Quo Vadis Page #7

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they

shall be called the children of God.

But beyond these things, Jesus asks us

to obey the commandments...

...which God gave to the prophet Moses.

Obey those who govern you

and the laws by which they govern.

Even though, under them,

you suffer cruelties...

...and witness maliciousness

beyond your mind's dimensions...

...make no threat of violence in return.

And in the words of Jesus,

I further say to you...

...whosoever shall smite thee upon thy

right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Iove thy neighbor as thyself.

Whatsoever you would that men should

do to you, do ye even so to them.

Iove your enemies.

Bless them that curse you.

Do good to them that hate you.

And pray for them that despitefully

use you and persecute you.

Oh, believe in him.

Endure all things in his name,

so that you may dwell in blessedness.

Even from everlasting to everlasting.

Amen.

Amen.

Endure all things in his name,

that you may dwell in blessedness.

If I smite him on one cheek, the old rat

will have no chance to turn the other.

I don't know.

The old rat has courage of sorts.

Will you both come to our house

tomorrow to see Peter and Paul?

We must bide our time,

we may be watched.

Good night, Father. Good night, Mother.

There. There she is.

- Well, commander?

- Come along.

That giant looks as though

he had the strength of a Cretan bull.

- Do you think you can down him?

- I'll squeeze the seeds out of him.

Wait. We're being followed.

- I don't hear anyone.

- Three times I have heard.

They stop when we do.

Go on to the house.

- But what will...?

- Go to the house.

Go no further, commander.

- Step aside.

- My lord, you haven't paid me.

It's only a small cut in the scalp,

but they always bleed the most.

Hot water.

I'll get some ointment.

Iook. Did you do that too, Ursus?

No, dear. That's an old scar.

A scar? What from?

Probably some battle wound.

That's right. He's one of Nero's

best generals, isn't he?

Here. Come, Nazarius,

it's time you were asleep.

- But, Mother, did you see the big sword...?

- Yes, dear.

- Wash the wound thoroughly first, Lygia.

- Yes.

Come, Ursus.

Ursus wishes to speak to you.

- Yes?

- I want to ask...

...the commander's forgiveness.

I killed his friend.

Ha-ha. You killed Croton?

Good man. I told you you'd be a

champion. Kill the old Greek too?

The other man disappeared.

I'll wager he did, and fast.

Please say you'll forgive him.

For what? Croton faced his chances.

Killing was his profession.

Of all the gods, why didn't you kill me?

In our faith, it is a sin to kill.

I seem to remember.

He should have killed me.

You should have had him kill me.

But instead, you bring me in

and patch me up, all of you who hate me.

You've defeated me, Lygia.

Go on home. Stop hiding.

I won't come pursuing you

about the countryside any longer.

You're free and rid of me, Lygia.

You could look happier about it.

Well, so be it.

Marcus.

Oh, Marcus, you know I don't hate you.

Lygia.

- Oh, Marcus, Marcus.

- The sweetness of you.

Oh, this is the beauty, I knew it.

I should have known it had to happen

when I watched you leave the gathering.

- You were there?

- Yes.

I should have known what I really wished.

You with me always as my wife.

Will you do that, Lygia?

Will you give me the greatest triumph

a man ever had? Be my wife?

Oh, yes, Marcus.

Gather what you need

and let's be gone from this den.

- Hurry.

- Yes, Marcus, I'll hurry.

We'll go to Antium.

Petronius will outdo himself.

A ceremony and wedding feast

such as never has been seen.

And even that will be lost moments.

Oh...

Marcus, Paul will be here soon.

I would like so much to ask his blessing.

Perhaps let him say the words over us.

What words?

You've heard enough of his words.

They've deafened your ears

to everything life has to tell you.

But you heard Peter and Paul speak.

Did you hear anything

that was ugly or wrong?

I heard a childish old man

speak in riddles.

Believe as they do...

...and you'll think a cow is a bull

and a bull is an ox and an ox is a goat.

Oh, Marcus, dear.

I thought, having heard,

you might begin to know...

...to understand why.

Here, now.

Is this the symbol of your God,

your Christ?

The cross on which he was crucified.

I'm willing to accept your God,

if it makes you happier.

I don't demand it.

In our gardens in Sicily, we'll put up

a big cross, higher than the roof.

I'll put up a special pedestal and crown it

with a figure of your Christ...

...carved from the finest marble.

You'll have to have Peter

tell the sculptor what he looks like.

- Marcus, listen to me...

- Why not? It's no trouble.

There's such an army of gods these days

we can always find room for another.

I'm not asking it as a condition

of our having one another.

I just hope and pray that one day...

...the image of Christ

will appear in your heart.

My heart is only for you.

There won't be room for him there.

There will be.

I always carry him in mine with you.

Well, take him out

if he means that much, Lygia.

- Do you hear me? Get rid of him.

- Well.

I'm glad to see you on your feet again.

Last night and this morning,

you had us quite concerned.

Paul.

- Marcus has just asked me to be his wife.

- Oh?

I'm sure that this has

brought her great joy, Marcus.

You could see, Paul, that I loved him.

I was just trying to explain to him that...

Well, that there are other things. I mean...

- I understand.

- I don't.

I offered to accept the symbols

of her God into my house.

I don't ask her to accept mine.

What more can I do to prove

that I'm not an enemy of her God?

Marcus.

For some of us it takes months,

years of thought...

...of contemplation,

of looking back on our lives...

...on the course of mankind

and realizing...

Tell me what more I should do.

Well, you own slaves, do you not?

Hundreds. Good ones too. Why?

Jesus wishes no man to be in bondage.

You should set them free.

Set them free?

But they're mine, I own them.

But you can't buy human beings,

Marcus.

Faith in Christ is based on love.

He asks all people to love one another.

So I heard your old fisherman say. You

want me to love the whole human race?

You want me to love Parthians,

Egyptians, Persians?

The rest who wanna put a blade

through my ribs?

Has it occurred to you

to put down your sword...

...and renounce war

against these people?

That you might conquer them with love?

Yes, yes,

you tame a pack of wolves with a feather.

It's occurred to me

you've a whining beggar for God.

A cringing God for slaves, aliens,

and outcasts like yourself.

But that's not Lygia.

Let's be gone from this idiocy of words.

Get your cloak, Lygia.

- Marcus, dear, a moment more.

- We've lost too much time as it is.

You're going to be wife of

Commander Marcus Vinicius...

...not the miserable slave

of some crucified carpenter.

Oh, Marcus, try to understand my faith,

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes