Our Eternal Curse I (20 page)

Clitumna spent the first week
after her return learning how Rome had changed since her departure over eight
years before.  She walked to the Senate every day and, sitting outside, she
listened to the orators as they delivered their powerful speeches.  Clitumna
had listened to her father from exactly the same spot as a child and could
clearly recall the debates of years gone by.  In those days the talk had been
of many different topics but at this time at least fifty per cent of all
debates seemed to concern themselves only with issues involving Sulla.

Woven within the normal
discussion Clitumna could hear two lines of dialogue, those vehemently against
Sulla remaining as one of the Consuls of Rome and those who were just as
vehemently for him taking an army to defeat Mithridates.

It struck her that although the
arguments for and against Sulla were being well delivered by wonderful speakers
they appeared shallow because the content of the argument had such poor
foundations.  It was gainsaying rather than passionate debate.

Clitumna was correct of course,
the debate appeared thin because it was being funded entirely by Julia. 
Unbeknown to the pirate queen any Senator who badmouthed Sulla was being paid
handsomely by Julia’s moneylenders.  It had become an open secret within the
Senate.  Sulla’s enemies were all jumping on the bandwagon, it didn’t seem to
matter what they said just as long as it was anti-Sulla.

Ironically, Sulla’s friends and
allies, who would not speak against him, could also make money from Sulla
simply by speaking encouragingly about him leading the army departing for the
East.  Everyone was netting handsome sums of cash for fuelling this corrupt
debate which Clitumna was sharp enough to observe.

Sulla had also become acutely
aware of, and very angry about, the pressure that he was under.  He could no
longer spend a day in the Senate without having to defend his reputation. 
Senators who rarely spoke in the Curia were standing and delivering
well-structured speeches attacking him personally.

He could feel opinion being
swung against him with each snipe at his character but every time Sulla asked
himself who held the power and the desire to cause him such harm he could only
conclude that it must be Marius.  It was not his traditional way of doing
things but who else had the motive and more importantly the money to destroy
him?

As threatening as these personal
attacks in the Senate were, Sulla knew his departure could not be delayed any
longer.  He had no choice, he must leave for Asia with his army or risk losing
control of the East.  He felt very uneasy about leaving at such a time but it
had to be done.  He would have to win a swift victory and return as soon as
possible to resolve the untenable situation with Marius at home.

Sulla’s political instincts told
him to stay in Rome, he even considered the possibility of sending a Commander
to the East in his place but he did not trust anyone else to do the job with
only five legions.  He knew that Marius was correct when he said it was a job
for twenty legions but quite mysteriously the moneylenders of Rome had only
been able to raise sufficient funds to support exactly four legions in the
field for two years.  The fifth legion had been funded by a group of Senators
lead by Sulla.  He was a very wealthy man but keeping an army in the field was
an incredibly expensive exercise and he simply could not afford to do it by
himself.

To compensate for the lack of
fighting men Sulla regrouped his old legions which were assembled at the port
of Neapolis on the same coast as Ostia almost exactly set between Pompeii and
Rome.  They had been recalled from Hispania and the Italian provinces, and all
were well trained.  Each man trusted Sulla with his life and when it came to
fighting all of them were worth two of any other.

The only hope that an army of
this size had against such a well-organized enemy was Sulla’s leadership, so go
he must.  He was not being boastful — he was absolutely correct in his
assumption — there were only two men who could accomplish this task and one of
them was now only half a man.  How he wished he had the wealth of Marius, with
that kind of money he could have sent a lesser General with a larger army and
he could remain in Rome.  Nothing would make him ask Marius for help, he
considered the old man to be dangerously unstable and an army under his
influence could so easily become the downfall of Sulla and even Rome.

While Sulla prepared for his
departure the man who had been secretly funding much of the debate against him
was fully packed and about to flee Rome.  Sulla did not know it but Calpurnius
needed to get out before Gaius Marius caught up with him and he was in the
anxious process of packing his last bag when a very purposeful, fat man walked
into his jewelry shop.

“
What can I do for you?”  asked Calpurnius wondering
if another debt was about to be called in.

“
I understand that you have quite recently had large
sums of money removed from your charge,” said Gavius as he shook his head to
stop the moneylender from asking the inevitable question.  “It is not important
how I know but it is fortunate for you that I do.  I will deposit enough funds
with you to guarantee your debts and in return for my generosity I will require
just two simple things.”

Seeing a glimmer of hope
Calpurnius looked quizzically at his huge benefactor and replied, “The funds
that I require are significant.”

“
The amount of sestercii you require will not
present a problem, I will have sufficient gold delivered to you tomorrow.”

“
Two simple conditions?”

“
The first is that you will be on a galley bound for
Alexandria within one week.  You are to be my agent across the great ocean in
the East and you will purchase all of the food and spices you find there.”

“
And the second simple condition?” enquired
Calpurnius sarcastically.

Gavius knew that this seemingly
well-established jeweler was somehow caught in the same web as him because he
gave very little resistance to Julia’s outrageous suggestion.  Feeling
sympathetic but knowing there was no way to change things Gavius added, “For
keeping you out of debtors’ jail I will also require half of your annual
profits.”

“
Your price is too high!”  shouted Calpurnius but he
caved in rapidly as the fat man repeated Julia’s words precisely, “I will not
negotiate with you, my offer stands for as long as I am in this shop.”

Gavius returned the next day
with slaves carrying the very same gold that Julia withdrew from Calpurnius
exactly one week before.  He also handed over the precise amount that was
required to refund the money of Gaius Marius.  Gavius was not entirely sure
what was happening because, as usual, he had access to only half the story but
he had absolutely no doubt that Julia was up to no good.

Completely obsessed by
Clitumna’s infiltration into the home of Marius, Julia could no longer delay
the plan which had driven her on for so long.  She would have preferred to wait
a little longer but impetuous panic had taken complete control of her
irrational mind.  Sulla’s destruction was the only thing that mattered and the
unsettling events of recent times drove her to act prematurely.

Julia’s first step was to order
Gavius to tell all moneylenders to offer vast sums of money to any Senator who
voted in favor of a proposition introduced to the Senate by Marius.  Stage two
of her bid for revenge then unfolded during her weekly dinner with the Father
of Rome.

Julia still enjoyed her
conversations with Marius but hated the fact that she could not be seen to
drink too much in his presence.  Feigning tiredness Julia usually left soon
after dinner because Clitumna always flaunted her “lions” and without alcohol
to deaden the pain the sight of them made her quite sick.  This evening was
different however, Julia wanted to speak with Marius without Clitumna in the
room so she sat for many uncomfortable hours without a drink determined to
outlast the big woman.

Lying sober on the dining couch
until such a late hour was impossible but Clitumna would simply not leave the
dining room.  Julia tried polite hints but none worked, the big woman showed no
interest in retiring.

The simple truth was Clitumna
feared leaving Julia alone with Marius because she now knew who this seemingly
insignificant, young girl really was.  She had stumbled upon the truth while
scouring Rome looking for Bromidus and an explanation for her downfall.

Following anyone who delivered
produce from the docks at Ostia she searched for his ravaged face in the
crowded streets, busy markets and endless seedy taverns but there was never any
sight of the man who could explain her demise.

At the very point of abandoning
her search Clitumna chanced to see the fat man from Hispania riding in the most
vulgar carriage and something about the scene rankled her.  The man had been
too unimportant for her beloved Captain to even ask his name but his vehicle,
while gaudy was expensive, far too expensive for his lowly station.

What she learned by following
Gavius to his insignificant olive oil shop was too ridiculous to be believed
and piecing only a small fraction of the young girl’s empire together was
enough to make Clitumna want it for herself.

Sending word to all surviving
members of her old world she offered riches to any man who could find
compromising information about Julia.  If someone with a grudge against Julia
could be brought to Rome, by any means, the finder would never have to worry
about money ever again.

Total frustrated Julia gave up
any pretence of subtlety and stared directly at Clitumna.  This did not have
the desired effect, the big woman seemed to be sizing her up and it disturbed
her greatly.

Lack of wine eventually
outweighed the risk of Clitumna’s presence so Julia decided to risk telling her
extraordinary tale anyway.  Poor innocent and completely unsuspecting Cecilia
almost passed out when her beloved daughter delivered a tearful narrative.

“
He raped you?”  Marius was unable to fully grasp
what he had just been told.

“
Yes some years ago, Father.  I fell into a terrible
depression for a very long time.  Had it not been for my darling mother I may
have very well died from the shame of it.”  Julia clutched Cecilia’s hand for
effect but also to bolster her courage for was about to come.

Looking sympathetically towards
Cecilia, Marius acknowledged her sheepish nod of agreement.

“
I am telling you now because I cannot marry your
son without giving you the chance to disown me,” sniveled Julia into her linen
handkerchief.

“
I will not hear of such a thing!  It is Sulla who
has wronged you.  You are the innocent victim,” replied Marius as he limped
over to her dining couch to place a comforting arm around her shoulder.

Julia went on to say in between
her tears, “I tried to summon the courage to tell you before the consular
elections because I realized his conduct made Sulla unfit for the post; I am
such a coward.”

“
You are no coward, Julia,” said Marius with his
good arm draped around her. “Sulla is the coward!  And as you say, he is unfit
to hold the position.  You will marry my son of course.  I know him, he will
not hold you responsible for the acts of a swine.” Then added, “Now if you do
not mind I have much to do.  My slaves will escort you home.”  Marius turned to
Cecilia saying, “Please take good care of my daughter-in-law you both have my
condolences and my full support.”

Disguising the annoyance caused
by her failure to get out of the marriage Julia looked into his eyes and with
great sincerity said, “There is something else that I am duty bound to tell you
about Sulla, Father.”

Cecilia and Marius listened in
shocked silence with expressions of disbelief as her story unfolded.  Beginning
on the day she had first met Sulla by the little stone well, Julia embellished
the circumstances of their encounter to fit her forged existence.  She
explained, “I was sixteen and while walking on my father’s estate one morning I
encountered Sulla.  He had been silently contemplating a document as I
approached and my arrival took him completely by surprise.  I blame myself for
startling him.” Julia cried for effect.

“
That is nonsense my dear,” replied Marius, “you
were a very innocent young woman and like most Roman girls you must have been a
sheltered child with no understanding of men such as Sulla.”

With a pathetic smile Julia
thanked Marius for his support and continued her sad account, “Before I had
time to think, Sulla was upon me with a dagger in his hand.  When his body hit
mine I was knocked from my feet.  Having brought me to the ground, Sulla lay on
top of me, staring into my eyes with his blade at my throat; Father, I thought
that I was about to die.’ Julia nestled her head on Marius’s shoulder as she
spoke.

“
Are you able to continue my dear?” asked a deeply
concerned and very sympathetic Marius.

Julia had no intention of
stopping at such a critical stage in her plan so she thanked Marius for his
concern and continued speaking.  “He told me that our meeting was an omen, a
sign from the Gods.  He said I was the weak Italian tribes and he dominant
Rome.”  Raising her head slightly Julia apologized for smudging her cosmetics
on Marius’s toga.

“
Please do not worry about such trivia.”  Marius
returned her head gently to the white woolen garment now smeared with red
ochre, lip decoration and ground-saffron eye makeup.

Looking up through her tears to
make sure that she held his attention Julia went on to repeat every word of the
spontaneous plan Sulla had formulated while sitting in the shade of the heavily
laden olive tree all those years before.

Julia recalled, word for word,
Sulla’s full conversation.  He had argued the pros and cons of war with the
trees, the water pail, the occasional swooping bird and, of course, the little
peasant girl to help himself perfect the lie that he had spontaneously decided
to deliver to the Senate.  This was a wonderful way to fine tune his
inflection, his mock outrage and polished sincerity but, in so doing, he had
also informed Julia of every intricate detail of his deception.

Sulla had naturally assuming
that the peasant girl who spoke no Latin would be incapable of betraying him,
and this had been a big mistake.  Julia was a dormant genius who memorized
every word of his treacherous plan like a parrot.  She was also in the first
flood of young love and her already razor-sharp senses were at their height. 
Three months had to pass before Homer could teach her enough Latin to
understand the gravity of what she had been told but it was the contents of
Sulla’s monologue that she now delivered verbatim to Marius.

Julia had used rape and Sulla’s
scheming merely as a way of building a platform for what she was about to
deliver.  She could see that her account had completely shocked the old man and
having set the stage moved in for the killer blow.  Reaching into the little
leather purse attached to her belt Julia retrieved a crumpled piece of
parchment and handed it to Marius.  “I have proof of Sulla’s deceit, written in
his own hand.”

Unfolding the yellowing
parchment Marius proceeded to read the report that Sulla had penned during his infamous
meeting with the Marsi.  It stated quite categorically that the tribes had
organized themselves and a war would cost Rome dearly but it was the final
recommendation written just above Sulla’s signature which provided the evidence
that would destroy Sulla’s reputation forever:

It is my considered opinion that
offering Roman citizenship is the only way to prevent the loss of many
thousands of Roman lives.

“
Where did you get this?”  asked an amazed Marius.

“
It was the document that Sulla was studying when I
surprised him by the well.  He dropped it and I picked it up as a souvenir of
my meeting with such a powerful Senator of Rome.  Was I wrong to do so,
Father?”

“
You were most certainly not, my dear.”

Julia had picked up the
discarded scroll all those years ago, because she wanted to know why Sulla
stared at it.  She was keen to know what meaning it held for him.  She had
intended to give it back when he left her, but he never left her.

Julia knew that nothing would
stop Marius from using her evidence to remove Sulla from the Senate as he would
be propelled by his sense of fair play and justice.  She was well aware that
the anger her violation placed in his heart would drive him into a position
that could cause him terrible damage.  The fact that she was manipulating a
decent man who loved and trusted her caused her real anguish but all that
mattered was the end of Sulla and nothing else warranted even the remotest
consideration.

Sure enough, the Senate was
convened for an extraordinary meeting on the very next day and all of the
eligible Senators responded to the great man’s invitation in the positive.  So
many of them had already accepted a partial payment to vote for a bill that he
would one day propose and they were looking forward to collecting the rest of
their money.

The house was abuzz and the
Senators tried to guess what was on the yellowing parchment in Marius’ hand
while wondering if it had something to do with the matter they were about to
agree with.

Waving the incriminating
document for all to see, Marius delivered a compassionate speech which ended
with him shouting in his faltering voice, “Sulla is totally unfit for this
office of Consul!”

After all these years of
accusations Marius now had conclusive proof that Sulla had deliberately lied about
the strength of the Italian tribes.  For purely selfish reasons he had started
a war which cost Rome dearly but benefited him greatly and the vote to banish
Sulla and forbid him fire and water within a one thousand mile radius of Rome
was a veritable landslide.

“
Condemno!  Condemno!  Condemno!”  They all shouted
at the top of their voices.  What a fantastic surprise, they were all making
fabulous amounts of money for doing the right thing and that arrogant prick
Sulla had got his comeuppance at last.