David Wishart - Nero

'So what is it, then?' I was becoming really annoyed with his manner now. 'A philosophy?'

'It's the truth.'

I felt as if someone had thrown a cup of cold water into my face. This wasn't arrogance. It was worse than arrogance, it was complete egotism.

'One truth, surely,' I said.

'No. The truth.'

Politeness be damned. 'Your truth is in for a shock, then, if Nero decides he wants rid of you. Perhaps even a fatal shock.'

'The emperor can do as he likes. That doesn't affect the matter one bit.' He laid his hand on my arm. 'Don't be angry, please. I'm not trying to impress you, I'm only stating a fact. Bodily death is irrelevant. If Jesus calls us to be witnesses for him we'll die gladly.'

'Jesus being your god?'

'He's no god. Not in the sense you mean. He died himself, once.'

Sophistry was all very well, but this was too silly for words. 'You worship a dead man? '

'Wasn't the Emperor Augustus a man? And Claudius?'

There was a mischievous edge to his voice, and I couldn't help smiling. 'That's different, my dear,’ I said. ‘They're…political gods.'

'True. And neither of them rose.'

'Rose?'

'Returned to life.'

If he hadn't been so obviously serious I would've laughed in his face. 'And this Jesus did?'

'Of course. I've seen him myself. Several times.'

I must have simply stared at him. Despite the calm, rational, lawyer-like tones the old man was mad, completely mad. I looked up at the faces round us, expecting embarrassment, or even amusement. I didn't find either. They were as serious as Paullus's. Even Crito was nodding.

'So you see, sir,' Paullus went on as if we were discussing the price of fish in the market, 'we're not worried for ourselves. Our concern is for Nero.'

'Nero?'

'Oh, yes. He'd be making a terrible mistake, you see. At the moment he rules with God's permission, but if he turns against God's son then he's finished, body and soul. And I wouldn't like that to happen. The emperor's a good man at heart, only lost.'

The old man's egotism was unbelievable; only his insanity could excuse it. The threat, however, was chillingly real. We'd had trouble with Jewish fanatics before. And if Crito could be a Christian then so could any of the palace slaves. I looked for support to the Praetorians. They'd obviously heard, but they were smiling. Perhaps neither of them spoke Greek, or were pretending they didn't. 'You'd order your followers to kill him? Assassinate the emperor?'

Paullus shook his head.

'You misunderstand me. The Lord Jesus gives life, he doesn't take it. He may ask us to die for him, but never to do injury. Let alone murder.'

'So what do you want me to do?' I said. 'Tell Nero that if he holds you Christians responsible for the fire he'll be risking some kind of Jewish curse?'

'Not one of our making. And we are not Jews, as you see. Not all of us. Not any longer.'

'He'd laugh in my face, darling. And quite rightly so.'

'Is that such a terrible price to pay for telling the truth and saving a soul?'

'Your truth, not mine. And not my soul either.'

'Are you sure about that?' he said gently. 'Perhaps in telling him you might be saving both your souls.'

I got up. Crito, who had edged to the sidelines while we'd been talking, came forward again. The poor man looked miserable. No doubt he thought I'd failed him; as, indeed, I had.

I turned back to Paullus.

'I can't promise anything,' I said, 'and I certainly won't cross Nero for you. But I'll try my best.'

'None of us can do more.' Paullus stood too. With his age and obvious infirmity he ought to have looked frail, but he didn't, no more than a lump of olive root. 'Thank you. Go with the blessing of the Lord Jesus, Petronius.'

The audience, obviously, was over. I bowed ironically and went with Crito instead. His gratitude was sufficient.

The palace, of course, was in ashes along with the rest of the Palatine. Lucius was staying in one of the imperial villas on the Janiculum, near Caesar's Gardens. When I arrived he wasn't alone: Tigellinus was a constant shadow these days. They were in one of the solars, huddled over a large table covered with sheets of paper.

'Titus.' Lucius was in one of his expansive moods. Tigellinus scowled at me, as usual. 'Nice to see you, my dear. Come and join us. Tiggy and I are replanning the city.'

The sheets were architect's sketches: I noticed a temple or two and some other public buildings. The Office of Public Works must have been working flat out to have produced that many so quickly.

'Bassus tells me you did terribly well in Isis and Serapis.' Lucius edged his chair towards Tigellinus's to give me room to move mine in. 'He was most impressed.'

'That was one of the districts that was completely gutted, wasn't it?'Tigellinus said sourly. 'Nice work, Petronius.'

'Now, Tiggy, don't be a cat!' Lucius gave him a fond smile. 'Titus did his best, I'm sure.'

'At least I was in Rome and not Antium,' I snapped; then regretted it. It was a monumentally stupid remark, because of course Lucius had been in Antium too.

Tigellinus grinned. 'True,' he said. 'We can't all be heroes. Eh, Nero?'

'So it would seem.' The emperor was frowning. 'However, we're here now, Titus, and you heroes who let the city burn will need us lesser mortals' assistance to put it back together again.'

I said nothing. Tigellinus winked at me.

'Show him the plans,' he said.

Lucius brightened up immediately. He swept the smaller sketches aside and unrolled a large sheet of paper, weighting it at the corners with the bronze lamps from the table. I remembered Bassus's model — but then that would be useless now, except as a curio.

'We're rebuilding on the grid system,' he said. 'Nice broad streets laid out straight, not the old higgledy-piggledy nonsense there was before. All the buildings detached. And it'll be done properly. A fixed proportion of the materials will be fire-proof stone. And I'll have the Senate pass a regulation making it obligatory for householders to keep firefighting equipment to hand.'

'We'll regulate the tenements as well,' Tigellinus added. 'Nothing higher than seventy feet. And the frontages will be protected by colonnades.'

'Very impressive.' I didn't have to pretend enthusiasm, although I winced at Tigellinus's 'we'; the man's newly acquired air of civic duty made me want to throw up. 'It should be a great improvement.'

'Ah, but this is the best part, Titus!' Lucius's hand swept over the centre of the map. 'The new palace!'

Bassus had warned me, of course, but it still came as a shock. The entire area between Palatine and Esquiline had been blocked in with buildings and formal gardens.

'My Golden House.' Lucius glanced smugly at Tigellinus. 'Isn't it marvellous?'

'It's certainly…spacious,’ I said.

'Naturally.' Tigellinus gave me a bland look. 'Do you think the Emperor of Rome deserves anything less?'

'No, of course not. But the cost will be — '

Lucius was frowning again. 'Oh, the cost! What does that matter? It's not just for me, it's for Rome. And I'm sure the provinces will be delighted to contribute, especially the eastern ones. After all, if the old Greek kings could build on the grand scale I don't see why I shouldn't. I've asked Severus and Celer to take charge, although of course I've got my own ideas as well.'

'A good choice,' I said. Severus and Celer had worked on Lucius's last building project, the extension to the palace burned down in the fire. They must be rubbing their hands; the new commission would set them up for life, if Lucius managed to push his plans through the Senate. I could hear the popping of aristocratic blood vessels all the way across the Tiber.

'Now, my dear.' Lucius reached for another stack of sketches. 'Let me show you the plans in more detail.'