A Struggle for Rome, v. 1

  CHAPTER XIV.

  The Emperor opened the tablets, and read:

  "To Justinian, Emperor of the Romans, Amalaswintha, Queen of the Gothsand the Italians."

  "Queen of the Italians!" laughed Justinian; "what an insane title!"

  "From Alexandros you will learn how Eris and Ate haunt this land. I amlike a lonely palm-tree which is tossed by opposing winds. Each dayincreases the barbarians' enmity to me, and daily I become moreestranged from them; and the Romans, however much I try to conciliatethem, can never forget that I am of Germanic origin. Till now I havedefied all danger with a firm spirit; but I can do so no longer, if mypalace and my person are not in security. I cannot rely upon any partyin this country. Therefore I appeal to you, as my royal brother.It is the dignity of all rulers, and the peace of Italy, whichyou will protect. Send me, I beseech you, a trustworthy troop, alife-guard"--the Emperor cast a significant look at Belisarius--"atroop of some thousand men, with a leader who will be unconditionallydevoted to me. They shall occupy the palace; it is a fortress initself. As to Rome, these troops must, above all things, keep from methe Prefect Cethegus, who is as full of duplicity as he is powerful,and who deserted me in the danger into which he himself had led me. Ifnecessary, they must ruin him. When I have overthrown my enemies, andsecured my kingdom, as I trust in Heaven and my own strength that Ishall, I will send back troops and leader richly laden with gifts, andstill more with warm thanks.--_Vale_."

  Justinian clasped the wax-tablets tightly in his hand; his eyes shone;his plain features were ennobled by an expression of high intellectualpower; and the present moment showed, that together with manyweaknesses and littlenesses, he possessed strength and greatness: thegreatness of diplomatic genius.

  "In this letter," he cried at last, with sparkling eyes, "I hold Italyand the Gothic kingdom!"

  And, much agitated, he paced the room with long strides, evenforgetting to bow before the Cross.

  "A life-guard! that she shall have! But not a few thousand men; manythousands--more than she will like; and you, Belisarias, shall leadthem."

  "Deign to look at the presents," said Alexandros, pointing to a costlyshrine of cypress-wood, inlaid with gold, which a slave had set downbehind him. "Here is the key."

  And he held out a little box of tortoise-shell, which was closed withthe Queen's seal.

  "Her picture is there too," he said, raising his voice as if byaccident.

  At the moment in which Alexandros raised his voice, the head of a womanwas protruded gently and unnoticed through the curtain, and twosparkling black eyes looked keenly at the Emperor.

  Justinian opened the shrine, quickly pushed aside its costly contents,and hastily caught up a simple tablet of polished box-wood, with asmall golden frame.

  A cry of astonishment involuntarily burst from his lips, his eyessparkled, and he showed the picture to Belisarius.

  "A splendid woman! What majesty on her brow! One sees that she is aborn ruler--a king's daughter!" and he gazed admiringly at the noblefeatures.

  The curtain rustled, and the listener entered.

  It was Theodora, the Empress. A seductive apparition.

  All the arts of woman's inventive genius in a time of refined luxury,and all the means of an empire, were daily called into requisition, inorder to keep the beauty of this woman--who had impaired it only toomuch by a life of unbridled sensuality--fresh and dazzling. Gold-dustgave to her blue-black hair a metallic brilliancy; it was carefullycombed up from the nape of her neck, in order to show the beautifulshape of her head, and its fine set upon her shoulders. Her eyebrowsand eye-lashes were dyed black with Arabian antimony; and so carefullywas the red of her lips put on, that even Justinian, who kissed thoselips, never suspected an aid to Nature by means of Ph[oe]nicianscarlet. Every tiny hair on her alabaster arm had been carefullydestroyed: and the delicate rose-colour of her finger-nails was thedaily care of a specially-appointed slave.

  And yet, without all these arts, Theodora, who was not yet forty yearsof age, would have passed for an extremely lovely woman. Hercountenance was certainly not noble; no noble, or even proud spirit,spoke from her fatigued and weirdly shining eyes; round her lips playedan habitual smile, the dimples of which indicated the place of thefirst future wrinkle; and her cheeks, beneath the eyes, showed tracesof exhaustion.

  But as she now gracefully moved towards the Emperor, delicately holdingup the heavy folds of her dark-yellow silk robes with her left hand,her whole appearance produced a bewitching charm, similar to the sweetand soothing scent of Indian balsam which she shed around her.

  "What pleases my imperial lord so much? May I share his delight?" sheasked in a sweet and flattering voice.

  Those present prostrated themselves before the Empress, scarcely lesshumbly than before the Emperor.

  Justinian started upon seeing her, as if he had been caught in someculpable act, and tried to conceal the portrait in the folds of hischlamys. But it was too late. The Empress had already fixed her quickeyes upon it.

  "We are admiring," said the Emperor, "the--the fine chasing of the goldframe."

  And, blushing, he gave her the portrait.

  "Well," said Theodora, smiling, "there is not much to admire in theframe. But the picture is not bad. It is surely the Gothic Queen?"

  The ambassador bowed assent.

  "Not bad, as I said before; but barbaric, severe, unwomanly. How oldmay she be, Alexandros?"

  "About forty-five."

  Justinian looked at the picture and then at the ambassador.

  "The picture was taken fifteen years ago," said Alexandros, as if in.explanation.

  "No," said the Emperor, "you mistake; here stands the date, accordingto the indiction[5] and the consul, and the date of her accession; itis of this year."

  An awkward pause ensued.

  "Well," stammered Alexandros, "then the artists flatter like----"

  "Like courtiers," concluded the Emperor.

  But Theodora came to the ambassador's aid.

  "Why do we chatter about portraits and the age of strange women, whenwe should think only of the empire? What news brings Alexandras? Areyou decided, Justinianus?"

  "Almost. I only wished to hear your opinion, and, I know, you are infavour of war."

  Narses quietly interposed. "Wherefore, sire, did you not at once tellus that the Empress was in favour of war? We could have spared ourwords."

  "What! would you insinuate that I am the slave of my wife?"

  "Guard your tongue better," said Theodora angrily. "Many who seemedinvulnerable, have been stung by their own sharp tongues."

  "You are very imprudent, Narses," said Justinian.

  "Emperor," he answered, "I have long since ceased to be prudent. Welive in a time, in a realm, and at a court, where, for any word that wespeak or leave unspoken, we may fall into disgrace and be ruined. Asany word of mine may cause my death, I will at least die for words thatplease me."

  The Emperor smiled.

  "You must confess, patrician, that I can bear a great deal ofplain-speaking."

  "You are by nature great, O Justinianus, and a magnanimous ruler; elseNarses would not serve you. But Omphale rendered even Hercules small."

  The eyes of the Empress shone with hatred.

  Justinianus became uneasy.

  "Go," he said, "I will consult with the Empress alone. To-morrow youshall hear my decision."