THough it may seem ill-natur’d to leave the Chast Theodora in so deplorable a Condition, yet it is requisite to do so for a while, that we may learn what was attempted to rescue her out of it.
It is not to be doubted, but that, Didymus was not long kept a stranger to the barbarous usage she had suffered. That of so illustrious a Lady could not but make a great noise, and reach a multitude of ears; and especially those of so concern’d a Person as Didymus: The wounds of Lovers tender hearts, giving them oftentimes secret Presages of approaching misfortunes relating to their Love: As many other wounded men have the unhappy Priviledge of being able, by feeling of pain, to discern such approaches of ill weather, as affect not unhurt men.
Didymus therefore being quickly too much ascertain’d of the unwelcome News of the distress of his fair Mistress, was too generous a Lover to deliberate, whether he should expose his life for her rescue: His deliberation being only about the means, how to make so difficult an attempt a prosperous one. In order to this, he happily finds out one of the Officers of the Guards, that were placed about the infamous House, to which Theodora was condemned: Who having been his fellow Soldier in the Roman Armies; he hoped would either for the sake of Vertue or of Didymus, be prevail’d with to further so handsom a Design as his.
Wherefore addressing himself to this Commander, with a very obliging and yet civil Freedom: Generous Septimius, saies he, I cannot but look upon it as one of the chief advantages I have obtain’d by venturing my Life in the Roman Camps, that I had the happiness to be acquainted with you there, and to be a spectator of your Gallantry; which did not only then raise me to a desire of imitating it, but allows me now to own a request to you, that none but a gallant Person ought to be entrusted with, or would easily grant. Generous Didymus, replies the Roman, When I accompanied you in following our propitious Eagles, I found so great a contentment in your acquaintance, and so strong a spur to Glory, in your examples, that I look’d upon the advantage of having been your fellow Soldier, as preferable to the honour of Leading the most numerous Troops I may at any time Command. And I shall think all the hazards I then expos’d my self to, abundantly rewarded, if any power they have procured me, may enable me to do you service. Tell me then frankly, in what case, and after what manner, you would have it employ’d for you; and as I assure my self, that so vertuous a Friend as Dydimus, will desire nothing but what is just, so he may assure himself, not to be refus’d any service, that is but Dangerous.
Our Lover embolden’d by so encouraging a declaration, first made him a very grateful Acknowledgment for it, and then proceeded to say, If you have ever had the happiness to be acquainted with Theodora, or so much as to have seen her, ‘twould be needless, as well as improper, for me to offer at giving you a Character of her, which you must needs think injurious to her. But if you have not, the shortness of the time will only permit me to assure you, that not only she has given me those Sentiments of her Excellencies, that I never had, nor ever thought my self capable of having, for any of her Sex; but that in other Persons strangely indispos’d to admit such impressions, she has often excited such wonder and such flames, as very rarely have been produced in other men, and perhaps, more rarely been merited by other women.
This admirable Person, for exercising among other vertues, that of an invincible Constancy, to her Religion, and refusing to Sacrifice to Venus, Flora, and some other of those Deities, whom her Perfections might, though her Religion did not, exempt from adoring; is by your savage President condemn’d to be expos’d to the publick Lust: And a Party of those gallant Roman Soldiers, that use to be so gloriously led on by you, to win Battels, conquer Kingdoms, and enlarge at once the Fame and Limits of the Empire, are now employ’d to captivate innocent Virgins, and defend their brutish Ravishers. You may easily guess by this, continues he, that my request is like to prove an earnest one; that you would please to treat with some of those soldiers of yours, in whom you think you have the greatest Interest, and dispose them to assist me in rescuing Theodora out of so infamous a Prison, and accept from me greater recompences for doing a handsom action, than they can expect from the President, for doing a barbarous one; I hope I need not tell you, in the hast this affair requires, that all possible care will be taken to keep you from being endanger’d by Theodoras deliverance, nor will I add how unexpressible an Obligation you will lay on me, to heighten my gratitude to some proportion to your Favours; because I know it must necessarily fall short of them, and are due to a person that loves to do gallant Actions for their own sake, and had rather have great debts of gratitude, remain due to him, than paid to him; wherefore I shall only mind you, that the time is so short, that if your assistance be not as quick as obliging, I fear ‘twill be as ineffectual. I shall quicken you only by assuring you, that when you act for the accomplish’d Theodora, you act for a person that has a Right to all that Beauty and Vertue can give one a Title to.
With the same freedom, replies Septimius, with which you have own’d to me your Religion, I declare to you, that mine is that of my Country, and my Ancestors; and that I worship those propitious Deities, that have made the Romans the Conquerors of the World, and rewarded those that adored them with an Universal Monarchy; but though I exceedingly approve so triumphant a Religion, yet I confess to you, that I do not like the waies that the President takes to propogate it: such cruel methods being apt to make the world suspect, that our best Argument is Force: And whilst the Persecutors think it a glorious thing to see the Temples fill’d at any rate; I had rather see in them fewer but sincere Votaries, than have them throng’d with such pusillanimous Dissemblers, as would not come in, unless they were Scar’d in, thither. And, though Terrors and Torments work sometimes upon the weaker sort of Christians, yet the more resolute do so often despise them, that our Persecutions convert not those unhappy persons, but frequently stagger many of our own; and I confess freely to you, Didymus, that all the Christians Arguments work less with me, than our inhumane manner of confuting them. But I do not only disapprove, but detest, this infamous Practice of our President; which makes him loose not the respect only and the pitty, but the common Humanity we owe to Women, and think to do the Goddesses a service, by disfiguring their fairest Images here below, with the most shameful of Blemishes. I cannot bring my self to imagine, that such gentle Deities, can like such barbarous Worshippers, who not only immolate to them the lives of men, but what is far more precious, the Vertue and Honour of Women; for if I could believe they like such Sacrifices, I should think them unworthy any Sacrifices at all. You will easily therefore, Didymus, credit me, that I was absent when my soldiers were put by the insolent Judge, upon so mean an employment. He durst not have offered to have obtruded it upon them, had I been there; or if he had, I had dared to use him as his insolence had deserved. But without loosing time in passionate Expostulations, about things made remediless, by being past, let us speedily apply our selves to the rescue of Theodora. For, though I have heard strange things of her, and such as made me think Fame a great Flatterer, if not a frontless Liar, yet I believe the Reports about Theodora, as I believe the Delphick Oracles, now that I find so undeniable a Testimony of her merit, as her being your Mistress. I will therefore without delay, prepare some Soldiers to assist you in her Rescue, and I cannot doubt the success in an attempt made to serve a distrest Beauty, and a generous Friend. If there be occasion, you need not doubt of my more openly appearing for you. For how highly soever such an action may provoke the President, or even the Emperour, I hope to let you see, that you have trusted a Roman, a person that had rather be the object, than the minister of their Cruelties, and would not be accessary to such a misemployment of Absolute Power, to be made a Sharer in it.
As soon as Septimius had ended these words, he did, to prevent those acknowledgments he saw Didymus was about to make him, take that gallant Youth by the hand; and leading him towards the place, where he expected to find the Soldiers he most confided in, he entertain’d him in the way about the hopefullest Expedients for the compassing of his admirable Mistresses Rescue. And having afterwards sent for the two persons, he thought likeliest to be prevail’d on, to a convenient place, near to that to which they had brought Theodora; he brieflly, but pathetically, declaring to them, how much the brave Didymus was his friend, and how much he deserv’d to be so, enflam’d them with an indignation at the savage Presidents disgracing them, by so infamous an employment, as they were now about; and then assur’d them of rewards from Dydimus, suitable to the liberality of so generous a Person: After which withdrawing himself, to give Didymus a short account, how far he had proceeded, he left the rest to be compleated by him; who prompted by his native liberality, and his high concern, did not stay to cheapen his Mistresses Liberty, but with the hasty Passion of a Lover, proffer’d them more than even Septimius’s promises gave them reason to expect: Nor would he have declin’d to embrace any Articles of Agreement, they could have propos’d, though the parting with his Life had been one, so Theodoras Deliverance were another.
The sence these soldiers had of the affront put on them, by the President, joyn’d with the Ambition they had to please their lov’d Commander, and the gratitude his friends profus’d Bounty had newly oblig’d them to; made them quickly accommodate Didymus with a military Habit, and prepare some of their Comrades to allow him the first admittance into her Chamber; partly by sharing some of the newly receiv’d Presents among them, and probably by representing him to them, when thus prepar’d, as a person who having been passionately in love with Theodora, and been scornfully slighted by her, was desirous at any rate, to satisfie at once his appetite and his revenge. And by this means, before that short time was expir’d, that had been as an Act of Grace, allow’d the disconsolate Virgin, to deliberate whether she would yet comply with the Judge; an entrance into her Chamber was permitted to her Lover; who (in order not only to his present but further Design) had purposely closed the vizor of his Helmet; upon which score, not being knowable by his fair Mistress, he met with from her the reception we have formerly related.
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