The Epic of Paul

by William Cleaver Wilkinson

A little leave for silent tears, and Paul
Said: "Bide ye here until the evenfall,
Or some of you by turns as need of rest,
Of food, of change, allows the privilege
Of watching by this sacred dust asleep.
I will meantime desire from Publius
Permission to prepare her resting-place
For Mary here upon the selfsame spot
That she has hallowed for us by dying here;
And we at set of sun will bury her."

Now Publius had, with Sergius Paulus too,
And Krishna—those, and the centurion—
Silently, in that silent time of tears,
Retired; they with one instinct felt that here
Were love and grief that needed privacy
From witness even of moistened eyes like theirs.
But Krishna went apart from all, and bowed
Himself together motionless and wept.

While those sat weeping, and these last withdrew
Refraining not the sympathetic tear,
A different scene passed elsewhere in the isle.
Simon, the sorcerer, sought and found access
To Felix and Drusilla and said to them:
"I roused this night an hour before the dawn,
My sleep disturbed with signs in dreams of you.
Some secret prescience urged me out of doors,
And I went wandering forth with no clear thought
Whither, but felt my footsteps onward drawn,
Until I gained an overlooking height
Of hill, whence, ranging round me with mine eyes,
I saw a dozen people more or less,
Women as seemed with men, a motley train,
Walking thus early, why I could not guess;
They tended toward a hillock neighboring mine.
I, heeding to be hid from them the while,
Crept up as near them as I safely could.
Paul was among them, chief, though not the guide
As guide our worthy friend Sir Publius served.
That Sergius Paulus, with his Indian friend,
Krishna they call him, the centurion too,
Were of the company; as for the rest,
Count up the tale of Paul's companionship,
They were all there.

"After these reached the point
Where they made pause, the first thing that befell
Was Paul in menace lifting up those hands
Of his and therewith muttering magic words.
I could not hear them, but the tone I knew,
As too I knew that gesture of the hands.
I thought of how he conjured with his spell
Of uncouth baleful words at Cæsarea!
Paul got all seated; but one sat apart,
The destined victim of his wicked wiles,
A woman she, that Mary Magdalené,
Like an accused impaled to make defence.
Paul seemed to say to her, 'Speak, if thou wilt,'
Whereon the woman with a pleading voice,
But hopeless, breaking into moan at last,
Made her apology—of course in vain.
The spell that Paul had cast upon her wrought,
And she sank lifeless at his feet. So once
A spell from Peter at Jerusalem
With Ananias and Sapphira wrought
Killing them out of hand."

"But wherefore this?"
Drusilla doubted. "Also wherefore that?"

"Real reason, or pretended, wilt thou have?"
Said Simon with his air of oracle.
"Both," said Drusilla shortly, answering him.
"Well, the pretended reason," Simon said,
"To Peter, was hot zeal for righteousness.
Seems Ananias and Sapphira lied;
A venial lie, they set a little short
The price they had received for certain lands
Or other property sold by them late
In the behoof of Peter and his crew.
Peter would none of that; the revenues
To be extorted from his dupes would shrink
With such prevarications once in vogue:
There hast thou the real reason for his crime.

"As for this last case, Paul's, I can but guess
What his pretended reason was. Indeed
Perhaps pretended reason there was none.
It may be he preferred to have it seem,
To all except his special followers,
A case of sudden death from natural cause.
Or again, likelier, he alleged some crime
Against her, sacrilege or blasphemy,
Secret, thence lacking proof but capable
Of being proved upon her by his art.
He would pronounce a spell of magic power,
Then let her talk and try to clear herself:
Meanwhile, if she were guilty as he thought,
The spell would work and punish her with death,
But remain harmless were she innocent.
Guesses, but plausible; still it would be
Sufficiently like Paul if he devised
A blank mere demonstration for the sake
Of those outside spectators of the scene,
Simply in order to impress on them
His power in magic, and win their applause.
It would at the same time inspire with awe
Those dupes of his, and faster bind their bonds.
Yet a particular reason intermixed
Doubtless with general motives for his crime;
Some insubordination, it may be,
On Mary Magdalené's part toward him,
Had stung him to inflict this punishment."

"What of it all?" Drusilla coldly said.
"Nothing," said Simon; "just a pretty tale!
Only I thought it might perhaps subserve
Lady Drusilla's purpose yonder at Rome,
To have a crime convenient to her hand,
A fresh crime, and a flagrant, she could charge
To Paul's account to make more sure his doom."

'Why, aye,' Drusilla thought, 'one that involves
Sergius Paulus, renegade, and that
Too complaisant centurion, the whole crew
Indeed present to be spectators there
And not protesting, hence accomplices
All of a crime they might have stayed in act.
As to the matter of a sudden death
With circumstance attending such and such,
Surplus of testimony was to hand
For that; as to the matter of the means
Employed, magic—Simon magician was,
And he, as expert witness, should suffice.
If any question as to him arose,
Drusilla should be equal to the need;
I would vouch for him to the emperor.
Nothing would please me better than to try
On him the virtue of my sponsorship!'

So the proud woman swiftly in mute muse
Slid to the goal she wished. Nay, scarce a pause
Seeming to have occurred before she spoke,
Already had her formless thought forecast
The triumphs over Nero she would win
With her voluptuous beauty wielded so
As she could wield it through her equal wit,
When she to Simon answered absently:
"True, worthy Simon; something such might chance;
Be ready to make good at need thy part."
This as dismissal; and the sorcerer went.
Felix had moody sat with never a word.