the reasons why I’ve called this meeting — which must be strictly sub rosa, by the way.’ Smiling cheerfully, in a significant gesture he drew a finger across his throat.
‘Anastasius is dead at last,’* Cethegus announced, when all were seated, listening, in a silence tinged with apprehension. ‘Expect to hear officially in a day or two; my sources usually provide me with intelligence before the government couriers arrive with news.’
‘And his death means. .?’ prompted Boethius.
‘That the Acacian Schism, too, is dead. Or, if not yet defunct, shortly to become so.’
‘Forgive me, Rufius,’ said Cassiodorus, looking mildly puzzled, ‘but I’ll have to ask you to enlighten me.’
‘Without elaborating on religious niceties,’ Priscian put in, ‘it means that peace, theologically speaking, has broken out between Rome and Constantinople. Our new ruler, Justin — another geriatric emperor — is a tough old soldier from a peasant background. The real power behind the throne is his nephew Justinianus — well educated, and highly intelligent, to boot, by all accounts.’
‘The point is,’ Cethegus observed, picking up on Priscian, ‘that they’re both fervent Chalcedonians —
‘Your drift, if I’ve followed you aright,’ said Boethius, ‘is that, with channels of communication soon to be unblocked between East and West, Romans in both Italy and the empire will shortly be exchanging ideas. Am I right?’
‘You are indeed, Anicius Manlius. As I mentioned at our last meeting, there’s a growing feeling on both sides of the Adriatic that Italy should be reunited with the empire. That feeling is articulated and given focus by leading Romans: the senators of Rome itself — Laurentians almost to a man — writers, politicians, intellectuals, and more especially by Anulus, the group to which the present company belongs and which, from this moment, will be called upon to help to sway men’s minds throughout the Roman world. Justinian himself is thought to be strongly in favour of bringing Italy back into the imperial fold. Not only that, but he’s said to harbour ambitions to reconstitute the whole Western Empire.’
‘But that would mean. . the expulsion of the Vandals, the Burgundians and Franks, and the Ostrogoths and Visigoths,’ said Symmachus slowly, his fine patrician features set in an expression of concern. ‘A momentous step. Could it be done?
‘The task would certainly be challenging,’ replied Cethegus. ‘But yes, I believe it could be done. Bear in mind that the barbarians are a tiny fraction — perhaps no more than a hundredth — of the Roman population of the occupied territories. Many are no longer the ferocious warriors they once were. The Vandals have grown soft through the debilitating effects of luxury and a hot climate. The Visigoths and Franks lost many of their finest fighting men in the recent wars. The imperial armies, on the other hand, are strong, well led and well equipped. In a straight fight, Roman troops will always win — thanks largely to barbarian indiscipline and lack of armour. All in all, the odds on us expelling the barbarians are in our favour, I would say. Also, by bringing much of the West’s former territory into the Ostrogothic realm, Theoderic may have done us a favour. Reconstituting the Western Empire could be made that much easier. As to your second point, Quintus, I believe it is the patriotic duty of all Romans to rid ourselves of the barbarians — who, let us not forget, are uninvited guests. Look at the tyrannical regime the Vandals have inflicted on the Romans of Africa. And the record of the Franks and the Burgundians hasn’t been much better.’
‘But under Ostrogothic rule, Italy has prospered,’ objected Cassiodorus. ‘You can’t deny it, Rufius.’
‘Theoderic, I grant you, has ruled well — largely through the guidance of you three.’ Cethegus nodded at the trio of Roman Councillors. ‘But Theoderic’s getting on; who knows how much longer his reign will last? I would remind you that on the previous occasion I was here, I warned of the dire consequences of a Gothic dynasty.’
‘Obviously Theoderic’s successors will be Goths,’ Boethius said. ‘But. . a dynasty? Can that be likely? The king has no male heirs, and at his age the chances can’t be good that he’ll produce any.’
‘Ah, but he does have an heir. His daughter Amalasuntha has been married to a Visigoth called Eutharic, for whom an impressive Amal pedigree has naturally had to be concocted. You may well look surprised; the marriage has been kept under wraps, probably because Theoderic suspects that Roman reaction would be less than ecstatic, especially should the couple have a son. But why does all this matter, I hear you ask? Well, the reason is that dynasties are hard to overthrow. Once established, the population tends to tolerate them, even when they’re brutal or incompetent, like the Severans or later Theodosians. Smooth transfer of power from one monarch to the next, you see. Lessens the risk of usurpation and civil war, which has always been the curse of Rome. Now, I have it on good authority that scheduled for next year are three events which, taken in conjunction, will reinforce Theoderic’s dynastic position immeasurably.’
‘Thus making it that much harder to unseat his successors, when the Day of Liberation comes,’ added Priscian.
‘And these events are?’ queried Cassiodorus.
‘First,’ Cethegus went on, ‘Theoderic has nominated Eutharic for a consulship. If it’s confirmed by Justin, as it almost certainly will be, the prestige accruing to the house of the Amal will be immense, helping to make Eutharic acceptable as Theoderic’s heir. Second, Senator Caecina Mavortius Basilius Decius, who — surprise, surprise — is hoping for a consulship, will, six months after Eutharic takes office, unveil an inscription at Terracina on the Via Appia. Exactly what its wording is, my agents have so far been unable to discover, but I strongly suspect that it’s something designed to lend support to item number three.’ Pausing for dramatic effect, he looked round at the others.
‘Well?’ demanded Cassiodorus, at last breaking the tension-building silence.
‘A week after Decius unveils his mystery inscription,’ Cethegus continued, ‘Theoderic intends to present himself in the Basilica of St Peter outside Rome, before Pope Hormisdas — who will then proceed to crown him emperor.’
* Provence, where they had been besieging Arelate (Arles).
† Barring its north-west corner, which was Suevic territory, the Hispanic peninsula had been added to the Visigothic realm of Aquitania, under Euric.
* In 511.
* He died on 9 July 518, aged eighty-eight.
THIRTY-TWO
Eutharicus was adorned by Justinus with the palm-enwoven robe of the consul
From his place on the marble benches of Rome’s Senate House, Theoderic felt his heart swell with pride as his son-in-law Eutharic, tall, handsome, smiling, advanced towards the rostrum.
With the death of Anastasius and the ending of the thirty-five-year schism between Rome and Constantinople, Theoderic had at first been worried. The religious divide (in a world where prosperity and personal salvation depended on correct belief — an attitude not shared by the sceptical monarch) had meant that his Roman subjects were less likely to look for help and support from an emperor they regarded as a heretic. Now that religious unity had been restored, would these same subjects start conspiring with the Romans of the East, in a move towards political unity? In the event, however, his concern had proved premature. Justin, the new emperor, had been happy to confirm Theoderic and his successors as rulers of the Ostrogothic realm. And when Eutharic visited the emperor in Constantinople, Justin had been so taken with the young Visigoth that he adopted him as ‘son-in-arms’ (shield-raised according to
