Quo Vadis | Page 6

as a lamprey eel, then, or a youthful sardine?"
"Jest not, Petronius; but if the freedom with which I speak of my desire
misleads thee, know this,--that bright garments frequently cover deep
wounds. I must tell thee, too, that, while returning from Asia, I slept
one night in the temple of Mopsus to have a prophetic dream. Well,
Mopsus appeared in a dream to me, and declared that, through love, a
great change in my life would take place."
"Pliny declares, as I hear, that he does not believe in the gods, but he
believes in dreams; and perhaps he is right. My jests do not prevent me
from thinking at times that in truth there is only one deity, eternal,
creative, all-powerful, Venus Genetrix. She brings souls together; she
unites bodies and things. Eros called the world out of chaos. Whether
he did well is another question; but, since he did so, we should
recognize his might, though we are free not to bless it."
"Alas! Petronius, it is easier to find philosophy in the world than wise
counsel."
"Tell me, what is thy wish specially?"
"I wish to have Lygia. I wish that these arms of mine, which now
embrace only air, might embrace Lygia and press her to my bosom. I

wish to breathe with her breath. Were she a slave, I would give Aulus
for her one hundred maidens with feet whitened with lime as a sign that
they were exhibited on sale for the first time. I wish to have her in my
house till my head is as white as the top of Soracte in winter."
"She is not a slave, but she belongs to the 'family' of Plautius; and since
she is a deserted maiden, she may be considered an 'alumna.' Plautius
might yield her to thee if he wished."
"Then it seems that thou knowest not Pomponia Græcina. Both have
become as much attached to her as if she were their own daughter."
"Pomponia I know,--a real cypress. If she were not the wife of Aulus,
she might be engaged as a mourner. Since the death of Julius she has
not thrown aside dark robes; and in general she looks as if, while still
alive, she were walking on the asphodel meadow. She is, moreover, a
'one-man woman'; hence, among our ladies of four and five divorces,
she is straighrway a phoenix. But! hast thou heard that in Upper Egypt
the phoenix has just been hatched out, as 'tis said?--an event which
happens not oftener than once in five centuries."
"Petronius! Petronius! Let us talk of the phoenix some other time."
"What shall I tell thee, my Marcus? I know Aulus Plautius, who,
though he blames my mode of life, has for me a certain weakness, and
even respects me, perhaps, more than others, for he knows that I have
never been an informer like Domitius Afer, Tigellinus, and a whole
rabble of Ahenobarbus's intimates [Nero's name was originally L.
Domitius Ahenobarbus]. Without pretending to be a stoic, I have been
offended more than once at acts of Nero, which Seneca and Burrus
looked at through their fingers. If it isthy thought that I might do
something for thee with Aulus, I am at thy command."
"I judge that thou hast the power. Thou hast influence over him; and,
besides, thy mind possesses inexhaustible resources. If thou wert to
survey the position and speak with Plautius."
"Thou hast too great an idea of my influence and wit; but if that is the

only question, I will talk with Plautius as soon as they return to the
city."
"They returned two days since."
"In that case let us go to the triclinium, where a meal is now ready, and
when we have refreshed ourselves, let us give command to bear us to
Plautius."
"Thou hast ever been kind to me," answered Vinicius, with vivacity;
"but now I shall give command to rear thy statue among my lares,--just
such a beauty as this one,--and I will place offerings before it."
Then he turned toward the statues which ornamented one entire wall of
the perfumed chamber, and pointing to the one which represented
Petronius as Hermes with a staff in his hand, he added,--"By the light
of Helios! if the 'godlike' Alexander resembled thee, I do not wonder at
Helen."
And in that exclamation there was as much sincerity as flattery; for
Petronius, though older and less athletic, was more beautiful than even
Vinicius. The women of Rome admired not only his pliant mind and
his taste, which gained for him the title Arbiter elegantiæ, but also his
body. This admiration was evident even on the faces of those maidens
from Kos who were arranging the folds of his toga; and one of whom,
whose name was