ANTINOUS
Extract from 'the Secret Lives of the Caesars (Julius Caesar to Domitian)' by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus.
"From the aching of my joints and the increasing feebleness of my intellect I, Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus, Roman historian, realise that I am coming to the end of my allotted span on this earth and must soon join my ancestors in the dark world of Tartarus. Before I go I trust the Gods will give me time enough to finish my history of the proud and terrible Caesars as I now embark on the latter years of the Flavian Emperor, Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus, known as Hadrian."
"The summer of Year 865 from the Establishment of the City (AD130) found the Emperor at his Villa at Ostia on the coast not many miles from the Imperial Capital of Rome. Then in his 54th year, it was generally considered that he deserved a well-earned holiday from State duties, though his character and disposition meant that the probability was that the holiday be short and the ensuing progress round the Empire, of which the Emperor was inordinately fond, extended."
"With him at that sumptuous Villa, apart from his personal advisors and bodyguards, was his beloved Antinous, the sixteen year old boy beauty whose every whim was the Emperor's command and on whom he doted with a passion verging on the stupidly irresponsible. Hadrian's wife, Vibia Sabina - whom he had married to be politically expedient and who was now wife in name only - had been left behind in sweltering Rome where she complained how badly she was treated to anyone who would listen and ate sweet marsh mallows until - with her covering of pink face powder - she almost looked like one herself."
"Meanwhile at the Imperial Villa on the coast . . . "
It is evening and the heat of the day has cooled with the going down of the sun so that the boy has gone down to the beach to expend his energy in racing alongside the refreshing water and occasionally rushing in amongst the wavelets so that they caress the slender lissom length of his legs and sometimes even go high enough to bathe and calm the even more stimulating delights that hang slightly higher up. He does not dare go deep enough to swim for the Emperor, who has an excessive fear of water, has forbidden it and Antinous knows that if he goes in too far the soldier, Fortunatus, who is forever in attendance not far away and now paces along the shore, will call him out.
Yet the calm blue waters of the Sea at the Middle of the Earth look so inviting, so attractive that he is sorely tempted. He stares at the glassy surface where it returns the light of the dying sun and can see his own face reflected back, his glorious mop of curling resplendent hair, the bloom on his boyish features just being refined by approaching manhood, the lips aching to be kissed - and hidden (just) by his tunic, the loins craving to be satisfied. Fascinated by his own beauty, he stares almost hypnotized until the features in the water shimmer and change.
It is no longer his face. It is a different face, sternly handsome with a full beard and on the head a gleaming, golden crown. Kelp fingers caress the boy's legs inducing, not a feeling of revulsion, but one of stimulation so that the boy's cock under his tunic twitches and rises. A spume of sea foam, which should not have been there, the evening being windless, springs into the air and seems to beckon him into deeper water. The face in the water smiles invitingly, hinting at hidden pleasures. Antinous takes one step further but is halted by a shout from the shore.
"Antinous, Antinous," it is the Emperor himself, clad in his toga and pacing anxiously along the waterline.
As if the head has heard and now knows his name for the first time, the lips under the water form the shape and the boy hears another voice, seductive and tempting repeating the words, "Antinous, Antinous."
But it is to Hadrian that the boy turns and splashes ashore to be welcomed in his bear hug. "Uncle," - it is his pet name for him - "Uncle, such a strange thing I saw in the water. A head - with a crown."
Hadrian looks concerned. "Fortunatus," he orders, "See if there is anything there. There, where the boy stood."
The soldier wades in and prods about for several minutes with his sword swirling the sand so that it obscures everything. "Nothing, Caesar," he reports.
Hadrian ruffles the boy's curls affectionately. "You know how I worry," he says.
Antinous looks contrite. He grasps Hadrian's hand, bends and kisses it. "I am sorry, Uncle," he says. Then he stands up and embraces the man's body, clasping him in contact its whole length. He is only a few inches shorter than him. Hadrian can feel his cool skin against his and, through the light folds of toga and tunic, the swelling bulge of the boy's already developed manhood. The Emperor kisses him on the forehead and gently disengages the clinging arms.
"It is time to eat," he says. "I have asked for your favourite foods to be prepared, roasted lamb and sweet pimentos."
Antinous sighs at what he feels is a physical rejection and together, hand in hand. and followed by the ever watchful Fortunatus, they return to the Villa.
Not one of them turns and sees the figure rise from the water, tall, regal and powerful, trailing strands of weed and carrying a trident in its right hand while around it porpoises leap and cavort.
Extract from 'the Secret Lives of the Caesars (Julius Caesar to Domitian)' by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus.
"The Emperor Hadrian, always aware that the boundaries of the Empire needed constant security was the first to maintain a personal presence by making what in everything but name alone were 'Royal Progresses' along the frontiers. These systematic journeys, 'showing the flag' as it were, were not enjoyed by all of the Emperor's staff involving as they did in some cases a considerable amount of hardship and personal discomfort, especially in the more barbaric parts of the Empire such as Britain, where the Emperor had ordered a Wall to be built to keep out the rude and uncivilized Picts."
"The planned journey to the kingdom of Egypt, annexed to the Empire only one hundred years before, though, was less unpopular, the climate being more akin to their tastes, and the pleasures and entertainments of that country bywords of civilised - some would even say, degenerate - refinement."
"So in Year 865 AUC the Emperor and his retinue boarded a trireme from the port of Taranto bound for Alexandria, after making the appropriate sacrifices to Neptune, Great God of the Sea. The Lady Empress, Vibia Sabina, accompanied her husband on this occasion - and of course, the boy, Antinous."
"The ship sailed . . . "
The weather is mild and the sea calm but they have scarcely got out of sight of land when one of those sudden squally storms for which the Mediterranean is so renowned arises unexpectedly. The sails are hurriedly furled and the banks of rowers, sweat streaming off their backs, strain to keep the ship on course through the rapidly rising waves.
The Emperor, seasoned traveller as he is, paces round the deck accompanied by Antinous, neither troubled by the lurching movement of the ship, but down below poor Vibia Sabina lies in her cabin, groaning and wishing that she had not eaten before their embarkation.
Above the roar of the wind and the crash of the waves against the sides of the ship only the insistent beat of the drum which keeps the rowers in time can be heard. Conversation is scarcely possible but Fortunatus, ever aware of danger to his Emperor and his Emperor's darling, shouts an urgent warning. Perhaps their Excellencies would care to go below, out of the reach of the waves which seem almost to be reaching across the deck to grab hold and sweep overboard anyone not firmly fastened to a rigid structure.
But Antinous is fascinated by the sight of the huge brown walls of water which rear up on either side of the hull and appear about to crash down on top of them. There is a voice in the wind - perhaps it is no more than the shrill cry of a gull hurled past by the tempest - but it seems to be calling his name, "Antinous, Antinous," and the voice is the one he heard before in the calm evening dusk back at Ostia.
Hadrian eventually agrees to go below for the sake of Antinous - though he personally would prefer to be on deck facing the elements and motions the boy to come with him, but it is as if Antinous is in another world, staring spellbound at the tumultuous waters and he has to grab him by the arm and almost pull him to get him to the top of the ladder that leads below deck.
As they reach the hatchway and are about to descend, there breaks the largest wave so far and torrents of water sweep across the deck hurling all three off their feet. Antinous is dragged towards the deck rail. Hadrian can do nothing as he is flat on his back, his limbs flailing helplessly but Fortunatus has flung himself across the deck and, just before the boy is dragged overboard, manages to grab hold of, first a fold of tunic, and then, more substantially, his left leg. It is a tug of war between Fortunatus and the sea with Antinous as the rope but the ship's captain and some men see their predicament and rush over to their aid, finally managing to get their Emperor and Antinous to safety.
As if the waves realise they have lost their chance of gaining the boy, the wind almost immediately drops and the storm abates. The sailors mutter a prayer to great Neptune for his mercy and forbearance.
In the cabin Hadrian is angry, angry with himself that he has allowed Antinous into danger. He controls himself, though, as a good soldier should and strips the soaked clothes from the chilled boy and tenderly dries him, rubbing the youthful skin back into warmth and vibrancy with soft cloths. At this attention, Antinous' cock rises but the Emperor ignores this, pouring him a glass of sweet wine and then tucking him in his own bed while he, having changed his own clothes, sits at his desk and works quietly at his official papers. After a while the quiet, measured breathing from the bed tells him that Antinous sleeps and Hadrian ignores matters of State and gazes through anguished and longing eyes at the boy.
Extract from 'the Secret Lives of the Caesars (Julius Caesar to Domitian)' by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus.
"The arrival of the Emperor in Alexandria was met with great pomp and circumstance and the Pharaoh - which is what the King of Egypt call himself - came himself from his capital at Thebes to meet and personally swear allegiance to Hadrian. The procession through the streets to the Palace was impressive in the extreme and was watched by what must have been the majority of the Alexandrian citizens who lined the streets and cheered lustily. First came the lictors bearing the fasces - those bundles of rods with projecting axe blades - symbols of authority, next came the consuls and proconsuls appointed by Rome to the surrounding districts. Then marched the soldiers under the leadership of the Centurion Apulius and finally, in the Imperial war chariot drawn by pure white stallions came the Emperor himself, with Antinous by his side. Later at the Royal Palace the Emperor discussed affairs of State with the Pharaoh."
"Antinous though was not involved . . . "
And the boy slips out, evading both the Palace attendants and his own personal bodyguard. He knows that Fortunatus will be worried and that, on his return, he will be reprimanded but he is certain he will be back before the Emperor has finished his boring talks with the funny Egyptian king in the strange head-dress and anyway Uncle can never stay cross with him for long. The lure and excitement of this strange new city with its different sights and smells is too much for his curiosity.
He wanders through the streets with their many fine buildings some of which are not all that different from ones he has seen before because Alexandria is a Greek city founded and named after the most renowned Greek of all, Alexander the Great, but there is a certain 'foreign' quality to even the most traditional of Greek style porticos - perhaps it is the bright colours in which they have been painted, or the bas-relief carvings which cover many of the walls.
Soon, though, he reaches the market place and his nose is assailed by an amalgam of spicy perfumes, cinnamon and frankincense, sandalwood and myrrh, smells of the East which reek of the exotic and unfamiliar. He breathes them in deeply and they excite his senses so that he feels alert and stimulated, itching for excitement and novelty. There are many people around, of all races and colours, Romans, Greeks, trading Phoenicians, even Persians from the East and handsome, blue-black Nubians from the South, and Antinous does not stand out as someone alien as he wanders through the crowded stalls.
Suddenly though he feels himself observed.
He turns to see a youth, perhaps of around his own age, but with an olive complexion and huge dark eyes made to appear even larger by their border of kohl, staring at him. Antinous is not alarmed - he thinks he bears a charmed life - rather he is excited by the attention and he returns the look with a smile.
The strange boy beckons him, turns and disappears through the doorway of a small mud-brick building and with only a moment's hesitation Antinous follows. After the glare of outside, the interior is almost pitch dark but after a little while during which his eyes become accustomed to the gloom, he sees, by the light of some oil lamps that the single room is decorated by luxurious swathes of silks which sweep from floor to ceiling and provide a rich rainbow of colour surrounding a large bed. That and a table on which are a plate with some fresh dates and a flask of wine are all the furnishings that the room contains.
Antinous pauses. At first he cannot find the boy but then he sees he is lying on the bed, an exotic figure in an exotic setting. His eyes are bold and alluring and his sprawled limbs are inviting.
"I am Senusret, named after a King," he says. He speaks in Greek but with a pronounced foreign accent which is strangely attractive. "You are Antinous, the Emperor's catamite. I saw you in the procession."
"He is my legal uncle," says Antinous. "Our relations are pure."
"Whatever," says Senusret as if it is of no concern to him. He holds out his hand and Antinous takes a step nearer, then another and he is standing over Senusret, breathing in the sharp cinnamon smell of him. Their hands touch and Antinous is drawn onto the bed beside him. Senusret's touch is all over his limbs, smoothly stroking him, inflaming him, and his lips are on his, the tongue probing inside with a gentle insistence. Antinous can taste the sweet wine that he has been drinking.
The other boy's dark skin is silky smooth, dry and warm to the touch, and his clothing is loose so that a single movement allows it to slip off and instantly he is naked. Antinous struggles with his own tunic until he too is bare and their unclothed skins touch and slide over each other producing a charge which, for Antinous at least, is the most stimulating thing he has ever felt. His penis is engorged, erect and demanding, probing for somewhere to imbed and Senusret soon provides such a place as he takes its full length into his warm, moist mouth.
Antinous gasps at the intense pleasure, thrusts with his body and ejaculates immediately - it is his first time with another partner. Senusret copes with the flow professionally.
Then he says, in his strangely accented Greek. "There you needed that! Now we will drink a little wine and then start again - and this time take it slowly so that both of us will have delight."
On his return to the Palace Fortunatus is indeed furious but only because he fears that something may have happened to him. Luckily Hadrian is still in conference with the Pharaoh and Antinous and Hadrian agree not to tell the Emperor of Antinous' escapade.
Hadrian is tired after the long round of official duties and Antinous knows how to soothe his aching head with cool cloths and untense the knotted muscles by massaging his back and shoulders. He has removed the Imperial purple toga and the gold-embroidered tunic which is worn for State occasions and now lies naked on his stomach so that Antinous can work at his ministrations. In spite of his age, thinks Antinous, he has kept his hard soldier's body and there is scarcely a trace of fat - perhaps just the thickening around his waist.
Hadrian sighs contentedly as the boys supple fingers ease the tension and Antinous feels an sudden rush of affection for this man who has chosen him to share his life and elevate him to a position of such prominence in the mighty Roman Empire. Gently he lies down on top of him, covering him and his cock rests in the cleft of his buttocks.
The Emperor starts and then lies still. Antinous' cock grows and he rubs it in the groove. He kisses the broad shoulders under him and nestles into the base of his neck. Suddenly Hadrian protests. "Antinous," he says, "what are you doing?"
He sits up and Antinous sees that he also has an erection. "It seems, Uncle, that not all of you is averse." He smiles and gently takes the rigid cock in his hand, stroking it and pulling the outer skin over the rigid core.
Hadrian groans but has not the strength nor the desire pull away. Softly he caresses the youth's body, marvelling at its immaculate beauty, its fresh young smell, perfumed - is it? - slightly with cinnamon, worshipping his perfection.
Then Antinous turns over, presenting his own parted buttocks and the puckered hole between for penetration. "No, Antinous," says Hadrian, "I will hurt you."
But Antinous has been made ready by his afternoon's experiences, the entry prepared and well-lubricated.
"Do it, my Lord," he says softly. "I want you inside me."
And Hadrian pushes the tip of his cock against the opening and finds that it slips in with little or no forcing. Nor does Antinous cry out but just pushes himself back on the intrusive cock so that soon he is in as far as he can go, the sphincter muscles clamped around it holding it firmly into that refuge of delight.
The Emperor withdraws a little and then pushes in, soon working up a rhythm which Antinous compensates for to give both of them most enjoyment. His speed increases until at last with one final thrust he discharges his seed into the body of his beloved. And Antinous, feeling the pulsing orgasm, finishes himself off with his hand in three swift strokes. He is satisfied feeling that he has at last given his Emperor something back for his devoted care.
Extract from 'the Secret Lives of the Caesars (Julius Caesar to Domitian)' by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus.
"The celebrations in Alexandria were followed by a journey up the River Nile, that great waterway which provides for Egypt a means of transport from its Northern to its Southern boundaries and also, by virtue of its annual inundation of the land on either side, a fertile ground for bounteous harvests. Truly the grain of Egypt is renowned through the civilised world."
"The Emperor's entourage boarded one of the native Egyptian boats with their distinctive triangular sails and proceeded southwards under the watchful gaze of what the Egyptians call Ra, the Sun God."
It is stiflingly hot and even under the shade of the canopy stretched over the deck for the Emperor's comfort, Antinous feels over-heated and sweaty. He envies the brown-skinned youths who, along each side of the river, dive and swim naked in the cool water. The Imperial party drink sherbet, a strange drink with bubbles that tickles the nose and makes the Empress choke and sneeze. Then she starts to moan about the heat and the flies - as if it is Hadrian's fault. She would have moaned even more had he left her behind in Rome. Antinous does not like the two quarrelling. In some entirely mistaken way he thinks it is his fault so he gets up from the cushions on which he has been lying and says he will walk around the boat to try to catch some of the breeze.
Hadrian is about to get up to accompany him but Vibia Sabina detains him with a question about her duties at the forthcoming banquet at Thebes and with a sigh the Emperor settles himself to give her yet another briefing.
Antinous watches the brown path of the river as it snakes ahead of the prow of the boat through the golden corn fields on either side and then further away the brown of the dry barren desert. Date palms spring up from the reedy banks and overhang the water and in the distance he can see the gleaming white twin pylon towers of a temple dedicated to some Egyptian God.
Though the water is not clear, it looks cool and refreshing and, as the boat passes, a dozen or so young boys are romping in the shallows, splashing each other and shrieking delightedly. He could just dive in and then climb out, thinks Antinous, and he would feel so much cooler.
The thought takes hold. He glances round but no one is watching - even Fortunatus has not followed him around, perhaps assuming there will be no danger, here, on the Emperor's boat, surrounded by the Emperor's trusted servants.
Antinous undoes the cincture around his waist and lets his tunic fall to the deck. He stands poised, a slim lithe form, the very figure of a young God. He climbs onto the rail, dives in and, as he does so, there is a shout from the Emperor, "Antinous!"
At the same time comes an echo, "Antinous, Antinous," apparently from the waters themselves which open up to accept his body and close over him. It is blessedly cool under the surface though he can see little except a murky gloom. He swims down and then loops upward to resurface but reeds clasp at his ankles and he is trapped. His lungs need oxygen and there is a roaring in his ears which seems to concentrate into a word, "Ave - Welcome." Strong arms hold him and a mouth clamps over his. He struggles for a few moments but then finally must open his mouth to the kiss of the God.
Extract from 'the Secret Lives of the Caesars (Julius Caesar to Domitian)' by Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus.
"The Emperor was heart-broken. It was said that he never recovered from the loss and died some eight years later after a period of failing health. The bodyguard, Fortunatus, correctly committed suicide.
"Hadrian's successor was the good Antoninus Pius, to whom the Gods grant good health and a long life."
-- Michael Gouda
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