STRANGE TALES ARE ABOUT
The palace occupied by Pilate, Roman Procurator of Judea, during his
visitations to the once Jewish capital, was one of the gorgeous and
perpetual monuments to the architectural skill of Herod the Great and
his almost inconceivable expenditure of gold. Had Pilate built it for
himself it could not have been more to his liking, containing as it did
apartments in size from the closet of a slave maiden to halls of state
large enough to banquet whole companies. The favorite state apartment
of Pilate was always first set in order. A palace within a palace was
it, pillared into twelve compartments which yet made one whole. The
frieze of the twelve compartments was surmounted with the twelve signs
of the Zodiac and paintings of meat eaters. The side walls were
decorated with fauns and naked bacchantes carrying vases of flowers.
The gleaming pillars that reached to a ceiling of great height were
entwined with carved ivy and vine branches. There were couches, one of
bronze ornamented with tortoise shell and gold, the cushions of which
were Gallic wool dyed purple; another near it was of ivory and gold and
across it was thrown a wolf skin robe. Corinthian vases nobly wrought
of fine brass were filled with palms tied with gay ribbons, such as
were waved in the Roman circus. Back of the couch covered with wolf
skin was a pedestal wreathed with fresh flowers, and the fragrance of
incense from cunningly wrought metal lamps perfumed the air.
With the coming of Pilate came a retinue of servants and soldiers, and
always guards stood at all entrances inside and out of the palace. In
the palace of Pilate all was in readiness for the Passover guests
certain to be on hand, for Rome sent many visitors annually to
Jerusalem. Claudia, wife of the Procurator, herself enjoyed the
impressive crowds that gorged the great city and was out sight-seeing
daily. On the third day before the great Feast, she returned to the
palace before the time of Pilate's arrival, and pushing aside one of
the magnificent hangings that lent a touch of barbaric color to the
gorgeous apartment, she entered and looked about.
"Margara! Zenobe!" she called. At sound of her voice, from behind
another hanging, two slave maidens appeared. "Take thou my cloak,
Zenobe," she said, uncovering a splendid gown heavy with spangles of
silver and rare lace, "and bring back the jewels that have been under
guard since we left Rome. And thou, Margara, freshen my hair while I
sit and rest, for Pilate doth come shortly."
"Aye, Pilate doth come shortly--and for Pilate doth Claudia dress her
hair." The words were spoken softly.
"Yea," Claudia said, laughing, "for Pilate doth bring guests from the
Senate at Rome. In the court of Caesar have these men oft dined, and
Roman women wear jewels the gods envy. But so hath Claudia jewels,
rare jewels that have been handed down to her from her grandfather
Augustus and her mother Julia."
Zenobe returned shortly with a closed casket which she handed to
Claudia with a key. From it ornaments and strings of jewels were taken
and handed to the maid.
"On my arms fasten thy bands and make my throat to sparkle, and when
Margara hath dressed my hair, twine it thick with shining stones."
Claudia rested herself on the wolf skin couch and as the two slaves
dressed her hair and ornamented her body, she talked with them.
"Strange sights I saw in Jerusalem this day. The city is packed with
odd peoples from every land. Indian princes saw I from beyond the
Ganges. African lion hunters, their black bodies bare save for strings
of golden nuggets; Arabians swinging on crimson decked camels;
chieftains from Assyria whose purple cloth was gay with blue and yellow
stones; Scythian savages whose garments were no more than suns and
moons and fishes marked upon their knees, all these I saw. Aye,
strange peoples making a strange show and a strange babel."
"Yea, and strange tales are about," Zenobe half whispered.
"What tales hast thou heard?"
"No more than that the dead are turned to life."
"A strange tale indeed--too strange, my little maid."
"It doth come from a Roman centurion."
"Hath a centurion died?"
"Nay, but his servant, sick unto death, was restored by a wonder
worker."
"Whence came this wonder worker?"
"He is a Jew. I know not more, but the centurion telleth it broadly."
"Whence got thou the story?"
"From thy scarred eunuch, my mistress."
"From my scarred eunuch? And where got he the story?"
"I know not save he hath it."
"Call thou my eunuch to me."
With flying feet Zenobe hastened to obey. Meantime Margara finished
her work of hair dressing, exclaiming, "Thy hair is most beautiful!"
Claudia arose, arranged the folds of her luxurious train and twisted
several strings of jewels over her bare arms. She had started across
the shining mosaic floor when Zenobe returned followed by a large and
finely shaped slave with a scarred face. His swarthy body was scantily
attired. Claudia gave him recognition, and stopping in front of her he
made low obeisance and then stood straight and rigid as a statue.
"To-day," Claudia said, "I stood in the portico of the Tower of Antonio
from which watch is kept over the Temple of the Jews, and gazed upon
the surging crowds. Saw I all manner of mankind from infants to
giants, black, brown, red and Roman, and of every kind methought. Yet
doth my maiden tell me there is one I have not seen--a wonder worker
that is a Jew. Hast thou heard aught of this?"
"Yea. A wonder worker is Jesus of Nazareth."
"Never did I hear his name. Whence came the Jew?"
"From Galilee. There liveth the centurion who told of him."
"Galilee? Galilee? It is somewhere I know not of. Whence got thou
the story?"
"A slave of the centurion chanced to be in thy palace garden. He did
tell much."
"How went the story?"
"The servant of the centurion was ill unto death. The Jew did turn
death to life. To turn mourning into joy, they say, hath he come into
the world."
"To turn mourning into joy. A glad mission. Hast thou heard aught
else?"
"The centurion's slave did tell much."
"What?"
"That the Jews are a strange people. Long before thy mighty Rome was
dreamed of by the gods, most noble mistress, was the Kingdom of the
Jews great. In this same Jerusalem was there a temple of pure gold
which did throw back the sun itself into the sun's face for brightness.
And a king sat on a throne of gold. Wealth had this king surpassing
that of every nation, and wisdom had he so that among the wise of all
the earth none had such wisdom. Also, had this great people seers and
prophets from whose eyes the veil of time was lifted so that clear as
noonday did their vision behold that which was to be. And, lo, most
noble mistress, out of the mouths of three soothsayers hath a prophecy
been recorded of a king who shall restore again the throne of their
glory. This do the Jews believe, aye, as they believe in sun and air.
And it is whispered, most noble mistress, that this wonder worker from
Galilee is the long looked for king. Ah, that his kingdom might come!"
"What mattereth his kingdom to thee?"
"It doth hold promise of liberty to those in bondage and freedom to
those sore wounded. It would let men be free, as Rome doth not. Such
a king would be a saviour, and I would love him, even as I hate Rome!"
"As thou hatest Rome? Fear'st thou not to speak thus?"
The eunuch moved a step nearer Claudia and threw back his shoulders,
exclaiming, "What have I to fear at the hand of Rome? Nothing save my
life hath Rome left me, and this I scorn. By sword or cross or
ravening beast may Rome take my life and I would smile in her face.
Ah, have I not sore scars to speak my hatred? Here"--and he drew his
finger over a long scar on his face--"here is where the sword of Rome
lay open my face, yea, wide open as the lips of a crying child. And on
my back, most noble mistress, thou mightest hide thy white fingers in
the welts cut by the stinging thong. And seest thou my arm? Here is
flesh cooked sere as the shell of a tortoise. Thus have blade and
thong and branding iron of Rome marked me with wounds and commanded my
lips to silence. Yet have these scars each one a thousand silent
tongues crying ever 'Hate! Hate! Hate!' But here," and he threw back
his tunic and placed three fingers over a scar on his breast, "here is
a scar I love. My life it is--my satisfaction--my victory over Rome
which Rome hath no power to take. Aye, the victory of this scar, most
noble mistress, Rome with her armies, her spears, her torch nor her
power of stretching writhing bodies on hewn trees, hath no power to
take! In this I glory! This is my victory and sweet is the scar to
the heart of thy scarred eunuch."
Claudia moved near the slave and looked closer at the scar. "It doth
lie snugly near thy heart," she said. "Thou art a strange scarred
eunuch to call such a one sweet--aye, to call a wound in thy flesh a
victory."
"There is a story, most noble mistress."
"My scarred eunuch hath a story? I have thought so since Pilate made
thee mine."
"Yea, a story. Would that my lips might tell into the ear of the noble
Claudia the story of the scar thy late-bought slave doth bear."
"There is yet time before Pilate cometh. Tell on."