第 11 节
作者:雨霖铃      更新:2024-12-13 14:16      字数:9322
  his sentiments; recommended me to Eutropius as very proper to
  execute some wicked purposes he had contrived against my frend
  Timasius。  The minister embraced this recommendation; and I was
  accordingly acquainted by Lucilius (after some previous accounts
  of the great esteem Eutropius entertained of me; from the
  testimony he had borne of my parts) that he would introduce me to
  him; adding that he was a great encourager of merit; and that I
  might depend upon his favor。
  〃I was with little difficulty prevailed on to accept of this
  invitation。  A late hour therefore the next evening being
  appointed; I attended my friend Lucilius to the minister's house。
  He received me with the utmost civility and cheerfulness; and
  affected so much regard to me; that I; who knew nothing of these
  high scenes of life; concluded I had in him a most disinterested
  friend; owing to the favorable report which Lucilius had made of
  me。  I was however soon cured of this opinion; for immediately
  after supper our discourse turned on the injustice which the
  generality of the world were guilty of in their conduct to great
  men; expecting that they should reward their private merit;
  without ever endeavoring to apply it to their use。  'What avail;'
  said Eutropius; 'the learning; wit; courage; or any virtue which
  a man may be possessed of; to me; unless I receive some benefit
  from them?  Hath he not more merit to me who doth my business and
  obeys my commands; without any of these qualities?'  I gave such
  entire satisfaction in my answers on this head; that both the
  minister and his creature grew bolder; and after some preface
  began to accuse Timasius。  At last; finding I did not attempt to
  defend him; Lucilius swore a great oath that he was not fit to
  live; and that he would destroy him。  Eutropius answered that it
  would be too dangerous a task:  'Indeed;' says he; 'his crimes
  are of so black a dye; and so well known to the emperor; that his
  death must be a very acceptable service; and could not fail
  meeting a proper reward:  but I question whether you are capable
  of executing it。'  'If he is not;' cried I; 'I am; and surely no
  man can have greater motives to destroy him than myself:  for;
  besides his disloyalty to my prince; for whom I have so perfect a
  duty; I have private disobligations to him。  I have had fellows
  put over my head; to the great scandal of the service in general;
  and to my own prejudice and disappointment in particular。'  I
  will not repeat you my whole speech; but; to be as concise as
  possible; when we parted that evening the minister squeezed me
  heartily by the hand; and with great commendation of my honesty
  and assurances of his favor; he appointed me the next evening to
  come to him alone; when; finding me; after a little more
  scrutiny; ready for his purpose; he proposed to me to accuse
  Timasius of high treason; promising me the highest rewards if I
  would undertake it。  The consequence to him; I suppose you know;
  was ruin; but what was it to me?  Why; truly; when I waited on
  Eutropius for the fulfilling his promises; received me with great
  distance and coldness; and; on my dropping some hints of my
  expectations from him; he affected not to understand me; saying
  he thought impunity was the utmost I could hope for on
  discovering my accomplice; whose offense was only greater than
  mine; as he was in a higher station; and telling me he had great
  difficulty to obtain a pardon for me from the emperor; which he
  said; he had struggled very hardly for; as he had worked the
  discovery out of me。  He turned away; and addressed himself to
  another person。
  〃I was so incensed at this treatment; that I resolved revenge;
  and should certainly have pursued it; had he not cautiously
  prevented me by taking effectual means to despatch me soon after
  out of the world。
  〃You will; I believe; now think I had a second good chance for
  the bottomless pit; and indeed Minos seemed inclined to tumble me
  in; till he was informed of the revenge taken on me by Roderic;
  and my seven years' subsequent servitude to the widow; which he
  thought sufficient to make atonement for all the crimes a single
  life could admit of; and so sent me back to try my fortune a
  third time。〃
  CHAPTER XI
  In which Julian relates his adventures in the character of an
  avaricious Jew。
  〃The next character in which I was destined to appear in the
  flesh was that of an avaricious Jew。  I was born in Alexandria in
  Egypt。  My name was Balthazar。  Nothing very remarkable happened
  to me till the year of the memorable tumult in which the Jews of
  that city are reported in history to have massacred more
  Christians than at that time dwelt in it。  Indeed; the truth is;
  they did maul the dogs pretty handsomely; but I myself was not
  present; for as all our people were ordered to be armed; I took
  that opportunity of selling two swords; which probably I might
  otherwise never have disposed of; they being extremely old and
  rusty; so that; having no weapon left; I did not care to venture
  abroad。  Besides; though I really thought it an act meriting
  salvation to murder the Nazarenes; as the fact was to be
  committed at midnight; at which time; to avoid suspicion; we were
  all to sally from our own houses; I could not persuade myself to
  consume so much oil in sitting up to that hour:  for these
  reasons therefore I remained at home that evening。
  〃I was at this time greatly enamored with one Hypatia; the
  daughter of a philosopher; a young lady of the greatest beauty
  and merit:  indeed; she had every imaginable ornament both of
  mind and body。  She seemed not to dislike my person; but there
  were two obstructions to our marriage; viz。; my religion and her
  poverty:  both which might probably have been got over; had not
  those dogs the Christians murdered her; and; what is worse;
  afterwards burned her body:  worse; I say; because I lost by that
  means a jewel of some value; which I had presented to her;
  designing; if our nuptials did not take place; to demand it of
  her back again。
  〃Being thus disappointed in my love; I soon after left Alexandria
  and went to the imperial city; where I apprehended I should find
  a good market for jewels on the approaching marriage of the
  emperor with Athenais。  I disguised myself as a beggar on this
  journey; for these reasons:  first; as I imagined I should thus
  carry my jewels with greater safety; and; secondly; to lessen my
  expenses; which latter expedient succeeded so well; that I begged
  two oboli on my way more than my traveling cost me; my diet being
  chiefly roots; and my drink water。
  〃But perhaps; it had been better for me if I had been more lavish
  and more expeditious; for the ceremony was over before I reached
  Constantinople; so that I lost that glorious opportunity of
  disposing of my jewels with which many of our people were greatly
  enriched。
  〃The life of a miser is very little worth relating; as it is one
  constant scheme of getting or saving money。  I shall therefore
  repeat to you some few only of my adventures; without regard to
  any order。
  〃A Roman Jew; who was a great lover of Falernian wine; and who
  indulged himself very freely with it; came to dine at my house;
  when; knowing he should meet with little wine; and that of the
  cheaper sort; sent me in half…a…dozen jars of Falernian。  Can you
  believe I would not give this man his own wine?  Sir; I
  adulterated it so that I made six jars of 'them' three; which he
  and his friend drank; the other three I afterwards sold to the
  very person who originally sent them me; knowing he would give a
  better price than any other。
  〃A noble Roman came one day to my house in the country; which I
  had purchased; for half the value; of a distressed person。  My
  neighbors paid him the compliment of some music; on which
  account; when he departed; he left a piece of gold with me to be
  distributed among them。  I pocketed this money; and ordered them
  a small vessel of sour wine; which I could not have sold for
  above two drachms; and afterwards made them pay in work three
  times the value of it。
  〃As I was not entirely void of religion; though I pretended to
  infinitely more than I had; so I endeavored to reconcile my
  transactions to my conscience as well as possible。  Thus I never
  invited any one to eat with me; but those on whose pockets I had
  some design。  After our collation it was constantly my method to
  set down in a book I kept for that purpose; what I thought they
  owed me for their meal。  Indeed; this was generally a hundred
  times as much as they could have dined elsewhere for; but;
  however; it was quid pro quo; if not ad valorem。  Now; whenever
  the opportunity offered of imposing on them I considered it only
  as paying myself what they owed me:  indeed; I did not always
  confine myself strictly to what I had set down; however
  extravagant that was; but I reconciled taking the overplus to
  mys