King Candaules | Page 6

so fascinating to young kings,
had little attraction for him. He contented himself with repelling the
attacks of his ambitious neighbours, and sought not to extend his own
dominions. He preferred building palaces, after plans suggested by
himself to the architects, who always found the king's hints of no small
value, or to form collections of statues and paintings by artists of the
elder and later schools. He had the works of Telephanes of Sicyon,
Cleanthes, Ardices of Corinth, Hygiemon, Deinias, Charmides,
Eumarus, and Cimon, some being simple drawings, and others
paintings in various colours or monochromes. It was even said that
Candaules had not disdained to wield with his own royal hands--a thing
hardly becoming a prince--the chisel of the sculptor and the sponge of
the encaustic painter.

But why should we dwell upon-Candaules? The reader undoubtedly
feels like the people of Sardes: and it is of Nyssia that he desires to
hear.
The daughter of Megabazus was mounted upon an elephant, with
wrinkled skin and immense ears which seemed like flags, who
advanced with a heavy but rapid gait, like a vessel in the midst of the
waves. His tusks and his trunk were encircled with silver rings, and
around the pillars of his limbs were entwined necklaces of enormous
pearls. Upon his back, which was covered with a magnificent Persian
carpet of striped pattern, stood a sort of estrade overlaid with gold
finely chased, and constellated with onyx stones, carnelians, chrysolites,
lapis-lazuli, and girasols; upon this estrade sat the young queen, so
covered with precious stones as to dazzle the eyes of the beholders. A
mitre, shaped like a helmet, on which pearls formed flower designs and
letters after the Oriental manner, was placed upon her head; her ears,
both the lobes and rims of which had been pierced, were adorned with
ornaments in the form of little cups, crescents, and balls; necklaces of
gold and silver beads, which had been hollowed out and carved, thrice
encircled her neck and descended with a metallic tinkling upon her
bosom; emerald serpents with topaz or ruby eyes coiled themselves in
many folds about her arms, and clasped themselves by biting their own
tails. These bracelets were connected by chains of precious stones, and
so great was their weight that two attendants were required to kneel
beside Nyssia and support her elbows. She was clad in a robe
embroidered by Syrian workmen with shining designs of golden foliage
and diamond fruits, and over this she wore the short tunic of Persepolis,
which hardly descended to the knee, and of which the sleeves were slit
and fastened by sapphire clasps. Her waist was encircled from hip to
loins by a girdle wrought of narrow material, variegated with stripes
and flowered designs, which formed themselves into symmetrical
patterns as they were brought together by a certain arrangement of the
folds which Indian girls alone know how to make. Her trousers of
byssus, which the Phoenicians called syndon were confined at the
ankles by anklets adorned with gold and silver bells, and completed this
toilet so fantastically rich and wholly opposed to Greek taste. But, alas!
a saffron-coloured flammeum pitilessly masked the face of Nyssia, who

seemed embarrassed, veiled though she was, at finding so many eyes
fixed upon her, and frequently signed to a slave behind her to lower the
parasol of ostrich plumes, and thus conceal her yet more from the
curious gaze of the crowd.
Candaules had vainly begged of her to lay aside her veil, even for that
solemn occasion. The young barbarian had refused to pay the welcome
of her beauty to his people. Great was the disappointment. Lamia
declared that Nyssia dared not uncover her face for fear of showing her
double pupil. The young libertine remained convinced that Theano of
Colophon was more beautiful than the queen of Sardes; and Gyges
sighed when he beheld Nyssia, after having made her elephant kneel
down, descend upon the inclined heads of Damascus slaves as upon a
living ladder, to the threshold of the royal dwelling, where the elegance
of Greek architecture was blended with the fantasies and enormities of
Asiatic taste.
CHAPTER II
In our character of poet we have the right to lift the saffron-coloured
flammeum which concealed the young bride, being more fortunate in
this wise than the Sardians, who after a whole day's waiting were
obliged to return to their houses, and were left, as before, to their own
conjectures.
Nyssia was really far superior to her reputation, great as it was. It
seemed as though Nature in creating her had resolved to exhaust her
utmost powers, and thus make atonement for all former experimental
attempts and fruitless essays. One would have said that, moved by
jealousy of the future marvels of the Greek sculptors, she also