LETTER IV.
FROM PISO TO FAUSTA.
I promised you, Fausta, before the news should reach you in any otherway, to relate the occurrences and describe the ceremonies of the dayappointed for the dedication of the new Temple of the Sun. The day hasnow passed, not without incidents of even painful interest to ourselvesand therefore to you, and I sit down to fulfil my engagements.
Vast preparations had been making for the occasion, for many days oreven months preceding, and the day arose upon a city full of expectationof the shows, ceremonies, and games, that were to reward their long andpatient waiting. For the season of the year the day was hot, unnaturallyso; and the sky filled with those massive clouds, piled like mountainsof snow one upon another, which, while they both please the eye by theirforms, and veil the fierce splendors of the sun, as they now and thensail across his face, at the same time portend wind and storm. All Romewas early astir. It was ushered in by the criers traversing the streets,and proclaiming the rites and spectacles of the day, what they were, andwhere to be witnessed, followed by troops of boys, imitating, in theirgrotesque way, the pompous declarations of the men of authority, notunfrequently drawing down upon their heads the curses and the batons ofthe insulted dignitaries. A troop of this sort passed the windows ofthe room in which Julia and I were sitting at our morning meal. As thecrier ended his proclamation, and the shouts of the applauding urchinsdied away, Milo, who is our attendant in preference to any and allothers, observed,
'That the fellow of a crier deserved to have his head beat about withhis own rod, for coming round with his news not till after the greatestshow of the day was over.'
'What mean you?' I asked. 'Explain.'
'What should I mean,' he replied, 'but the morning sacrifice at thetemple.'
'And what so wonderful,' said Julia, 'in a morning sacrifice? Thetemples are open every morning, are they not?'
'Yes, truly are they,' rejoined Milo; 'but not for so great a purpose,nor witnessed by so great crowds. Curio wished me to have been there,and says nothing could have been more propitious. They died as the godslove to have them.'
'Was there no bellowing nor struggling, then?' said Julia.
'Neither, Curio assures me; but they met the knife of the priest as theywould the sword of an enemy on the field of battle.'
'How say you?' said Julia, quickly, turning pale; 'do I hear aright,Milo, or are you mocking? God forbid that you should speak of a humansacrifice.'
'It is even so, mistress. And why should it not be so? If the favor ofthe gods, upon whom we all depend, as the priests tell us, is to bepurchased so well in no other way, what is the life of one man, or ofmany, in such a cause? The great Gallienus, when his life had been lessordered than usual after the rules of temperance and religion, used tomake amends by a few captives slain to Jupiter; to which, doubtless, maybe ascribed his prosperous reign. But, as I was saying, there was, soCurio informed me at the market not long afterwards, a sacrifice, on theprivate altar of the temple, of ten captives. Their blood flowed just asthe great god of the temple showed himself in the horizon. It would havedone you good, Curio said, to see with what a hearty and dexterous zealFronto struck the knife into their hearts--for to no inferior ministerwould he delegate the sacred office.'
'Lucius,' cried Julia, 'I thought that such offerings were now no more.Is it so, that superstition yet delights itself in the blood of murderedmen?'
'It is just so,' I was obliged to reply. 'With a people naturally moregentle and humane than we of Rome this custom would long ago have falleninto disuse. They would have easily found a way, as all people do, toconform their religious doctrine and offerings to their feelings andinstincts. But the Romans, by nature and long training, lovers of blood,their country built upon the ruins of others, and cemented withblood--the taste for it is not easily eradicated. There are templeswhere human sacrifices have never ceased. Laws have restrained theirfrequency--have forbidden them, under heaviest penalties, unlesspermitted by the state--but these laws ever have been, and are nowevaded; and it is the settled purpose of Fronto, and others of hisstamp, to restore to them their lost honors, and make them again, asthey used to be, the chief rite in the worship of the gods. I am notsorry, Julia, that your doubts, though so painfully, have yet been soeffectually, removed.'
Julia had for some time blamed, as over-ardent, the zeal of theChristians. She had thought that the evil of the existing superstitionswas over-estimated, and that it were wiser to pursue a course of moremoderation; that a system that nourished such virtues as she found inPortia, in Tacitus, and others like them, could not be so corrupting inits power as the Christians were in the habit of representing it; thatif we could succeed in substituting Christianity quietly, withoutalienating the affections, or shocking too violently the prejudices, ofthe believers in the prevailing superstitions, our gain would be double.To this mode of arguing I knew she was impelled, by her love and almostreverence for Portia; and how could I blame it, springing from such acause? I had, almost criminally, allowed her to blind herself in a wayshe never would have done, had her strong mind acted, as on othersubjects, untrammelled and free. I was not sorry that Milo had broughtbefore her mind a fact which, however revolting in its horror to such anature as hers, could not but heal while it wounded.
'Milo,' said Julia, as I ended, 'say now that you have been jesting;that this is a piece of wit with which you would begin in a suitable wayan extraordinary day; this is one of your Gallienus fictions.'
'Before the gods,' replied Milo, 'I have told you the naked truth. Butnot the whole; for Curio left me not till he had shown how each haddied. Of the ten, but three, he averred, resisted, or died unwillingly.The three were Germans from beyond the Danube--brothers, he said, whohad long lain in prison till their bones were ready to start through theskin. Yet were they not ready to die. It seemed as if there weresomething they longed--more even than for life or freedom--to say; butthey might as well have been dumb and tongueless, for none understoodtheir barbarous jargon. When they found that their words were in vain,they wrung their hands in their wo, and cried out aloud in their agony.Then, however, at the stern voice of Fronto, warning them of the hour,they ceased--embraced each other, and received the fatal blow; theothers signified their pleasure at dying so, rather than to be thrown towild beasts, or left to die by slow degrees within their dungeon'swalls. Two rejoiced that it was their fate to pour out their blood uponthe altar of a god, and knelt devoutly before the uplifted knife ofFronto. Never, said Curio, was there a more fortunate offering. Aurelianheard the report of it with lively joy, and said that 'now all would gowell.' Curio is a good friend of mine; will it please you to hear thesethings from his own lips?'
'No,' said Julia; 'I would hear no more. I have heard more than enough.How needful, Lucius, if these things are so, that our Christian zealabate not! I see that this stern and bloody faith requires that they whowould deal with it must carry their lives in their hand, ready to partwith nothing so easily, if by so doing they can hew away one of thebranches, or tear up one of the roots of this ancient and perniciouserror. I blame not Probus longer--no, nor the wild rage of Macer.'
'Two, lady, of the captives were of Palmyra; the Queen's name and yourswere last upon their lips.'
'Great God! how retribution like a dark pursuing shadow hangs upon thesteps of guilt! Even here it seeks us. Alas, my mother! Heaven grantthat these things fall not upon your ears!'
Julia was greatly moved, and sat a long time silent, her face buried inher hands, and weeping. I motioned to Milo to withdraw and say no more.Upon Julia, although so innocent of all wrong--guiltless as an infant ofthe blame, whatever it may be, which the world fixes upon Zenobia--yetupon her, as heavily as upon her great mother, fall the sorrows, which,sooner or later, overtake those, who, for any purpose, in whateverdegree selfish, have involved their fellow-creatures in uselesssuffering. Being part of the royal house, Julia feels that she must bearher portion of its burdens. Time alone can cure this grief.
But you are waiting, with a woman's impatient curiosity, to hear of thededication.
At the appointed hour, we were at the palace of Aurelian on thePalatine, where a procession pompous as art, and rank, and numbers couldmake it, was formed, to move thence by a winding and distant way to thetemple near the foot of the Quirinal. Julia repaired with Portia to aplace of observation near the temple--I to the palace, to join thecompany of the Emperor. Of the gorgeous magnificence of the procession Ishall tell you nothing. It was in extent, and variety of pomp andcostliness of decoration, a copy of that of the late triumph; and wenteven beyond the captivating splendor of the example. Roman music--whichis not that of Palmyra--lent such charms as it could to our passagethrough the streets to the temple, from a thousand performers.
As we drew near to the lofty fabric, I thought that no scene of suchvarious beauty and magnificence had ever met my eye. The temple itselfis a work of unrivalled art. In size it surpasses any other building ofthe same kind in Rome, and for excellence of workmanship and purity ofdesign, although it may fall below the standard of Hadrian's age, yet,for a certain air of grandeur, and luxuriance of invention in itsdetails, and lavish profusion of embellishment in gold and silver, notemple, nor other edifice, of any preceding age, ever perhaps resembledit. Its order is the Corinthian, of the Roman form, and the entirebuilding is surrounded by its graceful columns, each composed of asingle piece of marble. Upon the front, is wrought Apollo surrounded bythe Hours. The western extremity is approached by a flight of steps, ofthe same breadth as the temple itself. At the eastern, there extendsbeyond the walls, to a distance equal to the length of the building, amarble platform, upon which stands the altar of sacrifice, which isascended by various flights of steps, some little more than a gentlyrising plain, up which the beasts are led that are destined to thealtar.
When this vast extent of wall and column, of the most dazzlingbrightness, came into view, everywhere covered, together with thesurrounding temples, palaces, and theatres, with a dense mass of humanbeings, of all climes and regions, dressed out in their richestattire--music from innumerable instruments filling the heavens withharmony--shouts of the proud and excited populace, every few moments,and from different points, as Aurelian advanced, shaking the air withtheir thrilling din--added to, still further, by the neighing of horses,and the frequent blasts of the trumpet--the whole made more solemnlyimposing by the vast masses of clouds which swept over the sky, nowsuddenly unveiling, and again eclipsing, the sun, the great god of thisidolatry, and from which few could withdraw their gaze;--when, at once,this all broke upon my eye and ear, I was like a child who, before, hadnever seen aught but his own village, and his own rural temple, in theeffect wrought upon me, and the passiveness with which I abandonedmyself to the sway of the senses. Not one there, was more ravished thanI was, by the outward circumstance and show. I thought of Rome'sthousand years, of her power, her greatness, and universal empire, and,for a moment, my step was not less proud than that of Aurelian.
But, after that moment, when the senses had had their fill, when the eyehad seen the glory, and the ear had fed upon the harmony and the praise,then I thought and felt very differently. Sorrow and compassion forthese gay multitudes were at my heart; prophetic forebodings ofdisaster, danger, and ruin to those, to whose sacred cause I had linkedmyself, made my tongue to falter in its speech, and my limbs to tremble.I thought that the superstition, that was upheld by the wealth and thepower, whose manifestations were before me, had its roots in the verycentre of the earth--far too deep down for a few like myself ever toreach them. I was like one, whose last hope of life and escape issuddenly struck away.
I was aroused from these meditations, by our arrival at the easternfront of the temple. Between the two central columns, on a throne ofgold and ivory, sat the Emperor of the world, surrounded by the senate,the colleges of augurs and haruspices, and by the priests of the varioustemples of the capital, all in their peculiar costume. Then, Fronto, thepriest of the temple, standing at the altar, glittering in his white andgolden robes like a messenger of light--when the crier had proclaimedthat the hour of worship and sacrifice had come, and had commandedsilence to be observed--bared his head, and, lifting his face up towardthe sun, offered, in clear and sounding tones, the prayer of dedication.As he came toward the close of his prayer, he, as is so usual, with loudand almost frantic cries, and importunate repetition, called upon allthe gods to hear him, and then, with appropriate names and praises,invoked the Father of gods and men to be present.
Just as he had thus solemnly invoked Jupiter by name, and was about tocall upon the other gods in the same manner, the clouds, which had beendeepening and darkening, suddenly obscured the sun; a distant peal ofthunder rolled along the heavens; and, at the same moment, from out thedark recesses of the temple, a voice of preternatural power came forth,proclaiming, so that the whole multitude heard the words,--'God is butone; the King eternal, immortal, invisible.'
It is impossible to describe the horror that seized those multitudes.Many cried out with fear, and each seemed to shrink behind the other.Paleness sat upon every face. The priest paused as if struck by a powerfrom above. Even the brazen Fronto was appalled. Aurelian leaped fromhis seat, and by his countenance, white and awe-struck, showed that tohim it came as a voice from the gods. He spoke not; but stood gazing atthe dark entrance into the temple, from which the sound had come. Frontohastily approached him, and whispering but one word as it were into hisear, the Emperor started; the spell that bound him was dissolved; and,recovering himself--making indeed as though a very different feeling hadpossessed him--cried out in fierce tones to his guards,
'Search the temple; some miscreant, hid away among the columns, profanesthus the worship and the place. Seize him, and drag him forth to instantdeath.'
The guards of the Emperor, and the servants of the temple, rushed in atthat bidding, and searched in every part the interior of the building.They soon emerged, saying that the search was fruitless. The temple, inall its aisles and apartments, was empty.
The ceremonies, quiet being again restored, then went on. Twelve bulls,of purest white and of perfect forms, their horns bound about withfillets, were now led by the servants of the temple up the marble stepsto the front of the altar, where stood the cultrarii and haruspices,ready to slay them and examine their entrails. The omens,--as gatheredby the eyes of all from the fierce strugglings and bellowings of theanimals, as they were led toward the place of sacrifice, some evenescaping from the hands of those who had the management of them, andfrom the violent and convulsive throes of others as the blow fell upontheir heads, or the knife severed their throats,--were of the darkestcharacter, and brought a deep gloom upon the brow of the Emperor. Thereport of the haruspices, upon examination of the entrails, was littlecalculated to remove that gloom. It was for the most part unfavorable.Especially appalling was the sight of a heart, so lean and withered,that it scarce seemed possible that it should ever have formed a part ofa living animal. But more harrowing than all, was the voice of Fronto,who, prying with the haruspices into the smoking carcass of one of theslaughtered bulls, suddenly cried out with horror, that 'no heart was tobe found.'
The Emperor, hardly to be restrained by those near him from someexpression of anger, ordered a more diligent search to be made.
'It is not in nature that such a thing should be,' he said. 'Men are, intruth, sometimes without hearts; but brutes, as I think, never.'
The report was however confidently confirmed. Fronto himself approached,and said that his eye had from the first been upon the beast, and theexact truth had been stated.
The carcasses, such parts as were for the flames, were then laid uponthe vast altar, and the flames of the sacrifice ascended.
The heavens were again obscured by thick clouds, which, accumulatinginto heavy volumes, began now, nearer and nearer, to shoot forthlightning, and roll their thunders. The priest commenced the lastoffice, prayer to the god to whom the new temple had been thus solemnlyconsecrated. He again bowe
d his head, and again lifted up his voice. Butno sooner had he invoked the god of the temple and besought his ear,than again, from its dark interior, the same awful sounds issued forth,this time saying, 'Thy gods, O Rome, are false and lying gods. God isbut one.'
Aurelian, pale, as it seemed to me; with superstitious fear, againstrove to shake it off, giving it artfully and with violence theappearance of offended dignity. His voice was a shriek rather than ahuman utterance, as he cried out,
'This is but a Christian device; search the temple till the accursedNazarene be found, and hew him piecemeal--' More he would have said,but, at the instant, a bolt of lightning shot from the heavens, and,lighting upon a large sycamore which shaded a part of the temple court,clove it in twain. The swollen cloud, at the same moment, burst, and adeluge of rain poured upon the city, the temple, the gazing multitude,and the just kindled altars. The sacred fires went out in hissing anddarkness; a tempest of wind whirled the limbs of the slaughtered victimsinto the air, and abroad over the neighboring streets. All wasconfusion, uproar, terror, and dismay. The crowds sought safety in thehouses of the nearest inhabitants, in the porches, and in the palaces.Aurelian and the senators and those nearest him, fled to the interior ofthe temple. The heavens blazed with the quick flashing of the lightning,and the temple itself seemed to rock beneath the voice of the thunder. Inever knew in Rome so terrific a tempest. The stoutest trembled, forlife hung by a thread. Great numbers, it has now been found, in everypart of the capital, fell a prey to the fiery bolts. The capital itselfwas struck, and the brass statue of Vespasian in the forum thrown downand partly melted. The Tiber in a few hours overran its banks, and laidmuch of the city on its borders under water.
But, ere long, the storm was over. The retreating clouds, but stillsullenly muttering in the distance as they rolled away, were againlighted up by the sun, who again shone forth in his splendor. Thescattered limbs of the victims were collected and again laid upon thealtar. Dry wood being brought, the flames quickly shot upward andconsumed to the last joint and bone the sacred offerings. Fronto oncemore stood before the altar, and now uninterrupted performed the lastoffice of the ceremony. Then, around the tables spread within the templeto the honor of the gods, feasting upon the luxuries contributed byevery quarter of the earth, and filling high with wine, the adverseomens of the day were by most forgotten. But not by Aurelian. No smilewas seen to light up his dark countenance. The jests of Varus and thewisdom of Porphyrius alike failed to reach him. Wrapped in his ownthoughts, he brooded gloomily over what had happened, and strove to readthe interpretation of portents so unusual and alarming.
I went not in to the feast, but returned home reflecting as I went uponthe events I had witnessed. I knew not what to think. That in timespast, long after the departure from the earth of Jesus and his immediatefollowers, the Deity had interposed in seasons of peculiar perplexity tothe church, and, in a way to be observed, had manifested his power, Idid not doubt. But for a long time such revelations had wholly ceased.And I could not see any such features in the present juncture, as would,to speak as a man, justify and vindicate a departure from the ordinarymethods of the Divine Providence. But then, on the other hand, I couldnot otherwise account for the voice, nor discover any way in which, hadone been so disposed, he could so successfully and securely haveaccomplished his work. Revolving these things, and perplexed by doubts,I reached the Coelian--when, as I entered my dwelling, I found, to mygreat satisfaction, Probus seated with Julia, who at an early period,foreseeing the tempest, had with Portia withdrawn to the security of herown roof.
'I am glad you are come at length,' said Julia as I entered; 'our friendhas scarce spoken. I should think, did I not know the contrary, that hehad suddenly abandoned the service of truth and become a disciple ofNovatus. He hath done little but groan and sigh.'
'Surely,' I replied, 'the occasion warrants both sighs and groans. Butwhen came you from the temple?'
'On the appearance of the storm, just as Fronto approached the altar thefirst time. The signs were not to be mistaken, by any who were not somuch engrossed by the scene as to be insensible to all else, that atempest was in the sky, and would soon break upon the crowds in a delugeof rain and hail--as has happened. So that warning Portia of the danger,we early retreated--she with reluctance; but for myself, I was glad tobe driven away from a scene that brought so vividly before me the eventsof the early morning.'
'I am glad it was so,' I replied; 'you would have been more severelytried, had you remained.' And I then gave an account of the occurrencesof the day.
'I know not what to make of it,' she said as I ended 'Probus, teach uswhat to think. I am bewildered and amazed.'
'Lady,' said Probus, 'the Christian service is a hard one.'
'I have not found it so, thus far; but, on the other hand, a light andeasy one.'
'But the way is not ever so smooth, and the path, once entered upon,there is no retreat.'
'No roughness nor peril, Probus, be they what they may, can ever shakeme. It is for eternity I have embraced this faith, not for time--for mysoul, not for my body.'
'God be thanked that it is so. But the evils and sorrows that time hasin store, and which afflict the body, are not slight. And sometimes theyburst forth from the overburdened clouds in terrific violence, and poorhuman strength sinks and trembles, as to-day before the conflict of theelements.'
'They would find me strong in spirit and purpose, I am sure, Probus,however my woman's frame of flesh might yield. No fear can change mymind, nor tear me from the hopes which through Christ I cherish more, athousand fold, than this life of an hour.'
'Why, why is it so ordained in the Providence of God,' said Probus,'that truth must needs be watered with tears and blood, ere it will growand bear fruit? When, as now, the sky is dark and threatening, and themind is thronged with fearful anticipations of the sorrows that awaitthose who hold this faith, how can I, with a human heart within me,labor to convert the unbelieving? The words falter upon my tongue. Iturn from the young inquirer, and with some poor reason put him off toanother season. When I preach, it is with a coldness that must repel,and it is that which I almost desire to be the effect. My prayers neverreach heaven, nor the consciences of those who hear. Probus, they say,is growing worldly. His heart burns no longer within him. His zeal iscold. We must look to Macer. I fear, lady, that the reproaches are welldeserved. Not that I am growing worldly or cold, but that my humanaffections lead me away from duty, and make me a traitor to truth, andmy master.'
'O no, Probus,' said Julia; 'these are charges foolish and false. Thereis not a Christian in Rome but would say so. We all rest upon you.'
'Then upon what a broken reed! I am glad it was not I who made you aChristian.'
'Do you grieve to have been a benefactor?'
'Almost, when I see the evils which are to overwhelm the believer. Ilook round upon my little flock of hearers, and I seem to see them ledas lambs to the slaughter--poor, defenceless creatures, set upon byworse than lions and wolves. And you, lady of Piso, how can I sincerelyrejoice that you have added your great name to our humble roll, when Ithink of what may await you. Is that form to be dragged with violenceamid the hootings of the populace to the tribunal of the beast Varus?Are those limbs for the rack or the fire?'
'I trust in God they are not, Probus. But if they are needed, they arelittle to give for that which has made me so rich, and given wings tothe soul. I can spare the body, now that the soul can live without it.'
'There spoke the universal Christian! What but truth could so change ourpoor human nature into somewhat quite divine and godlike! Think not Ishrink myself at the prospect of obstruction and assault. I am a manloose upon the world, weaned by suffering and misfortune from earth,and ready at any hour to depart from it. You know my early story. But Iin vain seek to steel myself to the pains of others. From what I havesaid, I fear lest you should think me over-apprehensive. I wish it wereso. But all seems at this moment to be against us.'
'More then,' said Julia,
'must have come to your ears than to ours. Whenlast we sat with the Emperor at his table, he seemed well inclined. Andwhen urged by Fronto, rebuked him even with violence.'
'Yes, it was so.'
'Is it then from the scenes of to-day at the temple that you draw freshomens of misfortune? I have asked you what we should think of them.'
'I almost tremble to say. I stood, Piso, not far from you, upon thelower flight of steps, where I think you observed me.'
'I did. And at the sound of that voice from the temple, methought yourface was paler than Aurelian's. Why was that?'
'Because, Piso, I knew the voice.'
'Knew it! What mean you?'
'Repeat it not--let it sink into your ear, and there abide. It wasMacer's.'
'Macer's? Surely you jest.'
'Alas! I wish it were a jest. But his tones were no more to be mistakenthan were the thunder's.'
'This, should it be known, would, it is plain to see, greatly exasperateAurelian. It would be more than enough for Fronto to work his worst endswith. His suspicions at once fell upon the Christians.'
'That,' said Probus, 'was, I am confident, an artifice. The countenance,struck with superstitious horror, is not to be read amiss. Seen, thoughbut for a moment, and the signature is upon it, one and unequivocal. Butwith quick instinct the wily priest saw his advantage, seized it, and,whether believing or not himself, succeeded in poisoning the mind ofAurelian and that of the multitude. So great was the commotion among thepopulace, that, but for the tempest, I believe scarce would the legionsof the Emperor have saved us from slaughter upon the spot. Honest,misguided Macer--little dost thou know how deep a wound thou hast struckinto the very dearest life of the truth, for which thou wouldst yet atany moment thyself freely suffer and die!'
'What,' said Julia, 'could have moved him to such madness?'
'With him,' replied Probus, 'it was a deed of piety and genuine zeal forGod; he saw it in the light of an act god-like, and god-directed. Couldyou read his heart, you would find it calm and serene, in theconsciousness of a great duty greatly performed. It is very possible hemay have felt himself to be but an instrument in the hand of a higherpower, to whom he gives all the glory and the praise. There are manylike him, lady, both among Christians and Pagans. The sybils impose notso much upon others as upon themselves. They who give forth theresponses of the oracle, oft-times believe that they are in very truthfull of the god, and speak not their own thoughts, but the inspirationsof him whose priests they are. To themselves more than to others arethey impostors. The conceit of the peculiar favor of God, or of the godsin return for extraordinary devotion, is a weakness that besets ournature wherever it is found. An apostle perhaps never believed in hisinspiration more firmly than at times does Macer, and others among uslike him. But this inward solitary persuasion we know is nothing,however it may carry away captive the undiscriminating multitude.'
'Hence, Probus, then, I suppose, the need of some outward act of anextraordinary nature to show the inspiration real.'
'Yes,' he replied. 'No assertion of divine impulses or revelations canavail to persuade us of their reality, except supported and confirmed bymiracle. That, and that only, proves the present God. Christ would havedied without followers had he exhibited to the world only his characterand his truth, even though he had claimed, and claimed truly, a descentfrom and communion with the Deity. Men would have said, 'This is an oldand common story. We see every day and everywhere those who affectdivine aid. No act is so easy as to deceive one's self. If you propose aspiritual moral system and claim for it a divine authority, show yourauthority by a divine work, a work impossible to man, and we will thenadmit your claims. But your own inward convictions alone, sincere asthey may be, and possibly founded in truth, pass with us for nothing.Raise one that was dead to life, and we will believe you when you revealto us the spiritual world and the life to come.'
'I think,' said Julia, 'such would be the process in my own mind. Thereseems the same natural and necessary connection here between spiritualtruths and outward acts, as between the forms of letters or the soundof words, and ideas. We receive the most subtle of Plato's reasoningsthrough words--those miracles of material help--which address themselvesto the eye or ear. So we receive the truths of Jesus through the eyewitnessing his works, or the ear hearing the voice from Heaven.--But wewander from Macer, in whom, from what you have told us, and Piso hasknown, we both feel deeply interested. Can he not be drawn away fromthose fancies which possess him? 'Tis a pity we should lose so strong anadvocate, to some minds so resistless, nor only that, but suffer injuryfrom his extravagance.'
'It is our purpose,' I replied, 'to visit him to try what effect earnestremonstrance and appeal may have. Soon as I shall return from mypromised and now necessary visit to Marcus and Lucilia, I shall notfail, Probus, to request you to accompany me to his dwelling.'
'Does he dwell far from us?' asked Julia.
'His house, if house it may be called,' replied Probus, 'is in a narrowstreet, which runs just behind the shop of Demetrius, midway between theCapitol and the Quirinal. It is easily found by first passing the shopand then descending quick to the left--the street Janus, our friendIsaac's street, turning off at the same point to the right. At Macer's,should your feet ever be drawn that way, you would see how and in whatcrowded space the poor live in Rome.'
'Has he then a family, as your words seem to imply?'
'He has; and one more lovely dwells not within the walls of Rome. In hiswife and elder children, as I have informed Piso, we shall find warm andeloquent advocates on our side. They tremble for their husband andfather, whom they reverence and love, knowing his impetuosity, hisfearlessness and his zeal. Many an assault has he already brought uponhimself, and is destined, I fear, to draw down many more and heavier.'
'Heaven shield them all from harm,' said Julia. 'Are they known toDemetrius? His is a benevolent heart, and he would rejoice to do them aservice. No one is better known too or respected than the RomanDemetrius: his name merely would be a protection.'
'It was from Macer,' replied Probus, 'that Demetrius first heard thetruth which now holds him captive. Their near neighborhood brought themoften together. Demetrius was impressed by the ardor and evidentsincerity so visible in the conversation and manners of Macer; and Macerwas drawn toward Demetrius by the cast of melancholy--that sober,thoughtful air--that separates him so from his mercurial brother, andindeed from all. He wished he were a Christian. And by happy accidentsbeing thrown together--or rather drawn by some secret bond ofattraction--he in no long time had the happiness to see him one. Fromthe hand of Felix he received the waters of baptism.'
'What you have said, Probus, gives me great pleasure. I am not only nowsure that Macer and his little tribe have a friend at hand, but theknowledge that such a mind as that of Demetrius has been wrought upon byMacer, has served to raise him in my esteem and respect. He can be nocommon man, and surely no madman.'
'The world ever loves to charge those as mad,' said Probus, 'who, indevotion to a great cause, exceed its cold standard of moderation.Singular, that excess virtue should incur this reproach, while excessin vice is held but as a weakness of our nature!'
We were here interrupted by Milo, who came to conduct us to the supperroom; and there our friendly talk was prolonged far into the night.
When I next write, I shall have somewhat to say of Marcus, Lucilia, andthe little Gallus. How noble and generous in the Queen, her magnificentgift! When summer comes round again, I shall not fail, together withJulia, to see you there. How many recollections will come thronging uponme when I shall again find myself in the court of the Elephant, sittingwhere I once sat so often and listened to the voice of Longinus. May yousee there many happy years. Farewell.
* * * * *
Nothing could exceed the sensation caused in Rome by the voice heard atthe dedication, and among the adherents of the popular faith, by theunlucky omens of the day and of the sacrifice. My office at that timecall
ed me often to the capital, and to the palace of Aurelian, and threwme frequently into his company and that of Livia. My presence was littleheeded by the Emperor, who, of a bold and manly temper, spoke out withlittle reserve, and with no disguise or fear, whatever sentimentspossessed him. From such opportunities, and from communications ofMenestheus, the secretary of Aurelian, little took place at the palacewhich came not to my knowledge. The morning succeeding the dedication Ihad come to the city bringing a packet from the Queen to the EmpressLivia. While I waited in the common reception room of the palace, I tookfrom a case standing there, a volume and read. As I read, I presentlywas aroused by the sound of Aurelian's voice. It was as if engaged inearnest conversation. He soon entered the apartment accompanied by thepriest of the new temple.
'There is something,' he said as he drew near, 'in this combination ofunlucky signs that might appal a stouter spirit than mine. This too,after a munificence toward not one only but all the temples, never I amsure surpassed. Every god has been propitiated by gifts and appropriaterites. How can all this be interpreted other than most darkly--otherthan as a general hostility--and a discouragement from an enterpriseupon which I would found my glory. This has come most unlooked for. Iconfess myself perplexed. I have openly proclaimed my purpose--the wordhas gone abroad and travelled by this to the court of Persia itself,that with all Rome at my back I am once more to tempt the deserts of theEast.'
He here suddenly paused, being reminded by Fronto of my presence.
'Ah, it matters not;' he said; 'this is but Nichomachus, the goodservant of the Queen of Palmyra. I hope,' he said, turning to me, 'thatthe Queen is well, and the young Faustula?'
'They are well,' I replied.
'How agree with her these cooler airs of the west? These are not thebreezes of Arabia, that come to-day from the mountains.'
'She heeds them little,' I replied, 'her thoughts are engrossed byheavier cares.'
'They must be fewer now than ever.'
'They are fewer, but they are heavier and weigh upon her life more thanthe whole East once did. The remembrance of a single great disasterweighs as a heavier burden than the successful management of an empire.'
'True, Nichomachus, that is over true.' Then, without further regardingme, he went on with his conversation with Fronto.
'I cannot,' he said, 'now go back; and to go forward may bepersumptuous.'
'I cannot but believe, great Emperor,' said Fronto, 'that I have it inmy power to resolve your doubts, and set your mind at ease.'
'Rest not then,' said Aurelian with impatience--'but say on.'
'You sought the gods and read the omens with but one prayer and thought.And you have construed them as all bearing upon one point and having onesignificancy--because you have looked in no other direction. I believethey bear upon a different point, and that when you look behind andbefore, you will be of the same judgment.'
'Whither tends all this?'
'To this--that the omens of the day bear not upon your easternexpedition, but upon the new religion! You are warned as the great highpriest, by these signs in heaven and on earth--not against thisprojected expedition, which is an act of piety,--but against thisaccursed superstition, which is working its way into the empire, andthreatening the extermination and overthrow of the very altars on whichyou laid your costly offerings. What concern can the divinities feel inthe array of an army, destined to whatever service, compared with thatwhich must agitate their sacred breasts as they behold their altars castdown or forsaken, their names profaned, their very being denied, theirworshippers drawn from them to the secret midnight orgies of a tribe ofAtheists, whose aim is anarchy in the state and in religion; owningneither king on earth nor king in heaven--every man to be his ownpriest--every man his own master! Is not this the likeliest reading ofthe omens?'
'I confess, Fronto,' the Emperor replied, the cloud upon his browclearing away as he spoke, 'that what you say possesses likelihood. Ibelieve I have interpreted according to my fears. It is as you say--theEast only has been in my thoughts. It cannot in reason be thought to bethis enterprize, which, as you have said, is an act of piety--all Romewould judge it so--against which the heavens have thus arrayedthemselves. Fronto! Fronto! I am another man! Slave,' cried he aloud toone of the menials as he passed, 'let Mucapor be instantly summoned. Letthere be no delay. Now can my affairs be set on with something more ofspeed. When the gods smile, mountains sink to mole-hills. A divineenergy runs in the current of the blood and lends more than mortal forceto the arm and the will.'
As he spoke, never did so malignant a joy light up the human countenanceas was to be seen in the face of Fronto.
'And what then,' he hastily put in as the Emperor paused, 'what shall bedone with these profane wretches?'
'The Christians! They must be seen to. I will consider. Now, Fronto,shall I fill to the brim the cup of human glory. Now shall Rome by mevindicate her lost honor and wipe off the foulest stain that since thetime of Romulus has darkened her annals.'
'You will do yourself and the empire,' rejoined the priest, 'immortalhonor. If danger ever threatened the very existence of the state it isnow from the secret machinations of this god-denying tribe.'
'I spake of the East and of Valerian, Fronto. Syria is now Rome's.Palmyra, that mushroom of a day, is level with the ground. Her life isout. She will be hereafter known but by the fame of her past greatness,of her matchless Queen, and the glory of the victories that crowned thearms of Aurelian. What now remains but Persia?'
'The Christians,' said the priest, shortly and bitterly.
'You are right, Fronto; the omens are not to be read otherwise. It isagainst them they point. It shall be maturely weighed what shall bedone. When Persia is swept from the field, and Ctesiphon lies as low asPalmyra, then will I restore the honor of the gods, and let who willdare to worship other than as I shall ordain! Whoever worships them not,or other than them, shall die.'
'In that spoke the chief minister of religion--the representative of thegods. The piety of Aurelian is in the mouths of men not less than hisglory. The city resounds with the praise of him who has enriched thetemples, erected new ones, made ample provision for the priesthood, andfed the poor. This is the best greatness. Posterity will rather honorand remember him who saved them their faith, than him who gained aPersian victory. The victory for Religion too is to be had without cost,without a step taken from the palace gate or from the side of her whois alike Aurelian's and the empire's boast.'
'Nay, nay, Fronto, you are over-zealous. This eastern purpose admits notof delay. Hormisdas is new in his power. The people are restless anddivided. The present is the moment of success. It cannot bear delay.To-morrow, could it be so, would I start for Thrace. The heavens arepropitious. They frown no longer.'
'The likeliest way, methinks,' replied the priest, 'to insure successand the continued favor of the gods in that which they do not forbid,were first to fulfil their commands in what they have enjoined.'
'That, Fronto, cannot be denied. It is of weight. But where, of twocommands, both seem alike urgent, and both cannot be done at once,whether we will or not, we must choose, and in choosing we may err.'
'To an impartial, pious mind, O Emperor, the god of thy worship nevershone more clear in the heavens than shines his will in the terrificsigns of yesterday. Forgive thy servant, but drawn as thou art by theimage of fresh laurels of victory to be bound about thy brow, of therich spoils of Persia, of its mighty monarch at thy chariot wheels, andthe long line of a new triumph sweeping through the gates and the greatheart of the capital,--and thou art blind to the will of the gods,though writ in the dread convulsions of the elements and the unerringlanguage of the slaughtered victims.'
'Both may be done--both, Fronto. I blame not your zeal. Your freedompleases me. Religion is thus, I know, in good hands. But both I say maybe done. The care of the empire in this its other part may be left tothee and Varus, with full powers to see that the state, in the matter ofits faith, receives no harm. Your knowledge in this, i
f not your zeal,is more than mine. While I meet the enemies of Rome abroad, you shall bemy other self, and gain other victories at home.'
'Little, I fear, Aurelian, could be done even by me and Varus leagued,with full delegated powers, opposed as we should be by Tacitus and thesenate and the best half of Rome. None, but an arm omnipotent as thine,can crush this mischief. I see thou knowest not how deep it has struck,nor how wide it has spread. The very foundations of the throne and theempire are undermined. The poison of Christian atheism has infected thewhole mind of the people, not only throughout Rome, but Italy, Gaul,Africa, and Asia. And for this we have to thank whom? Whom butourselves? Ever since Hadrian--otherwise a patriot king--built hisimageless temples, in imitation of this barren and lifeless worship;ever since the weak Alexander and his superstitious mother filled theimperial palace with their statues of Christ, with preachers andteachers of his religion; ever since the Philips openly and withoutshame professed his faith; ever, I say, since these great examples havebeen before the world, has the ancient religion declined its head, andthe new stalked proudly by. Let not Aurelian's name be added to thisfatal list. Let him first secure the honor of the gods--then, and nottill then, seek his own.'
'You urge with warmth, Fronto, and with reason too. Your words are notwasted; they have fallen where they shall be deeply pondered. In themeantime I will wait for the judgment of the augurs and haruspices; andas the colleges report, will hold myself bound so to act.'
So they conversed, and then passed on. I was at that time but littleconversant with the religious condition of the empire. I knew but littleof the character of the prevailing faith and the Pagan priesthood; and Iknew less of the new religion as it was termed. But the instincts of myheart were from the gods, and they were all for humanity. I loved man,whoever he was, and of whatever name or faith; and I sickened atcruelties perpetrated against him, both in war, and by the bloody spiritof superstition. I burned with indignation therefore as I listened tothe cold-blooded arguings of the bigoted priest, and wept to see howartfully he could warp aside the better nature of Aurelian, and pour hisown venom into veins, that had else run with human blood, at least notwith the poisoned current of tigers, wolves, and serpents, of every nameand nature most vile. My hope was that, away from his prompter, thefirst purpose of Aurelian would return and have its way.