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356 DARKNESS AND DAWN
' '
Do they stand alone in that respect
? asked Seneca, .fixing
' '
a keen look on him. Do masters never show bad passions
?
Every one understood the allusion, for in the days of Augustus
the young man's ancestor, Vedius Pollio, had ordered
a slave to be flung into the fish-pond to feed the lampreys,
merely because he fell and broke a crystal vase. Augustus,
who was dining with Pollio that day, was so indignant that
he ordered the slave to be set free, and every crystal vase in
the house to be broken.
'
Seneca will begin to think himself mistaken if I say that
'
/ agree with him,' said Petronius. Nevertheless, I do. I
cannot bear to enter a friend's house and hear it clanking with
chains and ringing with yells, like an ergastulum.'
'
Petronius is the soul of good nature,' said Cassius Longinus
;
'
but I pity Rome if those maudlin views prevail.'
'
Yes,' echoed the fierce Cingonius Varro '
so
; many slaves
so many We foes. nobles live all our lives in a sort of beleaguered
garrison.
If the Senate does not do its duty, I shall
!
emigrate.'
'
Who makes our slaves our foes ? answered Seneca. Mine
'
'
are not. Most of them are faithful to me. They are my
humble friends. I believe they love me. I know that many
of them would die for me. We become slaves ourselves
because we have
Tush so many.'
said Scsevinus. These sentimentalities will ruin
'
' '
us. Why, some of us have a thousand slaves, and some of
us have more. We don't know their names, and have to
keep a nomenclator to tell us. Galba is the only person I
know who keeps up the ridiculous old fashion of all the slaves
and freedmen coming in twice daily, to say " "
Good morning
and " Good evening." Are we to waste our time in trying to
curry favour with them ? I rule mine by the lash and the
chain and the torture. Ha !
Pudens, my grave newly-wedded
pvimipilar here will be some work for you.'
;
'
'
'
Never ! said Pudens. I would rather resign my commission
than carry out the Silanian law and superintend the
slaughter of the innocent.'
'
And you, my young Titus ? '
asked Petronius.
'
I
hear
you are going soon to see some military service. Do you
think that your step-mother Caen is and the boy Domitiau
will be able to '
keep your slaves in order ?