The Gladiators. A Tale of Rome and Judæa

by G. J. Whyte-Melville

  CHAPTER VII

  TRUTH

  The dwelling in which the Briton now found himself presented a strangecontrast of simplicity and splendour, of wealth and frugality, of obscurepoverty and costly refinement. The wall was bare and weather-stained; buta silver lamp, burning perfumed oil, was fixed against its surface on abracket of common deal. Though the stone floor was damp and broken, it waspartially covered by a soft thick carpet of brilliant colours, whileshawls from the richest looms of Asia hung over the mutilated wooden seatsand the crazy couch, which appeared to be the congenial furniture of theapartment. Esca could not but remark on the same inconsistency throughoutall the minor details of the household. A measure of rich wine from theLebanon was cooling in a pitcher of coarse earthenware, a draught of fairwater sparkled in a cup of gold. A bundle of Eastern javelins, inlaid withivory and of beautiful finish and workmanship, kept guard, as it were,over a plain two-edged sword devoid of ornament, and with a handle frayedand worn as though from constant use, that looked like a weapon born forwork not show, some rough soldier's rude but trusty friend. The room ofwhich Esca thus caught a hasty glance as he passed through, opened on aninner apartment, which seemed to have been originally equally bare anddilapidated, but of which the furniture was even more rich andincongruous. It was flooded by a soft warm light, shed from a lamp burningsome rare Syrian oil, that was scarcely to be procured for money in Rome.It dazzled Esca's eyes as he followed the girl through the outer apartmentinto this retreat, and it was a few seconds ere he recovered his sightsufficiently to take note of the objects that surrounded him.

  A venerable man with bald head and long silvery beard was sitting at thetable when they entered, reading from a roll of parchment filled to thevery margin with characters in the Syriac language, then generally spokenover the whole of Asia Minor, and sufficiently familiar at Rome. Soimmersed was he in his studies, that he did not seem to notice herarrival, till the girl rushed up to him, and, without unveiling, threwherself into his arms with many expressions of endearment and delight ather own return. The language in which she spoke was unknown to the Briton;but he gathered from her gestures, and the agitation which again overcameher for an instant, that she was relating her own troubles, and the parthe had himself borne in the adventures of the night. Presently she turned,and drew him forward, while she said in Latin, with a little sob ofagitation between every sentence--

  "Behold my preserver--the youth who came in like a lion to save me fromthose wicked men! Thank him in my father's name, and yours, and all mykindred and all my tribe. Bid him welcome to the best our house affords.It is not every day a daughter of Judah meets with an arm and a heart likehis, when she falls into the grasp of the heathen and the oppressor!"

  The old man stretched his hand to Esca with cordiality and goodwill; as hedid so, the Briton could not but observe how kindly was the smile thatmantled over his serene and gentle face.

  "My brother will be home ere long," said he, "and will himself thank youfor preserving his daughter from insult and worse. Meantime Calchas bidsyou heartily welcome to Eleazar's house. Mariamne," he added, turning tothe girl, "prepare us a morsel of food that we may eat. It is not thecustom of our nation to send a stranger fasting from the door."

  The girl departed on her hospitable mission, and Esca, making light of hisprowess, and of the danger incurred, gave his own version of the night'soccurrence, to which Calchas listened with grave interest and approval.When he had concluded, the old man pointed to the scroll he had beenreading, which now lay rolled up on the table at his hand.

  "The time will come," said he, "when the words that are written here shallbe in the mouths of all men on the surface of the known earth. Then shallthere be no more strife, nor oppression, nor suffering, nor sorrow. Thenshall men love each other like brothers, and live only in kindliness andgoodwill. The day may seem far distant, and the means may seem poor andinadequate now, yet so it is written here, and so will it be at last."

  "You think that Rome will extend her dominions farther and farther? Thatshe will conquer all known nations, as she has conquered us? That shemeans to be in fact what she proudly styles herself, the Mistress of theWorld? In truth, the eagle's wings are wide and strong. His beak is verysharp, and where his talons have once fastened themselves, they neveragain let go their hold!"

  Calchas smiled and shook his head.

  "The dove will prevail against the eagle, as love is a stronger power thanhate. But it is not of Rome I speak as the future influence that shallestablish the great good on earth. The legions are indeed well trained,and brave even to the death; but I know of soldiers in a better servicethan Caesar's, whose warfare is harder, whose watches are longer, whoseadversaries are more numerous, but whose triumph is more certain, and moreglorious at the last."

  Esca looked as if he understood him not. The Briton's thoughts werewandering back to the tramp of columns and the clash of steel, and thegallant stand made against the invader by the white-robed warriors withtheir long swords, amongst whom he had been one of the boldest and thebest.

  "It is hard to strive against Rome," said he, with a glowing cheek andsparkling eye. "Yet I cannot but think, if we had never been provoked toan attack, if we had kept steadily on the defensive, if we had movedinland as he approached, harassing and cutting him off whenever we saw anopportunity, but never suffering him to make one for himself--trusting moreto our woods and rivers, and less to our own right hands--we might havetamed the eagle and clipped his wings, and beat him back across the sea atlast. But what have I to do with such matters now?" he added, while hiswhole countenance fell in bitter humiliation. "I, a poor barbariancaptive, and a slave here in Rome!"

  Calchas studied his face with a keen scrutinising glance, then he laid hishand on the young man's shoulder, and said inquiringly--

  "There is not a grey hair in your clustering locks, nor a wrinkle on yourbrow, yet you have known sorrow?"

  "Who has not?" replied the other cheerfully; "and yet I never thought tohave come to this."

  "You are a slave, and you would be free?" asked Calchas, slowly andimpressively.

  "I am a slave," repeated the Briton, "and I shall be free. But not tilldeath."

  "And after death?" proceeded the old man, in the same gentle inquiringtone.

  "After death," answered the other, "I shall be free as the elements I havebeen taught to worship, and into which they tell me I shall be resolved.What need I know or care more than that in death there will be neitherpleasure nor pain?"

  "And is not life with all its changes too sweet to lose on such terms asthese?" asked the older man. "Are you content to believe that, like onewalking through a quicksand, the footsteps you leave are filled up andobliterated behind you as you pass on? Can you bear to think thatyesterday is indeed banished and gone for ever? That a to-morrow must comeof black and endless night? Death should be really terrible if this isyour conviction and your creed!"

  "Death is never terrible to a brave man," answered Esca. "A Briton neednot be taught how to die sword in hand."

  "You think you are brave," said Calchas, looking wistfully on the other'srising colour and kindling eyes. "Ah! you have not seen my comrades die,or you would know that something better than courage is required for theservice to which we belong. What think ye of weak women, tender shrinkingmaidens, worn with fatigue, emaciated with hunger, fainting with heat andthirst, brought out to be devoured by beasts, or to suffer long andagonising tortures, yet smiling the while in quiet calm contentment, asseeing the home to which they are hastening, the triumph but a few shorthours off? What think ye of the captains under whom I served, who here atRome, in the face of Caesar and his power, vindicated the honour of theirLord and died without a murmur for His cause? I was with Peter, I tellyou, Peter the Galilean, of whom men talk to this day, of whom men shallnever cease to talk in after ages, when he opposed to Simon's magic artshis simple faith in the Master whom he served, and I saw the magic
ianhurled like a stricken vulture to the ground. I was present when thefiercest and the wickedest of the Caesars, returning from the expedition toGreece, wherein his buffooneries had earned the contempt even of thatsubtle nation of flatterers, sentenced him to death upon the cross forthat he had dared to oppose Nero's vices, and to tell Nero the truth. Iheard him petition that he might be crucified with his head downward, asnot worthy to suffer in the same posture as his Lord--and I can see himnow, the pale face, the noble head, the dark keen eye, the slender sinewyform, and, above all, the self-sustaining confidence, the triumphantdaring of the man as he walked fearlessly to death. I was with Paul, thenoble Pharisee, the naturalised Roman citizen, when he, alone amongst acrowd of passengers and a century of soldiers, quailed not to look on theblack waves raging round our broken ship, and bade us all be of goodcheer, for that every soul, to the number of two hundred and seventy-five,should come safe to shore. I remember how trustfully we looked on that lowspare form, that grave and gracious face with its kindly eyes, its bushybrows and thick beard sprinkled here and there with grey. It was the soul,we knew, that sustained and strengthened the weakly body of the man. Thevery barbarians where we landed acknowledged its influence, and would fainhave worshipped him for a god. Nero might well fear that quiet, humble,trusting, yet energetic nature; and where the imperial monster feared, aswhere he admired, loved, hated, envied, or despised, the sentiment must bequenched in blood."

  "And did he too fall a victim?" inquired Esca, whose interest,notwithstanding occasional glances at the door through which Mariamne hadgone out, seemed thoroughly awakened by the old man's narrative.

  "They might not crucify him," answered Calchas, "for he was of noblelineage and a Roman citizen born; but they took him from amongst us, andthey let him languish in a prison, till they released him at last andbrought him out to be beheaded. Ay, Rome was a fearful sight that day; thefoot was scorched as it trod the ashes of the devastated city, the eyesmarted in the lurid smoke that hung like a pall upon the heavy air andwould not pass away. Palaces were crumbling in ruins, the shrivelledspoils of an empire were blackening around, the dead were lying in thechoked-up highways half-festering, half-consumed--orphan children werewandering about starved and shivering, with sallow faces and large shiningeyes, or, worse still, playing thoughtlessly, unconscious of their doom.They said the Christians had set fire to the city, and many an innocentvictim suffered for this foul and groundless slander. The Christians,forsooth! oppressed, persecuted, reviled; whose only desire was to live inbrotherhood with all men, whose very creed is peace and goodwill on earth.I counted twenty of them, men, women, and children, neighbours with whom Ihad held kindly fellowship, friends with whom I had broken bread, lyingstiff and cold in the Flaminian Way on the morning Paul was led out todie. But there was peace on the dead faces, and the rigid hands wereclasped in prayer; and though the lacerated emaciated body, the mereshell, was grovelling there in the dust, the spirit had gone home to Godwho made it, to the other world of which you have not so much as heard,yet which you too must some day visit, to remain for ever. Do youunderstand me? not for ages, but _for ever_--without end!"

  "Where is it?" asked Esca, on whom the idea of a spiritual existence,innate from its very organisation in every intelligent being, did not nowdawn for the first time. "Is it here, or there? below, or above? in thestars, or the elements? I know the world in which I live; I can see it,can hear it, can feel it; but that other world, where is it?"

  "Where is it?" repeated Calchas. "Where are the dearest wishes of yourheart, the noblest thoughts of your mind? Where are your loves, yourhopes, your affections, above all, your memories? Where is the wholebetter part of your nature? your remorse for evil, your aspirations aftergood, your speculations on the future, your convictions of the reality ofthe past? Where these are, there is that other world. You cannot see it,you cannot hear it, yet you _know_ that it must be. Is any man's happinesscomplete? is any man's misery when it reaches him so overwhelming as itseemed at a distance? And why is it not? Because something tells him thatthe present life is but a small segment in the complete circle of a soul'sexistence. And the circle, you have not lived in Rome without learning, isthe symbol of infinity."

  Esca pondered and was silent. There are convictions which men holdunconsciously, and to which they are so accustomed that their attentioncan only be directed to them from without, just as they wear their skinsand scarcely know it, till the familiar covering has been lacerated byinjury or disease. At last he looked up with a brightening countenance,and exclaimed, "In that world, surely, all men will be free!"

  "All men will be equal," replied Calchas, "but no mortal or immortal evercan be free. Suppose a being totally divested of all necessity for effort,all responsibility to his fellows or himself, all participation in thegreat scheme of which government is the essential condition in its everypart, and you suppose one whose own feelings would be an intolerableburden, whose own wishes would be an unendurable torture. Man is made tobear a yoke; but the Captain whom I serve has told me that His yoke iseasy and His burden is light. How easy and how light, I experience everymoment of my life."

  "And yet you said but now that death and degradation were the lot of thosewho bore arms by your side in the ranks," observed the Briton, stillintently regarding his companion.

  A ray of triumphant courage and exultation flashed up into the old man'sface. For an instant Esca recognised the fierce daring of a natureessentially bold, reckless, and defiant; but it faded as it came, and wassucceeded by an expression of meek, chastened humility, whilst he replied--

  "Death welcome and long looked-for! Degradation that confers the highesthonours in this world and the next!--at least to those who are held worthyof the great glory of martyrdom. Oh! that I might be esteemed one of thatnoble band! But my work will be laid to my hand, and it is enough for meto be the lowest of the low in the service of my Master."

  "And that master? Tell me of that master," exclaimed Esca, whose interestwas excited, as his feelings were roused, by converse with one who seemedso thoroughly impressed with the truth of what he spoke, who was at onceso earnest, so gentle, and so brave. The old man bowed his head withunspeakable reverence, but in his face shone the deep and fervent joy ofone who looks back with intense love and gratitude to the great epoch ofhis existence.

  "I saw Him once," said he, "on the shore of the Sea of Galilee--I thatspeak to you now saw Him with my own eyes--there were little children atHis feet. But we will talk of this again, for you are weary and exhausted.Meat and drink are even now prepared for you. It is good to refresh thebody if the mind is to be vigorous and discerning. You have done for usto-night the act of a true friend. You will henceforth be always welcomein Eleazar's house."

  While he spoke, the girl whom Esca had rescued so opportunely entered theapartment, bearing in some food on a coarse and common trencher, with awineskin, of which she poured the contents into a jewelled cup, andpresented it to her preserver with an embarrassed but very gracefulgesture, and a soft shy smile.

  Mariamne had unveiled; and, if Esca's expectations during their homewardwalk had been raised by her gentle feminine manners, and the sweet tonesof her voice, they were not now disappointed with what he saw. The darkeyes that looked up so timidly into his own, were full and lustrous asthose of a deer. They had, moreover, the mournful pleading expressionpeculiar to that animal, and, through all their softness and intelligence,betrayed the watchful anxiety of one whose life is passed in constantvicissitudes and occasional danger. The girl's face was habitually pale,though the warm blood mantled in her cheek as she drooped beneath Esca'sgaze of honest admiration, and her regular features were sharpened, alittle more than was natural to them, by daily care and apprehension. Thiswas especially apparent in the delicate aquiline of the nose, and a slightprominency of the cheek-bones. It was a face that in prosperity would havebeen rich and sparkling as a jewel, that in adversity preserved its charmsfrom the rare and chastened beauty in which it was modelled. Her dressbetrayed t
he same incongruity that was so remarkable in the furniture ofher home. Like her veil it was black, and of a coarse and common material,but where it was looped up, the folds were fastened by one single gem ofconsiderable value; and two or three links of a heavy gold chain werevisible round her white and well-turned neck.

  Moving through the room, busied with the arrangements of the meal whichshe must herself have prepared, Esca could not but observe the pliantgrace of her form, enhanced by a certain modest dignity, very differentfrom the vivacious gestures of the Roman maidens to whom he wasaccustomed, and especially pleasing to the eye of the Briton.

  Calchas seemed to love the girl as a daughter; and his kind face grewkinder and gentler still, while he followed her about in her differentmovements, with eyes of the deepest and fondest affection.

  Esca could not but observe that the board was laid for three persons, andthat by one of the wooden platters stood a drinking-cup of great beautyand value. Mariamne's glance followed his as it rested on the spare place."For my father," said she gently, in answer to the inquiry she read on hisface. "He is later than usual to-night, and, I fear--I fear; my father isso bold, so prompt to draw steel when he is angered. To-night he has lefthis sword at home; and I know not whether to be most frightened orreassured at his being alone in this wicked town, unarmed."

  "He is in God's hand, my child," said Calchas reverently. "But I shouldnot fear for Eleazar," he added, with a proud and martial air, "were hesurrounded by a score of such as we see prowling nightly in the streets ofRome, though they were armed to the teeth, and he with only a shepherd'sstaff to keep his head."

  "Is he, then, so redoubtable a warrior?" asked Esca, on whom good manhoodseldom failed to produce a favourable impression. While he spoke he lookedfrom one to the other with increasing curiosity and interest.

  "You shall judge for yourself," answered Calchas, "for it cannot now belong ere he return. Nevertheless, the man who could leap down from thewalls of a beleaguered city, as my brother did, naked and unarmed; whocould break the head off a Roman battering-ram by main force, and renderthat engine useless; who could reach the wall again with his prize,covered with wounds, having fought his way through a whole maniple ofRoman soldiers, and could ask but for a draught of water, ere he donnedhis armour, and took his place once more upon the rampart, is not likelyto fear aught that can befall him from a few idlers in a common street-broil. Nevertheless, as I said before, you shall judge for yourself."

  "And here he is!" exclaimed Mariamne, while the outer door shut to, and aman's step was heard advancing through the adjoining apartment, with afirm and measured footfall.

  She had been pale enough all night in the eyes of Esca, who was watchingher intently; but he thought now she seemed to turn a shade paler thanbefore.