histories-第18章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！




revolt　of　Vitellius　and　of　the　fact　of　war。　In　the　anxiety　of　his



mind；　he　sent　a　few　of　his　friends；　and　carefully　surveyed　his



position　from　both　points　of　view。　He　considered　that　if　he　should



proceed　to　Rome；　he　should　get　no　thanks　for　a　civility　intended　for



another；　while　his　person　would　be　a　hostage　in　the　hands　either　of



Vitellius　or　of　Otho；　that　should　he　turn　back；　the　conqueror　would



certainly　be　offended；　but　with　the　issue　of　the　struggle　still



doubtful；　and　the　father　joining　the　party；　the　son　would　be



excused；　on　the　other　hand；　if　Vespasian　should　assume　the　direction



of　the　state；　men　who　had　to　think　of　war　would　have　to　forget　such



causes　of　offence。



　　These　and　like　thoughts　made　him　waver　between　hope　and　fear；　but



hope　triumphed。　Some　supposed　that　he　retraced　his　steps　for　love　of



Queen　Berenice；　nor　was　his　young　heart　averse　to　her　charms；　but　this



affection　occasioned　no　hindrance　to　action。　He　passed；　it　is　true；



a　youth　enlivened　by　pleasure；　and　practised　more　self…restraint　in



his　own　than　in　his　father's　reign。　So；　after　coasting　Achaia　and



Asia；　leaving　the　land　on　his　left；　he　made　for　the　islands　of



Rhodes　and　Cyprus；　and　then　by　a　bolder　course　for　Syria。　Here　he



conceived　a　desire　to　visit　and　inspect　the　temple　of　the　Paphian



Venus；　place　of　celebrity　both　among　natives　and　foreigners。　It　will



not　be　a　tedious　digression　to　record　briefly　the　origin　of　the



worship；　the　ceremonial　of　the　temple；　and　the　form　under　which　the



goddess　is　adored；　a　form　found　in　no　other　place。



　　The　founder　of　the　temple；　according　to　old　tradition；　was　king



Aerias；　though　some　represent　this　as　the　name　of　the　goddess　herself。



Later　accounts　tell　us　that　the　temple　was　consecrated　by　Cinyras；　and



that　the　goddess　herself　after　her　birth　from　the　sea　was　wafted　to



this　spot；　but　that　the　wisdom　and　craft　of　the　diviners　was　a　foreign



importation　introduced　by　Tamiras　of　Cilicia；　and　that　it　was　agreed



that　the　descendants　of　both　families　should　preside　over　the　worship。



Afterwards；　that　the　royal　family　might　not　be　without　some



superiority　over　the　foreign　stock；　the　strangers　relinquished　the



craft　which　they　had　themselves　introduced。　The　priest　of　the　line



of　Cinyras　is　alone　consulted。　The　victims　are　such　as　each　worshipper



has　vowed；　but　males　are　selected；　the　surest　prognostics　are　seen



in　the　entrails　of　kids。　It　is　forbidden　to　pour　blood　on　the　altar；



the　place　of　sacrifice　is　served　only　with　prayers　and　pure　flame；　and



though　it　stands　in　the　open　air；　it　is　never　wet　with　rain。　The　image



of　the　goddess　does　not　bear　the　human　shape；　it　is　a　rounded　mass



rising　like　a　cone　from　a　broad　base　to　a　small　circumference。　The



meaning　of　this　is　doubtful。



　　Titus；　after　surveying　the　treasures；　the　royal　presents；　and　the



other　objects　which　the　antiquarian　tendencies　of　the　Greek



arbitrarily　connect　with　some　uncertain　past；　first　consulted　the



oracle　about　his　voyage。　Receiving　an　answer　that　the　way　was　open　and



the　sea　propitious；　he　then；　after　sacrificing　a　number　of　victims；



asked　some　questions　in　ambiguous　phrase　concerning　himself。　Sostratus



（that　was　the　name　of　the　priest）　seeing　that　the　entrails　presented



an　uniformly　favourable　appearance；　and　that　the　goddess　signified　her



favour　to　some　great　enterprise；　returned　at　the　moment　a　brief　and



ordinary　answer；　but　afterwards　soliciting　a　private　interview；



disclosed　the　future。　His　spirits　raised；　Titus　rejoined　his　father；



and　was　received　as　a　mighty　pledge　of　success　by　the　wavering　minds



of　the　provincials　and　the　troops。　Vespasian　had　all　but　completed　the



Jewish　war；　and　only　the　siege　of　Jerusalem　now　remained；　an



operation；　the　difficulty　and　arduousness　of　which　was　due；　rather



to　the　character　of　its　mountain　citadel　and　the　perverse　obstinacy　of



the　national　superstition；　than　to　any　sufficient　means　of　enduring



extremities　left　to　the　besieged。　As　we　have　mentioned　above；



Vespasian　himself　had　three　legions　inured　to　war。　Mucianus　had　four



under　his　command　in　his　peaceful　province。　Emulation；　however；　and



the　glory　won　by　the　neighbouring　army　had　banished　all　tendency　to



sloth；　and　unbroken　rest　and　exemption　from　the　hardships　of　war　had



given　them　a　vigour　equivalent　to　the　hardihood　which　the　others　had



gained　by　their　perils　and　their　toils。　Each　had　auxiliary　forces　of



infantry　and　cavalry；　each　had　fleets　and　tributary　kings；　and　each；



though　their　renown　was　of　a　different　kind；　had　a　celebrated　name。



　　Vespasian　was　an　energetic　soldier；　he　could　march　at　the　head　of



his　army；　choose　the　place　for　his　camp；　and　bring　by　night　and　day



his　skill；　or；　if　the　occasion　required；　his　personal　courage　to



oppose　the　foe。　His　food　was　such　as　chance　offered；　his　dress　and



appearance　hardly　distinguished　him　from　the　common　soldier；　in　short；



but　for　his　avarice；　he　was　equal　to　the　generals　of　old。　Mucianus；　on



the　contrary；　was　eminent　for　his　magnificence；　for　his　wealth；　and



for　a　greatness　that　transcended　in　all　respects　the　condition　of　a



subject；　readier　of　speech　than　the　other；　he　thoroughly　understood



the　arrangement　and　direction　of　civil　business。　It　would　have　been



a　rare　combination　of　princely　qualities；　if；　with　their　respective



faults　removed；　their　virtues　only　could　have　been　united　in　one



man。　Mucianus　was　governor　of　Syria；　Vespasian　of　Judaea。　In　the



administration　of　these　neighbouring　provinces　jealousy　had　produced



discord　between　them；　but　on　Nero's　fall　they　had　dropped　their



animosities　and　associated　their　counsels。　At　first　they



communicated　through　friends；　till　Titus；　who　was　the　great　bond　of



union　between　them；　by　representing　their　common　interests　had



terminated　their　mischievous　feud。　He　was　indeed　a　man　formed　both



by　nature　and　by　education　to　attract　even　such　a　character　as　that　of



Mucianus。　The　tribunes；　the　centurions；　and　the　common　soldiers；



were　brought　over　to　the　cause　by　appeals　to　their　energy　or　their



love　of　license；　to　their　virtues　or　to　their　vices；　according　to



their　different　dispositions。



　　Long　before　the　arrival　of　Titus；　both　armies　had　taken　the　oath



of　allegiance　to　Otho。　The　news　had　come；　as　is　usual；　with　great



speed；　while　there　was　much　to　delay　the　gigantic　undertaking　of　a



civil　war；　for　which　the　East　after　a　long　period　of　repose　was　then



for　the　first　time　preparing。　In　former　times　the　mightiest　civil



conflicts　had　been　begun　in　Gaul　or　Italy　with　the　resources　of　the



West。　Pompey；　Brutus；　Cassius；　and　Antony；　all　of　whom　had　been



followed　across　the　sea　by　civil　war；　had　met　with　a　disastrous　end；



and　the　Emperors　had　been　oftener　heard　of　than　seen　in　Syria　and



Judaea。　There　had　been　no　mutiny　among　the　legions；　nothing　indeed　but



some　demonstrations　against　the　Parthians；　attended　with　various



success。　In　the　last　civil　war；　though　other　provinces　had　been



disturbed；　peace　had　been　here　unshaken。　Then　had　followed　a　loyal



adherence　to　Galba。　But　when　it　became　notorious　that　Otho　and



Vitellius；　opposed　in　impious　strife；　were　ready　to　make　a　spoil　of



the　Empire；　the　thought　that　others　would　engross　the　rewards　of



power；　while　they　would　have　nothing　left　for　themselves　but　a



compulsory　submission；　made　the　soldiers　murmur　and　take　a　survey　of



their　own　strength。　There　were　close　at　hand　seven　legions；　there　were



Syria　and　Judaea；　with　a　vast　number　of　auxiliaries。　Then；　without　any



interval　of　separation；　there　was　Egypt　and　its　two　legions；　and　on



the　other　side　Cappadocia；　Pontus；　and　all　the　garrisons　along　the



frontier　of　Armenia。　There　was　Asia　Minor；　there　were　the　other



provinces；　not　without　a　military　population；　and　well　furnished



with　money。　There　were　all　the　islands　of　th