“There is Verginius on the Rhine,” said Subrius. “What of him?”
“An able man, none abler, if he will only consent.”
“And Sulpicius Galba in Spain. What of him?”
“He is half worn-out,” said Lateranus; “but he has the advantage of being one of the best born men in Rome. And the old names have not yet lost their power.”
“Why not a philosopher?” asked Lucan after a pause. “Plato thought that philosophers were the fittest men to rule the world.”
“Are you thinking of your uncle Seneca?” asked Lateranus. “For my part I think that it would be a pity to take him away from his books; and to speak the truth, if I may do so without offence, Seneca, though he is beyond doubt one of the greatest ornaments of Rome, has not played the part of an Emperor’s teacher (Footnote: Seneca, in conjuction with Burrus, commander of the Pr?torians, was tutor to Nero for many years.) with such success that we could hope very much from him, were he Emperor himself.”
“There are, and indeed must be, objections to every name,” said Licinius after a pause. “The soldiers will take it ill if the dignity should go to a civilian; and if the choice falls on a soldier, then all the other [23] soldiers will be jealous. Tell me, Subrius, would you Pr?torians be content if the legions were to choose an Emperor?”
Subrius shrugged his shoulders.
“As for the armies of the East,” Licinius went on, “I know how fiercely they would resent dictation from the West! Our friend Asper here, who, if I remember right, has been aide-de-camp to Verginius, knows whether the German legions would be more disposed to submit to a mandate from the Euphrates. What say you, Asper?”
Asper could do nothing better than imitate the action of his superior officer.
Licinius went on: “I am a soldier myself, and can therefore speak more freely on this subject. We have to choose between evils. Jealousy between one great army and another can scarcely fail to end in war. The general discontent of all the armies, if a civilian succeeds to the throne, will be less acute, and therefore less dangerous. What say you to Calpurnius Piso?”
“At least,” cried Lucan, “he has the merit of not being a philosopher.”
There was a general laugh at this sally. Piso was a noted bon vivant and man of fashion, and generally as unlike a philosopher in his habits and ways of life as could be conceived.
“Exactly so,” said Licinius, undisturbed by the remark; “and this, strange as it may seem, is one of [24] the qualities which commend him to those who look at things as they are, and not as they ought to be. This is not the time for Consuls who leave their ploughs to put on the robes of office. The age is not equal to such simple virtues. It wants magnificence; it demands that its heroes should be well-dressed and drive fine horses and keep up a splendid establishment. It is not averse to a reputation for luxury. Piso has such a reputation, and I must own that it does not do him injustice. But he is a man of honour, and he has some solid and many showy qualities. He has noble birth; a pedigree that shows an ancestor who fought at Cann? is more than respectable. He is eloquent, he is wealthy, but can give with a liberal hand as well as spend, and he has the gift of winning hearts. And then he is bold. We may look long, my friends, before we find a better man than Piso.”
“There is a great deal of truth in what you say; more truth than it is pleasant to acknowledge,” said Lateranus. “But we must weigh this matter seriously. Meanwhile, will Piso join us?”
“I feel as certain of it as I could be of any matter not absolutely within my knowledge,” replied Licinius. “Will you authorize me to sound him? Whether he agree or not, I can guarantee his silence.”
Many other matters and men were discussed; and before the party separated it was arranged that each of the six friends should choose one person to be enrolled in the undertaking.
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IN THE CIRCUS
[25] TWO days after the conversation related in my last chapter Subrius and Lateranus were deep in consultation in the library of the latter’s mansion on the Esquiline Hill. The subject that occupied them was, of course, the same that had been started on that occasion.
“Licinius tells me,” said the Pr?torian, “that he has spoken to Piso, and that he caught eagerly at the notion. I must confess that at first I was averse to the man. It seemed a pity to throw away so magnificent an opportunity. What good might not an honest, capable man do, if he were put in this place? It is no flattery, but simple truth, that the Emperor is a Jupiter on earth. But it seems hopeless to look for the ideal man. That certainly Piso is not. But he is resolute, and he means well, and he will be popular. He is not the absolute best, the four-square and faultless man that the philosophers talk about; very far from it. But then the faultless man would not please the Romans, if I know them; and to do the Romans, or, for the matter of that, any men, good, you must please them first.”
[26] “And how does the recruiting go on?” asked Lateranus.
“Excellently well,” said Subrius, “within the limits that are set, that every man should choose one associate. Asper and Sulpicius have both chosen comrades, and can answer for their loyalty as for themselves. Lucan has taken Sc?vinus. I should hardly have thought that the lazy creature had so much energy in him; but these sleepy looking fellows sometimes wake up with amazing energy. Proculus has chosen Senecio, who is one of the Emperor’s inner circle of friends.”
“Ah!” interrupted Lateranus, “that sounds dangerous.”
“There is no cause for fear; Senecio, I happen to know, has very good reasons for being with us, and, of course, he is a most valuable acquisition. When the hour comes to strike, we shall know how and where to deal the blow. Then there is Proculus, whom you have chosen. And finally I, I flatter myself, have done well. Whom think you I have secured?”
“Well, it would be difficult to guess. Your fellow tribune Statius, perhaps. I should guess that he is an honest man, who would like to serve a better master than he has got at present.”
“Statius is well enough, and we shall have him with us sure enough when the time shall come. But meanwhile I have been doing better things than [27] that. What should you say,” he went on, dropping his voice to a whisper, “if I were to tell you that it is F?nius Rufus?”
“What, the Prefect?” asked Lateranus in tones of the liveliest surprise.
“Yes” replied Subrius; “the Prefect himself.”
“That is admirable!” cried the other. “We not have hoped for anything so good. But how did you approach him?”
“Oh! that was not so difficult. To tell you the truth, he met me at least half-way. These things are always in the air. Depend upon it, there are hundreds of people thinking much the same things that you and I are thinking, though not, perhaps, in quite so definite a way. And why not? The same causes have been at work in them as in us, and brought about much the same result.”
“True! but we must be first in the field. So we must make haste.”
“There I agree heartily with you. Delay in such matters is fatal. The secret is sure to leak out. And with every new man we take into our confidence�and we must add a good many more to our number�the danger becomes greater. Will you come with me on a little visit that I am going to pay? I have an acquaintance whom I should like you to see. He may be useful to us in this matter. I will tell you about him. In the first place, I would have you know that my friend is a gladiator.”
[28] Lateranus raised his eyebrows. “A gladiator!” he exclaimed in a doubtful tone. “He might be useful in certain contingencies. But he would hardly suit our purpose just now.”
“Listen to his story,” said Subrius. “I assure you that it is well worth hearing; and I shall be much surprised, if, when you have heard it, you don’t agree with me that Fannius, for that is my friend’s name, is a very fine fellow. Well, to begin with, he is a Roman citizen.”
“Great Jupiter!” interrupted Lateranus, “you astonish me more and more. A citizen gladiator, and yet a fine fellow! I never knew one that was not a thorough-paced scoundrel.”