Chapter 4

The weight of the world could sustain. With victorious legions

These crests Caesar trod and selected a camp. Gazing downwards

On Italy's plains rolling far, from the top of the mountain,

He lifted both hands to the heavens, his voice rose in prayer:

'Omnipotent Jove, and thou, refuge of Saturn whose glory

Was brightened by feats of my armies and crowned with my triumphs,

Bear witness! Unwillingly summon I Mars to these armies,

Unwillingly draw I the sword! But injustice compels me.

While enemy blood dyes the Rhine and the Alps are held firmly

Repulsing a second assault of the Gauls on our city,

She dubs me an outcast! And Victory makes me an exile!

To triumphs three score, and defeats of the Germans, my treason

I trace! How can they fear my glory or see in my battles

A menace? But hirelings, and vile, to whom my Rome is but a

Stepmother! Methinks that no craven this sword arm shall hamper

And take not a stroke in repost. On to victory, comrades,

While anger seethes hot. With the sword we will seek a decision

The doom lowering down is a peril to all, and the treason.

My gratitude owe I to you, not alone have I conquered!

Since punishment waits by our trophies and victory merits

Disgrace, then let Chance cast the lots. Raise the standard of battle;

Again take your swords. Well I know that my cause is accomplished

Amidst such armed warriors I know that I cannot be beaten.'

While yet the words echoed, from heaven the bird of Apollo

Vouchsafed a good omen and beat with his pinions the ether.

From out of the left of a gloomy grove strange voices sounded

And flame flashed thereafter! The sun gleamed with brighter refulgence

Unwonted, his face in a halo of golden flame shining."

CHAPTER THE ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-THIRD.

"By omens emboldened, to follow, the battle-flags, Caesar

Commanded; and boldly led on down the perilous pathway.

The footing, firm-fettered by frost chains and ice, did not hinder

At first, but lay silent, the kindly cold masking its grimness;

But, after the squadrons of cavalry shattered the clouds, bound

By ice, and the trembling steeds crushed in the mail of the rivers,

Then, melted the snows! And soon torrents newborn, from the heights of

The mountains rush down: but these also, as if by commandment

Grow rigid, and, turn into ice, in their headlong rush downwards!

Now, that which rushed madly a moment before, must be hacked through!

But now, it was treacherous, baffling their steps and their footing

Deceiving; and men, horses, arms, fall in heaps, in confusion.

And see! Now the clouds, by an icy gale smitten, their burden

Discharge! Lo! the gusts of the whirlwind swirl fiercely about them;

The sky in convulsions, with swollen hail buffets them sorely.

Already the clouds themselves rupture and smother their weapons,

An avalanche icy roars down like a billow of ocean;

Earth lay overwhelmed by the drifts of the snow and the planets

Of heaven are blotted from sight; overwhelmed are the rivers

That cling to their banks, but unconquered is Caesar! His javelin

He leans on and scrunches with firm step a passage the bristling

Grim ice fields across! As, spurred on by the lust, of adventure

Amphitryon's offspring came striding the Caucasus slopes down;

Or Jupiter's menacing mien as, from lofty Olympus

He leaped, the doomed giants to crush and to scatter their weapons.

While Caesar in anger the swelling peaks treads down, winged rumor

In terror flies forth and on beating wings seeks the high summit

Of Palatine tall: every image she rocks with her message

Announcing this thunderbolt Roman! Already, the ocean

Is tossing his fleets! Now his cavalry, reeking with German

Gore, pours from the Alps! Slaughter, bloodshed, and weapons

The red panorama of war is unrolled to their vision!

By terror their hearts are divided: two counsels perplex them!

One chooses by land to seek flight: to another, the water

Appeals, and the sea than his own land is safer! Another

Will stand to his arms and advantage extort from Fate's mandate.

The depth of their fear marks the length of their flight! In confusion

The people itself--shameful spectacle--driven by terror

Is led to abandon the city. Rome glories in fleeing!

The Quirites from battle blench! Cowed by the breath of a rumor

Relinquished their firesides to mourning! One citizen, palsied

With terror, his children embraces: another, his penates

Conceals in his bosom; then, weeping, takes leave of his threshold

And slaughters the distant invader--with curses! Their spouses

Some clasp to their sorrow-wracked bosoms! Youths carry their fathers

Bowed down with old age, uninured to the bearing of burdens.

They seize what they dread to lose most. Inexperience drags all

Its chattels to camp and to battle: as, when powerful Auster

Piles up the churned waters and tumbles them: never a yard-arm

Nor rudder to answer the hand, here, one fashions a life-raft

Of pine planks, another steers into some bay on a lee shore,

Another will crack on and run from the gale and to Fortune

Trust all! But why sorrow for trifles? The consuls, with Pompey

The Great--he, the terror of Pontus, of savage Hydaspes

Explorer, the reef that wrecked pirates, caused Jove to turn livid,

When thrice was a triumph decreed him, whom Pontus' vexed water

And pacified billows of Bosphorus worshipped! Disgraceful their

Flight! Title and glory forsaking! Now Fortune capricious

Looks down on the back of great Pompey retreating in terror!"

CHAPTER THE ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FOURTH.

"So great a misfortune disrupted the concord of heaven

And gods swelled the rout in their panic! Behold through creation

The gentle divinities flee from the ravening earth; in

Their loathing they turn from humanity, doomed to destruction!

And first of all, Peace, with her snowy white arms, hides her visage

Defeated, her helmet beneath and, abandoning earth, flees

To seek out the realm of implacable Dis, as a refuge

Meek Faith her companion, and Justice with locks loosely flowing,

And Concord, in tears, and her raiment in tatters, attend her.

The minions of Pluto pour forth from the portals of darkness

That yawn: the serpent-haired Fury, Bellona the Savage,

Megoera with firebrands, destruction, and treachery, livid

Death's likeness! Among them is Frenzy, as, free, with her lashings

Snapped short, she now raises her gory head, shielding her features

Deep scarred by innumerous wounds 'neath her helmet blood-clotted.

Her left arm she guards with a battle-scarred shield scored by weapons,

And numberless spear-heads protrude from its surface: her right hand

A flaming torch brandishes, kindling a flame that will burn up

The world! Now the gods are on earth and the skies note their absence;

The planets disordered their orbits attempt! Into factions

The heavens divide; first Dione espouses the cause of

Her Caesar. Minerva next steps to her side and the great son

Of Ares, his mighty spear brandishing! Phoebus espouses

The cause of Great Pompey: his sister and Mercury also

And Hercules like unto him in his travels and labors.

The trumpets call! Discord her Stygian head lifts to heaven

Her tresses disheveled, her features with clotted blood covered,

Tears pour from her bruised eyes, her iron fangs thick coated with rust,

Her tongue distils poison, her features are haloed with serpents,

Her hideous bosom is visible under her tatters,

A torch with a blood red flame waves from her tremulous right hand.

Emerging from Cocytus dark and from Tartarus murky

She strode to the crests of the Apennines noble, the prospect

Of earth to survey, spread before her the world panorama

Its shores and the armies that march on its surface: these words then

Burst out of her bosom malignant: 'To arms, now, ye nations,

While anger seethes hot, seize your arms, set the torch to the cities,

Who skulks now is lost; neither woman nor child nor the aged

Bowed down with their years shall find quarter: the whole world will tremble

And rooftrees themselves shall crash down and take part in the struggle.

Marcellus, hold firm for the law! And thou, Curio, madden

The rabble! Thou, Lentulus, strive not to check valiant Ares!

Thou, Cesar divine, why delayest thou now thine invasion?

Why smash not the gates, why not level the walls of the cities,

Their treasures to pillage? Thou, Magnus, dost not know the secret

Of holding the hills of Rome? Take thou the walls of Dyrrachium,

Let Thessaly's harbors be dyed with the blood of the Romans!'

On earth was obeyed every detail of Discord's commandment."

When Eumolpus had, with great volubility, poured out this flood of words, we came at last to Crotona. Here we refreshed ourselves at a mean inn, but on the following day we went in search of more imposing lodgings and fell in with a crowd of legacy hunters who were very curious as to the class of society to which we belonged and as to whence we had come. Thereupon, in accord with our mutual understanding, such ready answers did we make as to who we might be or whence we had come that we gave them no cause for doubt. They immediately fell to wrangling in their desire to heap their own riches upon Eumolpus and every fortune-hunter solicited his favor with presents.

ETEXT EDITOR'S BOOKMARKS:

Desire no possession unless the world envies me for possessing Either 'take-in,' or else they are 'taken-in' Platitudes by which anguished minds are recalled to sanity They seize what they dread to lose most