Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-01-23
A SUPERB ROMANCE.
THE IDLER GIVES A LENGTHY RE-
VIEW OF "Quo vADIss
ROME IN TIE CRUEL DAYS or NERO
How the Eternal City Was Burned
and the Christians Persecuted-A
Vain and Brutal Monarch-Lovers
in the story.

I'm the story.
The general public either regard me as
a very pious or q very literary man; or
they, at least, are determined that / shall
read "Quo Vadis." for during the Christ
mas holidays my house was flooded with
copies OF this book. There were volumes
bound in gilt and volumes in paper. edi-
tions do luxe, and editions de trop--in
sfact. / got the story in every possible
shape and form. / at first suspected that
perhaps l had been mistaken for a goat;
but II now appears that the world and It's
wife are reading this book, and talking
about II, and urging their lady friends to
| skip certain passages (Which they most
assuredly will not do. and pretending that
they understand all the Latin quotations
in il. In this article I shall candidly
give my Views of this now famous piece
of .flcton-yea, even though my criticisms
drive the author TO suicide and stop the
future sale Of the work. In the first place.
a man with a name like the person who
wrote QUO Vadis' has got no business
| living anyhow, aud IL caught alive, he
should be stamped on just as one would
| do roach-bug. The writer in question
! is Mr.. Henryk Sienkewicz, an author who
| has acquired Widespread celebrity. He
will doubtless make application in few
weeks 10 have his name filed down, or
set to music for horse-fddle accompanl-
ments.
Meanwhile. let me say that whatever
levity Of tone 1 assume is applied entirely
| to the secular portions Of the work, for
the plot is interviewer with the hardships
OF the early Christians, and any frivo-
lous criticism pertaining thereto might
border on sacrilege.
"Quo Nads," which in Latin means,
'Nelither goest thou?' is a blood
| curdling story Of surprising literary
merit, which pictures Rome in the days
| of Nero. The imperial monstrosity stands
in the foreground of the work and around
him. on all sides. flows the blood of his
victims. Ben Hur" and "The Last Days
| Of Pompeii' have indeed rival in this
| great work. though BOTH perhaps, possess
a better style and are freer from those
plain speeches which make US blush and
resolve TO read every word. The work is
translated from the Polish by Jeremiah
Curtin, and though the translator has
splendidly accomplished his work, much
less been lost. At times the style is
rather harassing and hard to read. just
as most TRANSACTIONS are. though I have
yet to see the person who has laid aside
the book until II was completed.
Rome In the days OF this story was not
like the city 1 saw some years since
when 1 whizzed into a brilliantly-lighted
station, illuminated by electricity. and
checked my silk hat to the best two-dollar
house In the town. But for all that, IL
was a lively burg even in those semi
barbarous times, and when things got
duh Nero enlivened matters with barbe-
cued humanity, or sung the latest songs
of the day while the enthusiastic popu-
lace called him divine. Right here shall
borrow Mr.. Sienkiewicz's description OF
this demoniac Caesar-that is, after /
sneeze-and show you what manner of
man, or moDstrosity, the Emperor was
Verify, no tintype could do him justice.
Ecce Homol "A great head. fixed on n
thick neck, terrible, it is true but almost
ridiculous, for from a distance it resem-
bled the head of child. A tunic OF anne
thyst-color. forbidden to ordinary mortals.
cast a blueish tinge on his broad and !
short face. He had dark hair. dressed, in |
the fashion introduced by Ohio, in four
curls. In his forehead, pro-
jecting strongly above his brows, there |
remained something Olympan. In his !
contracted brows the consciousness Of |
supreme power was evident; but under |
that forehead Of a demigod was the face |
of a monkey, a drunkard, and a come |
dian-vain, full of changing desires, swol-
len with fat, Notwithstanding his youth;
besides, il was sickly and foul"
In his earlier days Nero wore whiskers-
the kind that Irish comedians wear-and |
OF the "chinchilla" order, but In moment |
of exceptional piety he sacrificed this at
tractive face-foliage TO Jove, and Rome, |
with its characteristic servility, was deep |
ly grateful. Privately, people said that |
the Emperor got a shave merely because |
his whiskers were red.
In addition to the above bouquets |
thrown at this interesting character. l |
will add that Nero was spindle-sbanked, |
and that though lean of limb his body |
was rotund as though pulled up with ex- |
cess of beer We imagine a creature |
something like a stuffed frog
Such was the appearance of Rome's |
ruler; but the incongruities of his char |
acter were still more startling. Nero |
was-or imagined that he was-a man OF |
most artistic temperament. He wrote |
poetry-the kind that men are shot for |
nowadays-and likewise considered him
self a musician. In fact, anything that |
tickled his vanity was pursued by him |
with childish enthusiasm. He considered |
himself a superb charioteer, a sublime |
singer, a marvel OF grace, and. above all, |
a poet whose ability completely oblite-
rated that of Homer. In fact, Nero had |
q pretty good opinion of himself, though |
his conceit and stupidity made him posi-
lively monkeyfied. On public occasions, |
as a blessing TO his constituents. he would |
give them hts little song and dance and |
would make an ass of himself generally. |
His cruelty knew no bounds; the whole
civilized world quaked before him. Peo-
pie swore than no one had ever written
verses like him thanks be TO the gods
that they have noD, and that his voice |
was superb. Sycophants and fattercrs,
chuckling In their sleeves, expressed their |
undying gratitude because he had allowed
them TO see his accomplishments. Court
iers begged for more Of his poetry, or ne
sought him TO Dance or TO strike his
cithara Nero bit at this bait like club.
He never received a chunk OF fattery too |
large TO swallow. He really believed him.
self divine. He imagined that no matter
what act Of meann6s he had been guilty |
Of he could appease the public by singing
one of his songs or reading one OF his
Thin in flesh? Perhapsit's