CHAPTER II
"To be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter thanvanity."--PSALM LXII. 9.
As the day wore on, trade became more brisk and the work of the lictorsmore arduous, for the crowd was dense and the bargain-hunters eager topush to the front.
Now a bronze-skinned artisan with slender limbs and narrow taperinghands was attracting attention. He was standing on the platform, passiveand indifferent, apparently unconscious alike of the scorching sun whichbit into his bare flesh, as of the murmurs of the dealers round him andthe eloquence of the African up on the rostrum, who was shouting himselfhoarse in praise of his wares.
"A leather worker from Hispania," he thundered with persuasive rhetoric,"his age but two dozen years, his skill unequalled on either bank of theTiber ... A tunic worked by him is softer than the fleeciest wool, andthe sheath of a dagger becomes in his hands as hard as steel.... Goodhealth and strength, two thousand sesterces were a poor price to pay forthe use of these skilled hands.... Two thousand sesterces.... Hislordship's grace, the censor Arminius Quirinius paid four thousand forhim...."
He paused a moment whilst a couple of Jews from Galilee, in long darkrobes and black caps covering their shaggy hair, turned critically roundthis paragon from Hispania, lifted his hands and gazed on eachfinger-tip as if trying to find traces on these of that much-vauntedskill.
"Two thousand sesterces, kind sirs, and you will have at your disposalthe talent of a master in the noble art of leather working; pouches andcoverings for your chairs, caskets and sword-hilts, nothing comes amissto him.... Come! shall we say two thousand sesterces?"
The Jews were hesitating. With a rapid glance of their keen, deep-seteyes they consulted one with the other, whilst their long bony fingerswandered hesitatingly to the wallets at their belts.
"Two thousand sesterces!" urged the auctioneer, as he looked with markedseverity on the waverers.
He himself received a percentage on the proceeds of the sale, a fewsesterces mayhap that would go to swell the little hoard whichultimately would purchase freedom. The scribes stilet in hand waited inpatient silence. The praefect, indifferent to the whole transaction, wasstaring straight in front of him, like one whose thoughts are strangersto his will.
"One thousand we'll give," said one of the Jews timidly.
"Nay! an you'll not give more, kind sirs," quoth the auctioneer airily,"this paragon among leather workers will bring fortune to your rivaldealers...."
"One thousand," repeated one of the intending purchasers, "and no more."
The African tried persuasion, contempt, even lofty scorn; he threatenedto withdraw the paragon from the sale altogether, for he knew of adealer in leather goods over in Corinth who would give two fingers ofhis own hand for the exclusive use of those belonging to this Hispaniantreasure.
But the Jews were obstinate. With the timid obstinacy peculiar to theirrace, they stuck to their point and refused to be enticed intopurposeless extravagance.
In the end the wonderful worker in leather was sold to the Jew tradersfrom Galilee for the sum of one thousand sesterces; his dark face hadexpressed nothing but stolid indifference whilst the colloquy betweenthe purchasers and the auctioneer had been going on.
The next piece of goods however was in more pressing demand; a solidGerman, with massive thorax half-hidden beneath a shaggy goatskin heldin at the waist by a belt; his hairy arms bare to the shoulder, hisgigantic fists clenched as if ready to fell an ox.
A useful man with plough or harrow, he was said to be skilled in smith'swork too. After a preliminary and minute examination of the man'smuscles, of his teeth, of the calves of his legs, bidding became verybrisk between an agriculturist from Sicilia and a freedman from theCampania, until the praefect himself intervened, desiring the slave forhis own use on a farm which he had near Ostia.
Some waiting-maids from Judaea fetched goodly money; an innkeeper ofEtruria bought them, for they were well-looking and knew how to handleand carry wine jars without shaking up the costly liquor; and thenegroes were sought after by the lanistae for training to gladiatorialcombats.
Scribes were also in great demand for copying purposes. Thedisseminators of the news of the day were willing to pay high prices forquick shorthand writers who had learned their business in the house ofArminius the censor.
In the meanwhile the throng in the Forum had become more and more dense.Already one or two gorgeously draped litters had been seen winding theirway in from the Sacra Via or the precincts of the temples, their silkendraperies making positive notes of brilliant colour against theiridescent whiteness of Phrygian marble walls.
The lictors now had at times to use their flails against the crowd.Room had to be made for the masters of Rome, the wealthy and the idle,who threw sesterces about for the gratification of their smallest whim,as a common man would shake the dust from his shoes.
Young Hortensius Martius, the rich patrician owner of five thousandslaves, had stepped out of his litter, and a way being made for him inthe crowd by his men, he had strolled up to the rostrum, and mountingits first gradient he leaned with studied grace against the block ofwhite marble, giving to the common herd below the pleasing spectacle ofa young exquisite, rich and well-favoured--his handsome person carefullyperfumed and bedecked after the morning bath, his crisp fair hairdaintily curled, his body clad in a tunic of soft white wool splendidlyworked in purple stripes, the insignia of his high patrician state.
He passed a languid eye over the bundle of humanity spread out for saleat his feet and gave courteous greeting to the praefect.
"Thou art early abroad, Hortensius Martius," quoth Taurus Antinor inresponse; "'tis not often thou dost grace the Forum with thy presence atthis hour."
"They told me it would be amusing," replied young Hortensius lazily,"but methinks that they lied."
He yawned, and with a tiny golden tool he began picking his teeth.
"What did they tell thee?" queried the other, "and who were they thattold?"
"There was Caius Nepos and young Escanes, and several others at thebath. They were all talking about the sale."
"Are they coming hither?"
"They will be here anon; but some declared that much rubbish would haveto be sold ere the choice bargains be put up. Escanes wants a cook whocan fry a capon in a special way they wot of in Gaul. Stuffed withortolans and covered with the juice of three melons--Escanes says it ismightily pleasing to the palate."
"There is no cook from Gaul on the list," interposed the praefectcurtly.
"And Caius Nepos wants some well-favoured girls to wait on his guests atsupper to-morrow. He gives a banquet, as thou knowest. Wilt be there,Taurus Antinor?"
He had spoken these last words in a curious manner which suggested thatsome significance other than mere conviviality would be attached to thebanquet given by Caius Nepos on the morrow. And now he drew nearer tothe praefect and cast a quick glance around him as if to assure himselfthat the business of the sale was engrossing everyone's attention.
"Caius Nepos," he said, trying to speak with outward indifference,"asked me to tell thee that if thou wilt come to his banquet to-morrowthou wilt find it to thine advantage. Many of us are of one mind withregard to certain matters and could talk these over undisturbed. Wiltjoin us, Taurus Antinor?" he added eagerly.
"Join you," retorted the other with a grim smile, "join you in what? inthis senseless folly of talking in whispers in public places? The Forumthis day is swarming with spies, Hortensius Martius. Hast a wish to makea spectacle for the plebs on the morrow by being thrown to a pack oftigers for their midday meal?"
And with a nod of his head he pointed up to the rostrum where the duskyauctioneer had momentarily left off shouting and had thrown himself flatdown upon the matting, ostensibly in order to speak with one of thescribes on the tier below, but who was in reality casting furtiveglances in the direction where Hortensius Martius stood talking with thepraefectus.
"These slaves," said Taurus Antinor curtly, "all belong t
o the imperialtreasury; their peculium is entirely made up of money gained throughgiving information--both false and true. Have a care, O HortensiusMartius!"
But the other shrugged his shoulders with well-studied indifference. Itwas not the mode at this epoch to seem anything but bored at all thecircumstances of public and private life in Rome, at the simpleoccurrences of daily routine or at the dangers which threatened everyman through the crazy whims of a demented despot.
It had even become the fashion to accept outwardly and without theslightest show of interest the wild extravagances and insanedebaucheries of the ferocious tyrant who for the nonce wielded thesceptre of the Caesars. The young patricians of the day looked on withapparent detachment at his excesses and the savage displays of unbridledpower of which he was so inordinately fond, and they affected a loftydisregard for the horrible acts of injustice and of cruelty which thishalf-crazy Emperor had rendered familiar to the citizens of Rome.
Nothing in the daily routine of life amused these votaries offashion--nothing roused them from their attitude of somnolent placidity,except perhaps some peculiarly bloody combat in the arena--one of thoseunfettered orgies of lust of blood which they loved to witness and whichhave for ever disgraced the glorious pages of Roman history.
Then horror would rouse them for a brief moment from their apathy, forthey were not cruel, only satiated with every sight, every excitementand luxury which their voluptuous city and the insane caprice of theimperator perpetually offered them; and they thirsted for horrors as asane man thirsts for beauty, that it might cause a diversion in the eventenor of their lives, and mayhap raise a thrill in their dormant brains.
Therefore even now, when apparently he was toying with his life,Hortensius Martius did not depart outwardly from the attitude ofsupercilious indifference which fashion demanded. They were all actors,these men, always before an audience, and even among themselves theynever really left off acting the part which they had made so completelytheir own.
But that the indifference was only on the surface was evidenced in thisinstance by the young exquisite's scarce perceptible change of position.He drew away slightly from the praefect and anon said in a loud tone ofvoice so that all around him might hear:
"Aye! as thou sayest, Taurus Antinor, I might find a dwarf or some kindof fool to suit me. Mine are getting old and dull. Ye gods, how theybore me at times!"
And it was in a whisper that he added:
"Caius Nepos specially desired thy presence at supper to-morrow, OTaurus Antinor! He feared that he might not get speech with thee anon,so hath asked me to make sure of thy presence. Thou'lt not fail us?There are over forty of us now, all prepared to give our lives for thegood of the Empire."
The praefect made no reply this time; his attention was evidentlyengrossed by some close bidding over a useful slave, but as Hortensiusnow finally turned away from him, his dark eyes under the shadow of thatperpetual frown swept over the figure of the young exquisite, from thecrown of the curled and perfumed head to the soles of the daintily shodfeet, and a smile of contempt not altogether unkind played round thecorners of his firm lips.
"For the good of the Empire?" he murmured under his breath as heshrugged his broad shoulders and once more turned his attention to hisduties.
Hortensius in the meanwhile had spied some of his friends. Gorgeouslyembroidered tunics could now be seen all the time pushing their waythrough the more common crowd, and soon a compact group of richpatricians had congregated around the rostra.
They had come one by one--from the baths mostly--refreshed and perfumed,ready to gaze with fashionable lack of interest on the spectacle of thispublic auction. They had exchanged greetings with the praefect and withHortensius Martius. They all knew one another, were all members of thesame caste, the ruling caste of Rome. Young Escanes was now there, hewho wanted a cook, and Caius Nepos--the praetorian praefect who was insearch of pretty waiting-maids.
"Hast had speech with Anglicanus?" asked the latter in a whisper toHortensius.
"Aye! a few words," replied the other, "but he warned me of spies."
"Will he join us, thinkest thou?"
"I think that he will sup with thee, O Caius Nepos, but as to joining usin----"
"Hush!" admonished the praetorian praefect, "Taurus Antinor is right.There are spies all around here to-day. But if he comes to supper we'llpersuade him, never fear."
And with a final significant nod the two men parted and once more mixedwith the crowd.
More than one high-born lady now had ordered her bearers to set herlitter down close to the rostrum whence she could watch the sale, andmayhap make a bid for a purchase on her own account; the rich Romanmatrons with large private fortunes and households of their own,imperious and independent, were the object of grave deference and ofobsequious courtesy--not altogether unmixed with irony, on the part ofthe young men around them.
They did not mix with the crowd but remained in their litters, recliningon silken cushions, their dark tunics and richly coloured stolesstanding out in sombre notes against the more gaily-decked-out gildedyouth of Rome, whilst their serious and oft-times stern manner, theirmeasured and sober speech, seemed almost set in studied opposition tothe idle chattering, the flippant tone, the bored affectation of theoutwardly more robust sex.
And among them all Taurus Antinor, praefect of Rome, with his ruddy hairand bronzed skin, his massive frame clad in gorgeously embroideredtunic, his whole appearance heavy and almost rough, in strange contrastalike to the young decadents of the day as to the rigid primness of thepatrician matrons, just as his harsh, even voice seemed to dominate thelazy and mellow trebles of the votaries of fashion.
The auctioneer had in the meanwhile cast a quick comprehensive glanceover his wares, throwing an admonition here, a command there.
"That yellow hair--let it hang, woman! do not touch it I say.... Slipthat goatskin off thy loins, man ... By Jupiter 'tis the best of theethou hidest.... Hold thy chin up girl, we'll have no doleful facesto-day."
Sometimes his admonition required more vigorous argument. The praefectwas appealed to against the recalcitrant. Then the harsh unimpassionedvoice with its curious intonation in the pronouncing of the Latinwords, would give a brief order and the lictor's flail would whizz inthe air and descend with a short sharp whistling sound on obstinatelybowed shoulder or unwilling hand, and the auctioneer would continue hisperorations.
"What will it please my lord's grace to buy this day? A skilled horsemanfrom Dacia?... I have one.... A pearl.... He can mount an untamed steedand drive a chariot in treble harness through the narrowest streets ofRome.... He can ... What--no?--not a horseman to-day?... then mayhap ahunchback acrobat from Pannonia, bronzed as the tanned hide of an ox,with arms so long that his finger-nails will scrape the ground as heruns; he can turn a back somersault, walk the tight-rope, or ... Here,Pipus the hunchback, show thine ugly face to my lord's grace, maybethou'lt help to dissipate the frown between my Lord's eyes, maybe mylord's grace will e'en smile at thine antics.... Turn then, show thyhump, 'tis worth five hundred sesterces, my lord ... turn again ... seemy lord, is he not like an ape?"
My lord was smiling, so the auctioneer prattled on, and the deformedcreature upon the catasta wound his ill-shapen body into every kind ofcontortion, grinning from ear to ear, displaying the malformation of hisspine, and the hideousness of his long hairy arms, whilst he utteredweird cries that were supposed to imitate those of wild animals in theforest.
These antics caused my lord to smile outright. He was willing to expendtwo thousand sesterces in order to have such a creature about his house,to have him ready to call when his guests seemed dull between thecourses of a sumptuous meal. The deal was soon concluded and thehunchback transferred from the platform to the keeping of my lord'sslaves, and thence to my lord's household.