CHAPTER IX.
A loud laugh re-echoing from the marble walls of the state-roominterrupted the queen's speech; at first she started, but then smiledwith pleasure as she recognized her brother Euergetes, who, pushingaside the chamberlains, approached the company with an elderly Greek,who walked by his side.
"By all the dwellers on Olympus! By the whole rabble of gods and beaststhat live in the temples by the Nile!" cried the new-comer, againlaughing so heartily that not only his fat cheeks but his wholeimmensely stout young frame swayed and shook. "By your pretty littlefeet, Cleopatra, which could so easily be hidden, and yet are alwaysto be seen--by all your gentle virtues, Philometor, I believe you aretrying to outdo the great Philadelphus or our Syrian uncle Antiochus,and to get up a most unique procession; and in my honor! Just so! Imyself will take a part in the wonderful affair, and my sturdy personshall represent Eros with his quiver and bow. Some Ethiopian damemust play the part of my mother Aphrodite; she will look the part toperfection, rising from the white sea-foam with her black skin. And whatdo you think of a Pallas with short woolly hair; of the Charitieswith broad, flat Ethiopian feet; and an Egyptian, with his shaven headmirroring the sun, as Phoebus Apollo?"
With these words the young giant of twenty years threw himself on thevacant couch between his brother and sister, and, after bowing, notwithout dignity, to the Roman, whom his brother named to him, he calledone of the young Macedonians of noble birth who served at the feast ascup-bearers, had his cup filled once and again and yet a third time,drinking it off quickly and without setting it down; then he said ina loud tone, while he pushed his hands through his tossed, light brownhair, till it stood straight up in the air from his broad temples andhigh brow:
"I must make up for what you have had before I came.--Another cup-fullDiocleides."
"Wild boy!" said Cleopatra, holding up her finger at him half in jestand half in grave warning. "How strange you look!"
"Like Silenus without the goat's hoofs," answered Euergetes. "Hand me amirror here, Diocleides; follow the eyes of her majesty the queen,and you will be sure to find one. There is the thing! And in fact thepicture it shows me does not displease me. I see there a head on whichbesides the two crowns of Egypt a third might well find room, and inwhich there is so much brains that they might suffice to fill the skullsof four kings to the brim. I see two vulture's eyes which are alwayskeen of sight even when their owner is drunk, and that are in dangerof no peril save from the flesh of these jolly cheeks, which, if theycontinue to increase so fast, must presently exclude the light, as thegrowth of the wood encloses a piece of money stuck into a rift in atree-or as a shutter, when it is pushed to, closes up a window. Withthese hands and arms the fellow I see in the mirror there could, atneed, choke a hippopotamus; the chain that is to deck this neck must betwice as long as that worn by a well-fed Egyptian priest. In this mirrorI see a man, who is moulded out of a sturdy clay, baked out of moreunctuous and solid stuff than other folks; and if the fine creaturethere on the bright surface wears a transparent robe, what have you tosay against it, Cleopatra? The Ptolemaic princes must protect the importtrade of Alexandria, that fact was patent even to the great son ofLagus; and what would become of our commerce with Cos if I did notpurchase the finest bombyx stuffs, since those who sell it make noprofits out of you, the queen--and you cover yourself, like a vestalvirgin, in garments of tapestry. Give me a wreath for my head--aye andanother to that, and new wine in the cup! To the glory of Rome andto your health, Publius Cornelius Scipio, and to our last criticalconjecture, my Aristarchus--to subtle thinking and deep drinking!"
"To deep thinking and subtle drinking!" retorted the person thusaddressed, while he raised the cup, looked into the wine with histwinkling eyes and lifted it slowly to his nose--a long, well-formed andslightly aquiline nose--and to his thin lips.
"Oh! Aristarchus," exclaimed Euergetes, and he frowned. "You please mebetter when you clear up the meaning of your poets and historians thanwhen you criticise the drinking-maxims of a king. Subtle drinking ismere sipping, and sipping I leave to the bitterns and other birds thatlive content among the reeds. Do you understand me? Among reeds, Isay--whether cut for writing, or no."
"By subtle drinking," replied the great critic with perfectindifference, as he pushed the thin, gray hair from his high brow withhis slender hand. "By subtle drinking I mean the drinking of choicewine, and did you ever taste anything more delicate than this juice ofthe vines of Anthylla that your illustrious brother has set before us?Your paradoxical axiom commends you at once as a powerful thinker and asthe benevolent giver of the best of drinks."
"Happily turned," exclaimed Cleopatra, clapping her hands, "you heresee, Publius, a proof of the promptness of an Alexandrian tongue."
"Yes!" said Euergetes, "if men could go forth to battle with wordsinstead of spears the masters of the Museum in Alexander's city, withAristarchus at their head, they might rout the united armies of Rome andCarthage in a couple of hours."
"But we are not now in the battle-field but at a peaceful meal," saidthe king, with suave amiability. "You did in fact overhear our secretEuergetes, and mocked at my faithful Egyptians, in whose place I wouldgladly set fair Greeks if only Alexandria still belonged to me insteadof to you.--However, a splendid procession shall not be wanting at yourbirthday festival."
"And do you really still take pleasure in these eternal goose-stepperformances?" asked Euergetes, stretching himself out on his couch,and folding his hands to support the back of his head. "Sooner couldI accustom myself to the delicate drinking of Aristarchus than sitfor hours watching these empty pageants. On two conditions only canI declare myself ready and willing to remain quiet, and patiently todawdle through almost half a day, like an ape in a cage: First, if itwill give our Roman friend Publius Cornelius Scipio any pleasure towitness such a performance--though, since our uncle Antiochus pillagedour wealth, and since we brothers shared Egypt between us, ourprocessions are not to be even remotely compared to the triumphs ofRoman victors--or, secondly, if I am allowed to take an active part inthe affair."
"On my account, Sire," replied Publius, "no procession need be arranged,particularly not such a one as I should here be obliged to look on at."
"Well! I still enjoy such things," said Cleopatra's husband."Well-arranged groups, and the populace pleased and excited are a sightI am never tired of."
"As for me," cried Cleopatra, "I often turn hot and cold, and the tearseven spring to my eyes, when the shouting is loudest. A great mass ofmen all uniting in a common emotion always has a great effect. A drop, agrain of sand, a block of stone are insignificant objects, butmillions of them together, forming the sea, the desert or the pyramids,constitute a sublime whole. One man alone, shouting for joy, is likea madman escaped from an asylum, but when thousands of men rejoicetogether it must have a powerful effect on the coldest heart. How isit that you, Publius Scipio, in whom a strong will seems to me to havefound a peculiarly happy development, can remain unmoved by a scene inwhich the great collective will of a people finds its utterance?"
"Is there then any expression of will, think you," said the Roman, "inthis popular rejoicing? It is just in such circumstances that each manbecomes the involuntary mimic and duplicate of his neighbor; while Ilove to make my own way, and to be independent of everything but thelaws and duties laid upon me by the state to which I belong."
"And I," said Euergetes, "from my childhood have always looked onat processions from the very best places, and so it is that fortunepunishes me now with indifference to them and to everything of the kind;while the poor miserable devil who can never catch sight of anythingmore than the nose or the tip of a hair or the broad back of those whotake part in them, always longs for fresh pageants. As you hear, I needhave no consideration for Publius Scipio in this, willing as I should beto do so. Now what would you say, Cleopatra, if I myself took a part inmy procession--I say mine, since it is to be in my honor; that reallywould be for once something new and amusing."
"More new
and amusing than creditable, I think," replied Cleopatradryly.
"And yet even that ought to please you," laughed Euergetes. "Since,besides being your brother, I am your rival, and we would sooner see ourrivals lower themselves than rise."
"Do not try to justify yourself by such words," interrupted the kingevasively, and with a tone of regret in his soft voice. "We love youtruly; we are ready to yield you your dominion side by side with ours,and I beg you to avoid such speeches even in jest, so that bygones maybe bygones."
"And," added Cleopatra, "not to detract from your dignity as a king andyour fame as a sage by any such fool's pranks."
"Madam teacher, do you know then what I had in my mind? I wouldappear as Alcibiades, followed by a train of flute-playing women, withAristarchus to play the part of Socrates. I have often been told thathe and I resemble each other--in many points, say the more sincere; inevery point, say the more polite of my friends."
At these words Publius measured with his eye the frame of the royalyoung libertine, enveloped in transparent robes; and recalling tohimself, as he gazed, a glorious statue of that favorite of theAthenians, which he had seen in the Ilissus, an ironical smile passedover his lips. It was not unobserved by Euergetes and it offended him,for there was nothing he liked better than to be compared to the nephewof Pericles; but he suppressed his annoyance, for Publius CorneliusScipio was the nearest relative of the most influential men of Rome,and, though he himself wielded royal power, Rome exercised over him thesovereign will of a divinity.
Cleopatra noticed what was passing in her brother's mind, and inorder to interrupt his further speech and to divert his mind to freshthoughts, she said cheerfully:
"Let us then give up the procession, and think of some other mode ofcelebrating your birthday. You, Lysias, must be experienced in suchmatters, for Publius tells me that you were the leader in all the gamesof Corinth. What can we devise to entertain Euergetes and ourselves?"
The Corinthian looked for a moment into his cup, moving it slowly abouton the marble slab of the little table at his side, between an oysterpasty and a dish of fresh asparagus; and then he said, glancing round towin the suffrages of the company:
"At the great procession which took place under PtolemyPhiladelphus--Agatharchides gave me the description of it, written bythe eye-witness Kallixenus, to read only yesterday--all kinds of scenesfrom the lives of the gods were represented before the people. Supposewe were to remain in this magnificent palace, and to represent ourselvesthe beautiful groups which the great artists of the past have producedin painting or sculpture; but let us choose those only that are leastknown."
"Splendid," cried Cleopatra in great excitement, "who can be more likeHeracles than my mighty brother there--the very son of Alcmene, asLysippus has conceived and represented him? Let us then representthe life of Heracles from grand models, and in every case assign toEuergetes the part of the hero."
"Oh! I will undertake it," said the young king, feeling the mightymuscles of his breast and arms, "and you may give me great credit forassuming the part, for the demi-god who strangled the snakes was lackingin the most important point, and it was not without due considerationthat Lysippus represented him with a small head on his mighty body; butI shall not have to say anything."
"If I play Omphale will you sit at my feet?" asked Cleopatra.
"Who would not be willing to sit at those feet?" answered Euergetes."Let us at once make further choice among the abundance of subjectsoffered to us, but, like Lysias, I would warn you against those that aretoo well-known."
"There are no doubt things commonplace to the eye as well as to theear," said Cleopatra. "But what is recognized as good is commonlyregarded as most beautiful."
"Permit me," said Lysias, "to direct your attention to a piece ofsculpture in marble of the noblest workmanship, which is both old andbeautiful, and yet which may be known to few among you. It exists on thecistern of my father's house at Corinth, and was executed many centuriessince by a great artist of the Peloponnesus. Publius was delightedwith the work, and it is in fact beautiful beyond description. It is anexquisite representation of the marriage of Heracles and Hebe--of thehero, raised to divinity, with sempiternal youth. Will Your Majestyallow yourself to be led by Pallas Athene and your mother Alcmene toyour nuptials with Hebe?"
"Why not?" said Euergetes. "Only the Hebe must be beautiful. But onething must be considered; how are we to get the cistern from yourfather's house at Corinth to this place by to-morrow or next day? Such agroup cannot be posed from memory without the original to guide us; andthough the story runs that the statue of Serapis flew from Sinope toAlexandria, and though there are magicians still at Memphis--"
"We shall not need them," interrupted Publius, "while I was staying asa guest in the house of my friend's parents--which is altogether moremagnificent than the old castle of King Gyges at Sardis--I had some gemsengraved after this lovely group, as a wedding-present for my sister.They are extremely successful, and I have them with me in my tent."
"Have you a sister?" asked the queen, leaning over towards the Roman."You must tell me all about her."
"She is a girl like all other girls," replied Publius, looking down atthe ground, for it was most repugnant to his feelings to speak of hissister in the presence of Euergetes.
"And you are unjust like all other brothers," said Cleopatra smiling,"and I must hear more about her, for"--and she whispered the words andlooked meaningly at Publius--"all that concerns you must interest me."
During this dialogue the royal brothers had addressed themselves toLysias with questions as to the marriage of Heracles and Hebe, and allthe company were attentive to the Greek as he went on: "This fine workdoes not represent the marriage properly speaking, but the moment whenthe bridegroom is led to the bride. The hero, with his club on hisshoulder, and wearing the lion's skin, is led by Pallas Athene, who, inperforming this office of peace, has dropped her spear and carries herhelmet in her hand; they are accompanied by his mother Alcmene, andare advancing towards the bride's train. This is headed by no less apersonage than Apollo himself, singing the praises of Hymenaeus to alute. With him walks his sister Artemis and behind them the mother ofHebe, accompanied by Hermes, the messenger of the gods, as the envoy ofZeus. Then follows the principal group, which is one of the most lovelyworks of Greek art that I am acquainted with. Hebe comes forward to meether bridegroom, gently led on by Aphrodite, the queen of love.Peitho, the goddess of persuasion, lays her hand on the bride's arm,imperceptibly urging her forward and turning away her face; for what shehad to say has been said, and she smiles to herself, for Hebe has notturned a deaf ear to her voice, and he who has once listened to Peithomust do what she desires."
"And Hebe?" asked Cleopatra.
"She casts down her eyes, but lifts up the arm on which the hand ofPeitho rests with a warning movement of her fingers, in which she holdsan unopened rose, as though she would say; 'Ah! let me be--I tremble atthe man'--or ask: 'Would it not be better that I should remain as I amand not yield to your temptations and to Aphrodite's power?' Oh! Hebe isexquisite, and you, O Queen! must represent her!"
"I!" exclaimed Cleopatra. "But you said her eyes were cast down."
"That is from modesty and timidity, and her gait must also be bashfuland maidenly. Her long robe falls to her feet in simple folds, whilePeitho holds hers up saucily, between her forefinger and thumb, as ifstealthily dancing with triumph over her recent victory. Indeed thefigure of Peitho would become you admirably."
"I think I will represent Peitho," said the queen interrupting theCorinthian. "Hebe is but a bud, an unopened blossom, while I am amother, and I flatter myself I am something of a philosopher--"
"And can with justice assure yourself," interrupted Aristarchus, "thatwith every charm of youth you also possess the characters attributed toPeitho, the goddess, who can work her spells not only on the heart buton the intellect also. The maiden bud is as sweet to look upon asthe rose, but he who loves not merely color but perfume too--I me
anrefreshment, emotion and edification of spirit--must turn to thefull-blown flower; as the rose--growers of lake Moeris twine only thebuds of their favorite flower into wreaths and bunches, but cannot usethem for extracting the oil of imperishable fragrance; for that theyneed the expanded blossom. Represent Peitho, my Queen! the goddessherself might be proud of such a representative."
"And if she were so indeed," cried Cleopatra, "how happy am I to hearsuch words from the lips of Aristarchus. It is settled--I play Peitho.My companion Zoe may take the part of Artemis, and her grave sisterthat of Pallas Athene. For the mother's part we have several matrons tochoose from; the eldest daughter of Epitropes appears to me fitted forthe part of Aphrodite; she is wonderfully lovely."
"Is she stupid too?" asked Euergetes. "That is also an attribute of theever-smiling Cypria."
"Enough so, I think, for our purpose," laughed Cleopatra. "But where arewe to find such a Hebe as you have described, Lysias? The daughter ofAlimes the Arabarch is a charming child."
"But she is brown, as brown as this excellent wine, and too thoroughlyEgyptian," said the high-steward, who superintended the young Macedoniancup-bearers; he bowed deeply as he spoke, and modestly drew the queen'sattention to his own daughter, a maiden of sixteen. But Cleopatraobjected, that she was much taller than herself, and that she would haveto stand by the Hebe, and lay her hand on her arm.
Other maidens were rejected on various grounds, and Euergetes hadalready proposed to send off a carrier-pigeon to Alexandria to commandthat some fair Greek girl should be sent by an express quadriga toMemphis--where the dark Egyptian gods and men flourish, and are morenumerous than the fair race of Greeks--when Lysias exclaimed:
"I saw to-day the very girl we want, a Hebe that might have stepped outfrom the marble group at my father's, and have been endued with life andwarmth and color by some god. Young, modest, rose and white, and justabout as tall as Your Majesty. If you will allow me, I will not tell youwho she is, till after I have been to our tent to fetch the gems withthe copies of the marble."
"You will find them in an ivory casket at the bottom of myclothes-chest," said Publius; "here is the key."
"Make haste," cried the queen, "for we are all curious to hear where inMemphis you discovered your modest, rose and white Hebe."