Unto Caesar

by Baroness Emmuska Orczy Orczy

  CHAPTER XV

  "As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that givethhonour to a fool."--PROVERBS XXVI. 8.

  From the hour of midnight the streets and ways leading to the greatAmphitheatre were alive with people, all tending toward the same goal:men and women in holiday clothes and little children running besidethem. The men were heavily loaded with baskets of rush or bags of roughlinen containing provisions, for many hours would be spent up therewaiting for amusement, whilst the body would grow faint if food were notforthcoming.

  So the men carried the provisions which the women had prepared the daybefore--eggs and cooked fish and such fruit as was cheap this season.And everybody was running, for though the Amphitheatre was vast andcould hold--so 'twas said--over two hundred thousand people, yetconsiderably more than two hundred thousand people desired to be presentat the opening of the games.

  They were to last thirty-one days and spectacles would be varied andexciting. But the great day would be the opening day, the one on whicheverybody desired to be inside the Amphitheatre if possible and notoutside.

  Therefore an early start had to be made. But this nobody minded, as whatis the want of a little sleep compared with the likelihood of missingthe finest sight that had been witnessed in the city for years?

  The Caesar, of course, would be present. He would solemnly declare thegames to be open. There were free gifts from him to the people: athank-offering to the gods for his safe return from that arduousexpedition in Germany; and he would show himself to his people, receivetheir acclamations and give them as much show and gaiety, music andcombats, as they cared to see.

  So they went in their thousands and their tens of thousands, starting inthe middle of the night so as to be there when the great gates wereopened, and they would be allowed to pour into the vast enclosure, andfind as good seats for themselves and their families as they could.

  And when at dawn, the great copper gates did slowly swing open, creakingupon their massive hinges, it was as if the flood-gates of a mighty seahad been suddenly let loose. In they poured, thousands upon thousands ofthem, scrambling, pushing and jumping, scurrying and hurrying, fallingand tumbling, as they pressed onwards through the wide doors and thendispersed in the vastness of the gigantic arena, like ants that scamperaway to their heaps.

  Like so many pygmies they looked now, fussy and excited, perspiringprofusely despite the cool breeze of this early dawn.

  Give them half an hour and they'll all settle down, sitting row uponrow, tier upon tier of panting, expectant humanity. After muchbousculading the strong ones have got to the front rows, the weaker onesup aloft in the rear. But all can see well into the arena, and there arethose who think that you get a better view if you sit more aloft;certain it is that you get purer air and something of the shadow of theencircling walls.

  There is no sign of cloud or storm to-day. Jove's thunders spentthemselves during the morning hours of yesterday when clap upon clap,awe-inspiring and deafening, made every superstitious heart quake withterror at this possible augury of some coming disaster. To-day the skyis clear and--soon after dawn--of that iridescent crystalline blue thatlures the eye into myriads and myriads of atoms, the creations of theheat-laden ether that stretches away--far away to the infinite distancebeyond.

  The beauty of the late summer's day was accepted as a matter of course:as part and parcel of the holidays and festivals ordered by the Caesar.These too were the people's just dues: emperors had to justify theirexistence by entertaining their people. Grumblings at their luxury andextravagances were only withheld because of other luxuries andextravagances perpetrated for the amusement of the people.

  And from early dawn there was plenty to see. Even though you did notwatch the citron-coloured sky overhead as it slowly changed itsdiaphanous draperies for others that were rose, then crimson, and thengold, finally casting off these two, and showing its blue magnificenceunadorned. There were the soldiers on guard at the doors, their yellowhelmets shining in the sun, their naked legs bronzed below their tunics.There were the late-comers to watch, those who had not cared for amidnight vigil and were arriving late, like lazy ants creeping to theirheaps, finding all places occupied, running hither and thither in searchof an empty place.

  Then, on the north side there were the tribunals of the senators, thepatricians, and the knights, with--in the centre--gorgeous with purpledraperies and standards--that which the Caesar would occupy. Rich stuffscovered with gold embroideries fell over the edge of these tribunes andfluttered lazily in the morning breeze; chairs and cushions weredisposed there, and it was interesting to make vague guesses as to whowould occupy them.

  The Emperor's tribune was decorated with flowers: huge bunches of liliesin pots of earthenware and crimson roses trailed in festoons overhead.There was no doubt that the Augusta Dea Flavia would be present then,lilies were her favourite flowers, they were always to be seen wherevershe appeared.

  The tribunes of the rich were so disposed that the sun would never shedan unpleasant glare into them, and over that part of the Amphitheatre anawning of white and purple striped stuff threw a pleasing and restfulshadow.

  Soon after the second hour the spectacle began. Processions of men andbeasts who would take part in the combats and the shows. The Numidianlions--in heavy iron cages, drawn by eight pack horses--were snarling asthey were dragged along, lean and hungry-looking, with bloodshot eyesthat threatened, and dribbling jaws waiting to devour. The pack ofhyenas from the desert, a novelty not yet witnessed at the games, thecrocodiles from the Nile and the wolves from the Thracian forests.

  It was amusing to hear the snarl of the lions and to think of them asthey would appear anon pitted one against the other, or engaged indeadly combat against the crocodiles. But still more exciting would itbe when the prisoners of war, lately captured in Germany, would have totry their heavy fists against the masters of the desert.

  The procession of the beasts had lasted close upon an hour. The publicwaxed impatient. Beasts were well enough, but their prey was what thepeople desired to see. Women clamoured as loudly as the men. Childrenstood up upon the benches to catch sight of the prisoners, themalefactors, the rebellious slaves who would furnish the sport later on.

  Presently they began to arrive and were greeted with loudacclamations--trembling, miserable bundles of humanity with hideousdeath staring at them all round, the pungent odour of wild beastsstinking of death, the glowering eyes of an excited populace testifyingthat no mercy would be shown.

  The slaves mostly looked the prey of abject terror, backboneless, andwith the cold sweat already pouring from their huddled-up bodies; theywere men caught in the act of murder or of theft, confirmed malefactorsmost of them, now condemned to the arena to expiate their crimes andafford a holiday for the people.

  Some of the most hardened criminals had been dressed up to look like theGerman rebels whom the Emperor was supposed lately to have vanquished,with tow-coloured wigs and coverings of goatskin around their torso:they were marched round the gigantic arena, with clanging chains ontheir wrists and ankles.

  The public was delighted at their appearance. It confirmed the prowessof the Caesar, for the men had been selected for this special exhibitionbecause of their height or the breadth of their shoulders. Everyone wascurious to see them, and howls of execration greeted them as theypassed. It was felt that they deserved far more severe punishment thanwas meted to ordinary criminals. They had rebelled against the might ofCaesar, and in a manner had made attempt against his sacred life.

  But the most interesting part of this early morning show was undoubtedlythe black panther whom the native prince of Numidia had sent as atribute to the imperator. Wild rumours as to its cunning and itsferocity had been in circulation for some time, but no one had ever seenit; it had been kept closely guarded and heavily chained in the gardensof the Caesar's palace, and since its arrival from the desert was said tohave grown to fabulous size and strength.

  Its inclusion in the spectacle of to-day had come
as an excitingsurprise, for it was known that the Caesar thought a great deal of thebeast, going out daily to watch it through its iron bars, and delightingin its ferocity and cruel rapaciousness. He had caused a special houseto be built for it in a secluded portion of his garden, with aswimming-bath carved out of a solid block of African marble. Its feedingtrough was made of gold, and capons and pea-hens were specially fattenedfor its delectation.

  Many were the tales current about the Caesar's fondness for the creatureand his pleasure in seeing it fed with live animals, which he wouldhimself throw into the cage. It was even said he had fed the brute withhuman flesh, the flesh of slaves who had disobeyed or merely offendedhim: one of his chief amusements being to force one of these unfortunatewretches to thrust an arm into the cage, and then to watch the pantheras it scrunched the human bones, and licked the human blood whilst criesof unspeakable horror and agony rent the air with their hideous sounds.

  And now--in order to delight his people--the greatest and best of Caesarswould grant them the spectacle of his most precious pet. Loud clappingof hands and thunderous shouts of applause greeted the entrance of themagnificent cage which was drawn out into the arena by sixteen negroslaves. The bars of the cage were gilded, and it was surmounted by theimperial standard and the insignia of imperial rank. Its pedestal was ofcarved wood and mounted on massive wheels of steel. In the front werefour heavy chains of steel, and to these the sixteen negroes wereharnessed. They were naked save for a loin-cloth of scarlet cloth, andon their heads were fillets of shining metal, each adorned with fivelong ostrich feathers which had been dipped in brilliant scarlet dye.

  The weight of the cage, with its solid pedestal and heavy iron bars,must have been terrific, for the sixteen powerful Africans strained onthe chains as they walked, burying their feet in the sand of the arena,their backs bent, the muscles of their shoulders and arms standing outlike living cords. In a corner of the cage cowered the powerfulcreature, its broad, snake-like head thrust forward, its tiny goldeneyes fixed before it, a curious snarl--like a grin--now and thencontorted the immobility of its powerful jaws. The sinewy tail beat arestless tattoo on the floor of the cage.

  Now and then when a jerk on the uneven ground disturbed it from itsominous quietude, the brute would jump up suddenly--quick as thelightning flash--and bound right across the cage, striking out with itshuge black paw to where one of the rearmost negro's back appearedtemptingly near.

  The cunning precision with which that paw hit out exactly between twoiron bars highly pleased the public, and once when the mighty claws didreach a back and tore it open from the shoulder to the waist, a wildshout of delight, echoed and re-echoed by thousands upon thousands ofthroats, shook the very walls of the gigantic Amphitheatre. Childrenscreamed with pleasure, the women applauded rapturously, the men shouted"Habet! habet!" He has it! The unfortunate slave, who, giddy with theloss of blood, rolled inanimate beneath the wheels of the cage.

  It was at this moment, when the excited populace went nearly wild withdelight, that a loud fanfare of brass trumpets announced the approach ofthe Caesar.

  He entered his tribune preceded by an escort of his praetorian guardwith flying standards. At sight of him the huge audience rose to itsfeet like one man and cheered him to the echoes, cheered him with justthe same shouts as those with which, a few moments ago, it hadacclaimed the ferocious prowess of the panther, cheered him with thesame shouts with which it would have hailed his death, hisassassination, the proclamation of his successor.

  He was clad in a tunic of purple silk, wrought with the sun, moon andstars in threads of gold and silver, and on his chest was thebreastplate of Augustus, which he had had dug up out of the vault wherethe great Emperor lay buried. On his head was a diadem of jewels inshape like the rays of the sun standing out all round his misshapenhead, and in his hands he carried a gold thunderbolt, emblem of Jove,and a trident emblem of Neptune.

  He was surrounded by his own guard, by a company of knights and a groupof senators and patricians, and immediately behind him walked his wife,Caesonia, and his uncle, Claudius, the brother of Germanicus.

  He came to the front of the tribune, allowing the populace a full viewof his grotesque person, and listening with obvious satisfaction to theapplause and the cheers that still rose in ceaseless echoes upwards tothe sky.

  He did not hear the ironical laughter, nor yet the mocking comments onhis appearance, which was more that of a caricature than of a sentientman. He was satisfied that all eyes were turned on himself and on themajestic pomp which surrounded him. The standard-bearers were ordered towave the flags so that a cloud of purple and gold seemed to be waftedall round his head, and he ordered the Augustas to group themselvesaround him.

  The people watched this pageant as they had done the earlier spectacles.It was all a part of the show stage-managed for their amusement. Theywere interested to see the Augustas, and those who knew mentioned thevarious names to their less fortunate neighbours.

  "Caesonia standeth next her lord. She gave him a love potion once, so'tis said, because his passion for her was quickly on the wane. And 'tisthat love potion which hath made him crazy."

  "And there are the Caesar's sisters, Drusilla and Livilla. Drusilla isvery beautiful."

  "And there is Julia, the daughter of Drusus. She had been willing tostep into Caesonia's shoes."

  "But Dea Flavia, daughter of Claudius Octavius, is the most beautifulamongst them all!"

  "Hail to Dea Flavia Augusta!" came from more than one enthusiasticthroat.

  She was clad all in white, with strings of pearls round her neck and afillet of diamonds in her golden hair. Her face was very pale and herlips never smiled. In her hands she held three tall sprays of liliesscarce whiter than the smooth surface of her brow.

  Everyone noticed that the Caesar specially commanded her to sit on hisleft, Caesonia being on his right, and that the Augustas all frowned withdissatisfaction at this signal honour paid to Dea Flavia.

  Anon Caius Nepos, the praetorian praefect, came to the front of thetribune, and in stentorian voice commanded everyone to kneel. All thosein the tribune did kneel immediately, the guard holding the standards,the senators and the knights. The Augustas all knelt too, and thepatricians in the tribunes to right and left. Some of the people knelt,but not by any means all, and Caius Nepos had to repeat his commandthree or four times, and to threaten the immediate dispersal of theaudience and the clearing of the Amphitheatre before everyone at lastobeyed.

  Caligula alone remained standing, and not far from him the praefect ofRome leaning against the partition wall.

  The Caesar then blessed his people, and at the word of Caius Nepos--thepraetorian praefect--cries of "Hail Caesar! Hail, O God! Hail the Fatherof the Armies! the greatest and best of Caesars!" broke out on everyside.