The Hammer: A Story of the Maccabean Times

  CHAPTER VIII.

  SHALLUM THE WINE-SELLER.

  "Things are growing worse and worse; only three customers yesterday, andnot a single one to-day, though it must be at least an hour past noon. Onewould think that all the world had become Nazarites. Then, though there isnext to nothing coming in, there is no stop to the going out. First comesthe rascally tax-gatherer, and squeezes one as dry as a grape-skin in apress. And if, by chance, there happens to be a drop left, some snufflingpriest is sure to turn up, and talk about one's duty as a patriot and aJew till he drags the last shekel out of one."

  The speaker was one Shallum, a Benjamite, who kept a little wine-shop inthe Lower City. When he had finished his grumble, he thrust his hand intoan empty wine-jar, drew from it a little leathern bag, untied the stringwhich was round the neck, poured out the scanty contents on the counterand counted them. He knew the amount perfectly well, for he had gonethrough the counting process at least ten times before that day. But whena man is desperately anxious to make two ends meet, he will measure themagain and again, though he may know exactly by how much they are tooshort.

  "Twelve shekels and ten annas! And old Nahum will be here to-morrow,asking for his thirty shekels!"

  Nahum was a Lebanon wine-grower, whose long-suffering had been alreadytried to the utmost by the delays of the impecunious Shallum.

  At this moment his meditations were interrupted by the entrance of twovisitors, who had been standing, listening and watching outside the door.They were traders in a small way, who had migrated from Joppa when theyheard that Greek wares were becoming the fashion in Jerusalem.

  "Ho! Shallum," cried one of them, "two cups of your best Lebanon; and makehaste, for we have important business on hand."

  "Shall I draw some water fresh from the well? This is a little too warm tobe used."

  "Water!" said the man. "Jew, don't blaspheme. Mix water with our wineto-day, of all days in the year!"

  "And why not to-day?" said Shallum.

  "Because it is the feast of Dionysus, the wine-giver; and it would be thegrossest impiety to profane his bounty with any mixture of meaner things.Commonly his godship winks at human weakness; but to-day it is different.May he confound me if I do him such dishonour!"

  "He will certainly confound you if you drink this heady wine undiluted,"muttered Shallum to himself, as he set the two cups before his guests.

  "Excellent! excellent!" cried Lycon, the elder of the two Greeks, as heset down his goblet, half empty. "But why the god vouchsafes such capitaldrink to these unbelieving dogs of Jews puzzles me beyond expression."

  His companion broke out into a drinking-song:

  "Fill the cup with ample measure, Dionysus' gift divine; Earth and sea hold no such treasure As the gleaming, sparkling wine.

  All for youth are love's caressings, Gold and gems for princes shine; All may share the wine-god's blessings, Rich and poor are glad with wine."

  Shallum was fairly tolerant, as indeed a tavern-keeper can hardly fail tobe, of the ways and manners of his customers; but to hear this praise of afalse god, one of the odious demons that were worshipped by the heathen,was too much for his patience. He muttered a curse under his breath, andemphasized this expression of disgust by spitting on the floor.

  "Don't talk to me of your gods and goddesses!" cried Shallum, goadedbeyond all endurance, "a lewd, drunken crew that no respectable personwould have anything to do with!"

  "Come, my friend," said the Greek, "this is not the sort of talk which oneexpects to hear from a loyal subject of the pious Antiochus. We Greeks arenot such bigots as you are, cursing every man, woman, or child that doesnot go exactly in our own way; but you must treat us and our belongingswith respect. We are not going to have barbarians scoffing at what wethink fit to worship. I have heard of men being crucified for less thanyou have said to-day. But hearken, Shallum, we did not come here to-day toquarrel with you. You are a good fellow, after all, and keep as capital atap of wine as any that I know, King Tmolus(7) only excepted. We want youto come with us and have a jolly day. What is the good of quarrellingabout words? You and we are quite agreed that there is something in winethat makes it one of the finest things under the sun. Suppose that wechoose to call that something Dionysus the Wine-god, and you choose to saythat your god has to do with it, what is the difference? We are reallyagreed. It is the goodness in wine that we both like, and I'm sure that areally honest fellow like you, that we can always rely on to give us theright stuff, should be the first to acknowledge it. Well, can't we show anagreement? That is why we want you to come with us. A whole crowd of yourcountrymen are coming, I understand. It will be a pretty sight, and therewill be some of the finest music that you ever heard, and dancing, and funof all kinds, and, of course, as much wine as ever you want. Of course youwill come, my dear Shallum?"

  "_I_ come?" growled the wine-seller. "Not I! What do I care about yourdancing and singing? And as for wine, I can have as much as I want athome, and better stuff, too, than any that I am likely to get elsewhere."

  Lycon, who was evidently bent on getting his way, did not suffer his goodhumour to be disturbed by the Jew's churlishness. "Ah!" said he, "thatreminds me. Stupid fellow that I am, I quite forgot the matter of businessthat really brought me here. To tell the truth, business and this oldLebanon don't very well agree. But listen; Neocles, who ismanager-in-chief of the whole festival, has quite made up his mind to haveyour wine, and none but yours, for all the better sort of people. He wasto get some skins for the common folks from Zadok--do you know him?"

  "Know him?" said Shallum; "I should think I did--hasn't got a drop of soundwine in his shop."

  "So the Chief said. But we were to come to you for the good wine. What canyou let us have? Mind that it must be the very best. We were not to haggleabout the price, Neocles said, so long as we got it really good."

  And Lycon pulled out of his pocket a money-bag that was evidently muchbetter furnished than Shallum's lean and hunger-bitten purse. Untying theneck, he poured into his hand, with an air of careless profusion, some tenor twelve gold pieces.

  Shallum's keen eyes glistened at the sight. Here was enough to pay notonly Nahum but all his creditors, and leave him a handsome sum overwherewith to tide over the hard times. His somewhat brusque manner changedin a moment. He was now the most obsequious of tradesmen.

  "Everything in my stores is at your disposal. And I have a better winethan this in my cellar, and only ten shekels a skin," he went on, addingabout three to the utmost he expected to get. "But wait a moment,gentlemen, you shall taste it for yourselves."

  He took a small flagon from beneath the counter and disappeared. The twoGreeks smiled to each other. "We have the fish fast," one of them said;"after all there is nothing like a golden bait."

  Shallum shortly reappeared with the wine, which was tasted and approved.

  "Well," said Lycon, "we will say ten skins of this at ten shekels a piece,and five of the other sort at eight--that is the price; is it not?"

  Shallum nodded assent. As a matter of fact he would never have expectedmore than seven. But if these Greeks were so free with their money whyshould not an honest Jew have the benefit of it?

  "Of course you will come with us?" said Lycon.

  "You may take my word for it, there will be nothing to offend you."

  Shallum hesitated for a moment, and then muttered an unwilling "Yes."

  "And you won't mind wearing this little twig of ivy, just twisted roundyour head? It means nothing--every one does it."

  This was more than the wretched man was prepared for. "Not I," he said; "Iam not going to wear any of your idolatrous ornaments."

  Lycon put the money-bag into his pocket again. "Then, my dear Shallum, Iam afraid we shall not be able to do any business. 'Give and take' is ourmotto. We put a nice little bargain in your way; and you must humour us.However, if you are obstinate, there must be an end of it. I dare sayZadok can find us what
we want. Come, Callicles," he went on, turning tohis companion, "we must be going."

  Shallum saw his dreams of deliverance from his money-troubles vanishinginto air, and grew desperate. "Stop," he said to his guests, "let me thinkfor a moment. You won't ask me to do anything else. A few leaves can'tmake much odds either way. I don't remember ever hearing anything in theLaw against wearing ivy. It isn't like eating swine's flesh, or thosedetestable scaleless eels that you Greeks are so fond of. Yes, I'll wearthe thing, if you want me to so much."

  "That's right, Shallum; I thought a sensible man like you would not throwaway a good chance for a mere nothing."

  So saying, Lycon stepped outside the shop, and whistled. In a minute or soa cart, which had been waiting round the corner, was driven up. The skinsof wine were stowed away in it, and the two Greeks, with Shallum betweenthem, all wearing the ivy-wreath, took their seats, and started for theValley of the Cheesemongers, where it had been arranged that the festivalshould be held.

  The festival was scarcely a success, if it was meant, as it certainly was,to attract the Jewish population. A few hundreds, indeed, had beenpersuaded or compelled to be present. Most of them belonged to the lowestand most degraded class, wretched creatures whom any purchaser mightsecure for any purpose with a shekel or a flagon of wine. To-day they were"hail fellow well met" with their Greek neighbours, but to-morrow theywould be perfectly ready to tear them in pieces. A few of somewhat bettercharacter had been bribed, as Shallum had been bribed, to come. These hadlittle of the air of genuine holiday-makers. Their bursts of simulatedgaiety did not conceal the shame which they really felt. Others, again,did not make even this pretence of hilarity. They had been actuallycompelled to come, and they had all the air of prisoners led in thetriumphant procession of a victorious general. Their faces were ghastlypale. Some, with their teeth firmly clenched, seemed to be forciblykeeping in the curses which struggled to find utterance. Others, of agentler temper, were weeping silently; and others, again, preserved a lookof dogged indifference. The Greek part of the spectators, who could haveenjoyed the humours of the scene with a good conscience, were depressed bythe presence of these unwilling guests. In consequence, everything seemedto fail. The jesters, with their grotesque garb and faces hideouslysmeared with wine-lees, could scarcely get a laugh from their audience;the singing lacked heartiness, the dancing was dull and spiritless. It isonly natural that revellers, who find the time passing slowly, should tryto quicken its movement. There was little brightness or gaiety in thisfeast of the wine-god, and there was therefore all the more excess. Someseized the rare opportunity of intoxicating themselves without expense,while others drank to drown their shame or their anger. Shallum, whoseoccupation had somewhat seasoned him against the effects of wine, remainedcomparatively sober, but his Greek companions were less discreet or lessstrong-headed. They became, by a rapid succession of moods, boisterouslygay, foolishly affectionate, and provokingly quarrelsome. It was not longbefore things came to a crisis. Lycon taunted the wine-seller with thequality of his wines; that did not affect him, for he was used to suchcomplaints from his customers, and took them as part of his day's work. Hescoffed at the subjection of his nation to Greek rule; Shallum still kepthis temper. The tipsy Greek was only encouraged to further insults by hiscompanion's self-restraint. He attempted to daub the Jew's face with thedregs from a broken flagon. Shallum angrily shook him off, and he reeledback, just saving himself from a fall by catching at the trunk of an olivetree. "Hog of a Jew!" he cried, "do you lay hands on a free-born Greek?Come, Callicles," he went on, turning to his companion, "let us teach thebeast how to behave himself." The two rushed at the Jew, aiming blows athis head with the staves which they carried in their hands. One of themstumbled against the stones of a ruined house, and fell so heavily that hewas unable or unwilling to raise himself again. Shallum easily evaded theattack of the other, dealing him at the same time so fierce a stroke ofthe fist that it stretched him senseless on the ground. The deed done, helooked hastily round to see whether any spectator had witnessed it. To hisgreat relief, he found himself alone. From the lower city came the soundsof furious revelry and the strains of the Bacchic chorus--

  "Comrades, crown the bowl with wine, Round your locks the ivy twine, Deeper drink and join again Bacchus and his reeling train."

  His first impulse was to tear the ivy-wreath from his head. Then hereflected that if he could endure to wear it for a few moments longer, itmight serve him as a passport. The event proved that he was right. Hepassed unquestioned through the crowd of revellers, left the precincts ofthe valley, and striking on an unfrequented path, hurried on at the top ofhis speed, not pausing till he had put at least six miles between himselfand the scene of his late adventure. Then he threw himself on the groundand bewailed his grievous fall in an agony of shame and remorse. After awhile the fatigue and excitement of the day, helped by the fumes of thewine, which his rapid movements had sent to his brain, overpowered him,and he sank into a heavy sleep.

  His slumbers lasted late into the day. When he woke, his head aching withthe excess of the day before, he felt even more wretched, more hopeless.To return to the city was out of the question. But where was he to go?While he was debating this question with himself, and could find nothingin the least resembling an answer, he caught the sound of approachingfootsteps. Mingled feelings of shame and fear suggested to him that heshould hide himself, and he plunged into the bushes which lined the sideof the road.

  The traveller approached. He was a renegade Jew, and Shallum recognizedhim as one who had taken an active part in the festivities of thepreceding day. Just as he passed Shallum's hiding-place an unlucky impulsemade him burst forth into a snatch of the Bacchic chant--

  "Deeper drink and join again Bacchus and his reeling train."

  His listener heard the words with mingled feelings of disgust and rage,and leaping down into the road felled him senseless to the ground.

  At first it seemed as if what he had done did not make his way plainerbefore him. But as he stood by the prostrate man a thought occurred tohim. He took the purse which the man, in the usual traveller's fashion,wore by way of girdle round his waist, and examined its contents. It heldthree gold pieces and some ten shekels. The gold he left; but half of theshekels he transferred to his own keeping. One of the shekels sufficed topurchase some bread and dried flesh at the neighbouring village. Thusrecruited in strength the fugitive made his escape to the mountains.