The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1909-10-14
THE Chief VESTAL,
BY NORA E. RECTOR.
copyright, 1909, by American Press Asso-
ciationI

A. d. the struggle between paganism
and Christianity at Rome was draw
ing to a close. The Emperor Constan
tine still maintained the worship of
the immortal gods, but his wife, the
empress, secretly practiced the rites
of the new religion. Nevertheless, since
paganism was as yet the established
worship of the state, those who openly
avowed Christianity were still anne
nable to the terrible punishments in.
fiicted by the earlier emperors.
Even the virgins appointed to keep
up the sacred fire in the temple Of
Vesta. located in the center of the
Roman forum. were becoming disaf.
fected toward the religion under
which for n thousand years their or
der had enjoyed inestimable privi-
leges SO great was the honor attached
to the position of vestal that every
Roman girl aspired to the appoint
ment. There were but six of them,
dwelling in a marble house near the
temple, served by numerous attend
ants and slaves. They were free to
go anywhere unattended. and in the
Coliseum a special box opposite that of
the emperor was provided for them.
If, then, the religion of Jesus was be.
ginning to affect these most honored
of Roman women, if it had already
won over the empress, would it not
soon carry with it the emperor, the
senate and the Roman people?
One morning Claudia. the chief
vestal, riding in her carriage for an
airing, saw the sun glistening on the
breastplatcs and helmets of knot of
soldiers. When they came near they
halted and reverently made way for
her to pass. A prisoner whom they
were conducting alone stood erect in
the presence of the sacred parsonage.
He was julius Flavius. young Chris.
tian, who had openly refused to bow
his head at the sacrifices to Jupiter
and was being taken to the Mamertine
prison to be strangled.
The vestal sat looking at the man.
whose glance, rebellious at the rever.
ence paid her pagan office, was lighted
by a fire far more sacred than that
over which she presided-love. In the
! two the conflicting religions met, and
| Claudia, touched also by the only i'm
mortal pagan god, spiritually yielded
mastery to this servant Of a new
deity.
"Take off his chains" said the vestal
to the officer in command.
Gan order from the emperor? asked
/ the officer hesitatingly.
'No-by the privilege vested in me
as one of the six virgins appointed to
keep up the sacred fire. Whence came
you that you do not know that any
| prisoner meeting one of our number
goes free? Let fall his chains"
Pardon said the officer, bowling
the knee humbly before her. "For
years have served in Gapl and many
of our home customs are unknown to
me. Your sacred word is enough"
| Approaching the prisoner. he took
off his chains, and julius Flavius stood
before his liberator a free man.
"You have deprived me Of the bless
ings Of martyrdom," he said to her
'but you have prolonged my life that
I may spread the faith of Jesus the
Christ. May he win you, too into the
true church,
Claudia made no reply.
She ordered her charioteer to drive on
Flavius stood looking after her, hop
ing that she would turn her head, but
she did not When he came back t
his surroundings he stood alone.
Above the house of the vestals tow
cred q wing of the imperial palace
That night Claudia, climbing tn,
height, entered the chamber of tn,
empress and. tearing the filet from hel
brow, threw herself into her imperia
mistress arms and poured into he
ear remuneration Of paganism, con
fession of the new religion.
Aided by the new ally, Flavius ap
preached the emperor and besough
him to declare as the religion of tn,
state that faith which he had alread,
adopted in his heart. The appeal wa
successful. When the morning cam
an edict went forth banishing tn
heather gods.
The edict was all that saved Claudi;
from terrible death. But paganism
though it had received its deathblow
was not dead, and Claudia. before FREE
and honored among women. now dare
not show her face on the streets o
Rome. But julius Flavius. whom sh
had saved from martyrdom, was takel
up by the emperor and advanced a
a concession to the Christian faction
r In the imperial palace he again me
- the woman who had saved his lif
D and whose immortal soul he ha,
turned in the way of salvation. Hoy
S different the meeting from that whe
Claudia was Vestala Maxima an
julius, loaded with chains, was on hi
] way to the prison where Jugartha an
the Catiline conspirators had persisted
She whom he could not revere as
pagan he worshiped as his Christia
: love.
I In the ruins of the house of vestal
: at Rome there are a number of pedes
!. tails on which are the remains o
statues of the last of the virgins VIII
lived there. On one is an inscriptio
In Latin praising the Vestala Maxim
II for her many virtues and her pre-
n ficiency in the tenets of the pagan r.
}. ligion. One word of the inscriptio
Il has been chiseled from the marble
the name of her whose praises ar
sounded. But the first and last lette
remain, the first and last of the wor
2. Claudia. 1t is known that at the tim