CHAPTER XV.
A few days later the court was surprised by a new step towardsindependence on the part of the young King. He himself summoned acouncil, a prerogative which, until now, had only been assumed byAmalaswintha.
The Queen-regent was not a little astonished when a messenger from herson bade her repair to his apartments, where the King had alreadyassembled several of the highest officials of the realm, both Goths andRomans. Amongst these last were Cassiodorus and Cethegus.
At first the latter had intended to absent himself, in order not by hispresence to acknowledge the right which the youth had assumed; hesuspected nothing good. But just for this reason he altered his mind.
"I must not turn my back upon danger, I must face it," he said as heprepared for the distasteful assembly.
He found all those who had been invited already collected in the King'schamber. The Queen alone was still absent. When she at last entered,Athalaric, who wore a long and wide purple robe, with the crown ofTheodoric shining upon his brow, and his sword at his side, rose fromhis throne (behind which was a niche covered by a curtain), advanced tothe Queen and led her to a second and higher throne, which, however,was placed on the left. So soon as she was seated he began:
"My royal mother, brave Goths, noble Romans! We have assembled you hereto make known to you our will. Dangers threatened this kingdom whichonly we, its King, could avert."
Such a speech had never yet been heard from his lips. All were silentand confounded; Cethegus from prudence; he waited for the propermoment. At last Cassiodorus began:
"Your wise mother and your faithful servant Cassiodorus----"
"My faithful servant Cassiodorus will be silent until his lord and Kingasks his advice. We are discontented, highly discontented, with thatwhich the advisers of our mother have, until now, done and left undone.It is high time that we ourselves should look to the right. Until nowwe were too young and too ailing. We feel so no more. We announce toyou that we accordingly annul the regency, and take the reins ofgovernment into our own hands."
He ceased. Every one remained silent. None wished, like Cassiodorus, tospeak and be rebuked.
At length Amalaswintha, who was quite stunned by the sudden energydisplayed by her son, again found her tongue:
"My son, the age of minority is, according to the laws of theEmperor----"
"The Romans, mother, may abide by the Emperor's laws. We are Goths andlive under Gothic law. German youths are of age when the assembled armyhas declared them capable of bearing arms. We have therefore determinedto invite all the generals, counts, and freemen of our realm, as manyas will obey our call, from all the provinces of the kingdom, to areview of the army at Ravenna. They will arrive at the next solstitialfeast."
All were mute with surprise.
"That will be in fourteen days," said Cassiodorus at last. "Will it bepossible to issue summonses in so short a time?"
"They are issued. Hildebrand, my old master-at-arms, and Earl Witichishave thought of everything."
"Who has signed the summonses!" asked Amalaswintha, taking courage.
"I alone, dear mother. It was necessary to show those invited that Iwas old enough to act alone."
"And without my knowledge!" cried the Queen-regent.
"It was done without your knowledge, because otherwise it must havebeen done against your will."
He ceased. All the Romans were confounded by the suddenly developedenergy of the young King. Only Cethegus was at once resolved to preventthe review at any price. He saw the foundations of all his planstottering. Gladly would he have come to the help of the regency, whichwas thus sinking before his very eyes, with all the weight of hisoratory; he would have long since gladly crushed the bold efforts ofthe youth with his calm superiority, but a strange circumstance heldhis thoughts and tongue enchained as if in magic bonds.
He fancied he heard a noise behind the curtain, and fixed a keen lookupon it. He soon remarked beneath it, for the fringes did not quitereach the ground, the feet of a man. But only as far up as the ankles.
Upon these ankles, however, were steel greaves of peculiarconstruction. He knew these greaves; he knew that they belonged to afull suit of armour of the same make; he knew also, by an instinctiveconnection of ideas, that the wearer of this armour was hateful anddangerous to him. But still it was impossible for him to say who thisenemy was. If he could only have seen the greaves as far up as theknee!
His eyes wandered again and again to the same spot. Against his willhis mind was occupied in guessing. And this circumstance kept hisattention fixed, at a moment when everything was at stake. He was angrywith himself, but he could not tear his thoughts and looks away fromthe niche.
Meanwhile the King continued without contradiction: "Further, we haverecalled the noble Dukes Thulun, Ibba and Pitza, who have left ourcourt in ill-will, from Gaul and Spain. We find that too many Romansand too few Goths surround us. These three brave warriors, togetherwith Earl Witichis, will examine the defences of our kingdom, thefortresses and ships, and will discover and remedy all deficiencies. Weexpect them to arrive shortly."
"They must at once leave the place again," said Cethegus to himself;but his thoughts repeated, "not without reason is that man concealedbehind the curtain."
"Further," resumed Athalaric, "we have ordered Mataswintha, ourbeautiful sister, to return to court. She was banished to Tarentobecause she refused to become the wife of an aged Roman. She shallreturn, the loveliest flower of our realm and an ornament to ourcourt."
"Impossible!" cried Amalaswintha; "you attack the rights, not only ofthe Queen, but of the mother."
"I am the head of the family as soon as I am of age."
"My son, you know how feeble you were only a few weeks ago. Do youreally believe that the Gothic warriors will declare you capable ofbearing arms?"
The King became as scarlet as his royal purple, partly from shame,partly from anger. Before he could find an answer, a rough voice at hisside exclaimed:
"Be not troubled about that, your Majesty! I have been his master,"continued the speaker, turning to the assembly: "I tell you that he canmeasure his strength against any foe; and whom old Hildebrand declarescapable of bearing arms is considered so by all the Goths."
Loud applause from all the Goths present confirmed this assertion.Again Cethegus would have put in his word, but a movement behind thecurtain drew his attention away. "It is one of my greatest enemies, butwho?" he thought.
"There is yet an important matter to make known to you," again beganthe King with a hasty glance at the niche, which did not escapeCethegus.
"Perhaps an accusation against me," thought the latter; "they want totake me by surprise? They shall not succeed!"
But it surprised him, after all, when the King suddenly called in aloud voice:
"Prefect of Rome! Cethegus Caesarius!"
Cethegus started; but, quickly recovering himself, bent his head andanswered: "My Lord and King!"
"Have you nothing to announce from Rome? What is the feeling of theQuirites? What do people think of the Goths?"
"They are honoured as the people of Theodoric."
"Are they feared?"
"There is no cause to fear them."
"Are they loved?"
Gladly would the Prefect have replied, "There is no cause to lovethem;" but the King himself continued:
"So there is no trace of discontent? No cause for uneasiness? Nothingparticular in preparation?"
"I have nothing to communicate."
"Then you are badly informed, Prefect of Rome, or badly disposed! What?must I--who have scarcely risen from my sick-bed here at Ravenna--tellyou what happens in Rome under your very eyes? The workmen on yourbulwarks sing satirical songs against the Goths, against the Queen,against me. Your legions use threatening words while practising the useof their arms. Most probably there exists already a widespreadconspiracy, with senators and priests at its head. They assemble bynight in secret places. An accomplice
of Boethius, a banished man,Albinus, has been seen in Rome, and do you know where? In the garden ofyour house."
All eyes--either in astonishment, rage, or fear--were fixed uponCethegus. Amalaswintha trembled for the object of her trust. But he wasnow quite himself again. Quiet, cool, and silent, he looked full at theKing.
"Justify yourself!" exclaimed the King.
"Justify myself? Against a shadow, a report? Against an accusationwithout accusers? Never!"
"We shall know how to force you."
The Prefect's thin lips curled with contempt.
"I may be murdered upon mere suspicion, without doubt--we Italians haveexperienced such a thing--but not condemned. There can be nojustification opposed to force."
"Justice shall be done, doubt it not. We charge all Romans present withthe examination, and leave the sentence to the Roman Senate. Choose adefender."
"I defend myself," said Cethegus coolly. "What is the accusation? Whois my accuser? Where is he?"
"Here!" cried the King, and threw back the curtain.
A Gothic warrior, in a full suit of black armour, stepped forth. Wealready know him. It was Teja.
The Prefect turned away his eyes in deadly hatred.
Teja spoke.
"I, Teja, son of Tagila, accuse thee, Cethegus Caesarius, of treasonagainst the Goths. I accuse thee of having hidden the banished traitor,Albinus, in thy house in Rome. Death is the penalty. And, besides this,thou art plotting to subject this country to the Emperor of Byzantium."
"That least of all," said Cethegus coolly, "Prove your accusation."
"I saw Albinus, with my own eyes, entering thy garden fourteen daysago," continued Teja, turning to the assembly. "He came from the ViaSacra, enveloped in a mantle, a wide-brimmed hat upon his head. I hadseen him on two former occasions; this time I recognised him. As I wenttowards him, he disappeared through a door, which closed behind him."
"Since when does my colleague, the brave Commandant of Rome, play thenightly spy?"
"Since he had a Cethegus at his side," retorted Teja. "But as thefugitive escaped, this roll fell from his mantle. It contains the namesof distinguished Romans, and opposite to each name notices in anunknown cipher. Here is the roll."
He gave it to the King, who read:
"The names are Silverius, Cethegus, Licinius, Scaevola, Calpurnius,Pomponius. Canst thou swear, Teja, that the disguised man was Albinus?"
"I will swear it."
"Prefect of Rome, Earl Teja is a free, unblemished, honourable man. Canyou deny it?"
"I deny it. He is not unblemished. His parents lived in an illegal,incestuous marriage; they were sister's children. The Church has cursedtheir connection and its fruit. He is a bastard, and can not bearwitness against a noble Roman of senatorial rank."
A murmur of anger burst from all the Goths present. Teja's pale facebecame still paler. He grasped his sword.
"Then I will defend my word with my sword," he said, in a voice stifledby rage. "I challenge thee to mortal combat! God shall judge betweenus!"
"I am a Roman, and do not act according to your barbaric customs. Buteven if I were a Goth, I would refuse to fight a bastard!"
"Patience," said Teja, and quietly returned his sword to its sheath."Patience, my sword; thy day will come!"
The Romans in the room breathed again.
The King resumed:
"However that may be, the accusation is sufficiently well founded tojustify the arrest of the said Roman. You, Cassiodorus, will decipherthe secret writing. You, Earl Witichis, will hasten to Rome and makesure of the five suspected men; search their houses, and that of thePrefect. Hildebrand, arrest the accused, and take his sword."
"Hold!" said Cethegus. "I will guarantee not to leave Ravenna untilthis question be settled, with the forfeiture of all my property. Idemand an examination upon a free footing; such is the right of asenator."
"Trouble not thyself about that, my son," cried old Hildebrand to theKing. "Let me arrest him!"
"Let him alone," answered the King. "He shall have strict justice.Leave him. The accusation has taken him by surprise. He shall have timeto prepare his defence. To-morrow at this hour we will meet here again.I dissolve the assembly."
He made a sign with his sceptre. Amalaswintha hurried away in thegreatest excitement.
The Goths surrounded Teja, greatly pleased; but the Romans passedquickly by Cethegus, avoiding any speech with him.
Cassiodorus alone stepped firmly up to him, laid his hand upon hisshoulder, looking searchingly into his eyes, and then asked:
"Cethegus, can I help you?"
"No; I will help myself," answered Cethegus, shaking him off, and wentout alone with a proud step.