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Read books online » Fiction » Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz (detective books to read .TXT) 📖

Book online «Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz (detective books to read .TXT) 📖». Author Henryk Sienkiewicz



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>but these they call vanity. Thou art mistaken in this, that they are

just; for if we pay good for evil, what shall we pay for good? And

besides, if we pay the same for one and the other, why are people to be

good?”

 

“No, the pay is not the same; but according to their teaching it begins

in a future life, which is without limit.”

 

“I do not enter into that question, for we shall see hereafter if it be

possible to see anything without eyes. Meanwhile they are simply

incompetents. Ursus strangled Croton because he has limbs of bronze;

but these are mopes, and the future cannot belong to mopes.”

 

“For them life begins with death.”

 

“Which is as if one were to say, ‘Day begins with night.’ Hast thou the

intent to carry off Lygia?”

 

“No, I cannot pay her evil for good, and I swore that I would not.”

 

“Dost thou intend to accept the religion of Christ?”

 

“I wish to do so, but my nature cannot endure it.”

 

“But wilt thou be able to forget Lygia?”

 

“No.”

 

“Then travel.”

 

At that moment the slaves announced that the repast was ready; but

Petronius, to whom it seemed that he had fallen on a good thought, said,

on the way to the triclinium,—“Thou has ridden over a part of the

world, but only as a soldier hastening to his place of destination, and

without halting by the way. Go with us to Achæa. Cæsar has not given

up the journey. He will stop everywhere on the way, sing, receive

crowns, plunder temples, and return as a triumphator to Italy. That

will resemble somewhat a journey of Bacchus and Apollo in one person.

Augustians, male and female, a thousand citharæ. By Castor! that will

be worth witnessing, for hitherto the world has not seen anything like

it!”

 

Here he placed himself on the couch before the table, by the side of

Eunice; and when the slaves put a wreath of anemones on his head, he

continued,—“What hast thou seen in Corbulo’s service? Nothing. Hast

thou seen the Grecian temples thoroughly, as I have,—I who was passing

more than two years from the hands of one guide to those of another?

Hast thou been in Rhodes to examine the site of the Colossus? Hast thou

seen in Panopeus, in Phocis, the clay from which Prometheus shaped man;

or in Sparta the eggs laid by Leda; or in Athens the famous Sarmatian

armor made of horse-hoofs; or in Eubœa the ship of Agamemnon; or the cup

for whose pattern the left breast of Helen served? Hast thou seen

Alexandria, Memphis, the Pyramids, the hair which Isis tore from her

head in grief for Osiris? Hast thou heard the shout of Memnon? The

world is wide; everything does not end at the Trans-Tiber! I will

accompany Cæsar, and when he returns I will leave him and go to Cyprus;

for it is the wish of this golden-haired goddess of mine that we offer

doves together to the divinity in Paphos, and thou must know that

whatever she wishes must happen.”

 

“I am thy slave,” said Eunice.

 

He rested his garlanded head on her bosom, and said with a smile,—

“Then I am the slave of a slave. I admire thee, divine one, from feet

to head!”

 

Then he said to Vinicius: “Come with us to Cyprus. But first remember

that thou must see Cæsar. It is bad that thou hast not been with him

yet; Tigellinus is ready to use this to thy disadvantage. He has no

personal hatred for thee, it is true; but he cannot love thee, even

because thou art my sister’s son. We shall say that thou wert sick. We

must think over what thou art to answer should he ask thee about Lygia.

It will be best to wave thy hand and say that she was with thee till she

wearied thee. He will understand that. Tell him also that sickness

kept thee at home; that thy fever was increased by disappointment at not

being able to visit Naples and hear his song; that thou wert assisted to

health only by the hope of hearing him. Fear no exaggeration.

Tigellinus promises to invent, not only something great for Cæsar, but

something enormous. I am afraid that he will undermine me; I am afraid

too of thy disposition.”

 

“Dost thou know,” said Vinicius, “that there are people who have no fear

of Cæsar, and who live as calmly as if he were non-existent?”

 

“I know whom thou hast in mind—the Christians.”

 

“Yes; they alone. But our life,—what is it if not unbroken terror?”

 

“Do not mention thy Christians. They fear not Cæsar, because he has not

even heard of them perhaps; and in every case he knows nothing of them,

and they concern him as much as withered leaves. But I tell thee that

they are incompetents. Thou feelest this thyself; if thy nature is

repugnant to their teaching, it is just because thou feelest their

incompetence. Thou art a man of other clay; so trouble not thyself or

me with them. We shall be able to live and die, and what more they will

be able to do is unknown.”

 

These words struck Vinicius; and when he returned home, he began to

think that in truth, perhaps, the goodness and charity of Christians was

a proof of their incompetience of soul. It seemed to him that people of

strength and temper could not forgive thus. It came to his head that

this must be the real cause of the repulsion which his Roman soul felt

toward their teaching. “We shall be able to live and die!” said

Petronius. As to them, they know only how to forgive, and understand

neither true love nor true hatred.

Chapter XXX

Cæsar, on returning to Rome, was angry because he had returned, and

after some days was filled anew with a wish to visit Achæa. He even

issued an edict in which he declared that his absence would be short,

and that public affairs would not be exposed to detriment because of it.

In company with Augustians, among whom was Vinicius, he repaired to the

Capitol to make offerings to the gods for an auspicious journey. But on

the second day, when he visited the temple of Vesta, an event took place

which changed all his projects. Nero feared the gods, though he did not

believe in them; he feared especially the mysterious Vesta, who filled

him with such awe that at sight of the divinity and the sacred fire his

hair rose on a sudden from terror, his teeth chattered, a shiver ran

through his limbs, and he dropped into the arms of Vinicius, who

happened there behind him. He was borne out of the temple at once, and

conveyed to the Palatine, where he recovered soon, but did not leave the

bed for that day. He declared, moreover, to the great astonishment of

those present, that he deferred his journey, since the divinity had

warned him secretly against haste. An hour later it was announced

throughout Rome that Cæsar, seeing the gloomy faces of the citizens, and

moved by love for them, as a father for his children, would remain to

share their lot and their pleasures. The people, rejoiced at this

decision, and certain also that they would not miss games and a

distribution of wheat, assembled in crowds before the gates of the

Palatine, and raised shouts in honor of the divine Cæsar, who

interrupted the play at dice with which he was amusing himself with

Augustians, and said:

 

“Yes, there was need to defer the journey. Egypt, and predicted

dominion over the Orient, cannot escape me; hence Achæa, too, will not

be lost. I will give command to cut through the isthmus of Corinth; I

will rear such monuments in Egypt that the pyramids will seem childish

toys in comparison; I will have a sphinx built seven times greater than

that which is gazing into the desert outside Memphis; but I will command

that it have my face. Coming ages will speak only of that monument and

of me.”

 

“With thy verses thou hast reared a monument to thyself already, not

seven, but thrice seven, times greater than the pyramid of Cheops,” said

Petronius.

 

“But with my song?” inquired Nero.

 

“Ah! if men could only build for thee a statue, like that of Memnon, to

call with thy voice at sunrise! For all ages to come the seas adjoining

Egypt would swarm with ships in which crowds from the three parts of the

world would be lost in listenmg to thy song.”

 

“Alas! who can do that?” said Nero.

 

“But thou canst give command to cut out of basalt thyself driving a

quadriga.”

 

“True! I will do that!”

 

“Thou wilt bestow a gift on humanity.”

 

“In Egypt I will marry the Moon, who is now a widow, and I shall be a

god really.”

 

“And thou wilt give us stars for wives; we will make a new

constellation, which will be called the constellation of Nero. But do

thou marry Vitelius to the Nile, so that he may beget hippopotamuses.

Give the desert to Tigellinus, he will be king of the jackals.”

 

“And what dost thou predestine to me?” inquired Vatinius.

 

“Apis bless thee! Thou didst arrange such splendid games in Beneventum

that I cannot wish thee ill. Make a pair of boots for the sphinx, whose

paws must grow numb during night-dews; after that thou will make sandals

for the Colossi which form the alleys before the temples. Each one will

find there a fitting occupation. Domitius Afer, for example, will be

treasurer, since he is known for his honesty. I am glad, Cæsar, when

thou art dreaming of Egypt, and I am saddened because thou hast deferred

thy plan of a journey.”

 

“Thy mortal eyes saw nothing, for the deity becomes invisible to

whomever it wishes,” said Nero. “Know that when I was in the temple of

Vesta she herself stood near me, and whispered in my ear, ‘Defer the

journey.’ That happened so unexpectedly that I was terrified, though for

such an evident care of the gods for me I should be thankful.”

 

“We were all terrified,” said Tigellinus, “and the vestal Rubria

fainted.”

 

“Rubria!” said Nero; “what a snowy neck she has!”

 

“But she blushed at sight of the divine Cæsar—”

 

“True! I noticed that myself. That is wonderful. There is something

divine in every vestal, and Rubria is very beautiful.

 

“Tell me,” said he, after a moment’s meditation, “why people fear Vesta

more than other gods. What does this mean? Though I am the chief

priest, fear seized me to-day. I remember only that I was falling back,

and should have dropped to the ground had not some one supported me.

Who was it?”

 

“I,” answered Vinicius.

 

“Oh, thou ‘stern Mars’! Why wert thou not in Beneventum? They told me

that thou wert ill, and indeed thy face is changed. But I heard that

Croton wished to kill thee? Is that true?”

 

“It is, and he broke my arm; but I defended myself.”

 

“With a broken arm?”

 

“A certain barbarian helped me; he was stronger than Croton.”

 

Nero looked at him with astonishment. “Stronger than Croton? Art thou

jesting? Croton was the strongest of men, but now here is Syphax from

Ethiopia.”

 

“I tell thee, Cæsar, what I saw with my own eyes.”

 

“Where is that pearl? Has he not become king of Nemi?”

 

“I cannot tell, Cæsar. I lost sight of him.”

 

“Thou knowest not even of what people he is?”

 

“I had a broken arm,

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