CHAPTER III
THE WISDOM OF THE SERPENT
Ever since the night which changed the imperial master of Rome, Esca haddwelt with Eleazar as if he were a member of the same family and the samecreed. Though Mariamne, according to the custom of her nation, confinedherself chiefly to the women's apartments, it was impossible that two wholoved each other so well as the Jewess and the Briton should reside underthe same roof without an occasional interview. These usually took placewhen the latter returned to unarm after his military duties; and thoughbut a short greeting was interchanged, a hurried inquiry, a few words ofthanksgiving for his safety, and assurances of her continued affection,these moments were prized and looked forward to by both, as being the onlyoccasions on which they could enjoy each other's society uninterrupted andalone.
After the repulse of the tribune's attack beneath the Tower of Antonia,Esca returned in triumph to Eleazar's house. He was escorted to the verydoor by the chief men of the city, and a band of those chosen warriors whohad witnessed and shared in his exploits. Mariamne, from the gallery whichsurrounded it, saw him enter her father's court at the head of herfather's friends, heard that father address him before them all in a fewsoldierlike words of thanks and commendation--nay, even observed him leadthe successful combatant away with him as though for some communication ofunusual confidence. The girl's heart leaped within her; and vague hopes,of which she could not have explained the grounds, took possession of hermind. She loved him very dearly: they slept under the same roof, they ateat the same board; notwithstanding the perils of warfare to which she wasnow habituated, they met every day: but this was not enough; something waswanting still; so she watched him depart with her father, and grudged notthe loss of her own short interview with its congratulations that she solonged to pour into his ear, because the indefinite hopes that dawned onher, seemed to promise more happiness than she could bear.
Eleazar took the helmet from his brow, and signed to Esca to do the same.Then he filled a measure of wine, and draining the half of it eagerly,handed the rest to his companion. For a few minutes he paced up and downthe room, still wearing his breastplate, and with his sword girded to hisside, deep in thought, ere turning abruptly to his companion he placed hishand on his shoulder, and said--
"You have eaten my bread--you have drunk from my cup. Esca, you are to meas a son; will you do my bidding?"
"Even as a son," replied the Briton; to whom such an address seemed atonce to open the way for the fulfilment of his dearest wishes.
Eleazar ignored the emphasis on the word. It may be that his mind was tooentirely engrossed with public interests to admit a thought upon privateaffairs; it may be that he considered Esca, like the sword upon his thigh,as a strong and serviceable weapon, to be laid aside when no longer wantedfor conflict; or it may be that his purpose was honest, and that, afterthe salvation of his country, he would have been actuated by the kindliermotives of a father and a friend; but in the meantime he had a purpose inview, and no considerations of affection or partiality would have led himto swerve from it by a hair's-breadth.
"Look around you," said he, "and behold the type of Judaea, and especiallyof Jerusalem, in this very building. See how fair and stately are thewalls of my house, how rich its ornaments, how costly its hangings anddecorations. Here are ivory, and sandal-wood, and cedar; webs of diverscolours; robes of purple, stores of fine linen, vessels of silver, anddrinking-cups of gold; frankincense and wine are here in plenty, but ofbarley we have scarce a few handfuls; and if the same visitors that myfather Abraham entertained on the plains of Mamre were at my door to-day,where should I find a kid that I might slay it, and set it before them toeat? I have everything here in the house, save that alone without whicheverything else is of no avail--the daily bread that gives man strength forhis daily task. And so is it with my country: we have men, we haveweapons, we have wealth; but we lack that which alone renders thoseadvantages efficient for defence--the constant unshrinking reliance onitself and its faith, from which a nation derives its daily resources asfrom its daily bread. There are men here in the city now who would handJerusalem over to the heathen without striking another blow in herdefence."
"Shame on them!" answered the other warmly. "Barbarian, stranger as I am,I pledge myself to die there, ere a Roman soldier's foot shall pollute thethreshold of the Temple."
"You are a warrior," answered Eleazar; "you have proved it to-day. As awarrior I consult with you on the possibility of our defence. You saw theresult of the conflict under the Tower of Antonia, and the bravery of theTenth Legion; we cannot resist another such attack till our defences arerepaired. We must gain time; at all hazards, and at any sacrifice, we mustgain time."
"In two days the breach might be strengthened," replied the other; "butTitus is an experienced soldier; he was watching us to-day from the summitof his tower. He will hardly delay the assault beyond to-morrow."
"He must!" answered Eleazar vehemently. "I have my preparations fordefence, and in less than two days the city shall be again impregnable.Listen, Esca; you little know the opposition I have met with, or thehatred I have incurred in overcoming it. I have sought means to preservethe city from all quarters, and have thus given a handle to my enemiesthat they will not fail to use for my destruction. Have I not taken theholy oil from the sacrifice, to pour boiling on the heads of thebesiegers? and will not John of Gischala and the Robbers fling thissacrilege in my teeth when it becomes known? Even at this moment I haveseized the small quantity of chaff there is yet remaining in the city, tofill the sacks with which we may neutralise the iron strokes of that heavybattering-ram, which the soldiers themselves call Victory. There is scarcea grain of wheat left, and many a hungry stomach must sleep to-nightwithout even the miserable meal it had promised itself, for want of thispoor measure of chaff. Men will curse Eleazar in their prayers. It iscruel work,--cruel work. But, no! I will never abandon my post, and theseed of Jacob shall eat one another for very hunger in the streets, ere Ideliver the Holy City into the keeping of the heathen."
Something almost like a tear shone in the eye of this iron-hearted fanaticwhile he spoke, but his resolution was not to be shaken; and he only spokethe truth when he avowed that famine, stalking abroad in its most horribleform, would be a less hateful sight to him than the crest of a Romansoldier within the walls of Jerusalem. His brain had been hard at work onhis return from the conflict of the day; and he had woven a plan by whichhe hoped to gain such a short respite from attack as would enable him tobid defiance to Titus once more. This could only be done, however, withthe aid of others, and by means of a perfidy that even he could scarcelyreconcile to himself--that he could not but fear must be repugnant to hisagent.
The well-known clemency of the Roman commander, and his earnest wish tospare, if it were possible, the beautiful and sacred city fromdestruction, had caused him to listen patiently at all times to anyovertures made by the Jews for the temporary suspension of hostilities.Titus seemed not only averse to bloodshed, but also extended his goodwillin an extraordinary degree to an enemy whose religion he respected, andwhose miseries obtained his sincere compassion. On many occasions he haddelayed his orders for a final and probably irresistible assault, in thehope that the city might be surrendered; and that he could hand over tohis father this beautiful prize, undefaced by the violence inflicted on atown taken by storm. The great Roman commander was not only the mostskilful leader of his day, but a wise and far-sighted politician, as wellas a humane and generous man. Eleazar knew the character with which he hadto deal; but he stifled all scruples of honour in the one consideration,that his first and only duty was to the cause of Judah; yet in his breastwere lying dormant the instincts of a brave man, and it was not withoutmisgivings of opposition from his listener, that he disclosed to Esca thescheme by which he hoped to overreach Titus and gain a few hours' respitefor the town.
"Two days," said he, resuming his restless walk up and down theapartment--"two da
ys is all I ask--all I require. Two days I _must_ have.Listen, young man. I have proved you, I can trust you; and yet the safetyof Judah hangs on your fidelity. Swear, by the God of Israel, that youwill never reveal the secret I disclose to you this day. It is but knownto my brother, my daughter, and myself. You are the adopted son of myhouse. Swear!"
"I swear!" replied Esca solemnly; and his hopes grew brighter as he foundhimself thus admitted, as it were, to a place in the family of the womanhe loved.
Eleazar looked from the casement and through the door, to assure himselfagainst listeners; then he filled the Briton's cup once more, andproceeded with his confidences.
"Around that dried-up fountain," said he, pointing to the terraces onwhich his stately house was built, "there lie seven slabs of marble, withwhich its basin is paved. If you put the point of your sword under theleft-hand corner of the centre one, you may move it sufficiently to admityour hand. Lift it, and you find a staircase leading to a passage; followthat passage, in which a full-grown man can stand upright, and along whichyou may grope your way without fear, and you come to an egress choked upwith a few faggots and briers. Burst through these, and, lo! you emergebeyond the Tower of Antonia, and within fifty paces of the Roman camp.Will you risk yourself amongst the enemy for Judah's sake?"
"I have been nearer the Romans than fifty paces," answered Esca proudly."It is no great service you ask; and if they seize upon me as an escapedslave, and condemn me to the cross, what then? It is but a soldier's dutyI am undertaking after all. When shall I depart?"
Eleazar reflected for a moment. The other's unscrupulous, unquestioningfidelity touched even his fierce heart to the quick. It would be,doubtless, death to the messenger, who, notwithstanding his character ofherald, would be too surely treated as a mere runaway; but the messagemust be delivered, and who was there but Esca for him to send? He bent hisbrows, and proceeded in a harder tone--
"I have confided to you the secret way, that is known to but three besidesin Jerusalem. I need keep nothing from you now. You shall bear my writtenproposals to Titus for a truce till the sun has again set twice, oncertain terms; but those terms it will be safer for the messenger not toknow. Will you run the risk, and when?"
"This instant, if they are ready," answered the other boldly; but evenwhile he spoke, Calchas entered the apartment; and Eleazar, conscious ofthe certain doom to which he was devoting his daughter's preserver and hisown guest, shrank from his brother's eye, and would have retired toprepare his missive without further question.
Fierce and unscrupulous as he was, he could yet feel bitterly for thebrave, honest nature that walked so unsuspiciously into the trap he laid.It was one thing to overreach a hostile general, and another to sacrificea faithful and devoted friend. He had no hesitation in affecting treasonto Titus, and promising the Romans that, if they would but grant him thatday and the next, to obtain the supremacy of his own faction and chiefpower within the walls, he would deliver over the city, with the simplecondition that the Temple should not be demolished, and the lives of theinhabitants should be spared. He acknowledged no dishonour in thedetermination, which he concealed in his own breast, to employ thatinterval strenuously in defensive works, and when it had elapsed to breakfaith unhesitatingly with his foe. In the cause of Judah--so thought thisfanatic, half-soldier, half-priest--it was but a fair stratagem of war, andwould, as a means of preserving the true faith, meet with the directapproval of Heaven. But it seemed hard--very hard--that, to secure theseadvantages, he must devote to certain destruction one who had sat at hisboard and lived under his roof for months; and a pang, of which he did notcare to trace the origin, smote the father's heart when he thought ofMariamne's face, and her question to-morrow, "Where is Esca? and why is henot come back?"
He took his brother aside, and told him, shortly, that Esca was going as amessenger of peace to the Roman camp. Calchas looked him full in the face,and shook his head.
"Brother," said he, "thy ways are tortuous, though thy bearing is warlikeand bold. Thou trustest too much to the sword of steel and the arm offlesh--the might of man's strength, which a mere pebble on the pavement canbring headlong to the ground; and the scheming of man's brain, whichcannot foresee, even for one instant, the trifle that shall baffle andconfound it in the next. It is better to trust boldly in the right. Thisyouth is of our own household: he is more to us than friend and kindred.Wouldst thou send him up with his hands bound to the sacrifice? Brother,thou shalt not do this great sin!"
"What would you?" said Eleazar impatiently. "Every man to his duty. Thepriest to the offering; the craftsman to his labour; the soldier to thewall. He alone knows the secret passage. Whom have I but Esca to send?"
"I am a man of peace," replied Calchas, and over his face stole that rayof triumphant confidence which at seasons of danger seemed to brighten itlike a glory; "who so fitting to carry a message of peace as myself? Youhave said, everyone to his appointed task. I cannot--nay, I _would_ not--puta breastplate on my worthless body, and a helmet on my old grey head, andbrandish spear, or javelin, or deadly weapon in my feeble hands; but doyou think it is because I fear? Remember, brother, the blood of the sonsof Manahem runs in my veins as in yours, and I, too, have a right to riskevery drop of it in the service of my country! Oh! I have sinned! I havesinned!" added the old man, with a burst of contrition, after thismomentary outburst. "What am I to speak such words? I, the humblest andleast worthy of my master's servants!"
"You shall not go!" exclaimed Eleazar, covering his face with his hands asthe horrid results of such a mission rose before his eyes. Should theRomans keep the herald for a hostage, as most probably they would, untilthe time of surrender had elapsed, what must be his certain fate? Had theynot already crucified more than one such emissary in face of the walls?and could they be expected to show mercy in a case like this? His love forhis brother had been the one humanising influence of Eleazar's life. Ittore his heart now with a grief that was something akin to rage, when hereflected that even that brother, if requisite, must be sacrificed to thecause of Jerusalem.
Esca looked from one to the other, apparently unmoved. To him the wholeaffair seemed simply a matter of duty, in the fulfilment of which he wouldhimself certainly run considerable risk, that did not extend to Calchas.He was perfectly willing to go; but could not, at the same time, refrainfrom thinking that the latter was the fitter person to undertake such amission at such a time. He could not guess at the perfidy which Eleazarmeditated, and which brought with it its own punishment in his presentsufferings for his brother. "I am ready," said he quietly, resting hishand on his helmet, as though prepared to depart forthwith.
"You shall not go," repeated Calchas, looking fixedly at his brother thewhile. "I tell thee, Eleazar," he added, with kindling eye and heightenedtone, "that I will not stand by and see this murder done. As an escapedslave, Esca will be condemned to death unheard. It may be that they willeven subject him to the scourge, and worse. As the bearer of terms for atruce, our enemies will treat me as an honoured guest. If thou artdetermined to persevere, I will frustrate thine intention by force. I needbut whisper to the Sanhedrim that Eleazar is trafficking with thoseoutside the walls, and where would be the house of Ben-Manahem? and howlong would the Zealots own allegiance to their chief? Nay, brother, suchdiscord and such measures can never be between thee and me. When have wediffered in our lives, since we clung together to our mother's knees?Prepare thy missive. I will take it to the Roman camp forthwith, andreturn in safety as I went. What have I to fear? Am I not protected by Himwhom I serve?"
When Eleazar withdrew his hands from his face it was deadly pale, andlarge drops stood upon his forehead. The struggle had been cruel indeed,but it was over. "Jerusalem before all," was the principle from which hehad never been known to swerve, and now he must sacrifice to it that lifeso much dearer than his own.
"Be it as you will," said he, commanding himself with a strong effort;"you can only leave the city by our secret passage. The scroll shall beready at midnight. It must
be in the hand of Titus by dawn!"