CREATIVE WRITING PIECE

Jugurtha's Journey to Testify in Rome

" In accordance with the provisions of the Sempronian Law, Numidia and Italy were assigned as their provinces to the consuls about to be elected"(Sallust 63). The consuls were each given their provinces, and Lucius Bestia was given Numidia. He was to invade Numidida and capture the land. When Jugurtha heard of this, he was infuriated and immediately thought to do what he had done before, bribe anyone from Rome that he could and end the invasion of Numidia. Although they tried, none of Jugurtha's people were allowed to pass through the gates of Rome, therefore, no bribes were given out and nothing had been accomplished.

Bestia began an attack on Numidida and took prisoners from many towns. Jugurtha was angry since he felt it was his land. He arranged for some of his people to bribe Bestia by telling him that he had a difficult war at hand, and would be better advised to accept a payment of many animals and silver and stop the invasion. Bestia accepted the bribe and met at a later date to accept the goods. Jugurtha gave him 30 elephants, a large number of cattle and horses, and some silver. For this, Bestia and his accompanist Secarus agreed to return to Rome and withdraw the soldiers. Word leaked to Rome that that Bestia and Secarus had accepted bribes from Jugurtha. A man by the name of Gaius Memius rallied the people by telling them that they were being betrayed by their noble leaders and decided to settle it by having Jugurtha testify against Bestia and Secarus. Rome sent a man named Cassius to go to Numidida and accompany Jugurtha on his journey to Rome.

I was met Cassius at the port of Tunis, where a Roman boat called a corbita was waiting to take me back to Rome. I must say, the service and hospitality was superb. I was given many meals upon this wonderful merchant ship. Some of the meals included some typical Roman foods such as, eggs, seafood, meat, and fruit. Also, I had time to observe the beautifully done carvings on the stern of the boat. My boat had a carved swan on the stern, with its head curled around and positioned in a fierce manner. The ship appeared to be approximately 85 feet long and quite broad. It was powered by sails and steered by steering oars. I chose to dress in clothes of a common person, not those of a king, as I wanted the people to have some pity on me.

We arrived in Rome several days later, after traveling across the Mediterranean and up the Tiber River. We arrived in the royal port and I stepped on Roman land, I was not welcomed by anyone and had to search for a place to stay. One of my advisors from Numidida had given me the name of a person with whom I could stay for the week that I would be in Rome. My friend Bomilcar, a wealthy man in Rome, owned the entire lower story of a town home. The wealthier people, like Bomilcar, lived in the lower levels, which were made of brick and decorated nicely. Bomilcar welcomed me with great pleasure and treated me to a feast at his home that night. When I arrived, he told me his wife and two daughters were in their rooms having their hair done by their slaves and servants. I washed up and we sat down for the three-course meal that his slaves had spent the entire day preparing. I was guided, along with Bomilcar and his family, into the triclinium, where the dinner was served, and sat on three couches arranged around a low table where the food was placed. Once we were seated, a servant asked if I would like some wine. I said yes and she poured some out of the glass flagon. Glass was very expensive in Rome, and I was impressed that Bomilcar had so much in his home. He must be very successful. Of course, I had lots of glass in my kingdom, all imported from Rome. The meal that night started with a delicious piece of fish and some snails, then broiled meats, and finally a course of sweets and fruits. Throughout the meal, the servants offered wine and bread. When the meal was finished, the children played different games using counters and dice while Bomilcar and I retreated to a more private room where we discussed the upcoming senate events. After several hours debating and discussing the upcoming events, we were exhausted. A servant showed me to my room and we said goodnight. Bomilcar told me that evening that I was scheduled to appear before the Senate in three days time. Until then I decided to enjoy the pleasures of Rome.

During the next few days I visited many sights and saw many sights throughout the city. I viewed the important monuments and places in the city, observed an exciting chariot race, went to a thrilling gladiator fight, and listened to some beautiful music. But the two things I enjoyed the most were the baths, and the theater.

The baths were incredible. I had heard about their reputation, but I had never had the time to experience them to the fullest for myself. When I was at the baths, did I experience them, but I also learned the method in which they used to heat the rooms and the floors, a system called Hypocaust. My friend, Bomilcar, explained that hot air generated by a furnace circulated under the floor and in the walls heating the room and provided a and warm and enjoyable ambiance. Because they are not expensive to enter, both the rich and poor could enjoy them. The men bathed in an area separate from the women. The baths offered people many different things to do, other than a good scrubbing. Everyone would swim, exercise, play games, and gossip. I did not know the people so I was left out when it came to the gossip part. Bomilcar told me that sometimes, a bath would even have a restaurant and library. While at the bath, we went into the steam bath, the hot room, the cold room, and the warm room. Each room was separated from the others but connected with doors, so people could go from room to room.

After the relaxing day at the bath, Bomilcar and I returned home for a meal, similar to the one that I was greeted with on the first night. After we finished our dinner, we went and attended a theatrical event. Bomilcar told me that it was customary that when you went to the theater, you saw two plays. The first one was to be a tragedy, that would make the audience sad, and then we would see a comedy to cheer us up. I enjoyed the singing and excellent theatrics that the play had to offer. I was most interested in the intricate costumes they wore. They consisted of hand crafted masks with exaggerated expressions on them. This was for the people that were sitting farther away from the stage who might not hear everything. Each actor wore a mask and sometimes an actor would even change masks and play two parts in a play, although not in the same scene. I told Bomilcar that if I were ever to return to Rome that we would definitely have to visit the theater, again.

The next day I spent relaxing in the baths, and then that night I met with someone to discuss the following day's events at the senate. I gave him a little money to make sure they would side with me, and when something was said they would be sure to take my side of the argument. The senator gladly accepted, and the next morning we met before I entered the senate to testify. I didn't feel nervous at all, and was sure that I would be fine, for I now had at least one supporter with me.

As it turned out, the senator that I had bribed did stand up for me like he was supposed to, and all went well. I was not in trouble and was free to leave and return to my kingdom in Numidia. I was escorted to the city gates, where I looked back and thought to myself, "Rome was a city that was for sale, and a city where everything could be bought."

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