annr.pandora-第46部分

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　There　was　little　new　poetry。　Satire。　Satire　seemed　the　only　safe　or　honest　expression　of　the　Roman　mind　now；　and　so　we　had　the　riotously　funny　story　The　Golden　Ass；　by　Apuleius；　which　seemed　to　make　fun　of　every　religion。　But　there　was　a　bitterness　to　the　poet　Martial。　And　those　letters　of　Pliny　which　reached　me　were　full　of　dire　judgments　on　the　moral　chaos　of　Rome。
　I　began　as　a　vampire　to　feed　exclusively　on　soldiers。　I　liked　them；　their　look；　their　strength。　I　fed　so　much　so　on　them；　that　in　my　carelessness；　I　became　a　legend　amongst　them；　〃The　Greek　Lady　Death；〃　this　on　account　of　my　clothes　which　to　them　appeared　archaic。　I　struck　at　random　in　the　dark　streets。　There　wasn't　a　chance　of　their　ever　surrounding　me　or　stopping　me；　so　great　was　my　skill；　my　strength　and　my　thirst。
　But　I　saw　things　in　their　rebellious　deaths；　the　blaze　of　a　pitched　battle　in　a　march；　a　hand…to…hand　struggle　on　a　steep　mountain。　I　took　them　down　gently　into　the　finish；　filling　myself　to　the　brim　with　their　blood；　and　sometimes；　through　a　veil　it　seemed；　I　saw　the　souls　of　those　whom　they　themselves　had　slain。
　When　I　told　Marius　this；　he　said　it　was　just　the　kind　of　mystical　nonsense　he　would　expect　of　me。
　I　didn't　press　the　point。
　He　watched　with　keen　interest　the　developments　of　Rome。　To　me　they　seemed　merely　surprising。
　He　pored　over　the　histories　of　Dio　Cassius　and　Plutarch　and　Tacitus；　and　pounded　his　fist　when　he　heard　of　the　endless　skirmishes　on　the　Rhine　River；　and　the　push　Northward　into　Britannia　and　the　building　of　Hadrian's　wall　to　forever　keep　away　the　Scots；　who　like　the　Germans　would　yield　to　no　one。
　〃They　are　not　patrolling；　preserving；　containing　an　Empire　any　longer；〃　he　said。　〃Conserving　a　way　of　life！　It's　just　war；　and　trade！〃
　I　couldn't　disagree。
　It　was　really　even　worse　than　he　knew。　If　he　had　gone　as　often　as　I　did　to　listen　to　the　philosophers　he　would　have　been　appalled。
　Magicians　were　appearing　everywhere；　claiming　to　be　able　to　fly；　to　see　visions；　to　heal　with　the　laying　on　of　hands！　They　got　into　battles　with　the　Christians　and　the　Jews。　I　don't　think　the　Roman　army　paid　them　any　attention。
　Medicine　as　I　had　known　it　in　my　mortal　life　had　been　flooded　with　a　river　of　Eastern　secret　formulae；　amulets；　rituals；　and　little　statues　to　clutch。
　Well　over　half　the　Senate　was　no　longer　Italian　by　birth。　This　meant　that　our　Rome　was　no　longer　our　Rome。　And　the　title　of　Emperor　had　bee　a　joke。　There　were　so　many　assassinations；　plots；　squabbles；　false　emperors　and　palace　coups　that　it　soon　became　perfectly　clear　that　the　Army　ruled。　The　Army　chose　the　Emperor。　The　Army　sustained　him。
　The　Christians　were　divided　into　warring　sects。　It　was　positively　astonishing。　The　religion　didn't　burn　itself　out　in　dispute。　It　gained　strength　in　division。　Occasional　furious　persecutions　…　in　which　people　were　executed　for　not　worshiping　at　Roman　altars　…　only　seemed　to　deepen　the　sympathy　of　the　populace　with　this　new　cult。
　And　the　new　cult　was　rampant　with　debate　on　every　principle　with　regard　to　the　Jews；　God　and　Jesus。
　The　most　amazing　thing　had　happened　to　this　religion。　Spreading　wildly　on　fast　ships；　good　roads　and　well…maintained　trade　routes；　it　suddenly　found　itself　in　a　peculiar　position。　The　world　had　not　e　to　an　end；　as　Jesus　and　Paul　had　predicted。
　And　everybody　who　had　ever　known　or　seen　Jesus　was　dead。　Finally　everyone　who　had　ever　known　Paul　was　dead。
　Christian　philosophers　arose；　picking　and　choosing　from　old　Greek　ideas　and　old　Hebrew　traditions。
　Justin　of　Athens　wrote　that　Christ　was　the　Logos；　you　could　be　an　atheist　and　still　be　saved　in　Christ　if　you　upheld　reason。
　I　had　to　tell　this　to　Marius。
　I　thought　sure　it　would　set　him　off；　and　the　night　was　dull；　but　he　merely　countered　with　more　out…landish　talk　of　the　Gnostics。
　〃A　man　named　Saturninus　popped　up　in　the　Forum　today；〃　he　said。　〃Perhaps　you　heard　talk　of　him。　He　preaches　a　wild　variant　of　this　Christian　creed　you　find　so　amusing；　in　which　the　God　of　the　Hebrews　is　actually　the　Devil　and　Jesus　the　new　God。　This　was　not　the　man's　first　appearance。　He　and　his　followers；　thanks　to　the　local　Christian　Bishop　Ignatius；　are　headed　for　Alexandria。〃
　〃There　are　books　with　those　ideas　already　here；〃　I　said；　〃having　e　from　Alexandria。　They　are　impenetrable　to　me。　Perhaps　not　to　you。　They　speak　of　Sophia；　a　female　principle　of　Wisdom；　which　preceded　the　Creation。　Jews　and　Christians　alike　want　somehow　to　include　this　concept　of　Sophia　in　their　faith。　It　so　reminds　me　of　our　beloved　Isis。〃
　〃Your　beloved　Isis！〃　he　said。
　〃It　seems　that　there　are　minds　who　would　weave　it　all　together；　every　myth；　or　its　essence；　to　make　a　glorious　tapestry。〃
　〃Pandora；　you　are　making　me　ill　again；〃　he　warned。　〃Let　me　tell　you　what　your　Christians　are　doing。　They　are　tightly　organizing。　This　Bishop　Ignatius　will　be　followed　by　another；　and　the　Bishops　want　to　lay　down　now　that　the　age　of　private　revelation　had　ended；　they　want　to　weed　through　all　the　mad　scrolls　on　the　market　and　make　a　canon　which　all　Christians　believe。〃
　〃I　never　thought　such　could　happen；〃　I　said。　〃I　agreed　with　you　more　than　you　knew　when　you　condemned　them。〃
　〃They　are　succeeding　because　they　are　moving　away　from　emotional　morality；〃　he　said。　〃They　are　organizing　like　Romans。　This　Bishop　Ignatius　is　very　strict。　He　delegates　power。　He　pronounced　on　the　accuracy　of　manuscripts。　Notice　the　prophets　are　getting　thrown　out　of　Antioch。〃
　〃Yes；　you're　right；〃　I　said。　〃What　do　you　thinks　Is　it　good　or　bad'？〃
　〃I　want　the　world　to　be　better；〃　he　said。　〃Better　for　men　and　women。　Better。　Only　one　thing　is　dear：　the　old　blood　drinkers　have　by　now　died　out；　and　there　is　nothing　you　or　I；　or　the　Queen　and　the　King　can　do　to　interfere　in　the　flow　of　human　events。　I　believe　men　and　women　must　try　harder。　I　try　to　understand　evil　ever　more　deeply　with　any　victim　I　take。
　〃Any　religion　that　makes　fanatical　claims　and　demands　on　the　basis　of　a　god's　will　frightens　me。〃
　〃You　are　a　true　Augustan；〃　I　said。　〃I　agree　with　you；　but　it　is　fun　to　read　these　mad　Gnostics。　This　Marcion　and　this　Valentinus。〃
　〃Fun　for　you　perhaps。　I　see　danger　everywhere。　This　new　Christianity；　it　isn't　merely　spreading；　it's　changing　in　each　place　as　it　spreads；　it's　like　an　animal　which　devours　the　local　flora　and　fauna　and　then　takes　on　some　specific　power　from　the　food。〃
　I　didn't　argue　with　him。
　By　the　end　of　the　second　century；　Antioch　was　a　heavily　Christian　city。　And　it　seemed　to　me　as　I　read　the　works　of　new　Bishops　and　philosophers　that　worse　things　than　Christianity　could　e　upon　us。
　Realize；　however；　David；　that　Antioch　did　not　lie　under　a　cloud　of　decay；　there　was　no　sense　in　the　air　of　the　end　of　the　Empire。　If　anything　there　was　bustling　energy　everywhere。　merce　gives　one　this　feel；　that　false　sense　that　there　is　growth　and　creativity；　perhaps；　when　there　is　none。　Things　are　exchanged；　not　necessarily　improved。
　Then　came　the　dark　time　for　us。　Two　forces　came　together　which　bore　down　on　Marius；　straining　all　his　courage。　Antioch　was　more　interesting　than　it　had　ever　been。
　The　Mother　and　the　Father　had　never　stirred　since　the　first　night　of　my　ing！
　Let　me　describe　the　first　disaster；　because　for　me　it　was　not　so　hard　to　bear；　and　I　had　only　sympathy　for　Marius。
　As　I've　told　you；　the　question　of　who　was　Emperor　had　bee　a　joke。　But　it　really　became　a　howl　with　the　events　of　the　early　200s。
　The　Emperor　of　the　moment　was　Caracalla；　a　regular　murderer。　On　a　pilgrimage　to　Alexandria　to　see　the　remains　of　Alexander　the　Great；　he　had　…　for　reasons　no　one　knows　even　now　…　rounded　up　thousands　of　young　Alexandrians　and　slaughtered　them。　Alexandria　had　never　seen　such　a　massacre。
　Marius　was　distraught。　All　the　world　was　distraught。
　Marius　spoke　of　leaving　Antioch；。　of　getting　far　far　away　from　the　ruin　of　the　Empire。　I　began　to　agree　with　him。
　Then　this　revolting　Emperor　Caracalla　marched　in　our　direction；　intending　to　make　a　war　on　the　Parthians　North　of　us　and　to　the　East　of　us。　Nothing　out　of　the　ordinary　for　Antioch！
　His　Mother　…　and　you　need　not　remember　these　names　…　Julia　Domna；　took　up　residence　in　Antioch。　She　was　dying　from　cancer　of　her　breast。　And　let　me　add　here　that　this　woman　had；　with　her　son　Caracalla；　helped　murder　her　other　son；　Geta；　because　the　two　brothers　had　been　sharing　Imperial　power　and　threatening　to　make　a　Civil　War。
　Let　me　continue；　and　again　you　need　not　remember　the　names。
　Troops　were　massed　for　this　Eastern　war　against　two　Kings　to　the　East；　Vologases　the　Fifth　and　Artabanus　the　Fifth。　Caracalla　did　make　war；　achieve　victory　and　return　in　triumph。　Then；　only　miles　from　Antioch；　he　was　assassinated　by　his　own　soldiers　while　trying　to　relieve　himself！
　All　this　cast　Marius　in　a　hopeless　frame　of　mind。　For　hours　he　sat　in　the　Shrine　staring　at　the　Mother　and　the　Father。　I　felt　I　knew　what　he　was　thinking；　that　we　should　immolate　ourselves　and　them；　but　I　couldn't　bear　the　thought　of　it。　I　didn't　want　to　die。　I　didn't　want　to　lose　life。　I　didn't　want　to　lose　Marius。
　I　did　not　care　so　much　about　the　fate　of　Rome。　Life　still　stretched　before　me；　extending　the　promise　of　wonders。
　Back　to　the　edy。　The　Army　promptly　made