Chapter V: XVIII
I might not get a chance to finish it and post the final version until Saturday morning. Final version.
In case you missed it, there was an extra comic Thursday.
Lots of fun commenting going on here and on the LJ post! Over on LJ, zeus67 commented about the “historical spoiler” rollover:
Your rollover text made me curious and had to look for a Flavian cousin named Sabinus.
The only one I found was Titus Flavius Sabinus, Titus’ cousin and son-in-law. Later executed by Domitian because allegedly he was proclaimed imperator instead of consul, but many believe that it was so Domitian could just keep bedding Sabinus’ wife (Domitian’s niece) Julia Flavia.
BTW, I also read that Domitia Longina allegedly had a liason with her brother-in-law Titus Flavius. You know, this would make it completely logical for Domitian to want to undermine Titus’ reign and to look for ways to get rid of him. [He] loved his wife, he bribed Domitia’s first husband to divorce her and spurned marriage to Julia Flavia so he could marry her. FInding out that his loved wife was unfaithful with his brother would be the icing on a bitter cake. Domitian was a mediocre military leader and his only attempt at military command ended in disaster. He had to be rescued and never again was given command of any formation even though he remained in a Legate’s staff.
So Domitian is one man with serious sibling rivalry syndrome, who obviously resented his older brother’s military, political and seduction successes. No wonder he wanted to use Felix to undermine Titus and it seems that Titus is very much aware of what Domitian is trying to do but won’t do anything because blood is thicker than water and perhaps he feels some guilt about seducing Domitian’s wife.
Felix is now swimming with large sharks and he is armed only with a very small knife.
So that means that the guy leaving with the slave for some happy time is none other than future emperor Marcus Cocceius Nerva, although you call him Ulpius.
Congrats Klio, I feel that you have really joined Colleen McCullough’s Master of Rome level of paranoia and intrigue.
First off, thanks to zeus67 for the praise. If I’m going to name a chapter “ROMA,” it’s time for some major Roman-style shenanigans.
Domitian is one man with serious sibling rivalry syndrome
I believe that is so very, very true.
In spite of Domitian’s smart political manoeuvering on his father’s behalf, the old man never seemed to respect him, and kept him way out of the way while Vespasian and Titus basically co-ruled. Domitian never seemed to be able to prove himself in either of their eyes–was it his youth? His ineptness at military leadership? Did his father and brother already see that this boy wasn’t quite right? And if his brother and wife (with whom Domitian had a stormy on-and-off-and-on relationship, even if they loved each other) really were embroiled in an affair, I can imagine how devastated he would have been. It helps explain his astronomical levels of paranoia.
blood is thicker than water
No matter how much they clash, it’s still his baby brother.
So that means that the guy leaving with the slave for some happy time is none other than future emperor Marcus Cocceius Nerva
The next one up the line: Marcus Ulpius Traianus, later called Marcus Ulpius Nerva Traianus. Though at this point, he’d probably say, “The illustrious Trajan? Oh, you must mean my father, the famous Marcus Ulpius Traianus.”
zeus67 replies:
I think it was his disobedience. If Vespasian ordered Domitian to marry Julia Flavia and Domitian said no, then it is very likely that Vespasian basically told him that he was on his own. He did not disown him but never trusted him to follow orders again. I bet Titus obeyed his father….
Is this shouty guy? Is he under orders to check on Felix?
This is shouty guy.
They may have gotten rid of Nero’s network of city spies, but that doesn’t mean Titus doesn’t have his own system.
What I still don’t understand is why Felix can be ‘used’ by Domitianus in the first place. I mean so far we have hardly been told of any secrets Felix might hold over Titus, and from society’s point of view Felix is a nobody.
I replied below. It got long…
The wonder is not how well the bear dances, but that he dances at all.
Hugger-mugger and assassins that go bump in the dark. Que creepy bear-dance music!
Maybe the bear is a spy…
“The bear went over the mountain to see what he could see!”
The mountain being Vesuvius, of course. What he’s seeing is…a whole lot of political elbowing. A bear needs to be very careful in such times.
What I still don’t understand is why Felix can be ‘used’ by Domitianus in the first place. I mean so far we have hardly been told of any secrets Felix might hold over Titus, and from society’s point of view Felix is a nobody.
In chapter II, it’s more that Titus thinks Felix is using his alleged ancestry to get into Domitian’s circle—that Felix is using Domitian. Showing up at parties, accepting lavish gifts, sending messages to Domitian about things overheard. Common rabble like Felix does not belong in such influential circles whispering into the ear of someone two steps away from the emperor (and whose father and brother already look at him with a jaundiced eye). But Felix is a useful implement to use as a small part of larger strategies, and Titus is a military man. When Domitian seems to be taking seriously the idea of Felix marrying into the family, it becomes much too much for Titus.
On the other hand, neither brother quite trusts Felix because the story of his ancestry is plausible enough for people to believe it. He’s very removed from the previous ruling family, but there were persistent beliefs that someone from the old dynasty would return (specifically Nero). At least three, and probably more, claimants turned up, alleging that Nero was either never killed or miraculously reborn, and a couple of them gained enough support to be a significant threat. Anyone who could make himself popular with the army or with powerful rulers outside the country would be dangerous. But someone who could start a personality cult with the ordinary person on the street—say, on the streets of Alexandria, or with Jewish factions—was proving to be dangerous to a regime’s stability in a very different sort of way. A direct-line Antonius would be that sort of popular-culture threat.
So, Titus’s confidantes—his cousin Sabinus and his protégé Ulpius—at he beginning of the chapter and here express the same incredulity. This man has no power, has no wealth, isn’t much use to anybody. He’s just a common thug who briefly served as a hit man and probably helped forge some account books. But Titus sees potential use in him by a brother who has been pushed out of imperial power.
In fact, the person who might look the most likely to become the next emperor at the moment would be the man married to Titus’s daughter—Sabinus. He might be feeling a little slighted (But what about me? I’m way bigger a threat than some nobody!).
so how would they react if Felix marreid someone not in the family?
If Felix marries a “nobody”…that might actually help Titus to relax a a bit.
As for the other brother, Domitian didn’t actually want to kill Felix outright, way back when. He just wanted to hurt him, enjoy watching that for a while, then send him someplace that would probably kill him anyway. He liked threatening people and saying he’d kill them, then not doing it. He liked being nice to people, then killing them in the morning. I think that ties in with the sadism.
So Felix marrying Iusta will be the solution for Titus dilemma. He will generously provide for the couple but in keeping with the “keep your friends close and your enemies closer”, I sincerely doubt he will ever let them leave Rome. And yet, leaving Rome is the safest route for the Antonian because of Domitian.
Unfortunately I cannot edit my comments. Iusta is a nobody. The daughter of a minor merchant who had lost most of her fortune. So, she is the perfect wife for our surviving Antonius.
I think he would be very pleased if his spy in the household tells him that the two are sleeping together and probably will marry.
This speaks bad for Alexander, since now Titus has a vested interest in keeping him dead. Domitian will kill Alexander just because, after he had his fun with him that is.
I love the individual characteristics of these faces, so clearly not the main characters. And I just realized that the guy who’s “turning in” seems to be taking company with him. Perhaps hired company. Hm. (Where did we see shouty guy before? I don’t remember.)
Thank you! I like at least to try to find interesting faces even for people we’ll only see a couple of times. I hadn’t planned on bringing Shouty Guy back, but he grew on me, and now he gets an identity (and some head canon for what he was doing personally directing things near Stabiae–the Flavians were very hands-on) 🙂
Shouty Guy, now named Sabinus, first showed up here. The other guy previously appeared here through here, and we’ll get his name again and more about him soon. I added them to the Dramatis Personae page, but I don’t want folks to feel they need to go look at the list to figure out who everybody is 😀
Yep, he is taking company with him. (It might even be relevant later……)
Oh! Oh! And will we be seeing Sweetums again?
We can always count on seeing Sweetums again 😀
It seems that Sabinus G. (shouty guy) has taken ownership over Sweetums. Perhaps Sweetums is Felix’s spy with the Flavians.
This makes me want to get back to the soldier & the bear comic I started way back when. I even had some guest art for it….
Perhaps Sweetums has his own agenda. Possibly involving food.
“Will spy for food.” A common sign seen held up by out-of-work forest animals in the city of Rome.
Sabinius is gonna check on a nobody, huh? He’d better watch his footing: It’s a long way down to the street.
Oh, he won’t go personally. That would be soooo plebeian.
A bear danceing ,.,.,.,. Not A nice thing most were chained over A metal plate with hot coals under it ! 🙁
But these Were Roman’s after all A little thing like Inflecting severe pain to A bear during dinner ment little to them!
We’re all lucky no one wants to show any bear-baiting during dinner too.
On the other hand, maybe they’ve discovered that this bear can dance without painful encouragement.
I suspect Sweetums has been taken into a sad state of slavery, and I am hoping someone will alert Our Hero to the problem, and that he will address it posthaste. Because priorities.
He’s checked his house for weak spots, informed his son of their dangerous enemies…the next priority is clearly Sweetums!
I like to think Sweetums does the Rhumba…. without skates of course.
At first I thought you’d typed “Roomba.” I was so very confused.
I want to see Sweetums do the macarena. That would be unforgettable (perhaps unfortunately).
I don’t think my artistic skills are up to the macarena 😀
Charleston?
A bear dancing the Charleston? Piece o’ cake.