No More Learning

This discourse ended, Mercury thus interrogated Caesar, "What, Caesar, was the principal view of your life? " "To excel my contemporaries," he replied, " and neither to be, or to be thought, second to any. " "This," said Mercury, "is not quite clear. In what did you particularly wish to excel, — in wisdom or eloquence, in military skill or political abilities? " " In everything," answered Caesar. " I was desirous of being the first of men ; but as that was impossible, I endeavored to be the most powerful of my fellow-citizens. " " And had you much power among them ? " said Silenus. " Certainly," replied Caesar, " for I became their governor. " " That," returned Silenus, " you
"I not only conquered him,"
228 THE CESARS.
might be ; but you could never gain their love, though for that purpose you dissembled much humanity, acting a part like
a player, and meanly flattering all men. " " What ! " said Caesar : " was "I not loved by the people who persecuted Brutus and Cassius? " That," replied Silenus, "was not because they had murdered you ; for on that account the people made them consuls : but for the sake of your money, and finding that no small reward was given to those who should be their enemies. "
This discourse also being concluded, Mercury thus accosted Octavianus : " Will you also tell us what was your principal view? " He replied, " To reign well. " " What means that ? " said Silenus. " Explain, Augustus, as this is pretended even by the wicked. Even Dionysius thought that he reigned well; and so did the still more abandoned Agathocles. " " You know then," replied Octavianus, " ye gods, that when I parted with my grandson, I prayed you to give him the courage of Caesar, the conduct of Pompey, and my good fortune. " " Many statues of gods," said Silenus, " most curiously carved, of gods of great merit, have been sent us by this statuary. " " Why," answered Octavianus, " do you give me that ridiculous appellation ? " "As nymphs are carved," he replied, "have not you"formed gods, one of whom, and the principal, is this Caesar ? Octavianus blushed and said no more.
Mercury then, addressing himself to Trajan, asked what
end his actions had in view. " The same," he replied, those of Alexander, but with " more moderation. " " So
were conquered," said Silenus, by more ignoble passions.
was frequently subdued "by anger, you by the vilest and most disgraceful pleasures. " Plague on you ! " said Bacchus ; "your sarcasms prevent them speaking for themselves. A truce with your jokes, and consider now what you can find repre hensible in Marcus ; for he seems to me, in the sense of Simon- ides, perfect and faultless. " Then Mercury, turning toward Marcus, said, " And what, O sage, did you think the greatest happiness? " With a low voice and with great diffidence, he replied, " To imitate the gods. " This answer was immediately deemed highly noble and praiseworthy. Nor would Mercury question him any further, convinced that Marcus would always answer with equal propriety. In this opinion all the other gods concurred. Silenus only exclaimed : " By Bacchus, I will
not spare this sophist. Why did you formerly eat bread and drink wine, and not nectar and ambrosia, like us ? " " Not in
" as you He
THE C&SARS.
229
order to imitate the gods," replied he, "but to nourish my body; from a persuasion, whether true or false, that your bodies also require being nourished by the fumes of sacrifices. I did not, however, think that you were to be imitated in this, but in your minds. " Silenus, as much stunned at this as if he had been struck by a skillful boxer, replied : " This is somewhat plausible ; but tell me now, in what did " you formerly think that the imitation of the gods consisted ? Marcus answered, " In having as few wants and doing as much good as possible. " "What! had you no wants? " said Silenus. "As to myself," replied Marcus, "I had none; but my body, perhaps, had a few. " Marcus seeming in this also to have answered wisely, Silenus at last insisted on what he thought improper and unjust in the conduct of Marcus toward his wife and son, his enrolling her among the goddesses, and intrusting the empire to him. " In this also," said Marcus, " I imitated the gods, for I practiced that maxim of Homer : —
' The wife whom choice and passion both approve, Sure every wise and worthy man will love,'
And as to my son, I am justified in my behavior by that of Jupiter himself. I should long ago," said he to Mars, " have transfixed thee with a thunderbolt, if I had not loved thee because thou art my son. Besides, I never imagined that Com- modus would have proved so profligate. And though his youth, assailed on all sides by strong temptations, was hurried away by the worst, I intrusted the government to one not yet cor rupted. Afterwards, indeed, he became wicked. My tender ness, therefore, to my wife was copied from the example of the divine Achilles, and that to my son was in imitation of the supreme Jupiter ; and, besides, in both these I was guilty of no innovation. It is the general custom for sons to succeed to the inheritance of their fathers, and this is also the wish of all. Nor was I the first who decreed divine honors to a wife, there being many precedents. To have introduced it might, perhaps, have been unreasonable ; but to prevent the nearest relations from following the custom established by others, would be unjust. But I forget myself, and have been prolix in my apology to you, O Jupiter and ye gods, who know all things. Pardon me this indiscretion. "
When Marcus had finished his speech, Mercury interrogated Constantine, and asked him what good end he had in view.
230 THE OESARS.
" Having amassed great riches," he replied, " to disburse them liberally in the gratification of my own desires, and those of my friends. " At this, Silenus burst into a fit of long laughter, and said : "You now wish to pass for a banker ; but how can you forget your living like a cook or a hairdresser? This your hair and looks formerly proved, but now your words demon strate. " Thus severely sarcastic was Silenus.
Silence being proclaimed, the gods gave their votes privately. Most were in favor of Marcus, but Jupiter, after discoursing apart with his father, ordered Mercury to make the following
"All you who have engaged in this contest, know that, by our laws and decrees, the victor is allowed to rejoice, but not to insult the vanquished. Depart, then, wher ever you please, under the patronage of the gods, and, for the future, residing here, let every one choose some guardian and protector. "
proclamation:
Alexander immediately hastened to Hercules, and Octa- vianus to Apollo ; but Marcus attached himself closely both to Jupiter and Saturn. Caesar wandered about, and ran here and there, till Mars and Venus, moved with compassion, called him to them. Trajan joined Alexander, as if he would seat himself in the same place. But Constantine, not finding among the gods the model of his actions, and perceiving the Goddess of Pleasure, repaired to her. She received him very courteously : embraced him, and then dressing him in a woman's variegated gown, and nicely curling his hair, led him away to Luxury. With her he found one of his sons, who loudly proclaimed: " Let all, whether they be libertines, or murderers, or whatever be their crimes, boldly advance, for by sprinkling them with water, I will immediately make them pure. And if they should relapse, they need only smite their breast, and beat their heads, and they will again be purified. "
To this goddess Constantine gladly devoted himself, and with her conducted his sons out of the assembly of the gods. But the deities who punish atheism and bloodshed avenged on him and them the murder of their relations, till Jupiter, in favor of Claudius and Constantius, gave them some respite.
"As for you," said Mercury, addressing himself to me, "I have introduced you to the knowledge of your father the Sun ; obey then his dictates, making him your guide and secure refuge, while you live ; and when you leave the world, adopt him, with good hopes, for your tutelar god. "
HOW DAPHNIS AND CHLOE FELL IN LOVE. 231
HOW DAPHNIS AND CHLOE FELL IN LOVE. By LONGUS.
[Longus is supposed to have lived in the latter part of the fourth century a. d. , under Theodosius the Great]
In the island of Lesbos there is an extensive city called Mitylene, the appearance of which is beautiful ; the sea inter sects it by various canals, and it is adorned with bridges of polished white stone. You might imagine you beheld an island rather than a city.
About twenty-four miles from Mitylene, were the posses sions of a rich man, which formed a very fine estate. The mountains abounded with game, the fields produced corn, the hills were thick with vines, the pastures with herds, and the sea-washed shore consisted of an extent of smooth sand.
As Lamon, a goatherd, was tending his herds upon the estate, he found a child suckled by a she-goat. The place where it was lying was an oak coppice and tangled thicket, with ivy winding about it, and soft grass beneath ; thither the goat continually ran and disappeared from sight, leaving her own kid in order to remain near the child. Lamon watched her movements, being grieved to see the kid neglected, and one day when the sun was burning in his meridian heat he follows her steps and sees her standing over the infant with the utmost caution, lest her hoofs might injure it, while the child sucked copious draughts of her milk as if from its mother's breast. Struck with natural astonishment, he advances close to the spot and discovers a lusty and handsome male child, with far richer swathing clothes than suited its fortune in being thus exposed ; for its little mantle was of fine purple, and fastened by a golden clasp, and it had a little sword with a hilt of ivory.
At first Lamon resolved to leave the infant to its fate, and to carry off only the tokens ; but feeling afterwards ashamed at the reflection that, in doing so, he should be inferior in humanity even to a goat, he waited for the approach of night, and then carried home the infant with the tokens, and the she- goat herself, to Myrtale his wife.
Myrtale was astonished, and thought it strange if goats could produce children, upon which her husband recounts
232 HOW DAPHNIS AND CHLOE FELL IN LOVE.
every particular ; how he found the infant exposed ; how it was suckled ; and how ashamed he felt at the idea of leaving it to perish. She shared his feelings, so they agreed to con ceal the tokens, and adopt the child as their own, committing the rearing of it to the goat ; and that the name also might be a pastoral one they determined to call it Daphnis.
Two years had now elapsed, when Dryas, a neighboring shepherd, tending his flock, found an infant under similar circumstances.
There was a grotto sacred to the Nymphs ; it was a spacious rock, concave within, convex without. The statues of the Nymphs themselves were carved in stone. Their feet were bare, their arms naked to the shoulder, their hair falling disheveled upon their shoulders, their vests girt about the waist, a smile sat upon their brow ; their whole semblance was that of a troop of dancers. The dome of the grotto rose over the middle of the rock. Water, springing from a fountain, formed a running stream, and a trim meadow stretched its soft and abundant herbage before the entrance, fed by the perpetual moisture. Within, milk pails, transverse flutes, flageolets, and pastoral pipes were suspended — the offerings of many an aged shepherd.
An ewe of Dryas's flock which had lately lambed had fre quently resorted to this grotto, and raised apprehensions of her being lost. The shepherd, wishing to cure her of this habit, and to bring her back to her former way of grazing, twisted some green osiers into the form of a slipknot, and approached the rock with the view of seizing her. Upon arriving there, how ever, he beheld a sight far contrary to his expectation. He found his ewe affectionately offering from her udder copious draughts of milk to an infant, which, without any wailing, eagerly turned from one teat to the other its clean and glossy face, the animal licking it as soon as it had had its fill.
This child was a female : and had beside its swathing gar ments, by way of tokens, a headdress wrought with gold, gilt sandals, and golden anklets.
Dryas, imagining that this foundling was a gift from the Deity, and instructed by his sheep to pity and love the infant, raised her in his arms, placed the tokens in his scrip, and prayed the Nymphs that their favor might attend upon him in bringing up their suppliant ; and when the time was come for
HOW DAPHNIS AND CHLOE FELL IN LOVE. 233
driving his cattle from their pasture, he returns to his cottage, relates what he has seen to his wife, exhibits what he had found, urges her to observe secrecy and to regard and rear the child as her own daughter.
Nape (for so his wife was called) immediately became a mother to the infant, and felt affection towards it, fearing per haps to be outdone in tenderness by the ewe, and, to make appearances more probable, gave the child the pastoral name of Chloe.
The two children grew rapidly, and their personal appear ance exceeded that of ordinary rustics. Daphnis was now fif teen and Chloe was his junior by two years, when on the same night Lamon and Dryas had the following dream. They thought that they beheld the Nymphs of the Grotto, in which the fountain was and where Dryas found the infant, presenting Daphnis and Chloe to a very saucy looking and handsome boy, who had wings upon his shoulders, and a little bow and arrows in his hand. He lightly touched them both with one of his shafts, and commanded them henceforth to follow a pastoral life. The boy was to tend goats, the girl was to have the charge of sheep.
The shepherd and goatherd, having had this dream, were grieved to think that these, their adopted children, were like themselves to have the care of flocks. Their dress had given promise of a better fortune, in consequence of which their fare had been more delicate, and their education and accomplish ments superior to those of a country life.
It appeared to them, however, that in the case of children whom the gods had preserved, the will of the gods must be obeyed ; so each having communicated to the other his dream, they offered a sacrifice to the "winged boy, the companion of the nymphs" (for they were unacquainted with his name), and sent forth the young people to their pastoral employments, having first instructed them in their duties ; how to pasture their herds before the noonday heat, and when it was abated ; at what time to lead them to the stream, and afterwards to drive them home to the fold; which of their sheep and goats required the crook, and to which only the voice was neces sary.
They, on their part, received the charge as if it had been some powerful sovereignty, and felt an affection for their sheep and goats beyond what is usual with shepherds : Chloe refer
234 HOW DAPHNIS AND CHLOE FELL IN LOVE.
ring her preservation to a ewe, and Daphnis remembering that a she-goat had suckled him when he was exposed.
It was the beginning of spring, the flowers were in bloom throughout the woods, the meadows, and the mountains ; there were the buzzings of the bee, the warblings of the songsters, the frolics of the lambs. The young of the flock were skipping on the mountains, the bees flew humming through the meadows, and the songs of the birds resounded through the bushes. Seeing all things pervaded with such universal joy, they, young and susceptible as they were, imitated whatever they saw or heard. Hearing the carol of the birds, they sang ; seeing the sportive skipping of the lambs, they danced ; and in imitation of the bees they gathered flowers. Some they placed in their bosoms, and others they wove into chaplets and carried them as offerings to the Nymphs.
They tended their flocks in company, and all their occupa tions were in common. Daphnis frequently collected the sheep which had strayed, and Chloe drove back from a preci pice the goats which were too venturesome. Sometimes one would take the entire management both of goats and sheep, while the other was intent upon some amusement.
Their sports were of a pastoral and childish kind. Chloe sometimes neglected her flock and went in search of stalks of asphodel, with which she wove traps for locusts ; while Daph nis devoted himself to playing till nightfall upon his pipe, which he had formed by cutting slender reeds, perforating the intervals between the joints, and compacting them together with soft wax. Sometimes they shared their milk and wine, and made a common meal upon the provision which they had brought from home ; and sooner might you see one part of the flock divided from the other than Daphnis separate from Chloe.
While thus engaged in their amusements Love contrived an interruption of a serious nature. A she-wolf from the neigh borhood had often carried off lambs from other shepherds' flocks, as she required a plentiful supply of food for her whelps. Upon this the villagers assembled by night and dug pits in the earth, six feet wide and twenty-four feet deep. The greater part of the loose earth, dug out of these pits, they car ried to a distance and scattered about, spreading the remainder over some long dry sticks laid over the mouth of the pits, so as to resemble the natural surface of the ground. The sticks were weaker than straws, so that if even a hare ran over them
HOW DAPHNIS AND CHLOE FELL IN LOVE. 235
they would break and prove that instead of substance there was but a show of solid earth. The villagers dug many of these pits in the mountains and in the plains, but they could not succeed in capturing the wolf, which discovered the con trivance of the snare. They however caused the destruction of many of their own goats and sheep, and very nearly, as we shall see, that of Daphnis.
Two angry he-goats engaged in fight. The contest waxed more and more violent, until one of them having his horn broken ran away bellowing with pain. The victor followed in hot and close pursuit. Daphnis, vexed to see that his goat's horn was broken, and that the conqueror persevered in his vengeance, seized his club and crook, and pursued the pursuer. In consequence of the former hurrying on in wrath, and the latter flying in trepidation, neither of them observed what lay in their path, and both fell into a pit, the goat first, Daphnis afterwards. This was the means of preserving his life, the goat serving as a support in his descent. Poor Daphnis remained at the bottom lamenting his sad mishap with tears, and anxiously hoping that some one might pass by, and pull him out. Chloe, who had observed the accident, hastened to the spot, and finding that he was still alive, summoned a cow herd from an adjacent field to come to his assistance. He obeyed the call, but upon seeking for a rope long enough to draw Daphnis out, no rope was to be found : upon which Chloe, undoing her headband, gave it to the cowherd to let down ; they then placed themselves at the brink of the pit, and held one end, while Daphnis grasped the other with both hands, and so got out.
They then extricated the unhappy goat, who had both his horns broken by the fall, and thus suffered a just punishment for his revenge towards his defeated fellow-combatant. They gave him to the herdsman as a reward for his assistance, and if the family at home inquired after him, were prepared to say that he had been destroyed by a wolf. After this they re turned to see whether their flocks were safe, and finding both goats and sheep feeding quietly and orderly, they sat down on the trunk of a tree and began to examine whether Daphnis had received any wound. No hurt or blood was to be seen, but his hair and all the rest of his person were covered with mud and dirt. Daphnis thought it would be best to wash himself, before Lamon and Myrtale should find out what had
236 HOW DAPHNIS AND CHLOE FELL IN LOVE.
happened to him ; proceeding with Chloe to the Grotto of the Nymphs, he gave her his tunic and scrip in charge.
He then approached the fountain, and washed his hair and his whole person. His hair was long and black, and his body sunburnt ; one might have imagined that its hue was derived from the overshadowing of his locks. Chloe thought him beauti ful, and because she had never done so before, attributed his beauty to the effects of the bath. As she was washing his back and shoulders his tender flesh yielded to her hand, so that, un observed, she frequently touched her own skin, in order to ascertain which of the two was softer. The sun was now setting, so they drove home their flocks, the only wish in Chloe's mind being to see Daphnis bathe again.
The following day, upon returning to the accustomed pas ture, Daphnis sat as usual under an oak, playing upon his pipe and surveying his goats lying down and apparently listening to his strains. Chloe, on her part, sitting near him, looked at her sheep, but more frequently turned her eyes upon Daphnis ; again he appeared to her beautiful as he was playing upon his pipe, and she attributed his beauty to the melody, so that taking the pipe she played upon it, in order, if possible, to appear beautiful herself. She persuaded him to bathe again, she looked at him when in the bath, and while looking at him, touched his skin : after which, as she returned home, she mentally admired him, and this admiration was the beginning of love. She knew not the meaning of her feelings, young as she was, and brought up in the country, and never having heard from any one so much as the name of love. She felt an oppression at her heart, she could not restrain her eyes from gazing upon him, nor her mouth from often pronouncing his name. She took no food, she lay awake at night, she neglected her flock, she laughed and wept by turns ; now she would doze, then suddenly start up ; at one moment her face became pale, in another moment it burnt with blushes. Such irritation is not felt even by the breeze-stung heifer.
Upon one occasion, when alone, she thus reasoned with
herself : "
I am no doubt ill, but what my malady is I know
I am in pain, and yet Ihave no wound ;
I burn, and yet am sitting in
not ;
yet I have lost none of my flock ;
the shade ; how often have brambles torn my skin, without my shedding a single tear ! how often have the bees stung me, yet I could still enjoy my meals ! Whatever it is which now
I feel grief, and
HOW DAPHNIS AND CHLOE FELL IN LOVE. 237
wounds my heart must be sharper than either of these. Daph- nis is beautiful, so are the flowers ; his pipe breathes sweetly, so does the nightingale ; yet I take no account either of birds or flowers. Would that I could become a pipe, that he might play upon me ! or a goat, that I might pasture under his care ! O cruel fountain, thou madest Daphnis alone beautiful; my bathing has been all in vain ! Dear Nymphs, ye see me per ishing, yet neither do ye endeavor to save the maiden brought up among you 1 Who will crown you with flowers when I am gone ? Who will take care of my poor lambs ? Who will attend to my chirping locust, which I caught with so much trouble, that its song might lull me to rest in the grotto ; but now I am sleepless, because of Daphnis, and my locust chirps in vain ! "
Such were the feelings, and such the words of Chloe, while as yet ignorant of the name of love. But Dorco the cowherd (the same who had drawn Daphnis and the goat out of the pit), a young fellow who already boasted of some beard upon his chin, and who knew not merely the name but the realities of love, had become enamored of Chloe, from the first time of meeting her. Feeling his passion increase day by day, and despising Daphnis, whom he looked upon as a mere boy, he determined to effect his purpose either by gifts or by dint of force. At first he made presents to them both ; he gave Daph nis a shepherd's pipe, having its nine reeds connected with metal in lieu of wax. He presented Chloe with a fawnskin, spotted all over, such as is worn by the Bacchantes.
Having thus insinuated himself into their friendship, he by degrees neglected Daphnis, but every day brought something to Chloe, — either a delicate cheese, or a chaplet of flowers, or a ripe apple. On one occasion he brought her a mountain calf, a gilt drinking cup, and the nestlings of a wild bird. She, ignorant as she was of love's artifices, received his gifts with pleasure ; chiefly pleased, however, at having something to give Daphnis. One day it happened that Dorco and he (for he likewise was destined to experience the pains and penalties of love) had an argument on the subject of their respective share of beauty. Chloe was to be umpire, and the victor's re ward was to be a kiss from her. Dorco thus began : —
" Maiden," said he, " I am taller than Daphnis, I am also a cowherd, he, a goatherd, I therefore excel him as far as oxen
are superior to goats ;
I am fair as milk, and my hair brown as
238 HOW DAPHNIS AND CHLOE FELL IN LOVE.
the ripe harvest field ; moreover, I had a mother to bring me up, not a goat. He, on the other hand, is short, beardless as a woman, and has a skin as tawny as a wolf ; while, from tend ing he-goats, he has contracted a goatish smell ; he is also so poor, that he cannot afford to keep even a dog ; and if it be true that a nanny gave him suck, he is no better than a nanny's son. "
Such was Dorco's speech. It was next the turn of Daphnis : —
" It is true," said he, " that a she-goat suckled me, and so
I tend he-goats and will bring I am dark complexioned, so is the hyacinth ;
did a she-goat suckle Jove ;
them into better condition than his oxen, but I smell of them no more than Pan does, who has in him more of a goat than anything else. I am content with cheese, coarse bread, and white wine, the food suitable for country folk. I am beardless, so is Bacchus ;
yet Bacchus is preferred before the satyr and the hyacinth before the lily. Now look at him : he is as sandy haired as a fox, bearded as a goat, and smock-faced as any city wench. If you have to bestow a kiss, it will be given to my mouth, whereas it will be thrown away upon his bristles. Remember also, maiden, that you owe your nurture to a sheep, and yet this has not marred your beauty. "
Chloe could restrain herself no longer, but partly from pleas ure at his praising her, partly from a desire of kissing him, she sprang forward and bestowed upon him the prize ; an art less and unsophisticated kiss, but one well calculated to set his heart on fire. Upon this, Dorco, in great disgust, took himself off, determined to seek some other way of wooing.
Daphnis, as though he had been stung instead of kissed, became suddenly grave, felt a shivering all over, and could not control the beat ing of his heart. He wished to gaze upon Chloe, but at the first glance his face was suffused with blushes. For the first time he admired her hair, because it was auburn ; and her eyes, because they were large and brilliant ; her countenance, be cause it was fairer than even the milk of his own she-goats. One might have supposed that he had just received the faculty of sight, having had till then " no speculation " in his eyes.
From this moment, he took no food beyond the merest morsel, no drink beyond what would just moisten his lips. Formerly more chattering than the locusts, he became mute ; he was now dull and listless, whereas he had been more nimble
HOW DAPHNIS AND CHLOE FELL IN LOVE. 239
than the goats. His flock was neglected, his pipe was thrown aside ; his face became paler than the summer-parched herbage. Chloe alone could rouse his powers of speech ; whenever he Avas absent from her, he would thus fondly soliloquize : —
" What will be the result of this kiss of Chloe ? her lips are softer than rosebuds, and her mouth is sweeter than the honey comb, but this kiss has left a sting sharper than the sting of a
I have frequently kissed the kids, and the young pup
bee ! —
pies, and the calf which Dorco gave me, but this kiss of Chloe is something quite new and wonderful ! My breath is gone, my heart pants, my spirit sinks within me and dies away ; and yet I wish to kiss again ! My victory has been the source of sorrow and of a new disease, which I know not how to name. Could Chloe have tasted poison before she permitted me to kiss her? If so, how is it that she survives? How sweetly the nightingales sing, while my pipe is mute ! How gayly the kids skip and play, while I sit listlessly by ! The flowers are in full beauty, yet I weave no garlands ! The violets and the hya cinths are blooming, while Daphnis droops and fades away. Alas ! shall"Dorco ever appear more beautiful in Chloe's eyes, than I do !
Such were the sensations of the worthy Daphnis, and thus he vented his feelings. He now first felt the power, and now first uttered the language, of love. . . .
When they met, they rejoiced ; when they parted they were sad. They pined with grief. They wished for a some thing, but they knew not what. This only they were aware of, that the one had lost peace of mind by a kiss, the other by a bath.
The season, moreover, added fuel to their fire ; it was now the end of spring ; the summer had begun, and all things were in the height of their beauty. The trees were covered with fruit ; the fields with corn. Charming was the chirp of the grasshoppers ; sweet was the smell of the fruit ; and the bleat ing of the flocks was delightful. You might fancy the rivers to be singing as they gently flowed along, the winds to be piping as they breathed through the pines ; and the apples to be falling to the ground, sick of love ; and that the sun, fond of gazing upon natural beauty, was forcing every one to throw off their garments. Daphnis felt all the warmth of the season, and plunged into the rivers ; sometimes he only bathed him self ; sometimes he amused himself with pursuing the fish,
240 HOW DAPHNIS AND CHLOE FELL IN LOVE.
which darted in circles around him; and sometimes he drank of the stream, as if to extinguish the flame which he felt withiu. Chloe, when she had milked the goats and the sheep, had great difficulty in setting her cream, for the flies were very trouble some, and if driven away, they would bite her ; after her work was done, she washed her face, crowned herself with a garland of pine leaves, put on her girdle of fawnskin, and filled a pail with wine and milk as a beverage for herself and Daphnis. As midday heat came on, the eyes of both were fascinated ; she, beholding the naked and faultless figure of Daphnis, was ready to melt with love ; Daphnis, on the other hand, beholding Chloe in her fawnskin girdle and with a garland of pine leaves on her head, holding out the milk pail to him, fancied he beheld one of the Nymphs of the Grot, and taking the garland from her head he placed it on his own, first covering it with kisses ; while she, after often kissing it, put on his dress, which he had stripped off in order to bathe. Sometimes they began in sport to pelt each other with apples, and amused themselves with adorning each other's hair, carefully dividing it. She compared the black hair of Daphnis to myrtle berries ; while he likened her cheeks to apples, because the white was suffused with red. He then taught her to play on the pipe ; — when she began to breathe into it, he snatched it from her, ran over the reeds with his own lips, and under pretense of correcting her mistakes, he in fact kissed her through the medium of his pipe.
While he was thus playing in the heat of the noonday, and their flocks around them were reposing in the shade, Chloe imperceptibly fell asleep. Daphnis laid down his pipe, and while gazing upon her whole person with insatiable eyes, there being no one to inspire him with shame ; he thus murmured, directing his words to her : " What eyes are those, which are now closed in sleep ! what a mouth is that, which breathes so sweetly ! no apples, no thickets, exhale so delicious a scent ! Ah ! but I fear to kiss her ! a kiss consumes me, and like new honey, maddens me ! besides, a kiss would wake her ! A plague upon those chirping grasshoppers, their shrill notes will disturb my Chloe ! those vexatious goats, too, are clashing their horns together ; surely the wolves are grown more
hopper, which in springing from a swallow which pursued it,
cowardly than foxes, that they do not come and seize them ! " As he was thus soliloquizing, he was interrupted by a grass
Daphnis and Chloe
Etched by Champollion after the painting by R. Collins
HOW DAPHNIS AND CHLOE FELL IN LOVE. 241
fell into Chloe's bosom. The swallow was unable to take its prey, but hovered over Chloe's cheek and touched it with its wings. The maiden screamed and started ; but seeing the swallow still fluttering near her, and Daphnis laughing at her alarm, her fear vanished, and she rubbed her eyes, which were still disposed to sleep. The grasshopper chirped from her bosom, as if in gratitude for his deliverance. At the sound Chloe screamed again ; at which Daphnis laughed, and availing himself of the opportunity, put his hand into her bosom and drew the happy chirper from its place, which did not cease its note even when in his hand ; Chloe was pleased at seeing the innocent cause of her alarm, kissed it, and replaced it, still singing, in her bosom. . . .
Such were the delights of summer. Autumn was now advanced, and the black grapes were ripening; when some pirates of Tyre, in a light Carian bark, that they might not appear to be foreigners, touched at that coast and came on shore, armed with coats of mail and swords, and plundered everything which fell in their way. They carried off fragrant wine, corn in great plenty, honey in the comb. They also drove off some of Dorco's oxen, and seized Daphnis, who was musing in a melancholy mood, and rambling alone by the sea shore. For Chloe, being but young, was afraid of the insults of some of the saucy shepherds, and therefore had not led out her flock so early from the fold of Dryas. When the pirates saw this stout and handsome youth, who, they knew, would be a prize of greater value than the plunder of the fields, they took no more trouble about the goats, nor did they proceed farther, but carried off the unlucky Daphnis to their vessel, weeping as he was hurried along, at a loss what to do, and
calling loudly upon Chloe. When they had put him on board, they slipped their cable, and rowed from the shore. Chloe, in the meantime, who was still driving her flock, and carrying in her hand a new pipe as a present for Daphnis, when she saw the goats running about in confusion, and heard Daphnis call ing out to her every moment in a louder voice, quitted her
sheep, threw down the pipe, and ran to Dorco, beseeching him to assist her. He had been severely wounded by the pirates, and was lying upon the ground still breathing, the blood flow ing from him in streams. At the sight of Chloe, reviving a little owing to the force of his former love, he exclaimed, " I shall shortly be no more, dear Chloe ;
VOL. VII. 16
I fought in defense of
242 HOW DAPHNIS AND CHLOE FELL IN LOVE.
my oxen, and some of the rascally pirates have beaten me as they would have done an ox. Save your beloved Daphnis, revenge me, and destroy them. I have taught my cows to follow the sound of this pipe, and to obey its melody, even if they be feeding at the greatest distance. Take this pipe ; breathe in it those notes in which I once instructed Daphnis, and in which Daphnis instructed you. Do this, and leave the issue to the pipe and the cows. Moreover, I make you a pres ent of the pipe ; with it I have obtained the prize from many a shepherd and many a herdsman. In return give me but one kiss while I yet live ; and when I am dead, shed a tear over me : and when you see another tending my flocks, remember Dorco. "
Here he ceased, gave her a last kiss, and with the kiss re signed his breath. Chloe put the pipe to her lips, and blew with all her might. The cows began to low at hearing the well-known note, and leaped all at once into the sea. As they all plunged from the same side, and caused a mighty chasm in the waters, the vessel lurched, the waves closed over it, and it sank. The crew and Daphnis fell into the sea, but they had not equal chances for preservation. The pirates were in cumbered with their swords, scaled breastplates, and greaves reaching to midleg ; whereas Daphnis, who had been feeding his flocks in the plains, had not even his sandals on ; and, the weather being still very warm, he was half naked. All swam for a little time, but their armor soon sunk the foreigners to the bottom. Daphnis easily threw off the garments which remained to incumber him, but, accustomed to swim only in rivers, buoyed himself up with great difficulty : at length, taught by necessity, he struck forward between two of the cows, grasped a horn of each of them, and was carried along as securely and as easily as if he had been riding in his own wain.
Oxen, be it observed, are better swimmers than men, or indeed than any animals, except aquatic birds and fish, nor are they in any danger of drowning unless their hoofs become softened by the water. The fact of many places being still called Ox-fords will bear out the truth of my assertion.
Thus was Daphnis delivered from two perils — from the pirates and from shipwreck, and in a manner beyond all ex pectation. When he reached the shore, he found Chloe smil ing through her tears : he fell on her bosom, and inquired what had led her to play that particular tune. She related every
HOW DAPHNIS AND CHLOE FELL IN LOVE. 243
thing which had occurred — her running to Dorco — the habit of his cows — his ordering her to pipe that tune, and finally his death, but through a feeling of shame she said nothing of the kiss.
They now determined to pay the last honors to their bene factor ; accordingly they came with the neighbors and relatives of the deceased and buried him. They then threw up over his grave a large pile of earth, and planted about it various trees, and suspended over it the emblems of their calling, in addition to which they poured libations of milk and of juice expressed from the grapes, and broke many pastoral pipes. Mournful lowings of the cattle were heard, accompanied with unwonted and disorderly movements, which the shepherds believed to be lamentations and tokens of sorrow on the part of the herd for their departed herdsman.
After the funeral of Dorco, Chloe led Daphnis to the Grotto of the Nymphs, where she washed him ; and then, for the first time in his presence, bathed her own person, fair and radiant with beauty, and needing no bath to set off its comeliness. Then, after gathering the flowers which the season afforded, they crowned the statues with garlands, and suspended Dorco's pipe as a votive offering to the Nymphs. Having done this, they returned to look for their flocks, which they found lying on the ground neither feeding nor bleating, but looking about, as if waiting in suspense for their reappearance. When they came in view of them, and called to them in their usual man ner, and sounded their pipes, the sheep got up, and began to feed, while the goats skipped about and bleated as if exulting at the safety of their herdsman. But Daphnis could not attune his soul to joy ; after seeing Chloe unveiled, he felt an inward pain as though preyed upon by poison. His breath went and came as though he were flying from some pursuer ; and then it failed, as though he were exhausted with running. Chloe had come from the bath with redoubled charms, and the bath was thus more fatal to Daphnis than the ocean. As for himself, he attributed his feelings to being, in fancy, still among the thieves, — rustic as he was, and as yet ignorant of the thievish tricks of love.
244 ARSACE'S LOVE AND CHARICLEA'S ESCAPE.
ARSACE'S LOVE AND CHARICLEA'S ESCAPE. By HELIODORUS.
[Hbliodorus was bishop of Tricca in Thessaly, about a. d. 400. A dubious authority says that he was deposed for writing this novel ; also that he was a champion of clerical celibacy. ]
Chariclea is the (not guiltily) white daughter of the black queen of Ethiopia ; concealed and put in the wardship of others from fear of the king ; she falls in with, loves, and goes off with Theagenes, from whom she is separated by various misadventures. He is just now one of a band (having been captured and forced into their service) besieging Memphis in Egypt to restore Thya- mis, unjustly exiled.
The citizens of Memphis had just time to shut their gates, before the arrival of Thyamis and his robber band; a soldier from the army of Mithranes, who had escaped from the battle of Bessa having foreseen, and foretold, the attempt.
Thyamis having ordered his men to encamp under the walls, rested them after the fatigues of their march ; and determined forthwith to besiege the city. They in the town who, surprised at first, expected the attack of a numerous army, when they saw from their walls the small number of their assailants, put themselves in motion, and collecting the few troops, archers, and cavalry, left for the defense of the place, and arming the citizens as best they could, were preparing to issue out of the gates, and attack their enemy in the field. But they were restrained by a man of some years and authority among them, who said, that although the Viceroy Oroondates was absent in the Ethiopian war, it would be improper for them to take any step without the knowledge and direction of his wife, Arsace ; and that the sol diers who were left would engage much more heartily in the cause, if fighting under her orders.
The multitude joined with him in opinion, and followed him to the palace which the viceroy inhabited in the absence of the sovereign. Arsace was beautiful, and tall ; expert in business ; haughty because of her birth, as being the sister of the Great King; extremely blamable, however, in her conduct, and given up to dissolute pleasure. She had, in a great measure, been the cause of the exile of Thyamis ; for when Calasiris, on account of the oracle which he had received relative to his children, had with drawn himself privately from Memphis, and on his disappearing, was thought to have perished, Thyamis, as his eldest son, was
ARSACE'S LOVE AND CHARICLEA'S ESCAPE.
245
called to the dignity of the priesthood, and performed his ini tiatory sacrifice in public. Arsace, as she entered the temple of Isis, encountered this blooming and graceful youth, dressed on the occasion with more than usual splendor. She cast wanton glances at him, and by her gestures gave plain intima tion of her passion. He, naturally modest, and virtuously brought up, did not notice this, and had no suspicion of her meaning, nay, intent on the duties of his office, probably attrib uted her conduct to some quite different cause. But his brother Petosiris, who had viewed with jealous eyes his exalta tion to the priesthood, and had observed the behavior of Arsace towards him, considered how he might make use of her irregu lar desires as a means of laying a snare for him whom he envied.
He went privately to Oroondates, discovered to him his wife's inclinations, and basely and falsely affirmed that Thyamis com plied with them. Oroondates was easily persuaded of the truth of this intelligence, from his previous suspicions ; but took no notice of it to her, being unable clearly to convict her; and dreading and respecting the royal race she sprang from, thought it best to conceal his real opinion. He did not, however, cease uttering threats of death against Thyamis, until he drove him into banishment; when Petosiris was appointed to the priest hood in his room.
These events happened some years before the time of which I am at present speaking. But now the multitude surrounded the palace of Arsace, informed her of the approach of an hostile army (of which however she was aware), and besought her to give orders to the soldiers to march out with them to attack the enemy.
She told them that she thought she ought not to comply with their request till she had made herself a little acquainted with the number of the enemy — who they were — from whence they came — and what was the cause of their expedition. That for that purpose she thought it would be proper for her first to ascend the walls, to take a survey from thence; and then having collected more troops, to determine, upon consideration, what was possible and expedient to be done.
The people acquiesced in what she said, and advanced at once towards the wall ; where, by her command, they erected upon the ramparts a tent, adorned with purple and gold em broidered tapestry; and she, royally attired, placed herself under
on lofty throne, having around her her guards in arms,
it, a
246 ARSACE'S LOVE AND CHARICLEA'S ESCAPE.
glittering with gold ; and holding up a herald's wand, the sym bol of peace, invited the chiefs of the enemy to a conference under the walls.
Thyamis and Theagenes advanced before the rest, and pre sented themselves under the ramparts, in complete armor, their heads only uncovered ; and the herald made proclamation : —
" Arsace, wife of the chief viceroy, and sister of the Great King, desires to know who you are — what are your demands — and why you presume to make incursions into the territory of Memphis? " They replied, that their followers were men of Bessa — Thyamis, moreover, explained who he was ; how, being unjustly deprived of the priesthood of Memphis by the suspicions of Oroondates and the arts of his brother Petosiris, he was come to claim it again at the head of these bands — that if they would restore him to his office, he asked no more ; and his followers would withdraw in peace, without injuring any one ; but if they refused this just demand, he must endeavor to do himself justice by force and arms — that it became Arsace to revenge herself upon Petosiris for his wicked calumnies against her; by which he had infused into the mind of her husband suspicions against her honor ; and had driven him, his brother, into exile.
These words made a great impression upon the citizens: they well recollected Thyamis again; and now knowing the cause of his unexpected flight, of which they were ignorant before, they were very much disposed to believe that what he now alleged was truth. But Arsace was more disturbed than any one, and distracted by a tempest of different cares and thoughts. She was inflamed with anger against Petosiris, and calling to mind the past, resolved how she might best revenge herself upon him. She looked sometimes at Thyamis, and then again at Theagenes ; and was alternately drawn by her desires towards both. Her old inclination to the former revived; towards the latter a new and stronger flame hurried her away ; so that her emotion was very visible to all the bystanders. After some struggle, however, recovering herself, as if from convulsive seizure, she said, " What madness has engaged the inhabitants of Bessa in this expedition? and you, beautiful and graceful youths of noble birth, why should you expose your selves to manifest destruction for a band of marauders, who, if they were to come to a battle, would not be able to sustain the first shock? for the troops of the Great King are not so
ARSACE'S LOVE AND CHARICLEA'S ESCAPE. 247
reduced as not to have left a sufficient force in the city to sur round and overwhelm all of you, although the viceroy be absent in a foreign war. But since the pretext of this expedition is of a private nature, why should the people at large be sufferers in a quarrel in which they have no concern ? Rather let the parties determine their dispute between themselves, and commit their cause to the justice and judgment of the gods. Let, then, the inhabitants both of Memphis and the men of Bessa remain at peace; nor causelessly wage war against each other. Let those who contend for the priesthood engage in single combat, and be the holy dignity the prize of the conqueror. "
Arsace was heard by the inhabitants of Memphis with pleasure, and her proposal was received with their unanimous applause. They suspected the wickedness and treachery of Petosiris, and were pleased with the prospect of transferring to his single person the sudden danger which threatened the whole community. But the bands of Bessa did not so readily agree ; they were at first very averse to expose their leader to peril in their behalf, until Thyamis at length persuaded them to consent ; representing to them the weakness and unskillful- ness of Petosiris, whereas he should engage in the combat with every possible advantage on his side. This reflection probably influenced Arsace in proposing the single combat. She hoped to obtain by it her real aim, revenge upon Petosiris, exposing him to fight with one so much his superior in skill and courage.
The preparations for the encounter were now made with all celerity ; Thyamis, with the utmost alacrity, hastening to put
on what still he wanted to complete his armor.
encouraging him, securely buckled on his arms, and placed,
lastly, a helmet on his head, flashing with gold, and with a
lofty crest. . . . " " Have you any commands for me ?
said Theagenes. " The combat I am going to engage in," said Thyamis, "is a mere trifle, fit to be despised; but since Fortune sometimes sports with mortals, and strange accidents happen, I will just say, that if I prove victor, you shall accompany me into the city, live with me, and partake equally with myself, of everything which my fortune and station can afford. But contrary to my expectation, should be vanquished, you shall command the bands of Bessa, with whom you are in great favor, and shall lead for time the life of freebooter, till the Deity shall place
you in more prosperous circumstances. " Having said this, they
Theagenes,
a
I a
if,
248 ARSACE'S LOVE AND CHARICLEA'S ESCAPE.
embraced each other with great affection ; and Theagenes sat down to observe the issue of the fight.
In this situation he unconsciously afforded Arsace an oppor tunity of feeding herself upon his presence, as she surveyed his person, and gratified at least her eyes. . . .
Arsace at length departed, unwillingly, and often turning back, under pretense of greater respect to the goddess ; at last, however, she did depart, casting back her eyes as long as possible upon Theagenes.
As soon as she arrived at her palace, she hurried to her cham ber, and, throwing herself upon the bed, in the habit she had on, lay there a long time speechless. She was a woman ever in clined to passion ; and was now inflamed above measure by the beauties and grace of Theagenes, which excelled any she had ever beheld. She continued restless and agitated all night, turn ing from one side to the other, fetching deep and frequent sighs; now rising up, and again falling back on her couch ; now tear ing off her clothes, and then again throwing herself upon her bed ; calling in her maids without cause, and dismissing them without orders. In short, her unrestrained love would certainly have driven her into frenzy, had not an old crone, Cybele by name, her bedchamber woman, well acquainted with her secrets, and who had ministered to her amours, hurried into the chamber.
Nothing had escaped her notice, and she now came to add fuel to the flame ; thus addressing her : " What ails you, my dear mistress ? What new passion tortures you ? Whose coun tenance has raised such a flame in my nursling's soul ? Is there any one foolish or insolent enough to overlook or contemn ad vances from you? Can any mortal see your charms unmoved, and not esteem your favors as a most supreme felicity ? Con ceal nothing from me, my sweet child. He must be made of adamant, indeed, whom my arts cannot soften. Only tell me your wishes, and I will answer for the success of them. You have more than once made trial of my skill and fidelity. " With these and such like insinuating persuasions, and falling at the feet of Arsace, she entreated her to disclose the cause of her suf ferings and agitations. The princess at last, composing herself a little, said : —
I have received a deeper wound than I have
" Good nurse !
ever yet felt ; and though I have frequently, on similar occa sions, successfully experienced your abilities, I doubt whether they can avail me now. The war which threatened our walls
ARSACE'S LOVE AND CHARICLEA'S ESCAPE. 249
yesterday has ended without bloodshed, and has settled into peace ; but it has been the cause of raising a more cruel war within my bosom, and of inflicting a deep wound, not on any part of my body, but on my very soul, by offering to my view, in a luckless hour, that foreign youth who ran near Thyamis during the single combat. You must know whom I mean, for his beauty shone so transcendently among them all, as to be con spicuous to the rudest and most insensible to love, much more to one of your matured experience. Wherefore, my dearest nurse, now that you know my wound, employ all your skill to heal it ; call up every art, work with every spell and will which years have taught you, if you would have your mistress survive ; for it is in vain for me to think of living, if I do not enjoy this young man. "
" I believe I know the youth of whom you speak," replied the old woman ; " his chest and shoulders were broad ; his neck, straight and noble ; his stature, raised above his fellows ; and he outshone, in short, every one around him, — his eyes spark ling with animation, yet their fire tempered with sweetness ; his beautiful locks clustered on his shoulders ; and the first down of youth appeared upon his cheek. An outlandish wench, not with out beauty, but of uncommon impudence, ran suddenly up to him, embraced him, and hung upon his neck. Is not this the man you mean ? "
" It is indeed," replied Arsace ; " I well remember the last circumstance you mention ; and that strolling hussy, whose home spun made-up charms have nothing more in them than common, but are, alas ! much more fortunate than mine, since they have obtained for her such a lover. "
The old woman smiled at this, and said: "Be of good cheer, my child ; the stranger just now, perhaps, thinks his pres ent mistress handsome ; but if I can make him possessor of your beauties he will find himself to have exchanged brass for gold, and will look with disdain upon that conceited and saucy strum pet. " " Only do this, my dearest Cybele, and you will cure, at once, two dreadful distempers — love and "jealousy ; you will free me from one, and satisfy the other. " Be it my care," re plied the nurse, " to bring this about ; do you, in the meantime, compose yourself ; take a little rest ; do not despair before the trial, but cherish soothing hope. " Having said this, she took up the lamp, and, shutting the door of the chamber, went away. .