Volume Ii Part 23 (1/2)
But immediately recovering himself, he turned with an unctuous smile to Witichis.
”You command?” he asked.
”Swear,” said Witichis, ”that in our absence you will do all that you can to keep this city of Rome faithful to the Goths, to whom you owe so much, to further us in all things, and to hinder the progress of our enemies. Swear fidelity to the Goths!”
”I swear,” said Silverius, turning to the people. ”And thus I, who have power to bind and to loose, call upon you, Romans, surrounded as you are by Gothic weapons, to swear in the same spirit in which I myself have taken the oath.”
The priests and some of the n.o.bility appeared to have understood, and lifted their hands to swear without delay.
Then the ma.s.s hesitated no longer, and the place echoed with the loud shout: ”We swear fidelity to the Goths!”
”It is well, Bishop of Rome,” said the King, ”we count upon your oath.
Farewell, Romans! We shall soon meet again.”
And he descended the broad flight of steps. Teja and Hildebad followed him.
”Now I am only curious--” said Earl Teja.
”Whether they will keep their oath?” interposed Hildebad.
”No; not at all. But how they will break it. Well, the priest will find out the way.”
With flying standards the Goths marched out of the Porta Flaminia, leaving the city to its Pope and the Prefect. Meanwhile Belisarius approached by forced marches upon the Via Latina.
CHAPTER VIII.
The city of Florentia was full of eager and warlike activity. The gates were closed; on the ramparts and bastions paced numerous sentinels; the streets rang with the clatter of mounted Goths and armed mercenaries; for Guntharis and Arahad had thrown themselves into this fortress, and, for the present, had made it the main stronghold of the rebellion against Witichis.
The two brothers lived in a handsome villa which Theodoric had built on the sh.o.r.es of the Arnus, in the suburb but still within the enclosure of the walls.
Duke Guntharis of Tuscany, the elder, was a far-famed warrior, and had been for years the commander of the city of Florentia. Within this district lay the estates of his powerful family, cultivated by thousands of farmers and va.s.sals; his power in this city and district was unlimited, and Duke Guntharis was resolved to use it to the utmost.
In full armour, his helmet upon his head, Guntharis walked impatiently to and fro his marble-wainscoted room, while his younger brother, in festive garments and unarmed, leaned silently and thoughtfully against a table, which was covered with letters and parchments.
”Decide; make haste, my boy!” cried Guntharis, ”it is my last word.
To-day thou wilt obtain the consent of the obstinate child, or I--dost thou hear?--I will go myself to fetch it. But then, woe be to her. I know better than thou how to manage a capricious girl.”
”Brother, thou wilt not do that?”
”By the Thunderer! but I will. Dost think I will risk my head, and delay the good-fortune of my house, for the sake of thy sentimental consideration? Now is the time to procure the first place in the nation for the Wolfungs; the place which by right belongs to them, and from which the Amelungs and Balthes have ousted them for centuries. The last daughter of the Amelungs, once thy wife, no one can dispute thy possession of the throne; and my sword will protect it against the Peasant-King, Witichis. But we must not delay too long. I have yet no news from Ravenna, but I fear the city will only acknowledge Mataswintha, and not us; that is, not us alone. And whoever has Ravenna, has Italy, since Neapolis and Rome are lost; therefore that strong fortress must be ours. To insure this, Mataswintha must become thy wife before we reach the walls of Ravenna; else it will be reported that she is more our prisoner than our Queen.”
”Who desires it more ardently than I? But yet I cannot use compulsion!”
”No? Why not? Seek her and win her, well or ill. I go to strengthen the guard upon the walls. When I return I must have an answer.”
Duke Guntharis went; and his brother made his way, sighing, into the garden to seek Mataswintha.
This garden had been laid out by a skilled freedman from Asia Minor. In the background he had formed a kind of park, the glades of which, free from flowerbeds or terraces, were luxuriantly green. Through the flowery gra.s.s and amongst the thick oleanders flowed a clear brook.
Close to the edge of the brook lay, stretched upon the turf, a youthful female figure. She had thrown her mantle back from her right arm, and seemed to be playing, now with the murmuring ripples, now with the nodding flowers on the brink. She was buried in thought, and at intervals threw a violet or a crocus dreamily into the water, watching the blossoms with slightly opened lips, as they were swiftly borne away by the running stream.
Close behind her kneeled a young girl in the dress of a Moorish slave, busily weaving a wreath of flowers, which only wanted the finis.h.i.+ng touches. Every now and then she looked at her meditative mistress, to see if she noticed her secret occupation. But the lady seemed quite lost in reverie.