Antinoos and Hadrian

by R G Berube

  I had spoken slowly, not wanting to make myself unclear and to assure that I did not sound profane. I knew fully that any criticism of the people in general must follow as a criticism of the state, as head.

  "You'll excuse my pertinence, Lord? You did ask for my thoughts. I fear more for the harm that Rome can do to itself, than that which it may receive from these sects and groups. You are the head of as powerful empire. There is no denying the greatness of Rome. There is no denying its influence and generosity to all nations it has conquered. There is also no denying its excess."

  Having ventured so much, I sat boldly, feeling great satisfaction at expressing myself clearly and fully, and expecting reproach from the counsel. How could an undistinguished upstart such as I with no knowledge of the intricacies of government presume to criticize it. Yet I felt confident in my opinions.

  “And what say you to this?" The Emperor looked about the room as he directed his question.

  "What the boy says has merit."

  Salvus spoke directly to the Emperor.

  "It cannot be denied that Rome has long been criticized by some of its most renowned poets and authors for these very traits. One only has to read the works of Suetonius and Juvenal to see that it is not only the Stoics who find a lack of simplicity in this land."

  Hadrian had little use for Latin writers, thinking the Greeks superior. Salvus' statement was another reminder, although a respectful one, of the Emperor's Hellenic preoccupations.

  "But all this deters from the initial question," Salvus continued. "How can we contain the threat? Making the Emperor visible is crucial. Continuing with his program of caring for those who have little, shows compassion and this earns the throne great support from those who become the crowds wielding clubs and firebrands, in revolts. His benefactions and actions have won him admiration throughout the realm. It is clear that the Emperor's intent is to allow all beliefs and manners of life-style as long as they do not directly undercut the authority and stability of the Empire. Of that, Hadrian, you have been most successful. No one can question your motives to improve the life of every Roman and inhabitant of this land.

  "For this reason, your proposed journey is of great importance. It will be a thread that will sew each separate domain and region into a whole. Only those who advocate self-interests and who cannot see the future benefits of a united and cooperative realm, resist.

  "As for the charges of excess, let me say that your views, Antinoos, are well taken. No one has done more to attempt the temperance of the masses, than Hadrian. It is something that must be done gradually. The Roman populace has accustomed itself to glut and over-stimulation during the reigns of earlier emperors, their own excesses became examples to the plebes, who were only too quick to adopt some of their more bizarre pastimes. The Emperor's own leanings toward a stoic way of life does not go without influence. Time is needed to change the habits of centuries."

  Hadrian bowed to Salvus, thanking him for his comments.

  "Though there may be merit in what the boy says...," Commodus interjected. "...perhaps inexperience should wait for time to teach the complexity of what might first appear as an easy solution; if indeed there was a solution given! Let the counsel address the issues!"

  Lucius Commodus' words were curt. He had taken offense at my speaking out. Hadrian let his hand fall to my shoulder, touching me lightly with his fingers.

  "Dear Lucius, let us be open to all thought. We can judge the quality and value, in retrospect. It is my wish to hear as many points of view as there are those who wish to offer them. Let us remember that this counsel works in unison, each adding his own for the benefit of the empire. Our objective in all this is to create unification throughout our lands. It is my prime reason for the journey. In numbers we have grown in strength. Our allies and those who still are not must see that our magnanimity and benevolence is available to all who wish to join us."

  Commodus leaned across the table, wine-cup in hand, and addressed himself directly to Salvus in a tone intended to impose to elicit the acknowledgment of his forthcoming power.

  "Ultimate responsibility for the success and survival of the Empire rests with the Emperor! Being too open to counsel and allowing the masses too much in the matter of self-government only opens the Emperor's authority to criticism. Entitlement leads to a hunger for more. Those who stand in the way of progress or who usurp the Emperor's rule must be vigorously sought out and eliminated!"

  Hadrian sat quietly, listening to the one he had chosen to replace him, re-evaluating Lucius Commodus. The Emperor was not a ruler prone to mandate, but one who sought cooperation and abidance by gentle persuasion.

  "You have something to say?" Hadrian had noticed my expression and recognized that I held different views. He seemed to be purposely promoting discord between us.

  I addressed myself to the room, but meant my words for Lucius.

  "When I was a child my mother always sought my cooperation by giving me the opportunity of choice, even if it was only an illusion at times. She asked for and considered my opinion in matters and by this was, successfully elicited my compliance."

  The intent was understood. Commodus leaned on an elbow, cup in hand, a condescending smile on his lips; he spoke as though giving the final comment.

  "This is an empire, not a household! We speak of ruling a multitude of antagonistic races, not a compliant child! What you propose, Antinoos, is anarchy."

  "What I refer to is democracy," I responded.

  "A Greek notion, as I recall," Commodus sneered. "Look at where the race is today, undisciplined and scattered to the four winds. I would choose more for Rome and the Empire than relying on a brief, past glory to set the standard!"

  Commodus was about to speak again when Hadrian intervened.

  "There is always something to be learned, even from unsuccessful examples. The Greeks were simply ahead of their time. They had much to teach the world of how to raise the quality of life and elevate the spirit. Rome is the better for them.

  "As for democracy, it is not the principle but the implementation that requires thought and statesmanship. A populace stifled of its ability to have its option made known will ultimately overthrow its oppressor. The quality of a ruler is judged by his openness to counsel, awareness of his realm, ability to use history as his teacher, and finally, to a commitment to place his own aggrandizement second to bringing out the best in his people."

  Lucius Commodus made no response.

  Hadrian's vision could inspire men. It did. I saw the same intense commitment in the eyes of those who were there that day, as I felt growing within my own breast. His words were backed with proven success. There was no reason to doubt he could not achieve his aims.

  After all had left and were retired, Hadrian and I bundled to walk the haunting, moonlit paths of the nimphaeum. This circular building with Ionic portico enclosed a circular canal surrounding a little island on which stood a miniature villa. It was a place built exclusively for reflection; a sanctum he used for retreat where he could enjoy solitude for study. It was a private enclosure where he could walk and think; a beautiful sanctuary of trees and plants that gave one the feeling of isolation from the villa proper.

  Since his words of the morning had been on my mind and had stimulated much thought about his ambitions, I wanted to question him further.

  "You see Rome for much of the world, in the future. Your efforts require time and energy, Lord. How will you bring your vision to reality?"

  Hadrian placed an arm across my shoulder and held me close to him, as I looked into eyes. His attention was focused on the Great Bear in the heavens as though he would find an answer in that constellation.

  "We must unify mankind and hold that unity. Each human has individuality; each culture, its own ways. Both have their precious gifts of difference and variation. They must be valued, yet brought into the whole."

  "To what purpose," I asked.

  "It is to our benefit and to the freedom of all men th
at come together. It is in the very commerce and communication of mankind, the coming to know of the variety of thought that brings multiplicity of choice. Choice is freedom, Antinoos! As variety of choice increases so too does the freedom to choose destiny. And destiny is inevitable! When choice and ways-of-being are limited, freedom becomes stifled. Isolation is restraint, and narrowness of mind leads to imprisonment of the spirit.

  "The Empire stands on the brink of achieving more greatness than it has ever experienced. Rome is the loom upon which the fabric of mankind is being woven; each thread is a tie to another nation; each warp and woof a touching and securing of individuals to a whole. Union does not restrict. Union enhances and opens the vistas of possibility of being. Remember, Antinoos that man cannot fully know himself without the remainder of mankind to give him something against which he can reflect.

  "We become more than who we are through interactions with those from whom we are different. It is the contact with the new that extends our horizons. Once again I remind you of the maxim carved in stone at Delphi..., Know Thy Self. This knowledge can only be achieved through human interaction. A hermit escaping to the desert for self-reflection can only obtain a very limited insight if he excludes other men from much of his life."

  Hadrian described a state in which he saw men exchanging ideas, the profit of which would make them unify for a common good. I listened, fascinated, wondering how he would bring it all about.

  "The same applies to nations," Hadrian continued, seating himself. The hour was late and I could see he was not fully recovered from his attack. I was worried, knowing his fondness for work and his need for rest.

  "As nations are made of men, the world is made of nations. A country that isolates itself reduces its capacity to be more. It is man’s nature to grow, Antinoos. it is a natural process that some try to impede. Those who move with growth survive to bend and flow with the current of the river of life, each person a tributary flowing into it, and in that action, sharing in its greatness."

  I understood his vision. Hadrian's intent was not to conquer as had been the objective of past rulers. His hope was to create a vehicle to which all countries could contribute and share in the greatness. He sought this in every phase of his life. He tried to instill it in each decision, imperial decree and legislation. He molded it in his newly settled colonies by extending the rights of citizenship to its inhabitants. Each of his actions had as its purpose a harmonizing of humankind, for the benefit of all.

  It was for this reason that he grew to despise those sects who withstood his attempts at improvement and who refused to adopt new ways. And in his later years his patience and tolerance grew weary and when provoked, he struck them down with a furor that would have been more temperate, in the earlier years of his reign.

  "But power, regardless of how benign, inspires resistance. There is more to forward movement toward progress than simply giving the order for it to happen."

  Hadrian stood and began to pace the walkway, his hands held behind him. His face was silhouetted in the moonlight, his profile so familiar to me, seemed made of stone like those busts secreted in cornices throughout the grounds. It seemed that he could have been Hermes come to life!

  "I must lead the way and to do that effectively, I must be seen! They must hear from my own lips what lies in the future. And the army must be prepared to act, should those who differ with our plans suddenly dispute them forcefully.

  "We will do much traveling, my little Bithynian..."

  Hadrian stopped suddenly and turned to look at me for a long time. I sat quietly, filled with emotion for the man and for those things he aspired to achieve. Then he laughed softly, shaking his head from side to side.

  "Look at you," he said, coming to me and raising me to my feet. "You've grown beyond the name of Little Bithynian, Antinoos. You have become a magnificent Greek such as those I have seen in the temples of your country. I sometimes forget the years that separate us from our first meeting. You've come to manhood!

  Chapter Twenty

  Interlude , Late Winter - Early Spring 128 AD.

  The days that followed, at Hadrian's villa, were some of the happiest moments we shared together. The months to come would allow little time for personal pleasures; moving among the troops and catering to the idiosyncrasies of the local rulers and potentates, much energy would be expended in keeping current of politics and arranging for the day-by-day demands as the regions changed.

  Long and languid days preceded our departure. Hadrian's carefully chosen circle of friends and advisors saw to it that much of the preliminary work of planning, was concluded by others so that he could enjoy some respite before his attention would be required during the final days. After meeting with the counsel, where the major strategy for the journey was developed, the gathering was discharged and all returned to Rome.

  Hadrian stayed behind for four more days. He occupied a complex of buildings at Villa Adriana that covered a vast expanse of ground. The Imperial Complex was a maze of rooms, corridors, colonnades, gardens, chapels, and a wonderful terme adjacent to these quarters, that he called the Heliocamenus. This bath was grand in decor and elaborate in design. It was heated by conduits of warm air and by the sun that filtered through openings in the walls and roof. The floors were of inlaid mosaics and the walls, faced with frescoes of wonderful hues, all of it of his own design and creation.

  One could find, in the most obscure places, little niches holding works of art unsurpassed in quality. The entire villa was decorated in this manner. Even after having walked the grounds for many weeks, each time I did so new treasures would reveal themselves and I would discover yet another place I had not seen. I bribed the guards many time to allow me peace to walk alone, going out to the surrounding countryside unattended. Among the hills and glades, I would come across some small sanctuary with a statue or bust of some divinity held sacred by the Emperor. These were so unobtrusive that careful planning had gone into developing the area with full respect given to the surrounding beauty. It was a wonderful blending of his creativity with the elements of nature that he obviously respected.

  My own compound had once been a part of the original villa, a country place that had been handed down through the centuries, finally coming into the hands of Sabina's family. Hadrian had come to it as part of her holdings, and once seen, had proceeded to buy up all the remaining properties surrounding the estate, so that soon he owned the countryside for miles around. I saw that much had been repaired and some extension of the foundations had been completed a few weeks before I had arrived.

  My villa was located east of the Imperial Compound beside the hilltop crest that overlooked the valley he named Vale Di Tempe, whose beauty reminded him of that awesome location at the foot of Mount Olympus, in Greece. The valley's sides rose sharply to the villa on one side and to the mountain slopes on the other. A river flowed nearby and local farmers and grazers used it for irrigation and drinking, the water being always cold and tasting almost sweet, it quenched the thirst like no other.

  Villa Adriana was bucolic. It was so, with purpose. One could stand above the esplanade atop the building that housed the Praetorian Guards, and from this vantage, look across the entire estate and see little movement. The business of the villa was conducted through an intricate system of passageways that were located beneath ground-level. Most were footpaths connecting buildings, but some were wide enough to allow carriages and carts of supplies to pass abreast.

  It was only a few moments by one of these passages, to reach the Emperor's chambers. It had been built for the express purpose of my use, and in that way, all our meetings could be private. This gave me recourse to my own quarters, should he need privacy for state business. It was kept secret and for this, he also saw it as a means of escape should escape become necessary. No ruler is ever so secure, no matter how popular and successful, that assassination is not far from his thoughts!

  I recall a conversation we had one afternoon when this subject arose. He
had been showing less concern for himself, and more for my own safety. We had been walking idly along a path that led through a large garden outside the grounds, one that bordered a forest, and the sinister quietude of the surroundings prompted him to imagine a sudden attack from enemies hidden in the woods.

  "Habit in any form, is deadly, Antinoos. Avoid becoming so regimented in your daily behaviors that others can plan on them! Never become so habituated that your steps can be anticipated. Three days, we have walked this path at this very hour."

  “Why do you tell me this, Lord?"

  "Few rulers have reached their graves through natural causes. The floor of the forum is soaked with the blood of its Emperors. It is a truth that no matter how successful or well liked a ruler may be, there are enemies waiting for the moment of weakness. Only a few steps behind, there is always someone ready to step into power. I live daily with the knowledge that my time is limited and somewhere close at hand, someone likely plots my life."

  "You make me frightened, Hadrian. Please do not speak this way. Truly no one would be thinking of such thoughts! You have brought peace and wealth to the nation. Why would anyone want to do such a thing?"

  "The reasons are as many as the stars. Personal gain and the need for power are just a few of the reasons. But what I know for sure is that, should this happen to me, your own life would soon be in jeopardy."

  Hadrian saw my reaction. I felt myself go weak as my heart pounded with the thought. I wondered why he was speaking so, and why at this time?

  "You fear what I say, little Bithynian. And so you should! Listen carefully to my words. I have enemies, of that you can be sure. In whatever manner I should die, your own life would come into question. History has shown this to be true in more cases than not. There is little that you know of state secrets that would warrant this action. But as we come closer together and as our love becomes common knowledge, there are some who will assume that you have been privy to those secrets or other imagined threats. You destiny is becoming interlocked with mine, and it is necessary that I give it consideration."