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NERO By Pueros Chapter VII Celebrations (The villa of Caius Silius, Rome, in August of the 5th year of the reign of the Emperor Claudius [AD 46]) I shall be content if those shall pronounce my history useful who desire to give a view of events as they did really happen, and as they are very likely, in accordance with human nature, to repeat themselves at some future time - if not exactly the same, yet very similar. Thucydides (Historia, i.2,2) Just over three-quarters of a century before the beginning of my narrative, the Civil Wars that had torn the Roman world apart for over twenty years had finally concluded. Octavian, at the age of 33, emerged victorious, with an army of 280,000 men and vast wealth, much seized from the collapsed dynasty of Aegyptia. When Julius Caesars nominated heir returned to the capital, he celebrated the defeat of his enemies, who had latterly included Anthony and Cleopatra, with three days of triumphal celebrations. Many of the citys patricians were, however, uneasy about the victors return with the immense power and influence represented by his newly acquired military and financial backing. The great families had previously dominated the republic through their control of the Senate but it was clear, after the rule of Julius Caesar, that dictatorship was a threat to their power and prestige and Octavian appeared ready to assume his adoptive fathers mantle. Octavian, however, was very subtle in his pursuit of retaining ultimate power. He initially surprised many by apparently displaying no such ambition, an attitude seemingly proven by the act of disbanding a large part of his army and using his personal wealth to find land for the discharged soldiers. Additionally, although he continued as a Consul, one of the traditional senior posts of the republic, he offered himself annually for re-election. A couple of years passed and Octavian apparently reinforced the view that he was no tyrant by offering all his retained powers, accumulated during the Civil War, back to the Senate, claiming that he was truly restoring the republic. However, it was not really a selfless gesture, as he had appreciated that such emergency measures could not be maintained much longer now that peace had been restored. He actually wanted to keep his hegemony over the state but cleverly recognised that there was a better way to achieve his aim than simply proclaiming himself king or dictator. Octavians concept of a restored republic was a brilliant solution, being an excellent guise through which he could retain power without disturbing sensibilities. He perceptively knew that he was currently indispensable, being in an incredibly strong position as the man would had brought the Civil Wars to an end and restored peace. He therefore counted on the Senate having to define for him some central role in order to ensure that the pax Romana endured. The Senates first response was to offer the saviour of the state direct responsibility for the provinces of Gaul, Hispania, Aegytinia and Syria for ten years. As it was in these territories that the bulk of the Roman legions were stationed, the legislature was effectively confirming Octavian as supreme military commander. A few days later, Julius Caesars heir was bestowed the new special appellation of Augustus, or revered one. A month of the year was also renamed after him. After falling ill and almost dying a few years later, Augustus, the name by which he was now universally called, surrendered the onerous post of Consul and, in return, was nominated Proconsul, with authority over all legions and provincial Governors. He additionally became one of the Tribunes. As I have mentioned earlier, these important posts are supposed to entail representing the interests of the common people and include the significant rights to summon the Senate and veto any of the legislatures laws. I suspect that the new recipient of the title also particularly valued this role because it gave the moral illusion that his leadership rested on the will of the ordinary populace. Augustus position was now virtually monarchical and unassailable but he had cunningly secured this situation through demonstrably legitimate republican means, so avoiding allegations of ambitious tyranny. The deception was maintained by only accepting the title of Princeps, or first citizen, and treating the Senate with scrupulous respect. The legislatures effective loss of power had been painless, with few members contesting or even seemingly noticing the process. By the time of his death, the acclaimed pater patriae, or father of his people, had thoroughly consolidated his position. He had also showed true worthy genius in reforming Roman administration, including purging the Senate of unworthy members and appointing the most talented patricians, and additionally now equestrians, to senior army and provincial posts. The result was a stable, well-run Empire ruled by an Emperor in all but name, the latter development best summed up by the fact that Augustus powers were now passed on to his nominated successor. The influence of the pater patriae was to outlive him for a long time, with admiration for his achievements reflecting on his later lineage, often allowing his descendents to be inappropriately revered at a not inconsequential cost to the Empire. It was certainly respect for the family of Augustus that, 27 years after his death, not only saved the life of the guest of honour at Caius Silius banquet but also enabled him to assume the purple. After Augustus, the post of Princeps was quickly accepted as hereditary, with the eldest son or adopted heir assuming the title. The change in attitude to such transference of power would previously have been very surprising, given the anti-monarchal republican feelings prevalent throughout the previous centuries, ever since the deposition of the last Roman King, Tarquinius Superbus, about 550 years before the start of my narration. Emperors, however, now embody the most powerful symbol of the unity of the Empire and, during their lives, are given almost divine status, with the Senate often posthumously declaring them gods.
A successful Emperor has to be many things. He has to be a conscientious administrator, successful military commander-in-chief and the fountain of justice, accessible to petitioners from all over the huge Empire. He also takes on the role of public benefactor, providing free grain, sponsoring shows and encouraging public building. However, ultimately, in a vast predominantly rural and undeveloped society, a Princeps can do little more than ensure that the machinery of government and the co-ordination of opposition to Romes enemies function smoothly. The best Emperors carry out their duties efficiently, although there is a danger that some might exploit their position for personal gain. However, my lifes experiences suggest that it is likely that only a very few will make fundamental changes to the policies and structures that underpin the Empire. Certainly, the man who now reclined to my right, having barely given me a glance as he assumed his position, was not one to promote radical change but rather to introduce sensible mild reforms without too much upset. I have already mentioned his liberalisation of religious practices, more of the consequences of which my dear friend to be, Axenius, was to encounter in the near future, and I shall briefly refer to his other ameliorations later in my saga when the time suits. Although I had been warned by the major domo about Claudius hapless mannerisms, I have to confess that I encountered great difficulty in maintaining a straight face as the Emperor had hobbled, with his head regularly twitching, towards his place of honour. It is the sort of immature, smug, ignorant, boyish attitude, towards those outwardly physically more unfortunate, that I happily came not only to outgrow but also regret. In respect of this Princeps, the latter change came much sooner than might have been expected and not just from realisation that the man at least had more in his groin than me. By the time of the banquet, Claudius had worn the purple for just over 5½ years, ever since he was found cowering behind a curtain in the Imperial palace by a Praetorian in the wake of the assassination of his nephew and predecessor, Gaius Caligula. The then 50 year-old had fallen in terror at the soldiers feet, clasping the mans knees and begging for his life. The Praetorian recognised whom he had at his mercy and shouted to some of his comrades. The small military party then hustled the stuttering Claudius, still fearful for his life, off to their camp, where he realised that the soldiers did not know what to do with either him or Rome. It seemed that the assassination of Gaius Caligula had the purpose of removing a mad tyrant but had no real plan for the future, although the Senate debated the fancy of restoring the republic for a few hours. The 50 year-old grew in confidence as he began to feel the strength of his position, given his lineage. Claudius was the only surviving adult of the male line of the Julian-Claudian house, to which the Praetorians were essentially still loyal, only desiring a change of Emperor not of regime. They also showed themselves ready to be bought. Claudius offered each Praetorian 150 gold pieces. They offered the Empire in return. The Senate was subsequently easily unnerved by the sight of the dreaded Praetorians arriving at their debating chamber and quickly acquiesced to the will of the military. Claudius therefore became the fourth Emperor. Gaius Caligulas assassination and Claudius succession to the purple proved for the first time that an Emperor could be unmade and made by the sword. It would not be long before I personally witnessed that Princeps could also be created somewhere other than in Rome. The new Emperors mannerisms and habits had previously earned him the reputation of being a clown, glutton and drunkard, and there was some truth in the description. Gaius Caligula had also often treated him as if he were the court fool. However, there was another side to Claudius, for he was a scholar, who had probably exaggerated his buffoonery, and suffered the consequent ridicule, in order to survive at a time when it was common for many of those, who might have strong familial claim to the purple, to be eliminated. Claudius wrote several histories, including those of the Etruscans, the Carthaginians and the Civil Wars, plus other works, such as a defence of Cicero and a treatise on the Latin alphabet. The great Aegyptian city of Alexandria, in an act of erudition not flattery, was to add a new wing, which is called the Claudian to this day, to its magnificent library to house these lengthy tomes. It was Claudius intellectualism and wish to see Rome benefit from his rule, if only to prove wrong the many who had previously regarded him with ill-disguised contempt, that led him to introduce rational useful change during his reign. However, his position, both in terms of policy and basic legitimacy to wear the purple, was frequently treacherously challenged, leading to many thwarted conspiracies and resultant executions, particularly of members of the patrician and equestrian orders. As described in an earlier chapter, Claudius paid only lip service, albeit very diplomatic, to the Senate and other offices of state in favour of executing power through his household, by whom he was therefore open to influence. The latter circumstance was assisted by character traits, boosted by past insults and recent plots, which made him overly trust those supposedly close to him and be very shy and wary of most others. This latter feature was now exemplified, as he reclined awkwardly on the couch next to where I stood, by his clear unease in the busy surroundings and the presence of an adult eunuch, who would taste all of his Imperial masters food and wine. Claudius presence at a banquet attended by others was rare but his attendance at one outside the confines of the vast Imperial palace on the Palatine Hill was very unusual. I was later to discover that the Emperor had been reluctantly persuaded to accept the invitation by his current wife, Messalina, who had been personally petitioned by Caius Silius to encourage her husband to do so. However, it was not the goodness of her heart that motivated the Empress to oblige, or the large bribe handed over by my master, who was eager to ensure that the event was honoured by the Princeps in order to upstage his rivals. It was instead her interest in the handsomest man in Rome, stimulated by seeing him up close for the first time for a long time. This attraction was to have profound consequences for many, including myself. My first service for the master of the known civilised world was to fill an ornately decorated gold goblet with the best honey-flavoured mulsum aperitif. However, after my shaking hand had somehow given the cup to Claudius adult taster, now standing next to me, the older eunuch quietly whispered for me to provide undiluted Falerian wine instead. I was to learn quickly that the Emperor preferred to concentrate his drinking on unmixed liquid fare throughout every banquet. When alone, the habit was to overcome lonely melancholy and when with others it was to suppress his shy nervous discomfort, invariably compounded by the not always incorrect belief that others present were secretly disdainfully mocking him. The taster and I were standing discretely between the couches of the principal guest, Claudius, and the host, Caius Silius, with me required to serve the Emperor with fresh goblets whenever needed, which turned out to be frequent, and handing over the varied dishes comprising the many food courses. I now complied with my fellow eunuchs request and, after handing the new cup over to be checked for poison and then receiving it back, I did my best to place the gold container in the Princeps hand, already poised impatiently to receive his first drink. Unfortunately, not only did my nerves cause me to be a little clumsy but also the recipients regular manual twitches made delivery to the target difficult. The result was some inevitable spillage, onto the guest of honours palm and down the sleeve of his purple toga, an event noticed by my master. The furious Cauis Silius seemed unsure whether first to apologise ingratiatingly to Claudius or to berate me for my ineptitude, and so he introduced his own bungling into matters by trying to do both at the same time. Im sorry! You useless oaf! my master shouted but had to correct himself immediately when the Emperor appeared to take offence. Im sorry, eminence, the host responded for giving the wrong impression, I was not referring to you but to the useless boy here. So, the stern-faced guest of honour stammered, whilst emitting much spittle and as spilled wine continued to flow further along his arm, youre not .apologising to .me .for this .carelessness? Caius Silius face was turning almost as red as mine, as he apparently became more mired in his own verbal incompetence. It was a change of tactics that saved the moment. My master now spent much time fawningly expressing regret for his inappropriate misunderstood exclamation and clambering onto his knees to attend personally to the damage, by wiping up the trickle of wine on the Imperial arm with the cuff of his own toga. The sight certainly amused the many other supposedly adult guests in the vicinity, with only the hosts young wife and elder daughter not discreetly laughing. I even temporarily forgot my personal predicament before my own grin was wiped off my face. Caius Silius, as he returned to his couch, having completed his demeaning menial chore, advised Claudius that he would immediately have me severely punished whilst another more competent slave was brought to serve the guest of honour. My master enquired whether the Emperor would prefer me to be simply flogged or suffer more seriously, kindly acquainting the Princeps with the fact that he had the facilities for crucifixion. It was then that the guest of honour, known for cruel tastes whilst visiting the amphitheatre, looked at me properly for the first time. As the 55 year-old Claudius turned his twitching head to examine the miscreant and now even more tremulous young slave who had spilt his wine, I had great difficulty in preventing another accident from occurring, as my bowel suddenly wanted to empty itself of its contents. The Imperial stare, when it eventually came, was initially both all-encompassing and apparently completely unsympathetic to my cause. (The countryside outside Rome, same time) Such evil deeds could religion prompt. - Lucretius (De Rerum Natura) 4 year-old Hylas felt his small virgin sphincter pressed down against the large curved top of the greased stone phallus, ornately displaying an indentation representing a penile opening. However, it was not the further downward pressure then applied to his diminutive but very pleasant frame that caused him thankfully to faint but the first blow across his bare chest from the cruel whip now held by the chief priest, or Silenus, at the Bacchanalian celebration. (The villa of Caius Silius, Rome, same time) Remember, Roman, that it is for thee to rule the nations. This shall be thy task, to impose the ways of peace, to spare the vanquished and to tame the proud by war. - Virgil (Aeneid) A smile encroached onto the face of the most powerful man in the world as he examined my trembling perspective. No, Caius, Claudius finally stuttered, flogging .or execution .of .the boy .wont .be necessary, as .the spill was .my fault .not his. I .wish to continue .to .be served .by him and .I promise .that Ill try .to be more .careful .when .I accept .his offerings, which .Im sure .will be .delicious. Now, tell me .your opinion .of my idea .to allow .worthy provincials .into citizenship. The conversation between guest of honour and host then proceeded as if nothing had happened, just as the first food arrived. Claudius was later as good as his word, even after becoming inebriated. Assisted by a secret whisper from his taster, the Emperor invariably considerately turned towards me to accept another goblet of wine or the dish comprising the next exotic food course, carefully timing receipt so that it occurred between, rather than during, one of his bodily quivers. He usually did so with a friendly smile on his face. The whole scenario eventually enabled me to eliminate my nerves and perform my duties efficiently. Shortly before the drunken Claudius finally departed to sleep off my masters copious hospitality in the Imperial palace, he managed, despite his insobriety, to remark to Caius Silius, amidst hiccups, You .you .you .have a .good .young .slave .here. Hes .looked .after me .very .very .very .very .well! Afterwards, I was unsure whether the surfeit of the word very was due to purposeful reinforcement of his point, natural stammering or excess of wine. I was nevertheless grateful for the comment, as the host, now seemingly pleased with me, did not inflict any punishment for my earlier lapse, which I was sure he had in mind despite the Emperors earlier sober entreaty on my behalf. I was instead sent to help serve other guests who were staying late, some to dawn, one of whom was Messalina. I now regretted my earlier amusement at Claudius mannerisms and subsequently never forgot the debt of gratitude for my salvation from the whip or worse that I owed the Emperor. However, the reason behind his kindness would take a few years to appreciate and real repayment would not be made during his lifetime but rather a little later. After Claudius had helped me overcome my initial apprehension and between the times when my service was required, I managed to eavesdrop on the Emperors conversation with Caius Silius. However, much was about politics and therefore, at that time, nonsensical to me, although I did learn about a new Jewish cult. Apparently, the Christians, as the members had been recently termed after some obscure deceased prophet, were thought to be potential troublemakers, because they not only scorned official religious observances but also undermined the military by refusing to serve, claiming that the taking of human life was wrong. Ive never heard anything so ridiculous! my master declared when the Princeps told him this latter fact. Whilst I waited on Claudius, I was also able to scour the surrounding scene. Unusually for a formal Roman banquet, the genders had not been segregated but rather the opposite, with couches carrying males often being interspersed with those displaying reclining females, both sexes in formal garb. I learnt later that the mixing of the women with the men had been at Messalinas insistence and that it was no coincidence that her couch was on the other side of the host from the guest of honour. However, I should have guessed that her increasing attentiveness to Caius Silius, as her husband became drunker and so less interested in conversation, was more than manners. I now recognise that the look in her eyes was of eager lust but, perhaps because there was so much else happening or I still retained some immature naivety, I failed to spot the signs at the time. Messalina had also ensured that her mother, 51 year-old Domitia Lepida, and half-brother, 24 year-old Faustus Cornelius Sulla Felix, were given places of prominence, close to 13 year-old Sribonia. The banquet was ostensibly being held in celebration of the latters ascent to adulthood, which had recently been exemplified by the ceremonial dedication of her favourite doll to Venus. The giving up of such rag playthings, which invariably represent nubile young women as wifely role models instead of babies to be mothered, is symbolic of a females transition to marriageable age. Sribonia was adjacent to her heavily pregnant 15 year-old stepmother, Crispina. Both girls had paid great attention to the earlier incident when I spilt some wine and, judging from their facial expressions, seemed to be particularly excited at the prospect of me being crucified and very disappointed at my reprieve from any chastisement. I later remembered many other faces from amongst the guests, many competitively inter-related, who attended the banquet and was able subsequently to put names to them, as I witnessed their lives unfold. There were six future Emperors present amongst those I shall mention. If you did not already know who they were, I wonder if you could have guessed their names? (The countryside outside Rome, same time) Perverse Temptation, the overmastering child of designing Destruction, drives men on, and every remedy is futile. His evil is not hidden; it shines forth, a baleful gleam. Like base metal beneath the touchstone's rub, when tested he shows the blackness of his grain, for he is like a child who chases a winged bird, and upon his people he brings a taint against which there is no defence. - Aeschylus (Agamemnon) Hylas was reawakened by the splash of cool liquid across his face. It was cheap wine, as water played no part in Bacchanalian ceremonies. However, the boy was no longer in the main tree-lined clearing, surrounded by raucous and increasingly drunken and adventurously lecherous celebrants. The 4 year-old had instead been carried by two men in their early 20s into a smaller, quieter, nearby glade. Nevertheless, the infants new whereabouts was sufficiently close to his earlier location for him to hear the bloodcurdling screams, mingled with loud cheering and laughter, which chillingly permeated the wood. It would be several weeks before Hylas discovered the reason for the shrieks, when he would learn the appalling circumstances from the lips of the 13 year-old victim himself. However, regard for the other poor boy was not immediately foremost in the 4 year-olds mind. Hylas was still naked but this was also of less concern to him than the sight of his two adult companions quickly joining him in his state of undress, with an eagerness that boded ill. The boy might only have been four but he was old enough to appreciate what the large hairy real phalluses that now came into view, already fully erect and dribbling precum, wanted. Hylas only consolation in the circumstances was noticing that he only sported one vivid stripe, rapidly changing colour from bright red to purple, across his chest and that his anus was not too sore after being introduced to the tip of the stone phallus. He was to discover later that the latter had only penetrated minimally, as a ritualistic sign of his initiation as a sex slave of the secret Bacchic society. The single blow from the whip was similarly symbolic. Unfortunately, the 4 year-olds presence in the smaller glade with the now nude men was for less emblematic purposes, whilst his 13 year-old replacement initiate in the main clearing was to be much less fortunate there than his younger predecessor. (The villa of Caius Silius, Rome, same time) Under every stone lurks a politician. - Aristophanes (Thesmophoriazusae) Amongst the most important of the guests was the attractive 31 year-old Julia Agrippina, known as Agrippina the Younger. She was the niece of Claudius, being the product, like her brother, the previous Emperor, Gaius Caligula, of the marriage of the Princeps sadly deceased heroic brother, Germanicus, to Agrippina the Elder, herself daughter of Augustus chief, very able lieutenant, Agrippa. The elder Agrippina had fallen foul of the Emperor Tiberius and his henchman, Sejanus, and been banished to the island of Pandateria, where she starved herself to death 13 years previously. The younger had also succumbed to exile 6 years later for joining in a conspiracy against Gaius Caligula, led on the northern frontier by Lentulus Gaeticulus, Governor of Germania Superior, and in Rome by her lover, and former husband of her recently deceased elder sister, Drusilla, Aemelius Lepidus. The male leaders were executed for their efforts. Her involvement, and that of her other surviving younger sister, had been despite the fact that they and their dead female sibling had often shared their brothers bed. Agrippina the Youngers uncle, Claudius, had restored her to Rome after Gaius Caligulas assassination. She had been just 13 when wed to the older Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, whom I later discovered had been described by many as being loathsome in every aspect of his life. This first husband was the brother of Domitia Lepida, which made his wife an aunt, through marriage, as well as cousin, of Messalina. He had also been dead over five years by the time of the banquet but I was becoming well acquainted with his son, 8 year-old Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, who seemed to have inherited some of his late fathers nasty characteristics. Agrippina the Younger, whom I shall call simply Agrippina hereon, as she is to feature much in my saga, then married the rich, obsequious orator, Sallustius Passienus Crispus. The fact that this man was already wed to her own sister-in-law, Domitia, sibling of the obnoxious Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and also now present at the banquet, did not stop her pursuing the union. A divorce was secured and Agrippina later quietly poisoned Sallustius Passienus Crispus to gain access to his great wealth, the real point of the marriage. Despite such immoral proclivities, she remained popular in Rome and at this event, where her principal company comprised two men, Pallas and the younger Vitellius. Pallas was one of Claudius most important and influential freedmen, having originally secured his release from slavery from the Emperors now dead mother, Antonia, daughter of Augustus sister, Octavia, and Anthony. He was currently responsible for state financial matters, including the operation of the state treasury, or aerarium, acquiring significant personal wealth in the process. Aulus Vitellius was the same age as Agrippina. He was the son of Lucius Vitellius, who was also present at the banquet but, being the adroit politician that he was, was carefully paying as much attention to the Emperors wife as his niece. The elder Vitellius had served with distinction as Governor of Syria, where he dismissed Pontius Pilate from his Judaean post because of excessive harshness resulting from intractably provocative anti-Semitism. However, his subsequent reputation had suffered somewhat because of his fawning flattery of Gaius Caligula and undignified over-familiarity with Claudius, not that this did his career any harm. He was to share two Consulates and a Censorship with the Princeps, but his son was even more obsequious and ambitious. Lucius Vitellius junior gained, as reward for his own groveling, a number of posts in which he was to display a great capacity for dishonesty and vice. I shall describe many of these disreputable activities in greater detail later in my saga, as I became witness to various examples. The flow of exotic and expensive food to Claudius and the other guests seemed never-ending. The Romans use the phrase ab ovo usque ad mala, or from the egg to the apples, to describe a three-course meal. Tonights banquet comprised such a divisional trio, but split into many sub-sections. The starters centred round eggs presented in various ways, for example with salads, fish, shellfish, snails and roast stuffed doormice sprinkled with honey and poppyseed. The main courses included not only beef, lamb, pork, venison, hare, bream, hake, mackerel, mullet, sole, oysters, chicken, duck, goose and partridge but also veal, suckling pig, boar, kid, wild goat, porpoise, crane, flamingo, ostrich and turtle dove, most with boiled vegetables, such as beans and spring greens, and covered in sauces. The desserts comprised many different varieties of carefully presented fruit, cake and pudding. Mint leaves were available throughout to assist digestion by encouraging burping. Additionally, as is still common practice, many of the more gluttonous guests would have enjoyed an enema at the baths earlier in order to prepare themselves to enjoy as much of this fare as possible. Of all the courses served, I found the sight of the sows udder marinated in tuna-fish brine and stuffed with thrushes particularly disgusting. The entertainment was equally as exotic and expensive. Famous rhetoricians briefly recited classical literature to add some distinction to the occasion but, although the audience was polite, it was really impatiently waiting for the acrobats, actors and dancers who followed, many of whom had also to perform at the separate childrens gathering. The musical accompaniment was provided by a small orchestra efficiently playing wind, string and percussion instruments. As the banquet progressed, the entertainment became cruder and the performers covered with less and less clothing until, towards the end, after the departure of the Emperor and the minors, they were virtually naked and engaged in simulated fornication of various types. I believe that Apollinus, now relieved at being discharged from the childrens banquet and provided with a clean tunic to assist at the adult version, found the acts very stimulating. This was apparently exemplified by the constant maintenance of the common bulge in his tunic, which attracted ribald commentary from the guests he was now attending, as well as a few gropes from women and homosexuals. However, my friend, being sober, was able to ensure that contact was thankfully very fleeting, as he was worried that more successful fondling might induce the production of his reproductive fluids. After Claudius early drunken departure to his bed and after the banquet had, as a result, become more informal and raucous, I was allowed to roam more freely, full wine jug in hand ready to replenish the goblets of thirsty guests. I came across a group of couches where one reclining man appeared to be holding court by relating many amusing anecdotes. He saw me and called me to take him more drink. I obliged but soon discovered that the supply of further liquid refreshment was not his aim. The man, whom I was to learn was named Petronius, sat up and gently used one arm to grasp me around the waist when I approached him with the gold wine jug. Ah, at last, he announced to the local audience, I finally have the most beautiful, and therefore most precious, item in our hosts villa in my possession and Ill never let go! I then felt his free hand venture under the rear of my short tight scarlet tunic and begin to caress my bare bottom. Mmmm, my molester then declared with a giggle, the feel of the curvature of this marvellous work of art is quite splendid! He then forcibly lay me face-up across his knees, to much laughter from the surrounding assemblage. Once more my face had become the same colour as my attire. I still held the jug, although my control of the gold vessel and its contents was now very precarious. I shall never know how I did not spill any of the expensive wine until my burden was considerately removed from my charge by Petronius so that he could give me a long lingering kiss on the lips without accident. His action was performed to accompanying ribald commentary and applause, as well as another incursion of his free hand, this time under the front of my tunic. My forever flaccid but nevertheless nicely proportioned hidden cock was soon being gently fondled. (The countryside outside Rome, same time) Wine is wont to show the mind of man. Theognis (Maxims, line 500) The two keenly ardent naked men, breath stinking of wine, positioned the similarly nude but appalled and petrified Hylas on his hands and knees, facing downwards with his legs wide apart and mouth open in readiness to receive rampant manhood in his anal and oral orifices. These first sexual duties would complete the boys initiation into the secret Bacchic society. The right to deprive the 4 year-old of his virginity had been won by lot, with the winners contributing one copper as each to society coffers for the purchase of their successful bronze tags. Meanwhile, in the main clearing, the older naked initiate was being relentlessly pushed onto the large stone phallus, firmly embedded in the ground, to much accompanying loud screaming from the victim and ribaldry from the many, increasing wine-inebriated and lustful, spectators. This time the long fat edifice would not stop at a boys pink sphincter but would be remorselessly pushed into the tight orifice the muscular ring guarded until the delicious curves of the 13 year-olds buttocks rested on the grass. Amazingly, as the agonising impalement proceeded with careful slow deliberation, the young victims pleasantly proportioned smooth cock began rise to the vertical above his equally nice and hairless scrotal orbs, still stocked with their testicular components. This phenomenon occurred despite the lashes now inflicted across his chest and belly from the whip carried by the chief Bacchic priest. The fact that the boy was not an anal virgin, and that the cock to which the aperture had become accustomed had been substantial, did little to alleviate his terrible hurt as the cool stone monster invaded his innards. The pretty 13 year-old was more mature than the usual much younger sex slave initiates but, as he was a bequest from a recently deceased society member, the Bacchic order was happy to accept him into its servitude. This attitude was reinforced by the fact that his age and size enabled the full majesty of the sacred phallic herm to be utilised during the celebration. (The villa of Caius Silius, Rome, same time) Humour is the only test of gravity, and gravity of humour; for a subject which will not bear raillery is suspicious, and a jest which will not bear serious examination is false wit. - Aristotle I think, a young man interrupted with clear amusement but, as I was subsequently to discover, hidden hypocrisy, that youd better return the jewel to its owner before its loss is discovered. I heard our host mention earlier to the Emperor that he had the apparatus for crucifixion and Im sure that you dont want your life ended like that for theft! Within moments, I was restored to my feet, with the wine jug in my possession once more. However, I was not only flushed through my recent experience but also rather disheveled. I had to straighten my tunic, which had risen up to expose my buttocks and almost my gelded groin. I also had to readjust, as best I could without a mirror, the laurel in my hair, which had been partially displaced. I then quickly escaped the scene with as much decorum and diplomacy as I could muster. I left laughter behind and also heard some comments. Now, Titus Vinius, Petronius suggested with a chuckle to his younger friend, I was just playing and meant no harm. The boy is, after all, the most attractive ingredient of this banquet. Surely you agree with me! I later heard no more in my rush to depart to service elsewhere but, after recovering from the shock, my body experienced strong tingling sensations again as my aggrieved surprise gave way to delighted pride. I was suddenly no longer displeased at being the centre of that particular incident of amusement but instead unhappy that I had let it finish so rapidly by scurrying away. I was to meet the main protagonists again in the future. I did not then repeat my error with Suetonius, who rewarded me with many pleasant diversions. On the other hand, Titus Vinius was only to cause me much grief. I was soon serving the most important of Claudius freedmen, Narcissus, who was engaged in chat with another, the eunuch Posides. The former had been so trusted by the Emperor that he had been sent early in the reign to crush a menacing military mutiny in Gaul, which preceded the invasion of my homeland. The latter had earned much opprobrium by receiving honours at the triumphal ceremonies held to celebrate the conquest of southern Britannia, despite the fact that he had done little to deserve such reward. I then assisted a quiet young man to leave, helping to organise his litter. Given the state of most other guests, he was unusually sober, presumably because he had resisted the temptation to drink as much as the rest. Gaius Plinius Secundus, I heard someone shout, as the 22 year-old, favoured in court circles, departed, enjoy your time with the legions in Germania I thought no more of the incident until many years passed and I met the equestrian again. Next was a set of brothers, of which I have already spoken earlier in my discourse, Titus Flavius Vespasianus senior, father of Britannicus best friend, and Titus Flavius Sabinus. They were in the company of Gnaeus Domitius Cobulo, about to become Governor of Germania Inferior, Servius Sulpicius Galba, previously in charge of Germania Superior in succession to the previously mentioned rebellious Lentulus Gaeticulus, and Thrasea Plautus. The latter was perhaps an unusual invite to the banquet because he was a noted critic of the Principate as a form of government. However, I later surmised that the presence of dissenters like him was symbolic of the fact that my master wanted to ingratiate himself with all of societys principal opinion formers. Valerius Asiaticus, a current Consul, was in discourse nearby with Marcus Licinius Crassus Frugi, who had held the post 19 years earlier under Tiberius. Both men were now close confidants of the present Princeps, with the second described by the now exiled critic Seneca the Younger as like to Claudius as one egg to another and therefore so stupid that he could even have been Emperor. However, it was not such remarks that would soon bring the pairs downfall and demise but, as I shall describe, the dislike of a young woman guest. (The countryside outside Rome, same time) Never, never look to find A faithful heart in him whose rage can harm Sweetest lips, which Venus kind Has tinctured with her quintessential charm. - Horace (Odes) Hylas experienced simultaneous entry of the real phalluses into mouth and rectum. The 4 year-olds anal defences were no match for the greased cock seeking excruciating admittance into his virgin rear. However, his subsequent desire to scream as loudly as his fellow young initiate in the adjacent main clearing had been thwarted by the large erection, drooling copious precum, which had filled his front orifice. Both substantial, hairy, fleshy intruders were soon thrusting rapidly in and out of their respective temporary homes, whilst strong hands firmly retained the head and hips of the infant host in position. Hylas was fortunate in that his initial sexual torture was brief because the men, agonisingly deflowering him, were so aroused that climax was quickly achieved. However, relief was not immediate for the boy because the 4 year-old, after almost suffocating as a result of the large member invading his mouth and upper throat, was close to drowning when these parts of his young anatomy were engulfed by an abundant delivery of thick creamy sperm. It was only by somehow speedily learning how to swallow such product in such circumstances that saved him. It was a lesson that he would need to use often in future. Hylas was left in a small sorry heap in the little glade by his debauchers, after they had redressed to go to watch the fun in the main clearing. The 4 year-old, too hurt to move, sobbed profusely as he lay on the grassy ground, already stained with semen and blood, spilling from his mouth and bottom. (The villa of Caius Silius, Rome, same time) Idleness and lack of occupation tend, nay are dragged, towards evil. - Hippocrates (Decorum) I attended a very important family grouping headed by the matriarch, Aemilia Lepida Minor, a great granddaughter of Augustus who had married Marcus Junius Silanus Torquatus. She was in the company of her daughters, Junia Lepida and Junia Calvina, and her sons, Marcus Junius Silanus, Lucius Junius Silanus and Domitius Junius Silanus. Lucius was 20 years old but had been betrothed to Octavia, daughter of Claudius, who was just 7 years old and currently in the childrens chamber causing poor Apollinus as much trouble as anyone. This family had a greater blood claim to the Principate than Claudius lineage, hence the desire of the Emperor to ally with them through his daughters marriage to the middle son. However, as I shall describe later, this did the familial grouping little good, as all of the members who were present at the banquet were to experience unfortunate futures. The main harbinger of these sad destinies was a female relation reclining nearby. This woman, whom I have already mentioned, would also be responsible for the sad fates of several others present, as would her son. Amongst the other important women present was Lollia Paulina, former wife of Gaius Caligula, whom the previous Emperor had divorced because she was barren. There was also 16 year-old Claudia Antonia, with he much older husband. The girl was Claudius daughter from his second marriage to Aelia Paetina, which had ended in a fairly amicable divorce. The Emperors initial experiment in wedlock had ended in far more strained circumstances, with his formidable and tempestuous wife of the time, Plautia Urgulanilla, having to be dismissed through charges of adultery and suspected murder. A sad feature of this first union had been the fate of a pleasant son, Claudius Drusus. The boy had unfortunately choked to death after attempting to swallow a pear that he had thrown into the air to try to catch in his mouth. The oldest person in attendance was the remarkable Gaius Turranius, who was approaching his century in years, proficiently holding the very important post of prefect of the corn supply for the last 32. His age was in marked contrast to those of Apollinus charges. Apollinus later reported to me that, in addition to the important children already mentioned as present, there was the rather reserved 13 year-old Rubellius Plautus, who was the great grandson of the Emperor Tiberius and therefore someone who could be a future candidate for the Principate. The more boisterous 7 year-old Caius Nymphidius Sabinus, product of an affair between Gaius Caligula and Nymphida, could also lay a future claim to the purple. One very pretty girl, Poppaea Sabina, had been one of Apollinus chief tormentors when she was not flirting with 14 year-old Marcus Salvius Otho, a handsome blonde-haired boy who appeared to take almost feminine pride in his appearance, already shaving his legs. From just my friends description of the young female, I could easily appreciate my current scribes later description of her as possessed of every asset except virtue. However, I was to discover the truth of this statement myself, through later personal experience. (The countryside outside Rome, same time) Death is not the worst evil, but rather when we wish to die and cannot. - Sophocles (Electra) The two men who had deflowered Hylas arrived back in the main clearing just in time to watch the literal climax of the 13 year-olds initiation celebration. The crying boys lovely buttocks now rested on the ground, where another sanguine stain began to form. His chest, belly and now upper legs displayed many vivid stripes formed by the cruel whip. However, his torment was far from over, as the chief Bacchic priest first aimed the slim leather lash at the young victims amazingly still hard and throbbing cock. The third excruciating blow caused the slim but, for someone of his age, long erection to erupt. A temporary fountain of white fluid was created, with several spurts of the liquid falling to decorate the young producers beautiful torso, vibrating in keen orgasm, in several places. However, the modicum of pleasure induced by this unplanned sexual climax was very short-lived, as the next strike from the whip landed squarely across the boys scrotum, fully but vulnerably uncovered by the erect semen-oozing cock pointing upwards. The anguish to the 13 year-olds balls by the second similar blow was such that he fainted. When the boy was wakened, as Hylas had been with wine applied to his face, he saw that the chief priest was now kneeling between his young legs. They were splayed wide apart by two of the four strong men who had taken firm hold of his spreadeagled limbs in order to impale him on the stone phallus. The winnowing basket was then presented to the Silanus and this time it was a knife that was collected from within the container. The boy also now noticed that his ball sac, displaying two red stripes of its own, had been tightly bound by thin leather cord. The horror of what the chief priest was about to do with the knife immediately dawned but the 13 year-olds loud entreaties not to be gelded went unheeded. Instead, the viciously sharp blade was presented to its target, the middle of the young initiates scrotum. The imminent castration victim earnestly wanted to die than suffer so. (Plebeian quarter, Rome, same time) The quality in which the Roman commonwealth is most distinctly superior is, in my opinion, the nature of their religious convictions ..Since every multitude is fickle, full of lawless desires, unreasoned passion and violent anger, the multitude must be held in by invisible terrors and suchlike pageantry. - Polybius Cephas was holding his own celebration but one that was far more modest than that hosted by Caius Silius. He was instead welcoming new converts to the Christian faith. Meanwhile, his colleague, the interesting but rather ill bald-headed man, with meeting eyebrows and a rather prominent nose, was doing similar in Antiocheia. He did so partly by describing his own miraculous conversion from ardent Pharisee over a decade previously on the road to Damascus, after which he had changed his name from Saul to Paul. (The countryside outside Rome, same time) A bad beginning makes a bad ending. - Euripides (Aegeus) The 13 year-olds shrieks, as he was proficiently deprived of his boyhood, were such that they even stirred Hylas from his sorrowful agonised melancholy in the nearby glade, encouraging the 4 year-old to stop sobbing and sit up.
The chief priest eventually returned his knife to the winnowing basket, along with two freshly extracted 13 year-old testes, before accepting a red-hot iron to complete the initiation of the boy sex slave by cauterising his genital wound. The limbs of the new young eunuch were now released and he was left in his state of impaled unconsciousness, created by fainting again when he felt the awful heat being applied to his empty scrotum.
As Hylas had already discovered, all of the boy slaves of this particular secret Bacchic society were eunuchs. The order was plebeian and its members could not afford the luxury of accommodating their young male and female servants separately. Therefore, to avoid some of the common problems that can result when unrelated genders live together in close proximity, it was thought best if the masculine variety was denied balls. (The villa of Caius Silius, Rome, later) Aargh! Good god almighty, what a monstrous night! It's endless. Will the daylight never come? - Aristophanes (Strepsiades in Clouds) As dawn approached and the banquet, which had degenerated into a series of discussion groups involving the remaining, invariably inebriated, guests, I noticed Caius Silius and Messalina depart indoors together, in what appeared to be a careful secretive manner. My masters wife and daughter and the Empress husband had long since departed the scene. Apollinus later told to me that another household servant had then seen the pair furtively enter a spare bedchamber, from where two naked and petrified slave girls subsequently scurried, having apparently been caught not only shirking but also playing. However, later, it was loud passionate noises that emerged from the room, heterosexual sounds which were to last several hours. It was noticeable that, after this banquet, Caius Silius forays into both the marital bedchamber and the slave quarters became very infrequent, although the itinerary of the latter tour invariably included a sojourn in my tiny cell. It was rumoured that the master now spent much time at the Imperial palace, often returning home at strange hours to sleep alone in an exhausted state. (The Temple of Cybele, Rome, one week later) The temples teem with cattle-sacrificing festivities; the streets teem with hospitality. Gold flashes and glitters, the gold of tall ornate tripods standing. - Bacchylides (Odes) Although there are no true deities that originated in their city, the Romans take a great deal of care with the many varied public and private celebrations of the sacred members of their pantheon to ensure the pax deorum, or the goodwill of the gods, towards the state and family. A complex calendar of religious ceremonies has to be performed exactly in the prescribed manner, as mistakes are believed to debase rituals, which therefore would have to be restarted from the beginning. Most priests are not paid professionals but members of the privileged classes who can afford to maintain themselves as befits their rank and position, although many are furtively assisted by creaming off some of the lavish donations of cash and kind made to many of the various religious orders. The most important priests are the pontiffs, who supervise the calendars and festivals. Some, the augurs, are responsible for divination, the discovery of whether the gods approve of particular courses of action. This might be done by examining the entrails of sacrificed animals or observing the behaviour of birds. The most important of Romes temples is the ancient structure dedicated to the sacred trio of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva on the Capitoline Hill. It is here that the Sibylline Books are kept by a college of fifteen priests, or quindecimviri sacris faciundis. The works contain the sacred sayings of Sibyl, an ancient Greek prophetess, who sold the volumes to Tarquinius Superbus, the last King of Rome. The associated story relates that a foreign and unfamiliar old woman came to the King, wanting to sell nine books which she said were divine oracles. Tarquinius enquired as to their price and an exorbitantly immense amount was quoted. The monarch laughed at the ancient female as if her advanced age had made her childish. She therefore lit a stove in front of him, burned three of the volumes and asked him if he wanted to buy the remaining six at the same price. Tarquinius now laughed even more and said that the old woman was mad without a doubt. However, this just spurred the ancient female to burn three more books and calmly ask him whether he wanted to buy the three last volumes at the same price. The Kings expression now grew serious and his mind more attentive. He began to understand that he should not ignore her confident steadfastness and therefore bought the three remaining tomes for a price no less than had been asked for the original nine. Afterwards, the seller was never seen anywhere again. The Senate orders the Books consulted during emergencies and, according to the Hellenic historian Dionysius, the Romans guard no other possession, whether sacred or profane, as they guard the Sibylline oracles. It was at their recommendation that the cult of Cybele was brought to Rome. Although the Books were to play a significant part in my life, they had, by this time, not been consulted in many years and it was to another place of worship that Axenius and his youthful colleagues from the temple of the Mother Goddess were now destined. During the month of August, there is a crowded religious calendar in Rome, although none of the festivals pertain specifically to Cybele. However, this does not prevent the senior gallae from dispatching junior members of the priesthood, with proficient youthful slaves, out to assist the celebrations relating to other deities. There are rituals honouring Ceres (1st and 24th), Sol Indigis (9th), Ops (10th and 25th), Hercules (12th), Vertumnus (13th), Diana (13th), Portunes (17th), Tiberinus (17th), Jupiter (19th), Venus (19th), Consus (21st), Vulcan (23rd), Juturna (23rd) and Volturnus (27th). However, it was the Opiconsivia on the 25th that most concerned Axenius. The Opiconsivia is a festival for Ops, goddess of fertility and of abundance and wealth in general, with her name literally meaning plenty. This goddess of harvest is both the sister and wife of Saturn, and is also closely associated with the god Consus. The major temple for Ops is on the Capitoline Hill, where Caesar had stored the state treasure of 700 million sestertii and where standard weights are kept. Another sanctuary is located in the Regia in the Forum, and this is where the Opiconsivia is observed, with only the official priests and the Vestal Virgins having access to this sacrarium, or shrine. A sacrifice is conducted by the Rex Sacrorum, or King of Holy Things, who wears the suffibulum, or white veil, and by the Vestal Virgins, who are his symbolic daughters. They also bring offerings of the fruits of the earth on a praefericulum, a kind of broad bronze basin without handles, and perform other mysterious rites, unknown except to a few. For Axenius, however, such facts were irrelevant for, to him at the time, the temple was just the destination to which he had humiliatingly to dance, whilst in female garb and playing the cymbals, through the crowded boisterous streets of Rome for the first time. He told me later that the experience was awful, not least because of the ribald comments from many of the public, young and old, male and female, whom the sacred party passed in supposed celebration of the other deity. It did not help the 16 year-old that his Germanian background discouraged him at the time from believing in the Imperial pantheon of gods, and therefore the basic necessity for him to so disport himself. (The villa of Caius Silius, Rome, same time) We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. - Aesop All of Caius Silius slaves, this time including Apollinus and me, were lined up to watch the spectacle. However, it was not now a 16 year-old youth who dangled naked from the external punishment frame, as he was now underground in a copper mine in Apulia, but the first of the similarly aged and pretty slave girls, caught a week earlier in lesbian embraces. It had taken this long to secure the particular craftsman who could safely inflict the punishment considered appropriate by the master for such acts, although the chastisement had been ordered not because of any perception of perversion but because of their unauthorised nature. I was not looking forward to the event. The girls were to suffer infibulation, with their clitoris, labia minora, labia majora and urethral and vaginal openings cut away. Their vaginas would then be stitched, leaving a small opening for menstruation and urination. Cutting and re-stitching would be necessary for future sexual intercourse or childbirth. All possibility of sexual pleasure in the girls lives from this front cavity was imminently to disappear forever. (Domus of Palaemon, Rome, same time) The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life. - Plato (The Republic) I did not know it at the time but the first true love of my life was, at that very moment, arriving in Rome, from the town of Volsinii, on the shores of the large lake of the same name, to the north of the capital. The beautiful brown haired and eyed equestrian youth had just attained the age of 16 and the toga virilis. He had come to round off his education with the renowned teacher, Palaemon. I am pleased to say that I also played a major role in helping him to achieve his educational aim, although not in the manner, or in some of the subjects, he probably expected. (To be continued in chapter VIII Lessons)
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