It would have greatly relieved the distracted mind of Martialis, had he
known that he occupied the Emperor’s thoughts to a far greater degree than
his beloved Neæra. The brilliant beauty and wit of Plautia was too far in
the ascendant, at present, in the Imperial heart to admit of a rival,
especially one of such a different type.
To Neæra, when she had been dismissed to safe keeping, Tiberius gave, for
the time, no further heed. Weightier matters engaged him, and very shortly
after the conclusion of the scene described in the last chapter, he rose
from the supper‐table and returned to his own apartment, from which he
dismissed every one.
Suspicion and dissimulation equipoised the Imperial mind. The former fed
the latter, and both were unutterably profound. Only the day before he had
yielded to the importunities of the Prefect, and had consented to give him
his daughter‐in‐law in marriage. Sejanus retired in joy, with everything
arranged for his early reception into the Imperial family. His plans, long
and carefully followed up, were now well‐nigh matured, and he laughed in
his sleeve at the earnest, trustful affection which the Emperor had
displayed very liberally toward him. He was not aware of the fact that he
daily and hourly filled the buried thoughts of the old man—thoughts which
trusted nobody; that his own eager ambition was blinding him, and actually
supplying a fatal web for a subtler mind than his own to weave around him.
The close attention which the Emperor devoted to the Prefect, by a natural
sequence, could not fail to follow the person of the Prefect’s favourite
officer. If not so familiar with Martialis personally, he was well‐
informed by report in all concerning him. Up to the moment when the
Centurion hurriedly accounted for his movements, the mind of Tiberius was
smouldering with passion, on the point of breaking into a fierce flame of
summary vengeance for the unparalleled temerity of a reckless invasion of
his privacy. At that particular moment his craft seized like lightning
upon an idea; his wrath sank subordinate, and became a mere simulation. We
shall presently see how his subtle conjectures were realised. For the
time, however, Martialis was spared, providing his own stubbornness
presented no further obstacle to lenience. His personal attributes, his
fearless, soldierly defiance, reached a vein of sympathy which yet lived
dormant, far down in the depths of the tyrant’s heart. In his youth
Tiberius himself had been comely, tall of stature, strong of limb, and
skilled in hardy exercises; therefore the handsome face and athletic form,
the extraordinary strength, skill, and address of the young officer, had
not failed to arouse his secret admiration. The downfall of his gigantic
Nubian struck him with wonder, and relit a ray of the joys of the palæstra
of his own youthful days. But more grateful than this to his suspicious
nature, was the conclusion he drew from the frank, fearless countenance
and the simple faith of the Pretorian. Such a man might be invaluable, and
he determined that he should not be uselessly butchered, if it could be
profitably avoided. When Zeno stooped, and whisperingly reminded him of
the fact of the existence of a door, but seldom used, and hidden by the
curtain, immediately behind the position of Martialis, he assented eagerly
to the suggestion, which, we have seen, was carried out successfully.
So far all had gone fortunately. The Emperor withdrew; and, from the dark
expression of his face, it was readily inferred that the culprit would
have short shrift.
When alone, however, in his apartment, and safe from every eye, his mien
altered. Fits of abstraction and restless pacings of the room passed the
silent time, and as the hour of midnight approached, his impatience and
nervousness grew more marked. Several times his hand rested on a small
silver bell as if to ring, and, as often, after a few moments of
indecision, with his ears strained to catch the least sound in the deep
stillness, he turned away. Occasionally he went to one corner of the room,
and, drawing back a curtain, placed his ear close against the wall for a
few moments. Thence he would return to his seat and his book, for a space,
to leave them by and by for another excursion. Many varied positions he
occupied, now sitting, now reclining, now ambling hither and thither,
impelled by the pains of impatience and anxiety. Trifling with this
object, touching that, lifting and examining another, half unconsciously,
his state of nervous unrest, finding full vent within the deaf and
sightless walls of his retreat, was a wonderful relaxation from the
inscrutable impassiveness of his public demeanour.
Midnight had barely passed, when two or three taps proceeded from that
corner of the room where he had often paid a visit, and bent a listening
ear. His face cleared instantly, and he stepped at once toward the sound.
Stooping down he pressed a particular spot in the angle of the wall, and a
narrow, secret panel, wholly indistinguishable before, shot silently and
swiftly upward. Through the opening stepped Zeno.
‘Well?’ said Tiberius sharply; ‘at last! I have waited almost beyond my
patience.’
‘I have not lingered one second longer than I could possibly help,’
replied the Greek; ‘to have come sooner would have been rash.’
‘Is all safe now?’
‘Quite—he is off as sound as can be.’
‘And you are sure that no soul has passed from the palace outwards since
supper?’
‘Especial orders were given to all the guards.’
‘Come, then!’
They stepped through the secret opening and drew down the shutter after
them. It closed with a subdued, but clear ‘click,’ which denoted the
hidden instrumentality of a highly‐perfected spring. Zeno went on first
with the lamp. They descended two narrow winding flights of steps cut in
the rock; and at their foot, another door, as cunningly contrived and
hidden away, gave way to their potent touch in the same mysterious manner.
They were now in a wider gallery, all rock‐hewn and faced with brick. On
either side were ranged doors; and, at a little distance away, a lamp hung
from the ceiling, like a yellow beacon light struggling with the
subterranean gloom. Immediately beneath this lamp Zeno halted before a
door.
‘Are there none but ourselves below?’ muttered Tiberius.
‘No one,’ returned Zeno; ‘I despatched every one on one pretence and
another, and having seen all clear, locked up the main outlet myself.’
The steward pushed with his finger one of the many iron studs or bolt‐
heads which strengthened the door. It slid back a couple of inches and
disclosed a small peep‐hole, through which he peered. Satisfied with his
scrutiny he unlocked the door and they went in. The chamber was about
twelve feet square, and furnished with a small tripod stand, a stool, and
a pallet bed. From the ceiling hung a lamp which threw down a dismal light
on the cheerless place.
On the bed was stretched the form of Martialis in careless grace, with one
sinewy arm hanging down at length over the pallet‐side, toward the floor.
His appearance was corpse‐like. His closed eyes, his bold, handsome
features, his dark hair curling crisply over his brow, seemed all fixed in
the tranquil marble beauty of the early moments of death. Not a breath
seemed to part his moulded lips, and the steel cuirass which encased his
body hid effectually all sign of movement beneath. Tiberius started and
turned a frowning, inquiring glance on his companion. Zeno pointed to some
victuals and an empty pitcher which stood on the small stand.
‘He has eaten nothing and drunk every drop—he will give no trouble.’
‘How—have you killed him?’ demanded the Emperor sternly.
‘Ah no, Caesar—the drug was harmless for that, but potent enough to make
him no better than a clod for some hours; and a mercy for him, as you
would say, had you seen his state of mind. We may do what we please with
him.’
The steward spoke the truth, for, in the handling to which the inanimate
Pretorian was subjected, he exhibited no symptom of consciousness.
Underneath his cuirass they found a stout leather belt buckled round his
waist. Attached to the belt was a pouch securely fastened, and from this
the Emperor drew several scrolls of papyri—the paper of the ancients, made
from the Egyptian plant of that name. Taking these to the lamp on the
tripod, Tiberius turned his back on his trusty steward, and proceeded to
unroll them with eager trembling fingers. He glanced through the written
contents of each with a rapid practised eye, but found nothing therein,
save dry official reports from the deputy in command of the Pretorian camp
at Rome. His countenance fell gradually as he proceeded, and when he
arrived at the end, he gave vent to a muttered ejaculation of
disappointment. One other scroll remained, which was not of an official
nature, but evidently a late production of a bookseller’s shop.
It may be as well to explain that the book of the Romans in no point
resembled that of modern days, inasmuch as binding and pages formed no
component parts. The work of a Roman author was written on one continuous
strip of papyrus or parchment, of more or less length. This was rolled
round a stick of appropriate size in the same manner as a modern map or
chart, the exterior being neatly finished and lettered with the title of
the book. It is probable enough that the latter was also exhibited on a
ticket attached to the end of the roll, as affording a readier means of
ascertaining any particular book, when laid together on the shelves of the
library, or dropped endwise into the circular boxes used for their
transport.
The remaining roll or book, which the Emperor now took up, was sheathed in
a purple parchment covering. Sliding off the latter, he found the volume
to be of a nature he had already guessed with the accuracy of experience.
It was a satire, a _vers‐de‐societé_, by one of the poetasters of the day,
and very showily got up. As the outer sheath was removed a small slip of
paper fell out. It was an epistle, which ran as follows:—
‘Knowing you must at times feel dull with an out‐of‐the‐world
feeling, I have sent the accompanying volume in the hope it may
prove acceptable; it is only small, and will not add much to the
bulk and weight of your despatches. It is the last new thing by
Varius, and quite the rage. I have a very poor opinion of the
composition myself; but, as an elegant and artistic specimen of
the publisher’s workmanship, I think it is as admirable as any I
have yet seen—even to the mute wood itself, whose ornamentation
you will find well worthy of examination. It is mournful to think
that the bookmaker’s art should be so needed nowadays to eke out
an author’s want of wit.’
Now it happened that Tiberius, who was very devoted to literature, had
already perused the satire he now held. Every new publication of the city
was punctually forwarded to him, as might be expected. He, therefore,
unrolled the paper, which was about a yard and a half in length, and six
or eight inches wide, and glanced his eye down the beautifully charactered
effusion. There was also a portrait of the author included on the scroll;
but as it was all identical with what he had already seen, he passed it
over and bestowed more attention upon the wooden roller, to observe if
there was anything about it worthy of more particular notice than he had
before given to the one in his own possession. The little roller was plain
and coloured black, but each end was ornamented with a boss, rather of
conical shape, carved and picked out with brilliant colours. Tiberius
gazed at it and strove to compare it mentally with his own specimen. He
read the accompanying letter again, and tried hard to discover the
peculiar beauties of the wooden cylinder, so particularly recommended. He
failed to perceive anything extraordinary, but there seemed to be
something in the bulk thereof which struck him as unusual. Turning to
Zeno, he despatched him to his library to bring him his own copy. The
Greek soon returned, and Tiberius compared the two volumes. They were
exactly similar, being copies of the same edition; but, when he placed the
wooden cylinders together, he saw at once there was a difference in their
circumferences. That which belonged to the Prefect was very perceptibly
thicker; but, as the bosses affixed to the ends remained the same size, it
followed, that the margin of the projection was less in the Prefect’s than
his own. The Emperor knitted his brows, and riveted his gaze on the two
cylinders in profound meditation. Then he once more studied the nameless
epistle to refresh his memory; after which he bestowed another examination
on the books. Something in the relative weights of the cylinders seemed to
strike him, so, arranging the rolls of paper to which they were attached
as to interfere as little as possible, he balanced the rollers on the tips
of his fingers of both hands. Then, as if dubious, he called in the aid of
Zeno, briefly pointing out the facts of the case. The Greek took the
cylinders into his own hands, and after minutely examining them, he
weighed them as his master had done. For a further test he tapped the
thicker roller with a little metal key, and listened attentively to the
sound. Then he balanced them again, and finally gave it as his opinion,
that the thicker roller was lighter than the smaller one, and, moreover,
sounded as though it were hollow. The eyes of Emperor and steward
exchanged a significant flash.
‘Such a condition is neither usual nor necessary,’ said Tiberius. ‘Let us
try and discover the reason.’
The Greek took the suspected cylinder into his long supple fingers, and
made a very minute scrutiny of the junction of the bosses at either end.
Then, by patient and delicate, but firm manipulation, he proceeded to try
if they were detachable. After a considerable amount of persuasive force
of handling, one of the bosses yielded a hair’s‐breadth. He renewed his
efforts, and the Emperor’s eyes glistened. The boss became looser and
looser, and in a minute’s time came off altogether. They were now enabled
to perceive that the original bosses had been fitted to a new cylinder.
That one which had been removed, instead of being affixed in the usual way
to a flat surface, had been hollowed a little to receive the end of the
roller, and then tightened with a thin application of glue. The roller, as
Zeno had suspected, was hollow. He turned it upside down and a little
scroll of very thin paper dropped out. The fingers of the Emperor closed
on it like lightning. His eyes flamed with a ferocious delight as he
carefully unrolled a few inches of the fragile document and read therein.
‘Haste—bring tablets, paper, anything—like the wind!’ he whispered
excitedly. Zeno hastened away, and Tiberius, huddling against the lamp,
devoured the contents of the secret missive with eyes starting from his
head, and mouth agape in astonishment. Rage, hate, and delirious joy
thrilled him as he read. His hands, his body, and his limbs trembled with
the force of his excitement. Swiftly reading to the close, he dropped the
little quivering paper, and laughed with triumph. Startled by his own
voice he looked fearfully round at Martialis; but the Centurion lay
deathlike in the profound stupor of his drugged slumbers. With uneasy,
hasty steps the Emperor paced the narrow dungeon, muttering inaudibly
until Zeno entered with writing materials. Then he sat down to make a copy
of the secret, and evidently fateful, missive intended for the eyes of the
Prefect alone.
The task occupied longer than it would otherwise have done, owing to the
agitated mind and trembling fingers of the writer; but at length it came
to an end. The original letter was restored to its hiding‐place in the
roller, and the boss skilfully replaced by Zeno, who carefully heated the
incrusted glue over the flame of the lamp to cause it to hold firmly.
The documents were then replaced in the pouch of the Centurion, and his
dress arranged without a sign to show that he had been tampered with.
‘Send to the Prefect with the first light of day, and acquaint him with
the position of his courier and the causes thereof,’ said Tiberius. ‘He
will, without doubt, attend personally—let him see his messenger if he
wishes, and obtain his despatches with his own hands. When that is done
and he is gone, I will see this youth myself. We have made a good night’s
work—you will find it to your benefit as to mine—now to bed!’