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

and the wild shouts

of the herdsmen. After the asses had gone by, crowds of youth rushed

forth, swept the road carefully, and covered it with flowers and needles

from pine-trees. In the crowds people whispered to each other, with a

certain feeling of pride, that the whole road to Antium would be strewn

in that way with flowers taken from private gardens round about, or

bought at high prices from dealers at the Porta Mugionis. As the

morning hours passed, the throng increased every moment. Some had

brought their whole families, and, lest the time might seem tedious,

they spread provisions on stones intended for the new temple of Ceres,

and ate their prandium beneath the open sky. Here and there were groups,

in which the lead was taken by persons who had travelled; they talked of

Cæsar’s present trip, of his future journeys, and journeys in general.

Sailors and old soldiers narrated wonders which during distant campaigns

they had heard about countries which a Roman foot had never touched.

Home-stayers, who had never gone beyond the Appian Way, listened with

amazement to marvellous tales of India, of Arabia, of archipelagos

surrounding Britain in which, on a small island inhabited by spirits,

Briareus had imprisoned the sleeping Saturn. They heard of hyperborean

regions of stiffened seas, of the hisses and roars which the ocean gives

forth when the sun plunges into his bath. Stories of this kind found

ready credence among the rabble, stories believed by such men even as

Tacitus and Pliny. They spoke also of that ship which Cæsar was to look

at,—a ship which had brought wheat to last for two years, without

reckoning four hundred passengers, an equal number of soldiers, and a

multitude of wild beasts to be used during the summer games. This

produced general good feeling toward Cæsar, who not only nourished the

populace, but amused it. Hence a greeting full of enthusiasm was

waiting for him.

 

Meanwhile came a detachment of Numidian horse, who belonged to the

pretorian guard. They wore yellow uniforms, red girdles, and great

earrings, which cast a golden gleam on their black faces. The points of

their bamboo spears glittered like flames, in the sun. After they had

passed, a procession-like movement began. The throng crowded forward to

look at it more nearly; but divisions of pretorian foot were there, and,

forming in line on both sides of the gate, prevented approach to the

road. In advance moved wagons carrying tents, purple, red, and violet,

and tents of byssus woven from threads as white as snow; and oriental

carpets, and tables of citrus, and pieces of mosaic, and kitchen

utensils, and cages with birds from the East, North, and West, birds

whose tongues or brains were to go to Cæsar’s table, and vessels with

wine and baskets with fruit. But objects not to be exposed to bruising

or breaking in vehicles were borne by slaves. Hence hundreds of people

were seen on foot, carrying vessels, and statues of Corinthian bronze.

There were companies appointed specially to Etruscan vases; others to

Grecian; others to golden or silver vessels, or vessels of Alexandrian

glass. These were guarded by small detachments of pretorian infantry

and cavalry; over each division of slaves were taskmasters, holding

whips armed at the end with lumps of lead or iron, instead of snappers.

The procession, formed of men bearing with importance and attention

various objects, seemed like some solemn religious procession; and the

resemblance grew still more striking when the musical instruments of

Cæsar and the court were borne past. There were seen harps, Grecian

lutes, lutes of the Hebrews and Egyptians, lyres, formingas, citharas,

flutes, long, winding buffalo horns and cymbals. While looking at that

sea of instruments, gleaming beneath the sun in gold, bronze, precious

stones, and pearls, it might be imagined that Apollo and Bacchus had set

out on a journey through the world. After the instruments came rich

chariots filled with acrobats, dancers male and female, grouped

artistically, with wands in their hands. After them followed slaves

intended, not for service, but excess; so there were boys and little

girls, selected from all Greece and Asia Minor, with long hair, or with

winding curls arranged in golden nets, children resembling Cupids, with

wonderful faces, but faces covered completely with a thick coating of

cosmetics, lest the wind of the Campania might tan their delicate

complexions.

 

And again appeared a pretorian cohort of gigantic Sicambrians, blue-eyed, bearded, blond and red haired. In front of them Roman eagles were

carried by banner-bearers called “imaginarii,” tablets with

inscriptions, statues of German and Roman gods, and finally statues and

busts of Cæsar. From under the skins and armor of the soldier appeared

limbs sunburnt and mighty, looking like military engines capable of

wielding the heavy weapons with which guards of that kind were

furnished. The earth seemed to bend beneath their measured and weighty

tread. As if conscious of strength which they could use against Cæsar

himself, they looked with contempt on the rabble of the street,

forgetting, it was evident, that many of themselves had come to that

city in manacles. But they were insignificant in numbers, for the

pretorian force had remained in camp specially to guard the city and

hold it within bounds. When they had marched past, Nero’s chained lions

and tigers were led by, so that, should the wish come to him of

imitating Dionysus, he would have them to attach to his chariots. They

were led in chains of steel by Arabs and Hindoos, but the chains were so

entwined with garlands that the beasts seemed led with flowers. The

lions and tigers, tamed by skilled trainers, looked at the crowds with

green and seemingly sleepy eyes; but at moments they raised their giant

heads, and breathed through wheezing nostrils the exhalations of the

multitude, licking their jaws the while with spiny tongues.

 

Now came Cæsar’s vehicles and litters, great and small, gold or purple,

inlaid with ivory or pearls, or glittering with diamonds; after them

came another small cohort of pretorians in Roman armor, pretorians

composed of Italian volunteers only;* then crowds of select slave

servants, and boys; and at last came Cæsar himself, whose approach was

heralded from afar by the shouts of thousands.

 

[* The inhabitants of Italy were freed from military service by

Augustus, in consequence of which the so-called cohors Italica,

stationed generally in Asia, was composed of volunteers. The pretorian

guards, in so far as they were not composed of foreigners, were made up

of volunteers.]

 

In the crowd was the Apostle Peter, who wished to see Cæsar once in

life. He was accompanied by Lygia, whose face was hidden by a thick

veil, and Ursus, whose strength formed the surest defence of the young

girl in the wild and boisterous crowd. The Lygian seized a stone to be

used in building the temple, and brought it to the Apostle, so that by

standing on it he might see better than others.

 

The crowd muttered when Ursus pushed it apart, as a ship pushes waves;

but when he carried the stone, which four of the strongest men could not

raise, the muttering was turned into wonderment, and cries of “Macte!”

were heard round about.

 

Meanwhile Cæsar appeared. He was sitting in a chariot drawn by six

white Idumean stallions shod with gold. The chariot had the form of a

tent with sides open, purposely, so that the crowds could see Cæsar. A

number of persons might have found place in the chariot; but Nero,

desiring that attention should be fixed on him exclusively, passed

through the city alone, having at his feet merely two deformed dwarfs.

He wore a white tunic, and a toga of amethyst color, which cast a bluish

tinge on his face. On his head was a laurel wreath. Since his

departure from Naples he had increased notably in body. His face had

grown wide; under his lower jaw hung a double chin, by which his mouth,

always too near his nose, seemed to touch his nostrils. His bulky neck

was protected, as usual, by a silk kerchief, which he arranged from

moment to moment with a white and fat hand grown over with red hair,

forming as it were bloody stains; he would not permit epilatores to

pluck out this hair, since he had been told that to do so would bring

trembling of the fingers and injure his lute-playing. Measureless vanity

was depicted then, as at all times, on his face, together with tedium

and suffering. On the whole, it was a face both terrible and trivial.

While advancing he turned his head from side to side, blinking at times,

and listening carefully to the manner in which the multitude greeted

him. He was met by a storm of shouts and applause: “Hail, divine Cæsar!

lmperator, hail, conqueror! hail, incomparable!—Son of Apollo, Apollo

himself!”

 

When he heard these words, he smiled; but at moments a cloud, as it

were, passed over his face, for the Roman rabble was satirical and keen

in reckoning, and let itself criticise even great triumphators, even men

whom it loved and respected. It was known that on a time they shouted

during the entrance to Rome of Julius Cæsar: “Citizens, hide your wives;

the old libertine is coming!” But Nero’s monstrous vanity could not

endure the least blame or criticism; meanwhile in the throng, amid

shouts of applause were heard cries of “Ahenobarbus, Ahenobarbus! Where

hast thou put thy flaming beard? Dost thou fear that Rome might catch

fire from it?” And those who cried out in that fashion knew not that

their jest concealed a dreadful prophecy.

 

These voices did not anger Cæsar overmuch, since he did not wear a

beard, for long before he had devoted it in a golden cylinder to Jupiter

Capitolinus. But other persons, hidden behind piles of stones and the

corners of temples, shouted: “Matricide! Nero! Orestes! Alcmæon!” and

still others: “Where is Octavia?” “Surrender the purple!” At Poppæa,

who came directly after him, they shouted, “Flava coma (yellow hair)!!”

with which name they indicated a street-walker. Cæsar’s musical ear

caught these exclamations also, and he raised the polished emerald to

his eyes as if to see and remember those who uttered them. While

looking thus, his glance rested on the Apostle standing on the stone.

 

For a while those two men looked at each other. It occurred to no one

in that brilliant retinue, and to no one in that immense throng, that at

that moment two powers of the earth were looking at each other, one of

which would vanish quickly as a bloody dream, and the other, dressed in

simple garments, would seize in eternal possession the world and the

city.

 

Meanwhile Cæsar had passed; and immediately after him eight Africans

bore a magnificent litter, in which sat Poppæa, who was detested by the

people. Arrayed, as was Nero, in amethyst color, with a thick

application of cosmetics on her face, immovable, thoughtful,

indifferent, she looked like some beautiful and wicked divinity carried

in procession. In her wake followed a whole court of servants, male and

female, next a line of wagons bearing materials of dress and use. The

sun had sunk sensibly from midday when the passage of Augustians began,

—a brilliant glittering line gleaming like an endless serpent. The

indolent Petronius, greeted kindly by the multitude, had given command

to bear him and his godlike slave in a litter. Tigellinus went in a

chariot drawn by ponies ornamented with white and purple feathers, They

saw him as he rose in the chariot repeatedly, and stretched his neck to

see if Cæsar was preparing to give him the sign to go his chariot. Among

others the crowd greeted Licinianus with applause, Vitelius with

laughter, Vatinius with hissing. Towards Licinus and Lecanius the

consuls they were indifferent, but Tullius Senecio they loved, it