Norva : a tale of the Roman empire, and other stories

Front matter

V

o o'

'7 ^ ^ 1 > c s .A O /

Preface

Do you remember, my dear friend, how often we have admired, in our own Brittany, those Druidical columns, upon which Christianity has ingrafted the cross of the Saviour,— those Celto-Roman remains, incrusted with ruins of the Middle Ages, — those graceful relics of the Renaissance, which modern utilitarianism has taken possession of, and transformed into dwellings or schools ? While surveying these ruins of ages, lost sentinels of the past, which the scythe of Time seems to have forgotten, how often have our thoughts been carried back to those iv

PREFACE.

extinct organizations of society which they recalled to our memory! The progress of generations seemed to us impressed upon the very soil by these ancient characters. They related, in their own way, the story of successive periods of civilization, and with these pages torn from the book of the past we could almost reconstruct the entire volume.

These recollections have often since recurred to me, and to them I doubtless owe the idea of the rapid sketches which form this volume. I desire by them to show through what trials humanity has attained to that condition of social progress which it is the fashion now to deny, or to pretend to deplore. If I have chosen children for the heroes of my stories, it is because in them the vices or the virtues of a period are most clearly seen. The strong always modify somewhat the medium in which they are called to live; the weak submit to its influence. The Slave, the Serf, and the Apprentice are the types

PREFACE.

V of three states of society which have immediately succeeded each other. I have thought that to show the advantage of each one of these states over the preceding may be useful to those who have not yet determined to be as those that ‘‘ have eyes that they may not see.” In considering what the Past has been, we are more indulgent towards the Present, and look forward with more confidence to the Future.

I send you this volume from the shore of our little Lake, enclosed in a frame of villas, with their antique colonnades, and their turrets, surmounted by peaceful battlements, — of feudal mansions in imitation of stone, — and of cottages of the country people. I see little boats dart forth from its ten flowery bays, laden with children of aU ranks, who chase each other in mimic games. The blouse elbows the velvet jacket, voices and laughter are intermingled ; the sunburnt hand clasps the w’hite, and equality reigns everywhere. While vi

PREFACE.

I, looking at all this, endeavor to imagine to myself how many struggles, how much suffering and anxious waiting, have been needed to render possible such a landscape and such sports.

Contents

PAGE

THE SLAVE.

THE SLAVE.

Chapter I

All the streets which led from Mount Janiculum to the Forum were crowded with that throng of idlers which the great centres of civilization create. On this day Roman indolence had been aroused by the anticipation of amusement; the arrival of a large number of prisoners was expected.

The masters of the world had found a new nation to conquer; a portion of the earth which was wholly covered with immense forests and protected by unknown divinities had been, at last, subdued. The Romans were about to see this people of Armorica, so wonderful for its strength, so strange in its manners and in its forms of worship; and they

THE SLAVE.

were to behold it, crushed beneath the weight of Koman rule.

Thus, upon this day, all the instincts of that great people were excited. The curiosity of all had been awakened. They had found, in the same moment, a triumph for their pride, and a spectacle for their amusement. Yet now and then, from among that great crowd, which one feeling had drawn together, were heard words of regret ; they came from the poorest of the people, who, in the midst of the public rejoicing, lamented that they had not a few thousand sesterces to buy an Armorican.

Towards the fourth hour (ten o’clock in the morning) all pedestrians began to range themselves in two rows, on the side of the way ; the band of prisoners was beginning to pass under the Aurelian Gate, and to traverse the streets of the city.

More than six thousand Celts, each bearing on his brow a crown of leaves, and an indescribable expression of grief, the double mark of their lost liberty, defiled before the sovereign nation. Traces of sorrow of every kind

THE SLAVE.

could be seen in their looks and attitudes. They walked on, with hearts broken by vain despair, and the sufferings of the body added to those of the soul. The fatigue of the journey, and especially the influence of a new sky, had exhausted them. Accustomed to the fresh breezes of the ocean, to the mild sun of Armorica, to the silence of her forests, they could not endure the scorching sun of Italy. But if, weakened by the struggle against the new climate, they slackened their pace, the whip of the slave-driver quickly warned them that they had no longer a right even to repose.

It may be that the sight of so much misery secretly moved to compassion these Homans, so eager for amusement and for conquest; but no sign of pity was seen in that vast crowd ; no eye was cast down, no compassionate exclamation was heard.

When a whole people is bent beneath the weight of a calamity, which strikes with one blow at all its sources of happiness, the individuality of each seems to be lost amid the general sorrow, and all faces wear the same 1 *

THE SLAVE.

aspect. Yet, among the thousand victims who were traversing Rome, there was one whose face showed more distress and more suffering than the rest, but, at the same time, bore the impress of determination and courage. It was that of a woman, about thirtyfive years old, whose eyes never left the child which walked by her side. All the anguish that a mother’s heart can feel was expressed in her look ; but, besides the grief which was seen equally in the eye of every mother, in hers there seemed a certain holy energy.

The history of this poor woman was nearly the same as that of all her companions. She had seen her husband and eldest son die by her side ; afterwards, she, with her youngest child, had been made prisoner. But the sad losses she had met with had not in any degree diminished the strength of her maternal anxiety ; she forgot her own sorrows to think only of her child. Doubtless she had loved more and better than the others, for it is only the noblest hearts which continue thus devoted and strong in the hour of agony.

This woman was* called Norva. Her son.

THE SLAVE.

Arvins, a boy of twelve years, walked silently at her side. His firm, steady pace, his mute resignation, his calm expression, clearly spoke his origin. With his hands thrust into his girdle, his head erect, his eye sad but tearless, he followed, without uttering a single complaint, those who walked before him. Yet, together with the strength of youth, there was enough in him of the delicacy of childhood to give excuse for tears. It was evident, however, that he drew courage from the sight of his mother; for whenever their eyes met, he carried his head more erect, and planted his foot more firmly on the ground.

Nevertheless he suffered severely, for he was thinking of the past, and his companions had told him what might be expected from the future. But he knew that for his mother the past was full of bitter recollections ; and he imagined that the future would weigh still more heavily upon her, even now weak and prematurely old, and he therefore carefully concealed his own troubles.

The sight of Rome and its monuments could not divert Norva from her grief. The

THE SLAVE.

rich palaces, the superb temples, of the great city passed before her eyes like shadows ; but Arvins, whose youth protected him from that ceaseless despair which compels the soul always to tread the same gloomy round, was struck by the wonders which unfolded themselves before him. His face was still grave ; but, by degrees, the expression of sadness, which showed itself through his gravity, gave place to astonishment.

The multitude of statues of marble and bronze ; the temples surrounded with columns, on which the sunlight produced so many magical effects ; the rows of palaces, with thehr splendid porches, powerfully excited the imagination of the boy. In the midst of these magnificent displays of art, he was never weary of gazing at the crowds of men, robed in purple, or borne upon gilded chariots which passed with the rapidity of lightning.

But when he reached the Forum, his wonder became amazement. The most beautiful edifices which Rome contained were situated within the circle crowned by the Capitol.

THE SLAVE.

The eyes of Arvins turned from one temple to another, from basilicas to gilded statues, and everywhere met the same magnificence, the same splendor. The young Armorican asked himself if all this which he saw around him was indeed the work of man.

Having reached the centre of the square, the procession halted ; there the separation of the prisoners was to take place ; there each one was to follow the slave-dealer who had bought him of the republic, until he, in his turn, should sell him to the master, who would, so to speak, baptize him slave.

Arvins was painfully recalled to a sense of his situation and that of his mother, when he heard that they had attained the end of their journey. The species of enchantment to which he had, for some time, yielded, quickly disappeared, to give place to anxiety. What was to become of them both ? Should they have the same master ? Or, indeed, was separation to be added to so many other misfortunes ?

Overpowered by the heat, the Armoricans, lately so strong in their own bracing atmos-

THE SLAVE.

phere, stretched themselves upon the stone slabs which formed the pavement of the Forum, eagerly seeking the shade of every building, and every statue, and even of the slenderest columns. For once fortune was kind to Norva and her son ; it placed them under the shade of the immense fig-tree of the Curtian Lake.

The harsh voice of the slave-dealers soon disturbed this short repose. A sign was given to the captives to get up, a division of them was soon made, and each dealer led away with him his share of prisoners.

Arvins and his mother, having been bought of the republic by the same dealer, were led with thirty of their companions into a booth near the temple of Castor.

The final sale was not to take place till several days afterwards, when the captives should have rested; for the Romans wished only for slaves who were healthy, handsome, and vigorous. This health, which they paid for, as an object of luxury, doubtless soon gave way under the hardships and fatigues of slavery; but while it lasted, it was at least a

THE SLAVE.

decoration for their palaces, in which the vanity of the richest might take delight.

Now that the national pride of the Eomans had been gratified by beholding the abasement of a conquered people, it was time to think of satisfying their other wants. The merchandise which was to be offered to the purchaser must be improved and adorned ; the cattle must be fattened ; this formed the noble science of the slave-merchant.

As soon as the Armoricans, among whom were Norva and her son, had entered the booth of which we have spoken, they found themselves the objects of careful attention. An abundant repast had been prepared for them, and they were put under the charge of old slaves, who were ordered to attend to their wants.

THE SLAVE.

Chapter II

When the day of sale arrived, the Celts were perfumed on leaving the bath ; their long hair was carefully combed, and adorned with ornaments, pains being taken, however, always to preserve the foreign air which showed their origin. Finally, at the fourth hour, after having placed upon the brows of the captives the same wreaths of leaves which they had worn at their entrance into Rome, and having suspended around their necks scrolls upon which were specified the qualities of each, the slave-dealers compelled them to ascend platforms, built in front of the booth. A dozen old captives were added to their number, whom the owner hoped to dispose of, by means of the wealth which the sale of the Armoricans would attract to the spot. According to the law, which compelled the slave-dealers to declare the origin of their slaves by external marks, the latter did not

THE SLAVE.

wear the crown of leaves which distinguished the prisoners of war; but their feet, rubbed with chalk, announced the fact that they were from beyond the sea. Some of them had their heads covered with a cap of white woollen cloth, to show that the dealer did not answer for their qualifications, and would not take upon himself any legal responsibility in regard to them.

For the second time, the Roman Forum displayed its splendors before these natives of Armorica; yet if the poor captives had recovered, in repose, a little of their former strength, their hearts were not the less sad, nor more accessible to amusement. All that splendor of marble, of bronze, and of monuments was hardly observed by the greater part of them. One thing only struck them; this was the almost deserted appearance of the square, through which they had seen, some days before, the tide of population ebb and flow. It was the time when the magistrates were administering justice, the merchants attending to the affairs of commerce in the basilicas ; when the buyers were occupied in 2

THE SLAVE.

the booths. As to the idlers, they were to be found, as usual, wherever there was anything stirring; seriously occupied with watching the labor of others, and giving their opinions upon it, without taking any part in it themselves.

In a few hours, the appearance of the Forum would be completely altered ; the Roman populace would inundate the square ; but till then the captives were masters of their movements and their thoughts.

They employed these moments of expectation in uttering their last farewells. They could once more grasp each other by the hand ; they could intermingle their tears, speak of those who were dead, and repeat the name of their country in that soft Celtic tongue which they must so soon exchange for the language of their masters.

The strongest tried to afford some consolation to the weak, by speaking to them of vengeance. They reminded them that all was not lost for Armorica, since the gods who protected their country would still watch over her exiled children ; but among the voices

THE SLAVE.

which were raised to encourage this noble pride, that of the old Morgan could be heard over all.

“ Let us not show the wounds in our hearts to our enemies,” said he, in a calm, clear voice. “ After having shed our blood before them, let us not give them the triumph of seeing our tears. Whatever misery these people may have in store for us, no torments can be so cruel as those we endured when torn, by force, from our native soil. Let us, then, take courage from the thought that we have passed through our severest trial. Let the women even allow no cry to escape them, if new sorrows touch them through their children, and let the heart of the Armorican woman be great enough to suppress all the tears of the mother.”

The eye of Morgan rested upon those who surrounded him, with an expression of sublime command ; but when he met the eyes of Norva, which were fixed with anxiety upon her son, a shade of pity crossed his face, and his voice changed suddenly to a softer tone.

THE SLAVE.

“ Norva,” said he, “ thou art a chieftain^s wife ; remember that my brother watches thee from the palace of clouds, in which he now dwells ; do not make him blush, before the eyes of the heroes.”

“ I will try,” answered the mother.

“ And thou, niy child,” added the old man, turning towards Arvins, — “ thou who wilt be, perhaps, in a few hours, but an unhappy branch detached from its parent stem, remember that Armorica is thy country, and that before the day when the Romans trod thy native soil, the Celts, whom they have loaded with chains, lived free and happy, under the shade of their great forests. All hatred, then, to our conquerors ! And when our Gods, the only true and powerful divinities, shall bring the hour of our country’s deliverance, show this nation that we also are worthy to be masters ; for we shall know how to make them suffer. If ever, at the sight of an enemy, thou feelest an emption of pity, listen to the voice of memory, and she will tell thee that the Armoricans have transmitted to their children vengeance as their sole inheritance.”

THE SLAVE.

The light which flashed from the eyes of Arvins gave a promise stronger than any words could have done. Morgan, the noble and courageous old man, but priest of a religion which knew no mercy, seemed to rejoice in the feelings which he had just aroused. He placed his hand on the child’s head, in token of benediction, and, turning towards the mother, he added, “ Fear nothing for thy son, Norva ; he has already so brave a heart that the ills of life may touch without degrading him.”

The clepsydra of the temple of Castor marked the fifth hour. This was the hour when the square of the Forum was to be filled with the crowd ; and the slave-dealer imposed silence on the slaves.

Norva pressed close to Morgan, and tried to draw her boy still nearer to her side ; for she felt strengthened by this double protection of pity and love. Arvins clasped his mother’s hand to his heart, and cast upon her a look in which was mingled the gentle submission of the child and the proud resolution of the man.

THE SLAVE.

The eager crowd hastened to surround the booths of the slave-dealers, which were situated in different parts of the Forum. Each dealer, with a switch in his hand, walked about his platform, and endeavored to attract the attention of the crowd by outvying his neighbors in extravagant falsehoods.

“ Come to me, O illustrious citizens ! ” cried the owner of Norva and her son ; “ none of my companions can offer you slaves endowed with such qualities as these of mine. You know that I have been long distinguished in trade, for the superiority of my merchandise. Look now,” continued he, pointing out an Armorican of about thirty, remarkable for the elegance of his form and the energy displayed in his bearing ; “ where will you find a man so handsome and so powerful? Is he not worthy to stand for a Hercules?* And, moreover, noble Romans, you may believe me, for nothing would compel me to lie ; this slave is a thousand times more valuable for his honesty, his intelligence, his sobriety, and his docility, than for his beauty, which so surprises you. Who would

THE SLAVE.

not be willing to make a slight sacrifice to procure so rare a treasure ? ’’

The more the crowd increased around the booth of the slave-dealer, the louder grew his insolent boasting. It seemed as if the insignificant face of this seller of men, the living personification of all the shameful and brutal passionsj was placed there as a contrast to those beautiful Celtic heads, which showed, for the most part, only proud instincts and noble sentiments.

Already many bargains had been concluded ; many decrees of separation of beloved friends had been pronounced. More than one old man had seen the son, on whom he had depended, depart ; more than one child had seen its mother led away as a slave. Yet all religiously kept the promise they had made, not to display their grief before their enemies. They stifled their sighs and repressed their tears as each new companion was lost in the distance, and if any mother’s courage failed her at the departure of her child, the others placed themselves before her, that her groans might not reach their master’s ears.

THE SLAVE.

Every scene of this painful but silent drama thrilled the soul of Norva. At every blow which fell upon one of her brothers, she felt that a new faculty of suffering had been developed in the depths of her heart ; but when her strength would have deserted her, she raised her eyes to Morgan, and the sight of his unmoved countenance restored her courage.

At one time, the heart of the poor woman was filled with joy ; — a mother and her child had been purchased by the same master. But with her recollection, her grief quickly returned ; there were around her so many children without mothers, and mothers without children !

There now remained only ten Armoricans, among whom was still left the group consisting of Norva and her son and Morgan, when the eyes of a freedman became fixed with marked attention upon Arvins.

The slave-dealer, always alive to whatever concerned his merchandise, advanced quickly to the side of the boy, and, resting the end of his switch upon his shoulder, said : “ Would

THE SLAVE.

you not say, to look at this youth, so tall and so strong, that he is at least in his fifteenth year ? Well, I assure you he is only nine. You can judge what he will one day become. This Armorican race is truly marvellous.’’

Norva could not restrain a shudder when she saw the slave-dealer’s whip resting on her son’s shoulder. But Arvins gave no signs of emotion during the long examination of the purchaser.

Finally, after convincing himself that the child suited him, the Roman offered three hundred sesterces for him. Several voices raised the price to four hundred, when the bids ceased.

As the highest bidder, the Roman advanced towards the platform, near to a man having before him a small table, upon which were brazen scales, and, taking an as in his hand, he said : “ I declare that this young boy is mine, according to the rights of the Quirites, and that I have bought him with this money and by these scales.”

He then let the piece fall into one of the scales.

THE SLAVE.

This sound was like a death-blow to Norva, for it had preceded the departure of each one of her companions. The boy was, for a moment, moved at the sight of his mother’s paleness ; but a glance from Morgan sufficed to restore calmness to his demeanor. The old man bent towards Norva, and murmured some words in her ear, at which the poor mother quickly recovered her self-possession.

This scene passed, doubtless, too rapidly to be noticed by a stranger. Morgan, at least, seemed to think so, for he cast upon the crowd of Romans his old look of disdain.

The slave-dealer came to take Arvins, in order to place him with the old slaves of the freedman, who were awaiting their new companion at the bottom of the platform! A brutal gesture separated the mother and child, and the unhappy woman had not even time to place her lips upon the brow of her son.

“Farewell, my mother!” cried Arvins; “we shall soon see each other again; I have hope, for I trust to my strength and my patience. Farewell, Morgan ! ”

THE SLAVE.

“ Farewell/^ cried the latter, .stretching out his hand towards him. His arm remained extended, for a long time, to hide from the curious crowd the pale face of Norva !

THE SLAVE.

Chapter III

The freedman who had bought Arvins was the steward of one of the richest patricians of Rome.

Claudius Corvinus had inherited, but a few years before, two hundred million sesterces,* the greater part of which he had already squandered. His palace was noted as one of the most superb on the Coelian Hill. Its floors were of Carystean marble, the pillars of bronze, the statues of ivory, and the baths of porphyry. There were banqueting-halls, or triclinia^ for every season of the year, containing couches of citron-wood inlaid with silver, with cushions of swan’s-down and coverings of silk from Babylon. The halls were hung with rich stuffs, and veils of purple, embroidered in gold, were suspended above the festal tables.

* About eight million dollars.

THE SLAVE.

When the freedman, with the boy, reached this splendid mansion, he knocked at the bronze gate. The porter left his box, where he was chained with a Molossian, and quickly opened the gate. The conductor of Arvins then asked for the Carthaginian. This was the interpreter, whose business it was to converse with the three hundred slaves of Corvinus. Having been engaged in commerce before his captivity, he had crossed every sea in the ships of his people, and spoke the languages of nearly all the maritime nations.

The freedman delivered the young Celt to him, that he might be clothed in a proper costume and receive the necessary instructions. The Carthaginian led the boy to the quarter occupied by the slaves.

“ Have you been instructed yet in your new duties ? ” asked he.

“ I have received lessons only from freemen,” proudly answered Arvins.

The interpreter smiled.

“ You are indeed a son of the Gauls, who fear nothing but that the heavens should fall,” replied he, ironically. “Yet I warrant 3

THE SLAVE.

that here you will fear more the stroke of the lash. You must know, in the first place, that, as a slave, you are no longer a person, but a thing. Your master can do what he pleases with you ; he can put you in chains, without a reason ; whip you, merely for his amusement ; or even have you devoured by the fish in his fish-pond, as Vedius Pollio did.”

“ Let him do his worst,” said Arvins.

“ Corvinus is not cruel,” continued the Carthaginian. “ He is one of the gallants of Rome, and his principal occupation is to ruin himself. He usually rises about the tenth hour (4 o’clock, P. M.), and places himself in the hands of his domestic slaves, who perfume him, paint his cheeks, and rub his chin with psilotrum, to make the beard fall off. A hundred and fifty slaves are employed here to wait upon him, and each one has his different office.”

“ What will mine be ? ” asked Arvins.

“ You are to be employed about the chariots,” replied the interpreter. « Now follow me, and I will show you your kingdom.”

He then led the young Celt to the coach-

THE SLAVE.

houses, where they found the chariots, under cover.

“ See first,’^ said the Carthaginian, “ the pe~ tonta, equipages with four wheels, imitated from those of the Germans, which are used for the transportation of provisions or slaves. Farther on are the covini, covered cars, in which the master goes out when it rains. These light vehicles, ornamented with ivory, tortoise-shell, and chased silver, which you see at the right, are called rhedce; Corvinus commonly uses them for driving out. On your left are the litters, adorned with Persian carpets and purple curtains.’^

Arvins was overwhelmed by the sight of so much magnificence. The interpreter led him to the stables, paved with lava, all the racks of which were made of Etrurian marble.

“ The fifty mules which stand there,” said the Carthaginian, “ are intended to draw the chariot of Corvinus. As for those sixty horses, which you can see on the other side, they are for the Numidian slaves, who run before the equipage of the master when he goes out. Now that you are acquainted with

THE SLAVE.

these places, I will take you to the master of the stables, to learn your duties.”

Arvins went, with the interpreter, to the slave who had the charge of the equipages. He told the Carthaginian what would be required of the boy, and his conductor then translated these orders to him. When he had finished his instructions, he said, —

“ I have only one more charge to give you, which is, always to keep silence before your master, when you have learned the Latin language. He is so proud in his bearing towards his slaves, that he never addresses a word to them. He gives his orders to them, by signs or by writing on his tablets. Now you may go for your diarium^ or daily ration, and then you can begin your work.”

All that Arvins had just heard and seen was so new to him, that his grief was, for a time, at least, forgotten, if not relieved.

But it was far different when he saw Claudius Corvinus go forth, surrounded by his clients, his flute-players, and his attendant Salii, dressed in a purple toga, his hair perfumed with cinnamon, his arms polished with

THE SLAVE.

pumice-stone and covered with bracelets set with precious stones. Arvins had never even formed an idea of such riches. Such was, in reality, at that time, the manner of living of the wealthy patricians of Rome, whose houses resembled rather the effeminate courts of the most powerful kings of Asia, than private dwellings. Nothing was heard in them but the voices of singers ; wreaths of roses, from Psestum, left there by the guests, were strewed about the threshold, and an odor of feasting constantly exhaled through the open windows. Every morning, a crowd of clients filled the vestibule, to receive the spor^ tula^ or daily portion of one hundred quadrans* by means of which their patron secured their votes at the elections of the magistrates. The patron sometimes showed himself to these eager courtiers, passing through the crowd with an indifferent air, and his head bent towards the nomenclator^ a slave who repeated in his ear the name of each individual.