The Fall of the Roman Empire Page #5

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Fires go out, the dead are buried,

the slaves die, slowly.

But their hatred that we leave behind us

never dies!

Hatred means wars.

Wars mean tribute

torn from our provinces,

taxes,

hunger,

disease.

How costly that is!

How wasteful!

And yet the answer is simple.

We must have no war.

No war?

When your friends continually attack us.

This is treason!

These people have proved their aims

very clearly.

To destroy us

and to destroy

the whole Roman way of life.

And yet,

the answer is simple.

Let us transform my friends

from men of war

to men of peace.

Let us put them

on our abandoned farmland.

Not only will they produce food

for themselves,

but this I pledge you.

One day they will send food to Rome.

Yes, I agree!

Put them on those lands.

Let them produce for us

but as slaves.

That is the way it has always been!

Niger here used to have twenty thousand

slaves on his family estate.

Where are they now?

All sold or freed.

Why?

Because Niger is opposed to slavery?

No, because it is no longer

profitable to keep slaves.

Slaves do not produce

as much as free men.

Let us do what is profitable,

and right.

Let us share the greatest gift of all.

Let us give these men

the right of Roman freedom.

And they will spread the word

that Rome has accepted them

as equals, then

we will have our human frontiers.

The Roman peace

that Marcus Aurelius promised.

In the name of Caesar...

In the name of Caesar!

Caesar has asked me

when has Rome ever been

greater or stronger?

I say in answer to Caesar:

Never has Rome been

greater or stronger than now.

And what is it

that has kept our empire together?

Our strength!

Our might!

Equality...

Freedom...

Peace.

Who is it that uses these words

but Greeks,

and Jews, and slaves.

Behind him

and his people are the Vandals,

untold millions of them,

waiting for a moment of weakness,

ready to destroy us.

If we take these barbarians

in amongst us,

our enemies will say is it because

we are weak.

Then they will pour in

on us from everywhere.

It will be the end of the Roman Empire.

It will be the end of Rome.

The end of Rome?

How does an empire die?

Does it collapse in one terrible moment?

No. No!

But there comes a time when its people

no longer believe in it.

Then, then does an empire begin to die.

Fathers of Rome,

I have lived under four great emperors.

Trajan,

Hadrian,

Antoninus,

Marcus Aurelius.

And during all those years

our empire grew.

Changed.

The law of life is grow or die.

And you, the senators,

Are the heart of Rome.

It is through you that the people speak.

Speak up! Let the world hear you!

Let the world know

that Rome will not die.

There are millions like them

waiting at our gates.

If we do not open these gates

they will break them down

and destroy us, but instead,

let us grow ever bigger,

ever greater.

Let us take them among us.

Let the heart of the empire grow with us.

Honorable fathers.

We have changed the world.

Can we not change ourselves?

Yes!

It is time to change! An end of war.

End to war!

Livius.

Oh, Livius.

You have won.

We have won.

We have won the Senate.

We have yet to win Rome.

Rome is with you.

The army's with you.

I'll be with you.

March against Commodus.

With you as Caesar

all Rome will change.

You've defeated me.

Haven't you?

Since it was for Rome

it cannot be your defeat.

It is all so very clear now...

why you came...

To destroy me.

I could kill you, both!

As for the Senate...

If you will try to oppose

the will of the Senate...

I will not oppose the will

of the Senate.

We'll allow your barbarians to settle,

But you...

You are no longer second

in command to Caesar.

You will return to

your northern frontiers,

and you will patrol them forever.

Until it is my pleasure

to change my mind.

No, no, no, sister...

I'm not giving you anymore chances

to plot against me.

You will go back to your husband

in Armenia,

and you will not see Rome

or Livius again.

A few days ago

you were ready to make peace with Rome.

Over these past years

we have made many peace treaties.

with many tribes.

Of the northern peoples

only you are left.

If you are afraid of the hordes

of Vandals on your frontiers,

Rome will protect you.

Why do you refuse?

Why? Speak out clearly,

now!

Or be on your way.

All these years in this wilderness.

And what have we accomplished?

The first time in the history

of the Roman Empire,

most of the north is at peace.

A man can be alone for months, years,

and then a moment comes,

that one moment that is too much.

Would that moment have come,

if Lucilla were here with you?

A command from Caesar.

Your are to return to Rome.

Timonides,

Look! It's Livius!

All is well with us.

We prosper.

They have a home, like a Roman.

As you see there's

more than enough for ourselves.

We were right, Livius.

There's no limit to what can be done

with the human spirit, for good or evil.

Have you heard from Lucilla?

No.

I haven't heard a word, not for a month.

I hear there's a famine I Rome.

People are dying in thousands of hunger

and pestilence.

I must get there before nightfall.

I'm glad you prosper.

Terrible days, Livius.

I'm afraid the gods are angry.

They are torturing Rome with this

pestilence.

Thousands have died. I am alone.

I have no one to...

turn to.

Except you.

I have not wanted to be away.

The entire East has rebelled:

Arabia,

Judea, Cappadocia, Syria,

Egypt...

- Syria and Egypt!

That is Marcellus and Virgilianus...

They were among the most loyal.

Yes, to my father.

Now they are raising armies against me.

Against Rome.

Even Sohamus has joined them.

He has forced Lucilla

to flee with him, Livius.

Where is the eastern army, Commodus?

They have sided with the rebels.

There's only the northern army

left to crush them.

And you,

you're the only one they will follow.

Livius...

Take command.

Do not give me this power, Commodus.

The gods are with me.

They will always be with me.

Go to the East and crush this rebellion.

Do not give me this power.

I'm not afraid.

You asked for this meeting!

Speak!

You are prepared to do battle against us,

even before you had spoken to us.

You have rebelled against Rome.

Marcus Aurelius spoke of an empire

of equal nations.

Rome will not tolerate rebellion!

We're old friends, Livius.

You are traitors!

You have caused two armies to mutiny!

You have threatened the empire!

We are not alone in this, Livius.

Livius.

Livius. Oh, Livius.

The gods were kind to us.

They sent you, you, you.

You're a part of this, Lucilla?

I am a great part of this.

Part of rebellion?

We are breaking away from Rome.

We will make our own empire here in the East.

An eastern empire.

An eastern empire! You will make chaos!

What will hold you together?

What will you do but divide the empire?

But not if you'd join us, Livius.

We will have all of Rome greater than ever.

What have you done, Lucilla?

I am trying to prevent the disaster

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