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

L TDIA.
ivory sceptre headed with the Roman eagle, and in the right, a
palm-branch. The crown that encircled his brow was of gold
and precious atones, and made so as to represent laurel leaves.
Commodus was dressed precisely similar.
A herald went on before, commanding silence, and behind
him were boys who sung the song of triumph, and men repeated
each time the last words of the strophe. The hymn lauded the
bravery, the paternal care,
ruler.
and the immortality of their divine
The car had not yet reached the triumphal arch, when young
Commodus was seen looking several times up at the heights of
the newly built Moles Adrian!, now called Angel's mount and
laughingly drew his father's attention to a sight that presented
Itself there. It was Brutus Prsesais with his daughter Crispina,
who occupied magnificent seats under the imperial tents. The
daughter, who was about thirteen years old, uttered a cry of joy
as the procession approached, and waved a flag unceasingly, until
she drew upon her the eyes of Commodus. But when she saw
his face painted with vermilion, * she burst into loud laughter,
and ran to conceal herself behind her father. That very Crispina
was Rome's future Empress, and was married a short time after
to Commodus. How little did she suspect at the time, what her
appearance. Young Commodus almost envied them, as he liked
so much to be compared with Hercules. $ Some of the barba-
rian generals and princes had on a richer costume, and by their
mien, and every motion of their body, showed the proud national
feeling that pervaded their whole frame. Women and children
were also amongst the captives. The women wore the same
costume as the men, except that some of them were clothed in
white linen, which here and there was colored fancifully with
red. Their garments closed tightly round their shoulders,
leaving part of their arms uncovered.^
The cries of the children were most touching, and they were
clinging closely to their mothers and calling for help, thereby
redoubling the pain of their parents. To increase the hatred of
their captives, there was a pantomimist, who in the midst of
leapers and jesters, ornamented with golden chains and mana-
cles, mimicked the gestures of the barbarians. The grinding of
their teeth, the thrusting with their clenched fists, and the whin-
ing of their children. He runs first before, and then behind, de-
peivling upon the protection of the Lictors. On the bridge
crossing the Tiber, one of the scoffers got a blow from an iron
The face of the conqneror was painted with vermilion like the statue of
Jupiter on feast days. Plin. zxxiii.
t Crispina was later banished to the island of Capri, and there murdered.
t When Emperor, Commodus called himself the " Roman Hercules," ran
about at night dressed in the akin of a Lion, and struck all thoee, be met, with a
club.
chain in his face with such force, that the blood streamed
down, and he had to thank his red mantle for not being himself
a subject of laughter. No wonder that the cithern and
pipe players who surrounded the pautomimist. moderated their
leaping. What was taken from the enemy in helmets, arms and
vessels of the temple, in gold and bronze, was of little value.
Amongst their arms, the native spear of the conquered excited
some attention. It was of small, short, but very sharp iron.
The shields were also considered remarkable, because of their
form and rare variety of ornaments.
The distinguished Romans, who accompanied the triumphal
car, were a cheerful contrast to the despairing gloom of the
captives. Immediately behind the nobles, the cohorts of the
victorious soldiers followed; the foot and cavalry were crowned
with wreaths. They sing songs in seize
praise of their arms, and
the wine and delicate morsels which were now and then
offered them by the nobles. Whatever houses the procession
passed, were ornamented with garlands, flowers, and tapestry,
on which the initials of the Emperor's name were richly embroidered.
The cries "lo triumphe! Vivant Patres Painter
Triumph! triumph to
all sides.
the father of the fatherland!" echoed from
*
The pavement of the different streets was thickly strewn with
fate would be! f
'
The more the Emperor and his son enjoyed the scene, the more
did the African, who stood behind the Csesars, fulfil his duty.
According to the ancient custom, a slave, who held in his hand
a golden crown, and who stood behind the car, had to call out
frequently during the procession: " Remember that thou art
mortal."
As the African crown-bearer repeated these words several
times in the ear of Commodus, he pushed him back in his rough
manner, with the words: " I am no common mortal."
The procession had turned round the Via Triumphalis, where
Adrian's Mausoleum could no longer be seen. But tears so bitter
as those that fell from the captives, the soil of Rome had
seldom drunk. That the pain and sacrifice of a tedious war
should end for them in such disgrace! The captives walked along
carrying on their arms heavy chains, and derided and mocked by
the most flighty and contemptible men in the world. Their
dark blue eyes shaded with bushy eyebrows, were cast to the
earth, and only raised to throw an expression of the deepest ha-
flowers, so that Rome resembled a flower-garden. In addition to
this, the air was heavy
tred on their deridfrs. Their auburn hair flowed proudly down
their muscular backs in natural curls. Their national costume,
a simple woolen mantle, or the skin of a beast fastened on the
breast with a buckle or strong clasp, increased their Herculean
with perfume, for from every temple the
incense rose in clouds, but from the Pantheon of Agrippa, and
from the Capitoline Hill it was dense.
The Emperor was so affected at his reception, that he called
out to the people several times; "This is the happiest day of
my life! " and he kissed the golden Bull that hung upon his neck
as a preservative against envy.
At the foot of the Capitol a large statue of Faustina was erected,
before which the procession halted, and the Emperor descended
from the car of triumph and offered incense. Then he ascended
the marble steps of Jupiter Capitolinus; when ascending
the Moor presented him with the golden crown and the conqueror
laid it at the feet of Jupiter with the words : "The gods have conquered;
to Jupiter Pluvius belongs the crown."
The animals that followed in the procession were here offered
in sacrifice. At the same moment sacrifices commenced in all
the other temples. The procession at an end, the feasting commenced.
On this, and on the following days, public festivities
of all sorts were celebrated, whereby old and young, high and
low, and particularly the common people, gave themselves up
to all sorts of gaming, and the most far fetched revelling and
gormandizing in the customary way, and which were indigenous
to the Roman people. The plays, says an ancient writer, which
the Emperor had provided for the people, were magnificent, and
at one of them appeared not less than a hundred lions for combat.
Notwithstanding his great efforts to make himself pleasing
to all, still he opposed them in their desire of gladiatorial com-
bats. He took their swords, and exchanged them for the rapier,
and maintained that they could prove their skill equally with
them, and that the muiders would be less frequent
The feast was concluded by Marcus making presents to the
people. No Emperor in fact, held them in so much consideration
as he did. He mentioned in a speech to them his several
years' absence from Rome, and some who were listening to him,
held up eight fingers and called out, "eight years." The Em-
peror gave immediate orders for each one present to receive eight
pieces of gold of the value of a ducat, in remembrance of those
* Young Commodus, nearly a year later, as Marcus Aurelius had him titled
Augustus and partner in the government, received from the senate, the honorable
title of " Father of the Fatherland," a title of which he was as unworthy
an the Senate who conferred it. How Commodus, who was sole Emperor at 18
years old treated the Senate, can be 8ecn by the following example: Once he
killed a bird in the Amphitheatre, cut off its head and returned to his seat with
his bloody sword; then he showed the head of the bird to the Senators, who
were sitting near him, and gave them by menaces to understand that he would
treat their heads BO. Dio Caseins who relates the circumstance, sat under them,
and declares they could only suppress their lanshter at. the comii- scene, by stuff-
ing their mouths with the leaves of their laurel wreaths, which they pulled from
their hair. The laughter would have cost them their Hvei.