enemy on the north; the old legions, under Severus, drove the barbarians
more and more to the eastward, towards the river; our allies, the
Batavians, under the faithful Bainabaudes, stood gallantly by the
legions; and when Knodomar saw that his case was desperate, he tried to
make off southwards, in order to reach the islands. But before he could
escape, I sent Florentius to intercept him with the Praetorian guards
and the cavalry. Helena, I dare not say it aloud, but certain it is that
treachery or envy had nearly robbed me of the fruits of victory. The
Roman cavalry recoiled time after time before the barbarians, who threw
themselves down on the ground and stabbed the horses in the belly.
Defeat stared us in the face——
HELENA.
But the God of Battles was with you!
JULIAN.
I seized a standard, fired the Imperial Guards by my shouts, made them a
hasty address, which was, perhaps, not quite unworthy of a more
enlightened audience, and then, rewarded by the soldiers’ acclamations,
I plunged headlong into the thickest of the fight.
HELENA.
Julian! Oh, you do not love me!
JULIAN.
At that moment you were not in my thoughts. I wished to die; for I
despaired of victory. But it came, my love! It seemed as though
lightnings of terror flashed from our lance-points. I saw Knodomar, that
redoutable warrior—ah, you have seen him too—I saw him fleeing on foot
from the battlefield, and with him his brother Vestralp, and the kings
Hortar and Suomar, and all who had not fallen by our swords.
HELENA.
Oh, I can see it; I can see it! Blessed Saviour, ’twas thou that didst
again send forth the destroying angels of the Milvian Bridge!
JULIAN.
Never have I heard such shrieks of despair; never seen such gaping
wounds as those we trampled on, as we waded through the slain. The river
did the rest; the drowning men struggled among themselves until they
rolled over, and went to the bottom. Most of the princes fell living
into our hands; Knodomar himself had sought refuge in a bed of reeds;
one of his attendants betrayed him, and our bowmen sent a shower of
arrows into his hiding-place, but without hitting him. Then, of his own
accord, he gave himself up.
HELENA.
And after such a victory do you not feel secure?
JULIAN.
[_Hesitatingly._] On the very evening of the victory an accident
occurred, a trifle——
HELENA.
An accident?
JULIAN.
I prefer to call it so. In Athens we used to speculate much upon
Nemesis.—My victory was so overwhelming, Helena; my position had, as it
were, got out of balance; I do not know——
HELENA.
Oh, speak, speak; you put me on the rack!
JULIAN.
It was a trifle, I tell you. I ordered the captive Knodomar to be
brought before me, in the presence of the army. Before the battle, he
had threatened that I should be flayed alive when I fell into his hands.
Now he came towards me with faltering steps, trembling in every limb.
Crushed by disaster, as the barbarians are apt to be, he cast himself
down before me, embraced my knees, shed tears, and begged for his life.
HELENA.
His mighty frame quivering with dread—I can see the prostrate
Knodomar.—Did you kill him, my beloved?
JULIAN.
I could not kill that man. I granted him his life, and promised to send
him as a prisoner to Rome.
HELENA.
Without torturing him?
JULIAN.
Prudence bade me deal mercifully with him. But then—I cannot tell how it
happened—with a cry of overflowing gladness, the barbarian sprang up,
stretched his pinioned hands into the air, and, half ignorant as he is
of our language, shouted with a loud voice: “Praise be to thee, Julian,
thou mighty Emperor!”
HELENA.
Ah!
JULIAN.
My attendants were inclined to laugh; but the barbarian’s shout flew
like a lightning-flash through the surrounding soldiery, kindling as it
went. “Long live the Emperor Julian,” those who stood nearest repeated;
and the cry spread around in wider and ever wider circles to the
furthest distance. ’Twas as though some Titan had hurled a mighty rock
far out into the ocean;—oh, my beloved, forgive me the heathen
similitude, but——
HELENA.
Emperor Julian! He said Emperor Julian!
JULIAN.
What did the rude Aleman know of Constantius, whom he had never seen? I,
his conqueror, was in his eyes the greatest——
HELENA.
Yes, yes; but the soldiers——?
JULIAN.
I rebuked them sternly; for I saw at a glance how Florentius, Severus,
and certain others stood silently by, white with fear and wrath.
HELENA.
Yes, yes, _they_—but not the soldiers.
JULIAN.
Before a single night had passed my secret foes had distorted the
affair. “Caesar has induced Knodomar to proclaim him Emperor,” the story
went, “and in requital he has granted the barbarian his life.” And, thus
inverted, the news has travelled to Rome.
HELENA.
Are you sure of that? And through whom?
JULIAN.
Ah, through whom? through whom? I myself wrote at once to the Emperor
and told him everything, but——
HELENA.
Well—and how did he answer?
JULIAN.
As usual. You know his ominous silence when he means to strike a blow.
HELENA.
I believe you misinterpret all this. It must be so. You will see that
his envoy will soon assure you of——
JULIAN.
I _am_ assured, Helena! Here, in my bosom, I have some intercepted
letters, which——
HELENA.
Oh, Lord my God, let me see!
JULIAN.
By-and-by.
[_He walks up and down._
And all this after the services I have rendered him! I have put a stop
to the inroads of the Alemanni for years to come, whilst he himself has
suffered defeat after defeat on the Danube, and the army in Asia seems
to make no way against the Persians. Shame and disaster on all sides,
except here, where he placed a reluctant philosopher at the head of
affairs. Yet none the less am I the scorn of the court. Even after the
last great victory, they have lampooned me, and called me Victorinus.
This must come to an end.
HELENA.
So I, too, think.
JULIAN.
On such terms, what is the title of Caesar worth?
HELENA.
No; you are right, Julian; things cannot go on thus!
JULIAN.
[_Stopping._] Helena, could you follow me?
HELENA.
[_Softly._] Have no fear for me; I will not fail you.
JULIAN.
Then away from all this thankless toil; away to the solitude I have
sighed for so long——!
HELENA.
What do you say? Solitude!
JULIAN.
With you, my beloved; and with my dear books, that I have so seldom been
able to open here, save only on my sleepless nights.
HELENA.
[_Looking him down from head to foot._] Ah, that is what you mean!
JULIAN.
What else?
HELENA.
Ay, truly; what else?
JULIAN.
Yes, yes—I ask, what else?
HELENA.
[_Coming nearer._] Julian—how did the barbarian king hail you?
JULIAN.
[_Shrinking._] Helena!
HELENA.
[_Still nearer._] What was the name that echoed through the ranks of the
legions?
JULIAN.
Rash woman; there may be an eavesdropper at every door!
HELENA.
Why should you fear eavesdroppers? Is not God’s grace upon you? Have you
not been victorious in every encounter?—I see the Saviour calling upon
you; I see the angel with the flaming sword, who cleared the way for my
father when he drove Maxentius into the Tiber!
JULIAN.
Shall I rebel against the ruler of the empire?
HELENA.
Only against those who stand between you. Oh, go, go; smite them with
the lightning of your wrath; put an end to this harassing, joyless life!
Gaul is an outer wilderness. I am so cold here, Julian! I pine for home,
for the sunshine of Rome and Greece.
JULIAN.
For home and your brother?
HELENA.
[_Softly._] Constantius is but a wreck.
JULIAN.
Helena!
HELENA.
I can bear it no longer, I tell you. Time is flying. Eusebia is gone;
her empty seat invites me to honour and greatness, while I am ageing——
JULIAN.
You are not ageing; you are young and fair!
HELENA.
No, no, no! Time speeds; I cannot bear this patiently; life slips away
from me!
JULIAN.
[_Gazing at her._] How temptingly beautiful, how divine you are!
HELENA.
[_Clinging to him._] _Am_ I so indeed, Julian?
JULIAN.
[_Embracing her._] You are the only woman I have loved,—the only one who
has loved me.
HELENA.
I am older than you. I will not age still more. When all is over, then——
JULIAN.
[_Tearing himself away._] Hush! I will hear no more.
HELENA.
[_Following him._] Constantius is dying by inches; he hangs by a hair
over the grave. Oh, my beloved Julian, you have the soldiers on your
side——
JULIAN.
No more, no more!
HELENA.
He can bear no agitation. What is there, then, to recoil from? I mean
nothing bloody. Fie, how can you think so? The terror will be enough; it
will fold him in its embrace and gently end his sufferings.
JULIAN.
Do you forget the invisible bodyguard around the Lord’s anointed?
HELENA.
Christ is good. Oh, be pious, Julian, and He will forgive much. I will
help. Prayers shall go up for you. Praised be the saints! Praised be the
martyrs! Trust me, we will atone for everything later. Give me the
Alemanni to convert; I will send out priests among them; they shall bow
under the mercy of the cross.
JULIAN.
The Alemanni will not bow.
HELENA.
Then they shall die! Like sweet incense shall their blood rise up to
Him, the blessed One. We will magnify His glory; His praise shall be
made manifest in us. I myself will do my part. The women of the Alemanni
shall be my care. If they will not bow, they shall be sacrificed! And
then, my Julian—when next you see me——; young, young once more! Give me
the women of the Alemanni, my beloved! Blood—’twould be no murder, and
the remedy is a sovereign one—a bath of young virgins’ blood——
JULIAN.
Helena, the thought is crime!
HELENA.
Is it crime to commit crime for your sake?
JULIAN.
You beautiful, you peerless one!
HELENA.
[_Bowing herself down over his hands._] My lord before God and men!—Draw
not back this time, Julian! My hero, my Emperor! I see heaven open.
Priests shall sing praises to Christ; my women shall assemble in prayer.
[_With upraised arms._] Oh, thou blessed One! Oh, thou God of
Hosts,—thou, in whose hand lie grace and victory——
JULIAN.
[_With a look towards the door, exclaims_:] Helena!
HELENA.
Ah!
THE CHAMBERLAIN EUTHERIUS.
[_From the back._] My lord, the Emperor’s emissary——
JULIAN.
Is he come?
EUTHERIUS.
Yes, my lord!
JULIAN.
His name? Who is he?
EUTHERIUS.
The tribune Decentius.
JULIAN.
Indeed? The pious Decentius!
JULIAN.
Has he talked with any one?
EUTHERIUS.
With no one, my lord; he has this moment arrived.
JULIAN.
I will see him at once. And listen; one thing more. Summon the captains
and officers to me here.
EUTHERIUS.
It is well, most gracious lord.
[_He goes out by the back._
JULIAN.
Now, my Helena, now we shall see——
HELENA.
[_Softly._] Whatever happens, forget not that you can trust in the
soldiers.
JULIAN.
Ah, trust, trust——; I am not sure that I can trust in any one.
_The TRIBUNE DECENTIUS enters from the back._
HELENA.
[_Meeting him._] Welcome, noble Decentius! A Roman face,—and, above all,
this face,—oh! it sheds genial sunlight over our inclement Gaul.
DECENTIUS.
The Emperor meets your longing and your hope half-way, noble Princess!
We may hope that Gaul will not much longer hold you in its chains.
HELENA.
Say you so, messenger of gladness? So the Emperor still thinks lovingly
of me? How is it with his health?
JULIAN.
Go, go, my beloved Helena!
DECENTIUS.
The Emperor’s health is certainly no worse.
HELENA.
No, surely not? I thought as much. All those alarming rumours——; God be
praised that they were but rumours! Thank him most lovingly, good
Decentius! And let me thank you too. What splendid gifts have heralded
your coming! Imperial——no, let me say brotherly gifts indeed! Two
shining black Nubians,—you should see them, my Julian!—and pearls! See,
I am wearing them already. And fruits,—sweet, luscious fruits! Ah,
peaches from Damascus, peaches in chalices of gold! How they will
refresh me;—fruit, fruit; I am pining away here in Gaul.
JULIAN.
A feast shall end the day; but business first. Go, my precious wife!
HELENA.
I go to the church,—to pray for my brother and for all good hopes.
[_She goes out to the right._
JULIAN.
[_After an instant’s pause._] A message, or letters?
DECENTIUS.
Letters.
[_He hands him a roll of paper._
JULIAN.
[_Reads, represses a smile, and holds out his hand._] More!
DECENTIUS.
Noble Caesar, that is well-nigh all.
JULIAN.
Truly? Has the Emperor sent his friend all this long way only to——?
[_He bursts into a short laugh, and then walks up and down._
Had Knodomar, the King of the Alemanni, arrived in Rome ere you left?
DECENTIUS.
Yes, noble Caesar!
JULIAN.
And how fares he in the strange land, ignorant as he is of our tongue!
For he knows nought of it, Decentius! He was positively a laughing-stock
to my soldiers. Only think, he mixed up two such common words as Emperor
and Caesar.
DECENTIUS.
[_Shrugging his shoulders._] A barbarian. What can one expect?
JULIAN.
No, what can one expect? But the Emperor has received him graciously?
DECENTIUS.
Knodomar is dead, my lord!
JULIAN.
[_Stopping suddenly._] Knodomar dead!
DECENTIUS.
Dead, in the foreigners’ quarters, on the Coelian hill.
JULIAN.
Dead? Indeed!—Ah, the Roman air is unwholesome.
DECENTIUS.
The King of the Alemanni died of home-sickness, my lord! The longing for
kindred and freedom——
JULIAN.
——wastes a man away, Decentius; yes, yes, I know that.—I should not have
sent him living to Rome. I should have had him killed here.
DECENTIUS.
Caesar’s heart is merciful.
JULIAN.
H’m——! Home-sickness? Indeed!
_To the Master of the Horse, SINTULA, who enters by the back._
Are you there, old faun? Tempt me no more.
[_To DECENTIUS._] Since the battle at Argentoratum, he is for ever
talking to me of the triumphal chariot and the white horses. [_To
SINTULA._] ’Twould be like Phaeton’s career with the Lybian sun-horses.
How did that end? Have you forgotten—have you forgotten your heathendom,
I had almost said?—Pardon me, Decentius, for wounding your pious ear.
DECENTIUS.
Caesar delights his servant’s ear; he cannot wound it.
JULIAN.
Yes, yes; bear with Caesar’s jesting. In truth I know not how else to
take the matter.—Here they are.
_SEVERUS and FLORENTIUS, together with other captains and
gentlemen of Caesar’s court, enter from the back._
JULIAN.
[_Advancing to receive them._] Greeting to you, brothers in arms and
friends. Blame me not overmuch for summoning you hither, straight from
the dust and toil of the march; truly, I should not have grudged you
some hours’ rest; but——
FLORENTIUS.
Has aught of moment happened, my lord?
JULIAN.
Aye, truly. Can you tell me—what was lacking to complete Caesar’s
happiness?
FLORENTIUS.
What should be lacking to complete Caesar’s happiness?
JULIAN.
_Now_, nothing. [_To DECENTIUS._] The army has demanded that I should
enter the city in triumph. They would have had me pass through the gates
of Lutetia at the head of the legions. Captive barbarian princes, with
pinioned hands, were to march beside my chariot-wheels; women and slaves
from twenty conquered peoples were to follow, crowded closely together,
head against head—— [_Breaking off suddenly._] Rejoice, my valiant
fellow soldiers; here you see the Tribune Decentius, the Emperor’s
trusted friend and councillor. He has arrived this morning with gifts
and greetings from Rome.
FLORENTIUS.
Ah, then indeed naught can be lacking to complete Caesar’s happiness.
SEVERUS.
[_Softly to FLORENTIUS._] Incomprehensible! Then he is in the Emperor’s
grace again!
FLORENTIUS.
[_Softly._] Oh, this unstable Emperor!
JULIAN.
You seem all to be struck dumb with astonishment.—They think the Emperor
has done too much, good Decentius!
FLORENTIUS.
How can Caesar think such a thought?
SEVERUS.
Too much, noble Caesar? By no means. Who doubts that the Emperor knows
how to set due bounds to his favour?
FLORENTIUS.
This is in truth a rare and remarkable distinction——
SEVERUS.
I should even call it beyond measure rare and remarkable——
FLORENTIUS.
And especially does it afford a striking proof that our august Emperor’s
mind is free from all jealousy——
SEVERUS.
An unexampled proof, I venture to call it.
FLORENTIUS.
But then, what has not Caesar achieved in these few years in Gaul?
JULIAN.
A year-long dream, dear friends! I have achieved nothing. Nothing,
nothing!
FLORENTIUS.
All this your modesty counts as nothing? What was the army when you took
command? A disorderly rabble——
SEVERUS.
——without coherence, without discipline, without direction——
JULIAN.
You exaggerate, Severus!
FLORENTIUS.
And was it not with this undisciplined rabble that you took the field
against the Alemanni? Did you not win battle after battle with these
levies, till your victories transformed them into an invincible host?
Did you not retake Colonia Agrippina——?
JULIAN.
Come come, you see with the eye of friendship, my Florentius!—Or is it
really so? Is it a fact, that I drove the barbarians out of the islands
of the Rhine! That I placed the ruined Tres Tabernae in a posture of
defence, making it a bulwark of the empire? Is it really so?
FLORENTIUS.
What, my lord! Can you be in doubt as to so great deeds?
JULIAN.
No, I cannot but think—— And the battle of Argentoratum? Was I not
there? I cannot but fancy that I defeated Knodomar. And after the
victory——; Florentius, have I dreamt it, or did I rebuild Trajan’s
fortress, when we marched into German territory?
FLORENTIUS.
Noble Caesar, is there any man so mad as to deny you the honour of these
exploits?
SEVERUS.
[_To DECENTIUS._] I praise the destiny that has vouchsafed to my old age
so victorious a leader.
FLORENTIUS.
[_Also to the Tribune._] I dare scarcely think what turn this inroad of
the Alemanni might have taken, but for Caesar’s courage and conduct.
MANY COURTIERS.
[_Pressing forward._] Yes, yes; Caesar is great!
OTHERS.
[_Clapping their hands._] Caesar is peerless!
JULIAN.
[_Looks for a time alternately at DECENTIUS and the others; thereupon
breaks out into a loud, short laugh._] So blind is friendship,
Decentius! So blind, so blind!
[_He turns to the rest, and taps the roll of paper in his hand._
Here I read far other tidings! listen and drink in the refreshing dew of
knowledge. This is the Emperor’s despatch to all the proconsuls of the
empire;—our excellent Decentius has brought me a copy of it. Here we
learn that I have accomplished nothing in Gaul. It was, as I told you, a
dream. Here we have the Emperor’s own words: it was under the Emperor’s
happy auspices that the imminent danger to the empire was averted.
FLORENTIUS.
All the affairs of the empire flourish under the Emperor’s auspices.
JULIAN.
More, more. It is here set forth that it was the Emperor who fought and
conquered on the Rhine; it was the Emperor who raised up the King of the
Alemanni, as he lay grovelling before him. _My_ name is not fortunate
enough to find any place in this document,—nor yours, Florentius, nor
yours, Severus! And here, in the description of the battle of
Argentoratum—where was it? Yes, here it stands!—it was the Emperor who
determined the order of battle; it was the Emperor himself who, at peril
of his life, fought till his sword was blunted, in the forefront of the
battle: it was the Emperor who, by the terror of his presence, put the
barbarians to headlong flight——; read, read, I tell you!
SEVERUS.
Noble Caesar, your word suffices.
JULIAN.
What mean you, then, by your deluding speeches, my friends? Would you,
in your too great love for me, make me a parasite, to be fed with the
leavings you have pilfered from my kinsman’s table?—What think you,
Decentius? What say you to this? You see, in my own camp, I have to keep
an eye on adherents who, in their blind zeal, are sometimes in danger of
straying over the border-line of revolt.
FLORENTIUS.
[_Hastily, to the Tribune._] I assure you, my words have been sadly
misconstrued if——
SEVERUS.
[_Also to the Tribune._] It could never enter my mind to——
JULIAN.
That is right, my brothers in arms; let us all agree to swallow our
vainglory. I asked what was lacking to complete Caesar’s happiness. Now
you know it. ’Twas the recognition of the truth that was lacking in
Caesar’s happiness. Your silver helmet will never be dimmed with the
dust of the triumph, Florentius! The Emperor has already triumphed for
us, in Rome. He therefore declares all festivities here to be
superfluous. Go, Sintula, and see that the intended procession is
countermanded. The Emperor wishes to give his soldiers a much-needed
rest. ’Tis his will that they remain in the camp outside the walls.
[_The Master of the Horse, SINTULA, goes out by the back._
JULIAN.
Was I not once a philosopher? They said so, at least, both in Athens and
Ephesus. So weak is human nature in the hours of success; I had almost
been false to philosophy. The Emperor has brought me to my senses. Thank
him most humbly, Decentius. Have you more to say?
DECENTIUS.
One thing more. From all the Emperor has learnt, and especially from the
letter you wrote him from Argentoratum, it appears that the great work
of pacification in Gaul is happily accomplished.
JULIAN.
Most certainly; the Emperor, partly by his valour, partly by his
magnanimous clemency——
DECENTIUS.
The Rhine frontier of the empire has been placed in security.
JULIAN.
By the Emperor, by the Emperor.
DECENTIUS.
In the Danubian provinces, on the contrary, affairs are going ill; and
still worse in Asia—King Sapor makes constant progress.
JULIAN.
What audacity! Rumour has it that not even in this summer’s campaign has
the Emperor been pleased to let his generals crush him.
DECENTIUS.
The Emperor intends to do so himself in the spring. [_Producing a roll
of papers._] Here he makes known his will, noble Caesar.
JULIAN.
Let us see, let us see! [_Reading._] Ah!
[_He reads again for a long time, with signs of deep inward
emotion; then he looks up and says_:
Then, ’tis the Emperor’s will that——? Good, good, noble Decentius; the
Emperor’s will shall be done.
DECENTIUS.
It must be done, this very day.
JULIAN.
This very day; of course. Come hither, Sintula! Where is he?—Ah, I
remember!—Call Sintula back!
[_A courtier goes out by the back; JULIAN retires to the window,
and reads the papers through once more._
FLORENTIUS.
[_In a low voice, to the Tribune._] I implore you not to misinterpret
what I said. When I gave Caesar the credit, of course I did not mean
to——
SEVERUS.
[_In a low voice._] It could never occur to me to doubt that it was the
Emperor’s supreme and wise direction that——
A COURTIER.
[_On the other side of the Tribune._] I beg you, noble sir,—put in a
word for me at court, and release me from this painful position in the
household of a Caesar who——; well, he is the Emperor’s exalted kinsman,
but——
ANOTHER COURTIER.
I could tell you, alas! of things that indicate not only boundless
vanity, but overweening ambition——
JULIAN.
This very day! Let me say one word, Decentius! It has long been my
dearest wish to lay down this burden of responsibility.
DECENTIUS.
It shall be conveyed to the Emperor.
JULIAN.
I call heaven to witness that I never——; Ah, here is Sintula; now we
can——[_To the Tribune._] You are going?
DECENTIUS.
I have affairs to transact with the generals, noble Caesar!
JULIAN.
Without my intervention?
DECENTIUS.
The Emperor commands me to spare his beloved kinsman.
[_He goes out by the back, followed by the others, except
SINTULA, who remains standing at the door._
JULIAN.
[_Looking at him awhile._] Sintula!
SINTULA.
Yes, noble master!
JULIAN.
Come nearer—Yes, by my faith, you look honest. Pardon me; I never
thought you could be so attached to me.
SINTULA.
How know you that I am attached to you, my lord?
JULIAN.
[_Pointing to the roll of paper._] I can read it here, in this; it is
written that you are to desert me.
SINTULA.
I, my lord?
JULIAN.
The Emperor disbands the army of Gaul, Sintula!
SINTULA.
Disbands——?
JULIAN.
Yes, what is it but a disbanding? The Emperor needs reinforcements, both
on the Danube, and against the Persians. Our Batavian and Herulian
auxiliaries are to depart with all speed, in order to reach Asia in the
spring.
SINTULA.
But the thing is impossible, my lord. You have solemnly sworn to these
very allies that they shall in no case be called upon to serve beyond
the Alps.
JULIAN.
Just so, Sintula! The Emperor writes that I gave that promise over
hastily, and without his consent. This is quite a new light to me; but
here it stands. I am to be forced to break my word, dishonour myself in
the eyes of the army, turn against me the unbridled rage of the
barbarians, perhaps their murderous weapons.
SINTULA.
They cannot hurt you, my lord! The Roman legions will make their breasts
your shield.
JULIAN.