The Gladiators. A Tale of Rome and Judæa

by G. J. Whyte-Melville

  CHAPTER X

  A TRIBUNE OF THE LEGIONS

  Under the porch of one of the most luxurious houses in Rome, two menjostled in the dubious light of early morning. Exclamations of impatiencewere succeeded by a mutual recognition, and a hearty laugh, as Damasippusand Oarses, freedmen and staunch clients of Julius Placidus, recognisedeach other's eagerness to pay court to their joint patron. They had risenfrom their beds while it was yet dark, and hurried hither in order to bethe first to salute the tribune at his morning levee. Yet they found thegreat hall filling already with a bustling crowd of friends, retainers,clients, and dependants. Damasippus was a short, square, beetle-browedman, with a villainous leer; Oarses, a pale, sedate, and somewhat precisepersonage. But with this marked difference of exterior, an expression ofunscrupulous and thorough-paced knavery was common to both. SaidDamasippus to Oarses, with a shrug of affected disgust--

  "It may be hours yet ere he will see us! Look at this wretched crowd ofparasites and flatterers! They will follow the patron to his bath! Theywill besiege him in his very bed! Oh, my friend! Rome is no longer theplace for an honest man."

  To which Oarses replied, in subdued and humble tones--

  "The flies gather round the honey, though it is only for what they canget. But the sincerest gratitude and affection draw you and me, my dearcompanion, to the side of the illustrious tribune."

  "You speak truth," returned Damasippus. "It is sad to see how few clientsare uninfluenced by mean and sordid thoughts. An honest man is becoming asrare at Rome as at Athens. It was not so in the days of the republic--inthe golden age--in the good old times!"

  "Oh for the good old times!" exclaimed Oarses, still in the same low andunmoved voice.

  "Oh for the good old times!" echoed Damasippus; and the two knaves, withtheir arms on each other's shoulders, fell to pacing the extremity of thehall, and exchanging spiteful remarks on the concourse with which it wasfilled.

  The tribune's house was the most perfect of its kind in the whole city.Standing apart and surrounded by a wall and garden of its own, it combinedthe luxurious splendour of a palace with the comfort and seclusion of aprivate residence. Everything of ornament that was most costly andgorgeous, had been procured by Placidus to decorate his mansion.Everything of art that was most conspicuous and effective hung on hiswalls, stood in picturesque groups about his apartments, or lay scatteredin rich profusion on his floor. The hangings that veiled his own sleeping-room from the public eye, were of embroidered crimson silk, woven in thelooms of Asia, and probably taken by the strong hand of the successfulsoldier as spoils of war. The very pavement of the hall was of the richestmosaic, traced in fanciful patterns and inlaid with gold. As the morningdrew on, it was trodden by a multitude of feet. No one of his rank held sonumerous a levee as Julius Placidus. In the concourse that thronged itnow, might be seen men of all countries, classes, characters, professions,and denominations. Unlike Licinius, who, indeed, owed his influence solelyto the firm consistency and unbending rectitude of his character, thetribune let no opportunity pass of binding an additional partisan to hiscause by the ties of self-interest and expectation. They were crowding innow through the wide open doors; and while the spacious hall was nearlyfilled, the approach to it, and the street itself outside, were chokedwith applicants, who had one and all, directly or indirectly, something toget, or ask, or hope for, from the tribune. Here, an artist brought hispicture carefully draped in the remains of an old garment; yet not soentirely concealed but that a varnished corner might be visible, and thepainter, nothing loth, might be prevailed on by earnest solicitations toreveal, bit by bit, all the beauties of his production. There, a sculptorwas diligently preserving the outlines of his model, wrapped in its wetcloth, from collision with the bystanders, and assuming credit for themysterious beauties of a work, which, perhaps, if uncovered, would havegrievously disappointed the eyes that scanned it so curiously. In onecorner stood a jeweller, holding in his hand a gorgeous collar of pearlsand rubies, prepared by the patrician's orders, and testifying at once tothe ingenuity of the tradesman, and the munificence of his employer. Inanother, waited a common-looking slave, with a downcast eye and a bloatedunwholesome face; who, nevertheless, assumed an important air that seemedto say he was sure of an early audience, as, indeed, was more thanprobable in consideration of his tidings, a message from venal beauty tothe admirer who paid his welcome tribute in gold. Parasites and flattererselbowed their way insolently in the midst, as though they had a right tobe there, whilst honest men, brown with toil, and sighing wistfully forthe fresh breezes of Tibur or Praeneste, kept aloof, abashed and shrinking,though they had but come to ask for their due. Nearest the hangings thatconcealed the bedroom, stood a dirty slave, bespattered with the filth ofthe fish-market, and exhaling an odour of garlic that cleared for him anample breathing-space even in a Roman crowd; but the knave knew the valueof his intelligence, and how it would obtain him favour in the tribune'seyes. No less important a communication than this, that a mullet had beentaken the night before of nearly six pounds weight, and that so lavish apatron as Placidus should have the first offer to purchase at a thousandsesterces(7) a pound. He waited with his eyes intently fastened on thecurtains, and took no notice of the jabber and confusion that pervaded thehall.

  Presently the crowd gave way a little, ebbing backward on either side, andforming a lane as it were for three men, who were regarded as they passedwith glances of great awe and admiration. There was no mistaking the deepchest and broad shoulders of one of these, even apart from the loud frankvoice in which Hirpinus the gladiator was wont to convey his observations,without much respect for persons. He was accompanied, on the presentoccasion, by two individuals, obviously of the same profession ashimself--Hippias the fencing-master, and Euchenor the boxer. All threeconversed and laughed boisterously. It was obvious that even at that earlyhour they had not broken their fast without a generous draught of wine.

  "Talk not to me," said Hirpinus, rolling his strong shoulders, andobserving with great complacency the attention he excited--"talk not to me:I have seen them all--Dacians, Gauls, Cimbrians, Ethiopians, everybarbarian that ever put on a breastplate. By Hercules, they were fools tothis lad. Why, the big yellow-haired German, whom Caesar gave us for thelion last summer, would not have stood up to him for a quarter of an hour.He was taller, maybe, a little, but he hadn't the shape, man--he hadn't theshape! You'll hardly call _me_ a kid that hasn't put his horns out, willye? Well, he gave me so much to do with the _cestus_, that I wouldn't havetaken it off for a flagon of cheap wine, I tell ye. What think ye of_that_, my little Greek? You don't call it so bad for a beginner, I hope?"

  He turned to Euchenor as he spoke, a beautifully-made young man, ofextraordinary strength and symmetry, with the regular chiseled features ofhis country, and as evil an expression as ever lowered on a fair face. TheGreek pondered awhile before he answered. Then he made the appositeinquiry--

  "Were you sober, Hirpinus, when you stood up to him? or had you suckeddown a skinful of wine, before you took your bellyful of boxing?"

  The other burst into a loud laugh.

  "Drunk or sober," said he, "you know the stuff I am made of, just as wellas I know your weight to an ounce, and your reach to an inch. Ay, and yourmettle too, my lad! though it don't take a six-foot rod to get to thebottom of _that_. Harkye, this Briton of mine would _eat_ such a man asyou, body and bones and all, just as I would eat a thrush, and be readyfor another directly, without so much as washing his mouth out."

  A very sinister scowl passed across Euchenor's face, who did not quiterelish this low valuation of his prowess, and, above all, his courage; buthe was a professional boxer, and, as such, necessarily possessed thoroughcommand of temper, so he only glanced a little scornfully over the other'sframe, which was getting somewhat into flesh, and observed--

  "There will be money to be made out of him then in the arena, if he fallsinto good hands, and is properly trained."

/>   Hitherto, the fencing-master had joined but carelessly in theconversation, and, indeed, scarcely seemed aware of its purport; but theconcluding sentence arrested his attention, and turning upon Hirpinusrather angrily, and with the air of one accustomed to command, he saidabruptly--

  "Why did you not bring him to me at once? If you have let him slip throughthose great fingers of yours, it will be the worst job you have beenconcerned in for many a day. Have a care, Hirpinus! Better men than youhave been under the net ere now, and the great games are not so far off.It needs but a word from me to send you into the arena to-morrow, a fairprey for a clumsy trident and a fathom or two of twine. You know that aswell as I do."

  Hippias spoke truth. A retired gladiator, celebrated for his deadlyswordsmanship and the number of his victories, he had been long agoinvested by Nero with the wooden foil, which represented a free dischargeand immunity from future services in the amphitheatre. Habituated,however, to the excitement of the fatal sport, and rejoicing in thatspurious fame which so distinguished men of his class at Rome, he had setup a school for the express purpose of training swordsmen for the arena;and had won such favour, under two successive emperors, by the proficiencyto which he brought his pupils, and his talent for arranging the deadlypageants in which they figured, that he had gradually become anincontrovertible authority on such matters, and the principal manager ofthe games in the amphitheatre. Of his reputation for gallantry, and thestrange fascination such men possessed for the Roman ladies, we havealready spoken; but if his smiles were courted amongst the fair spectatorsof their contests, his word was law with the gladiators themselves. He itwas who paired the combatants, supplied them with weapons, adjusted theirdisputes, and, in most cases, held the balance on which their very livesdepended. A threat from Hippias was more dreaded by these ruffians thanthe home-thrust of spear and sword.

  Now, Hirpinus, although a fearless and skilful fighter, had his assailablepoint. On one occasion, when he had entered the circus as a _secutor_,that is to say, a combatant armed with sword and helmet, against the_retiarius_, who bore nothing but a trident and net, he had the misfortuneto find himself involved in the meshes of the latter, and at the mercy ofhis antagonistic. The Roman crowd, though fickle in its approval, anduncertain in its antipathies, spared him in consideration of the gallantfight he had made; but Hirpinus never forgot his sensations at thatmoment. Bold and fierce as he was, it completely _cowed_ him; and theboisterous, boastful prize-fighter would turn pale at the mention of atrident and a net. There was something ludicrous in the manner in which henow quailed before Hippias, eyeing him with the same sort of imploringglance that a dog casts at his master, and obviously persuaded of thespeedy fulfilment of his threat.

  "Patience, patron!" he growled apologetically. "I know where the lad is tobe found. I can lay my hand on him at any time. I can bring him with me tothe school. Why I talked myself well-nigh hoarse, and stayed out thedrinking of two flagons of sour Sabine to boot, while I canvassed him tobecome one of _us_ and join the Family forthwith. Why, you don't think,patron, I would be so thick-witted as to let him go without finding outwhere he lives? He is either a freedman, or a slave of"--

  "Hush, fool!" interrupted Hippias angrily, observing that Damasippus andOarses were hovering near, and listening intently for a piece ofintelligence which he had resolved should be conveyed by himself, and noneother, to the tribune's ear. "There is no occasion to publish it by thecrier. Hadst thou but brains, man, in any sort of proportion to thosegreat muscles of thine, I could tell thee why, with some hope of beingunderstood. Enough! lose not sight of the lad; and, above all, keep thytongue within thy teeth!"

  The big gladiator nodded a sulky affirmative, puzzled, but obedient; andthe two freedmen, with many courteous bows and gestures, accosted thechampions with all the humility and deference to which such publiccharacters were entitled.

  "They say there will be two hundred pairs of swordsmen, matched at thesame moment," observed Damasippus, in allusion to the coming games; "andnot a plate of steel allowed in the circus, save sword and helmet. But ofcourse, my Hippias, you know best if this is true."

  "And three new lions from Libya, loose at once," added Oarses, "with ascene representing shepherds surprised over their watch-fires; real rocks,I have been told, and a stream of running water in the amphitheatre, witha thicket of live shrubs, from which the beasts are to emerge. Your taste,illustrious Hippias, the people say, is perfect. It has obviously beenconsulted here."

  Hippias smiled mysteriously, and a little scornfully.

  "There _is_ a lion from Libya," said he; "I can tell you thus much. I,myself, saw him fed only yesterday at sunset."

  "Is he large? is he strong? is he fierce?" questioned the two almost in abreath. "When did he come? is he quite full-grown? will they keep himwithout flesh? Of course the shepherds are not to be armed? Will they becondemned criminals, or only paid gladiators? Not that it matters much, ifthe lion is a pretty good one. We had a tiger, you know, last year, thatkilled five Ethiopian slaves, though they all set on him at once."

  "But they were unarmed," interrupted Euchenor, whose cheek had turned ashade paler during the discussion. "Give me the proper weapons, and I fearno beast that walks the earth."

  "Unarmed, of course!" repeated Damasippus, "and so was the tiger. A morebeautiful creature was never seen. Do you not remember, Oarses, how hewaved his long tail and stroked his face with his paws, like a kittenbefore it begins to play? And then, when he made his spring, the firstblack was rolled up like a ball? I was in the fifth row, my friends, yet Iheard his bones crack, distinctly, even there."

  "He was a great loss, that tiger," observed Oarses, more sadly than usual;"they should never have pitted him against a tusked elephant. The moment Isaw the ivory, I knew how the fight must end, and I wagered against thesmaller animal directly. I would have lost my sesterces, I think,willingly, for it to have won; but the beautiful beast never had achance."

  "It was the weight that did it, patrons--the weight," observed Hirpinus."Man or beast, I will explain to you that weight must always"--

  But here the gladiator's dissertation was broken off by the movement ofthe crimson hangings, and the appearance of Placidus emerging on his leveeof expectants, bright and handsome, ready dressed for the day.

  The tribune owned one advantage at least, which is of no small service toa man who embarks on a career demanding constant energy and watchfulness;he possessed that good digestion which is proverbially held to accompanyan elastic conscience and a hard heart. Though supper the previous eveninghad been a luxurious and protracted meal--though the winecup had passedround very often, and the guests with singing brains had shown themselvesin their own characters to their cool-headed and designing host--thelatter, refreshed by a night's rest, now appeared with the glow of healthon his cheek, and its lustre in his eye. As he looked about him on thethrong of clients and dependants, his snow-white gown fastened and loopedup with gold, his mantle adorned with a broad violet hem, his hair andbeard carefully perfumed and arranged, a murmur of applause went round thecircle which, perhaps, for once was really sincere, and even the roughgladiators could not withhold their approbation from a figure that was atonce so richly attired, so manly, and so refined.

  "Hail, my friends!" said the tribune, pausing in the entrance, and lookinggraciously around him on the crowd.

  "Hail, patron!" answered a multitude of voices, in every key, from thesubdued and polished treble of Oarses to the deep hoarse voice of thegladiators.

  Placidus moved from one to the other, with an easy though dignifiedcordiality of manner which he well knew how to assume when disposed tocultivate the favour of his inferiors. Clear-headed and discerning, in awonderfully short space of time he had despatched the various matterswhich constituted the business of his morning levee. He had admired themodel, declined the painting, ordered the statue, bought the jewels,answered the fair suppliant's message, and secured the mullet by sendingto the market for it at once. The honest countrymen, too
, he dismissedsufficiently well pleased, considering they had received nothing moresubstantial than smiles; and he now turned leisurely to Hippias, as iflife had no duty so engrossing as the pursuit of pleasure, and asked himeagerly after the training of his gladiators, and the prospects of theamphitheatre.

  Hippias knew his own value; he conversed with the patrician as an equal;but Hirpinus and Euchenor, appreciating the worth of a rich patron, gazedon Placidus with intense respect and admiration. The latter, especially,watched the tribune with his bright cunning eye, as if prepared to plant ablow on the first unguarded place.

  "But your swordsmen are all too well known," urged the patrician on thefencing-master. "Here is old Hirpinus covers his whole body with two feetof steel as if it were a complete suit of armour, and never takes hispoint off his adversary's heart the while. The others are nearly as wary;if they encounter ordinary fencers they are sure to conquer; if we matchthem against each other and the people would see blood drawn, they mustfight blindfolded,(8) and it becomes a matter of mere chance. No, what wewant is a new man--one whom we can train without his being discovered, andbring out as an unknown competitor to try for the Emperor's prize. Whatsay you, Hippias? 'Tis the only chance for a winning game now."

  "I have heard of such a one," answered Hippias. "I think I can lay my handon an untried blade, that a few weeks' training will polish up into thekeenest weapon we have sharpened yet; at least, so Hirpinus informs me.What say'st thou, old Trojan? Tell the patron how thou camest to light onthy match at last."

  Thus adjured, the veteran gladiator related at considerable length,interrupted by many exclamations of wonder from Damasippus and Oarses, hischance meeting with Esca in the Forum, and subsequent trial of strengthand skill at the gymnasium. Somewhat verbose, as we have seen, when hecould secure an audience, Hirpinus waxed eloquent on so congenial a themeas the beauty and stature of his new friend. "As strong as an ox, patron,"said he, "and as lithe as a panther! Hand, and foot, and eye, all keepingtime together like a dancing girl's. The spring of a wild-cat, and thelight footfall of a deer. Then he would look so well in the arena, withhis fair young face, set on his towering neck, like that of the son ofPeleus. Indeed, if he should be vanquished, the women would save him everytime. Why, one of the fairest and the noblest ladies in Rome stopped herlitter in the crowded street while we walked together, and bade him comeand speak to her from sheer goodwill. In faith, he was as tall, and twiceas handsome, as the very Liburnians who carried her on their shoulders."

  The tribune was laughing heartily at the athlete's eloquence; butDamasippus, who never took his eyes off his patron's face, thought theevil laugh was more malicious than usual at the mention of the Liburnians,and there was a false ring in the mirthful tones with which he asked formore information as to this young Apollo, and the dame on whom hisappearance seemed to have made such an impression.

  "I know most of the great ladies pretty well by sight," answered thehonest swordsman. "Faith, a man does not easily forget the faces he seesturned on him in the arena, when he has his point at his adversary'sthroat, and they bid him drive it merrily home, and never spare. But ofall the faces I see under the awning, there's not one looks down so calmand beautiful on a death-struggle as that of the noble Valeria."

  "Like the moon on the torrent of Anio," observed Damasippus.

  "Like the stars on the stormy Egean," echoed Oarses.

  "Like nothing but herself," continued Hirpinus, who esteemed his ownjudgment incontrovertible on all matters relating to physical beauty,whether male or female. "The handsomest face and the finest form in Rome.It was not likely I could be mistaken, though I only caught a glimpse ofher neck and arm for a moment, as she drew back the curtains of herlitter, like"--and here Hirpinus paused for a simile, concluding withinfinite relish,--"like a blade half drawn, and returned with a clash intothe sheath."

  Again Damasippus thought he perceived a quiver on his patron's face. Againthere was something jarring in the tribune's voice, as he said to Hippias--

  "We must not let this new Achilles escape us! See to it, Hippias. Whoknows? He may make a worthy successor, even for thee, thou artist inslaughter, when he has worked his way up, step by step, and victory byvictory, to the topmost branch of the tree."

  Hippias laughed good-humouredly, turning at the same time his right thumboutward, and pointing with it to the roof. It was the gesture with whichthe Roman crowd in the amphitheatre refused quarter to the combatant whowas down.