A Struggle for Rome, v. 1

  CHAPTER XXIV.

  After the removal of the three dukes, Amalaswintha had maintained anexpectant attitude. Although by the fall of the heads of thearistocratic opposition she had obtained some freedom of action, yetthe National Assembly at Regeta, near Rome, was soon to be held, whenshe must either completely exculpate herself from all suspicion ofmurder, or lose her crown, and perhaps her life. Only until theassembly had taken place did Witichis and his adherents promise hertheir protection. She therefore made every effort to strengthen herposition before the decisive moment arrived. She hoped nothing morefrom Cethegus; she had seen through his selfish motives.

  But she hoped that the Italians and the conspirators of the Catacombs,at the head of whose members her own name figured, would prefer herrule, so friendly to the Romans, to that of a king who belonged to theGothic national party. She ardently longed for the arrival of thebody-guard from the Emperor, which would protect her in the firstmoment of danger; and she was zealously employed in increasing thenumber of her friends amongst the Goths themselves. She invited many ofher father's old followers--zealous adherents of the Amelungs, grey oldwarriors of great influence with the people, brothers-at-arms andalmost play-fellows of old Hildebrand--to return to Ravenna;particularly the white-bearded Grippa, Theodoric's cupbearer, whosefame was scarcely less influential than that of the old master-at-arms.She overwhelmed him and his comrades with honours, confided the castleof Ravenna to their care, and made them swear to keep faith with theAmelung family. As this connection with popular names was to form asort of counterbalance to the influence of Witichis, Hildebrand andtheir friends--and Witichis could not justly prevent her fromdistinguishing the old friends of Theodoric with honours--so the Queenalso looked about for aid against the family of the Balthes and theirrevenge. With sharp discernment she perceived that this could best beprocured from the Woelfungs, whose family possessed great influence andriches in central Italy. At that time the heads of this family were twobrothers, Duke Guntharis and Earl Arahad.

  To win their alliance she had thought of a peculiarly effective means.For the friendship of the Woelfungs she would offer no less a price thanthe hand of her beautiful daughter.

  In a richly decorated room at Ravenna the mother and daughter wereengaged in an earnest but not amicable conversation on this subject.

  The Queen was measuring the narrow apartment with hasty steps; all herusual repose of manner gone. She frequently threw an angry look at thebeautiful girl, who, leaning against a marble table, stood quietlybefore her with downcast eyelids.

  "Reflect well," cried Amalaswintha angrily, and suddenly standingstill, "reflect once more! I give you three days' time."

  "It is in vain. I shall always speak as I have done to-day," saidMataswintha without raising her eyes.

  "Then tell me, what have you to say against Earl Arahad?"

  "Nothing, except that I cannot love him."

  The Queen did not seem to hear her.

  "This is quite a different case from the other, when we would have hadyou marry Cyprianus," she said. "He was old and--which perhaps in youreyes was a greater disadvantage," she added bitterly--"a Roman."

  "And yet I was banished to Tarentum because I refused him."

  "I hoped that severity would have induced you to change your mind. Formonths I kept you away from my court, from my motherly heart." A bittersmile curled Mataswintha's lovely mouth. "In vain," continued theQueen. "I now call you back----"

  "You err. My brother Athalaric called me back!"

  "I now offer you another husband. Young, handsome, a Goth of the purestnobility, his rank is at this moment the second in the kingdom. Youknow, at least you suspect, how sorely my throne, surrounded byenemies, needs protection. He and his powerful brother promise us thehelp of their whole army. Earl Arahad loves you, and you, you refusehim! Tell me why?"

  "Because I do not love him."

  "A girl's stupid speech! You are a King's daughter; you ought tosacrifice yourself to your rank, to your kingdom."

  "I am a woman," answered Mataswintha, raising her sparkling eyes, "andwill sacrifice my heart to no power in heaven or on earth!"

  "And thus speaks my daughter? Look at me, foolish child. I have strivenafter great things, and have attained much. As long as men admire whatis great, they will name my name. I have won all that life can offer,and yet I never----"

  "Loved! I know it," sighed her daughter.

  "You know it?"

  "Yes; it was the curse of my childhood! I was indeed still a child whenmy father died. I knew not how to express it, but even then I couldfeel that his heart missed something, when, sighing deeply, he embracedAthalaric and me, and sighed again. And I loved him all the moretenderly because I felt that he sought love most where it was wanting.Now indeed I know what then I could not explain to myself. You becameour father's wife, because, after Theodoric, he stood next to thethrone. Ambition, and not love, led you to his arms, and you could onlygive cold pride in return for his warm affection."

  Amalaswintha was startled, and stopped again in her restless walk.

  "You are very bold!" she said.

  "I am your daughter----"

  "You speak of love so familiarly--you seem to know it at twenty betterthan I at fifty. You love!" she cried suddenly, "and thence comes thisobstinacy!"

  Mataswintha blushed and was silent.

  "Speak," cried her angry mother; "confess it or deny it."

  Mataswintha cast down her eyes and still kept silence. She had neverlooked more beautiful.

  "Will you deny the truth? Are you afraid, you, a daughter of theAmelungs?"

  The girl proudly raised her eyes.

  "I am not afraid and I do not deny the truth. Yes, I love."

  "And whom, unhappy girl?"

  "Not even a god could force me to tell that!"

  She looked so decided that Amalaswintha did not attempt to learn more.

  "Well," she said, "my daughter has no common nature. So I demand of youwhat is uncommon: to sacrifice all to the highest."

  "Mother, I cherish a noble dream in my heart. To me it is the highest.To it I will sacrifice all."

  "Mataswintha," said the Queen, "how unqueenly! See, God has blessed youabove thousands with beauty of body and mind. You are born to be aqueen."

  "I will be a queen of love. All praise my beauty. I have proposed tomyself, loving and beloved, happy and bestowing happiness, to be a truewoman!"

  "A woman? is that all your ambition?"

  "It is. Oh, would it had been yours!"

  "And the realm is nothing to you, the grandchild of Theodoric? Yournation, the Goths, are they of no account?"

  "No, mother," said Mataswintha quietly; "it grieves me, it almost makesme ashamed, but I cannot pretend what I do not feel. The word 'Goth'arouses no sentiment in me. Perhaps it is not my fault; you have alwaysdespised these Goths and valued these 'barbarians' lightly; that was myfirst impression; it is enduring. And I hate this crown, this kingdomof the Goths; it has taken the place of my father, of my brother, andof myself in your heart! The Gothic crown has never been anything to mebut a hated and inimical power."

  "Oh, my child, woe to me if I am guilty of this! If you will not do itfor the sake of our kingdom, oh, do it for my sake! I am lost withoutthese Woelfungs. Do it for the sake of my love!" And she took herdaughter's hand.

  Mataswintha drew back with a bitter smile:

  "Mother, do not blaspheme that holy name! Your love? You have neverloved me. Nor my brother, nor my father."

  "My child! What should I have loved if not you?"

  "The crown, mother, and the hated monarchy! How often have you repulsedme before Athalaric's birth, because I was a girl, and you wished for acrown-prince. Think of my father's grave and of----"

  "Cease!" cried Amalaswintha.

  "And Athalaric? Have you ever loved him? Have you not rather loved hisright to the throne? Oh, how often have we poor children wept, when wesought the mother and found the Queen
!"

  "You never complained to me! you do it only now, when I ask you for thesacrifice----"

  "Mother, even now it was not for yourself, only for your crown andthrone. Put off the crown and you are free from all care. It hasbrought us no happiness, only pain. You are not threatened--I wouldsacrifice everything for you--but only your throne, only the goldendiadem, the idol of your heart, the curse of my life! Never will Isacrifice my love to this hated crown, never, never, never!" And shecrossed her white arms over her bosom as if she would protect her lovethus from all assailers.

  "Ha!" cried the Queen indignantly, "selfish, heartless child! youconfess that you have no feeling for your people, no pride in the crownof your great ancestors! You will not voluntarily obey the voice ofhonour; well then, obey force! You deny my love? then feel my severity!You will leave Ravenna at once with your attendants. You will go toFlorentia, as the guest of Duke Guntharis; his wife has invited you.Earl Arahad will accompany you on your journey. Leave me. Time willbend your stubborn will!"

  "No power can do that," said Mataswintha, proudly raising her head, andshe left the room.

  The Queen looked after her silently. Her daughter's reproofs had made agreater impression upon her than she was willing to allow.

  "Ambition?" she said to herself. "No, it is not that which fills mysoul. I feel that I could protect my realm and render it happy, andtruly I could sacrifice my life, as well as my crown, if the well-beingof my nation demanded it. Could I not?" she asked herself, doubtfullylaying her hand upon her heart.

  She was roused from her reverie by Cassiodorus, who entered with benthead and slow steps.

  "Well," said Amalaswintha, struck by the sad expression of his face,"do you come to tell me of a misfortune?"

  "No; only to ask a question."

  "What question?"

  "Queen," the old man solemnly commenced, "I have served you and yourfather faithfully for thirty years. I, a Roman, have served thebarbarians, for I honoured your virtues, and believed that Italy, nolonger capable of self-government, would flourish best under your rule,for your rule was just and mild. I continued to serve you, even whenthe blood of my best friends--and, as I believe, the most innocentblood--was shed. But they died by law, and not by treachery. I wasobliged to honour your father, even where I could not praise him. Butnow----"

  "Now? but now?" repeated the Queen proudly.

  "I come now to beg from my friend, may I say my scholar----"

  "You may," answered the Queen, softened.

  "To beg great Theodoric's noble daughter to speak one single word, a'yes.' If you can say this 'yes.'--and I pray to God that you can--thenI will serve you as faithfully as ever, so long as my grey hairs arespared."

  "And if not?"

  "And if not, O Queen," answered the old man sadly--"oh, then farewellto you, and to my last joy in this world!"

  "What have you to ask?"

  "Amalaswintha, you know that I was far away on the northern frontiersof the realm, when the rebellion here broke out, when that terriblerumour arose, and that fearful accusation was made. I believednothing--I hurried here from Tridentum--I arrived two days ago,and not an hour passes, not a Goth do I meet, but a terrible doubtfalls heavily upon my heart. And you, too, are changed; restless,inconstant--and yet I cannot believe it. One sincere word of yours willdispel all these mists."

  "Why use so many words?" she cried, supporting herself on the arm ofher chair. "Ask briefly what you have to ask."

  "Say but one simple 'yes.' Are you guiltless of the death of the threedukes?"

  "And if I were not, have they not richly deserved their fate?"

  "Amalaswintha--I beseech you--say 'yes.'"

  "You take a very sudden interest in the Gothic rebels!"

  "I beseech you," cried the old man, falling on his knees, "daughter ofTheodoric, say 'yes,' if you can!"

  "Rise!" she cried, turning away with a frown. "You have no right toquestion me thus."

  "No," said the old man quietly, and rising from his knees. "No, notnow. From this moment I no longer belong to this world."

  "Cassiodorus!" cried the Queen, alarmed.

  "Here are the keys of my rooms in the palace. There you will find allthe gifts that I have received from you and Theodoric; the documentswhich assert my dignities, and my seals of office. I go!"

  "Whither, my old friend, oh, whither?"

  "To the cloister which I founded at Squillacium, in Apulia.Henceforward, far from kings and their deeds, I shall only do God'swork upon earth. My soul has long since panted for peace, and now Ihave nothing left on earth that is dear to me. Accept once more myadvice at parting: put away the sceptre from your blood-stained hands.You can bless this realm no longer, you can only bring a curse upon thenation. Think of the salvation of your soul, and may God be gracious toyou!" And before the Queen could recover from her consternation, he haddisappeared.

  She would have hurried after him to call him back but she was met atthe door by Petros, the ambassador.

  "Stay, Queen," he said in a low and rapid voice, "stay and hear me. Ihave no time to lose. I am followed."

  "Who follows you?"

  "People who do not mean so well by you as I do. Deceive yourself nomore; the fate of the kingdom is decided; you can hinder it no longer,so save for yourself what you can. I repeat my proposal."

  "What proposal?"

  "You heard it yesterday."

  "That treacherous advice! Never! I shall report it to your master, theEmperor, and beg him to recall you. With you I will confer no more."

  "Queen, this is not the moment to spare you. The next ambassador ofJustinian is called Belisarius, and he will come with an army!"

  "Impossible!" cried the forsaken Queen. "I recall my petition."

  "Too late. The fleet of Belisarius already lies off Sicily. Theproposal which you thought came from me you have rejected. Learn thatthe Emperor, and not I, was the propounder, and meant it as a lasttoken of his favour."

  "Justinian, my friend, my protector, would thus ruin me and mykingdom!" cried Amalaswintha, who began to see the terrible truth.

  "Not ruin you, but save you! He will re-conquer this Italy, the cradleof the Roman Empire. This unnatural, impossible kingdom of the Goths iscondemned and lost. Leave the sinking ship. Justinian reaches out toyou a friendly hand, and the Empress offers you an asylum, if you willdeliver Neapolis, Rome, Ravenna, and all the fortresses into the handsof Belisarius, and consent that the Goths shall be led, disarmed, overthe Alps."

  "Wretched man! Shall I betray my people as you have betrayed me? Toolate I see your schemes; I came to you for help, and you will destroyme!"

  "Not you, only the barbarians."

  "These barbarians are my people; they are my only friends! I see itnow, and will stand by them to the death."

  "But they will not stand by you."

  "Insolent! Out of my sight! Leave my court!"

  "You will not listen? Reflect, O Queen! only on this condition can Ianswer for your life."

  "My people in arms shall answer for my life!"

  "Hardly. For the last time I ask you----"

  "Be silent! I will not give up my crown to Justinian without astruggle."

  "Well, then," said Petros to himself, "another must, do it. Enter!" hecalled aloud at the entrance.

  But Cethegus alone appeared from behind the curtain.

  "Where is Gothelindis? Where is Theodahad?" whispered Petros.

  "I left them outside the palace. The two women hate each other toobitterly. Their passion would spoil all."

  "You are not my good angel, Prefect of Rome," said Amalaswintha,turning away from him gloomily, as he approached.

  "This time perhaps I am," whispered Cethegus, going close up to her."You have rejected the proposals from Byzantium, as I expected youwould. Dismiss that false Greek."

  At a sign from the Queen, Petros retired into an ante-room.

  "What would you with me, Cethegus? I trust you no longer."

  "You have trusted
the Emperor instead of me, and you see theconsequences."

  "I do indeed," she answered in deep grief.

  "Queen, I have never deceived you in this: that I love Italy and Romemore than the Goths. You will remember that I never concealed it fromyou."

  "I know it, and do not blame you."

  "My dearest wish is to see Italy free. In order to keep the Emperoroff, I would uphold your government; but I tell you openly that thereis now no hope of this. If you proclaim war against Byzantium, theGoths will no more obey or the Italians trust you."

  "And why not? What separates me from the Italians and my people?"

  "Your own acts: two unfortunate documents, which, are in Justinian'shands. You yourself first called his arms into Italy--a body-guard fromByzantium!"

  Amalaswintha grew pale.

  "You know----"

  "Unfortunately not I alone, but my friends, the conspirators of theCatacombs. Petros showed them, the letter, and they call down cursesupon you."

  "Then my Goths, at least, remain to me!"

  "No longer. Not alone do the adherents of the Balthes seek your life;but the conspirators of Rome have sworn, as soon as war breaks out, toannounce to all the world that your name stands at the head of theirconspiracy against the Goths--against your own nation! The document,with your signature, is in my hands no longer; it lies in the archivesof the conspirators."

  "Faithless man!"

  "How could I know that you treated with Byzantium behind my back, andthus made enemies of my friends? You see that Byzantium, the Goths, andItaly are all against you. If the war break out under your direction,division will run rife in Italy. No one will obey you, and the kingdomwill fall helpless into the hands of Belisarius. Amalaswintha, theremust be a sacrifice! I demand it of you in the name of Italy, in thename of your people and of mine."

  "What sacrifice? I consent to any."

  "The greatest sacrifice--your crown. Give it to a man who is capable ofuniting the Goths and Italians against Byzantium, and save bothnations."

  Amalaswintha looked at him searchingly. A terrible struggle took placein her soul.

  "My crown? It is very dear to me," she said.

  "I always held Amalaswintha capable of any sacrifice."

  "Dare I place confidence in your advice?"

  "If it were sweet, you might doubt it; if I flattered your pride youmight mistrust me. But I offer you the bitter cup of renunciation. Iappeal to your generosity and courage. Make me not ashamed."

  "Your last advice was a crime," cried Amalaswintha, shuddering.

  "I preserved your throne by every possible means as long as it could beupheld, as long as it was necessary for Italy; and I now demand thatyou should love your people more than your sceptre."

  "By God! there you do not err. For my people I have not hesitated tosacrifice the lives of others"--she gladly dwelt on this thought, whichappeased her conscience--"and I shall not refuse now to sacrifice mypersonal ambition. But who will be my successor?"

  "Your heir, to whom the crown belongs--Theodahad, the last of theAmelungs."

  "What! that feeble creature?"

  "He is no hero, it is true; but heroes will obey the nephew ofTheodoric if you place him on the throne. And, consider, his Romaneducation has won the Italians for him; they will stand by him. Theywould both fear and hate a king after Hildebrand's heart."

  "And rightly," answered the Queen reflectively. "But Gothelindis,Queen!"

  Cethegus came nearer, and looked keenly into her eyes.

  "Amalaswintha is not so mean as to nourish a pitiful feminine enmitywhen there is need of a noble resolve. You have ever appeared to menobler than your sex. Now prove it, and decide."

  "Not now," said Amalaswintha. "My head burns and my brain is confused.Let me alone to-night. You believe me capable of self-sacrifice. Ithank you for that at least. To-morrow I will decide."

  BOOK III. THEODAHAD.

  "It seemed to Theodahad that to have neighbours was a kind ofmisfortune."--_Procopius: Wars of the Goths_, i. 3.