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Notre Dame Scholastic, Vol. 21, No. 05

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rsMI :e ^iSCEQMSISEHPfiR.YICTTmil^ YIVE- QimSI • CRflS -HORITURli j. VOL. XXI. NOTRE DAME, INDIANA, OCTOBER 8, 18S7. No. Cassar and the age of Augustus must have met to Nero and Peter. produce Nero. He had the instinct of his future work: not sat- •• isfied with involving Rome in blood and fire, he BY REV. S. FITTK, C. S. C. buiied the city in the mire of luxury and disgrace. He succeeded so - well that it was never able to Octavius, victorious at Actium, his hands stained . emerge from the depth of infamy. By his stupen- with blood, called himself Augustus. Having ;. dous refinement Nero gave the last polish to Ro- become emperoi*, the shrewd, designing politician • man corruption. For long years was the spirit of made himself a god. He had temples, priests, Christ to struggle against that formidable enemy, sacrifices during his life-time—a sad commentaiy whose cunning baffled the plans of the greatest on the state of Rome on the pinnacle of its glory; sages. Nero instilled into the Roman rabble a in the full bloom of art, literature and philosophy; taste for Chi'istian blood; and this thirst was to last but a few days after Brutus, Cicero and Julius for three centuries. the Great; in the age of Horace and Virgil, when Peter, the fisherman, was but the chief of a de- universal peace closed the temple of Janus. • spised .'ect, who were scourged in Jerusalem and of No display of material force, only a few soldiers so little consideration in Rome that they were merely in Rome and Italy. Augustus, a simple citizen, permitted to live. In Peter Nero saw the Pope. lived in a modest house without guards; he walked : Therefore he took and killed him. Strange! this in the streets clad in a woollen gown, neither '. obscure blood did him honor in the eyes of his esteemed nor loved; hi<; one strong defense was • people. Nero's people had Nero's instincts. The the dread of another master worse than himself. mob hated the Christians and sent them to "the The patron of letters and the promoter of pleasure, lions " when statesmen could scarcely guess their he distributed the offices as he willed. Consuls, presence. To be sure, the Christians then visited senators, knights, all Rome and the rest of the the poor, and in giving them alms, they endeavored world cheerfully rushed into servitude. to keep them away from the circus and brothel, the Augustus died, and lo! the official attendants, two best places of worship for the gods. placed on two ranks, smiled and bowed before The persecution of the Christians was calculated Tiberius. Tiberius was well known; a compound to conceal the conflagration of Rome and supply the of mud and blood mixed up with hypocrisy. There­ circus: Nei-o's instinct was unable to see further. fore he was more readily adored by slaves. Calig­ Still, God did His work by the hand of Nero, and ula and Claudius were soon created emperors, or, in the midst of the city of Satan laid down the as they were styled, gods. At that time, Peter of foundations of his own City. But to strengthen Galilee, a poor fisherman, came to live in Rome, them He needs stones put to the test. - Persecution while Nero sat upon the throne of Augustus. shall be the crucible: ye, wise politicians, ye, men Nero vvas the master and god of mankind. Greater of compromise and conciliation, who wish to erect even than Tiberius, moi-e divine than Claudius, he the Cross without overthrowing idols, shall be cast himselfvbelieved in his divinity. away. No reconciliation is possible between Christ Nero, ihe supreme god of imperial Rome, the and Satan: one or the other must be chosen. Hu­ masterpiece^ of the insolence dreamt by Lucifer, man wisdom chose, and its choice showed what she who gloried in the worship of that, corrupt and is; and those who seek God in the simplicity of coiTupting monster, born for all kinds of crimes: their hearts shall know and judge her. Once more Nero, a fool and a wild beast; omnipotent, but a the infernal city perished, and the walls of the sacred coward, and at the same time a dilettante; an artist, a edifice rose to heaven. fop. In him was concentrated all the life and light See those stern and proud Stoics, the sons of of Roman civilization; he was its,best fruit, the the primeval virtue of Rome; hear them ask for offspring of its maturity. Pagan Rome, Julius the reign of laws and cry for their lost liberty! They 66 THE NOTRE DAME SCHOLASTIC, would prefer to serve what they despise, and perse­ thou shalt conquer forever!" His name was Titus, cute what thej'^ honor. Tacitus, as well as his friends, Caracalla, Didius Julianus, what did it matter to would have onl}- such virtues as do not prevent one the "plebs.?" What did it matter to the king- from being senator! people if a blow or a kick put an end to the em­ Thus it is that Nero will easily revive in his suc­ peror's eternity? He would soon be replaced by cessors, and the best of them will reproduce enough another to give the multitude -paneni el. circe7ises ! of his vices to render their wisdom foolish, their All the Roman emperors have been faithful to moderation ambiguous and their humanity blood­ Nei'o's policy; yes, both the mild and the wild, thirsty. Thus it is that the pagan filth will become, the wise and the foolish; those who expected more day after day, thicker and deeper; nay, neither the from seduction and flattery, as well as those who arras nor the liberty' of Rome will bring forth relied upon sword and coercion, have come to the heroes any longer. All heroic souls thenceforth same violent conclusion against Christianity, and belong to Christ; His are all great minds, all noble slaughtered the Christians without mercy. But characters. Throusfh those stransre victors who the Popes, constantly true to Peter's policy, have wished but to die, Rome shall be conquered in less all followed in the footsteps of their leader. Simple time than she formerly needed to subdue Latium. or learned, bold or timid; those whom threats Yes, Nero made a mistake; Satan himself was de­ could not terrify, and those whom promises did ceived, as everj'oue fails who wages war against not soften, all had but one answer to give to their God; Peter alone was not mistaken. persecutors: "It is better to obey God than men!" Nevertheless, Nero remains the most complete They died; and the history of the successors of Peter, personification of the reign of Satan. He is, indeed, during those two hundi"ed and fifty years, has for the supreme expression of the empire of evil; the each the same glory: " Crowned with mart3n-dom!" vicar of Lucifer, as Peter, whom he beheaded, is Who put an end to that dreadful'period? Con­ the Vicar of Christ. Never \v\\\ Satan make any­ stantine the Great. Pope Marcellus had just died thing superior to Nero; and all the copies he has a slave, charged Avith feeding the beasts of the shown to us fall below that inimitable orisfinal. amphitheatre; Maxentius had just been pi^oclaimed Never were, in the same degree, mixed together emperor by the clamors of the circus; the cross cruelty, licentiousness, baseness and buffoonery. shone in the sky, and Constantine planted it on the Nero must necessarily have been ridiculous; but, Lateran: "In this Sign thou shalt conquer!" The on the other hand, it was necessary that a beast, statue of Nero, one hundred feet high, virhich he, destined to tread the human race as grapes in the like Nabuchodonosor, had erected himself, was still wine-press, should be neither a Hon nor a tiger, standing at the gate of the amphitheatre, but the but a hog. It is too little for the Evil One to trample Roman Empire was no more. Cajsar, baptized, upon man, he wants to mock and sully him. gave up the government o£ Rome to Pope Sylves­ Nero was wallowing in debaucheries of his own, ter and his successors. "Rome has become too and contaminating all that had been the honor of small to contain at the same time Pope and em- Rome. Bel-csprit^ writer, gai^dener, general, mu­ pei"or. The temporal ruler cannot retain his power sician, dancer, coachman, constantly surrounded by vvhei'e the prince of heaven has established the buffoons to whom he paid a high salarj'^, and who primacy of priesthood, and the centre of religion." laughed at him. When he was to play or sing on Constantine removed the idoliitrous pontificate with the stage, he was alwaj'S accompanied by his hired its paraphernalia, and Peter's successor was recog­ clappers. Here he overthrew mountains, there he nized as the High Pontiff of the living God. built up new ones. His mansion extended over two Vain precaution of human policy, soon to injure of the seven hills. In that immense palace of gold, the dynasty of the hero \yho had just freed the rare marbles, precious stones and artistic curiosities, Church, and shake the new imperial fabric into he used'to give magnificent feasts, and amused him­ whose foundations that ruinous block of old had self in killing his guests, or driving through his been thrown. The pontificate of idols should have boundless park lit by human torches. He loved been neither carried away nor left behind, but flowers, perfumes and glory.
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