The Roman Traitor (Vol. 1 of 2)

melior Be

neque segni

berinis humeros

. Od.

a loud and cheerful voice, "whither afo

that he had passed out into the Sacred Way, and walked some distance down it, toward the Fo

crimson laticlave on the breast of their tunics-on horseback, followed by several slaves on foot, who had over

t seems that my back is turned to my own house, and I am going toward the market-place, although th

s Numidian can outrun my Gallic beauty. Come with us to the Campus; and after we have settled this grave matter, we will try th

y gown? You must consider me a second Achilles to keep up with your fleet coursers, clad in

and let your slaves bring down your horse too? If they make tolerable speed, coming down by the back of the C?lian, and thence beside the Aqua Crabra8 to the Carmental g

gium, as well as the caresses which he now lavished on it, patting his favorite's high-arched neck, and stroking the soft velvet muzzle, which was thr

se, or cast a javelin-by Hercules! not since the Ides, I fancy. You will all beat me in the field, that is certain, and in the river likewise. But come, [pg 71]Fuscus Aristius, if it is t

bought him of the blue-eyed Celt, who wept in his barbarian fondness for the colt, no leg save o

al slave who followed him, "Here," he said, "Geta, take Nanthus, and ride straightway up the Minervium to the ho

Thrasea, my trusty freedman, and let him see that they put the housings and gallic wolf-bit on the black horse Aufidus, and bring him thou, wit

n let me find one drop of sweat on his flank. Nay! never grin, thou hang-dog, or I will have thee given to my Congers9; t

little while before descended. In the mean time, Aristius gave the rein of his dappled grey to one of [pg 72]his followers, desiring him to be very gentle with him, and the thr

olf was believed to have given suck to the twin progeny of Mars and the hapless Ilia. A little farther on, the mouth of the sacred grotto called Lupercal, surrounded with its shadowy grove, the fav

he temple of the thundering Jupiter, and glittering above all, against the dark blue sky, the golden dome, and white marble columns of the great capitol itself. Around in all directions were basilic?, or halls of justice; porticoes filled with busy lawyers; bankers' shops glittering with their splendid wares, and bedecked with the golden shields taken from the Samnites; statues of the renowned of ages, Accius N?vius, who cut the whetstone with the razor; Horatius Cocles on his thunderstricken pedestal, halting on one knee from t

too often on that busy scene to be attracted by the gorgeousness of the place, crowded with buildings, the like of which the modern world knows not, and thronged with nations of every region of the earth, each in his proper dress, each seeking justice, pleasure, profit, fame, as it pleased him, free, and fearless, and secure of

had some errand to perform in the Forum; how is

, "it is but to buy a pair of spurs in

Fuscus, "he will need them,

it well nigh sickened me! Ha! Volero," he exclaimed, as they reached the door of a booth, or little shop, with neat leathern curtains festooned up in front, glittering with polished cutler

god! the fairest pair my eyes ever looked upon. Right loath was the swart barbarian to let me have them, but hunger, hunger is a great tamer of your savag

rom a strong brass-bound chest, and rubbing them on his leathe

hing them out of his hand,

and the sibilant head that holds the rowels; they are wrought to the very life with horrent scales, and erected crest; beautiful! beautiful!-and the rowels too of the best Spanish steel that was ever t

have them; but I will not give thee three aurei, master Volero; two is enough, in all conscience; or sixty denarii at the most. Ho! Davus, Davus! bring my purse, hither, Davus

you shall not-no! by the Gods

a barbarian! I dare be sworn thou did

houldst not have them for three aurei either, but that it is dra

ll give thee-six

art thou turning miser

come your fellows with black Aufidus, and our friend Geta on the Numidian. They have made haste, yet not sweated Nanthus either. Aristius, your groom

us, "if master Volero will suffer

ed about him with a zone of purple leather, in which was stuck the sheathless dirk of Cataline. "What is this, noble Paullus? that you carry at your belt, with no scabbard? If you go armed, yo

nswered Paullus, extricating the dagger from hi

And he stretched out his hand and took it; but hardly had his eye dwelt on it, for

bought it, perhaps it was given to me;

[pg 76] think it was never given thee; and, see, see h

at his comrades gazed on him with wonder, "folly, I say. It is not blood, but

n every respect of that in his hand: "There never were but two of these made, and I made them; the scabbard of this will fit

e upon the counter, "darest thou brave a nobleman? I tell thee, I doubt not at all that there be twe

rest, this is blood that has dimmed it, and not water; you cannot deceive me in the matter; and I would warn you, youth,-noble as you are, and plebeian I,-that there are laws in Rome, one of them called Cornelia de Sicariis, which you were best take

, stamped with a helmed head of Mars, and an eagle on the reverse, grasping a thunderbolt

nce thou knowest

thou,

thee,

one, to whom thou wilt fain dis

I fancy you will let it rest altogether; some one was hurt with it last night, as you a

weapon returned it to his belt, left the shop, and springing to the saddle of his beautiful black horse, rode furiously away. It was not till he reached the Carmental Gate, giving egress from the city through the vast walls of Cyclopean architecture, immediately at the base of the dread Tarpeian rock, overlooked and command

hey must pass to gain the campus; but the fear of missing them, instantly induced him to adopt the latter course, an

grisly spoils of the Cimbric hordes slaughtered on the plains of Vercell?; the house of Scaurus, toward which a slow wain tugged by twelve powerful oxen was even then dragging one of the pondrous columns

been bespattered with the blood of despairing traitors. The noble Manlius, tumbled from the very rock, which his single arm had but a little while before defended, seemed to lie there, even at his feet, mortally maimed and in the agony of death, yet even so too proud to mix one groan with the curses he poured forth against Rome's democratic rabble. Then, by a

mself; and would have banished the ideas, but they would not away; and he continued musing on the inconstant turbulence of the plebeians, and the unerring d

ll pleased; for they had in truth been conversing earnestly about the perturbation of their friend at the remarks of the a

I fell in with Clodius reeling along, frantically drunk and furious, with half a dozen torch-bearers before, and half a score wolfish looking gladiato

neteen or twenty had set upon you. But an they would, I care not; i

s," interrupted Paullus boldly. "Ye are

avely. "You were disturbed not a

ected. The truth is that the dagger is not mine at all, and that it is blood that was on it; for last night-bu

stius, "I do not like mysteries;

y, "and as guilty too; but it is not my myster

enough for you, Aristius," exclaimed

us, and overflow so much with generosity and truth that you believe all others to be as frank and candid.

flank suddenly with his heel, he made him passage half across the street, and woul

not cure you. Thou, Fuscus, for insulting him with needless doubts. Thou, Paullus, for

plied C?cilius, "but I cannot; I hav

ay so before? I was wrong, then, I confess my error

ever!" said Aurelius Victor, laughing. "I believe he thinks

d virtuous man, in an age which has few such to boast. But come, let us ride on and

with the word, they gave their horses head,

he left the long arcades and stately buildings of the vegetable mart, on the river bank, now filled with sturdy peasants, from the Sabine country, eager to se

atuta, Piety, and Hope; each with its massy colonnade of Doric or Corinthian, or Ionic pillars; the latter boasting its frieze wrought in bro

soms, with the excitement of the gallant exercise; and now they cleared the last winding of the suburban street, and clothed in its perennial verdure, the wide field lay outspread, like one sheet of eme

s beyond the river, waiting their triumphs, and forbidden by the laws to come into the city so long as they remained invested with their military rank. Around this stately building were many colonnades, and open buildings adapted to the exercises of the day, when winter or bad weather shoul

idst; on some of which were affixed inscriptions commemorative of great feats of skill or strength or daring; while others displayed placards annou

and their styli11 in their hands, some waiting the commencement of the race between Fuscus and Victor, others watching with interest the progress of a sham fight on horseback between two young men of the eq

brought to a conclusion; for, almost as the friends entered, the hindmost horseman of the two made a thrust at the other, which taking effect merely on the lower rim of his antagonist's parma, glanced off under his outstretched arm, and made the striker, in a great measure, lose his balance. As quick as light, the other wheeled upon him, feinted a pass at his breast with the point

acy; "by Hercules! I never saw in all my life bet

and it so happened that the charger of the conqueror, excited by the fury of the contest, laid hold of the other's neck with his teeth

ill luck would have it, both took effect on the person of his fallen master, one strik

k him up before Paullus could dismount to aid him; but, as t

unconscious, as it would seem, of his agony, and wounded only by the indomitable

had he got to do, that he should ride against Caius Marci

another; "game to th

race," said a third;

ied yet a fourth; "but who does? To be

Victor; "I'll match him, if he will ride, for

ered the former speaker; "but Varus did not ride badly, I maint

line, almost fiercely; "but come, come, why don't t

s," said another of the bystanders, apparen

Nor do I see at all wherefore our sports should not proceed, because a man has gone hence. Fifty men every day die somewhere, while we are dining, drinking, kissing our mistres

arena, were callous to human suffering, and careless of human life at all times; and, in the second, that Stoicism was the predominant affectation of the day, not only among the rude and coarse, but among the best and most virtuous citizens of the republic. Few, therefore, left the ground, when the corpse

readed the marble archway, before Catil

to sit here like old women by their fireside

e off, which I propose to win. Fuscus Aristius here, and

he other; "come sit by me, Arvin

of equality, unshunned by any, except the gravest and most rigid censors. Arvina, too, was very young; and very young men are often fascinated, as it were, by great reputations, even of great criminals, with a passionate desire to see them more closely, and observe the stuff they are made of. So that, in fact, Catiline being looked upon in those days much as a desperate gambler, a cel

et undiscovered luxury, much less depended upon jockeyship-the skill of the riders being limited to keeping their seats st

te him, and take his mind, as it were, by storm, now with the boldest and most daring paradoxes; now with bursts of eloquent invective against the oppression and aristocratic

by some observation he had just made on the competitors, as they passed in the second circuit. "So well, I

ear than Marcius; and I feel myself his equal. I have been practising a good deal of late," he added modestly; "for, though perhaps you know it not, I have bee

Catiline with a meditative air: "

selves in readiness to march for Brundusium, where we shall ship for Pontus

e men to join him. That is a very handsome dagger," he broke off, interrupting himself suddenly-"where did you get it? I should like muc

wered hastily, "I found it last night; a

ould not take so much pains, were I you. But, do y

Volero, the cutler, in the Sacred Way, near Vesta's temple, has one precisely like to this for sale. He made this too

en, if I should confess myself the loser! Well, I don't want t

nd with so strangely-meaning an expression, that Paullus indeed scarcely knew what to th

ter not; it would pe

tive. I love danger! verily, I bel

g pale from excitement; "Is it yo

the last [pg 87]round. By the gods! but they are gallant horses, and well matched! See how the bay cou

ong-haired youth; "I wager you five hundr

e bay, the bay! spur, spur, Aristius Fu

rse in Rome can touch Aurelius Victor'

ugh he had seemed beat, so desperate a rally, that he rushed past the bay Arab alm

atiline; "and here is Clodius expects to

betted came up, holding his left hand extended,

id, "I told you so; wh

ve not my purse with me," Catiline

suiting the action to the word, he gave the conspirator severa

s with a sneer; "you don't know L

castic grin; "for Catiline never forgets a frien

alked off, clinking the money he

d to bring forth?" said the conspirator

and Aurelius, in the five games of the quinquerti

Arvina with an interest that grew every moment keen

an t

I bet o

hem in some, I think; and, a

strip and anoint himself for the coming struggle;

in the armed foot race, the most toilsome and arduous exercise of the Campus, he not only beat his competitors with ease; but ran the longe

er would a horse he was about to buy; and then, muttering to himself, "

, "to-day, and meet the loveliest women y

ied; "but I must swi

I will swim also." And they moved

g