Quintus Claudius, Volume 1. Eckstein Ernst
A splendid, defiant and famous race! Even the tattooed native of Britain,132 who came to offer fine amber chains133 and broken rings of gold,134 was sensible of an atmosphere of historic greatness.
One after another – the humbler folks in parties together – the visitors were led from the atrium into the carpeted reception-room, where the master of the house stood to welcome them in robes of dazzling whiteness135 and wearing his priestly head-gear.136 He had already dismissed a considerable number of important personages, when a tall officer, stout almost to clumsiness, was announced and at once admitted, interrupting as he did the strict order of succession. This was no less a person than Clodianus, the adjutant of Caesar himself. He came in noisily, embraced and kissed the priest and then, glancing round at the slaves, asked if he might be allowed a few words with Titus Claudius in private. The priest gave a sign; the slaves withdrew into a side room.
“There is no end to it all!” cried Clodianus, throwing himself into a large arm-chair. “Every day brings some fresh annoyance!”
“What am I to hear now?” sighed the high-priest.
“Oh! this time it has nothing to do with the outbreak among the Nazarenes and all the troubles of these last weeks. We can detect here and there extraordinary symptoms, and fabulous rumors … for instance … but, your word of honor that you will be silent…!”
“Can you doubt it?”
“Well, for instance, it sounds incredible … but Parthenius137 brought it all from Lycoris the fair Gaul… It is said that this Nazarene craze has seized the very highest personages… They even name…”
He stopped and looked round the room, as if he feared to be overheard.
“Well?” said the high-priest.
“They name Titus Flavius Clemens,138 the Consul…”
“Folly! a relation of Caesar’s. The man who spreads such a report should be found out and brought to condign punishment…”
“Folly! that is what I said too! Infernal nonsense. Still the story is characteristic, and proves what the people conceive of as possible…”
“Patience, patience, noble Clodianus! Things will alter as winter approaches. The wildest torrent may be dammed up. But we are digressing – what new annoyance?”
“Ah! to be sure,” interrupted Clodianus. “Then nothing of it has reached your ears?”
“No one has mentioned anything to me.”
“They dare not.”
“And why?”
“Because your views are well known. They know that you hate the populace – and the populace yesterday achieved a triumph.”
“And in what way?” asked Claudius frowning.
“In the circus.139 I can tell you, my respected friend, it was a frightful scandal, a real storm in miniature! Caesar turned pale – nay he trembled.”
“Trembled!” cried Claudius indignantly.
“With rage of course,” said Clodianus in palliation. “The thing occurred thus. One of the charioteers140 of the new party – those that wear purple – drove so magnificently, that Caesar was almost beside himself with delight. By Epona, the tutelary goddess of horses!141 but the fellow drove four horses that cannot be matched in the whole world. Incitatus,142 old Caligula’s charger, was an ass in comparison, and the names of those splendid steeds are in every one’s mouth to-day like a proverb: Andraemon, Adsertor, Vastator and Passerinus143– you hear them in every market and alley; our poets might almost be envious. And the charioteer too, a free Greek in the service of Parthenius the head chamberlain, is a splendid fellow. He stood in his quadriga144 like Ares rushing into battle. In short it was a stupendous sight, and then he was so far ahead of the rest – I tell you, no one has won by so great a length since Rome was a city. Scorpus145 is the rascal’s name. Every one was fairly carried away. Caesar, the senators, the knights – all clapped till their hands were sore. Even strangers, the watery-eyed Sarmatians146 and Hyperboreans147 shouted with delight.”
“Well?” asked Titus Claudius, as the narrator paused.
“To be sure – the chief point. Well, it was known that Caesar would himself grant the winner some personal favor, and every one gazed at the imperial tribune in the greatest excitement. Caesar ordered the herald to command silence. ‘Scorpus,’ said he, when the uproar was lulled, ‘you have covered yourself with glory. Ask a favor of me,’ and Scorpus bowed his head and demanded in a firm voice, that Domitian should be reconciled to his wife.”
“Audacious!” cried Titus Claudius wrathfully.
“There is better still to come. Hardly had the charioteer spoken, when a thousand voices shouted from every bench: ‘Dost thou hear, oh Caesar? Leave thy intrigue with Julia!148 We want Domitia!’ There was quite a tumult,149 a scandalous scene that defies description.”
“But what do the people mean? What has so suddenly brought them to make this demand?”
“Oh!” said Clodianus, “I see through the farce. The whole thing is merely a trick on the part of Stephanus, Domitia’s steward. That sly fox wants to regain for his mistress her lost influence. Of course he bribed Scorpus, and the gods alone know how many hundred thousand sesterces the game must have cost him. The spectators’ seats were filled on all sides with bribed wretches, and even among the better classes I saw some who looked to me suspicious.”
“This is bad news,” interrupted the high-priest. “And what answer did Domitian give the people?”
“I am almost afraid to tell you of his decision.”
“His decision could not be doubtful, I should suppose. By giving Scorpus leave to ask what he would, he pledged himself to grant his prayer. But how did he punish the howling mob that stormed around him? I too regret our sovereign’s connection with his niece, but what gives the populace the right to interfere in such matters?”
“You know,” replied the other, “how tenderly these theatre and circus demonstrations have always been dealt with. Domitian, too, thought it prudent to smother his just anger and to show clemency. When the herald had once more restored order, Caesar said in a loud voice: ‘Granted,’ and left his seat. But he was deeply vexed, noble Claudius.”
“Well and then?” asked the Flamen in anxious suspense.
“Well, the matter is so far carried out, that in the secretary’s150 room to-day an imperial decree was drawn up, calling upon Domitia151 to return to her rooms on the Palatine, and granting her pardon for all past offences.”
“And Julia?”
“By Hercules!” laughed Clodianus. "With regard to Julia, Caesar made no promises."152
“Then I greatly fear, that this reconciliation will only prove the germ of farther complications.”
“Very possibly. It has been the source of annoyance enough to me personally. Caesar
Tattooed native of Britain. The original Celtic inhabitants of England. For the impression made by Roman magnificence on the British chieftain Caractacus, see Dio Cass. LX, 33.
Amber chains. Amber (
Broken rings of gold. The priest of Jupiter was only permitted to wear broken rings of gold, as closed ones were the symbols of captivity.
Robes of dazzling whiteness. The white toga was the invariable gala dress worn at all ceremonious receptions, even by the emperors. Great indignation was felt against Nero, because once, when the senate paid him a visit, he wore only a flowered toga.
Priestly head-gear. The Flamines were forbidden to go bare-headed. They always wore a hat (
Parthenius. This historical personage was a man of conspicuous importance at the court of Domitian, and mentioned by many authors, particularly in Martial’s epigrams. He was
Titus Flavius Clemens. A cousin of the emperor, was consul A.D. 95 with Domitian, (who conferred this dignity upon him seventeen times). Concerning his conversion to Christianity see Dio Cass. LXVII, 14, as well as Suet.
In the circus. The Circus Maximus, between the Aventine and Palatine Hills, was the principal place for the horse and chariot races, and in Domitian’s time accommodated about a quarter of a million spectators.
Charioteers. As the givers of entertainments could rarely furnish men and horses enough of their own for the games in the circus, companies of capitalists and owners of larger families of slaves and studs, undertook to supply them. As there were usually four chariots in each race, there were four such companies, each of which furnished a chariot for each race, and as the chariots and drivers had colors to distinguish them, each adopted one of these colors, hence they were called factions or parties. (Friedlander, II, 192.) The colors of these four parties were white, red, green and blue. Domitian added two new ones, gold and purple. Like so many of Domitian’s institutions, this circus innovation passed without leaving any trace, but the original parties, especially the green and the blue, lasted for centuries. The whole population of Rome, and afterwards that of Constantinople, divided into different parties, each of which sided with one of these circus factions. The eager, even passionate interest with which this was done, finds a feeble analogy at the present day in some phases of English and American popular life.
By Epona, the tutelary goddess of horses! Epona (from
Incitatus, the swift —
Andraemon, Adsertor, Vastator and Passerinus. Names of horses frequently mentioned during the reign of the Roman emperors. Andraemon often won the race in Domitian’s time. Monuments with the portrait of this racer have come down to us.
Quadriga. A carriage in front of which four horses were fastened abreast. The racing quadrigae were exactly like the old Homeric chariot – being provided with a breast-work in front while open in the rear.
Scorpus. A famous chariot-driver in Domitian’s time, see the epitaph Martial composed for him. (Martial
Sarmatians. A people in what is now Poland and Tartary. (See Mart.
“I am that Scorpus, glory of the race
Rome’s admired joy, but joy for a short space,
Among the dead Fates early me enroll’d,
Numb’ring my conquests, they did think me old.”
Anon, 1695.
That the name of Scorpus was on every lip appears from another passage in Martial Ep. XI, 1, which runs as follows:
“Nor will your follies by those few
Be told; but when their stories flag
Of some new bet or running nag.”
Hay.
where the Incitatus to whom reference is made is not Caligula’s horse, already mentioned, but a racer named for it.
Hyperboreans. People who lived above Boreas, fabulous folk dwelling in the extreme north; also Northmen in general. For instance Martial includes among the Hyperboreans, the Chatti (Hessen) and Dacians, inhabitants of eastern Hungary.
Julia. The daughter of the Emperor Titus, with whom Domitian for a long time had unlawful relations. Dio Cass. LXVII, 3. Suet
A tumult. Many things are related about such tumults. They were partly impromptu, partly carefully prepared. A striking instance of the latter style is told by Dio Cassius (LXXII, 13) where a cunningly-planned circus-riot causes the fall of the hated lord high-chamberlain Cleander. This omnipotent favorite of the Emperor Commodus had enraged the people by a series of the boldest frauds, during a period of great scarcity. Just as the horses were starting for the seventh race a throng of boys, led by a tall, formidable looking woman, rushed into the arena. The children loaded Cleander with the fiercest curses, the people joined them, all rose and rushed furiously towards the emperor’s Quintilian villa. Commodus, a very cowardly man, was so terrified, that after a short struggle he commanded Cleander and his little son to be slain. The mob dragged the corpse of the chamberlain about in triumph, mutilated it, and stuck the head on a pole as a sign of victory.
Secretary. The modern equivalent for the office of “
Calling upon Domitia. We here follow a passage (somewhat doubtful, it is true) of Dio Cassius (LXVII, 3) which states that the emperor “
With regard to Julia, Caesar made no promises. See Dio Cass. LXVII 3. He became reconciled, "but without giving up Julia.”