The Storyteller

New Zealand Tablet, 4 July 1918, Page 3

The Storyteller

(By Cardinal Wiseman.)

E 7 A BiOLA; OR, THE CHURCH OF THE CATACOMBS

Part Second-Conflict CHAPTER XIII.— EDICT. The day being at length arrived for its publication in Rome, Corvinus fully felt the importance of the commission entrusted to him, of affixing in its proper place in the Forum, the Edict of extermination against the Christians, or, rather, the sentence of extirpation of their very name. News had been received from Nicodemia that a brave Christian soldier named George had torn down a similar imperial decree, and had manfully suffered death for his boldness. Corvinus was determined that nothing of the sort should happen in Rome; for he feared too seriously the consequences of such an occurrence to himself. He therefore took every precaution in his power. The Edict had been written in large characters upon sheets of parchment joined together; and these were nailed to a board, firmly supported by a pillar, against which it was hung, not far from the Puteal Libonis, the magistrate's chair in the Forum. This, however, was not done till the Forum was deserted and night had well set in. It was thus intended that the Edict should meet the eyes of the citizens early in the morning and strike their minds with more tremendous effect. To prevent the possibility of any nocturnal attempt to destroy the precious document Corvinus, with much the same cunning precaution as was taken by the Jewish priests to prevent the Resurrection, obtained for a night guard to the Forum a company of the Pannonian cohort, a body composed of soldiers belonging to the fiercest races of the North—Dacians, Pannonians, Samaritans, and Germans, —whose uncouth features, savage aspect, matted sanely hair, and bushy red moustaches made them appear absolutely ferocious to Roman eves. These men could scarcely speak Latin, but were ruled by officers of their own countries, and formed in the decline of the empire the most faithful bodyguard of the reigning tyrants, often their fellow-countrymen; for there was no excess too monstrous for them to commit if duly commanded to execute it. A number of these savages, ever rough and ready, were distributed so as to guard every avenue of the Forum, with strict orders to pierce through or hew down anyone who should attempt to pass without the watchword, or symbolum. This was every night distributed by the general in command, through his tribunes and centurions, to all the troops. But to prevent all possibility of any Christian making use of it that night, if he should chance to discover it, the cunning Corvinus had one chosen which he felt sure no Christian would use. It was Niimen Imperatorum —the "Divinity of the Emperors." The last thing which he did was to make his rounds, giving to each sentinel the strictest injunctions, and most minutely to the one whom he had placed close to the Edict. This man had been chosen for his post on account of his rude strength and huge bulk and the peculiar ferocity of his looks and character. Corvinus gave him the most rigid instructions how he was to spare nobody, but to present anyone's interference with the sacred Edict. He repeated to him again and again the watchword, and left him, already half-stupid with sabaia, or beer, in the merest animal consciousness, that it was his business, not an unpleasant one, to spear or sabre someone or other before morning. The night was raw and gusty, with occasional sharp and slanting showers ; and the Dacian wrapped himself in his cloak and walked up and down,

occasionally taking a long pull at a flask concealed about him, containing a liquor said to be distilled from' the wild cherries of the Thuringian forests; and in the intervals muddily meditating not on the wood or river by which his young barbarians' were at play, but how soon it would be time to cut the present emperor's throat and sack the city. While all this was going on old Diogenes and his hearty sons were in their poor house in the Suburra, not far off,-making preparations for their frugal meal. They were interrupted by a gentle tap at the door, followed by the lifting of the latch and the entrance of two young men, whom Diogenes at once recognised and welcomed. "Come in, my noble young masters; how good of you thus to honor my poor dwelling. I hardly dare offer you our plain fare; but if you will partake of it you will indeed give us a Christian love feast." "Thank you most kindly, father Diogenes," answered the elder of the two, Quadratus, Sebastian's sinewy centurion; "Pancratius and I have come expressly to sup with you. But not as yet; we have some business in this part of the town, and after it we shall be glad to eat something. In the meantime one of your youths can go out and cater for us. Come, we must have something good ; and I want you to cheer yourself with a moderate cup of generous wine." Saying this he gave his purse to one of the sons, with instructions to bring home some better provisions than he knew the simple family usually enjoyed. They sat down, and Pancratius, by way of saying something, addressed the old man. ''Good Diogenes, I have heard Sebastian say that you remember seeing the glorious Deacon Laurentius die for Christ. Tell me something about him." "With pleasure," answered the old man. "It is now nearly 45 years since it happened ; and as I was older then than you are now you may suppose I remember all quite distinctly. He was " indeed a beautiful youth to look at— mild and sweet, so fair and graceful ; and his speech was so gentle, so soft, especially when speaking to the poor. How they all loved him ! I followed him everywhere ; I stood by, as the venerable Pontiff Sixtus was going to death, and Laurentius met him, and so tenderly reproached him, just as a son might a father, for not allowing him to be his companion in the sacrifice of himself, as he had ministered to him in the sacrifice of our Lord's body and blood." "Those were splendid times, Diogenes, were they not?" interrupted the youth. • "How degenerate we are now! What a different race! Are we not, Quadratus ?" The rough soldier smiled at the generous sincerity of his complaint, and bid Diogenes go on. "I saw him, too, as he distributed the rich plate of the Church to the poor. We have never had anything so splendid since. There were golden lamps and candlesticks, censers, chalices, and patens, besides an immense quantity of silver melted down and distributed to the blind, the lame, and the indigent." "But tell me," asked Pancratius, "how did he endure his last dreadful torment? It must have been frightful"." "I saw it all," answered the old fossor : "and it would have been intolerably frightful in another. lie had been first placed on the rack and variously tormented, and he had not uttered a groan ; when the judge ordered that horrid bed, or gridiron, to be prepared and heated. To look at, his tender flesh blistering and breaking over the fire, and deeply scored with red, burning gashes that cut to the bone where the iron bars went across: to see the steam, thick as from a cauldron, rise from his body, and hear the fire hiss beneath him as he melted away into it ; and every now and then to observe the tremulous quivering that crept over the surface of his skin, the living notion which the agony gave to each separate muscle, and the sharp, spasmodic twitches which convulsed and gradually contracted his limbs; all this, I own, was the most harrowing spectacle I have ever® beheld in

all . my life.' But to look into his countenance was to forget all this. His head w{is raised up from the burning body, and stretched out, as if fixed on the contemplation of some most celestial vision, like that of his fellow-deacon Stephen. His face glowed indeed with the heat below, and the perspiration flowed down it; but the light from-the fire shining upwards, and passing through his golden locks, created a glory round his beautiful head and countenance which made him look as if already in heaven. And every feature, serene and sweet as ever, was so impressed with an eager, longing look, accompainying the upward gFanceing of his eye, that you would willingly have changed places with him." "That I would," again broke in Pancratius; "and as soon as God pleases! I dare not think that I could stand what he did, for he was indeed a noble and heroic Levite, while I am only a weak, imperfect boy. But do you not think, dear Quadratus, that strength is given in that hour proportionate to our trials, whatever they may be? You, I know, would stand anything ; for you are a fine stout soldier, accustomed to toil and wounds. But as for me, I have only a willing heart to give. Is that enough, think you "Quite, quite, my dear boy," exclaimed the centurion, full of emotion, and looking tenderly on the youth, who with glistening eyes, having risen from his seat, had placed his hands upon the officer's shoulders. "God will give you strength, as He has already given you courage. But we must not forget our night's work. Wrap yourself well up in your cloak and bring your toga quite over your head ; so ! It is a wet and bitter night. Now, good Diogenes, put more wood on the fire, and let us find supper ready on our return. We shall not be long absent; and just leave the door ajar." "Go, go, my sons," said the old man; "and God speed you ! Whatever you are about I am sure it is something praiseworthy." Quadratus sturdily drew his chlamys, or military cloak, around him, and the two youths plunged into the dark lanes of the Suburra, and took the direction of the Forum. While they were absent the door was opened, with the well-known salutation of "Thanks to God !" and Sebastian entered, and inquired anxiously if Diogenes had seen anything of the two young men for he had got a hint of what they were going to do. He was told they were expected in a few moments. A quarter of an hour had scarcely elapsed when hasty steps were heard approaching; the door was pushed open, and was as quickly shut and then fast barred behind Quadratus and Pancratius. "Here it is," said the latter, producing with a hearty laugh a bundle of crumpled parchment. "What?" asked all eagerly. "Why, the grand decree, of course," answered Pancratius with boyish glee. "Look here: 'Domino nostri Diocletianus et Maximianus, invicti, seniores Augusti, patres Imperatorum et Caesarum,' and so forth. Here it goes And he thrust it into the blazing fire, while the stalwart sons of Diogenes threw a faggot over it to keep it down and drown its crackling. There it frizzled and writhed and cracked and shrunk, first one letter or word coming up, then another; first an emperor's praise and then an antiChristian blasphemy, till all had subsided into a black ashy mass. And what else, or more, would those be in a few years who had issued that proud document, when their corpses should have been burnt on a pile of cedar-wood and spices, and their handful of ashes be scraped together, hardly enough to fill a gilded urn And what, also, in a few years more, would that heathenism be which it was issued to keep alive but a dead letter at most, and as worthless a heap of extinguished embers as lay on that hearth And the very empire which these "unconquered" Augusti were bolstering up by cruelty and injustice, how in a few centuries would it resemble that annihilated decree, the monuments of its grandeur lying in ashes or in ruins, and proclaiming that there is no true Lord, but one stronger than

Caesars, the Lord of Lords ; and that neither counsel nor strength of man shall prevail against Him. Something like this did Sebastian think, perhaps, as he gazed abstractedly on the expiring embers of the pompous and cruel Edict which they had torn down, not for a wanton frolic, but because it contained blasphemies against *God and His holiest truths. They knew that if they should be discovered tenfold tortures would be their lot ; but Christians in those days when "they contemplated and prepared for martyrdom, made no calculation on that head. Death for Christ, whether quick and easy or lingering and painful, was the end for which they looked: and like brave soldiers going to battle they did not speculate where a shaft or a sword might strike them, whether a death-blow would at once stun them out of existence or they should have to writhe for hours upon the ground, mutilated or pierced, to die by inches among the heaps of unheeded slain. Sebastian soon recovered, and had hardly the heart to reprove the perpetrators of this deed. In truth, it had its ridiculous side, and he was inclined to laugh at the morrow's dismay. This view he gladly took : for he saw Paucratius watched his looks with some trepidation, ami his centurion looked a little disconcerted. So after a hearty laugh they sat down cheerfully to their meal, for it was not midnight, and the hour for commencing the fast preparatory to receiving the Holy Eucharist was not arrived. Quadratic's object besides kindness in this arrangement was partly that if surprised a reason for their being there mightbe apparent, partly to keep up the spirits of his younger companion and of Diogenes's household if alarmed at the bold deed just performed. But there was no appearance of any such feeling. The conversation soon turned upon recollections of Diogenes's youth and the good old fervent times, as Pancratius would persist in calling them. Sebastian saw his friend home, and then took a round to avoid the Forum in seeking his own abode. If anyone had seen Pancratius that night when alone in ' his chamber preparing to retire to rest he would have seen him every now and then almost, laughing at some strange but pleasant adventure.

(To be continued.)