Appius (rising to his feet, his face aflame). Back, girl! Back from him! Lictor, part the twain!
[Lictor unwillingly obeys, whereat Virginia rising slips away from him to her father's side. Virginius advances, with his hand uplifted, toward the judgment seat.
Virginius. Delay no longer in the trial of
This matter. We demand in common justice
A hearing, and at once, O, Appius!
Galba (aside to his friends). Mark yonder man upon the judgment-seat.
Methinks 'tis he who coveteth the virgin,
And Marcus but his instrument. Ah, see!
The Chief is moved to acquiesce. Methinks
He fears this pleb as he once feared Sicinius.
Appius (haughtily). And now begins the judgment. Silence, all!
My client, Marcus Claudius, step forth.
[The man obeys. Virginia, shuddering, looks only at her father.
Appius. Repeat thy statement, Claudius, we wait.
Marc. O, noble Chief, and all ye men of Rome,
I but reiterate my words to-day
Spoken in explanation of my course
Of action yesternoon. A woman came
Unto the house of Appius, one moon
Ago, and came to perish on our hands.
But ere she died she made a full confession
Of having served in early years the wife
Of this our citizen, Virginius,
Who ignorantly hath been foully wronged,
For whom we feel the deepest sympathy,
And unto whom I now address myself.
[Turns to Virginius.
O, good centurion, this maid is not
Thy child in blood; but, as I said, was born
Of a slave woman in my house. Thy babe
Died on the moment of its birth. Thou wert
Away in service. Dost thou not recall?
Virginius (in calm affirmative). Yea, that I do recall. (Aside.) Thou fiend of hell!
Marc. (triumphantly). Has he not said? This slave, who did confess
To us the truth, declared that she had played
The thief and crept most slyly to my house,
Stolen the infant of my nurse and slipped
Out, 'mid the night and gloom, which, friendly, hid
Her dastard deed. Virginia is the babe,
And, therefore, lawfully belongs to me.
Icilius. Ye gods!
Multitude. No proofs? No evidence?
Marc. (proudly). My word!
[Much laughter and some hissing.
Appius. Silence! Virginius, speak, and be as brief
As the occasion will allow. Proceed.
Virginius. Ye men of Rome! To you, and you alone,
I speak in my defense, for lo! in you
I see the qualities of common justice,
Or faintest sense of mercy, which is rare—
And less, indeed, unto the point in hand.
For all these forty years I've lived in Rome,
A Roman 'mongst the Romans, brave amongst
The brave, and serving, ere I came of age,
My mother city. Have I shown myself
In any manner base, corruptible,
Or lying, either by my word or deed?
Ye all are witnesses of me—each man
Can see and know the truth as God can see.
This is my babe, of me begotten, born
Of her whom I so loved—her mother. Lo!
The very luster of her ebon hair
Bespeaks the woman who in honor bore
Virginia. See! The tremble of her lip.
I do not willingly display my flesh
And blood to gaze of multitudes, but that
My straits are desperate. Look upon her hand—
The long, brown fingers are a copy true
Of these, though mine are knotted by the grip
Of sword and the guiding of the plow.
And now her eyes—Ah, no! I say too much.
Ye gods of Heaven speak for me this day!
[He bows his head upon Virginia's shoulder.