A Struggle For Rome Volume I Part 17

"My royal mother, brave Goths, n.o.ble Romans! We have a.s.sembled you here to make known to you our will. Dangers threatened this kingdom which only we, its King, could avert."

Such a speech had never yet been heard from his lips. All were silent and confounded; Cethegus from prudence; he waited for the proper moment. At last Ca.s.siodorus began:

"Your wise mother and your faithful servant Ca.s.siodorus----"

"My faithful servant Ca.s.siodorus will be silent until his lord and King asks his advice. We are discontented, highly discontented, with that which the advisers of our mother have, until now, done and left undone.

It is high time that we ourselves should look to the right. Until now we were too young and too ailing. We feel so no more. We announce to you that we accordingly annul the regency, and take the reins of government into our own hands."

He ceased. Every one remained silent. None wished, like Ca.s.siodorus, to speak and be rebuked.

At length Amalaswintha, who was quite stunned by the sudden energy displayed by her son, again found her tongue:

"My son, the age of minority is, according to the laws of the Emperor----"

"The Romans, mother, may abide by the Emperor's laws. We are Goths and live under Gothic law. German youths are of age when the a.s.sembled army has declared them capable of bearing arms. We have therefore determined to invite all the generals, counts, and freemen of our realm, as many as will obey our call, from all the provinces of the kingdom, to a review of the army at Ravenna. They will arrive at the next solst.i.tial feast."

All were mute with surprise.

"That will be in fourteen days," said Ca.s.siodorus at last. "Will it be possible to issue summonses in so short a time?"

"They are issued. Hildebrand, my old master-at-arms, and Earl Witichis have thought of everything."

"Who has signed the summonses!" asked Amalaswintha, taking courage.

"I alone, dear mother. It was necessary to show those invited that I was old enough to act alone."

"And without my knowledge!" cried the Queen-regent.

"It was done without your knowledge, because otherwise it must have been done against your will."

He ceased. All the Romans were confounded by the suddenly developed energy of the young King. Only Cethegus was at once resolved to prevent the review at any price. He saw the foundations of all his plans tottering. Gladly would he have come to the help of the regency, which was thus sinking before his very eyes, with all the weight of his oratory; he would have long since gladly crushed the bold efforts of the youth with his calm superiority, but a strange circ.u.mstance held his thoughts and tongue enchained as if in magic bonds.

He fancied he heard a noise behind the curtain, and fixed a keen look upon it. He soon remarked beneath it, for the fringes did not quite reach the ground, the feet of a man. But only as far up as the ankles.

Upon these ankles, however, were steel greaves of peculiar construction. He knew these greaves; he knew that they belonged to a full suit of armour of the same make; he knew also, by an instinctive connection of ideas, that the wearer of this armour was hateful and dangerous to him. But still it was impossible for him to say who this enemy was. If he could only have seen the greaves as far up as the knee!

His eyes wandered again and again to the same spot. Against his will his mind was occupied in guessing. And this circ.u.mstance kept his attention fixed, at a moment when everything was at stake. He was angry with himself, but he could not tear his thoughts and looks away from the niche.

Meanwhile the King continued without contradiction: "Further, we have recalled the n.o.ble Dukes Thulun, Ibba and Pitza, who have left our court in ill-will, from Gaul and Spain. We find that too many Romans and too few Goths surround us. These three brave warriors, together with Earl Witichis, will examine the defences of our kingdom, the fortresses and ships, and will discover and remedy all deficiencies. We expect them to arrive shortly."

"They must at once leave the place again," said Cethegus to himself; but his thoughts repeated, "not without reason is that man concealed behind the curtain."

"Further," resumed Athalaric, "we have ordered Mataswintha, our beautiful sister, to return to court. She was banished to Tarento because she refused to become the wife of an aged Roman. She shall return, the loveliest flower of our realm and an ornament to our court."

"Impossible!" cried Amalaswintha; "you attack the rights, not only of the Queen, but of the mother."

"I am the head of the family as soon as I am of age."

"My son, you know how feeble you were only a few weeks ago. Do you really believe that the Gothic warriors will declare you capable of bearing arms?"

The King became as scarlet as his royal purple, partly from shame, partly from anger. Before he could find an answer, a rough voice at his side exclaimed:

"Be not troubled about that, your Majesty! I have been his master,"

continued the speaker, turning to the a.s.sembly: "I tell you that he can measure his strength against any foe; and whom old Hildebrand declares capable of bearing arms is considered so by all the Goths."

Loud applause from all the Goths present confirmed this a.s.sertion.

Again Cethegus would have put in his word, but a movement behind the curtain drew his attention away. "It is one of my greatest enemies, but who?" he thought.

"There is yet an important matter to make known to you," again began the King with a hasty glance at the niche, which did not escape Cethegus.

"Perhaps an accusation against me," thought the latter; "they want to take me by surprise? They shall not succeed!"

But it surprised him, after all, when the King suddenly called in a loud voice:

"Prefect of Rome! Cethegus Caesarius!"

Cethegus started; but, quickly recovering himself, bent his head and answered: "My Lord and King!"

"Have you nothing to announce from Rome? What is the feeling of the Quirites? What do people think of the Goths?"

"They are honoured as the people of Theodoric."

"Are they feared?"

"There is no cause to fear them."

"Are they loved?"

Gladly would the Prefect have replied, "There is no cause to love them;" but the King himself continued:

"So there is no trace of discontent? No cause for uneasiness? Nothing particular in preparation?"

"I have nothing to communicate."

"Then you are badly informed, Prefect of Rome, or badly disposed! What?

must I--who have scarcely risen from my sick-bed here at Ravenna--tell you what happens in Rome under your very eyes? The workmen on your bulwarks sing satirical songs against the Goths, against the Queen, against me. Your legions use threatening words while practising the use of their arms. Most probably there exists already a widespread conspiracy, with senators and priests at its head. They a.s.semble by night in secret places. An accomplice of Boethius, a banished man, Albinus, has been seen in Rome, and do you know where? In the garden of your house."

All eyes--either in astonishment, rage, or fear--were fixed upon Cethegus. Amalaswintha trembled for the object of her trust. But he was now quite himself again. Quiet, cool, and silent, he looked full at the King.

"Justify yourself!" exclaimed the King.

"Justify myself? Against a shadow, a report? Against an accusation without accusers? Never!"

"We shall know how to force you."

The Prefect's thin lips curled with contempt.

"I may be murdered upon mere suspicion, without doubt--we Italians have experienced such a thing--but not condemned. There can be no justification opposed to force."