Walter S. Cramp

“ Woe unto thee, Tiberius! Thy life will be more unhappy, if that were possible. Rome, that was happy under the Divine Augustus, will rise and execrate thee. Sejanus, who helps thee in thy infernal plans, carries a scorpion sting behind his smooth and polished servility. Thou shalt dwell in miserable solitude,—in a solitude that shall resound with the yells of the despairing, with the shrieks of the tortured, and with the groans of the dying. Hate has become incarnate in thee. Murder, dripping with blood, will be thy spouse. ”

“ A little watery stream colored with blood trickled down his cheek and dropped upon his toga. Tiberius pressed the plaster with his hand, which, becoming moist with the suppuration, he wiped on his greasy hair.
“Right well do I remember, O Tiberius, the cliffs of Capri,” said Sejanus. “There thou shalt be truly free. Ay, and respect for a ruler increases when his power is felt and he is not seen. But thou hast friends in Rome, O Tiberius,—friends who would die for thee.”
“Ay, thou art the only man who dost understand my wishes. I love and trust thee. ”

“ Alcmaeon now approached the table. He drew away entirely the cloth that covered the dead body of his son. He looked lovingly into Gannon’s face. His eyes began to float in tears as the memories of his dear boy surged through his mind; he completely broke down and sobbed like a child.
“Why should I have lived to see this day, O Hera?” he cried. “There has gone from my life a light that can never again shine upon my way. My hopes lie shattered there. O Zeus and ye eternal gods, send solace to a household burdened with so great a calamity!” he prayed. ”

“ Inheritance is the cloak behind which cowards hide,” she said with bitter emphasis.
“’Twas not I, O mother, who counselled the death of Agrippa,” he pettishly argued.
“’Twas thou who gavest the order,” she replied in a taunting tone. “Did Germanicus, the pure, unstained son of Antonia, fall by any wish of mine? His crime was the love he inspired in the hearts of the people. A comparison between his purity and thy uncleanness was more than thou couldst endure. O Tiberius, corruption crowns thy brow! The pimples on thy face are words that all can read. Goodness flees before thee. ”

“ At the loud, harsh tones of Drusus the guests became even more constrained. With a deeper frown on his forehead and a sneer on his lips, Tiberius said: “Thou knowest not the man thou abusest. No one in Rome sacrifices personal pleasures for public duties more than he does. Affairs of state occupy all his time. His unselfish nature is one that all should imitate. Vilify the sluggard who revels continually. Revile not the just. Sejanus is my friend, and nothing shall be spoken before me that tends to dishonor him.” ”

“ Thy words were, ‘She shall die.’ O Tiberius, her greatest crime was her friendship for me! What has Sabinus done? He loved my husband; he loved me and my children. Of a truth, thou hast turned every friend from me. Thou wouldst like my children to hate me. Even my slaves are paid by some one to spy and lie against me. Do I look at thee through a veil of hate? ”

“ The gods alone understand a love that cannot be told. If all the openings in this room were ears, if all the sparkling objects were eyes, they would hear and see that I love thee. A dangerous love, sayest thou? Ay; but if death be the ultimate reward, I will be content if I have obtained thy love.”
As a sleeping child is wooed by the whisper of a mother’s voice, so Livilla succumbed to the loving words of Sejanus. They affected her like a narcotic. Her objections gave way, her nervousness disappeared, and her fear completely vanished. ”

“ With infernal ingenuity Sejanus so endeared himself to Tiberius that the emperor withdrew his favor from the other satellites and made Sejanus his adviser and minister.
Like a serpent, Sejanus would coil himself around his victim, and if the victim proved too strong to crush, he would use his poisoned fangs. Like a panther, he would crouch in the vilest holes; and when he saw his prey unguarded, he would steal upon it with padded feet, spring upon it, and strike it down. Like a huge tarantula, he would suck the life-blood of some wealthy man ”

“ Forget not, my son,” said Alcmaeon, “that beauty, art, and understanding still rule the world. Rome has conquered Greece by military force; but Greece has conquered the world by that higher celestial force, intellect. Greece has had her day of wealth and power; but her genius, her art, her architecture, her statues, her poetry, and her philosophy are living influences, before whose vitality the Roman legions are impotent.”
“True, my father. Yet before the Roman legions the world trembles,” said Gannon. ”

“ Where, O my children, where is the Roman Socrates, the Roman Plato and Aristotle?”
“I understand thee now, my father! I understand thee now!” cried Gannon, carried to a higher plane of conception by his father’s superb climax. “I have fought my companions and have been beaten. Of a truth, words and thoughts are more powerful than brute force. My companions may ridicule my lack of physical strength, but they have become my friends. They now respect me.”
“Ay. The Romans understand not the finer and purer instincts, my son,” said Alcmaeon, flushed with indignation. ”

“ Death was the only way to silence him,” groaned Alcmaeon.
“O Alcmaeon! Woe is on our house!” cried Hera.
“Ay, Hera. Gannon did not fall; he was thrown. Mark thou, Hera, ’twas a crime, a crime! O Zeus and ye other eternal gods, avenge this dastardly deed!” he called to heaven.
“A curse is upon Greece and her people,” said Hera.
“Ay, a curse is upon us, O Hera,” added Alcmaeon. “And how can a schoolmaster contend against such men? Ah, we must live silently. We must bow our heads without raising a revengeful hand. Oh! is this not worse than slavery?” he cried. ”

“ But Agrippina ignored the order and continued: “By whose orders was Germanicus poisoned? Who has killed Sosius? Who has exiled Sosia? Ay, who strangled Claudia? The gods? Who but recently arrested Sabinus? Dost thou wish that I should sing and dance? Oh! the aroma from that invisible flower that drags me down bears the odors of savage hate, of murder, of stifling blood!”
Tiberius angrily said to her: “Thy words are the emanations of a diseased mind. Thou wilt talk more calmly when thou art well again. ”

“ Quelling the blasphemy that mounted to his lips, and drawling his words with a repulsive twang, he said: “Thou revilest me with letters written by a jealous man? Thou—”
“Have a care, O Tiberius!” she interrupted. “Revile not the gods. The Romans will not permit the name of the Divine Augustus to be vilified by thee. I will not permit thee!”
“Then leave me! I cannot listen to thee and remain calm. I may strike thee. ’Tis the first time thou hast dared to thus defy me. ’Twill be the last. Leave me, O Livia!” ”

“ With the eye of his mind he sees along his triumphal road the faces of Tiberius, Agrippina, Drusus, and Caligula—pale and rigid in death. No one now stands between him and the throne. The culmination of his triumph is reached. His foot is raised to take the final step. He takes from a table a golden cup, and with infinite satisfaction quaffs a toast to the genius who presides over his destiny.
The next morning, surrounded by a host of suitors and clients, he proceeds to the Senate House. On his way he is slighted by many of the Senators. ”

“ Charge the historian Cordus with his crime. All thoughts of the republic must be stifled. Ah! even the Senate begins to act with freedom. But the attacks against Sosius and Sabinus will quiet that body. Behind their servile flattery, which I abhor, there lurks bitter hatred of me. Oh! verily must I leave Rome and its people! Not a moment of peace is found here.”
“Ay, O worthy Tiberius, the hurry of business in the city, the conflux of suitors in the palace, and the suspicions of treachery everywhere,—all these things burden thee too heavily. Art thou still inclined to go to Capri?” ”

“ Borne on the soft rhythm of the tune, the words appeared like flashes of calm light on a river of melody.
“’Tis a peaceful song, my child,” said Agrippina, as Psyche’s voice died away in a whisper.
“Ah, my lady, my father taught us that the music and poetry of Greece always touch the soul. He also taught us that life is a continuous song. There are melodies of solitude, of submission, of purification, of passion, of desolation, and of despairing grief. Some of the music is discordant to the ear of youth. ’Tis not until we are aged that we understand the true melody.” ”

“ Let her understand that the life of her youngest son depends upon her behavior. O Sejanus, no longer can I endure the hypocrisy of the people and the Senate! The city is a festering mass of discontent, and I will purge it. At Capri the offensive odors of insults, cries, and cursings engendered by my cleansing will not be smelt. In seclusion I will work. For years I have been bound down. No freedom has been allowed me. Men abused my very name. On their ribald lips Tiberius Claudius Nero became Biberius the drunkard, Caldius the infamous, Mero the sot. ”

“ With him were Claudius, Nero, Agrippina, Drusilla, and thyself, O Drusus. As we moved on towards Rome, every temple along the way poured forth clouds of incense. Traffic ceased in the cities, and the people lined the road in one compact mass. A catafalque covered with wreaths and flowers and bearing the silver funeral urn was borne upon the shoulders of tribunes and centurions. At Albanum I was met by the consuls, the Senate, the knights in purple mantles, and the Roman people in black robes. Their sobs and cries rent the air. ”

“ In gratitude for this service the emperor decreed that wherever one of his own statues stood, a statue of Sejanus should be erected beside that of his royal master. With this supreme honor conferred upon him, with the flattery of senate, soldiers, and common people, and with the conquest of Livilla’s heart, and her consent to his ambitious and murderous schemes, he feels well content with himself as he lies there. He is an emperor in everything except the name. But one thing must be done before he can feel absolutely secure. ”

“ The name of emperor is high-sounding; but a hollow ball will make more noise than a solid one. Ah, Sejanus, the criticisms that are made and the satire that circulates against me, the discontent of my relatives, and the unrest of the people in Rome, all affect me, so that I am deprived of all rest. My palace has become the abode of lamentations. The air murmurs complaints. The footsteps on the marble floors echo sighs. ”

“ In her painful solitude, where no zephyrs wafted a human sound, except her own sighs and sobs, where no revelations came to her but in chimerical dreams, she lived like some beautiful flower that hangs over a dark abyss. All the pure springs of her imagination, whether flowing gently in soft but sombre shadows of love for her brother, in calm shade for her parents, or in golden sunlight for her lover, lost themselves in the main stream in the valley of oblivion. ”

“ The sucking arms dart out like a flash at the approach of a victim, which, after a short struggle, is ground to pieces in the rapacious jaws of the monster. After the meal the swelling paunch palpitates with satisfaction. The octopus then retreats, and awaits the appearance of another victim. When another one of its own ilk draws near, it makes of that other a companion, but in the companionship the stronger rules the weaker. A compact is formed. They repose, watch, and work together.
Such a nefarious compact existed between Tiberius and Sejanus. ”

“ Left alone in his office, Tiberius began to reason with himself. “Antonia is right,” he said, “Macro is right, and the young man Gyges, whose honesty in the Circus is unquestioned, also seems to speak the truth. Ah, Sejanus, thy cunning, then, has deceived me! Full well do I now understand thy lying statements! Ye gods! I admire thy villany! ‘Take not the first cup!’ were his words of warning. Ah! Drusus has been wronged! Now do I comprehend why his hand did not tremble when he drank of that cup! Now do I understand why thou, Sejanus, didst wish to marry Livilla! ”

“ At the sight of the lifeless form of Drusus, prone on the marble floor, Livilla felt a guilty pang. She shed no tears, but a wild impulse came upon her to hide herself. Antonia had remained to comfort the stricken family. Julia being hysterical, the grandmother remained with her. When the palace had become quiet, and no sound could be heard but the sobs of the fatherless Julia, Sejanus triumphantly entered.
[132] Lygdus met him, and together they went into the chamber of Drusus. Sejanus smiled as he contemptuously pushed the dead face of his innocent victim. ”

“ Breathing the divine air from the sublime heights of Corinth, shall we see the living words of the Iliad? Shall we see the country that stirred the sainted soul of Homer?”
“I shall be glad to lose the sight of cruel Rome,” says Hera.
“Ah, my wife,” exclaims the happy father, with his old enthusiasm for his wonderful country, “the Greek has conquered the Roman this day. ”

“ A gilded bireme, with purple sails and polished bronze trimmings, floated gracefully on the lovely bay, like some enchanted boat sent by the gods to bear spirits to happy havens of peace. Attached to the mast, the emperor’s golden ensign languidly fluttered in the quiet air, like expiring flames on a sacrificial altar to the goddess Flora. Around the bireme were numerous small boats filled with happy people dressed in bright colors. Songs and laughter filled the air. Cheers and acclamations gradually increased in volume as the emperor and his retinue neared the shore. ”

“ Havoc and ruin relentlessly stalked through the island, uprooting trees and throwing down buildings. A tempestuous sirocco was at its height.
Down in the depths of the palace, in a vault to which no daylight could penetrate, the cowardly Tiberius, with a wreath of laurel on his head, crouched, trembling at every burst of thunder. From time to time he would ask what signs there were of clearing. A statue of Victory fell from its pedestal into the courtyard below and was [271] dashed to pieces. The noise of its fall was heard by Tiberius. The tyrant trembled. ”

“ Circling the peaceful garden and crowning the hill-tops and slopes, like an immortal wreath, were the orange and olive groves of Surrentum, the laurels and myrtle of Sabia, the vineyards and fields of Vesuvius—that colossal verdant bell of spring—the pines and cypresses of Neapolis, and the vineyards of Procida, Ischia, and Capri. [229] It seemed as if Nature were intoxicated with beauty. It seemed as if celestial harmonies, borne on the rays of light, touched the ears with an infinite melody. ”

“ The room is lighted by a bronze lamp, shaped like a satyr’s face. It rests on a slender bronze pedestal with a base of three cloven feet. Carved figures of fauns, sylphs, and nereids in graceful poses come out of the shadows like dancing sprites. Red and yellow oriental silks, carelessly thrown over the chairs, look in the sallow light like tongues of flame. In a bronze tripod, ornamented with naked sylphs and satyrs, burns perfumed charcoal. An odor of incense pervades the room. The light seems to be a reflection from the lower world. Everything suggests an incantation.
Sejanus is happy. ”