Read FICTION books online

Reading books fiction 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.



Fiction genre suitable for people of all ages. Everyone will find something interesting for themselves. Our electronic library is always at your service. Reading online free books without registration. Nowadays ebooks are convenient and efficient. After all, don’t forget: literature exists and develops largely thanks to readers.
The genre of fiction is interesting to read not only by the process of cognition and the desire to empathize with the fate of the hero, this genre is interesting for the ability to rethink one's own life. Of course the reader may accept the author's point of view or disagree with them, but the reader should understand that the author has done a great job and deserves respect. Take a closer look at genre fiction in all its manifestations in our elibrary.



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



1 ... 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 ... 108
Go to page:
perish, and the world-ruling city be swept from the face of the

earth with its inhabitants. Even in captured places, where fire and

slaughter rage together, some people survive in all cases; why, then,

should Lygia perish of a certainty? On the contrary, God watches over

her, He who Himself, conquered death.” Thus reasoning, he began to pray

again, and, yielding to fixed habit, he made great vows to Christ, with

promises of gifts and sacrifices. After he had hurried through Albanum,

nearly all of whose inhabitants were on roofs and on trees to look at

Rome, he grew somewhat calm, and regained his cool blood. He

remembered, too, that Lygia was protected not only by Ursus and Linus,

but by the Apostle Peter. At the mere remembrance of this, fresh solace

entered his heart. For him Peter was an incomprehensible, an almost

superhuman being. From the time when he heard him at Ostrianum, a

wonderful impression clung to him, touching which he had written to

Lygia at the beginning of his stay in Antium,—that every word of the

old man was true, or would show its truth hereafter. The nearer

acquaintance which during his illness he had formed with the Apostle

heightened the impression, which was turned afterward into fixed faith.

Since Peter had blessed his love and promised him Lygia, Lygia could not

perish in the flames. The city might burn, but no spark from the fire

would fall on her garments. Under the influence of a sleepless night,

mad riding, and impressions, a wonderful exaltation possessed the young

tribune; in this exaltation all things seemed possible: Peter speaks to

the flame, opens it with a word, and they pass uninjured through an

alley of fire. Moreover, Peter saw future events; hence, beyond doubt,

he foresaw the fire, and in that ease how could he fail to warn and lead

forth the Christians from the city, and among others Lygia, whom he

loved, as he might his own child? And a hope, which was strengthening

every moment, entered the heart of Vinicius. If they were fleeing from

the city, he might find them in Bovillæ, or meet them on the road. The

beloved face might appear any moment from out the smoke, which was

stretching more widely over all the Campania.

 

This seemed to him more likely, since he met increasing numbers of

people, who had deserted the city and were going to the Alban Hills;

they had escaped the fire, and wished to go beyond the line of smoke.

Before he had reached Ustrinum he had to slacken his pace because of the

throng. Besides pedestrians with bundles on their backs, he met horses

with packs, mules and vehicles laden with effects, and finally litters

in which slaves were bearing the wealthier citizens. Ustrinum was so

thronged with fugitives from Rome that it was difficult to push through

the crowd. On the market square, under temple porticos, and on the

streets were swarms of fugitives. Here and there people were erecting

tents under which whole families were to find shelter. Others settled

down under the naked sky, shouting, calling on the gods, or cursing the

fates. In the general terror it was difficult to inquire about

anything. People to whom Vinicius applied either did not answer, or

with eyes half bewildered from terror answered that the city and the

world were perishing. New crowds of men, women, and children arrived

from the direction of Rome every moment; these increased the disorder

and outcry. Some, gone astray in the throng, sought desperately those

whom they had lost; others fought for a camping-place. Half-wild

shepherds from the Campania crowded to the town to hear news, or find

profit in plunder made easy by the uproar. Here and there crowds of

slaves of every nationality and gladiators fell to robbing houses and

villas in the town, and to fighting with the soldiers who appeared in

defence of the citizens.

 

Junius, a senator, whom Vinicius saw at the inn surrounded by a

detachment of Batavian slaves, was the first to give more detailed news

of the conflagration. The fire had begun at the Circus Maximus, in the

part which touches the Palatine and the Cælian Hill, but extended with

incomprehensible rapidity and seized the whole centre of the city.

Never since the time of Brennus had such an awful catastrophe come upon

Rome. “The entire Circus has burnt, as well as the shops and houses

surrounding it,” said Junius; “the Aventine and Cælian Hills are on

fire. The flames surrounding the Palatine have reached the Carinæ.”

 

Here Junius, who possessed on the Carinæ a magnificent “insula,” filled

with works of art which he loved, seized a handful of foul dust, and,

scattering it on his head, began to groan despairingly.

 

But Vinicius shook him by the shoulder: “My house too is on the Carinæ,”

said he; “but when everything is perishing, let it perish also.”

 

Then recollecting that at his advice Lygia might have gone to the house

of Aulus, he inquired,—

 

“But the Vicus Patricius?”

 

“On fire!” replied Junius.

 

“The Trans-Tiber?”

 

Junius looked at him with amazement.

 

“Never mind the Trans-Tiber,” said he, pressing his aching temples with

his palms.

 

“The Trans-Tiber is more important to me than all other parts of Rome,”

cried Vinicius, with vehemence.

 

“The way is through the Via Portuensis, near the Aventine; but the heat

will stifle thee. The Trans-Tiber? I know not. The fire had not

reached it; but whether it is not there at this moment the gods alone

know.” Here Junius hesitated a moment, then said in a low voice: “I

know that thou wilt not betray me, so I will tell thee that this is no

common fire. People were not permitted to save the Circus. When houses

began to burn in every direction, I myself heard thousands of voices

exclaiming, ‘Death to those who save!’ Certain people ran through the

city and hurled burning torches into buildings. On the other hand

people are revolting, and crying that the city is burning at command. I

can say nothing more. Woe to the city, woe to us all, and to me! The

tongue of man cannot tell what is happening there. People are perishing

in flames or slaying one another in the throng. This is the end of

Rome!”

 

And again he fell to repeating, “Woe! Woe to the city and to us!”

Vinicius sprang to his horse, and hurried forward along the Appian Way.

But now it was rather a struggling through the midst of a river of

people and vehicles, which was flowing from the city. The city,

embraced by a monstrous conflagration, lay before Vinicius as a thing on

the palm of his hand. From the sea of fire and smoke came a terrible

heat, and the uproar of people could not drown the roar and the hissing

of flames.

Chapter XLIII

As Vinicius approached the walls, he found it easier to reach Rome than

penetrate to the middle of the city. It was difficult to push along the

Appian Way, because of the throng of people. Houses, fields, cemeteries,

gardens, and temples, lying on both sides of it, were turned into

camping places. In the temple of Mars, which stood near the Porta

Appia, the crowd had thrown down the doors, so as to find a refuge

within during night-hours. In the cemeteries the larger monuments were

seized, and battles fought in defence of them, which were carried to

bloodshed. Ustrinum with its disorder gave barely a slight foretaste of

that which was happening beneath the walls of the capital. All regard

for the dignity of law, for family ties, for difference of position, had

ceased. Gladiators drunk with wine seized in the Emporium gathered in

crowds, ran with wild shouts through the neighboring squares,

scattering, trampling, and robbing the people. A multitude of

barbarians, exposed for sale in the city, escaped from the booths. For

them the burning and ruin of Rome was at once the end of slavery and the

hour of revenge; so that when the permanent inhabitants, who had lost

all they owned in the fire, stretched their hands to the gods in

despair, calling for rescue, these slaves with howls of delight

scattered the crowds, dragged clothing from people’s backs, and bore

away the younger women. They were joined by slaves serving in the city

from of old, wretches who had nothing on their bodies save woollen

girdles around their hips, dreadful figures from the alleys, who were

hardly ever seen on the streets in the daytime, and whose existence in

Rome it was difficult to suspect. Men of this wild and unrestrained

crowd, Asiatics, Africans, Greeks, Thracians, Germans, Britons, howling

in every language of the earth, raged, thinking that the hour had come

in which they were free to reward themselves for years of misery and

suffering. In the midst of that surging throng of humanity, in the

glitter of day and of fire, shone the helmets of pretorians, under whose

protection the more peaceable population had taken refuge, and who in

hand-to-hand battle had to meet the raging multitude in many places.

Vinicius had seen captured cities, but never had his eyes beheld a

spectacle in which despair, tears, pain, groans, wild delight, madness,

rage, and license were mingled together in such immeasurable chaos.

Above this heaving, mad human multitude roared the fire, surging up to

the hill-tops of the greatest city on earth, sending into the whirling

throng its fiery breath, and covering it with smoke, through which it

was impossible to see the blue sky. The young tribune with supreme

effort, and exposing his life every moment, forced his way at last to

the Appian Gate; but there he saw that he could not reach the city

through the division of the Porta Capena, not merely because of the

throng, but also because of the terrible heat from which the whole

atmosphere was quivering inside the gate. Besides, the bridge at the

Porta Trigenia, opposite the temple of the Bona Dea, did not exist yet,

hence whoso wished to go beyond the Tiber had to push through to the

Pons Sublicius, that is, to pass around the Aventine through a part of

the city covered now with one sea of flame. That was an impossibility.

Vinicius understood that he must return toward Ustrinum, turn from the

Appian Way, cross the river below the city, and go to the Via

Portuensis, which led straight to the Trans-Tiber. That was not easy

because of the increasing disorder on the Appian Way. He must open a

passage for himself there, even with the sword. Vinicius had no

weapons; he had left Antium just as the news of the fire had reached him

in Cæsar’s villa. At the fountain of Mercury, however, he saw a

centurion who was known to him. This man, at the head of a few tens of

soldiers, was defending the precinct of the temple; he commanded him to

follow. Recognizing a tribune and an Augustian, the centurion did not

dare to disobey the order.

 

Vinicius took command of the detachment himself, and, forgetting for

that moment the teaching of Paul touching love for one’s neighbor, he

pressed and cut the throng in front with a haste that was fatal to many

who could not push aside in season. He and his men were followed by

curses and a shower of stones; but to these he gave no heed, caring only

to reach freer spaces at the earliest. Still he advanced with the

greatest effort. People who had encamped would not move, and heaped

loud curses on Cæsar and the pretorians. The throng assumed in places a

threatening aspect. Vinicius heard voices accusing Nero of burning the

city. He and Poppæa were threatened with death. Shouts of “Sanio,”

“Histrio” (buffoon, actor), “Matricide!”

1 ... 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 ... 108
Go to page:

Free ebook «Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz (detective books to read .TXT) 📖» - read online now

Comments (0)

There are no comments yet. You can be the first!
Add a comment