Quo Vadis - Henryk Sienkiewicz (best ereader under 100 .txt) 📗

singly and now in small groups, were

scattered through the city. Not far from the camp Cæsar’s horse sprang

aside suddenly at sight of a corpse. The mantle slipped from his head;

a soldier recognized Nero, and, confused by the unexpected meeting, gave

the military salute. While passing the pretorian camp, they heard

thundering shouts in honor of Galba. Nero understood at last that the

hour of death was near. Terror and reproaches of conscience seized him.

He declared that he saw darkness in front of him in the form of a black

cloud. From that cloud came forth faces in which he saw his mother, his

wife, and his brother. His teeth were chattering from fright; still his

soul of a comedian found a kind of charm in the horror of the moment.

To be absolute lord of the earth and lose all things, seemed to him the

height of tragedy; and faithful to himself, he played the first role to

the end. A fever for quotations took possession of him, and a

passionate wish that those present should preserve them for posterity.

At moments he said that he wished to die, and called for Spiculus, the

most skilled of all gladiators in killing. At moments he declaimed,

“Mother, wife, father, call me to death!” Flashes of hope rose in him,

however, from time to time,—hope vain and childish. He knew that he

was going to death, and still he did not believe it.

 

They found the Nomentan Gate open. Going farther, they passed near

Ostrianum, where Peter had taught and baptized. At daybreak they

reached Phaon’s villa.

 

There the freedmen hid from him no longer the fact that it was time to

die. He gave command then to dig a grave, and lay on the ground so that

they might take accurate measurement. At sight of the earth thrown up,

however, terror seized him. His fat face became pale, and on his

forehead sweat stood like drops of dew in the morning. He delayed. In

a voice at once abject and theatrical, he declared that the hour had not

come yet; then he began again to quote. At last he begged them to burn

his body. “What an artist is perishing!” repeated he, as if in

amazement.

 

Meanwhile Phaon’s messenger arrived with the announcement that the

Senate had issued the sentence that the “parricide” was to be punished

according to ancient custom.

 

“What is the ancient custom?” asked Nero, with whitened lips.

 

“They will fix thy neck in a fork, flog thee to death, and hurl thy body

into the Tiber,” answered Epaphroditus, abruptly.

 

Nero drew aside the robe from his breast.

 

“It is time, then!” said he, looking into the sky. And he repeated once

more, “What an artist is perishing!”

 

At that moment the tramp of a horse was heard. That was the centurion

coming with soldiers for the head of Ahenobarbus.

 

“Hurry!” cried the freedmen.

 

Nero placed the knife to his neck, but pushed it only timidly. It was

clear that he would never have courage to thrust it in. Epaphroditus

pushed his hand suddenly,—the knife sank to the handle. Nero’s eyes

turned in his head, terrible, immense, frightened.

 

“I bring thee life!” cried the centurion, entering.

 

“Too late!” said Nero, with a hoarse voice; then he added,—

 

“Here is faithfulness!”

 

In a twinkle death seized his head. Blood from his heavy neck gushed in

a dark stream on the flowers of the garden. His legs kicked the ground,

and he died.

 

On the morrow the faithful Acte wrapped his body in costly stuffs, and

burned him on a pile filled with perfumes.

 

And so Nero passed, as a whirlwind, as a storm, as a fire, as war or

death passes; but the basilica of Peter rules till now, from the Vatican

heights, the city, and the world.

 

Near the ancient Porta Capena stands to this day a little chapel with

the inscription, somewhat worn: Quo Vadis, Domine?

 

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