CHAPTER VII.
"THE BLUES HAVE IT!"
On her return to Rome and the palace, Domitia did not see the Emperor, buthe sent her notice to be prepared to appear with him in public at theopening of the Circensian Games that he gave to the people in honor of hisaccession to the principate. This was to take place on the morrow. Thegames began at an early hour and lasted all day, with an interruption forthe _cena_ or supper at two o'clock.
The Circus was close under the Palatine Hill and occupied the valleybetween it and the Aventine. The site has now been taken possession of forgas-works.
It was a long structure, with one end like a horseshoe, the other wasstraight, or rather diagonal, a contrivance to enable horses and chariotswhen starting abreast to have equal lengths to run, which would not havebeen the case had the end been drawn straight across the circus.
This end was dignified with two towers, with a central gate between themand four arched doors on each side closed with ornamental wooden gates.
The seats of the spectators rose in tiers on all sides, except that of thestraight side, where above the great entrance was the seat of the directorof the sports. On one side of the Circus near the winning post was theimperial box.
Down the middle of the course ran a wall with statues planted on it, butat each end was a peculiar structure; that near the winning postsustaining seven white balls like eggs, that at the other extremitysupporting as many bronze dolphins.
Each race consisted of seven circuits of the course, and a servant of themanagement at each end attended to the number of rounds made, and as eachconcluded, an egg was removed at one end, and a dolphin turned round atthe other.
There was a separate entrance, with waiting-room for the prince and hisparty. Domitia with her train arrived first, and remained in thewaiting-room till his arrival.
She was dressed in blue, with gold woven into the garment, and her hairwas tied up with blue. She looked very lovely, slender and delicate incolor, with large earnest indigo eyes, the darkest blue points about her.The sadness of her expression could not be dissipated by forced smiles.
In the waiting-chamber she could hear the mutter of voices in the circus;all Rome would be there. As she had descended from the Palatine she hadseen scarce a soul in the forum or the streets, save watchmen and beggars.
Now pealed the trumpets, and next moment the prince, attended by hislictors, and with his niece Julia at his side, entered. He scowled atDomitia, and beckoned her to approach, then, without another word he wentout of the door into the Imperial box. Hitherto it had been customary forthe Empress to sit with the Vestal Virgins. But Nero had broken this ruleand Domitian, the more to emphasize his reconciliation with Domitia, so asto please the people, followed the example of Nero.
Domitia entered and moved to the seat on his right; Julia, that on hisleft. Behind them poured a glittering retinue of lictors and soldiers,officers of the guard, and officials of the city and chamberlains. At oncethe whole concourse stood, and thundering cheers with clapping of handsrose from the circus. The Emperor made a hasty, ungracious sign ofacknowledgment and took his seat.
The applause, however, did not die away, it broke out afresh, in spurts ofenthusiasm, and the name of the Empress was audible--whereupon the cheerswere prolonged with immense vehemence.
Domitian heard it. His brow darkened and his face flushed blood-red. Hemade a signal with his hand, at once three priests attended by men bearingpick and shovel entered the course, and directed their way to the end ofthe dividing wall or spine; there they threw up the soil, till a buriedaltar was reached, on which at once burning coals were placed, and all theconcourse rose whilst incense and a libation and prayers were offered tothe God Consus.
That ended, the fire was extinguished by the earth being thrown over it.Again the altar was buried, and the soil stamped above it.
This ceremony was hardly complete before the great central gates werethrown open, to a peal of trumpets, and heralds entered to proclaim theopening of the sports given by the Emperor, the Caesar Domitian, theAugustus, son of the God Vespasian, high priest, holder of the tribunicianpower, consul, perpetual Censor, and father of his country; sports givenfor the pleasure of his well-beloved, the citizens of Rome, senators,knights, and people generally, and of such strangers as might at the timebe in Rome, the centre of the world.
Again rose a roar of approbation, men stood up, stamped, jumped on theirseats, and clapped their hands.
Then through the Triumphal Gate came the Circensian procession. This wasproperly a ceremonial of the 13th September; but in honor of theproclamation of the accession of Domitian to the throne, and to his givingthe shows at his own charge, it was now again produced.
First came boys on horseback and on foot, gayly clothed, and immediatelybehind them the jockeys and runners who were to take part in the games.The racers were divided into four classes, each wearing the color of oneseason of the year. Green stood for spring, red for summer, blue forautumn, and white for winter. The riders and drivers were dressedaccording to the class to which they belonged. The chariots were drawn byfour horses abreast, and each furnished with an outrider in the samecolors, armed with a whip. At once cries rose from all sides, for everyjockey and every horse was known by name, some cheered the drivers, someshouted the names of the horses, some proposed bets and others booked suchas they had made.
Then came huntsmen with hounds, armed with lances, and behind them dancingsoldiers, who clashed shields and swords in rhythm, accompanying theirdance with choric song.
Next entered a set of men dressed in sheep's and goats' skins, and withfluttering ribbons, and lastly images of the gods on biers. The "pomp,"though a quaint and pretty sight, was looked on with some impatience, aswanting in novelty, and as but a prelude to the more exciting races.
The procession having made the circuit of the arena, retired, and withgreat rapidity the first four racing chariots were got into their _caveae_,the vaults on the right side of the entrance with four doors opening on tothe circus.
And now a chalked line was rapidly stretched across the course in front ofthe gates. A trumpet sounded, the gates were thrown open and the fourchariots issued forth and were drawn up abreast behind the line, and lotscast to determine their positions.
Then Domitian stretching forth his hand, threw a white napkin into thearena, the white cord fell, and instantly the chariots started.
The spectators swayed and quivered, shouted and roared, women waved theirveils, men clashed potsherds; some yelled out bets, and one or two frombehind stumbled forward and fell among the occupants of the benches infront.
At the further end, where the circus described a horseshoe, a gallery ofwood projected over the heads of those on the lower stages, to accommodatestill more spectators; and these hammering on the boards with feet andfists greatly increased the din.
The roar of voices rolled like a wave along the right side of the circus,then broke into a billow at the curved end, and then surged down to thefurther extremity, again to swell and run and revolve, as an egg wasdismounted, and a dolphin turned.
At each end of the spine, detached from it, were three obelisks, orconical masses of stone, sculptured like clipped yew trees. These were the_Metae_.
Attending every charioteer was, as already said, an outrider in hiscolors, to lash the horses, and to assist in case of accident. Moreover,boys stood about with pitchers of water, to dash over the axles of thewheels when they became heated, or to wash away blood stains, should therebe an accident.
Domitia sat watching the race, at first with inattention. Yet the generalexcitement was irresistible, it caught and carried her out of herself, andthe color mounted into her ivory cheek.
The Emperor paid no attention to her, he studiously avoided speaking toher, and addressed his conversation to Julia alone--who was constrained tobe present notwithstanding that the execution of her husband had takenplace but a few days previously. But her he
avy face gave no indication ofacute sorrow. It was due to her position and relationship to the prince tobe there, and when he commanded her attendance, it did not occur to her toshow opposition.
The keenest rivalry existed between the parties of the circus, at a timewhen political partisanship was dangerous except to the sycophants of theregnant prince, all faction feeling was concentrated on the colors of therace-course. Caligula had championed the green, so had Nero, who had evenstrewn the course with green sand when he himself, in a green suit, haddriven on it. And now Domitian accepted the green as the color that itcomported with the dignity of his _parvenu_ dynasty to favor. It was alsogenerally preferred to the other, at any rate in the betting, because itwas known that the Imperial favorites were allowed to win the majority ofthe races.
Yet the jockeys and horses and chariots belonged to different and rivalcompanies, and were hired by the givers of games. It was not in theinterest of the other colors to be beaten too frequently. They thereforearranged among themselves how many and which races were, as a matter ofcourse, to be won by the green, and the rest of the races were open to befairly contested. But the public generally were not let into the secret;though indeed the secret was usually sold to a few book-makers.
Hah! down went the red. In turning the _metae_ at the further end, thewheel had caught in that of the white, throwing the latter out, but notupsetting the chariot, whereas the car of the red jockey overturned, onehorse went down, sprang up again, and would have dragged the driver along,had he not dextrously whipped a curved knife out of his girdle and cut thereins. This was necessary, as the reins of all four horses were thrownover the shoulder and wrapped round the body. Consequently a fall wascertain to be fatal unless the driver had time and presence of mind atonce to shear through the leathers.
"He is out! the red is out!" roared the mob. Then, "The white! the whiteis lagging--he cannot catch up!--the red did for him? Out of the way! Out yetwo! ye cumber the course."
The white struggled on, driver and outrider lashed the steeds, theystrained every muscle, but there was no recovering from the loss of timecaused by the lock of wheels, and on reaching the doors on the right,which were at once swung open, both chariots retreated into the _caveae_,amidst the groans of such as had bets on their favor.
"It lies now between green and blue!" was the general shout. "On with thePanfaracus!" "Nay! hit the off horse, he sulks, Euprepes!" "Well done,Nereus! Pull well, Auster! Brave horses! brave greens! greens for ever!The Gods befriend the greens!"
Then some one looking in the direction of the imperial box noticed Domitiain her blue habit, with her blue eyes wide distended, and the blue ribbonsin her hair. Suddenly in a clear voice he cried,--
"The blue! the blue! It is the color of the Augusta! The blue! Sabaste! Iswear by her divinity! I invoke her aid! The blue will win."
Like an electric shock there went a throb through the vast concourse--therewere nearly three hundred thousand persons present. At once there rose aroar, it was loud, thrilling, imperious:--
"The blue! It shall win! The color of the Augusta! of the divine Augusta,the friend of the Roman people! The blue! the blue! we will have theblue!"
The drivers lashed furiously, the outriders swung themselves in theirsaddles to beat the horses. But the gallant steeds needed no scourging,they were as keen in their rivalry as were their drivers and theirsupporters.
"The last egg! the last dolphin! Again! the green is ahead!" a groanbroken by only a few cheers. Wonderful! In the sudden contagion even thosewho had betted on the green, cheered the rival color.
"Who was that cried out for the blue?" asked Domitian, turning sharplyabout. "Find him, cast him to the dogs to be torn."(11)
His kinsman Ursus whispered in his ear,--
"It is the actor Paris. Yet do nothing now. It would be inauspicious."
The command was grudgingly withdrawn.
A gasp--stillness, the extreme _meta_ had been turned; then a restless,quivering sound, men, women, too agitated to shout, held their breath, butmuttered and moved their feet--the blue! the blue gains; nay! the green isforging ahead--Ha! Ha! at the last moment in swung the blue, across thewhite line, one stride ahead of the green.
Then there rolled up a thunder of applause.
"The blue! the dear blue! the blue of the Augusta has it! Ye Gods bepraised! I vow a pig to Eppona! The blue has it. All hail to the Augusta!to heaven's blue!"
Domitian turned with a look of hate at his wife, and whispered:--
Nevertheless she shall come in second.
"NEVERTHELESS SHE SHALL COME IN SECOND." _Page 270._]