Fabiola : or, The church of the catacombs - Digital Repository Services

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rious mfen, they divided it into two parts, and repeatedly corn-
plumed, that this time, it failed entirely in a certain tlushy protuberance.
But the heart of the animal and the well-arranged
entrails gave more hope for a happy termination of the war.
The future was ascertained in this manner, and those parts of
the victim which belonged to the gods, were sprinkled with flour,
wine and incense, and placed upon the dickering embers. Upon
this, the people approached and laid down their gifts, which
were also burnt in honor of the gods; amongst these offerings
were the most costly gold and silver ornaments.
But as this day's sacrifice was too important for only one bull
to serve, so the heathens sent Jupiter a countless number of heif-
ers, the principal of which were to be offered to the gods, others
for the priests, and the remainder for the people, who sat down
round the temple waiting for the feast, with the music of pipes,
cornets and flutes. The feast at an end, prayers were said
aloud, the wine was handed round, and then the people were
dismissed with the words, " You are allowed to depart in peace."
We have now in a few lines, placed before our reader a pagan
sacrifice; and we leave it to him, to judge of the religious element
of the action.
one remark we wish to add upon the fundamental
Only
thought of the action. Sacrifice is the centre, not only of the
Christian but also of the Mosaic and even of pagan worship.
He who makes the offering acknowledges that he is unworthy of
the gifts of the divinity.and that he has forfeited them by sin.
Therefore he places on the altars, the most beautiful substitute
of the gifts of the deity, fruits, animals and treasures, in humble
acknowledgment that he is unworthy of such blessings. The
anger of God, according to the ancient faith, was to be entirely
appeased only by a sacrifice of life, and hence came human sac-
rifices the blood of man was looked on as the bearer of life,
and poured upon the altar. Later on, the blood of animals was
offered instead of human blood, therefore the offerings of ani-
mals, according to the ideas of the ancients, and also of the
Israelites, were a substitute for many human offerings.
The religious ceremony we have just described in the Temple
was intended to conciliate Jupiter, father of the gods, with mankind,
and thereby to make them worthy of his assistance in the
coming war. For the same reason, we see the people of Athens,
one day after the other, making their offerings, at one time in
the citadel of Pallas, at another in the massively built temple of
Mars,* aud in numerous other temples of the city.
At length the day dawned in which the soldiers were to take
shipping in the harbor of Piraeus. It was the day of separation
from family, friends and country. Fathers reminded their sons
of the old saying of the Spartan, " either to return with, or on
the shield."
With blessings Lucius extricated himself from the tender em-
braces of a mother, who loved no one on earth more ardently
than the fiery youth, who now, for the first time, took the field.
He knew how to comfort his mother, by placing before her, the
glorious future, and the high honors which the present war
would secure. We shall soon see how he found, that youthful
enthusiasm resembles a glittering soap-bubble, which only too
soon sinks into a drop of muddy water.
CHAPTER VIL
CHARACTERISTIC SKETCHES OP THE SLAVES, AND THEIR MODE OF
LIFE.
WHEN Lucius departed, his mother gave way to excessive grief.
She now felt, for the first time, how tenderly she loved her son.
While we leave her in solitude, retired from the world, with an
ear for nothing else but the language of a mother's afflicted heart,
we will take our gentle readers through the domestic portion of
The beautiful Doric temple on tho west dele of Athene is considered to be
oi.i of the best preserved rains of antiquity, and in usually called the temple of
the god of war.
Professor Doctor Kosse mentions that this temple was dediaaud to
LYD1 A.
this lady's immense establishment, and give them a little idea of
the characters and mode of life, of its principal inmates
To commence then In those buildings surrounding the court
yard, were an unusual number of cooks, all of whom were well
experienced in preparing delicacies. They spared no pains, this
very day, in serving up favorite dishes for their afflicted mis
tress; yet they had not the satisfaction of seeing her enjoy them.
The duty of carrying them to table devolved upon youths of the
finest form, purchased from the distant North, with their much
admired blue eyes and flaxen hair. Next was a capacious hall,
the occupants of which remind us of our own unhappy factory
people. Maids were sitting behind a long row of looms, weaving
stuffs, partly for their mistress, and partly for the numerous domestics
of the house. In the garden were a still greater number
of slaves, some planting vegetables, others weeding flower-beds
and looking after the fruit trees. But in Metella's olive-gardens,
vineyard, and in her country houses, both at Kephissia and
E!eusis, one could only form a perfect idea of the number and
occupations of her dependents.
After this general survey, we will now place some of the above
mentioned beings individually before the reader. We will first
introduce him to our favorite, who is just now standing in penance
in the corner of the front impluvium, the fair-haired Dur-
anus, whose duty it is to stand near the Clepsydra, or water-clock.
When he perceived that strangers were coming, he hung down
his head in confusion upon the little board, suspended from his
neck, upon which was written the fault he had been guilty of.
As it had gone well with him for some weeks, he took down the
whip that usually hung on the balusters, and mischievously secreted
it in one of the arbors of the garden. At length his
conduct required it, and it was no where to be found, till the
severe Bogus discovered it, and deeply impressed it on the shoui
ders of the youth. In addition to this, a log was fastened to his
foot, and he had been already standing half the day in a corner
of the colonnade. Although he then looked downcast, still his
usual aspect was cheerful. He bore a strong resemblance to the
playful squirrel, which is happiest, when climbing trees His
gentle disposition often expressed itself in the soft plaintive tones
he drew from his Tibia.*
When mischievously inclined, he would take his tambourine,
and drum upon it with all his might, till Bogus gave him a sen-
ibte hint, that it was time to strike the hour on the Clepsydra.
This Bogus was a rough, hard hearted man. He had spent
some years in the army, of which he was not a little proud, as
could easily be seen by the care with which he kept up his mill
tary deportment. He is Metella's slave master, and carries a
staff in his hand as the sign of his office, and has the superintendence
and power of punishing the slave. A cap firmly pressed
down on his head, and tightened round his full bloated face,
gives one to understand that he is no longer a slave. Formerly
he was one, having been taken prisoner of war, with other sol-
diers, and made to pass under the yoke, in the market-place of
Athens. He was sold as a slave to Metellus, from whom he had
afterwards received his freedom. A scourge would have suited
him better than a staff, for nothing gave him greater pleasure
than to tie a slave up to a pillar, and fasten a heavy weight to
his feet, m order that be might have him in a straight immovable
position, to receive an uncertain number of lashes. His
cruel disposition resembled Caligula's. This Emperor one day,
ordered several youths of the best families of Rome, to be lashed,
and then put to the torture, and this merely for pastime. His
severity to his interiors, was only equalled by his cringing ser-
vility, and uncomfortable politeness to his superiors.
A similar situation to that which Bogus had once enjoyed with
Metellus, his deceased master, an old female slave, nearly sixty
years of age, named Selina, enjoyed with his mistress. She was
an African by birth, and had passed more than half her life
with her present mistress. She had known Metella as a child,
and was purchased by Atticus in the slave market of Rome, to
nurse his little Chrysophora. Her dark brown African counten-
A musical inrtrament of that day.