Have you ever thought about what fiction is? Probably, such a question may seem surprising: and so everything is clear. Every person throughout his life has to repeatedly create the works he needs for specific purposes - statements, autobiographies, dictations - using not gypsum or clay, not musical notes, not paints, but just a word. At the same time, almost every person will be very surprised if he is told that he thereby created a work of fiction, which is very different from visual art, music and sculpture making. However, everyone understands that a student's essay or dictation is fundamentally different from novels, short stories, news that are created by professional writers. In the works of professionals there is the most important difference - excogitation. But, oddly enough, in a school literature course, you don’t realize the full power of fiction. So using our website in your free time discover fiction for yourself. Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz (detective books to read .TXT) 📖
- Author: Henryk Sienkiewicz
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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 Euba 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.
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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