Part 38 (1/2)
”I give this new coveredto the citizens of Roer serve our needs; they are neither large nor h And so I name this the Basilica Julia, in honor of my family line, the Julian clan It is yours forever!”
A vast--although somewhat bleary--cheer rose froan to walk northward between the buildings, leading the people to his glea white new Forum and the temple within it He stood at its entrance and brandished a torch
”A new Forum for a new day!” he cried ” ”The city of Rome has need of a new Foru built, but even so, it seemed a surprise when it was actually presented A new Forum But the old one was sacred--it contained so many historic sites, all bound up with the history of Rome Here it was that Jupiter stopped the assault of the Sabines, here it was that Curtius had vanished into the mysterious Curtin Lake So many stories, all dear to their hearts A new Forum? What did it mean? It could not be as simple as Caesar made it sound, simply a new place with more clean space to do business No, CaesarThey were always so ready to believe the worst of hirass, walk in the porticoes, htened children
Caesar walked alone across the grass and mounted the steps of the temple He stood there for several her step than the other, turned sideways His Triumphator Triuainst the white of the ainst the white of the marble
”And here I solemnly dedicate the teins, Venus Genetrix Venus Genetrix I honor the Goddess here, in all her manifestations Come, and see!” I honor the Goddess here, in all her uards holding torches mounted the steps and took up their stations inside, so that suddenly the interior glowed, and a yellow light shone out through thetheir way inside the temple
Was I to follow? For I knehat they would see there If I did not, the people would think it coyness in me So I forced myself to enter the temple, there to behold the three statues--Venus herself, Caesar, andCaesar's hand, but her eyes were downcast The loud voices had ceased
Caesar said nothing, but he had forced them to see--to see that he considered me a part of his family, not in an earthly sense, but in a divine one I was ashamed now that I had not trusted hinition of Caesarion
People were awestruck in front of the statues; they stood like statues themselves Then they turned and filed silently away I could not read their faces
”It is Venus who has favored ht me the victories we celebrated today!” Caesar said ”Venus, I honor you, I give you hoe! Bless your descendants, the Julians, each and every one, and let us bring honor and glory to Ros before the central statue
Caesar was surrounded by the knot of his family, as if they would protect him frolowering statues, who did not see cleared away, and stacks of empty wine amphorae--a veritable mountain--were loaded on sturdy carts Theto their ho, and the disreputable to carry on
Calpurnia, Octavian, and Octavia seemed to have vanished; but I was not surprised when Caesar ret I was unable to greet you until now,” he said ”I trust your dinner was enjoyable?”
”Never have I seen anything like it!” exclaimed Bocchus ”It will live in history!”
”I hope so,” said Caesar ”Otherwise I have sent a lot of hed ”But I rather think it will live on The first of a thing always does Later, others will give bigger feasts, have ant dishes But the first attempt is what sticks in people's minds” He looked around ”Let us walk the streets, and see how the rest of Ro The air in the Foruether we left the Forum and immediately entered areas where the hot air was not delicate at all, but gross and heavy The small streets were packed with celebrants, and I could s between the pave like rainwater Everyone, so it seereat was the crush, and so poor the light, that it was not necessary for Caesar to cast off his ht as well have been invisible
It was an eavesdropper's delight The co thick and fast, uncensored
”He ain!--to pay for this!”
”So he's put his whore in the te statue I'll bet it doesn't show the part that really charms him!”
”I suppose he wants a queen because he ai”
”He sets up all these temples and foruood enough, that it needs a lot of fancy white marble!”
I could hardly breathe, the croere so thick The heat was radiating froht-packed bodies like fuht was pressing down on our heads The words I was overhearing were so alar
The people see in the worst possibleon Caesar? He cared more for the lot of the common people than did the well-born, well-fed senators they favored
One lone voice said plaintively, ”I think he's a great eneral since Alexander”
But his coe the calendar! Now he thinks he's a God, to alter the days and seasons!”
One lanced off Caesar's shoulder I grabbed Caesar's hand and said, ”Let us not go on I cannot move, and I do not wish to hear any more of this tripe”
”Tripe?” he said ”So it is I have heard enough Now I knoell enough what they think”
He gestured, and our little group swung around and he led us back out through the alleys and side streets Hoell Caesar knew his way; I was utterly lost
”I have wasted e to his voice
”One man honored you,” I reminded hied with bitterness ”But I served two hundred thousand”
Chapter 28
The next day the sun shone on an ar the paving stones free of proof of the Triumphs They had lasted ten days, had provided an eruption of esse Never had their like been seen in Rome, and they would always be linked with the name of Gaius Julius Caesar, Imperator, Dictator, Consul But already they were past; the sun had risen on another day Now bored people could look around and wonder ould coer to push through his reforms, and an obedient Senate endorsed therant citizenshi+p to the Cisalpine Gauls--residents of that northern part of Italy that had been Rouilds (in reality, political clubs that proainst the elected order) with the exception of the Jeho stayed aloof from political rain dole, and settle the rest in colonies outside Roave orders to have the civil law codified, as now it existed in hundreds of different docu Roman matters which were doubtless very important to the Romans but esoteric to everyone else--as all local laws are And he had insche, when he had come to the villa directly froineers draw up a plan for three projects that will change the world?” Seeing my expression of skepticise the world” of thee the world”
He knelt on the floor and er ”The Peloponnesus in Greece is alainst the stone ”It's barely attached to the mainland at the Isthh, severing it co! The seas there are so rough that shi+ps are hauled overland, across the isthean and Ionian Seas could be linked--”
”You cannot cut through that It is sheer rock, like the rest of Greece,” I said
”Canals have changed Egypt,” he persisted ”If there were no canal linking Alexandria with the Nile, think how crippled you would be”
”Egypt is made of sand,” I said ”Greece is made of stone Nohat are your other projects?”