Marcus Aurelius Betrayed (25 page)

Severus paused for some water. Then he continued.

“First, why was Pudens a guest at this party? He had nothing to do with any of the other people there. Calvus told me that Pudens was a last minute substitution because a guest – a sub-Prefect – was called away and couldn’t be there. Since Pudens happened to be making a report to the Prefect when he learned the sub-Prefect couldn’t make it, he decided on the spur of the moment to invite Pudens to honor him for all his years of honest and dedicated service to three Prefects.

“Honor him? By introducing him into the midst of a gang of criminals? By inviting him to attend an orgy with these thieves and murderers? What kind of honor is that? We even learned from the woman paired with Pudens at the orgy that he was appalled by the nature of the revelries. I ask, how much more appalled would he have been if he had known the nature of his fellow guests and what they were up to? I answer. He would have felt totally dishonored. Not honored.”

The faces of the Emperor and the assessors were visibly starting to harden, their glances at the Calvus becoming sidelong and openly hostile. Severus noticed it and continued.

“So what was Pudens doing there? What really caused Calvus to invite him and insert him into the midst of that gang of criminals? We know from the Prefect that Pudens had just made a report to him. Calvus told me it was about something trivial. Too trivial to even remember what it was. But I am skeptical. Why? Because Pudens had just discovered something worthy of reporting to the Prefect. I mean, of course, the letter intercepted from the aide of General Avidius Cassius on the Persian frontier to Secundus, the letter criticizing the
two Emperors in a rather snide and subversive way. I needn’t mention the exact words,
domine
, because you know them. And I’m sure Secundus and Calvus know them as well.”

“Yes,” said Aurelius. “I know them. And to me they don’t seem very terrible. I’ve been called much worse that a ‘philosophizing old woman’ and Lucius Verus much worse than a ‘freak of extravagance’.”

“Yes,
domine
, to you they might not seem serious. And probably to Pudens they didn’t seem all that serious either. Which is why he might feel safe in reporting them to the Prefect, perhaps with the idea that the Prefect would warn Secundus to back off before things became serious. If Pudens thought otherwise he likely would not have tipped off a conspirator that he was onto the conspiracy.

“But I would suggest,
domine
, that Pudens’ death proves that he was sadly mistaken. I would suggest that Calvus and Secundus knew that the criticisms of the Emperors in that letter were not mere jests or mild criticisms. Quite the contrary. I would suggest they knew perfectly well that there was a real plot developing to overthrow the Emperors and that they were part of it. And so because Pudens had stumbled onto it, he had to be silenced. And that is why Pudens was invited to the orgy. Not to be honored. But to be murdered.”

Both Calvus and Secundus were visibly shifting in their chairs. Calvus started to rise to say something, but the Emperor’s glare was enough to make him sit back down. Aurelius and the assessors were glued to the speaker.

Severus continued.

“Now we have a motive to kill Pudens. And as for opportunity? The Prefect clearly had the best opportunity
to put poison in his own cup. Of course, he could have asked Secundus or his personal assassin Serpentinus to do it. But why complicate matters? Nothing would have been simpler for Calvus than to do it himself. To put poison in his own cup and then exchange it with Pudens’ cup or to slide his cup close to Pudens or even put it into his hands when, after sex and with his eyes averted or closed, Pudens reached behind for a drink.

“And how do we know that Calvus is a party to all this? How do we know that Secundus didn’t do it all by himself, while Calvus remained in the dark, merely a dupe of his stepson?

“Two good reasons. One. The Prefect knew that Secundus was engaged in crime in Alexandria because I told him so when I was there. I told him about the stolen book ring and about the fake antiques and about Secundus’ complicity in these crimes, if not direction of them. And, of course, the Prefect was aware as well of the charges of judicial murder against Secundus. And yet,
domine
, and yet, despite this knowledge Calvus went ahead with the adoption. He didn’t disown his stepson or even postpone adopting him as his son. He went ahead as if nothing had changed. To my mind, this is a virtual endorsement of Secundus’ crimes.

“But there is an even stronger reason. And it is this. Calvus certainly knew the real Philogenes, the real Homeric scholar who he sometimes had as a guest at his parties -- to impress people, Calvus once told me. Therefore, he knew that the person who was posing as Philogenes, who came to Rome with him as a member of his entourage, was an imposter. He knew all along that the person foisted on the court as the real Philogenes was a fake. And yet Calvus sat there while a fraud was being
perpetrated on the Imperial court itself, on you personally
domine
and on your assessors. Calvus sat there and said nothing. Why would he do that unless he was party to the whole scheme himself?

“So I would suggest that far from being a dupe or a person in the dark, that Calvus betrayed the Emperors from the start and directed all the schemes – the fake antiques, the stolen books, the conspiracy against the Emperors and the murder of Pudens, which he himself carried out. And, by the same token, he is a conspirator in the judicial murder of his slave Ganymede for a crime he himself had committed. Calvus put poison in his own cup and saw to it that Pudens drank it!”

Aurelius motioned for Severus to sit down. He turned to Calvus and motioned for him to stand up.

“I don’t know,” said the Emperor, “exactly how much of this is true, but it seems much of it must be. And I feel personally betrayed by you because you certainly knew the false Philogenes from the real one and said nothing. You allowed a fraud to be perpetrated on me. You may have an explanation or not. And I will give you an opportunity to reply when you wish. Not now, of course, because this is not a trial today, just an inquiry. But there will have to be a public trial. You can respond then in as great detail as you like.”

Aurelius paused and looked straight into Calvus’s eyes.

“Or, I might suggest, you can consider an alternative because a public trial will inevitably involve a certain amount of sensation, if not disgrace, whatever the result. And the alternative I am suggesting is the road to complete freedom recommended by Seneca.”

With that, Aurelius stood and left the courtroom. For everyone understood exactly what he meant. Because everyone knew perfectly well the famous road to freedom recommended by Seneca.

It was ‘any vein in your body.’

EPILOGUE

MARCUS FLAVIUS SEVERUS: TO HIMSELF

A
few nights later we all celebrated the end of the trial with a big banquet in our
triclinium
. I reclined on the head couch with Artemisia, while Flaccus and Proculus shared another and Vulso, Straton and Alexander reclined on a third. Our two guests, Aurora and the Praetorian Tribune Cornelius, shared another couch and seemed quite taken with each other from the start. Our slaves Glycon and Galatea shared another couch. Our three children also joined us, though they sat upright at their own table.

The food was excellent, from eggs to apples, with tender and delicious ostrich meat as the main course. The wine was a very old and outstanding Setinian sent over as a gift from the palace, a wine we or anyone else rarely can get nowadays. It was one of two gifts I received that day from the Emperor. The other was a very rare and old scroll of Book I of the
Iliad
. I passed it around to everyone to admire and then displayed it on a table.

Sometime during the dessert a messenger arrived from the palace. I opened the tablet, started to read it, and announced to everyone:

“Calvus has taken Seneca’s advice.”

Aurora made an audible sound of relief and rested her head on Cornelius’ shoulder. Cornelius shot one arm and fist into the air in triumph and put the other arm protectively around Aurora.

“Which vein did he open?” asked Vulso with a little laugh.

“He had a team of doctors open four of them. Both wrists and the veins at the back of his feet as well. He then went into a hot bath in a steam room and after a time silently passed away.”

“Did he leave a departing message? Was there anything relevant in his will?” asked Artemisia. I read further.

“It doesn’t say. But his suicide speaks volumes.”

Aurora interrupted. “I want to say something now.”

Everyone looked at her.

She looked at Severus. “Artemisia has told me how you figured out that Calvus poisoned his own cup and got Pudens to drink it, but that you left vague how this was done. I know how.”

Aurora stopped for a drink of wine and to gather herself together.

“I know how it was done because I did it. Calvus told me he was playing a joke on Pudens and told me to switch cups, to move Pudens’ cup out of the way and put Calvus’ cup just within Pudens’ reach and to do it while no one was looking. I picked a moment when Secundus was dancing on the table, when people were throwing grapes, when Pudens was distracted by his
hetaira
. Then
I switched the cups. After Pudens drank it and died, I didn’t know what to do, but Calvus said I had saved his life, that the poison was meant for him. He ordered me to keep quiet about the switch. He said it was just a joke that went wrong. I didn’t really believe him, just like I didn’t really believe Ganymede had anything to do with it. But who was I to tell? How could I say anything? I was afraid I had done something wrong. I was afraid of Calvus. But now that Calvus is dead, now I can speak.”

She buried her head in her hands and began to sob. Cornelius moved to comfort her.

“Under Roman law, you’re not responsible,” I told Aurora. “You had no intent to commit a crime. You had no knowledge of what was in the dolphin cup. You innocently did what the Prefect told you to do. Calvus is the guilty party, not you.”

“Why did he do it?” asked Artemisia. “Calvus had reached a pinnacle of success as Prefect of Egypt. Why did he have to turn it into a criminal enterprise? Why did he have to plot against the Emperor? Why did he betray the Emperor’s trust?”

“Corruption is an old – if dishonorable – tradition,” I replied. “Even Seneca, the great philosopher, feathered his nest at the court of Nero. What did his critics say about him? ‘By what wisdom, by which precepts of philosophy had Seneca acquired 300 million sesterces during four years of imperial friendship?’ And how many others have there been in our history or the history of any other country.

“So Calvus is not unusual. Corruption is endemic. So is a lust for power. So is crime. Aristotle says poverty is the cause of crime. I know that Marcus Aurelius feels that crime is basically caused because people are
ignorant of what is right and what is wrong, of what philosophy calls ‘The Good’. He says that if people understood, they would not commit crimes. But they don’t really understand. They are presented by life and society with temptations and delusions that steer them into false paths. As an Emperor and a philosopher Marcus Aurelius tries to pursue ‘The Good’, but must inevitably be betrayed by those who don’t.”

“You haven’t betrayed him,” said Artemisia.

I appreciated her saying that. “For a time I felt that I was betraying him. After all, I was sent to Egypt by Marcus Aurelius to protect the Prefect. Instead I brought him down. Is that not some sort of betrayal?”

“Hardly,” said three people at once. Vulso finished the thought. “You brought a corrupt Prefect to justice. You brought a murderer to justice. That’s not betraying the Emperor. That’s carrying out his wishes.”

“I suppose it is,” I replied. We all looked at the gift of the
Iliad
scroll displayed on the table and at the bottle of rare wine sent over by Marcus Aurelius. “I suppose it is.”

HISTORICAL NOTE AND ILLUSTRATIONS

A
s an historical note, the real name of the Prefect of Egypt at the time of this story is not Marcus Annius Calvus, but Marcus Annius Syriacus. Since nothing is known about Syriacus’ character, it should stay that way.

Most of the words and sentiments of Marcus Aurelius expressed by him and said about him in this book are from his writings, either the Meditations, his letters to Cornelius Fronto or as recorded in the Augustan Histories, i.e.
Scriptores Historiae Augustae
(SHA).

The letter of General Avidius Cassius criticizing the Emperors and Marcus Aurelius’ response to it are based on actual reports in the Augustan Histories, SHA
Avid
.
Cass
. I.8-II, though of a later date than here. In 175 CE, 12 years after the events in this book, Avidius Cassius staged an unsuccessful revolt to overthrow Marcus Aurelius.

Aulus Gellius and Favorinus were historical persons and Favorinus’ lecture in chapter
XXIX
is recorded by Aulus Gellius in his
Attic Nights
, III. 1.

Other historical personages mentioned in the book are Q. Junius Rusticus, who was the Urban Prefect at the
time, and the members of Marcus Aurelius’
consilium
and his assessors at trial.

The jokes exchanged between Straton and Velleius in chapter
XXX
are from the ancient joke book,
Philogelos
– Lover of Laughter. The surviving material is from the 4
^th
century CE, but there are references to joke books as early as the 2
^nd
century BCE.

The superfreighter
Isis
described in chapter
XXX
was an actual ship of the Alexandrian grain fleet.

Translations from the Latin and Greek are my own.

The fresco on the cover is from the Villa Boscoreale near Pompeii.

The bust of Marcus Aurelius and the illustrations of Ancient Alexandria and Ancient Rome are accessible on multiple web sites through Google Images.

The illustration of the Prefect’s orgy is by Ruth Chevion, whose careful editing, insightful suggestions and personal and loving support contributed substantially to this book.