Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero

  Chapter LXI

  DARKNESS had not come when the first waves of people began to flow intoCaesar's gardens. The crowds, in holiday costume, crowned with flowers,joyous, singing, and some of them drunk, were going to look at the new,magnificent spectacle. Shouts of "Semaxii! Sarmentitii!" were heard onthe Via Tecta, on the bridge of AEmilius, and from the other side of theTiber, on the Triumphal Way, around the Circus of Nero, and off towardsthe Vatican Hill. In Rome people had been seen burnt on pillars before,but never had any one seen such a number of victims.

  Caesar and Tigellinus, wishing to finish at once with the Christians andalso to avoid infection, which from the prisons was spreading more andmore through the city, had given command to empty all dungeons, so thatthere remained in them barely a few tens of people intended for theclose of the spectacles. So, when the crowds had passed the gates,they were dumb with amazement. All the main and side alleys, whichlay through dense groves and along lawns, thickets, ponds, fields,and squares filled with flowers, were packed with pillars smeared withpitch, to which Christians were fastened. In higher places, where theview was not hindered by trees, one could see whole rows of pillars andbodies decked with flowers, myrtle, and ivy, extending into the distanceon high and low places, so far that, though the nearest were like mastsof ships, the farthest seemed colored darts, or staffs thrust into theearth. The number of them surpassed the expectation of the multitude.One might suppose that a whole nation had been lashed to pillars forRome's amusement and for Caesar's. The throng of spectators stoppedbefore single masts when their curiosity was roused by the form or thesex of the victim; they looked at the faces, the crowns, the garlandsof ivy; then they went farther and farther, asking themselves withamazement, "Could there have been so many criminals, or how couldchildren barely able to walk have set fire to Rome?" and astonishmentpassed by degrees into fear.

  Meanwhile darkness came, and the first stars twinkled in the sky. Neareach condemned person a slave took his place, torch in hand; when thesound of trumpets was heard in various parts of the gardens, in signthat the spectacle was to begin, each slave put his torch to the footof a pillar. The straw, hidden under the flowers and steeped in pitch,burned at once with a bright flame which, increasing every instant,withered the ivy, and rising embraced the feet of the victims. Thepeople were silent; the gardens resounded with one immense groan andwith cries of pain. Some victims, however, raising their faces towardthe starry sky, began to sing, praising Christ. The people listened.But the hardest hearts were filled with terror when, on smaller pillars,children cried with shrill voices, "Mamma! Mamma!" A shiver ran througheven spectators who were drunk when they saw little heads and innocentfaces distorted with pain, or children fainting in the smoke which beganto stifle them. But the flames rose, and seized new crowns of roses andivy every instant. The main and side alleys were illuminated; the groupsof trees, the lawns, and the flowery squares were illuminated; the waterin pools and ponds was gleaming, the trembling leaves on the trees hadgrown rose-colored, and all was as visible as in daylight. When the odorof burnt bodies filled the gardens, slaves sprinkled between the pillarsmyrrh and aloes prepared purposely. In the crowds were heard here andthere shouts,--whether of sympathy or delight and joy, it was unknown;and they increased every moment with the fire, which embraced thepillars, climbed to the breasts of the victims, shrivelled with burningbreath the hair on their heads, threw veils over their blackened faces,and then shot up higher, as if showing the victory and triumph of thatpower which had given command to rouse it.

  At the very beginning of the spectacle Caesar had appeared among thepeople in a magnificent quadriga of the Circus, drawn by four whitesteeds. He was dressed as a charioteer in the color of the Greens,--thecourt party and his. After him followed other chariots filled withcourtiers in brilliant array, senators, priests, bacchantes, nakedand crowned, holding pitchers of wine, and partly drunk, uttering wildshouts. At the side of these were musicians dressed as fauns and satyrs,who played on citharas, formingas, flutes, and horns. In other chariotsadvanced matrons and maidens of Rome, drunk also and half naked. Aroundthe quadriga ran men who shook thyrses ornamented with ribbons; othersbeat drums; others scattered flowers.

  All that brilliant throng moved forward, shouting, "Evoe!" on the widestroad of the garden, amidst smoke and processions of people. Caesar,keeping near him Tigellinus and also Chilo, in whose terror he soughtto find amusement, drove the steeds himself, and, advancing at a walk,looked at the burning bodies, and heard the shouts of the multitude.Standing on the lofty gilded chariot, surrounded by a sea of people whobent to his feet, in the glitter of the fire, in the golden crown ofa circus-victor, he was a head above the courtiers and the crowd. Heseemed a giant. His immense arms, stretched forward to hold the reins,seemed to bless the multitude. There was a smile on his face and in hisblinking eyes; he shone above the throng as a sun or a deity, terriblebut commanding and mighty.

  At times he stopped to look with more care at some maiden whose bosomhad begun to shrink in the flames, or at the face of a child distortedby convulsions; and again he drove on, leading behind him a wild,excited retinue. At times he bowed to the people, then again he bentbackward, drew in the golden reins, and spoke to Tigellinus. At last,when he had reached the great fountain in the middle of two crossingstreets, he stepped from the quadriga, and, nodding to his attendants,mingled with the throng.

  He was greeted with shouts and plaudits. The bacchantes, the nymphs, thesenators and Augustians, the priests, the fauns, satyrs, and soldierssurrounded him at once in an excited circle; but he, with Tigellinus onone side and Chilo on the other, walked around the fountain, about whichwere burning some tens of torches; stopping before each one, he maderemarks on the victims, or jeered at the old Greek, on whose faceboundless despair was depicted.

  At last he stood before a lofty mast decked with myrtle and ivy. The redtongues of fire had risen only to the knees of the victim; but it wasimpossible to see his face, for the green burning twigs had covered itwith smoke. After a while, however, the light breeze of night turnedaway the smoke and uncovered the head of a man with gray beard fallingon his breast.

  At sight of him Chilo was twisted into a lump like a wounded snake, andfrom his mouth came a cry more like cawing than a human voice.

  "Glaucus! Glaucus!"

  In fact, Glaucus the physician looked down from the burning pillar athim. Glaucus was alive yet. His face expressed pain, and was inclinedforward, as if to look closely for the last time at his executioner,at the man who had betrayed him, robbed him of wife and children, set amurderer on him, and who, when all this had been forgiven in the nameof Christ, had delivered him to executioners. Never had one personinflicted more dreadful or bloody wrongs on another. Now the victim wasburning on the pitched pillar, and the executioner was standing athis feet. The eyes of Glaucus did nor leave the face of the Greek. Atmoments they were hidden by smoke; but when the breeze blew this away,Chilo saw again those eyes fixed on him. He rose and tried to flee, buthad not strength. All at once his legs seemed of lead; an invisiblehand seemed to hold him at that pillar with superhuman force. He waspetrified. He felt that something was overflowing in him, somethinggiving way; he felt that he had had a surfeit of blood and torture,that the end of his life was approaching, that everything was vanishing,Caesar, the court, the multitude, and around him was only a kind ofbottomless, dreadful black vacuum with no visible thing in it, savethose eyes of a martyr which were summoning him to judgment. ButGlaucus, bending his head lower down, looked at him fixedly. Thosepresent divined that something was taking place between those two men.Laughter died on their lips, however, for in Chilo's face there wassomething terrible: such pain and fear had distorted it as if thosetongues of fire were burning his body. On a sudden he staggered, and,stretching his arms upward, cried in a terrible and piercing voice,--

  "Glaucus! in Christ's name! forgive me!"

  It grew silent round about, a quiver ran through the spectators, and alleyes were raised involuntaril
y.

  The head of the martyr moved slightly, and from the top of the mast washeard a voice like a groan,--

  "I forgive!"

  Chilo threw himself on his face, and howled like a wild beast; graspingearth in both hands, he sprinkled it on his head. Meanwhile the flamesshot up, seizing the breast and face of Glaucus; they unbound the myrtlecrown on his head, and seized the ribbons on the top of the pillar, thewhole of which shone with great blazing.

  Chilo stood up after a while with face so changed that to the Augustianshe seemed another man. His eyes flashed with a light new to him, ecstasyissued from his wrinkled forehead; the Greek, incompetent a short timebefore, looked now like some priest visited by a divinity and ready toreveal unknown truths.

  "What is the matter? Has he gone mad?" asked a number of voices.

  But he turned to the multitude, and, raising his right hand, cried, orrather shouted, in a voice so piercing that not only the Augustians butthe multitude heard him,--

  "Roman people! I swear by my death, that innocent persons are perishinghere. That is the incendiary!"

  And he pointed his finger at Nero.

  Then came a moment of silence. The courtiers were benumbed. Chilocontinued to stand with outstretched, trembling arm, and with fingerpointed at Nero. All at once a tumult arose. The people, like a wave,urged by a sudden whirlwind, rushed toward the old man to look at himmore closely. Here and there were heard cries, "Hold!" In another place,"Woe to us!" In the throng a hissing and uproar began. "Ahenobarbus!Matricide! Incendiary!" Disorder increased every instant. The bacchantesscreamed in heaven-piercing voices, and began to hide in the chariots.Then some pillars which were burned through, fell, scattered sparks, andincreased the confusion. A blind dense wave of people swept away Chilo,and bore him to the depth of the garden.

  The pillars began to burn through in every direction and fall across thestreets, filling alleys with smoke, sparks, the odor of burnt wood andburnt flesh. The nearer lights died. The gardens began to grow dark. Thecrowds, alarmed, gloomy, and disturbed, pressed toward the gates.News of what had happened passed from mouth to mouth, distortedand increased. Some said that Caesar had fainted; others that he hadconfessed, saying that he had given command to burn Rome; others that hehad fallen seriously ill; and still others that he had been borne out,as if dead, in the chariot. Here and there were heard voices of sympathyfor the Christians: "If they had not burned Rome, why so much blood,torture, and injustice? Will not the gods avenge the innocent, and whatpiacula can mollify them now?" The words innoxia corpora were repeatedoftener and oftener. Women expressed aloud their pity for childrenthrown in such numbers to wild beasts, nailed to crosses or burned inthose cursed gardens! And finally pity was turned into abuse of Caesarand Tigellinus. There were persons, too, who, stopping suddenly, askedthemselves or others the question, "What kind of divinity is that whichgives such strength to meet torture and death?" And they returned homein meditation.

  But Chilo was wandering about in the gardens, not knowing where to go orwhere to turn. Again he felt himself a weak, helpless, sick old man.

  Now he stumbled against partly burnt bodies; now he struck a torch,which sent a shower of sparks after him; now he sat down, and lookedaround with vacant stare. The gardens had become almost dark. The palemoon moving among the trees shone with uncertain light on the alleys,the dark pillars lying across them, and the partly burnt victims turnedinto shapeless lumps. But the old Greek thought that in the moon he sawthe face of Glaucus, whose eyes were looking at him yet persistently,and he hid before the light. At last he went out of the shadow, in spiteof himself; as if pushed by some hidden power, he turned toward thefountain where Glaucus had yielded up the spirit.

  Then some hand touched his shoulder. He turned, and saw an unknownperson before him.

  "Who art thou?" exclaimed he, with terror.

  "Paul of Tarsus."

  "I am accursed!--What dost thou wish?"

  "I wish to save thee," answered the Apostle.

  Chilo supported himself against a tree. His legs bent under him, and hisarms hung parallel with his body.

  "For me there is no salvation," said he, gloomily.

  "Hast thou heard how God forgave the thief on the cross who pitied Him?"inquired Paul.

  "Dost thou know what I have done?"

  "I saw thy suffering, and heard thy testimony to the truth."

  "O Lord!"

  "And if a servant of Christ forgave thee in the hour of torture anddeath, why should Christ not forgive thee?"

  Chilo seized his head with both hands, as if in bewilderment.

  "Forgiveness! for me, forgiveness!"

  "Our God is a God of mercy," said Paul.

  "For me?" repeated Chilo; and he began to groan like a man who lacksstrength to control his pain and suffering.

  "Lean on me," said Paul, "and go with me."

  And taking him he went to the crossing of the streets, guided by thevoice of the fountain, which seemed to weep in the night stillness overthe bodies of those who had died in torture.

  "Our God is a God of mercy," repeated the Apostle. "Wert thou to standat the sea and cast in pebbles, couldst thou fill its depth with them? Itell thee that the mercy of Christ is as the sea, and that the sins andfaults of men sink in it as pebbles in the abyss; I tell thee that itis like the sky which covers mountains, lands, and seas, for it iseverywhere and has neither end nor limit. Thou hast suffered at thepillar of Glaucus. Christ saw thy suffering. Without reference to whatmay meet thee to-morrow, thou didst say, 'That is the incendiary,' andChrist remembers thy words. Thy malice and falsehood are gone; in thyheart is left only boundless sorrow. Follow me and listen to what I say.I am he who hated Christ and persecuted His chosen ones. I did not wantHim, I did not believe in Him till He manifested Himself and called me.Since then He is, for me, mercy. He has visited thee with compunction,with alarm, and with pain, to call thee to Himself. Thou didst hate Him,but He loved thee. Thou didst deliver His confessors to torture, but Hewishes to forgive and save thee."

  Immense sobbing shook the breast of the wretched man, sobbing by whichthe soul in him was rent to its depths; but Paul took possession of him,mastered him, led him away, as a soldier leads a captive.

  After a while the Apostle began again to speak:--

  "Come with me; I will lead thee to Him. For why else have I come tothee?

  "Christ commanded me to gather in souls in the name of love; hence Iperform His service. Thou thinkest thyself accursed, but I say: Believein Him, and salvation awaits thee. Thou thinkest that thou art hated,but I repeat that He loves thee. Look at me. Before I had Him I hadnothing save malice, which dwelt in my heart, and now His love sufficesme instead of father and mother, wealth and power. In Him alone isrefuge. He alone will see thy sorrow, believe in thy misery, remove thyalarm, and raise thee to Himself."

  Thus speaking, he led him to the fountain, the silver stream of whichgleamed from afar in the moonlight. Round about was silence; the gardenswere empty, for slaves had removed the charred pillars and the bodies ofthe martyrs.

  Chilo threw himself on his knees with a groan, and hiding his face inhis hands remained motionless. Paul raised his face to the stars. "OLord," prayed he, "look on this wretched man, on his sorrow, his tears,and his suffering! O God of mercy, who hast shed Thy blood for our sins,forgive him, through Thy torment, Thy death and resurrection!"

  Then he was silent; but for a long time he looked toward the stars, andprayed.

  Meanwhile from under his feet was heard a cry which resembled a groan,--

  "O Christ! O Christ! forgive me!"

  Paul approached the fountain then, and, taking water in his hand, turnedto the kneeling wretch,--

  "Chilo!--I baptize thee in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit.Amen!"

  Chilo raised his head, opened his arms, and remained in that posture.The moon shone with full light on his white hair and on his equallywhite face, which was as motionless as if dead or cut out of stone. Themoments passed one a
fter another. From the great aviaries in the gardensof Domitian came the crowing of cocks; but Chilo remained kneeling, likea statue on a monument. At last he recovered, spoke to the Apostle, andasked,--

  "What am I to do before death?"

  Paul was roused also from meditation on the measureless power which evensuch spirits as that of this Greek could not resist, and answered,--

  "Have faith, and bear witness to the truth."

  They went out together. At the gate the Apostle blessed the old managain, and they parted. Chilo himself insisted on this, for after whathad happened he knew that Caesar and Tigellinus would give command topursue him.

  Indeed he was not mistaken. When he returned home, he found the housesurrounded by pretorians, who led him away, and took him under directionof Scevinus to the Palatine.

  Caesar had gone to rest, but Tigellinus was waiting. When he saw theunfortunate Greek, he greeted him with a calm but ominous face.

  "Thou hast committed the crime of treason," said he, "and punishmentwill not pass thee; but if to-morrow thou testify in the amphitheatrethat thou wert drunk and mad, and that the authors of the conflagrationare Christians, thy punishment will be limited to stripes and exile."

  "I cannot do that," answered Chilo, calmly.

  Tigellinus approached him with slow step, and with a voice also low butterrible,--

  "How is that?" asked he. "Thou canst not, Greek dog? Wert thou notdrunk, and dost thou not understand what is waiting for thee? Lookthere!" and he pointed to a corner of the atrium in which, near a longwooden bench, stood four Thracian slaves in the shade with ropes, andwith pincers in their hands.

  But Chilo answered,--

  "I cannot!"

  Rage seized Tigellinus, but he restrained himself yet.

  "Hast thou seen," inquired he, "how Christians die? Dost wish to die inthat way?"

  The old man raised his pale face; for a time his lips moved in silence,and he answered,--

  "I too believe in Christ."

  Tigellinus looked at him with amazement. "Dog, thou hast gone mad infact!"

  And suddenly the rage in his breast broke its bounds. Springing atChilo, he caught him by the beard with both hands, hurled him to thefloor, trampled him, repeating, with foam on his lips,--

  "Thou wilt retract! thou wilt!"

  "I cannot!" answered Chilo from the floor.

  "To the tortures with him!"

  At this command the Thracians seized the old man, and placed him on thebench; then, fastening him with ropes to it, they began to squeeze histhin shanks with pincers. But when they were tying him he kissed theirhands with humility; then he closed his eyes, and seemed dead.

  He was alive, though; for when Tigellinus bent over him and inquiredonce again, "Wilt thou retract?" his white lips moved slightly, and fromthem came the barely audible whisper,--

  "I cannot."

  Tigellinus gave command to stop the torture, and began to walk up anddown in the atrium with a face distorted by anger, but helpless. At lasta new idea came to his head, for he turned to the Thracians and said,--

  "Tear out his tongue!"