Callista : a Tale of the Third Century

by John Henry Newman

  CHAPTER XXVI.

  WHAT CAN IT ALL MEAN?

  Were the origin of Juba's madness (or whatever the world would call it) ofa character which admitted of light writing about it, much might be saidon the surprise of the clear-headed, narrow-minded, positive, andeasy-going Jucundus, when he found one nephew substituted for another, andhad to give over his wonder at Agellius, in order to commence a series ofacts of amazement and consternation at Juba. He summoned Jupiter and Juno,Bacchus, Ceres, Pomona, Neptune, Mercury, Minerva, and great Rome, towitness the marvellous occurrence; and then he had recourse to theinfernal gods, Pluto and Proserpine, down to Cerberus, if he be one ofthem; but, after all, there the portent was, in spite of all the deitieswhich Olympus, or Arcadia, or Latium ever bred; and at length it had anervous effect upon the old gentleman's system, and, for the first eveningafter it, he put all his good things from him, and went to bed supperlessand songless. What had been Juba's motive in the exploit which sounpleasantly affected his uncle, it is of course quite impossible to say.Whether his mention of Callista's name was intended to be for the benefitof her soul, or the ruin of Agellius's, must be left in the obscurity inwhich the above narrative presents it to us; so far alone is certain,though it does not seem to throw light on the question, that, on hisleaving his uncle's house in the course of the forenoon, which he did,without being pressed to stay, he was discovered prancing andgesticulating in the neighbourhood of Callista's prison, so as to excitethe attention of the _apparitor_, or constable, who guarded the entrance,and who, alarmed at his wildness, sent for some of his fellows, and, withtheir assistance, repelled the intruder, who, thereupon, scudding out atthe eastern gate, was soon lost in the passes of the mountain.

  To one thing, however, we may pledge ourselves, that Juba had no intentionof shaking, even for one evening, the nerves of Jucundus; yet shaken theywere till about the same time twenty-four hours afterwards. And when inthat depressed state, he saw nothing but misery on all sides of him. Jubawas lost; Agellius worse. Of course, he had joined himself to his sect,and he should never see him again; and how should he ever hold up hishead? Well, he only hoped Agellius would not be boiled in a caldron, orroasted at a slow fire. If this were done, he positively must leave Sicca,and the most thriving trade which any man had in the whole of theProconsulate. And then that little Callista! Ah!--what a real calamity wasthere! Anyhow he had lost her, and what should he do for a finisher of hisfine work in marble, or metal? She was a treasure in herself. Altogetherthe heavens were very dark; and it was scarcely possible for any one whoknew well his jovial cast of countenance, to keep from laughing, whateverhis real sympathy, at the unusual length and blankness which were suddenlyimposed upon it.

  While he sat thus at his shop window, which, as it were, framed him forthe contemplation of passers-by, on the day of the escape of Agellius, andthe day before Callista's public examination, Aristo rushed in upon him ina state of far more passionate and more reasonable grief. He had called,indeed, the day before, but he found a pleasure in expending his distressupon others, and he came again to get rid of its insupportable weight bydischarging it in a torrent of tears and exclamations. However, at firstthe words of both "moved slow," as the poet says, and went off in a sortof dropping fire.

  "Well," said Jucundus, in a depressed tone; "he's not come to _you_, ofcourse?"

  "Who?"

  "Agellius."

  "Oh! Agellius! No, he's not with me." Then, after a pause, Aristo added,"Why should he be?"

  "Oh, I don't know. I thought he might be. He's been gone since earlymorning."

  "Indeed! No, I don't know where he is. How came he with you?"

  "I told you yesterday; but you have forgotten. I was sheltering him; buthe's gone for ever."

  "Indeed!"

  "And his brother's mad!--horribly mad!" and he slapped his hand against histhigh.

  "I always thought it," answered Aristo.

  "Did you? Yes, so it is; but it's very different from what it ever was.The furies have got hold of him with a vengeance! He's frantic! Oh, if youhad seen him! Two boys, both mad! It's all the father!"

  "I thought you'd like to hear something about dear, sweet Callista," saidher brother.

  "Yes, I should indeed!" answered Jucundus. "By Esculapius! they're all madtogether!"

  "Well, it is like madness!" cried Aristo, with great vehemence.

  "The world's going mad!" answered Jucundus, who was picking up, since hebegan to talk, an exercise which was decidedly good for him. "We are _all_going mad! _I_ shall get crazed. The townspeople are crazed already. Whatan abominable, brutal piece of business was that three days ago! I put upmy shutters. Did it come near you?--all on account of one or two beggarlyChristians, and my poor boy. What harm could two or three, toads andvipers though they be, do here? They might have been trodden down easily.It's another thing at Carthage. Catch the ringleaders, I say; makeexamples. The foxes escape, and our poor ganders suffer!"

  Aristo, pierced with his own misery, had no heart or head to enter intothe semi-political ideas of Jucundus, who continued,--

  "Yes, it's no good. The empire's coming to pieces, mark my words! I toldyou so, if those beasts were let alone. They _have_ been let alone.Remedies are too late. Decius will do no good. No one's safe! Farewell, myfriends! I am going. Like poor dear Callista, I shall be in prison, and,like her, find myself dumb!... Ah! yes, Callista; how did you find her?"

  "O dear, sweet, suffering girl!" cried her brother.

  "Yes, indeed!" answered Jucundus; "yes!" meditatively. "She _is_ a dear,sweet, suffering girl! I thought he might perhaps have taken her off--thatwas my hope. He was so set upon hearing where she was, whether she couldbe got out. It struck me he had made the best of his way to _her_. Shecould do anything with him. And she loved him, she did!--I'm convinced ofit!--nothing shall convince me otherwise! 'Bring them together,' I said,'and they will rush into each other's arms.' But they're bewitched!--Thewhole world's bewitched! Mark my words,--I have an idea who is at thebottom of this."

  "Oh!" groaned out Aristo; "I care not for top or bottom!--I care not forthe whole world, or for anything at all but Callista! If you could haveseen the dear, patient sufferer!" and the poor fellow burst into a floodof tears.

  "Bear up! bear up!" said Jucundus, who by this time was considerablybetter; "show yourself a man, my dear Aristo. These things must be;--theyare the lot of human nature. You remember what the tragedian says: stay!no!--it's the comedian,--it's Menander"----

  "To Orcus and Erebus with all the tragedy and comedy that ever wasspouted!" exclaimed Aristo. "Can you do nothing for me? Can't you give mea crumb of consolation or sympathy, encouragement or suggestion? I am astranger in the country, and so is this dear sister of mine, whom I was soproud of; and who has been so good, and kind, and gentle, and sweet. Sheloved me so much, she never grudged me anything; she let me do just what Iwould with her. Come here, go there,--it was just as I would. There wewere, two orphans together, ten years since, when I was double her age.She wished to stay in Greece; but she came to this detestable Africa allfor me. She would be gay and bright when I would have her so. She had nowill of her own; and she set her heart upon nothing, and was pleasedanywhere. She had not an enemy in the world. I protest she is worth allthe gods and goddesses that ever were hatched! And here, in thisill-omened Africa, the evil eye has looked at her, and she thinks herselfa Christian, when she is just as much a hippogriff, or a chimaera."

  "Well, but, Aristo," said Jucundus, "I was going to tell you who is at thebottom of it all. Callista's mad; Agellius is mad; Juba is mad; and Strabowas mad;--but it was his wife, old Gurta, that drove him mad;--and there, Ithink, is the beginning of our troubles.----Come in! come in, Cornelius!" hecried, seeing his Roman friend outside, and relapsing for the moment intohis lugubrious tone; "Come in, Cornelius, and give us some comfort, if youcan. Well, this is like a friend! I know if you can help me, you will."

  Cornelius answered that
he was going back to Carthage in a day or two, andcame to embrace him, and had hoped to have a parting supper before hewent.

  "That's kind!" answered Jucundus: "but first tell me all about thisdreadful affair; for you are in the secrets of the Capitol. Have they anyclue what has become of my poor Agellius?"

  Cornelius had not heard of the young man's troubles, and was full ofconsternation at the news.

  "What! Agellius really a Christian?" he said, "and at such a moment? Why,I thought you talked of some young lady who was to keep him in order?"

  "She's a Christian too," replied Jucundus; and a silence ensued. "It's abad world!" he continued. "She's imprisoned by the Triumviri. What will bethe end of it?"

  Cornelius shook his head, and looked mysterious.

  "You don't mean it?" said Jucundus. "Not anything so dreadful, I do trust,Cornelius. Not the stake?"

  Cornelius still looked gloomy and pompous.

  "Nothing in the way of torture?" he went on; "not the rack, or thepitchfork?"

  "It's a bad business, on your own showing," said Cornelius: "it's a badbusiness!"

  "Can you do nothing for us, Cornelius?" cried Aristo. "The great people inCarthage are your friends. O Cornelius! I'd do anything for you!--I'd beyour slave! She's no more a Christian than great Jove. She has nothingabout her of the cut;--not a shred of her garment, or a turn of her hair.She's a Greek from head to foot--within and without. She's as bright as theday! Ah! we have no friends here. Dear Callista! you will be lost becauseyou are a foreigner!" and the passionate youth began to tear his hair. "OCornelius!" he continued, "if you can do anything for us! Oh! she shallsing and dance to you; she shall come and kneel down to you, and embraceyour knees, and kiss your feet, as I do, Cornelius!" and he knelt down,and would have taken hold of Cornelius's beard.

  Cornelius had never been addressed with so poetical a ceremonial, whichnevertheless he received with awkwardness indeed, but with satisfaction."I hear from you," he said with pomposity, "that your sister is in prisonon suspicion of Christianity. The case is a simple one. Let her swear bythe genius of the Emperor, and she is free; let her refuse it, and the lawmust take its course," and he made a slight bow.

  "Well, but she is under a delusion," persisted Aristo, "which cannot lastlong. She says distinctly that she is _not_ a Christian, is not thatdecisive? but then she won't burn incense; she won't swear by Rome. Shetells me she does not _believe_ in Jupiter, nor I; can anything be moresenseless? It is the act of a mad woman. I say, 'My girl, the question is,Are you to be brought to shame? are you to die by the public sword? die intorments?' Oh, I shall go mad as well as she!" he screamed out. "She wasso clever, so witty, so sprightly, so imaginative, so versatile! why,there's nothing she couldn't do. She could model, paint, play on the lyre,sing, act. She could work with the needle, she could embroider. She madethis girdle for me. It's all that Agellius, it's Agellius. I beg yourpardon, Jucundus; but it is;" and he threw himself on the ground, androlled in the dust.

  "I have been telling our young friend," said Jucundus to Cornelius, "toexert self-control, and to recollect Menander, 'Ne quid nimis.' Grievingdoes no good; but these young fellows, it's no use at all speaking tothem. Do you think you could do anything for us, Cornelius?"

  "Why," answered Cornelius, "since I have been here, I have fallen in witha very sensible man, and a man of remarkably sound political opinions. Hehas a great reputation, he is called Polemo, and is one of the professorsat the Mercury. He seems to me to go to the root of these subjects, andI'm surprised how well we agreed. He's a Greek, as well as this younggentleman's sister. I should recommend him to go to Polemo; if any onecould disabuse her mind, it is he."

  "True, true," cried Aristo, starting up, "but, no, _you_ can do it better;you have power with the government. The Proconsul will listen to you. Themagistrates here are afraid of _him_; _they_ don't wish to touch the poorgirl, not they. But there's such a noise everywhere, and so much illblood, and so many spies and informers, and so much mistrust--but whyshould it come upon _Callista_? Why should _she_ be a sacrifice? But you'doblige the Duumvirs as much as me in getting her out of the scrape. Butwhat good would it do, if they _took_ her dear life? Only get us therespite of a month; the delusion would vanish in a month. Get two months,if you can; or as long as you can, you know. Perhaps they would let ussteal out of the country, and no one the wiser; and no harm to any one. Itwas a bad job our coming here."

  "We know nothing at Rome of feelings and intentions, and motives anddistinctions," said Cornelius; "and we know nothing of understandings,connivances, and evasions. We go by facts; Rome goes by facts. Thequestion is, What is the fact? Does she burn incense, or does she not?Does she worship the ass, or does she not? However, we'll see what can bedone." And so he went on, informing the pair of mourners that, as far ashis influence extended, he would do something in behalf both of Agelliusand Callista.