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

I have known this

long time that he intends to do so at Naples. He is dreaming, moreover,

of Greece, where he wants to sing in all the more prominent cities, and

then make a triumphal entry into Rome, with all the crowns which the

‘Græculi’ will bestow on him. During that time we shall be able to seek

Lygia unhindered and secrete her in safety. But has not our noble

philosopher been here yet?”

 

“Thy noble philosopher is a cheat. No; he has not shown himself, and he

will not show himself again!”

 

“But I have a better understanding, if not of his honesty, of his wit.

He has drawn blood once from thy purse, and will come even for this, to

draw it a second time.”

 

“Let him beware lest I draw his own blood.”

 

“Draw it not; have patience till thou art convinced surely of his

deceit. Do not give him more money, but promise a liberal reward if he

brings thee certain information. Wilt thou thyself undertake

something?”

 

“My two freedmen, Nymphidius and Demas, are searching for her with sixty

men. Freedom is promised the slave who finds her. Besides I have sent

out special persons by all roads leading from Rome to inquire at every

inn for the Lygian and the maiden. I course through the city myself day

and night, counting on a chance meeting.”

 

“Whenever thou hast tidings let me know, for I must go to Antium.”

 

“I will do so.”

 

“And if thou wake up some morning and say, ‘It is not worth while to

torment myself for one girl, and take so much trouble because of her,’

come to Antium. There will be no lack of women there, or amusement.”

 

Vinicius began to walk with quick steps. Petronius looked for some time

at him, and said at last,—“Tell me sincerely, not as a mad head, who

talks something into his brain and excites himself, but as a man of

judgment who is answering a friend: Art thou concerned as much as ever

about this Lygia?”

 

Vinicius stopped a moment, and looked at Petronius as if he had not seen

him before; then he began to walk again. It was evident that he was

restraining an outburst. At last, from a feeling of helplessness,

sorrow, anger, and invincible yearning, two tears gathered in his eyes,

which spoke with greater power to Petronius than the most eloquent

words.

 

Then, meditating for a moment, he said,—“It is not Atlas who carries

the world on his shoulders, but woman; and sometimes she plays with it

as with a ball.”

 

“True,” said Vinicius.

 

And they began to take farewell of each other. But at that moment a

slave announced that Chilo Chilonides was waiting in the antechamber,

and begged to be admitted to the presence of the lord.

 

Vinicius gave command to admit him immediately, and Petronius said,—

“Ha! have I not told thee? By Hercules! keep thy calmness; or he will

command thee, not thou him.”

 

“A greeting and honor to the noble tribune of the army, and to thee,

lord,” said Chilo, entering. “May your happiness be equal to your fame,

and may your fame course through the world from the pillars of Hercules

to the boundaries of the Arsacidæ.”

 

“A greeting, O lawgiver of virtue and wisdom,” answered Petronius.

 

But Vinicius inquired with affected calmness, “What dost thou bring?”

 

“The first time I came I brought thee hope, O lord; at present, I bring

certainty that the maiden will be found.”

 

“That means that thou hast not found her yet?”

 

“Yes, lord; but I have found what that sign means which she made. I know

who the people are who rescued her, and I know the God among whose

worshippers to seek her.”

 

Vinicius wished to spring from the chair in which he was sitting; but

Petronius placed his hand on his shoulder, and turning to Chilo said,—

“Speak on!”

 

“Art thou perfectly certain, lord, that she drew a fish on the sand?”

 

“Yes,” burst out Vinicius.

 

“Then she is a Christian and Christians carried her away.” A moment of

silence followed.

 

“Listen, Chilo,” said Petronius. “My relative has predestined to thee a

considerable sum of money for finding the girl, but a no less

considerable number of rods if thou deceive him. In the first case thou

wilt purchase not one, but three scribes; in the second, the philosophy

of all the seven sages, with the addition of thy own, will not suffice

to get thee ointment.”

 

“The maiden is a Christian, lord,” cried the Greek.

 

“Stop, Chilo. Thou art not a dull man. We know that Junia and Calvia

Crispinilla accused Pomponia Græcina of confessing the Christian

superstition; but we know too, that a domestic court acquitted her.

Wouldst thou raise this again? Wouldst thou persuade us that Pomponia,

and with her Lygia, could belong to the enemies of the human race, to

the poisoners of wells and fountains, to the worshippers of an ass’s

head, to people who murder infants and give themselves up to the foulest

license? Think, Chilo, if that thesis which thou art announcing to us

will not rebound as an antithesis on thy own back.”

 

Chilo spread out his arms in sign that that was not his fault, and then

said,—“Lord, utter in Greek the following sentence: Jesus Christ, Son

of God, Saviour.” [Iesous Christos, Theou Uios, Soter.]

 

“Well, I have uttered it. What comes of that?”

 

“Now take the first letters of each of those words and put them into one

word.”

 

“Fish!” said Petronius with astonishment. [Ichthus, the Greek word for

“fish.”]

 

“There, that is why fish has become the watchword of the Christians,”

answered Chilo, proudly.

 

A moment of silence followed. But there was something so striking in

the conclusions of the Greek that the two friends could not guard

themselves from amazement.

 

“Vinicius, art thou not mistaken?” asked Petronius. “Did Lygia really

draw a fish for thee?”

 

“By all the infernal gods, one might go mad!” cried the young man, with

excitement. “If she had drawn a bird for me, I should have said a

bird.”

 

“Therefore she is a Christian,” repeated Chilo.

 

“This signifies,” said Petronius, “that Pomponia and Lygia poison wells,

murder children caught on the street, and give themselves up to

dissoluteness! Folly! Thou, Vinicius, wert at their house for a time,

I was there a little while; but I know Pomponia and Aulus enough, I know

even Lygia enough, to say monstrous and foolish! If a fish is the symbol

of the Christians, which it is difficult really to deny, and if those

women are Christians, then, by Proserpina! evidently Christians are not

what we hold them to be.”

 

“Thou speakest like Socrates, lord,” answered Chilo. “Who has ever

examined a Christian? Who has learned their religion? When I was

travelling three years ago from Naples hither to Rome (oh, why did I not

stay in Naples!), a man joined me, whose name was Glaucus, of whom

people said that he was a Christian; but in spite of that I convinced

myself that he was a good and virtuous man.”

 

“Was it not from that virtuous man that thou hast learned now what the

fish means?”

 

“Unfortunately, lord, on the way, at an inn, some one thrust a knife

into that honorable old man; and his wife and child were carried away by

slave-dealers. I lost in their defence these two fingers; since, as

people say, there is no lack among Christians of miracles, I hope that

the fingers will grow out on my hand again.”

 

“How is that? Hast thou become a Christian?”

 

“Since yesterday, lord, since yesterday! The fish made me a Christian.

But see what a power there is in it. For some days I shall be the most

zealous of the zealous, so that they may admit me to all their secrets;

and when they admit me to their secrets, I shall know where the maiden

is hiding. Perhaps then my Christianity will pay me better than my

philosophy. I have made a vow also to Mercury, that if he helps me to

find the maiden, I will sacrifice to him two heifers of the same size

and color and will gild their horns.”

 

“Then thy Christianity of yesterday and thy philosophy of long standing

permit thee to believe in Mercury?”

 

“I believe always in that in which I need to believe; that is my

philosophy, which ought to please Mercury. Unfortunately (ye know,

worthy lords, what a suspicious god he is), he does not trust the

promises even of blameless philosophers, and prefers the heifers in

advance; meanwhile this outlay is immense. Not every one is a Seneca,

and I cannot afford the sacrifice; should the noble Vinicius, however,

wish to give something, on account of that sum which he promised—”

 

“Not an obolus, Chilo!” said Petronius, “not an obolus. The bounty of

Vinicius will surpass thy expectations, but only when Lygia is found,—

that is, when thou shalt indicate to us her hiding-place. Mercury must

trust thee for the two heifers, though I am not astonished at him for

not wishing to do so; in this I recognize his acuteness.”

 

“Listen to me, worthy lords. The discovery which I have made is great;

for though I have not found the maiden yet, I have found the way in

which I must seek her. Ye have sent freedmen and slaves throughout the

city and into the country; has any one given you a clew? No! I alone

have given one. I tell you more. Among your slaves there may be

Christians, of whom ye have no knowledge, for this superstition has

spread everywhere; and they, instead of aiding, will betray you. It is

unfortunate that they see me here; do thou therefore, noble Petronius,

enjoin silence on Eunice; and thou too, noble Vinicius, spread a report

that I sell thee an ointment which insures victory in the Circus to

horses rubbed with it. I alone will search for her, and single-handed I

will find the fugitives; and do ye trust in me, and know that whatever I

receive in advance will be for me simply an encouragement, for I shall

hope always for more, and shall feel the greater certainty that the

promised reward will not fail me. Ah, it is true! As a philosopher I

despise money, though neither Seneca, nor even Musonius, nor Cornutus

despises it, though they have not lost fingers in any one’s defence, and

are able themselves to write and leave their names to posterity. But,

aside from the slave, whom I intend to buy, and besides Mercury, to whom

I have promised the heifers,—and ye know how dear cattle have become in

these times,—the searching itself involves much outlay. Only listen to

me patiently. Well, for the last few days my feet are wounded from

continual walking. I have gone to wine-shops to talk with people, to

bakeries, to butcher-shops, to dealers in olive oil, and to fishermen.

I have run through every street and alley; I have been in the hiding

places of fugitive slaves; I have lost money, nearly a hundred ases, in

playing mora; I have been in laundries, in drying-sheds, in cheap

kitchens; I have seen mule-drivers and carvers; I have seen people who

cure bladder complaints and pull teeth; I have talked with dealers in

dried figs; I have been at cemeteries; and do ye know why? This is why;

so as to outline a fish everywhere, look people in the eyes, and hear

what they would say of that sign. For a long time I was unable to learn

anything, till at last I saw