CHAPTER XII
"Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thycoming."--ISAIAH XIV. 9.
I pray you follow me now to an inner chamber in the palace of the mightyCaesar. A square room with walls of marble inlaid with precious stones,and with hangings of crimson silk to exclude the searching light of day.The air heavy with the fumes of burning incense that wound in spiralcurves upwards to the domed roof, and escaped--ethereal andelusive--through the tiny openings practised therein, the seats ofgilded wood with downy cushions that seemed to melt at a touch, and in arecess a monumental bed of solid and priceless citrus, carved by thehand of a Greek sculptor, with curtains of purple silk wrought all overwith stars.
In vases of delicate murra huge bunches of blood-red roses hung theirdrooping heads, and beneath the feet carpets of heavy silk hid theexquisite beauty of mosaics of lapis-lazuli and chrysoprase.
And in the midst of all this stately gorgeousness a creature--hardlyhuman--raging round like a thwarted beast.
Caius Julius Caesar Caligula was in one of his maddest moods; his holloweyes glowed with unnatural fire, his scanty, light-coloured hair stoodup around his head like the bristly mane of a hyena. Up and down theroom he stamped with heavy feet; his robe, weighted with preciousstones, striking out around him as he trod the smooth surface of silkencarpets or the slippery mosaic of the floor. His thin arms and ankleswere covered with numerous bracelets and on his feet were shoes studdedwith diamonds.
At first sight it would indeed have been difficult to say if it was aman or a woman who was thus pacing this magnificent cage, with wildgestures of the arms and hoarse cries that seemed to proceed from nohuman throat. The face, white and puffy, might have been of either sex,and the flowing garment and wealth of jewellery suggested a woman ratherthan a man.
The Caesar was crazy with rage, and all round the room slaves andattendants cowered, terrified. In his hand he had a short whip with fivethongs of solid, knotted leather, at the end of each of which was aniron hook. From these five hooks a few drops of blood were tricklingdown his white silk tunic. At intervals, at the slightest noise or soundfrom the cowering slaves, he struck out savagely with the whip, and thethongs with their sharp hooks would descend whizzing on some nakedshoulder and tear out a piece of flesh and start the flow of a freshstream of blood.
Then the madman would break out into a diabolical fit of laughter, andstrike out with his whip again and again all around him, wildly andindiscriminately, until his garments and his face were spattered allover with blood, and to right and left of him shrieking figures fellfainting to the ground.
The Caesar was crazy with rage, and he who had thus angered him reclinedon a couch, out of the reach of the shrieking demon, and his thin lipswere curled in a smile of satisfaction. It was Caius Nepos who was herethat he might betray those of his accomplices who had swerved from theirallegiance to himself, and behind him--well hidden by the draperies ofthe couch--cowered Hun Rhavas, the dusky slave of the treasury, he whoyesterday had appeared before the tribunal of the praefect of Rome forconspiracy to defraud the State in connection with the sale of theslave-girl Nola.
The law in such matters was severe. It demanded that a delinquentagainst the State--if he be a slave--shall lose his right hand, or histongue, or his ears; that he should moreover forfeit his entirehard-saved belongings to the treasury and lose all chance of everobtaining his freedom. But the praefect had been lenient, and though hecould not dismiss the offender, he mitigated his punishment.
Hun Rhavas was publicly scourged and branded, but he lost neither ears,tongue, nor hand, nor was he deprived of the peculium with whichultimately he hoped to purchase his own freedom and that of hischildren. Yet such was the African's nature, such the result of thetraining which slavery in the imperial entourage had drilled into him,that Hun Rhavas forgot the clemency and only remembered the punishment.
With bleeding back and mind saturated with hate, he sought audience ofthe Emperor, and obtained it half an hour after Caius Nepos, thepraetorian praefect, had himself been introduced in the presence ofCaligula. The story which Hun Rhavas--the paid spy--brought to the earof Caesar, was but a confirmation of what Caius Nepos had to tell.
A conspiracy was on foot to murder the father of the armies, thegreatest and best of Caesars. The flower of the Roman patriciate waswallowing in this monstrous treachery. Hortensius Martius was in it upto the neck, so was Marcus Ancyrus, the elder, and Philippus Decius andPhilario, of the imperial household.
Hun Rhavas had seen them consorting together and whispering amongthemselves the day of the sale of the late censor's slaves. He was ableto state positively that the praefect of Rome was at one with the bandof traitors.
This last fact had brought the frenzied Caesar to the verge of death. Henearly choked with the violence of his rage. He had believed in thehonesty of Taurus Antinor: had even looked on him as a lucky fetish.This man's treachery was more infuriating than that of a thousandothers. In the madness of his wrath he would have killed Hun Rhavas withhis own hands had not the latter succeeded in hiding himself out of theraving maniac's reach.
Had he dared, Caligula would have tortured Caius Nepos until he too gavehim evidence against Taurus Antinor; but on this point the praetorianpraefect was guarded. He had not yet made up his mind whether friendshipor enmity with the praefect of Rome would be to his own advantage. Allthat he wanted at this moment was to be rid of those who had opposed himlast night for the sake of their own schemes. Therefore in measuredwords he only spoke of the whisperings which he had overheard in thevestibule of his own house, between a certain band headed by HortensiusMartius and Marcus Ancyrus, the elder.
"During the Circensian games, O Caesar," he explained, "they hope toraise a tumult amongst the people ... and whilst the attention of thyfaithful guard is drawn away from thy sacred person, one of themiscreants is to plunge a dagger in thy throat----"
Here he was forced to silence by a cry like that of a slaughtered ox,which shook the marble pillars of the hall. Caligula had thrown himselfupon the bed and was writhing there like a mad beast, biting thecoverlets, beating with clenched fists against the woodwork, while foamdripped from the corners of his mouth.
"Tell me more--tell me----" he bellowed at last, during an intervalbetween two of these maniacal spasms.
The slaves all round the room were trembling with fear; Hun Rhavas,huddled under the couch, was shaking like a leaf.
But Caius Nepos, calm and dignified, waited in silence until theparoxysm had abated, then he quietly went on with his tale.
"There is but little else to tell, O Caesar. I came to warn thee ... for'tis easy for thee to wear a shirt of mail to cover thy throat andbreast against the dagger of assassins. But the conspirators hushedtheir talk in my presence. I tried to hear more and played the spy inthy service, but my heart was burdened with loyalty for thee, so I camethus early to put thee on thy guard."
The Caesar had once more resumed his restless walk up and down the room.He was biting his fists, trying to restrain himself from striking thenoble informer as brutally as he did his slaves, for he loathed thebearer of evil tidings almost as much as the secret traitors. Hesuffered from an overwhelming fury of hatred and from an unquenchablethirst for blood.
But three years ago the people and patricians had acclaimed him withshouts and rejoicings; they had feasted in his honour, proclaimed hisgodhead and his power, and now they were plotting to murder him! Themadman threw out his arms in a passionate longing for revenge.
"They would kill me," he cried hoarsely, "kill me!" ... And a demoniacallaugh broke from his swollen throat. He tore the garments from off hischest and buried his nails in his own flesh, whilst roar upon roar ofhis mad laughter woke the echoes of his stately palace.
Then suddenly the paroxysm died completely down. An unnatural calmsucceeded the violent outbursts of rage. Caligula, with a corner of hissilken robe, wiped the perspiration from his streaming face. He threwhimself on a seat, and resting both elbows on his k
nees and his chin inhis hands, he stared contemplatively before him.
Of a truth this calm seemed even more awe-inspiring than the snarls andcries of a while ago. Caius Nepos' sallow cheeks became still more ashenin colour as he cast a quick glance round the room, feeling perhaps forthe first time to-day how completely he was at the mercy of a ravinglunatic if the latter should turn against him. But the Caesar sat therefor some time, ruminating, with great hollow eyes fixed on one spot onthe ground and gusts of stertorous breathing escaped from his chest.
After a while he spoke:
"Thou didst not tell me yet, O kind friend!" he said dully, "what thetraitors mean to do once they have murdered their Caesar. Whom would theyset up as his successor? They cannot all be emperors of Rome. For whosesake then do they intend to commit this damnable treachery?"
"Nay, great Caesar!" replied Caius Nepos drily, "methinks they all have adesire to become Emperor of Rome, and this being impossible, there was avast deal of wrangling in my vestibule last night. I caught the purportof several words, and----"
"And of several names?" asked Caligula in the same even voice.
"I heard one name spoken in particular, O Caesar."
"Tell me."
"That of the Augusta, thy kinswoman," said Caius Nepos, after a slightmoment of hesitation.
"Of Dea Flavia?"
"Even hers."
"But she is a woman, and cannot lead an army," said the Emperor, whosevoice sounded hollow and distant, as if it came from out the depths of agrave.
"Nor was that suggested, O Caesar."
"What then?"
"The conspirators, methinks, have agreed amongst themselves that thefuture husband of Dea Flavia Augusta--whoever he might be--should be thesuccessor of the murdered Caesar."
"Whoever he might be," repeated the Emperor, mechanically echoing theother's words.
"Aye! The Augusta, I understand, favours no one as yet."
"She hath made no choice ... to thy knowledge?"
"No, no ... her choice was to be made after ... afterwards."
"Her choice to be made by her--or by them?"
"That I know not, great Caesar. The Augusta, I feel sure, was not aconsenting party to the treachery. The traitors would use her for theirown ends."
After this there was silence for a while. Caligula still sat staringwith wide-open eyes before him, whilst the slaves held their breath,staring fascinated on that terrible whip, lying momentarily forgotten.
Caius Nepos, pale as a withered maple leaf, was from time to timemoistening his dry lips with his tongue.
The minutes sped on. Who shall say what fiendish thoughts were coursingthrough the mad tyrant's brain?
At last he rose, and resumed his walk up and down the room. But nolonger did he rave now, no longer did he strike about him like onebereft of reason. His face, though flushed and streaming withperspiration, was set and calm; his footsteps across the carpets weremeasured and firm. He had cast his whip aside and his hands wereclenched behind his back, and on his brow there had appeared a deepfurrow, the sign of concentrated thought.
Then at last he paused in his walk and stood in the centre of the roomfacing the informer.
"I thank thee, good Caius Nepos," he said, "for thy loyalty to me.To-morrow, mayhap, I shall think of a reward in accordance with thyservice, but for the nonce I would wish to be alone. I have much tothink of. The present crisis demands of me those qualities of courageand of statesmanship for which the citizens of Rome already know me.To-morrow I go to the opening of the games in the Circus. Mayhap therewill be a tumult amongst the people, and mayhap a damnable traitor willmake an attempt against the sacred life of one who is god and Caesar andemperor all in one. If all this occurs, and I find that thou didst notlie, then will I give thee such reward as even thou dost not at presentdream of. But if between now and to-morrow I find that thou didst lie,that thou didst try to gain my favour and didst rouse my wrath only forthe gaining of thine own ends, that thou didst slander Roman patricianswith a view to removing thine own personal enemies, then will I devisefor thee such punishment that on thy knees wilt beg of death to releasethee from torment. And thou didst know, O Caius Nepos, that in theinventing of torture thy Caesar has the genius of a god."
His voice had become perfectly steady and natural in its tones; all hisrestless, jerky movements had ceased. Outwardly he seemed to becompletely master of himself. But of a truth the aspect of the madmannow was more terrible than before. His sallow cheeks were the colour oflead, his pale eyes had narrowed down till they were mere slits throughwhich gleams of deadly hate shot mercilessly on the informer.
Caius Nepos had great difficulty in keeping up an appearance of dignity.It was obviously in his interest to show neither confusion nor fear justnow. Nothing but calm demeanour and a proud show of loyalty would ensurehis personal safety at this moment. The praetorian praefect knew enoughof the imperial despot to appreciate the danger of this outwardly quietmood, which hid the utter callousness of demoniacal cruelty.
Therefore, in response to the horrible threat, Caius Nepos merely benthis head as if in humble submission to the will of one who was as a god.He felt his teeth chattering against one another, his limbs trembling,his blood frozen within him, and with it all he had the additionalhorror of knowing that the brutish tyrant was looking him through andthrough, that he saw the fear in him and was gloating on it withdelight.
It was with a feeling of inexpressible relief that he at last understoodthat he was being dismissed. Steadying his limbs as best he could, herose from his couch and made obeisance before the Caesar. Then almostmechanically and like one in a dream, but holding himself erect andcomposed, he walked backwards out of the room.
The silken curtains weighted with gold fell together with a swishingsound behind him. And even as they did so a loud and prolonged roar oflaughter, like that of a hundred demons let loose, echoed throughout thelength and breadth of marble halls. Caius Nepos took to his heels andfled like one possessed, with hands pressed to his ears, trying to shutout the awful sounds that pursued him all down the corridors: theshrieks of pain, the whizzing of whipcord through the air, and, risingabove all these, that awful laugh which must have found its origin inhell.
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