Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero Read online

  Chapter LIII

  VINICIUS, on leaving the Apostle, went to the prison with a heartrenewed by hope. Somewhere in the depth of his soul, despair andterror were still crying; but he stifled those voices. It seemed to himimpossible that the intercession of the viceregent of God and the powerof his prayer should be without effect. He feared to hope; he feared todoubt. "I will believe in His mercy," said he to himself, "even thoughI saw her in the jaws of a lion." And at this thought, even though thesoul quivered in him and cold sweat drenched his temples, he believed.Every throb of his heart was a prayer then. He began to understand thatfaith would move mountains, for he felt in himself a wonderful strength,which he had not felt earlier. It seemed to him that he could do thingswhich he had not the power to do the day before. At moments he had animpression that the danger had passed. If despair was heard groaningagain in his soul, he recalled that night, and that holy gray faceraised to heaven in prayer.

  "No, Christ will not refuse His first disciple and the pastor of Hisflock! Christ will not refuse him! I will not doubt!" And he ran towardthe prison as a herald of good news.

  But there an unexpected thing awaited him.

  All the pretorian guards taking turn before the Mamertine prison knewhim, and generally they raised not the least difficulty; this time,however, the line did not open, but a centurion approached him andsaid,--

  "Pardon, noble tribune, to-day we have a command to admit no one."

  "A command?" repeated Vinicius, growing pale.

  The soldier looked at him with pity, and answered,--

  "Yes, lord, a command of Caesar. In the prison there are many sick, andperhaps it is feared that visitors might spread infection through thecity."

  "But hast thou said that the order was for to-day only?"

  "The guards change at noon."

  Vinicius was silent and uncovered his head, for it seemed to him thatthe pileolus which he wore was of lead.

  Meanwhile the soldier approached him, and said in a low voice,

  "Be at rest, lord, the guard and Ursus are watching over her." When hehad said this, he bent and, in the twinkle of an eye, drew with his longGallic sword on the flag stone the form of a fish.

  Vinicius looked at him quickly.

  "And thou art a pretorian?"

  "Till I shall be there," answered the soldier, pointing to the prison.

  "And I, too, worship Christ."

  "May His name be praised! I know, lord, I cannot admit thee to theprison, but write a letter, I will give it to the guard."

  "Thanks to thee, brother."

  He pressed the soldier's hand, and went away. The pileolus ceased toweigh like lead. The morning sun rose over the walls of the prison, andwith its brightness consolation began to enter his heart again. ThatChristian soldier was for him a new witness of the power of Christ.After a while he halted, and, fixing his glance on the rosy clouds abovethe Capitol and the temple of Jupiter Stator, he said,--

  "I have not seen her to-day, O Lord, but I believe in Thy mercy."

  At the house he found Petronius, who, making day out of night as usual,had returned not long before. He had succeeded, however, in taking hisbath and anointing himself for sleep.

  "I have news for thee," said he. "To-day I was with Tullius Senecio,whom Caesar also visited. I know not whence it came to the mind of theAugusta to bring little Rufius with her,--perhaps to soften the heartof Caesar by his beauty. Unfortunately, the child, wearied by drowsiness,fell asleep during the reading, as Vespasian did once; seeing this,Ahenobarbus hurled a goblet at his step-son, and wounded him seriously.Poppaea fainted; all heard how Caesar said, 'I have enough of this brood!'and that, knowest thou, means as much as death."

  "The punishment of God was hanging over the Augusta," answered Vinicius;"but why dost thou tell me this?"

  "I tell thee because the anger of Poppaea pursued thee and Lygia;occupied now by her own misfortune, she may leave her vengeance and bemore easily influenced. I will see her this evening and talk with her."

  "Thanks to thee. Thou givest me good news."

  "But do thou bathe and rest. Thy lips are blue, and there is not ashadow of thee left."

  "Is not the time of the first 'ludus matutinus' announced?" inquiredVinicius.

  "In ten days. But they will take other prisons first. The more time thatremains to us the better. All is not lost yet."

  But he did not believe this; for he knew perfectly that since to therequest of Aliturus, Caesar had found the splendidly sounding answer inwhich he compared himself to Brutus, there was no rescue for Lygia. Hehid also, through pity, what he had heard at Senecio's, that Caesar andTigellinus had decided to select for themselves and their friends themost beautiful Christian maidens, and defile them before the torture;the others were to be given, on the day of the games, to pretorians andbeast-keepers.

  Knowing that Vinicius would not survive Lygia in any case, hestrengthened hope in his heart designedly, first, through sympathyfor him; and second, because he wished that if Vinicius had to die, heshould die beautiful,--not with a face deformed and black from pain andwatching.

  "To-day I will speak more or less thus to Augusta," said he: "'SaveLygia for Vinicius, I will save Ruflus for thee.' And I will think ofthat seriously.

  "One word spoken to Ahenobarbus at the right moment may save or ruin anyone. In the worst case, we will gain time."

  "Thanks to thee," repeated Vinicius.

  "Thou wilt thank me best if thou eat and sleep. By Athene! In thegreatest straits Odysseus had sleep and food in mind. Thou hast spentthe whole night in prison, of course?"

  "No," answered Vinicius; "I wished to visit the prison to-day, but thereis an order to admit no one. Learn, O Petronius, if the order is forto-day alone or till the day of the games."

  "I will discover this evening, and to-morrow morning will tell thee forwhat time and why the order was issued. But now, even were Helios to goto Cimmerian regions from sorrow, I shall sleep, and do thou follow myexample."

  They separated; but Vinicius went to the library and wrote a letterto Lygia. When he had finished, he took it himself to the Christiancenturion who carried it at once to the prison. After a while hereturned with a greeting from Lygia, and promised to deliver her answerthat day.

  Vinicius did not wish to return home, but sat on a stone and waited forLygia's letter. The sun had risen high in the heavens, and crowds ofpeople flowed in, as usual, through the Clivus Argentarius to the Forum.Hucksters called out their wares, soothsayers offered their services topassers-by, citizens walked with deliberate steps toward the rostra tohear orators of the day, or tell the latest news to one another. As theheat increased, crowds of idlers betook themselves to the porticos ofthe temples, from under which flew from moment to moment, with greatrustle of wings, flocks of doves, whose white feathers glistened in thesunlight and in the blue of the sky.

  From excess of light and the influence of bustle, heat, and greatweariness, the eyes of Vinicius began to close. The monotonous callsof boys playing mora, and the measured tread of soldiers, lulled himto sleep. He raised his head still a number of times, and took in theprison with his eyes; then he leaned against a Stone, sighed like achild drowsy after long weeping, and dropped asleep.

  Soon dreams came. It seemed to him that he was carrying Lygia in hisarms at night through a strange vineyard. Before him was PomponiaGraecina lighting the way with a lamp. A voice, as it were of Petroniuscalled from afar to him, "Turn back!" but he did not mind the call, andfollowed Pomponia till they reached a cottage; at the threshold of thecottage stood Peter. He showed Peter Lygia, and said, "We are comingfrom the arena, lord, but we cannot wake her; wake her thou." "Christhimself will come to wake her," answered the Apostle.

  Then the pictures began to change. Through the dream he saw Nero, andPoppaea holding in her arms little Ruflus with bleeding head, whichPetronius was washing and he saw Tigellinus sprinkling ashes on tablescovered with costly dishes, and Vitelius devouring those dishes, while amultitude of other
Augustians were sitting at the feast. He himself wasresting near Lygia; but between the tables walked lions from out whoseyellow manes trickled blood. Lygia begged him to take her away, but soterrible a weakness had seized him that he could not even move. Thenstill greater disorder involved his visions, and finally all fell intoperfect darkness.

  He was roused from deep sleep at last by the heat of the sun, and shoutsgiven forth right there around the place where he was sitting. Viniciusrubbed his eyes. The street was swarming with people; but two runners,wearing yellow tunics, pushed aside the throng with long staffs, cryingand making room for a splendid litter which was carried by four stalwartEgyptian slaves.

  In the litter sat a man in white robes, whose face was not easilyseen, for he held close to his eyes a roll of papyrus and was readingsomething diligently.

  "Make way for the noble Augustian!" cried the runners.

  But the street was so crowded that the litter had to wait awhile. TheAugustian put down his roll of papyrus and bent his head, crying,--

  "Push aside those wretches! Make haste!"

  Seeing Vinicius suddenly, he drew back his head and raised the papyrusquickly.

  Vinicius drew his hand across his forehead, thinking that he wasdreaming yet.

  In the litter was sitting Chilo.

  Meanwhile the runners had opened the way, and the Egyptians were readyto move, when the young tribune, who in one moment understood manythings which till then had been incomprehensible, approached the litter.

  "A greeting to thee, O Chilo!" said he.

  "Young man," answered the Greek, with pride and importance, endeavoringto give his face an expression of calmness which was not in his soul,"be greeted, but detain me not, for I am hastening to my friend, thenoble Tigellinus."

  Vinicius, grasping the edge of the litter and looking him straight inthe eyes, said with a lowered voice,--

  "Didst thou betray Lygia?"

  "Colossus of Memnon!" cried Chilo, with fear.

  But there was no threat in the eyes of Vinicius; hence the old Greek'salarm vanished quickly. He remembered that he was under the protectionof Tigellinus and of Caesar himself,--that is, of a power before whicheverything trembled,--that he was surrounded by sturdy slaves, and thatVinicius stood before him unarmed, with an emaciated face and body bentby suffering.

  At this thought his insolence returned to him. He fixed on Vinicius hiseyes, which were surrounded by red lids, and whispered in answer,--

  "But thou, when I was dying of hunger, didst give command to flog me."

  For a moment both were silent; then the dull voice of Vinicius washeard,--

  "I wronged thee, Chilo."

  The Greek raised his head, and, snapping his fingers which in Rome was amark of slight and contempt, said so loudly that all could hear him,--

  "Friend, if thou hast a petition to present, come to my house on theEsquiline in the morning hour, when I receive guests and clients aftermy bath."

  And he waved his hand; at that sign the Egyptians raised the litter, andthe slaves, dressed in yellow tunics, began to cry as they brandishedtheir staffs,--

  "Make way for the litter of the noble Chilo Chilonides! Make way, makeway!"