in a marvellous manner. Its immense
shield had sunk half-way behind the Janiculum, the whole expanse of
heaven was filled with a red gleam. From the place on which they were
standing, Peter's glance embraced large expanses. Somewhat to the right
they saw the long extending walls of the Circus Maximus; above it the
towering palaces of the Palatine; and directly in front of them, beyond
the Forum Boarium and the Velabrum, the summit of the Capitol, with the
temple of Jupiter. But the walls and the columns and the summits of the
temples were as if sunk in that golden and purple gleam. The parts of
the river visible from afar flowed as if in blood; arid as the sun sank
moment after moment behind the mountain, the gleam became redder and
redder, more and more like a conflagration, and it increased and
extended till finally it embraced the seven hills, from which it
extended to the whole region about.

"The whole city seems on fire!" repeated Lygia.

Peter shaded his eyes with his hand, and said--

"The wrath of God is upon it."