Demetrius and the Gladiators Page #5

You forget that these Christians owe

allegiance to another king, another god.

- Silence!

- Sire, the guards want a hero. Listen to them.

Ask him, sire. Put him to the question.

Christian,...

...do you renounce your false god,

this king of an invisible kingdom,...

...who expects to come back

some day and rule the earth?

There is no other king but Caesar.

There is no power greater than his,

in this world or any other.

By the mercy of Caesar, you are a free man.

(cheering)

Prefect, you may induct him into

the guards with the rank of tribune.

Tonight let him sacrifice in the temple.

Isis,...

...Queen of the Mysteries, Mother of Egypt,...

...Protectress of Rome,...

...your servant Demetrius offers you sacrifice.

Well, are you waiting for

your goddess to strike me dead?

What have you and I to do with gods?

I rejected mine because what he taught

was against all reason and reality.

Do you think I'll accept

this obscenity in his place?

We need no gods, you and I.

We have each other...

...for as long as we live.

There is no past.

No future.

Only now.

Do you see her, Claudius?

The goddess Diana.

Every night she comes to me,...

...to my arms.

There.

There she goes.

- Now do you see her?

- No, sire.

Why not?

Only you gods

are privileged to see each other.

Of course. What are you doing here?

You sent for me, sire.

Oh, yes.

I thoughtyou might be lonely, Uncle.

Caesar is considerate.

We haven't seen Messalina

for nearly three months.

- She has been busy at the temple.

- How pious.

- Which temple, Uncle?

- The temple of Isis, sire.

Oh, no, Uncle.

No. Messalina worships this summer

at the temple of Venus.

Even now at the seashore

Venus is rising from the waves...

...and Messalina's there to welcome her.

Deny that she is there, Uncle,...

...and that our newest tribune

is her constant visitor.

Shall I take steps?

After all, I'm responsible

for the morals of the court.

Messalina is my wife, sire.

Any steps that are to be taken,

I prefer to take myself.

My poor uncle,...

...the tribune's so young,

so strong, so handsome...

...and so brave.

A hero of Rome.

I made him one myself.

Did you know when he leaves the palace, the

guards cheer him louder than they do me?

Did you knowthat, Uncle?

The first cup for thirst,...

...the second for joy,...

...the third for delight...

...and the fourth for folly.

(screaming)

(Demetrius laughs)

Glycon.

- Who is that?

- A man to see the tribune, my lady.

I'll see him. Leave me alone with him.

- You're the fisherman.

- And you're Claudius's wife.

- What do you want?

- My business is with Demetrius.

- This is my house.

- I know.

I was told, if I wanted

to see him, to come here.

You're wasting your time.

He doesn't want to see you.

I'm sure he can say that for himself.

You can leave now.

Why are you afraid?

I, afraid?

You'll never get him back.

What can you offer him? The company

of slaves and beggars, the refuse of Rome?

Poverty and self-denial?

Prayers, tears, death?

You see, I've studied your teachings.

And I, Fisherman, I can give him the world.

If he has to choose between us, do you think

he'd hesitate for one minute? Of course not.

And that's why you hate me.

I can see it in your eyes.

Whatyou see in my eyes is pity.

- Get out!

- Messalina!

- So they sent for you.

- No, Demetrius.

My work in the north was finished.

If you found enough fools to satisfy you,

I can't be important to you.

Jesus himself thought

no man was unimportant, and no woman.

He was wrong,

as he was wrong in so many things.

You are no longer important to me, Peter.

I have nothing againstyou,

but whatyou say doesn't interest me.

So far I haven't said anything.

Then why did you come here?

Do I have to give a reason

for wanting to see an old friend?

He's right, Messalina.

We can't refuse our hospitality

to an old friend.

- Send him away.

- No. Not until he's had some wine.

- Glycon, bring wine.

- Thank you. I've already had some.

Ah, you shouldn't have done that, Messalina.

He's my friend.

We travelled from Galilee, persuading people

to give up their lives for a beautiful dream.

Take it, Peter. It's real.

Hot, spiced with cinnamon and cloves.

It wasn't made out of water.

Did you knowthat Jesus

could turn water into wine?

- That was only one of his tricks.

- Yes, only one.

Anything that was base, he'd make noble.

He found a leper and he made him clean.

He found death and he made life.

- He found you a slave and freed you.

- Get out!

Now you've won a victory over him, Tribune.

You've made yourself a slave again.

Let him go, Demetrius.

Peter!

I'm through with it. All of it.

Don't ever try to come back.

- I have no intention of coming back.

- I know you better than that.

You never give up.

You didn't let go of Marcellus until he died.

- You brought him to me.

- And in doing so condemned him to death!

Butyour tricks won't work on me

because I knowthem.

Tell that to Jesus the next time you see him.

Has he made any

miraculous appearances lately?

Walking through the Forum, perhaps,

or strolling on the surface of the Tiber?

Tell him what I said. Tell him, Peter.

He'll know without my telling him.

You talked to Peter, didn'tyou?

What did you tell him about me?

I don't discuss your affairs with anyone, sir.

You freed me and I am grateful.

You must have told him something.

I asked him if one who'd killed

30 men in the arena, as I have,...

...could ever hope to sleep at night.

Why did you ask him that?

Why should he knowthe answer?

Take your hand away.

You're under my orders, Glycon.

I forbid you to ever see this man again.

I won't obey that order, Tribune.

You are my superior,

but I'll choose my friends.

We were friends once, Glycon.

I know.

I suppose I should blame myself

for what has become of you.

When I put that sword in your hand

it killed more than Dardanius and the others.

It killed you.

I hope you sleep well, sir.

Good night.

Demetrius?

Demetrius.

Demetrius!

So, the mob can jeer me in the Forum,...

...tear down my statues.

Where were the guards

when these sacrileges were committed?

Sire, my men were under arms all night, but

we haven't enough to patrol the entire city.

Are you insinuating

that the entire city is against me?

- Sire, there's a shortage of grain...

- And I must take the blame for that, too?!

There's a shortage because

I've emptied my treasury for the guards.

They take my gold

and give me nothing in return.

These are my orders:

one more desecration of this sort,...

...one more unpunished

insult to your emperor...

...and every tenth man in the guards

is to be crucified at the city gates!

Post that at the guards' headquarters!

Sire, not the guards.

Your power depends on their goodwill.

- Don't publish such an order.

- I'm the emperor!

I can do what I please with whom I please!

The lady Messalina, sire.

Show her in.

You didn't tell me she was back in Rome,

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