Darkness and Dawn, or, scenes in the days of Nero. An historic tale

Front matter

■ ■ I ■ I ■ ■ ■ m u ■ ■ I ■ DARKNESS AND DAWN ur, SCENES IN THE DAYS OF NERO AN HISTORIC TALE BY P. W. EAEEAE THIRD EDITION LONDON LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. AND NEW YORK : 15 EAST 16th STREET 1892 t [AU Bights Reserved] THE ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY PRESS. VXORI DILECTISSLMAE IJBERORVM PIENT1SSIMAE MATRI LABORUM OMNIUM ET CURARUM PART1CIPI FIDELISSIMAE HVNC LIBRVM D. D. D. FREDERICVS GVLIELMVS FARRAR Dolce color d'oriental zafflro, Che s'aecoglieva nel sereno aspetto Dell'aer puro infino al primo giro, Agli occhi miei ricomincio diletto, Tosto eh'io usci fuor dell 'aura morta, Che m'avea contristato gli occhi e'l petto. Dante, Purqatorio, I. 13-18, The orient sapphire's hue of sweetest tone, Which gathered in the aspect calm and bright Of that pure air as far as heaven's first zone, Now to mine eyes brought hack the old delight Soon as I passed forth from the dead dank air Wliich eyes and heart had veiled with saddest night. Plumftre.

Preface

I hate endeavoured to choose a title for this book which shall truly describe its contents. The ' Darkness ' of which I speak is the darkness of a decadent Paganism: the ' Dawn ' is the dawn of Christianity. Although the is continuous, I have called it 'iSSenus in the Days of Nero.' because the outline is determined by the actual events of Pagan and Christian history, more than by the fortunes of the characters who are here introduced. In other words, the fiction is throughout controlled and dominated by historic facts. The purport of this tale is no less high and serious than that which I have had in view in even" other book which I have written. It has been the illustration of a supreme and deeply interesting problem — the causes, namely, why a religion so humble in its origin and so feeble in its earthly resources as Christianity. won so majestic a victory over the power, the glory, and the intellect of the civilised world.

The greater part of the following story has been for some years in manuscript, and. since it was designed, and nearly completed, several books have appeared which deal with the same epoch. Some of these I have not seen. From none of them have I consciously borrowed even the smallest hint. Those who are familiar with the literature of the first centurv will recognise that even for the minutest allusions VI DARKNESS AND DAWN and particulars I have contemporary authority. Expres sions and incidents which, to some, might seem to be startlingly modern, are in reality suggested by passages in the satirists, epigrammatists, and romancers of the Empire, or by anecdotes preserved in the grave pages of Seneca and the elder Pliny. I have, of course, so far assumed the liberty accorded to writers of historic fiction as occasionally to deviate, to a small extent, from exact chronology, but such deviations are very trivial in comparison with those which have been permitted to others, and especially to the great masters of historic fiction.

All who know most thoroughly the real features of that Pagan darkness which was deepest before the Christian dawn will see that scarcely even by the most distant allusion have I referred to some of the worst features in the life of that day. While I have not extenuated the realities of cruelty and bloodshed, I have repeatedly softened down their more terrible incidents and details. To have altered that aspect of monotonous misery which pained and wearied its ancient annalist would have been to falsify the real characteristics of the age with which I had to deal. The book is not a novel, nor is it to be judged as a novel. The outline has been imperatively decided for me by the exigencies of fact, not by the rules of art. I have been compelled to deal with an epoch which I should never have touched if I had not seen, in the features which it presented, one main explanation of an historical event the most sacred and the most interesting on which the mind can dwell. The same object has made it inevitable that, at least in passing glimpses, the figures of several whose names are

PREFACE.

VII surrounded with hallowed associations should appear in these pages. I could not otherwise bring out the truths which it was my aim to set forth. But in this matter I do not think that any serious reader will accuse me of irreverence. Onesimus, Pudens, Claudia, and a few others, must be regarded as imaginary persons, except in name, but scarcely in one incident have -I touched the Preachers of early Christianity with the finger of fiction. They were, indeed, men of like passions with ourselves, and as St. Chrysostom says of St. Paul, ' Even if he was Paul, he was yet a man ; ' but recognising their sacred dignity, I have almost entirely confined their words to words of revelation. Even if I had done more than this, I might plead the grave sanction and example of Dante, and Milton, and Browning.

But the small liberty which I have dared to use has only been in directions accorded by the cycle of such early legends as may be considered to be both innocent and hallowed. F. W. FABKAPt. CONTENTS CHAPTER AGE J. The Soliloquies of Agrippina 3 II. Agrippina and Nero 12 III. Instrumenta Imperii 16 IV. The Crime 23 V. The Mockery ok Death 29 VI. The Accession of Nero 33 VII. Seneca and his Family' 39 VIII. Seneca and his Visitors 47 IX. Nero and his Companions 54 X. Prince Britannicus 61 XI. ' A Foreign Superstition ' 72 XII. Onesimus 79 XIII. The Adventures ok a Runaway' 86 XIV. Mother and Son 98 XV. Emperor and Æsthete 105 XVI. Events in the Villa Pollux 112 XVII. Amusements of an Emperor 119 XVIII. Vespasian's Farm 131 XIX. Otho's Supper and what came of it 142 XX. Brother and Sister 155 XXI.

Among the Christians ....,.■'... 162 XXII. Britannicus and his Song 170 XXIII. Perils of Britannicus 184 XXIV. Britannicus undergoes a New Experience . . DARKNESS AND DAWN X CHAPTER PAGE XXV. Locusta 205 XXVI. A Banquet and a Conversation 211 XXVII. Death in the Goblet 220 XXVI II. The Last of the Claudii 224 XXIX. Agrippina at Bay 229 XXX. A Private Trial 245 XXXI. The Interior of a Slave-prison 257 XXXII. Wanderings of an Outcast 265 XXXIII. Titus and the Vestal 278 XXXIV. An Evil Epoch 287 XXXV. The Matricide 294 XXXVI. Self-avenged 307 XXXVII. Victor over the Public Servitude .... 314 XXXVIII. The Gladiators' School 321 XXXIX. The Fight in the Arena 327 XL. The Spoliarium 339 XLI. The King of the Grove 346 XLII. A Massacre of Slaves 354 XLIII. A Notable Prisoner 3gg XLIV. A Supper at Vespasian's 371 XLV.

Poppæa Victrix 380 XLVI. The Death of Octavia 393 XLVII. A Fettered Ambassador 405 XLVIII. Enslaved and Free 4U XL1X. The Depths of Satan . 4^3 L. A City in Flames 405 LI. An Infernal Suggestion 430 Lll. Aliturus among the Christians 439 LIII. 'He who saw the Apocalypse' 44g LIV. In the Burning Fiery Furnace CONTENTS XI CHAPTER PAGE LV. Two Martyrdoms 467 LVI. Living Torches 480 LVII. A Conspiracy and its Collapse . » 492 LVIII. The Fall ok the House of Seneca 500 LIX. The Agony of an Empress 507 LX. The Doom of Virtue 516 LXI. Before the Lion 526 LXII. Nero in Greece 537 LXIII. Muttering Thunder 542 LXIV. At The Three Fountains 551 LXV. In the Clutch of Nemesis 560 LXVI. L'Envoi • 568 Notes