ruefully liked to acknowledge.
It was, however, roomy enough for a pair of friendly fellows to let themselves relax when left unsupervised.
VII
TO MAKE IT a manly symposium, we had brought a fine glass bottle of decanted Alban wine. Helena's mother had instructed us to look after the baby; apparently, the grim-faced slaves in her retinue had too much work of their own. We had boasted that childcare fell well within our expertise. The senator placed Julia on a rug and let her grab whatever came to hand. Allowed to play among the grown-ups, she was no trouble; she settled to playing spillikins with equipment from his stylus tray. I was a realistic father; I intended to equip her for life. Even a year and four days could not be too young for a girl to familiarize herself with men's behavior when they are let loose with a good flagon.
"So! Tell me about Aelianus singing the ancient hymn of the Arval Brothers."
His father sighed. "Time to garner a few embellishments on his social record."
"I seem to be hearing about nothing but religious cults this week. As far as I remember, the Brethren are the oldest in Rome--a lineage all the way from our agricultural forefathers. And don't they celebrate fertility by way of energetic feasting? Sounds like your son made a good choice."
Decimus grinned, though rather distractedly. He must prefer to think of this as a sober move.
"And what about selection, sir? Is it another lottery?"
"No. Co-option from within the serving Brothers."
"Ah! So Aelianus has to infiltrate the corn wreaths and impress them with his convivial nature, specifically his skill at worshipping good horticultural practice while guzzling for the love of Rome?"
I could see some problems here.
Aulus Camillus Aelianus was two years younger than Helena, so about twenty-four, maybe twenty-five already if he was heading for the senate. They must have been born pretty close. It suggested an unnerving period of passion in their parents' marriage, which I preferred not to contemplate. Aelianus had survived modest career postings in the army and in the civilian governor's office in Baetica, and was all set to stand for election. The process was expensive, which always causes family friction.
It also required Aelianus to approach those who might vote him in with conciliatory smiles, which was where I saw the difficulty; it was not his natural talent. He was of a slightly grumpy disposition, a little too self-centered and lacking the fake warmth to ingratiate him with the smelly old senators he needed to flatter. His father would shove him onto the Curia benches eventually, but at present it might be for the best that his brother's elopement with Claudia Rufina had delayed everything. Aelianus needed polish. Failing that, it might do him no harm at least to gain a reputation as a lad about town. Playboys gather clusters of votes without any need for bribes.
Everything is relative. As an apprentice in a copper shop on the Aventine, this young grouser would have seemed smooth and elegant. Perhaps not enough to fool the girls. But sufficient to become a leader of men.
"Mind you," I said, as his father and I reflectively savored our wine, "people nowadays reckon the voting in most elections takes the line approved by the Emperor."
"That was what we rather relied on!" admitted Decimus, for once alluding to his friendship with Vespasian.
"So what's Aelianus up to with these characters today?"
Decimus explained in his typically dry way: "The Arval Brothers--we have learned this as we applied ourselves in a groveling manner to winning them over--are busy in May. They hold their annual election for their leader and celebrate the rites of their special deity over a period of four days--on the second of which nothing significant happens, in fact. My theory is that after the first bout of unrestrained feasting they have to take a break; subdued by a day with a bad hangover, they proceed more carefully."
"These are grown-up boys!
It was, however, roomy enough for a pair of friendly fellows to let themselves relax when left unsupervised.
VII
TO MAKE IT a manly symposium, we had brought a fine glass bottle of decanted Alban wine. Helena's mother had instructed us to look after the baby; apparently, the grim-faced slaves in her retinue had too much work of their own. We had boasted that childcare fell well within our expertise. The senator placed Julia on a rug and let her grab whatever came to hand. Allowed to play among the grown-ups, she was no trouble; she settled to playing spillikins with equipment from his stylus tray. I was a realistic father; I intended to equip her for life. Even a year and four days could not be too young for a girl to familiarize herself with men's behavior when they are let loose with a good flagon.
"So! Tell me about Aelianus singing the ancient hymn of the Arval Brothers."
His father sighed. "Time to garner a few embellishments on his social record."
"I seem to be hearing about nothing but religious cults this week. As far as I remember, the Brethren are the oldest in Rome--a lineage all the way from our agricultural forefathers. And don't they celebrate fertility by way of energetic feasting? Sounds like your son made a good choice."
Decimus grinned, though rather distractedly. He must prefer to think of this as a sober move.
"And what about selection, sir? Is it another lottery?"
"No. Co-option from within the serving Brothers."
"Ah! So Aelianus has to infiltrate the corn wreaths and impress them with his convivial nature, specifically his skill at worshipping good horticultural practice while guzzling for the love of Rome?"
I could see some problems here.
Aulus Camillus Aelianus was two years younger than Helena, so about twenty-four, maybe twenty-five already if he was heading for the senate. They must have been born pretty close. It suggested an unnerving period of passion in their parents' marriage, which I preferred not to contemplate. Aelianus had survived modest career postings in the army and in the civilian governor's office in Baetica, and was all set to stand for election. The process was expensive, which always causes family friction.
It also required Aelianus to approach those who might vote him in with conciliatory smiles, which was where I saw the difficulty; it was not his natural talent. He was of a slightly grumpy disposition, a little too self-centered and lacking the fake warmth to ingratiate him with the smelly old senators he needed to flatter. His father would shove him onto the Curia benches eventually, but at present it might be for the best that his brother's elopement with Claudia Rufina had delayed everything. Aelianus needed polish. Failing that, it might do him no harm at least to gain a reputation as a lad about town. Playboys gather clusters of votes without any need for bribes.
Everything is relative. As an apprentice in a copper shop on the Aventine, this young grouser would have seemed smooth and elegant. Perhaps not enough to fool the girls. But sufficient to become a leader of men.
"Mind you," I said, as his father and I reflectively savored our wine, "people nowadays reckon the voting in most elections takes the line approved by the Emperor."
"That was what we rather relied on!" admitted Decimus, for once alluding to his friendship with Vespasian.
"So what's Aelianus up to with these characters today?"
Decimus explained in his typically dry way: "The Arval Brothers--we have learned this as we applied ourselves in a groveling manner to winning them over--are busy in May. They hold their annual election for their leader and celebrate the rites of their special deity over a period of four days--on the second of which nothing significant happens, in fact. My theory is that after the first bout of unrestrained feasting they have to take a break; subdued by a day with a bad hangover, they proceed more carefully."
"These are grown-up boys!
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