The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-11-19
THE INFAMOUS.
NER0's POET WAS ONE o. THE
MOST DEPRAvED OF xEx.
inventeS Anss~neass for the Re-
man Nonster--A Criticism sf the
Epicureaa ~ Presented by
Sienkiewfcs In .oue vaais.-

That the NEST morally depravsd man IN
all human history should have been made
the hero Of romantic fiction and drama
Il a. curious circumstances.
Ordinarily the hero Of romance /. In
vested with high and noble chAracterss-
tics; but there have been exceptions IN
those stories where pirates and highway
men were set up for the admiration and
applause Of the reader. But IN every
such case II was sought 70 show that the
rohber heroes had mere good traits than
bad.
IL was with the same sort Of idea that.
10 mis- famous romance of quo vaais."
Sienkfewicx has chosen as his hero the
most morally depraved man in an human
history. That person was Titus petron-
fss. the man who invented amusemsnss
that catered 10 the beastiy passions Of
the basest of human monsters. the Ro-
man emperor. Nero the NTH in the line
Of the bloody and cruel Caesars
Petr0nius. who was man Of unusual
accomplishments. learned. consum-
mate critic. poet OF note, cultured IN
all the fine arts. and enormously weaithy.
had but one employment for all his man
fold talents. and that was 20 design and
create and lead In the Infamous rsssis
with which Nero was wont 10 vary his
atrociour and inhuman crimes.
As the hero Of Si~nkiew'cx's romance.
Petronius IL invested with all the culture
and taste Of an epscurean and the stead
fast mien and untroubied compcsnre. uu-
der all circumstances OF Stole phiinso-
pber. But the real truth seems TO have
been that this man wHs 80 worn out
with indulgence In ehsuaiity, and 80
hardened by familiarity with cruelty and
bloodshed. that he WIS incapable Of
any heai,hfui human emotion. and. I'm
order TO realize this. one has only 70 turn
from the elegant and heroic pssrician Of
sienkiewics's creation TO the pages 81
Pstronius' own book to see what he re-
ally was. for. although hfs literary works
are excluded from the eurricaia Of the
colleges for youth. they must have been
extremely yoiuminous. as the fragments
Of books XIV. and XVI OF his s'Satyri-
con. are all that survive.
or all the Roman authors. Petranius
was unique and remarkable for being the
first novel or story writer SHOWN. iiis
''Sztyricon." written IN the purest Latin.
broadcast humor. the wtxest philosophy
and studded with poems q all sorts, from
the most ambitious epic recitation. and
garnishcd with the most erudite learning.
Is nothing more than m account % the
escapades OF most incorrtgtbls brace
Of rnrcals ana the various perpons In
whose company they hsppen to fab.
tttlt vi tfttSf tfiiBNr VINE y itVt<EEHo4Hf
person. travelling as lecturer. proneudoc-
Ing az ono moment the most eslifvinG DIS
courses on tnste and morals In iitcfntures
and at the next engaging in the vsieSt
debauchery. His eompsn ion, also a
scholar. il equally base. They fell In
with poet who detained his verses on
the fall of Troy and the civil WAITS In
Rome 10 whofusoever would ii~sen. but
was as often stoned from the Forum a.
rewarded with applause and money.
These three ra~cais WIRE complete tvne>
OF confidence men. al one time working
their schemes on the wealthy and III 9TH
ers stealing from the common people. but
never failing to preach the highest meral-
isy. white they rracsiced every VIE atom-
nation known to the most dehsscd OF the
human race.
Nevertheless. this buok Infamous as
10 tie morality. Is gem Of literasurr,
giving the most accurate pictures cf the
manners and modes Of life smons the
most enlightened people in the world in
Narn's time II contains the celebrated
story az the ~rhaban Mairon. a ehAzss
ana most beautifully sentimental episode
Of human life and the Banquet Of Tftn-
aichios the only complete description u
an elaborate Roman dinner extant
II was the author az such book. the
panderer 10 the jaded appeti,es and hru-
tai passions Of the most bestial creature
that ever walked tn human form. who II
made the admired and admirable hero ~
Ssenkiewscxs celebrated rosnanes. and II
ref up with his ioraiy iiheraiisy and his
pagan stoictsm to match the eenstancy
Of the martyrs sustained BY Christian
faith and love. But this contrast il
merely trick % art. not intended TO de-
tract from Christianity. IN whose interest
s.1ssp vaaia wss written IL IL the
provinces Of the artist 20 create wut II
ixnposs material the noss admirable
works. as II IL ef the min~r 10 Find iex-
els among RUBBISH. az Of Christianity to
transmute the hssest OF human beings
into saints. Therefore II - ihss tbsfs l.
no sort Of woader exprrssed that the
meat deprsvea man IN the ancisnt wosid
can. after a Lapse ~ eighteen rcntufias.
ne transformed into the nast adnnsraaie
perNanage N an aIlexad hlstsftrAl r0-