Melitta guessed that I was seeking some excuse for not
complying
with
her wishes, though as yet she had no actual proof.
her wishes, though as yet she had no actual proof.
Scriptori Erotici Graeci
ii.
60, which illustrates the above passage.
]
[Footnote 24: When the soldiers of Pescennius Niger murmured for want
of wine, he replied to them, "Nilum habetis et vinum quæritis? " and the
historian adds, "siquidem tanta illius fluminis dulcedo, ut accolæ vina
non quærant. "--Spartianus. ]
[Footnote 25: See in Herod. ii. 68, 70, a description of the crocodile
and of the mode of taking it. ]
BOOK V.
We arrived at Alexandria after a three days' passage. I entered by
the gate of the Sun, and was at once amazed and delighted by the
splendour of the city. A row of columns, on either side, led in a
straight line to the gate of the Moon--these two divinities being the
guardian gods of the city gates. In the midst of these columns was the
open part of the city, which branched out into so many streets, that
in traversing them, one seemed journeying abroad though all the time
at home. [1] Proceeding a little farther I came to a part named after
the great Alexander; here began a second city and its beauty was of a
twofold kind, two rows of columns equal in extent, intersecting each
other at right angles. It was impossible to satisfy the eye with
gazing upon the various streets, or to take in every object deserving
of admiration; some of these one actually saw, others one was on the
point of seeing; others one longed to see; others, again, one would
not willingly have missed seeing; those which were actually present
rivetted one's gaze; those which were anticipated tempted it to wander:
after turning my eyes therefore, on every side, so distracted were
my feelings of admiration, that I owned my sight to be thoroughly
bewildered and unequal to its task. What most struck me was the extent
of the city and its vast population, each of which in turn bore away
the palm when compared with the other; the former seemed actually a
country, the latter, a nation. When I looked at the vast size of the
city, I doubted whether any number of inhabitants could fill it; and
when I considered the multitude of the inhabitants, I asked myself
whether any city could contain them; so evenly balanced was the
calculation,[2] and so difficult was it to come to a decision.
It chanced at that time to be the festival of the great deity called
Jove by the Greeks, Serapis[3] by the Egyptians; torches were lighted
up throughout the city, and the effect of so much light was marvellous,
for although evening had come on and the sun had set, there was no
such thing as night, another sun might be said to have arisen, only
that his rays were scattered,[4] so that the city vied with heaven in
brightness. I also visited the magnificent temple and saw the statue
of the Milichian Jove, and after paying our devotions to his great
divinity, and praying him to end at last, our troubles, we returned to
the lodgings which Menelaus had engaged for us. The deity, as will
be seen, did not hearken to our prayers, and another trial of fortune
yet awaited us. Chæreas had for some time been enamoured of Leucippe,
which was his motive for communicating to me the circumstance of the
philtre, by doing which he hoped to become on intimate terms with
us and to preserve her life for his own ends. Knowing how difficult
success would be, he had recourse to stratagem. Being a seafaring man,
he had no difficulty in getting together some fellows, half-fishermen
half-pirates, with whom he arranged what was to be done, and then under
pretence of keeping his birth-day, he invited us to an entertainment at
Pharos. As we were leaving the house a sinister omen befell us; a hawk
pursuing a sparrow struck Leucippe on the cheek with its wing; alarmed
at the occurrence I looked up towards heaven and said--"Jove, what
means this omen? If this bird be indeed sent by thee, show us, I pray,
some clearer augury. " Upon turning round, I found myself standing by a
painter's shop where was a picture, the subject of which was in keeping
with what had just taken place; it represented the rape of Philomela,
the cruelty of Tereus in cutting out her tongue, every particular of
the sad drama was seen depicted on the tapestry,[5] which was being
held up by a female slave. Philomela stood pointing to the different
figures which were worked upon it, and Procne was intimating that she
understood her, at the same time casting stern and angry looks upon the
picture. There, the Thracian Tereus was seen struggling with Philomela,
whose hair was dishevelled, her girdle loose, her dress torn, her bosom
half naked; her right hand was planted against the face of Tereus, with
her left she was endeavouring to pull her torn dress over her breast;
Tereus was holding her in his arms, drawing her person towards him,
and embracing her as closely as he could. Such was the subject of the
tapestry. In the remainder of the painting, were seen the two sisters
showing Tereus the relics of his supper, the head and hands of his own
child; fear and bitter laughter are depicted on their faces; Tereus
is leaping up from his couch and drawing his sword against them, and
he has struck out his foot against the table[6] which neither stands
nor falls, but seems in the very act of falling. "In my opinion," said
Menelaus, "we should give up the excursion to Pharos, for we have
encountered two unfavourable omens, the hawk's wing and the threatening
picture; now those who profess to interpret such matters, bid us pay
regard to the subjects of any pictures which we may happen to meet
with, when setting out on any business, and to conjecture the result of
our undertaking from the nature of what we see. Did you not observe how
full of evil augury this picture is? There is depicted in it lawless
love, shameless adultery and female misery; we ought therefore to
defer our expedition. " I concurred in opinion with him, and we excused
ourselves from accompanying Chæreas on that occasion; he left us, very
much vexed at our determination, saying he should come to us the next
day.
Women are naturally fond of hearing stories, accordingly when he
was gone, Leucippe turning to me said, "Pray tell me what is the
subject represented in this picture? What birds are they? who are
the women? and who is that shameless man? " I proceeded to gratify
her wishes. --"The hoopoe," I said, "was once a man called Tereus,
the swallow and the nightingale were two sisters named Philomela and
Procne, natives of Athens. One woman, it seems, is not enough for a
barbarian, especially when an occasion offers for gratifying his lust;
and such an opportunity was offered to Tereus through the sisterly
affection of Procne, who sent her husband to invite Philomela; he
conceived a passion for her, on his way back, made her a second Procne;
then fearing lest she should reveal the deed, he, as the reward for
her virginity deprives her of speech by cutting out her tongue, our
nature's glory. [7] The precaution was fruitless, Philomela, by her
skill contrived a silent voice; she inwove the tragedy into a web,
descriptive of the facts, her hand supplying the place of a tongue, and
revealing to her sister's eyes what otherwise would have been whispered
into her ears. Procne, learning through this device the violence
which had been perpetrated, determines to take fearful vengeance;
and two angry women's minds, conspiring together, and influenced by
mingled feeling of jealousy and sense of wrong, contrive a supper more
detestable even then the rape. [8] They serve up to the father his own
child; Procne had once been his mother, now she had forgotten the
maternal tie, so powerfully do the pangs of jealousy prevail over those
even of travail; for women, when exacting satisfaction for a violated
bed, however deeply they may suffer in what they do, compensate the
pain by the pleasure of inflicting vengeance. [9] Tereus supped upon
this hellish banquet, and afterwards the sisters, trembling with fear
yet laughing horribly, bringing the remnants of his child upon a dish.
He recognizes the miserable tokens, curses the food which he had
swallowed, and discovers himself to be the father of what he had been
feasting on. Maddened with fury, he draws his sword, and is in the act
of rushing upon the women, when lo! the air receives them metamorphosed
into birds. Tereus also becomes a bird, and ascends after them; and to
show that their change of form has wrought no change in their hate,
the hoopoe (Tereus) still pursues, and the nightingale (Procne) still
flies. " We had for once escaped the snare laid for us, but we gained
by it only a single day, for next morning Chæreas arrived, and feeling
ashamed to make any more excuses we went on board a vessel and sailed
to Pharos. Menelaus said that he felt indisposed and remained at home.
Chæreas took us first to the light-house and directed our attention to
the wonderful superstructure upon which it stood--a rock situated in
the sea, almost cloud-capped, and seeming to hang over the waters; upon
the summit of this arose the tower, which with its light served vessels
for a second pilot. [10] When we had viewed this, he took us to a house
at the extremity of the isle and situated on the shore.
In the evening, under pretence of his stomach being disordered, he
went out: in a short time we heard a great noise, and suddenly a
number of powerful men burst into the room, sword in hand, and turned
towards the maiden. Seeing my dearest life about to be carried off, I
rushed into the midst of them armed as they were, and received a wound
in the thigh, from the effect of which I fell bathed in blood; they
immediately put Leucippe into a boat and rowed away. Aroused by the
disturbance and alarm caused by this occurrence, the commandant of the
isle came up whom I had known when with the army. I exhibited my wound,
and earnestly besought him to pursue the pirates. Accordingly, throwing
himself and the soldiers with him into one of the many boats which were
in the harbour, he gave them chase; I likewise was among the number,
having caused myself to be lifted in.
When the pirates saw that we were gaining upon them and were prepared
for an attack, they placed the maiden upon the deck with her hands
bound behind her; some of them, after calling out in a loud voice,
"Behold the prize you wish to win," severed her head from her body,
and threw the trunk into the sea. Upon beholding this I uttered a loud
cry and was on the point of casting myself into the water, but was
prevented by those standing near me; I then requested the crew to lie
upon their oars, that some one might jump into the sea and if possible
recover the body for burial; they complied with my request and two
of the sailors throwing themselves over the boat's side, got hold of
the corpse and brought it on board. Meanwhile the pirates plied their
oars still more vigorously, and when we were again nearing them they
caught sight of another vessel, and recognizing those in her, hailed
them to come to their assistance; these latter were purple-fishers[11]
and like the others pirates. The commandant, seeing the odds against
him, became alarmed and gave orders to back water,[12] for the pirates
instead of continuing their flight, were now eager to provoke an
engagement. Upon reaching the shore and landing, I threw myself upon
the body and shed bitter tears. --"Thou hast indeed died a double death,
my dearest Leucippe,"[13] I exclaimed, "divided as thou art between
land and sea; I have a remnant of thee, but thou thyself art lost to
me; the division is unfair, for thy larger portion which I possess
(thy body) is in reality, thy lesser, (considering its worth,) while
the sea, in retaining the lesser part (thy head[14]), is in fact
guilty of retaining all; since cruel Fortune envies me the happiness
of kissing thy fair face, I will at least kiss thy neck. " After giving
vent to these lamentations, I had the body interred, and returned to
Alexandria, where much against my will my wound was dressed, and where
I continued to live a miserable life, though Menelaus did all in his
power to console me. At the expiration of six months, the violence of
my grief began to subside; time acts as medicine upon sorrow and heals
the wounds which have been inflicted upon the soul, for the light of
day, and the bright sun are full of cheerfulness, and though the mind
may be fevered by excess of sorrow for a time, yet it is gradually
cooled and overcome by the persuasive influence of time.
One day, when walking in the public square, some one came behind me,
and without speaking a word, seized my hand, turned me round, and
warmly embraced me. For a few moments I knew not who the party was,
overcome by surprise I mechanically suffered myself to be embraced;
at length, upon looking up and seeing his features, who should it
prove to be but Clinias, so uttering a cry of joy, I returned his
embrace with ardour. We then retired to my lodging, where I told him
the particulars of Leucippe's death, and he related to me the manner
of his escape. --"When the ship went to pieces," said he, "I laid hold
of one end of the sailyard, which was already crowded with people,
and endeavoured to hang on; after we had been tossed about for some
time, a great wave overtaking us raised and dashed the yard against a
sunken rock, from which it rebounded like an engine, and shot me off as
though I had been hurled from a sling. I swam during the rest of the
day, but with little hope of being saved; at length, when exhausted and
abandoning myself to the will of Fortune, I espied a vessel bearing
down towards me; so alternately lifting up my hands, I supplicated
help by gestures. Moved by pity, or perhaps merely obeying the impulse
of the wind, the ship came near me, and while running by, one of the
sailors cast a rope over the side; I seized it, and was thus drawn out
of the jaws of death. The vessel was bound for Sidon, and some of those
on board to whom I was known showed me every kindness. We arrived at
the above city after two days' sail, when I requested the Sidonians on
board (the merchant Xenodamas, and his father-in-law Theophilus), not
to mention to any of the Tyrians whom they might meet, the circumstance
of my being preserved from shipwreck. I did not wish any one to know
that I had been away from home, and if those two preserved silence in
the matter, I had hopes that nothing would be discovered; five days
only had elapsed since my disappearance, whereas if you recollect, I
had told my servants that I was going into the country for ten days;
and fortunately I found this to be the prevalent belief among my
friends. Your father did not return home until two days after this,
upon his arrival he found a letter from his brother, Sostratus (which
came the very day after our departure), in which he offered you his
daughter's hand. Upon reading it and hearing of our flight your father
was in great trouble, both because you had missed the prize intended
for you, and because after so nearly bringing matters to a favourable
issue, Fortune had failed merely through delay in the arrival of the
letter. Not wishing his brother to know what had happened, he enjoined
secrecy upon Leucippe's mother, thinking it probable he should be able
to discover you, or at any rate, that upon hearing of the betrothment,
you would both gladly return, having it in your power to realize
the object of your flight. He is now using every endeavour to find
you out; and only a few days ago, Diophantus of Tyre, just returned
from Egypt, informed him that he had seen you here; immediately upon
hearing this, I took ship, sailed hither, and have for more than a
week been seeking you in this city. As your father will soon be here,
it is time for you to decide upon some plan. " He ceased speaking,
and I could not help inveighing bitterly against the cruel sport of
Fortune. "How unfortunate is my lot, my uncle Sostratus gives me the
hand of Leucippe, and sends me a bride from the theatre of war, so
exactly measuring the time as to avoid anticipating our flight. My
good luck and happiness comes just one day too late! [15] Marriage and
the nuptial hymn is talked of when death has claimed his victim, and
it is a time for tears! Whom do they now offer me for a bride? Even
her whose corpse I am not permitted to possess entire! " "You have no
leisure for lamentations now," said Clinias; "what you have to settle
is, whether you will return to your own country or await your father's
arrival here. "--"I will do neither the one nor the other," I replied;
"how can I look my father in the face, after basely flying from his
house, and enticing away her whom his own brother had entrusted to his
charge? Nothing remains but to quit this city before he comes. " At
this moment Menelaus came in, accompanied by Satyrus, and upon seeing
Clinias they hastened to embrace him. When informed by us of the state
of affairs,--"You have an opportunity," said Satyrus, "of prosperously
settling all your affairs, and of taking pity upon a heart which burns
with love towards you. Listen," continued he, addressing Clinias,
"Venus has thrown a piece of good fortune in the way of Clitopho
which he is unwilling to accept; a lady, by name Melitta, a native of
Ephesus is doatingly in love with him; so rare is her beauty, that it
fits her for a sculptor's model. [16] She is rich and young, and has
lately lost her husband who was drowned at sea; she earnestly desires
to make Clitopho, I will not say merely her husband but her 'lord
paramount,'[17] and freely surrenders to him herself and all she has.
She has passed two whole months here, endeavouring to persuade him.
Yet he, heaven knows why, looks coldly upon her, and slights her suit,
imagining, I suppose, that Leucippe will come to life again. "
"In my opinion," replied Clinias, "Satyrus speaks sensibly; it is no
time for hesitation and delay, when beauty, health, wealth, and love
combine to woo you; her beauty will yield you delight, her wealth
will supply the means of luxurious enjoyment, and her love will gain
consideration for you; consider, moreover, that the deity hates
pride and arrogance, so follow the advice of Satyrus and yield to
destiny. "--"Well then," said I, with a deep sigh, "do with me what
you will, since Clinias is of your opinion; one stipulation I make,
however, that I am not to be pressed to consummate the marriage until
we arrive at Ephesus, for I have taken a solemn oath to be connected
with no woman in this city where I have been bereaved of my Leucippe. "
Upon hearing me say this, Satyrus hastened to Melitta with the joyful
tidings, and shortly after returned and said, that upon learning them,
she had nearly fainted from excess of joy; he was also the bearer of
an invitation to me to come to supper as a prelude to the marriage.
I complied and proceeded to her house. No sooner did she see me,
than falling on my neck she covered me with kisses. I must do her the
justice of saying that she was really beautiful; her complexion was
fair as milk, but tinted with the rose,[18] her bright and sunny look
was worthy of Venus herself, and she had a profusion of long golden
hair, so that upon the whole I could not look at her without some
pleasurable emotions.
A costly supper was served, she now and then took some of the viands
for appearance sake, but in reality ate nothing, feeding her eyes on
me. Lovers find their chief delight in gazing upon the beloved; and
when once this tender passion has taken possession of the soul, there
is no time or desire for taking food. The pleasure conceived by the
eyes flows through them into the mind, bears along with it the image of
the beloved, and impresses its form upon the mirror of the soul; the
emanation of beauty darting like secret rays and leaving its outline
on the love-sick heart. [19] I said to her, "Why is it that you touch
none of your own delicacies? --you are like one of those who sup on the
painter's canvas. "--"The sight of you," replied she, "is more to me,
than the choicest viands and the richest wines," accompanying the words
with one of her kisses which I began to receive with some degree of
pleasure; "this," said she after a pause, "is meat and drink to me. "
In this manner did supper pass; at night she used every endeavour to
persuade me to remain and share her bed; I however excused myself
urging the same reason which I had previously advanced to Satyrus. Much
against her will she allowed me to depart, upon the understanding that
next day we should meet in the temple of Isis, in order to arrange
matters and to plight our troth in presence of the goddess; accordingly
I went thither the following morning accompanied by Clinias and
Menelaus, and we took a mutual oath, I to love her in all sincerity;
she, to take me for her husband and to give me the control of all
her property. I reminded her that the performance of these promises
was to be deferred until we should arrive at Ephesus, "for as long as
we are here," I said, "you must give place to my Leucippe. " Another
magnificent banquet was prepared, which was in name but not in reality
the marriage supper, for as I have said, the consummation of our
nuptials was postponed. During the entertainment, when the guests were
wishing heath and happiness to the new married pair, Melitta turning
to me, said half in jest, half in earnest, "How flat, stale, and
unprofitable is all this, like the empty honours sometimes bestowed
upon the dead; I have often heard of a tomb without a body, but never
till now of a wedding without a consummation. "[20] The next morning,
induced by a favourable wind, we sailed from Alexandria; Menelaus
accompanied us to the port, and after many embraces and wishes for
my having a more prosperous voyage than formerly, took his leave; he
was in all respects a worthy and excellent young man, and we mutually
shed tears at parting. Clinias would not leave me, but determined to
accompany us as far as Ephesus, and after remaining there some time,
to return, as soon as my affairs were comfortably settled. The wind
continued in our favour the whole day, and at night after supper we
retired to rest in a cabin which had been parted off for me and Melitta
in the hull of the vessel. We had no sooner entered it, then throwing
her arms around me she urged me to consummate our marriage. "We are
now," she said, "beyond the boundaries sacred to Leucippe, and within
those where you are pledged to perform your promise. What need is
there to delay until we arrive at Ephesus? Remember, the sea is not
to be depended on, the winds are faithless! Believe me, Clitopho, I
burn; would that I should actually show the intenseness of the fire!
would that it possessed the same nature as the ordinary fires of love;
that so I might inflame you by my embraces! but, alas! it has a nature
peculiar to itself, and the flame which usually extends its influence
to both the lovers, in my case burns only its possessor! Strange and
mystic fire, which refuses to quit its own peculiar precints; dearest
Clitopho, let us begin the rites of Venus! "--"Do not," I replied,
"urge me to forget that reverence which is due to the departed; we
cannot be said to have passed the limits sacred to her memory until we
arrive in another country. Have you not heard how she perished in the
sea? I am therefore still sailing over Leucippe's grave; nay more, her
shade may even now be flitting around our vessel: it is said that the
souls of those who have found a watery grave do not descend to Hades,
but wander about the surface of the waves; for aught we know, she may
appear to us in the midst of our embrace. Besides, can you consider the
tossing waves of the uncertain sea, a fitting place for consummating
a bridal? Would you wish to have a fluctuating and unstable marriage
bed? "--"Dearest," she resumed, "lovers need no feather-bed,[21] every
place is accessible to the god of love; nay, rather is the sea a most
proper and fitting place for celebrating the mysteries of Venus. Is
not that goddess daughter of the sea: in honouring her shall we not
be paying homage to her mother? Everything around us, moreover, is
emblematic of the marriage rites; above us is the sailyard (resembling
in form a yoke[22]) encircled by its ropes;--what can more fitly
symbolise a wedding than a yoke and bands? close to our bed is the
rudder,[23] emblem of safe arrival within the port; Fortune herself is
clearly guiding our nuptials to a happy issue. Neptune himself, who
wedded a sea-bride, will wait upon us with his choir of Nereids; and
the winds which sigh so softly among the ropes seem to be chanting our
nuptial song; look too, at the bellying canvas, how it resembles a
pregnant womb; even this is not without its propitious meaning, for it
tells me that ere long you will be a father! "
Seeing her become so pressing and so excited, I replied,--"Let us, if
you will, continue to discuss these subtle points until we reach our
destination; I swear to you by the sea itself and by the fortune of our
voyage, that I am as impatient as yourself; but remember that even
the sea has its peculiar laws; and I have often heard say from ancient
mariners that ships must not be made the scenes of amorous delights,
either as being sacred in themselves,[24] or because wanton pleasure
is unseemly amid the perils of the ocean. Let us not then, my love,
cast insult upon the sea, or cause our nuptials to be distracted by
alarms, rather let us keep in store for ourselves pure and unalloyed
delight. " These arguments mingled with kisses and endearments, produced
the desired effect; and we passed the remainder of the night in sleep.
Five days more, brought us to Ephesus; Melitta's house was one of the
finest in the city, it was spacious and handsomely furnished, and she
had a numerous establishment. After ordering a handsome supper she
proposed that we should in the meanwhile visit her country-house,
which was not more than half a mile out of town; we rode there in her
carriage, and then getting out walked about in the kitchen-garden. [25]
Suddenly a female approached and threw herself at Melitta's feet; she
had on heavy fetters and held in her hand a hoe, her hair had been
cut off, her whole appearance was squalid, and her clothing consisted
of a sorry tunic. "Lady," she exclaimed, "have pity upon one of your
own sex, who once was free, but is now by the caprice of Fortune, a
slave. "--"Rise up," replied Melitta, "and tell me who you are and from
whence you came, and by whom you have been thus fettered; for though
in rags and misery your countenance bespeaks good birth. "--"I received
this treatment from your bailiff,[26]" resumed the woman, "because
I refused to gratify his desires; my name is Lacæna and I am from
Thessaly; I throw myself upon your mercy, beseeching you to release me
from this wretched condition, and to guarantee my safety till I shall
have paid the two thousand drachmas, for which Sosthenes purchased me
from the hands of pirates; the sum shall soon be raised, and until then
I am willing to remain your slave. See," she continued, "how cruelly I
have been used," and opening her tunic she shewed her back[27] furrowed
with stripes, a pitiable sight. Her voice and appearance overwhelmed me
with strange feelings, for I seemed to recognize in her a resemblance
to Leucippe. Addressing her, "Be comforted," said Melitta, "I will
have you set at liberty and will send you home without ransom,"--then
speaking to a slave, "Summon here Sosthenes! " The unhappy woman was
then disincumbered of her fetters, and the steward made his appearance
in great trepidation. --"Villain," said Melitta, "did you ever see
any one, even among the most ill-conditioned of my slaves, used so
shamefully? --tell me instantly, without any shuffling, who this female
is. "
"Mistress," replied the fellow, "all I know is, that a merchant, called
Callisthenes, sold her to me, saying that he had bought her from some
pirates, that she was free-born, and named Lacæna. " Melitta instantly
degraded him from his office, but her she entrusted to the charge of
her maid-servants, with orders to have her washed, decently dressed,
and conducted to the city; then, after settling the business which had
brought her thither, we rode back, and sat down to supper. While we
were thus employed, Satyrus with a very serious countenance motioned to
me to come out of the room: I did so, making some trifling excuse, when
without uttering a word he put into my hand a letter, which even before
reading it, filled me with consternation, for I recognized Leucippe's
writing;--the contents were these:--
"Leucippe, to my master Clitopho.
"I am in duty bound to address you by this title, since you are
united in marriage to my mistress. Although you are well aware of
my sufferings on your account, it is necessary for me to remind you
of them. For you I left the protection of my mother and became a
wanderer; for you I suffered shipwreck and endured captivity among
pirates; for you I became an expiatory victim and underwent a second
death; for you I have been sold to slavery, bound in letters, made
to bear a mattock and to hoe the ground; for you I have been beaten
with the scourge;--and all this in order that you might become wedded
to another woman--for suppose not that I will give myself up to any
other man. No! I have borne, and without a murmur, all these ills, and
you, exempt from them, have been enabled to form new marriage ties;
if therefore you are impressed with any sense of the sufferings which
I have undergone for love of you, urge your wife to send me home in
accordance with her promise, and undertake to be security for the
payment of the two thousand drachmas, which on my return, as I shall
not be far from Byzantium, I will procure and send; though supposing
you should have to pay them out of your own purse, it will only be a
trifling compensation for all that I have suffered in jour behalf.
Farewell, and may happiness attend your marriage--and remember that
she who writes this letter has preserved her honour undefiled. "
Upon reading these lines, I became a prey to a succession of
conflicting feelings; love, fear, astonishment, doubt, joy, grief, by
turns took possession of my mind.
"Did you bring this letter from the Shades below," I inquired of
Satyrus. "What in the name of heaven does all this mean? Has Leucippe
come to life again? "--"Most assuredly she has," replied he; "it is no
other than she whom you saw in the country, but she is so changed in
appearance from having had her hair cut off,[28] that scarcely any one
would recognize her. "--"And are you going to stop short at this good
news? " I asked: "Do you mean my ears alone to be gratified and my eyes
to have no share in the delight? "--"For heaven's sake be cautious,"
was his reply; "let us first contrive some course of action, else you
will bring destruction on us all. Only consider; here is this lady,
one of the most distinguished for rank and wealth in Ephesus, madly
in love with you, and we are in the midst of the toils without any
possibility of getting free. "--"Talk not of caution," rejoined I, "it
is out of the question, joy thrills too strongly through all my veins.
Think, too, how she upbraids me in her letter"--and upon this, I again
eagerly ran over the contents, fancying I could see her in every line,
and ejaculating as I read;--"Yes, dearest Leucippe, I plead guilty to
thy charge! Thou hast indeed endured all these things for love of me! I
have been the cause to thee of infinite misfortune! " And upon coming to
the mention of the scourgings and other sufferings inflicted upon her
by Sosthenes, I wept as though actually a witness of their infliction.
Reflection turns the eyes of the soul upon the purport of what we read,
and brings everything as vividly before us, as if it were actually
being seen and done. Such was the influence of Leucippe's words, that
her allusion to my marriage made me blush as though I had been really
surprised in the commission of adultery.
"Satyrus," said I, "what excuses shall I offer? Leucippe, it is clear,
knows everything; nay, her love may have become changed into hate!
But tell me by what means she has been preserved? Whose corpse was
that which was buried? "--"She will herself relate everything in proper
season," he replied. --"What you have to do now is to write back an
answer, in order to soothe her irritation. I solemnly declared to her
that you married your present wife against your will. "--"What! did
you really tell her I was married? You have utterly undone me then!
How could you be guilty of such folly? "--"Why tax me with folly? The
whole city is aware of it. "--"But I swear by Hercules and my present
Fortune that no actual marriage has taken place. "--"Nonsense! you share
her bed. "--"I well know," said I, "that I shall not be credited, but
nevertheless I speak the truth: up to this very day Clitopho has had
no connexion with Melitta; however, the present question is, what am I
to write to Leucippe? My mind is so confused by what has taken place,
that I really know not how to begin. "--"Upon my word," said Satyrus,
"it is out of my power to help you, but I have no doubt that Love will
suggest materials for a letter; but whatever you do, lose no time. " I
at length wrote as follows:--
"Health to Leucippe, mistress of my heart! It is my lot to be at once
happy and unhappy;--happy in that I have you mentally present to me;
unhappy in that you are really absent from me. Only defer pronouncing
judgment upon me until the truth shall be cleared up, and you will
find that the example of your chastity has been followed by myself (if
chastity may be spoken of in men); but if you already hate and have
condemned me unheard, I swear to you, by those gods who have preserved
your life, that ere long you shall have proof of my perfect innocence.
Farewell, dearest, and still give me a place in your affections! "
This letter I delivered to Satyrus, desiring him to say all he could in
my favour to Leucippe. I then went back to supper full of joy, but not
free from grief, well knowing that Melitta would not allow the night
to pass without pressing me to consummate our nuptials, and, having
recovered Leucippe, it was hateful to me even to look upon any other
woman. I endeavoured to conceal what was passing in my mind, but it was
to no purpose, so at last I feigned to be seized with a shivering fit.
Melitta guessed that I was seeking some excuse for not complying with
her wishes, though as yet she had no actual proof. When, however, I
arose from table without finishing my supper, and retired to rest,
she got up and followed me into the bed-room. I then pretended that I
felt much worse, upon which she became very urgent with me, and said,
"Why will you persist in acting thus? How long will you continue to
disappoint me? We have now crossed the sea, we are at Ephesus; the
time is come for realizing your promise. Why should there be any
more delay? How long are we to sleep together as though we were in a
sanctuary? [29] You place before my eyes a refreshing stream,[30] of
which nevertheless you prohibit me to drink; and though sleeping near
the very fountain head, I am parched with thirst; my couch may compare
with the feast of Tantalus. " While thus venting her grief, she leaned
her head upon my bosom and wept so piteously that I could not but
sympathize with her sorrow; and feeling her reproaches to be just, I
really was at a loss what to do. At last I said, "Believe me, dearest,
by our country's gods, I feel an ardour equal to your own! but this
sadden indisposition has seized me,--I know not from what cause,--and,
as you are well aware, without the blessing of health it is in vain to
think of love. "[31]
While saying this, I wiped away her tears, and solemnly assured her,
that ere long she should obtain everything she wished. Not without
great difficulty, however, did I succeed in pacifying her. On the
following day Melitta called for the maid-servants, to whom she had
committed Leucippe, and inquired whether every requisite attention
had been shewn her. They replied, that nothing had been omitted. Upon
this Melitta sent for her, and when she came into the room said, "I
need scarcely remind you of the kindness you have experienced from
me; all I ask as a return is assistance which it is in your power to
afford me. Now, I understand that you Thessalian women[32] can, by your
magic, work so powerfully upon the minds of those you love, that their
affections, instead of wandering to any other object, will thenceforth
be wholly rivetted on you, their mistresses. It is a magic potion of
this kind which I now want from you, to procure requital for the love
which is consuming me. You remember, doubtlessly, the young man who
was walking with me yesterday? "--"I suppose you mean your husband,"
replied Leucippe, maliciously, "for I have been told by some of the
household that he stands to you in that relation. "--"A pretty kind of
husband! " interrupted Melitta; "he has in him more of marble than of
manhood; and my rival is a certain dead Leucippe, whose name, whether
waking or sleeping, is always on his lips. Four whole months have I
spent in Alexandria, entirely on his account, praying and beseeching
him, and leaving nothing undone likely to gain his love, but all to no
purpose, for he remained as insensible to my entreaties as any stock or
stone; and when at length he did give way, it was to become my husband
but in name; for I swear to you by Venus, that after sleeping with him
for a week I have risen from his side as if I had been sleeping with a
eunuch; in short, I have fallen in love with a statue, not a man. [33]
To use the words, therefore, which yesterday you addressed to me, 'Have
compassion upon one of your own sex;' give me your aid against the
overweening and unimpressible man; by so doing you will save my life,
which is now fast ebbing from me. "[34]
Leucippe was rejoiced at finding that no intercourse had taken place
between Melitta and myself, and believing it to be of no use to deny
her magic skill, undertook to find suitable herbs, if permitted to
go and seek for them in the country. These promises tranquillized
Melitta, for the mind is easily persuaded to feed upon the empty hope
of future good. [35] Meanwhile, knowing nothing of all this, I was in
great perplexity how to put off Melitta during the approaching night,
and to contrive a meeting with Leucippe. In the evening, Melitta,
who had taken her out of town in a carriage, returned,[36] and we
had just began our supper when a great disturbance was heard in the
men's quarter of the house, and a servant rushed into the room, out of
breath, and exclaiming, "Thersander is alive, and is arrived! "[37]
This Thersander was no other than Melitta's husband, who was supposed
to have been lost at sea, the report of his death having been spread by
two of his servants who had been saved when the ship was wrecked. In a
moment he was in the room; for, having learnt every particular by the
way, he had hastened home on purpose to surprise me. Melitta, in great
alarm at an event so utterly unlooked for, started up and endeavoured
to embrace her husband; who, however thrust her from him with great
violence, and then catching sight of me and exclaiming, "So, here is
the spark himself! " he rushed towards me, and dealt me a tremendous
blow in the face, after which, seizing me by the hair, he dashed me to
the ground and beat me most unmercifully. All this time I remained as
silent as if I had been at the celebration of the mysteries, neither
asking him who he was, or why he used me so; for, suspecting the truth,
I had not courage to retaliate, though possessing physical strength
enough to do so.
At length when he was weary of striking and I of forming conjectures in
my mind, I got up and said, "Pray, who are you, and what do you mean by
this rough usage? " More than ever irritated by the sound of my voice,
he recommenced his attack upon me, and called aloud for fetters and
handcuffs; they were brought, and, after being bound hand and foot, I
was shut up in a room. During this struggle, Leucippe's letter, which
had been fastened under my tunic to the fringes of my shirt,[38] fell
to the ground without my perceiving it, and was picked up by Melitta,
who feared lest it might be one of her own letters written to me; when,
however, she had an opportunity of reading it in private and met with
Leucippe's name, it went like an arrow to her heart, but having so
often heard of her death she did not at once identify the name with
the female whom she had set at liberty; but as she read on, and felt
all uncertainty upon the point removed, she became at once the divided
prey of shame, rage, love, and jealousy;--she felt ashamed at exposure
before her husband; she was enraged at the contents of the letter; this
passion yielded to love on my account, which in its turn was stung
by jealousy; but love, in the end, remained triumphant. Thersander,
after the first ebullition of his anger, had retired to the house of
a friend; Melitta, therefore, in the evening, after speaking to the
slave who kept guard over my apartment, came in privately, having for
precaution posted two of her servants before the door.
She found me lying upon the floor, and approaching me shewed by her
countenance, that she wished, were it possible, to give utterance in
one breath to all her various emotions. "Wretched that I am," she at
length exclaimed, "fatal for me was the day when I first beheld you;
I, who have loved so madly yet so fruitlessly; who still doat upon him
who hates me; who pity him who is the cause of all my pain, and whose
love is not extinguished even by injury and insult! --What a pair of
juggling plotters against me are you both! You have all along been
making me your sport, and she, forsooth, is gone to procure a philtre
for me! Little did I dream that I was seeking aid from those who were
my bitterest enemies! " Thus speaking she threw Leucippe's letter on
the ground; which I no sooner recognized than a sudden chill came over
me, and I cast my eyes upon the ground as if convicted of a crime. She
then continued in the same strain: "What misery is mine! My husband
is lost to me through you, and henceforth I shall be deprived even of
the barren pleasure which I have enjoyed, that of seeing you! Through
you I have incurred my husband's hatred, who believes me guilty of an
intrigue against his honour--an intrigue which has borne me none of
the fruits of love, and from which all I gain is infamy! Other women
receive enjoyment for the guerdon of their shame: I inherit the shame,
but obtain none of the enjoyment! Barbarous and faithless man, how can
you allow a loving woman thus to pine away, when you are yourself the
slave of Love? Did you not dread his anger? Had you no reverence for
his fires,--no regard for his mysteries? Had these tearful eyes no
influence over you,--more ruthless as you are than any pirate! --for
even a pirate's breast will be softened by tears! Neither entreaty
nor opportunity, nor my close embrace, has persuaded you to grant me
so much as one amorous indulgence; nay, most insulting of all, after
yourself returning my kisses and my embraces, you have risen from my
side like any woman! What is this but the very ghost of matrimony?
Remember also, that you have not been sharing the bed of one who is
grown old, or who repulses your embraces, but of one who is young and
ardent, and whom some might consider possessed of charms,--eunuch
that you are! --unsexed and bane of beauty,[39] listen to my righteous
imprecation:--may Love requite your fires as you have requited mine! "
Tears for a time choked her voice; but when I remained still silent and
with downcast eyes, a sudden change came over her,[40] and she then
resumed:--"Dearest Clitopho, anger and grief have hitherto dictated my
words, but love prompts what I am now about to say; for believe me,
however angry, I still burn with passion; however much wronged, I still
feel love; yield to my entreaties then, and even now compassionate me!
I no longer ask for joys of many days' duration, nor for the lengthened
wedlock which in my folly I had dreamt of; I will be content with one
amorous embrace. I ask but a little medicine to palliate this powerful
disease,--extinguish, in some degree, the flame which now consumes me!
Pardon me if I have spoken with too much haste and bitterness, for
love when unsuccessful is pushed to phrenzy! Well aware how unseemly
my conduct may appear, I am not ashamed to divulge the mysteries of
Love, for I speak to one already initiated,--to one who knows by his
own experience what my feelings are. Lovers alone understand the wounds
felt by those who love; to all others the arrows of the god and the
havoc which he makes are equally unknown. One only day remains to us.
I ask the performance of your promise. Remember the temple of Isis;
show regard to the oaths which you took there. Were you willing to live
with me, according to the troth you plighted, I would not care for a
thousand Thersanders; but having recovered your Leucippe, you may not
wed another; accordingly I surrender every claim, and ask only what
may easily be granted. It is vain to resist my destiny; all things
evidently conspire against me,--even the dead rise up again. Cruel
sea, thou hast borne me safely only to plunge me into greater ruin,
bringing back to me, for my confusion, the very dead. Nor was it enough
for Leucippe to revive in order to assuage the grief of Clitopho, but
the savage Thersander also must needs come back. And he has dared to
strike Clitopho before my eyes without my having the power to aid
him; he has dared to disfigure that face upon which I doat. He must
have been blind to beauty when he did so! Once more I entreat you, my
Clitopho, lord, as you are, of my affections, give yourself to me now,
for the first time and the last; it will be to me as if many days were
crowded into one short space! so may you never more be deprived of your
Leucippe; so may she never again die a fictitious death! Do not scorn
my love; it has produced your greatest happiness; it has been the means
of restoring to you Leucippe; had I never been enamoured of you, had
I never brought you here, Leucippe would still be dead to you. Some
thanks are due to good fortune, Clitopho; he who lights upon a treasure
honours the spot where he discovered it; he builds an altar, he offers
a sacrifice; he crowns the place with flowers; but though you have
found in me a treasure full of love you despise your happy fortune!
Think Love to be addressing you through my mouth, and saying, 'In this
matter thou art bound to oblige me, thy tutor; initiate Melitta in my
mysteries; I kindled the fire with which she burns. ' Hear likewise
how I have provided for your safety; you shall be set free from these
chains, whether Thersander will or no, and you shall find a place of
refuge with my foster-brother for as long a time as you may wish. In
the morning you may expect to see Leucippe; she is to pass the night
in the country for the sake of gathering herbs by moonlight,[41] for
my simplicity was so imposed upon, as to believe her a Thessalian, and
to ask of her a philtre to be administered to you. What else could I
do, when disappointed in my wishes, than have recourse to herbs and
drugs, the refuge of those who are unfortunate in love. You need be
in no fear of Thersander; he has rushed out of the house in a rage,
and betaken himself to one of his friends. The deity, indeed, seems to
have purposely contrived his absence, that I may obtain the last favour
which I ask. Let me then enjoy you, Clitopho! "
After this earnest and impassioned pleading, suggested by Love, who
is a mighty master of eloquence,[42] she undid the fetters; and after
kissing my hands applied them to her eyes and heart: "Feel," said
she, "how my poor heart beats, agitated by fear and hope,--would
that I could say, by pleasure! --and seeming to supplicate you by its
palpitations. " When, after setting me free, she hung about my neck in
tears, I was no longer proof against human weakness; indeed I was in
dread of incurring the wrath of Love[43] himself, especially as I had
now recovered Leucippe, and was about to leave Melitta, so that our
present connexion would be no consummation of a marriage, but simply
administering relief to a love-sick soul. Yielding to these reflections
I returned her kisses and embraces, and though without the help of bed
or other appliances of amorous delight, nothing was left to be desired.
Love, indeed, is his own teacher, and an excellent contriver,[44] and
makes every place his temple; nor is there any doubt that impromptu
amorous intercourse is far preferable to that which is elaborated, and
that it brings with it much more genuine enjoyment.
[Footnote 1: ἔνδημος ἀποδημία. ]
[Footnote 2: τοιαύτη τις ἰσότητος τρυτάνη. "The beautiful and regular
form of that great city, second only to Rome itself, comprehended
a circumference of fifteen miles; it was peopled by three hundred
thousand free inhabitants, besides at least an equal number of
slaves. "--Gibbon, vol. i. 452. ]
[Footnote 3: See the description of his temple and statue. --Gibbon,
vol. v. 108-114. ]
[Footnote 4: The expression in the Greek is remarkable--ἄλλος ἀνέτελλεν
ᾔλιος κατακερματίζων.
"Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine,
That all the world shall be in love with night,
And pay no worship to the garish sun. "--Romeo and Juliet.
]
[Footnote 5: ὁ πέπλος. The piece of tapestry on which Philomela,
during her captivity had worked the representation of her misfortunes,
and which she had conveyed to her sister Procne. --See Ovid. Met. vi.
411-676. ]
[Footnote 6:
"ἔσθει βορἀν ἄσωτον. . . .
κἄπειτ' ἐπιγνοὺς ἔργον οὐ κατᾳίσιον
ὤμωξίν. . . .
. . . . . .
λάκτισμα δείπνου ξυνδίκως τιθεῒς ἀρᾷ". --Æsch. Ag. 1568.
]
[Footnote 7: τῆς φωνῆς τὸ ἄνθος. This expression may be illustrated by
Psalm lvii. 9, "Awake up my _glory_;" and Psalm xvi. 10, "My _glory_
rejoiced. "]
[Footnote 8:
"Ο quam cruentas feminas stimulat dolor
Cum patuit una pellici et nuptæ domus!
Scylla et Charybdis Sicula contorquens freta
Minus est timenda, nulla non melior fera est. "
Sen. Herc. Œt.
]
[Footnote 9:
"And their revenge is as the tiger's spring,
Deadly and quick and crushing; yet as real
Torture is theirs, what they inflict they feel. "--Byron.
]
[Footnote 10: This celebrated light-house, situated at the entrance
of the port of Alexandria, was built by Sostratus of Cnidos on an
island which bore the same name, at the expense of eight hundred
talents. It was square, constructed of white stone, and with admirable
art, exceedingly lofty, and in all respects of great dimensions. It
contained many stories, which diminished in width from below upwards.
The upper stories had windows looking seaward, and torches or fires
were kept burning in them by night, in order to guide vessels into the
harbour. --Dict. of Greek and Roman Antiq. ]
[Footnote 11: πορφυρεΐς. Fishers of the murex or purple fish. See a
note in Blakesley's Herod. vol. i. p. 522. ]
[Footnote 12: πρύμναν ἐκρούσατο. --See Thucyd. vol. i. p. 50. ]
[Footnote 13: Once before, when apparently sacrificed by Menelaus and
Satyrus. --B. iii. ]
[Footnote 14: The head, as the noblest part, being the representative
of the whole person; and often used as a periphrasis for it by the
Greek and Roman writers. Clitopho here exhibits his ingenuity at the
expense of nature, forgetting that
"An honest tale speeds best, being plainly told. "--Richard III.
]
[Footnote 15: ὢ μαικάριος, ἐγὼ παρὰ μίαν ἡμέραν. ]
[Footnote 16:
"Usque ab unguiculo ad capillum summus est festivissima
Estne? considera; signum pictum pulchre videris. "
Plautus. Epidic. Sc. v. 1.
]
[Footnote 17: δεσπότην, οὐ yὰp ἄνδρα ἐρὤ].
[Footnote 18:
"'Tis beauty truly blent, whose red and white
Nature's own sweet and cunning hand laid on. "
Twelfth Night.
]
[Footnote 19: The reader will call to mind a similar passage, in the
conversation between Clinias and Clitopho, in B. i. ]
[Footnote 20: κενοτάφιον μὲν γὰρ εἴδον, κενογάμιον δὲ οὔ. ]
[Footnote 21: πᾶς τόπος ἐρῶσι θάλαμος. ]
[Footnote 22: Alluding to the mast crossed by the sailyard. ]
[Footnote 23: Melitta still pursues her favourite hobby, symbolism. The
reader is referred to the "Pax" of Aristophanes, line 142, with the
note in Bothe's edit. ]
[Footnote 24: The stern of the vessel was adorned with the image of the
tutelary deity, whence that part of the ship was called _tutela_, and
held sacred by the mariners.
. . . "non robore picto
Ornatas decuit fulgens tutela carinas. "--Lucan, iii. 510.
See also, Hor. I. Od. xvi. 10; and Persius S. vi. 30. ]
[Footnote 25: ὀρχάτους τῶν φυτῶν.
"πολλοί δὲ φυτῶν ἔσαν ὔρχατοι ἀμφίς·"
"Well planted gardens. "--Cowper. Iliad. xvi. 123.
]
[Footnote 26: Slaves who worked in the fields, were under an overseer
(επίτροπός), to whom the whole management of the estate was frequently
entrusted, while the master resided in the city. ]
[Footnote 27: τὰ νῶτα διαγεγραμμένα--
"Quasi in libro cum scribuntur literæ calamo
Stilis me totum usque ulmeis conscribito. "
Plaut.
[Footnote 24: When the soldiers of Pescennius Niger murmured for want
of wine, he replied to them, "Nilum habetis et vinum quæritis? " and the
historian adds, "siquidem tanta illius fluminis dulcedo, ut accolæ vina
non quærant. "--Spartianus. ]
[Footnote 25: See in Herod. ii. 68, 70, a description of the crocodile
and of the mode of taking it. ]
BOOK V.
We arrived at Alexandria after a three days' passage. I entered by
the gate of the Sun, and was at once amazed and delighted by the
splendour of the city. A row of columns, on either side, led in a
straight line to the gate of the Moon--these two divinities being the
guardian gods of the city gates. In the midst of these columns was the
open part of the city, which branched out into so many streets, that
in traversing them, one seemed journeying abroad though all the time
at home. [1] Proceeding a little farther I came to a part named after
the great Alexander; here began a second city and its beauty was of a
twofold kind, two rows of columns equal in extent, intersecting each
other at right angles. It was impossible to satisfy the eye with
gazing upon the various streets, or to take in every object deserving
of admiration; some of these one actually saw, others one was on the
point of seeing; others one longed to see; others, again, one would
not willingly have missed seeing; those which were actually present
rivetted one's gaze; those which were anticipated tempted it to wander:
after turning my eyes therefore, on every side, so distracted were
my feelings of admiration, that I owned my sight to be thoroughly
bewildered and unequal to its task. What most struck me was the extent
of the city and its vast population, each of which in turn bore away
the palm when compared with the other; the former seemed actually a
country, the latter, a nation. When I looked at the vast size of the
city, I doubted whether any number of inhabitants could fill it; and
when I considered the multitude of the inhabitants, I asked myself
whether any city could contain them; so evenly balanced was the
calculation,[2] and so difficult was it to come to a decision.
It chanced at that time to be the festival of the great deity called
Jove by the Greeks, Serapis[3] by the Egyptians; torches were lighted
up throughout the city, and the effect of so much light was marvellous,
for although evening had come on and the sun had set, there was no
such thing as night, another sun might be said to have arisen, only
that his rays were scattered,[4] so that the city vied with heaven in
brightness. I also visited the magnificent temple and saw the statue
of the Milichian Jove, and after paying our devotions to his great
divinity, and praying him to end at last, our troubles, we returned to
the lodgings which Menelaus had engaged for us. The deity, as will
be seen, did not hearken to our prayers, and another trial of fortune
yet awaited us. Chæreas had for some time been enamoured of Leucippe,
which was his motive for communicating to me the circumstance of the
philtre, by doing which he hoped to become on intimate terms with
us and to preserve her life for his own ends. Knowing how difficult
success would be, he had recourse to stratagem. Being a seafaring man,
he had no difficulty in getting together some fellows, half-fishermen
half-pirates, with whom he arranged what was to be done, and then under
pretence of keeping his birth-day, he invited us to an entertainment at
Pharos. As we were leaving the house a sinister omen befell us; a hawk
pursuing a sparrow struck Leucippe on the cheek with its wing; alarmed
at the occurrence I looked up towards heaven and said--"Jove, what
means this omen? If this bird be indeed sent by thee, show us, I pray,
some clearer augury. " Upon turning round, I found myself standing by a
painter's shop where was a picture, the subject of which was in keeping
with what had just taken place; it represented the rape of Philomela,
the cruelty of Tereus in cutting out her tongue, every particular of
the sad drama was seen depicted on the tapestry,[5] which was being
held up by a female slave. Philomela stood pointing to the different
figures which were worked upon it, and Procne was intimating that she
understood her, at the same time casting stern and angry looks upon the
picture. There, the Thracian Tereus was seen struggling with Philomela,
whose hair was dishevelled, her girdle loose, her dress torn, her bosom
half naked; her right hand was planted against the face of Tereus, with
her left she was endeavouring to pull her torn dress over her breast;
Tereus was holding her in his arms, drawing her person towards him,
and embracing her as closely as he could. Such was the subject of the
tapestry. In the remainder of the painting, were seen the two sisters
showing Tereus the relics of his supper, the head and hands of his own
child; fear and bitter laughter are depicted on their faces; Tereus
is leaping up from his couch and drawing his sword against them, and
he has struck out his foot against the table[6] which neither stands
nor falls, but seems in the very act of falling. "In my opinion," said
Menelaus, "we should give up the excursion to Pharos, for we have
encountered two unfavourable omens, the hawk's wing and the threatening
picture; now those who profess to interpret such matters, bid us pay
regard to the subjects of any pictures which we may happen to meet
with, when setting out on any business, and to conjecture the result of
our undertaking from the nature of what we see. Did you not observe how
full of evil augury this picture is? There is depicted in it lawless
love, shameless adultery and female misery; we ought therefore to
defer our expedition. " I concurred in opinion with him, and we excused
ourselves from accompanying Chæreas on that occasion; he left us, very
much vexed at our determination, saying he should come to us the next
day.
Women are naturally fond of hearing stories, accordingly when he
was gone, Leucippe turning to me said, "Pray tell me what is the
subject represented in this picture? What birds are they? who are
the women? and who is that shameless man? " I proceeded to gratify
her wishes. --"The hoopoe," I said, "was once a man called Tereus,
the swallow and the nightingale were two sisters named Philomela and
Procne, natives of Athens. One woman, it seems, is not enough for a
barbarian, especially when an occasion offers for gratifying his lust;
and such an opportunity was offered to Tereus through the sisterly
affection of Procne, who sent her husband to invite Philomela; he
conceived a passion for her, on his way back, made her a second Procne;
then fearing lest she should reveal the deed, he, as the reward for
her virginity deprives her of speech by cutting out her tongue, our
nature's glory. [7] The precaution was fruitless, Philomela, by her
skill contrived a silent voice; she inwove the tragedy into a web,
descriptive of the facts, her hand supplying the place of a tongue, and
revealing to her sister's eyes what otherwise would have been whispered
into her ears. Procne, learning through this device the violence
which had been perpetrated, determines to take fearful vengeance;
and two angry women's minds, conspiring together, and influenced by
mingled feeling of jealousy and sense of wrong, contrive a supper more
detestable even then the rape. [8] They serve up to the father his own
child; Procne had once been his mother, now she had forgotten the
maternal tie, so powerfully do the pangs of jealousy prevail over those
even of travail; for women, when exacting satisfaction for a violated
bed, however deeply they may suffer in what they do, compensate the
pain by the pleasure of inflicting vengeance. [9] Tereus supped upon
this hellish banquet, and afterwards the sisters, trembling with fear
yet laughing horribly, bringing the remnants of his child upon a dish.
He recognizes the miserable tokens, curses the food which he had
swallowed, and discovers himself to be the father of what he had been
feasting on. Maddened with fury, he draws his sword, and is in the act
of rushing upon the women, when lo! the air receives them metamorphosed
into birds. Tereus also becomes a bird, and ascends after them; and to
show that their change of form has wrought no change in their hate,
the hoopoe (Tereus) still pursues, and the nightingale (Procne) still
flies. " We had for once escaped the snare laid for us, but we gained
by it only a single day, for next morning Chæreas arrived, and feeling
ashamed to make any more excuses we went on board a vessel and sailed
to Pharos. Menelaus said that he felt indisposed and remained at home.
Chæreas took us first to the light-house and directed our attention to
the wonderful superstructure upon which it stood--a rock situated in
the sea, almost cloud-capped, and seeming to hang over the waters; upon
the summit of this arose the tower, which with its light served vessels
for a second pilot. [10] When we had viewed this, he took us to a house
at the extremity of the isle and situated on the shore.
In the evening, under pretence of his stomach being disordered, he
went out: in a short time we heard a great noise, and suddenly a
number of powerful men burst into the room, sword in hand, and turned
towards the maiden. Seeing my dearest life about to be carried off, I
rushed into the midst of them armed as they were, and received a wound
in the thigh, from the effect of which I fell bathed in blood; they
immediately put Leucippe into a boat and rowed away. Aroused by the
disturbance and alarm caused by this occurrence, the commandant of the
isle came up whom I had known when with the army. I exhibited my wound,
and earnestly besought him to pursue the pirates. Accordingly, throwing
himself and the soldiers with him into one of the many boats which were
in the harbour, he gave them chase; I likewise was among the number,
having caused myself to be lifted in.
When the pirates saw that we were gaining upon them and were prepared
for an attack, they placed the maiden upon the deck with her hands
bound behind her; some of them, after calling out in a loud voice,
"Behold the prize you wish to win," severed her head from her body,
and threw the trunk into the sea. Upon beholding this I uttered a loud
cry and was on the point of casting myself into the water, but was
prevented by those standing near me; I then requested the crew to lie
upon their oars, that some one might jump into the sea and if possible
recover the body for burial; they complied with my request and two
of the sailors throwing themselves over the boat's side, got hold of
the corpse and brought it on board. Meanwhile the pirates plied their
oars still more vigorously, and when we were again nearing them they
caught sight of another vessel, and recognizing those in her, hailed
them to come to their assistance; these latter were purple-fishers[11]
and like the others pirates. The commandant, seeing the odds against
him, became alarmed and gave orders to back water,[12] for the pirates
instead of continuing their flight, were now eager to provoke an
engagement. Upon reaching the shore and landing, I threw myself upon
the body and shed bitter tears. --"Thou hast indeed died a double death,
my dearest Leucippe,"[13] I exclaimed, "divided as thou art between
land and sea; I have a remnant of thee, but thou thyself art lost to
me; the division is unfair, for thy larger portion which I possess
(thy body) is in reality, thy lesser, (considering its worth,) while
the sea, in retaining the lesser part (thy head[14]), is in fact
guilty of retaining all; since cruel Fortune envies me the happiness
of kissing thy fair face, I will at least kiss thy neck. " After giving
vent to these lamentations, I had the body interred, and returned to
Alexandria, where much against my will my wound was dressed, and where
I continued to live a miserable life, though Menelaus did all in his
power to console me. At the expiration of six months, the violence of
my grief began to subside; time acts as medicine upon sorrow and heals
the wounds which have been inflicted upon the soul, for the light of
day, and the bright sun are full of cheerfulness, and though the mind
may be fevered by excess of sorrow for a time, yet it is gradually
cooled and overcome by the persuasive influence of time.
One day, when walking in the public square, some one came behind me,
and without speaking a word, seized my hand, turned me round, and
warmly embraced me. For a few moments I knew not who the party was,
overcome by surprise I mechanically suffered myself to be embraced;
at length, upon looking up and seeing his features, who should it
prove to be but Clinias, so uttering a cry of joy, I returned his
embrace with ardour. We then retired to my lodging, where I told him
the particulars of Leucippe's death, and he related to me the manner
of his escape. --"When the ship went to pieces," said he, "I laid hold
of one end of the sailyard, which was already crowded with people,
and endeavoured to hang on; after we had been tossed about for some
time, a great wave overtaking us raised and dashed the yard against a
sunken rock, from which it rebounded like an engine, and shot me off as
though I had been hurled from a sling. I swam during the rest of the
day, but with little hope of being saved; at length, when exhausted and
abandoning myself to the will of Fortune, I espied a vessel bearing
down towards me; so alternately lifting up my hands, I supplicated
help by gestures. Moved by pity, or perhaps merely obeying the impulse
of the wind, the ship came near me, and while running by, one of the
sailors cast a rope over the side; I seized it, and was thus drawn out
of the jaws of death. The vessel was bound for Sidon, and some of those
on board to whom I was known showed me every kindness. We arrived at
the above city after two days' sail, when I requested the Sidonians on
board (the merchant Xenodamas, and his father-in-law Theophilus), not
to mention to any of the Tyrians whom they might meet, the circumstance
of my being preserved from shipwreck. I did not wish any one to know
that I had been away from home, and if those two preserved silence in
the matter, I had hopes that nothing would be discovered; five days
only had elapsed since my disappearance, whereas if you recollect, I
had told my servants that I was going into the country for ten days;
and fortunately I found this to be the prevalent belief among my
friends. Your father did not return home until two days after this,
upon his arrival he found a letter from his brother, Sostratus (which
came the very day after our departure), in which he offered you his
daughter's hand. Upon reading it and hearing of our flight your father
was in great trouble, both because you had missed the prize intended
for you, and because after so nearly bringing matters to a favourable
issue, Fortune had failed merely through delay in the arrival of the
letter. Not wishing his brother to know what had happened, he enjoined
secrecy upon Leucippe's mother, thinking it probable he should be able
to discover you, or at any rate, that upon hearing of the betrothment,
you would both gladly return, having it in your power to realize
the object of your flight. He is now using every endeavour to find
you out; and only a few days ago, Diophantus of Tyre, just returned
from Egypt, informed him that he had seen you here; immediately upon
hearing this, I took ship, sailed hither, and have for more than a
week been seeking you in this city. As your father will soon be here,
it is time for you to decide upon some plan. " He ceased speaking,
and I could not help inveighing bitterly against the cruel sport of
Fortune. "How unfortunate is my lot, my uncle Sostratus gives me the
hand of Leucippe, and sends me a bride from the theatre of war, so
exactly measuring the time as to avoid anticipating our flight. My
good luck and happiness comes just one day too late! [15] Marriage and
the nuptial hymn is talked of when death has claimed his victim, and
it is a time for tears! Whom do they now offer me for a bride? Even
her whose corpse I am not permitted to possess entire! " "You have no
leisure for lamentations now," said Clinias; "what you have to settle
is, whether you will return to your own country or await your father's
arrival here. "--"I will do neither the one nor the other," I replied;
"how can I look my father in the face, after basely flying from his
house, and enticing away her whom his own brother had entrusted to his
charge? Nothing remains but to quit this city before he comes. " At
this moment Menelaus came in, accompanied by Satyrus, and upon seeing
Clinias they hastened to embrace him. When informed by us of the state
of affairs,--"You have an opportunity," said Satyrus, "of prosperously
settling all your affairs, and of taking pity upon a heart which burns
with love towards you. Listen," continued he, addressing Clinias,
"Venus has thrown a piece of good fortune in the way of Clitopho
which he is unwilling to accept; a lady, by name Melitta, a native of
Ephesus is doatingly in love with him; so rare is her beauty, that it
fits her for a sculptor's model. [16] She is rich and young, and has
lately lost her husband who was drowned at sea; she earnestly desires
to make Clitopho, I will not say merely her husband but her 'lord
paramount,'[17] and freely surrenders to him herself and all she has.
She has passed two whole months here, endeavouring to persuade him.
Yet he, heaven knows why, looks coldly upon her, and slights her suit,
imagining, I suppose, that Leucippe will come to life again. "
"In my opinion," replied Clinias, "Satyrus speaks sensibly; it is no
time for hesitation and delay, when beauty, health, wealth, and love
combine to woo you; her beauty will yield you delight, her wealth
will supply the means of luxurious enjoyment, and her love will gain
consideration for you; consider, moreover, that the deity hates
pride and arrogance, so follow the advice of Satyrus and yield to
destiny. "--"Well then," said I, with a deep sigh, "do with me what
you will, since Clinias is of your opinion; one stipulation I make,
however, that I am not to be pressed to consummate the marriage until
we arrive at Ephesus, for I have taken a solemn oath to be connected
with no woman in this city where I have been bereaved of my Leucippe. "
Upon hearing me say this, Satyrus hastened to Melitta with the joyful
tidings, and shortly after returned and said, that upon learning them,
she had nearly fainted from excess of joy; he was also the bearer of
an invitation to me to come to supper as a prelude to the marriage.
I complied and proceeded to her house. No sooner did she see me,
than falling on my neck she covered me with kisses. I must do her the
justice of saying that she was really beautiful; her complexion was
fair as milk, but tinted with the rose,[18] her bright and sunny look
was worthy of Venus herself, and she had a profusion of long golden
hair, so that upon the whole I could not look at her without some
pleasurable emotions.
A costly supper was served, she now and then took some of the viands
for appearance sake, but in reality ate nothing, feeding her eyes on
me. Lovers find their chief delight in gazing upon the beloved; and
when once this tender passion has taken possession of the soul, there
is no time or desire for taking food. The pleasure conceived by the
eyes flows through them into the mind, bears along with it the image of
the beloved, and impresses its form upon the mirror of the soul; the
emanation of beauty darting like secret rays and leaving its outline
on the love-sick heart. [19] I said to her, "Why is it that you touch
none of your own delicacies? --you are like one of those who sup on the
painter's canvas. "--"The sight of you," replied she, "is more to me,
than the choicest viands and the richest wines," accompanying the words
with one of her kisses which I began to receive with some degree of
pleasure; "this," said she after a pause, "is meat and drink to me. "
In this manner did supper pass; at night she used every endeavour to
persuade me to remain and share her bed; I however excused myself
urging the same reason which I had previously advanced to Satyrus. Much
against her will she allowed me to depart, upon the understanding that
next day we should meet in the temple of Isis, in order to arrange
matters and to plight our troth in presence of the goddess; accordingly
I went thither the following morning accompanied by Clinias and
Menelaus, and we took a mutual oath, I to love her in all sincerity;
she, to take me for her husband and to give me the control of all
her property. I reminded her that the performance of these promises
was to be deferred until we should arrive at Ephesus, "for as long as
we are here," I said, "you must give place to my Leucippe. " Another
magnificent banquet was prepared, which was in name but not in reality
the marriage supper, for as I have said, the consummation of our
nuptials was postponed. During the entertainment, when the guests were
wishing heath and happiness to the new married pair, Melitta turning
to me, said half in jest, half in earnest, "How flat, stale, and
unprofitable is all this, like the empty honours sometimes bestowed
upon the dead; I have often heard of a tomb without a body, but never
till now of a wedding without a consummation. "[20] The next morning,
induced by a favourable wind, we sailed from Alexandria; Menelaus
accompanied us to the port, and after many embraces and wishes for
my having a more prosperous voyage than formerly, took his leave; he
was in all respects a worthy and excellent young man, and we mutually
shed tears at parting. Clinias would not leave me, but determined to
accompany us as far as Ephesus, and after remaining there some time,
to return, as soon as my affairs were comfortably settled. The wind
continued in our favour the whole day, and at night after supper we
retired to rest in a cabin which had been parted off for me and Melitta
in the hull of the vessel. We had no sooner entered it, then throwing
her arms around me she urged me to consummate our marriage. "We are
now," she said, "beyond the boundaries sacred to Leucippe, and within
those where you are pledged to perform your promise. What need is
there to delay until we arrive at Ephesus? Remember, the sea is not
to be depended on, the winds are faithless! Believe me, Clitopho, I
burn; would that I should actually show the intenseness of the fire!
would that it possessed the same nature as the ordinary fires of love;
that so I might inflame you by my embraces! but, alas! it has a nature
peculiar to itself, and the flame which usually extends its influence
to both the lovers, in my case burns only its possessor! Strange and
mystic fire, which refuses to quit its own peculiar precints; dearest
Clitopho, let us begin the rites of Venus! "--"Do not," I replied,
"urge me to forget that reverence which is due to the departed; we
cannot be said to have passed the limits sacred to her memory until we
arrive in another country. Have you not heard how she perished in the
sea? I am therefore still sailing over Leucippe's grave; nay more, her
shade may even now be flitting around our vessel: it is said that the
souls of those who have found a watery grave do not descend to Hades,
but wander about the surface of the waves; for aught we know, she may
appear to us in the midst of our embrace. Besides, can you consider the
tossing waves of the uncertain sea, a fitting place for consummating
a bridal? Would you wish to have a fluctuating and unstable marriage
bed? "--"Dearest," she resumed, "lovers need no feather-bed,[21] every
place is accessible to the god of love; nay, rather is the sea a most
proper and fitting place for celebrating the mysteries of Venus. Is
not that goddess daughter of the sea: in honouring her shall we not
be paying homage to her mother? Everything around us, moreover, is
emblematic of the marriage rites; above us is the sailyard (resembling
in form a yoke[22]) encircled by its ropes;--what can more fitly
symbolise a wedding than a yoke and bands? close to our bed is the
rudder,[23] emblem of safe arrival within the port; Fortune herself is
clearly guiding our nuptials to a happy issue. Neptune himself, who
wedded a sea-bride, will wait upon us with his choir of Nereids; and
the winds which sigh so softly among the ropes seem to be chanting our
nuptial song; look too, at the bellying canvas, how it resembles a
pregnant womb; even this is not without its propitious meaning, for it
tells me that ere long you will be a father! "
Seeing her become so pressing and so excited, I replied,--"Let us, if
you will, continue to discuss these subtle points until we reach our
destination; I swear to you by the sea itself and by the fortune of our
voyage, that I am as impatient as yourself; but remember that even
the sea has its peculiar laws; and I have often heard say from ancient
mariners that ships must not be made the scenes of amorous delights,
either as being sacred in themselves,[24] or because wanton pleasure
is unseemly amid the perils of the ocean. Let us not then, my love,
cast insult upon the sea, or cause our nuptials to be distracted by
alarms, rather let us keep in store for ourselves pure and unalloyed
delight. " These arguments mingled with kisses and endearments, produced
the desired effect; and we passed the remainder of the night in sleep.
Five days more, brought us to Ephesus; Melitta's house was one of the
finest in the city, it was spacious and handsomely furnished, and she
had a numerous establishment. After ordering a handsome supper she
proposed that we should in the meanwhile visit her country-house,
which was not more than half a mile out of town; we rode there in her
carriage, and then getting out walked about in the kitchen-garden. [25]
Suddenly a female approached and threw herself at Melitta's feet; she
had on heavy fetters and held in her hand a hoe, her hair had been
cut off, her whole appearance was squalid, and her clothing consisted
of a sorry tunic. "Lady," she exclaimed, "have pity upon one of your
own sex, who once was free, but is now by the caprice of Fortune, a
slave. "--"Rise up," replied Melitta, "and tell me who you are and from
whence you came, and by whom you have been thus fettered; for though
in rags and misery your countenance bespeaks good birth. "--"I received
this treatment from your bailiff,[26]" resumed the woman, "because
I refused to gratify his desires; my name is Lacæna and I am from
Thessaly; I throw myself upon your mercy, beseeching you to release me
from this wretched condition, and to guarantee my safety till I shall
have paid the two thousand drachmas, for which Sosthenes purchased me
from the hands of pirates; the sum shall soon be raised, and until then
I am willing to remain your slave. See," she continued, "how cruelly I
have been used," and opening her tunic she shewed her back[27] furrowed
with stripes, a pitiable sight. Her voice and appearance overwhelmed me
with strange feelings, for I seemed to recognize in her a resemblance
to Leucippe. Addressing her, "Be comforted," said Melitta, "I will
have you set at liberty and will send you home without ransom,"--then
speaking to a slave, "Summon here Sosthenes! " The unhappy woman was
then disincumbered of her fetters, and the steward made his appearance
in great trepidation. --"Villain," said Melitta, "did you ever see
any one, even among the most ill-conditioned of my slaves, used so
shamefully? --tell me instantly, without any shuffling, who this female
is. "
"Mistress," replied the fellow, "all I know is, that a merchant, called
Callisthenes, sold her to me, saying that he had bought her from some
pirates, that she was free-born, and named Lacæna. " Melitta instantly
degraded him from his office, but her she entrusted to the charge of
her maid-servants, with orders to have her washed, decently dressed,
and conducted to the city; then, after settling the business which had
brought her thither, we rode back, and sat down to supper. While we
were thus employed, Satyrus with a very serious countenance motioned to
me to come out of the room: I did so, making some trifling excuse, when
without uttering a word he put into my hand a letter, which even before
reading it, filled me with consternation, for I recognized Leucippe's
writing;--the contents were these:--
"Leucippe, to my master Clitopho.
"I am in duty bound to address you by this title, since you are
united in marriage to my mistress. Although you are well aware of
my sufferings on your account, it is necessary for me to remind you
of them. For you I left the protection of my mother and became a
wanderer; for you I suffered shipwreck and endured captivity among
pirates; for you I became an expiatory victim and underwent a second
death; for you I have been sold to slavery, bound in letters, made
to bear a mattock and to hoe the ground; for you I have been beaten
with the scourge;--and all this in order that you might become wedded
to another woman--for suppose not that I will give myself up to any
other man. No! I have borne, and without a murmur, all these ills, and
you, exempt from them, have been enabled to form new marriage ties;
if therefore you are impressed with any sense of the sufferings which
I have undergone for love of you, urge your wife to send me home in
accordance with her promise, and undertake to be security for the
payment of the two thousand drachmas, which on my return, as I shall
not be far from Byzantium, I will procure and send; though supposing
you should have to pay them out of your own purse, it will only be a
trifling compensation for all that I have suffered in jour behalf.
Farewell, and may happiness attend your marriage--and remember that
she who writes this letter has preserved her honour undefiled. "
Upon reading these lines, I became a prey to a succession of
conflicting feelings; love, fear, astonishment, doubt, joy, grief, by
turns took possession of my mind.
"Did you bring this letter from the Shades below," I inquired of
Satyrus. "What in the name of heaven does all this mean? Has Leucippe
come to life again? "--"Most assuredly she has," replied he; "it is no
other than she whom you saw in the country, but she is so changed in
appearance from having had her hair cut off,[28] that scarcely any one
would recognize her. "--"And are you going to stop short at this good
news? " I asked: "Do you mean my ears alone to be gratified and my eyes
to have no share in the delight? "--"For heaven's sake be cautious,"
was his reply; "let us first contrive some course of action, else you
will bring destruction on us all. Only consider; here is this lady,
one of the most distinguished for rank and wealth in Ephesus, madly
in love with you, and we are in the midst of the toils without any
possibility of getting free. "--"Talk not of caution," rejoined I, "it
is out of the question, joy thrills too strongly through all my veins.
Think, too, how she upbraids me in her letter"--and upon this, I again
eagerly ran over the contents, fancying I could see her in every line,
and ejaculating as I read;--"Yes, dearest Leucippe, I plead guilty to
thy charge! Thou hast indeed endured all these things for love of me! I
have been the cause to thee of infinite misfortune! " And upon coming to
the mention of the scourgings and other sufferings inflicted upon her
by Sosthenes, I wept as though actually a witness of their infliction.
Reflection turns the eyes of the soul upon the purport of what we read,
and brings everything as vividly before us, as if it were actually
being seen and done. Such was the influence of Leucippe's words, that
her allusion to my marriage made me blush as though I had been really
surprised in the commission of adultery.
"Satyrus," said I, "what excuses shall I offer? Leucippe, it is clear,
knows everything; nay, her love may have become changed into hate!
But tell me by what means she has been preserved? Whose corpse was
that which was buried? "--"She will herself relate everything in proper
season," he replied. --"What you have to do now is to write back an
answer, in order to soothe her irritation. I solemnly declared to her
that you married your present wife against your will. "--"What! did
you really tell her I was married? You have utterly undone me then!
How could you be guilty of such folly? "--"Why tax me with folly? The
whole city is aware of it. "--"But I swear by Hercules and my present
Fortune that no actual marriage has taken place. "--"Nonsense! you share
her bed. "--"I well know," said I, "that I shall not be credited, but
nevertheless I speak the truth: up to this very day Clitopho has had
no connexion with Melitta; however, the present question is, what am I
to write to Leucippe? My mind is so confused by what has taken place,
that I really know not how to begin. "--"Upon my word," said Satyrus,
"it is out of my power to help you, but I have no doubt that Love will
suggest materials for a letter; but whatever you do, lose no time. " I
at length wrote as follows:--
"Health to Leucippe, mistress of my heart! It is my lot to be at once
happy and unhappy;--happy in that I have you mentally present to me;
unhappy in that you are really absent from me. Only defer pronouncing
judgment upon me until the truth shall be cleared up, and you will
find that the example of your chastity has been followed by myself (if
chastity may be spoken of in men); but if you already hate and have
condemned me unheard, I swear to you, by those gods who have preserved
your life, that ere long you shall have proof of my perfect innocence.
Farewell, dearest, and still give me a place in your affections! "
This letter I delivered to Satyrus, desiring him to say all he could in
my favour to Leucippe. I then went back to supper full of joy, but not
free from grief, well knowing that Melitta would not allow the night
to pass without pressing me to consummate our nuptials, and, having
recovered Leucippe, it was hateful to me even to look upon any other
woman. I endeavoured to conceal what was passing in my mind, but it was
to no purpose, so at last I feigned to be seized with a shivering fit.
Melitta guessed that I was seeking some excuse for not complying with
her wishes, though as yet she had no actual proof. When, however, I
arose from table without finishing my supper, and retired to rest,
she got up and followed me into the bed-room. I then pretended that I
felt much worse, upon which she became very urgent with me, and said,
"Why will you persist in acting thus? How long will you continue to
disappoint me? We have now crossed the sea, we are at Ephesus; the
time is come for realizing your promise. Why should there be any
more delay? How long are we to sleep together as though we were in a
sanctuary? [29] You place before my eyes a refreshing stream,[30] of
which nevertheless you prohibit me to drink; and though sleeping near
the very fountain head, I am parched with thirst; my couch may compare
with the feast of Tantalus. " While thus venting her grief, she leaned
her head upon my bosom and wept so piteously that I could not but
sympathize with her sorrow; and feeling her reproaches to be just, I
really was at a loss what to do. At last I said, "Believe me, dearest,
by our country's gods, I feel an ardour equal to your own! but this
sadden indisposition has seized me,--I know not from what cause,--and,
as you are well aware, without the blessing of health it is in vain to
think of love. "[31]
While saying this, I wiped away her tears, and solemnly assured her,
that ere long she should obtain everything she wished. Not without
great difficulty, however, did I succeed in pacifying her. On the
following day Melitta called for the maid-servants, to whom she had
committed Leucippe, and inquired whether every requisite attention
had been shewn her. They replied, that nothing had been omitted. Upon
this Melitta sent for her, and when she came into the room said, "I
need scarcely remind you of the kindness you have experienced from
me; all I ask as a return is assistance which it is in your power to
afford me. Now, I understand that you Thessalian women[32] can, by your
magic, work so powerfully upon the minds of those you love, that their
affections, instead of wandering to any other object, will thenceforth
be wholly rivetted on you, their mistresses. It is a magic potion of
this kind which I now want from you, to procure requital for the love
which is consuming me. You remember, doubtlessly, the young man who
was walking with me yesterday? "--"I suppose you mean your husband,"
replied Leucippe, maliciously, "for I have been told by some of the
household that he stands to you in that relation. "--"A pretty kind of
husband! " interrupted Melitta; "he has in him more of marble than of
manhood; and my rival is a certain dead Leucippe, whose name, whether
waking or sleeping, is always on his lips. Four whole months have I
spent in Alexandria, entirely on his account, praying and beseeching
him, and leaving nothing undone likely to gain his love, but all to no
purpose, for he remained as insensible to my entreaties as any stock or
stone; and when at length he did give way, it was to become my husband
but in name; for I swear to you by Venus, that after sleeping with him
for a week I have risen from his side as if I had been sleeping with a
eunuch; in short, I have fallen in love with a statue, not a man. [33]
To use the words, therefore, which yesterday you addressed to me, 'Have
compassion upon one of your own sex;' give me your aid against the
overweening and unimpressible man; by so doing you will save my life,
which is now fast ebbing from me. "[34]
Leucippe was rejoiced at finding that no intercourse had taken place
between Melitta and myself, and believing it to be of no use to deny
her magic skill, undertook to find suitable herbs, if permitted to
go and seek for them in the country. These promises tranquillized
Melitta, for the mind is easily persuaded to feed upon the empty hope
of future good. [35] Meanwhile, knowing nothing of all this, I was in
great perplexity how to put off Melitta during the approaching night,
and to contrive a meeting with Leucippe. In the evening, Melitta,
who had taken her out of town in a carriage, returned,[36] and we
had just began our supper when a great disturbance was heard in the
men's quarter of the house, and a servant rushed into the room, out of
breath, and exclaiming, "Thersander is alive, and is arrived! "[37]
This Thersander was no other than Melitta's husband, who was supposed
to have been lost at sea, the report of his death having been spread by
two of his servants who had been saved when the ship was wrecked. In a
moment he was in the room; for, having learnt every particular by the
way, he had hastened home on purpose to surprise me. Melitta, in great
alarm at an event so utterly unlooked for, started up and endeavoured
to embrace her husband; who, however thrust her from him with great
violence, and then catching sight of me and exclaiming, "So, here is
the spark himself! " he rushed towards me, and dealt me a tremendous
blow in the face, after which, seizing me by the hair, he dashed me to
the ground and beat me most unmercifully. All this time I remained as
silent as if I had been at the celebration of the mysteries, neither
asking him who he was, or why he used me so; for, suspecting the truth,
I had not courage to retaliate, though possessing physical strength
enough to do so.
At length when he was weary of striking and I of forming conjectures in
my mind, I got up and said, "Pray, who are you, and what do you mean by
this rough usage? " More than ever irritated by the sound of my voice,
he recommenced his attack upon me, and called aloud for fetters and
handcuffs; they were brought, and, after being bound hand and foot, I
was shut up in a room. During this struggle, Leucippe's letter, which
had been fastened under my tunic to the fringes of my shirt,[38] fell
to the ground without my perceiving it, and was picked up by Melitta,
who feared lest it might be one of her own letters written to me; when,
however, she had an opportunity of reading it in private and met with
Leucippe's name, it went like an arrow to her heart, but having so
often heard of her death she did not at once identify the name with
the female whom she had set at liberty; but as she read on, and felt
all uncertainty upon the point removed, she became at once the divided
prey of shame, rage, love, and jealousy;--she felt ashamed at exposure
before her husband; she was enraged at the contents of the letter; this
passion yielded to love on my account, which in its turn was stung
by jealousy; but love, in the end, remained triumphant. Thersander,
after the first ebullition of his anger, had retired to the house of
a friend; Melitta, therefore, in the evening, after speaking to the
slave who kept guard over my apartment, came in privately, having for
precaution posted two of her servants before the door.
She found me lying upon the floor, and approaching me shewed by her
countenance, that she wished, were it possible, to give utterance in
one breath to all her various emotions. "Wretched that I am," she at
length exclaimed, "fatal for me was the day when I first beheld you;
I, who have loved so madly yet so fruitlessly; who still doat upon him
who hates me; who pity him who is the cause of all my pain, and whose
love is not extinguished even by injury and insult! --What a pair of
juggling plotters against me are you both! You have all along been
making me your sport, and she, forsooth, is gone to procure a philtre
for me! Little did I dream that I was seeking aid from those who were
my bitterest enemies! " Thus speaking she threw Leucippe's letter on
the ground; which I no sooner recognized than a sudden chill came over
me, and I cast my eyes upon the ground as if convicted of a crime. She
then continued in the same strain: "What misery is mine! My husband
is lost to me through you, and henceforth I shall be deprived even of
the barren pleasure which I have enjoyed, that of seeing you! Through
you I have incurred my husband's hatred, who believes me guilty of an
intrigue against his honour--an intrigue which has borne me none of
the fruits of love, and from which all I gain is infamy! Other women
receive enjoyment for the guerdon of their shame: I inherit the shame,
but obtain none of the enjoyment! Barbarous and faithless man, how can
you allow a loving woman thus to pine away, when you are yourself the
slave of Love? Did you not dread his anger? Had you no reverence for
his fires,--no regard for his mysteries? Had these tearful eyes no
influence over you,--more ruthless as you are than any pirate! --for
even a pirate's breast will be softened by tears! Neither entreaty
nor opportunity, nor my close embrace, has persuaded you to grant me
so much as one amorous indulgence; nay, most insulting of all, after
yourself returning my kisses and my embraces, you have risen from my
side like any woman! What is this but the very ghost of matrimony?
Remember also, that you have not been sharing the bed of one who is
grown old, or who repulses your embraces, but of one who is young and
ardent, and whom some might consider possessed of charms,--eunuch
that you are! --unsexed and bane of beauty,[39] listen to my righteous
imprecation:--may Love requite your fires as you have requited mine! "
Tears for a time choked her voice; but when I remained still silent and
with downcast eyes, a sudden change came over her,[40] and she then
resumed:--"Dearest Clitopho, anger and grief have hitherto dictated my
words, but love prompts what I am now about to say; for believe me,
however angry, I still burn with passion; however much wronged, I still
feel love; yield to my entreaties then, and even now compassionate me!
I no longer ask for joys of many days' duration, nor for the lengthened
wedlock which in my folly I had dreamt of; I will be content with one
amorous embrace. I ask but a little medicine to palliate this powerful
disease,--extinguish, in some degree, the flame which now consumes me!
Pardon me if I have spoken with too much haste and bitterness, for
love when unsuccessful is pushed to phrenzy! Well aware how unseemly
my conduct may appear, I am not ashamed to divulge the mysteries of
Love, for I speak to one already initiated,--to one who knows by his
own experience what my feelings are. Lovers alone understand the wounds
felt by those who love; to all others the arrows of the god and the
havoc which he makes are equally unknown. One only day remains to us.
I ask the performance of your promise. Remember the temple of Isis;
show regard to the oaths which you took there. Were you willing to live
with me, according to the troth you plighted, I would not care for a
thousand Thersanders; but having recovered your Leucippe, you may not
wed another; accordingly I surrender every claim, and ask only what
may easily be granted. It is vain to resist my destiny; all things
evidently conspire against me,--even the dead rise up again. Cruel
sea, thou hast borne me safely only to plunge me into greater ruin,
bringing back to me, for my confusion, the very dead. Nor was it enough
for Leucippe to revive in order to assuage the grief of Clitopho, but
the savage Thersander also must needs come back. And he has dared to
strike Clitopho before my eyes without my having the power to aid
him; he has dared to disfigure that face upon which I doat. He must
have been blind to beauty when he did so! Once more I entreat you, my
Clitopho, lord, as you are, of my affections, give yourself to me now,
for the first time and the last; it will be to me as if many days were
crowded into one short space! so may you never more be deprived of your
Leucippe; so may she never again die a fictitious death! Do not scorn
my love; it has produced your greatest happiness; it has been the means
of restoring to you Leucippe; had I never been enamoured of you, had
I never brought you here, Leucippe would still be dead to you. Some
thanks are due to good fortune, Clitopho; he who lights upon a treasure
honours the spot where he discovered it; he builds an altar, he offers
a sacrifice; he crowns the place with flowers; but though you have
found in me a treasure full of love you despise your happy fortune!
Think Love to be addressing you through my mouth, and saying, 'In this
matter thou art bound to oblige me, thy tutor; initiate Melitta in my
mysteries; I kindled the fire with which she burns. ' Hear likewise
how I have provided for your safety; you shall be set free from these
chains, whether Thersander will or no, and you shall find a place of
refuge with my foster-brother for as long a time as you may wish. In
the morning you may expect to see Leucippe; she is to pass the night
in the country for the sake of gathering herbs by moonlight,[41] for
my simplicity was so imposed upon, as to believe her a Thessalian, and
to ask of her a philtre to be administered to you. What else could I
do, when disappointed in my wishes, than have recourse to herbs and
drugs, the refuge of those who are unfortunate in love. You need be
in no fear of Thersander; he has rushed out of the house in a rage,
and betaken himself to one of his friends. The deity, indeed, seems to
have purposely contrived his absence, that I may obtain the last favour
which I ask. Let me then enjoy you, Clitopho! "
After this earnest and impassioned pleading, suggested by Love, who
is a mighty master of eloquence,[42] she undid the fetters; and after
kissing my hands applied them to her eyes and heart: "Feel," said
she, "how my poor heart beats, agitated by fear and hope,--would
that I could say, by pleasure! --and seeming to supplicate you by its
palpitations. " When, after setting me free, she hung about my neck in
tears, I was no longer proof against human weakness; indeed I was in
dread of incurring the wrath of Love[43] himself, especially as I had
now recovered Leucippe, and was about to leave Melitta, so that our
present connexion would be no consummation of a marriage, but simply
administering relief to a love-sick soul. Yielding to these reflections
I returned her kisses and embraces, and though without the help of bed
or other appliances of amorous delight, nothing was left to be desired.
Love, indeed, is his own teacher, and an excellent contriver,[44] and
makes every place his temple; nor is there any doubt that impromptu
amorous intercourse is far preferable to that which is elaborated, and
that it brings with it much more genuine enjoyment.
[Footnote 1: ἔνδημος ἀποδημία. ]
[Footnote 2: τοιαύτη τις ἰσότητος τρυτάνη. "The beautiful and regular
form of that great city, second only to Rome itself, comprehended
a circumference of fifteen miles; it was peopled by three hundred
thousand free inhabitants, besides at least an equal number of
slaves. "--Gibbon, vol. i. 452. ]
[Footnote 3: See the description of his temple and statue. --Gibbon,
vol. v. 108-114. ]
[Footnote 4: The expression in the Greek is remarkable--ἄλλος ἀνέτελλεν
ᾔλιος κατακερματίζων.
"Take him and cut him out in little stars,
And he will make the face of heaven so fine,
That all the world shall be in love with night,
And pay no worship to the garish sun. "--Romeo and Juliet.
]
[Footnote 5: ὁ πέπλος. The piece of tapestry on which Philomela,
during her captivity had worked the representation of her misfortunes,
and which she had conveyed to her sister Procne. --See Ovid. Met. vi.
411-676. ]
[Footnote 6:
"ἔσθει βορἀν ἄσωτον. . . .
κἄπειτ' ἐπιγνοὺς ἔργον οὐ κατᾳίσιον
ὤμωξίν. . . .
. . . . . .
λάκτισμα δείπνου ξυνδίκως τιθεῒς ἀρᾷ". --Æsch. Ag. 1568.
]
[Footnote 7: τῆς φωνῆς τὸ ἄνθος. This expression may be illustrated by
Psalm lvii. 9, "Awake up my _glory_;" and Psalm xvi. 10, "My _glory_
rejoiced. "]
[Footnote 8:
"Ο quam cruentas feminas stimulat dolor
Cum patuit una pellici et nuptæ domus!
Scylla et Charybdis Sicula contorquens freta
Minus est timenda, nulla non melior fera est. "
Sen. Herc. Œt.
]
[Footnote 9:
"And their revenge is as the tiger's spring,
Deadly and quick and crushing; yet as real
Torture is theirs, what they inflict they feel. "--Byron.
]
[Footnote 10: This celebrated light-house, situated at the entrance
of the port of Alexandria, was built by Sostratus of Cnidos on an
island which bore the same name, at the expense of eight hundred
talents. It was square, constructed of white stone, and with admirable
art, exceedingly lofty, and in all respects of great dimensions. It
contained many stories, which diminished in width from below upwards.
The upper stories had windows looking seaward, and torches or fires
were kept burning in them by night, in order to guide vessels into the
harbour. --Dict. of Greek and Roman Antiq. ]
[Footnote 11: πορφυρεΐς. Fishers of the murex or purple fish. See a
note in Blakesley's Herod. vol. i. p. 522. ]
[Footnote 12: πρύμναν ἐκρούσατο. --See Thucyd. vol. i. p. 50. ]
[Footnote 13: Once before, when apparently sacrificed by Menelaus and
Satyrus. --B. iii. ]
[Footnote 14: The head, as the noblest part, being the representative
of the whole person; and often used as a periphrasis for it by the
Greek and Roman writers. Clitopho here exhibits his ingenuity at the
expense of nature, forgetting that
"An honest tale speeds best, being plainly told. "--Richard III.
]
[Footnote 15: ὢ μαικάριος, ἐγὼ παρὰ μίαν ἡμέραν. ]
[Footnote 16:
"Usque ab unguiculo ad capillum summus est festivissima
Estne? considera; signum pictum pulchre videris. "
Plautus. Epidic. Sc. v. 1.
]
[Footnote 17: δεσπότην, οὐ yὰp ἄνδρα ἐρὤ].
[Footnote 18:
"'Tis beauty truly blent, whose red and white
Nature's own sweet and cunning hand laid on. "
Twelfth Night.
]
[Footnote 19: The reader will call to mind a similar passage, in the
conversation between Clinias and Clitopho, in B. i. ]
[Footnote 20: κενοτάφιον μὲν γὰρ εἴδον, κενογάμιον δὲ οὔ. ]
[Footnote 21: πᾶς τόπος ἐρῶσι θάλαμος. ]
[Footnote 22: Alluding to the mast crossed by the sailyard. ]
[Footnote 23: Melitta still pursues her favourite hobby, symbolism. The
reader is referred to the "Pax" of Aristophanes, line 142, with the
note in Bothe's edit. ]
[Footnote 24: The stern of the vessel was adorned with the image of the
tutelary deity, whence that part of the ship was called _tutela_, and
held sacred by the mariners.
. . . "non robore picto
Ornatas decuit fulgens tutela carinas. "--Lucan, iii. 510.
See also, Hor. I. Od. xvi. 10; and Persius S. vi. 30. ]
[Footnote 25: ὀρχάτους τῶν φυτῶν.
"πολλοί δὲ φυτῶν ἔσαν ὔρχατοι ἀμφίς·"
"Well planted gardens. "--Cowper. Iliad. xvi. 123.
]
[Footnote 26: Slaves who worked in the fields, were under an overseer
(επίτροπός), to whom the whole management of the estate was frequently
entrusted, while the master resided in the city. ]
[Footnote 27: τὰ νῶτα διαγεγραμμένα--
"Quasi in libro cum scribuntur literæ calamo
Stilis me totum usque ulmeis conscribito. "
Plaut.
