Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero
at once he rested his hands on Petronius’s shoulders, and, dropping his
head on his breast, began to repeat, amid sobs,
“Thou alone of all thought of this,--thou alone, O Petronius! thou
alone!”
Tigellinus grew yellow from envy; but Petronius continued,--
“Go to Antium! there she came to the world, there joy flowed in on
thee, there solace will come to thee. Let the sea air freshen thy divine
throat; let thy breast breathe the salt dampness. We, thy devoted
ones, will follow thee everywhere; and when we assuage thy pain with
friendship, thou wilt comfort us with song.
“True!” answered Nero, sadly, “I will write a hymn in her honor, and
compose music for it.”
“And then thou wilt find the warm sun in Baiæ.”
“And afterward--forgetfulness in Greece.”
“In the birthplace of poetry and song.”
And his stony, gloomy state of mind passed away gradually, as clouds
pass that are covering the sun; and then a conversation began which,
though full of sadness, yet was full of plans for the future,--touching
a journey, artistic exhibitions, and even the receptions required at the
promised coming of Tiridates, King of Armenia. Tigellinus tried, it is
true, to bring forward again the enchantment; but Petronius, sure now of
victory, took up the challenge directly.
“Tigellinus,” said he, “dost thou think that enchantments can injure the
gods?”
“Cæsar himself has mentioned them,” answered the courtier.
“Pain was speaking, not Cæsar; but thou--what is thy opinion of the
matter?”
“The gods are too mighty to be subject to charms.”
“Then wouldst thou deny divinity to Cæsar and his family?”
“Peractum est!” muttered Eprius Marcellus, standing near, repeating
that shout which the people gave always when a gladiator in the arena
received such a blow that he needed no other.
Tigellinus gnawed his own anger. Between him and Petronius there had
long existed a rivalry touching Nero. Tigellinus had this superiority,
that Nero acted with less ceremony, or rather with none whatever in
his presence; while thus far Petronius overcame Tigellinus at every
encounter with wit and intellect.
So it happened now. Tigellinus was silent, and simply recorded in his
memory those senators and knights who, when Petronius withdrew to the
depth of the chamber, surrounded him straightway, supposing that after
this incident he would surely be Cæsar’s first favorite.
Petronius, on leaving the palace, betook himself to Vinicius, and
described his encounter with Cæsar and Tigellinus.
“Not only have I turned away danger,” said he, “from Aulus Plautius,
Pomponia, and us, but even from Lygia, whom they will not seek, even
for this reason, that I have persuaded Bronzebeard, the monkey, to go to
Antium, and thence to Naples or Baiæ and he will go. I know that he has
not ventured yet to appear in the theatre publicly; I have known this
long time that he intends to do so at Naples. He is dreaming, moreover,
of Greece, where he wants to sing in all the more prominent cities, and
then make a triumphal entry into Rome, with all the crowns which the
‘Græculi’ will bestow on him. During that time we shall be able to
seek Lygia unhindered and secrete her in safety. But has not our noble
philosopher been here yet?”
“Thy noble philosopher is a cheat. No; he has not shown himself, and he
will not show himself again!”
“But I have a better understanding, if not of his honesty, of his wit.
He has drawn blood once from thy purse, and will come even for this, to
draw it a second time.”
“Let him beware lest I draw his own blood.”
“Draw it not; have patience till thou art convinced surely of his
deceit. Do not give him more money, but promise a liberal reward if he
brings thee certain information. Wilt thou thyself undertake something?”
“My two freedmen, Nymphidius and Demas, are searching for her with sixty
men. Freedom is promised the slave who finds her. Besides I have sent
out special persons by all roads leading from Rome to inquire at every
inn for the Lygian and the maiden. I course through the city myself day
and night, counting on a chance meeting.”
“Whenever thou hast tidings let me know, for I must go to Antium.”
“I will do so.”
“And if thou wake up some morning and say, ‘It is not worth while to
torment myself for one girl, and take so much trouble because of her,’
come to Antium. There will be no lack of women there, or amusement.”
Vinicius began to walk with quick steps. Petronius looked for some time
at him, and said at last,--“Tell me sincerely, not as a mad head, who
talks something into his brain and excites himself, but as a man of
judgment who is answering a friend: Art thou concerned as much as ever
about this Lygia?”
Vinicius stopped a moment, and looked at Petronius as if he had not
seen him before; then he began to walk again. It was evident that he
was restraining an outburst. At last, from a feeling of helplessness,
sorrow, anger, and invincible yearning, two tears gathered in his eyes,
which spoke with greater power to Petronius than the most eloquent
words.
Then, meditating for a moment, he said,--“It is not Atlas who carries
the world on his shoulders, but woman; and sometimes she plays with it
as with a ball.”
“True,” said Vinicius.
And they began to take farewell of each other. But at that moment a
slave announced that Chilo Chilonides was waiting in the antechamber,
and begged to be admitted to the presence of the lord.
Vinicius gave command to admit him immediately, and Petronius
said,--“Ha! have I not told thee? By Hercules! keep thy calmness; or he
will command thee, not thou him.”
“A greeting and honor to the noble tribune of the army, and to thee,
lord,” said Chilo, entering. “May your happiness be equal to your fame,
and may your fame course through the world from the pillars of Hercules
to the boundaries of the Arsacidæ.”
“A greeting, O lawgiver of virtue and wisdom,” answered Petronius.
But Vinicius inquired with affected calmness, “What dost thou bring?”
“The first time I came I brought thee hope, O lord; at present, I bring
certainty that the maiden will be found.”
“That means that thou hast not found her yet?”
“Yes, lord; but I have found what that sign means which she made. I
know who the people are who rescued her, and I know the God among whose
worshippers to seek her.”
Vinicius wished to spring from the chair in which he was sitting;
but Petronius placed his hand on his shoulder, and turning to Chilo
said,--“Speak on!”
“Art thou perfectly certain, lord, that she drew a fish on the sand?”
“Yes,” burst out Vinicius.
“Then she is a Christian and Christians carried her away.” A moment of
silence followed.
“Listen, Chilo,” said Petronius. “My relative has predestined to thee
a considerable sum of money for finding the girl, but a no less
considerable number of rods if thou deceive him. In the first case thou
wilt purchase not one, but three scribes; in the second, the philosophy
of all the seven sages, with the addition of thy own, will not suffice
to get thee ointment.”
“The maiden is a Christian, lord,” cried the Greek.
“Stop, Chilo. Thou art not a dull man. We know that Junia and Calvia
Crispinilla accused Pomponia Græcina of confessing the Christian
superstition; but we know too, that a domestic court acquitted her.
Wouldst thou raise this again? Wouldst thou persuade us that Pomponia,
and with her Lygia, could belong to the enemies of the human race, to
the poisoners of wells and fountains, to the worshippers of an ass’s
head, to people who murder infants and give themselves up to the foulest
license? Think, Chilo, if that thesis which thou art announcing to us
will not rebound as an antithesis on thy own back.”
Chilo spread out his arms in sign that that was not his fault, and then
said,--“Lord, utter in Greek the following sentence: Jesus Christ, Son
of God, Saviour.” [Iesous Christos, Theou Uios, Soter.]
“Well, I have uttered it. What comes of that?”
“Now take the first letters of each of those words and put them into one
word.”
“Fish!” said Petronius with astonishment. [Ichthus, the Greek word for
“fish.”]
“There, that is why fish has become the watchword of the Christians,”
answered Chilo, proudly.
A moment of silence followed. But there was something so striking in the
conclusions of the Greek that the two friends could not guard themselves
from amazement.
“Vinicius, art thou not mistaken?” asked Petronius. “Did Lygia really
draw a fish for thee?”
“By all the infernal gods, one might go mad!” cried the young man, with
excitement. “If she had drawn a bird for me, I should have said a bird.”
“Therefore she is a Christian,” repeated Chilo.
“This signifies,” said Petronius, “that Pomponia and Lygia poison
wells, murder children caught on the street, and give themselves up to
dissoluteness! Folly! Thou, Vinicius, wert at their house for a time, I
was there a little while; but I know Pomponia and Aulus enough, I know
even Lygia enough, to say monstrous and foolish! If a fish is the symbol
of the Christians, which it is difficult really to deny, and if those
women are Christians, then, by Proserpina! evidently Christians are not
what we hold them to be.”
“Thou speakest like Socrates, lord,” answered Chilo. “Who has ever
examined a Christian? Who has learned their religion? When I was
travelling three years ago from Naples hither to Rome (oh, why did I
not stay in Naples!), a man joined me, whose name was Glaucus, of whom
people said that he was a Christian; but in spite of that I convinced
myself that he was a good and virtuous man.”
“Was it not from that virtuous man that thou hast learned now what the
fish means?”
“Unfortunately, lord, on the way, at an inn, some one thrust a knife
into that honorable old man; and his wife and child were carried away
by slave-dealers. I lost in their defence these two fingers; since, as
people say, there is no lack among Christians of miracles, I hope that
the fingers will grow out on my hand again.”
“How is that? Hast thou become a Christian?”
“Since yesterday, lord, since yesterday! The fish made me a Christian.
But see what a power there is in it. For some days I shall be the most
zealous of the zealous, so that they may admit me to all their secrets;
and when they admit me to their secrets, I shall know where the maiden
is hiding. Perhaps then my Christianity will pay me better than my
philosophy. I have made a vow also to Mercury, that if he helps me to
find the maiden, I will sacrifice to him two heifers of the same size
and color and will gild their horns.”
“Then thy Christianity of yesterday and thy philosophy of long standing
permit thee to believe in Mercury?”
“I believe always in that in which I need to believe; that is my
philosophy, which ought to please Mercury. Unfortunately (ye know,
worthy lords, what a suspicious god he is), he does not trust the
promises even of blameless philosophers, and prefers the heifers in
advance; meanwhile this outlay is immense. Not every one is a Seneca,
and I cannot afford the sacrifice; should the noble Vinicius, however,
wish to give something, on account of that sum which he promised--”
“Not an obolus, Chilo!” said Petronius, “not an obolus. The bounty
of Vinicius will surpass thy expectations, but only when Lygia is
found,--that is, when thou shalt indicate to us her hiding-place.
Mercury must trust thee for the two heifers, though I am not astonished
at him for not wishing to do so; in this I recognize his acuteness.”
“Listen to me, worthy lords. The discovery which I have made is great;
for though I have not found the maiden yet, I have found the way in
which I must seek her. Ye have sent freedmen and slaves throughout the
city and into the country; has any one given you a clew? No! I alone