XVI
TELEKI AND MADÁCH
Count Teleki (1811-1861), a distinguished statesman, whose life was occupied by political duties, wrote, however, an extraordinarily fine tragedy, The Favourite.
Its scene was laid in Rome under the Emperor Valentinian, during the period of her decay, and the subject was taken from Gibbon's history. The drama is really the story of a terrible vengeance. Petronius Maximus, in a game of dice, loses his wife to the emperor. The winner lures the lady, who is ignorant of what has occurred, into his palace, but she escapes and saves her honour. Petronius, however, does not believe her to be innocent and resolves to be revenged upon the emperor. First, he gains his confidence and then compels his wife, whom he regards as guilty, to become the emperor's mistress. Then he poisons the emperor's mind and stirs his resentment against his friends, and when several of these have been unjustly put to death, Petronius heads a rebellion against him, degrades and slays him. Having achieved his aim, Petronius desires to become reconciled with his wife, but she shudders at his touch and takes poison. The unhappy avenger is elected emperor and he hears the crowds shouting his name, but the only response evoked by the plaudits is: "Do not mock me, O Rome!"
