Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero Page 6
Chapter VI
PETRONIUS was at home. The doorkeeper did not dare to stop Vinicius, whoburst into the atrium like a storm, and, learning that the master ofthe house was in the library, he rushed into the library with the sameimpetus. Finding Petronius writing, he snatched the reed from his hand,broke it, trampled the reed on the floor, then fixed his fingers intohis shoulder, and, approaching his face to that of his uncle, asked,with a hoarse voice,--"What hast thou done with her? Where is she?"
Suddenly an amazing thing happened. That slender and effeminatePetronius seized the hand of the youthful athlete, which was graspinghis shoulder, then seized the other, and, holding them both in his onehand with the grip of an iron vice, he said,--"I am incapable only inthe morning; in the evening I regain my former strength. Try toescape. A weaver must have taught thee gymnastics, and a blacksmith thymanners."
On his face not even anger was evident, but in his eyes there was acertain pale reflection of energy and daring. After a while he letthe hands of Vinicius drop. Vinicius stood before him shamefaced andenraged.
"Thou hast a steel hand," said he; "but if thou hast betrayed me, Iswear, by all the infernal gods, that I will thrust a knife into thybody, though thou be in the chambers of Caesar."
"Let us talk calmly," said Petronius. "Steel is stronger, as thou seest,than iron; hence, though out of one of thy arms two as large as minemight be made, I have no need to fear thee. On the contrary, I grieveover thy rudeness, and if the ingratitude of men could astonish me yet,I should be astonished at thy ingratitude."
"Where is Lygia?"
"In a brothel,--that is, in the house of Caesar."
"Petronius!"
"Calm thyself, and be seated. I asked Caesar for two things, which hepromised me,--first, to take Lygia from the house of Aulus, and secondto give her to thee. Hast thou not a knife there under the folds of thytoga? Perhaps thou wilt stab me! But I advise thee to wait a couple ofdays, for thou wouldst be taken to prison, and meanwhile Lygia would bewearied in thy house."
Silence followed. Vinicius looked for some time with astonished eyes onPetronius; then he said,--"Pardon me; I love her, and love is disturbingmy faculties."
"Look at me, Marcus. The day before yesterday I spoke to Caesar asfollows: 'My sister's son, Vinicius, has so fallen in love with a leanlittle girl who is being reared with the Auluses that his house isturned into a steambath from sighs. Neither thou, O Caesar, nor I--we whoknow, each of us, what true beauty is--would give a thousand sestercesfor her; but that lad has ever been as dull as a tripod, and now he haslost all the wit that was in him.'"
"Petronius!"
"If thou understand not that I said this to insure Lygia's safety, I amready to believe that I told the truth. I persuaded Bronzebeard that aman of his aesthetic nature could not consider such a girl beautiful; andNero, who so far has not dared to look otherwise than through my eyes,will not find in her beauty, and, not finding it, will not desire her.It was necessary to insure ourselves against the monkey and take himon a rope. Not he, but Poppaea, will value Lygia now; and Poppaea willstrive, of course, to send the girl out of the palace at the earliest.I said further to Bronzebeard, in passing: 'Take Lygia and give her toVinicius! Thou hast the right to do so, for she is a hostage; and ifthou take her, thou wilt inflict pain on Aulus.' He agreed; he had notthe least reason not to agree, all the more since I gave him a chanceto annoy decent people. They will make thee official guardian of thehostage, and give into thy hands that Lygian treasure; thou, as a friendof the valiant Lygians, and also a faithful servant of Caesar, wilt notwaste any of the treasure, but wilt strive to increase it. Caesar, topreserve appearances, will keep her a few days in his house, and thensend her to thy insula. Lucky man!"
"Is this true? Does nothing threaten her there in Caesar's house?"
"If she had to live there permanently, Poppaea would talk about her toLocusta, but for a few days there is no danger. Ten thousand peoplelive in it. Nero will not see her, perhaps, all the more since he lefteverything to me, to the degree that just now the centurion was herewith information that he had conducted the maiden to the palace andcommitted her to Acte. She is a good soul, that Acte; hence I gavecommand to deliver Lygia to her. Clearly Pomponia Graecina is of thatopinion too, for she wrote to Acte. To-morrow there is a feast atNero's. I have requested a place for thee at the side of Lygia."
"Pardon me, Caius, my hastiness. I judged that thou hadst given commandto take her for thyself or for Caesar."
"I can forgive thy hastiness; but it is more difficult to forgive rudegestures, vulgar shouts, and a voice reminding one of players at mora. Ido not like that style, Marcus, and do thou guard against it. Know thatTigellinus is Caesar's pander; but know also that if I wanted thegirl for myself now, looking thee straight in the eyes, I would say,'Vinicius! I take Lygia from thee and I will keep her till I am tired ofher."
Thus speaking, he began to look with his hazel eyes straight into theeyes of Vinicius with a cold and insolent stare. The young man losthimself completely.
"The fault is mine," said he. "Thou art kind and worthy. I thank theefrom my whole soul. Permit me only to put one more question: Why didstthou not have Lygia sent directly to my house?"
"Because Caesar wishes to preserve appearances. People in Rome will talkabout this,--that we removed Lygia as a hostage. While they are talking,she will remain in Caesar's palace. Afterward she will be removed quietlyto thy house, and that will be the end. Bronzebeard is a cowardlycur. He knows that his power is unlimited, and still he tries to givespecious appearances to every act. Hast thou recovered to the degree ofbeing able to philosophize a little? More than once have I thought, Whydoes crime, even when as powerful as Caesar, and assured of being beyondpunishment, strive always for the appearances of truth, justice, andvirtue? Why does it take the trouble? I consider that to murder abrother, a mother, a wife, is a thing worthy of some petty Asiatic king,not a Roman Caesar; but if that position were mine, I should not writejustifying letters to the Senate. But Nero writes. Nero is looking forappearances, for Nero is a coward. But Tiberius was not a coward;still he justified every step he took. Why is this? What a marvellous,involuntary homage paid to virtue by evil! And knowest thou what strikesme? This, that it is done because transgression is ugly and virtueis beautiful. Therefore a man of genuine aesthetic feeling is also avirtuous man. Hence I am virtuous. To-day I must pour out a littlewine to the shades of Protagoras, Prodicus, and Gorgias. It seems thatsophists too can be of service. Listen, for I am speaking yet. I tookLygia from Aulus to give her to thee. Well. But Lysippus would have madewonderful groups of her and thee. Ye are both beautiful; therefore myact is beautiful, and being beautiful it cannot be bad. Marcus, heresitting before thee is virtue incarnate in Caius Petronius! If Aristideswere living, it would be his duty to come to me and offer a hundred minaefor a short treatise on virtue."
But Vinicius, as a man more concerned with reality than with treatiseson virtue, replied,--"To-morrow I shall see Lygia, and then have her inmy house daily, always, and till death."
"Thou wilt have Lygia, and I shall have Aulus on my head. He will summonthe vengeance of all the infernal gods against me. And if the beastwould take at least a preliminary lesson in good declamation! He willblame me, however, as my former doorkeeper blamed my clients but him Isent to prison in the country."
"Aulus has been at my house. I promised to give him news of Lygia."
"Write to him that the will of the 'divine' Caesar is the highest law,and that thy first son will bear the name Aulus. It is necessary thatthe old man should have some consolation. I am ready to pray Bronzebeardto invite him to-morrow to the feast. Let him see thee in the tricliniumnext to Lygia."
"Do not do that. I am sorry for them, especially for Pomponia."
And he sat down to write that letter which took from the old general theremnant of his hope.