Complete Works of Henrik Ibsen (161 page)

SCENE IV.

The Emperor s library in the Palace. Entrance door on the left; a lesser doorway with a curtain before it, on the right. The Chamberlain
Eutherius
enters from the left, followed by two servants, bearing carpets.

EUTHERIUS.
[Calling out to the right.]
Agilo, Agilo, warm rose-water! A bath for the Emperor.
[He goes out to the right
,
with both servants. The
Emperor Julian
enters hastily from the lift. He still wears the panther-skin and the vineleaves; in his hand is the green-wreathed staff. He paces the room once or twice, then flings the staff into a corner.

JULIAN.
Was there beauty in this — ? Where were the white bearded elders? Where the pure maidens, with the fillets on their brows, modest, and of seemly bearing, even in the rapture of the dance? Out upon you, harlots!
[He tears off the panther-skin, and casts it aside.
Whither has beauty fled? When the Emperor bids her come forth again, will she not obey? Out upon this stinking ribaldry! — What faces! All the vices crying aloud in their distorted features. Ulcers on soul and body — Faugh, faugh! A bath, Agilo! The stench chokes me.

THE BATH-SERVANT AGILO.
[In the doorway to the right.]
The bath is prepared, gracious sire!

JULIAN.
The bath? Nay, let that be. What is the filth of the body compared with all the rest? Go! [Agilo
goes out again. The Emperor stands some time in thought.
The seer of Nazareth sat at meat among publicans and sinners. — Where lies the gulf between that and this? — [Hekebolius
enters from the left, and stops apprehensively at the door.

JULIAN.
What would you, man?

HEKEBOLIUS.
[Kneeling.]
Sire!

JULIAN.
Ah, what do I see? Hekebolius; — is it indeed you?

HEKEBOLIUS.
The same, and yet another.

JULIAN.
My old teacher. What would you have? Stand up!

HEKEBOLIUS.
No, no, let me lie. And take it not ill that I presume on my former right of entrance to your presence.

JULIAN.
[Coldly.]
I asked you what you would have?

HEKEBOLIUS.
“
My old teacher,” you said. Oh that I could cast the veil of oblivion over those times!

JULIAN.
[As before.]
I understand. You mean that —

HEKEBOLIUS.
Oh that I could sink into the earth, and hide the shame I feel! See, see, — here I lie at your feet, a man whose hair is growing grey — a man who has pored and pondered all his days, and has to confess at last that he has gone astray, and led his beloved pupil into error!

JULIAN.
What would you have me understand by that?

HEKEBOLIUS.
You called me your old teacher. See, here I lie in the dust before you, looking up to you with wonder and calling you my new teacher.

JULIAN.
Rise, Hekebolius!

HEKEBOLIUS.
[
Rising.]
You shall hear everything, sire, and judge me according to your righteousness. — When you were gone, life at your august predecessor’s court became almost intolerable to me. I know not whether you have heard that I was promoted to be the Empress’s reader and almoner. But ah, could posts of honour console me for the loss of my Julian! I could scarce endure to see how men who made, great show of outward virtue accepted gifts and bribes of every kind. I grew to hate this daily intercourse with greedy sycophants, whose advocacy was at the beck of any one who could pay down sounding gold for sounding words. Oh my Emperor, you do not know what went on here — !

JULIAN.
I know, I know.

HEREBOLIUS A frugal life in retirement allured me. As often as I might I withdrew to Crete, to my modest Tusculum — my little country house. — where virtue did not seem to have utterly forsaken the world. There I have been living this summer as well; meditating upon human life and heavenly truths. Julian. Happy Hekebolius!

HEKEBOLIUS.
Then the rumour of all your marvellous exploits reached Crete —

JULIAN.
Ah!

HEKEBOLIUS.
I asked myself: Is he more than mortal, this peerless youth? Under whose protection does he stand? Is it thus that the God of the Christians is wont to manifest his power —— ?

JULIAN.
[In rapt attention
.] Well; well!

HEKEBOLIUS.
I set myself to search once more the writings of the ancients. Light after light dawned upon me — ; oh, to have to confess this!

JULIAN.
Speak out — I beseech you!

HEKEB0LIUS.
[Falling on his knees
.] Punish me according to your righteousness, sire; but renounce your youthful errors on things divine! Yes, most gracious Emperor, you are entangled in error, and I — oh, I marvel that the shame does not kill me — I, I have helped to lead you astray.”

JULIAN.
[With outstretched arms.]
Come to my closest embrace!

HEKEBOLIUS.
Oh, I entreat you, show gratitude to the immortal gods, whose darling you are! And if you cannot, then punish me because I do it in your stead —

JULIAN.
Come, come to my open arms, I tell you!
[He lifts him up, presses him in his arms, and kisses him.
My Hekebolius! What a great and unlooked-for joy!

HEKEBOLIUS.
Sire, how am I to understand this?

JULIAN.
Oh, then you do not know? When came you to the city?

HEKEBOLIUS.
I landed an hour ago.

JULIAN.
And hurried hither at once?

HEKEBOLIUS.
On the wings of anxiety and remorse, sire!

JULIAN.
And you have spoken to no one?

HEKEBOLIUS.
No, no, I have spoken to no one; but — ?

JULIAN.
Oh, then you cannot have heard —
[He embraces him again.
My Hekebolius, listen and know! I too, like you, have cast off the yoke of error. The immortal Sun-King, to whom we mortals owe so much, I have restored to his ancient state; Fortuna has received her offering from my humble hands; and if, at this moment, you find me weary and somewhat unstrung, it is because I have but now been celebrating a festival in honour of the divine Dionysus.

HEKEBOLIUS.
I hear, and am amazed!

JULIAN.
See, — the garland is still in my hair. Amid the joyous acclaim of the multitude — yes, I may call it a multitude —

HEKEBOLIUS.
And I did not even dream of such great things!

JULIAN.
Now we will gather around us all friends of truth, and lovers of wisdom, all seemly and reverent worshippers of the gods; — there are already some — not very many —
The physician
Caesarius,
accompanied by several officials and notables of the former court, enters from the left.

JULIAN.
Ah, here we have the good Caesarius, — numerously accompanied, and with a face that betokens urgent business.

CAESARIUS.
Most gracious Emperor, will you permit your servant to ask a question, in his own name, and that of these much disquieted men?

JULIAN.
Ask, my dearest Caesarius! Are you not my beloved Gregory’s brother? Ask, ask!

CAESARIUS.
Tell me, then, sire —
[He observes
|Hekebolius.] What do I see! Hekebolius here?

JULIAN.
Newly returned ——
 
—

CAESARIUS.
[Trying to draw back
.] Then I beg leave to defer —

JULIAN.
No, no, my Caesarius; this friend may hear everything.

CAESARIUS.
Friend, say you? Oh my Emperor, then you have not ordered these imprisonments?

JULIAN.
What mean you?

CAESARIUS.
Do you not know? Nevita — the general-in chief, as he now calls himself — is instituting prosecutions under pretext of your authority, against all the trusted servants of your predecessor.

JULIAN.
Investigations, highly necessary investigations, my Caesarius!

CAESARIUS.
Oh sire, forbid him to go about it so harshly. The book-keeper Pentadius is being hunted down by soldiers; and likewise a certain captain of Praetorians, whose name you have forbidden us to mention; you know whom I mean, sire — that unhappy man who is already, with his whole household, in hiding for fear of you.

JULIAN.
You do not know this man. In Gaul, he cherished the most audacious designs.

CAESARIUS.
That may be; but now he is harmless. And not he alone is threatened with destruction; the treasurer, Ursulus, is imprisoned —

JULIAN.
Ah, Ursulus? So that has been found needful.

CAESARIUS.
Needful? Could that be needful, sire. Think of Ursulus, that stainless old man — that man before whose word high and low bend in reverence ——

JULIAN.
A man utterly devoid of judgment, I tell you! Ursulus is a prodigal, who, without any demur, has gorged the rapacity of the court servants. And besides, he is useless in affairs of state. I have found that to my cost. I could never trust him to receive the emissaries of foreign princes.

CAESARIUS.
And yet we beg you, sire — all who are here present — to be magnanimous, both to Ursulus and to the others.

JULIAN.
Who are the others?

CAESARIUS.
Too many, I fear. I will only name the under treasurer, Evagrius, the late chamberlain, Saturninus, the supreme judge, Cyrenus, and —

JULIAN.
Why do you stop?

CAESARIUS.
[
With hesitation
.] Sire — the late Empress’s reader, Hekebolius, is also among the accused.

JULIAN.
What!

HEKEBOLIUS.
I? Impossible!

CAESARIUS.
Accused of having accepted bribes from unworthy office-seekers —

JULIAN.
Hekebolius accused of that — ? A man like Hekebolius — ?

HEKEBOLIUS.
What shameful slander! Oh Christ — I mean to say — oh heavenly divinities!

CAESARIUS.
Ah!

JULIAN.
What mean you?

CAESARIUS.
[
Coldly
.] Nothing, most gracious Emperor!

JULIAN.
Caesarius!

CAESARIUS.
Yes, my august master!

JULIAN.
Not master; call me your friend.

CAESARIUS.
Dare a Christian call you so?

JULIAN.
I pray you banish such thoughts, Caesarius! You must not believe that of me. How can I help all these accused men being Christians? Does it not merely show that the Christians have contrived to seize all the lucrative posts? And can the Emperor suffer the most important offices of the state to be badly administered?
[To the others.
You surely do not think that it is your creed which has kindled my wrath against dishonest officials? I call all the gods to witness that I will permit no proceedings against you Christians that are not consonant with law and justice, nor will I suffer any one to do you wrong. You, or at any rate many of you, are pious in your way, since you too adore that Lord who is all-powerful, and who rules over the whole visible world. — Oh, my Caesarius, is it not he whom I also adore, though under other names?

CAESARIUS.
Suffer me, gracious Emperor —

JULIAN.
Moreover, it is my intention to show clemency wherever it is fit that I should do so. As to Hekebolius, his secret enemies must not imagine that they will be suffered to injure him by tale bearing or any other sort of paltry intrigue.

HEKEBOLIUS.
My Emperor! My shield and my defence!

JULIAN.
Nor is it my will that all the minor court servants should be unmercifully deprived of their subsistence. I have specially in mind that barber whom I dismissed. I am sorry for it. The man may remain. He seemed to me one who understood his business thoroughly. All honour to such people! So far I can go, my Caesarius, but no further. I cannot interfere on behalf of Ursulus. I must act so that the blind, and yet so keen-eyed, Goddess of Justice may have no reason to knit her brows over a mortal to whom she has confided so great a responsibility.