THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
A Tale of the Fall of Jerusalem: A Synopsis of Pearl-Maiden Having converted from Judaism to Christianity, Anna escapes capture by Romans in Caesarea, in the land of Judaea, and then dies giving birth to her daughter, Miriam, in a ship off the coast. The ‘Pearl-Maiden’ of the novel’s title, Miriam receives protection from her Libyan nursemaid, Nehushta, and is taken to live with her uncle, Ithiel, who is one of the Essenes, an ascetic Judaic sect, living on the shore of the Dead Sea. As she grows, she develops a number of talents, especially as an artist, and becomes a great favourite of the community. She also attracts the attention of both Caleb, the son of a Jewish Zealot, and Marcus, a Roman captain, and they become rivals for her hand [142]. Though attracted to the latter, she will not consider marrying him unless he converts to Christianity [143].
134
First Caleb and then Marcus visit Miriam’s grandfather, Benoni, in Tyre [144], on matters of their own, and so alert him to her existence and position. He seeks her out among the Essenes and, as she cannot stay with the community into adulthood, she agrees to return to live with him, despite the fact that he is unsympathetic to her Christian faith [145]. While in Tyre, she receives a letter from Marcus, accompanied by a ring and a necklace. It is the pearls of the latter that will give rise to her sobriquet. Marcus has returned to Rome, where he astonishes the Emperor Nero with sculptures by Miriam, including a highly mimetic bust of Marcus himself, which is set up as an object of veneration [146]. During the following years, political and racial factions tear apart the countries of the eastern Mediterranean. Syrians attack the Jewish population of Tyre, and Benoni, Miriam and Nehushta are rescued only at the last minute by forces led by Caleb. They flee to Jerusalem, which is in Jewish hands, and are allowed to enter when Benoni demands that he be led to the high priest, Mathias, who is his cousin. The city proves to be as fraught with factionalism as the surrounding lands and, when violence erupts, Miriam and Nehushta are split from Benoni and Caleb. However, they are sheltered by the Essenes, who have hidden in caves that are low in the city walls. Four months later, Roman forces attack and enter Jerusalem. During the ensuing fighting, Marcus, who is among their number, is wounded by Caleb. Miriam manages to bring him into the safety of the Essenes but, in so doing, is herself captured by the Jews. As a result, she is brought before the Sanhedrim [150] and, condemned as a traitor, is sentenced to be bound to a column high on the Gate of Nicanor [151]. From that position she watches the suicide of her grandfather and the Roman defeat of the Jews (the famous fall of Jerusalem of AD 70) [152]. She is then captured by the Roman commander, Titus Caesar, elder son of the Emperor Vespasian – who ensures that she is cared for, but intends that she adorn his triumphal entry into Rome. She is placed in the charge of Marcus’s friend, Gallus, and it is his men who call her ‘Pearl-Maiden’. Independently of each other, Caleb and Marcus (the latter with Nehushta) attempt to follow her.
In Rome, Miriam remains in the custody of Gallus and his wife, Julia, who has converted to Christianity in his absence. Her reputation as a beauty has gone before her, and has particularly intrigued Domitian, the younger son of the emperor. When Titus arrives in the city, she is brought before all three Caesars [155], and Domitian decides that, following the triumph, he will buy her. Marcus, Nehushta and Caleb arrive in time to see the triumph [156] and then to bid for Miriam when she is sold as a slave. Caleb attends the sale in the guise of an Alexandrian merchant named Demetrius, while Nehushta appears on behalf of Marcus, and outbids Domitian’s chamberlain, Saturius. Miriam and Nehushta then go into hiding among a group of Christians, led by bishop Cyril, and Miriam works as a manufacturer of oil lamps [160]. Angered at his failure, Domitian determines to revenge himself on Miriam’s buyer, even at the expense of losing Miriam herself. As Caleb has discovered that Marcus is that buyer, he reveals the fact to Domitian, on condition that he receives both a pardon and possession of Miriam, should he discover her. Until that point, Marcus was deemed to be dead or disgraced and, on appearing before Domitian, demands to be tried according to his rank [161]. He is sent to prison. Caleb’s anger subsides by the time that he finds Miriam [162] and, once facing her, he offers to help Marcus escape so that he can join Miriam in safety; for Gallus has hatched a plan to take Miriam, Nehushta and his wife, Julia, to Tyre on a ship called the Luna. However, it is bishop Cyril who visits Marcus in prison and, having told him that the Luna has sunk, receives him into the Christian church. On Titus’s orders, Marcus is released and returns with Cyril to his house. There they discover the body of Caleb, and then receive a posthumous letter from him explaining that he has sacrificed himself in the stead of Marcus, as the victim of a plot by Domitian. Marcus and Cyril leave Rome for Alexandria, where they find that the Luna and all its passengers have actually survived. Marcus and Miriam are reunited and marry [163].
All the following images were published in The Graphic to accompany the original serialisation of Pearl-Maiden between July and December 1902, while a selection also appeared in the volume publication in 1903. Those that appeared in both periodical and volume, are given their short, volume titles, while the others have been given the periodical captions. Nos 138-163 were all published in The Graphic, 1902, ‘Pearl Maiden’ by H Rider Haggard, and some were also published in H Rider Haggard, Pearl-Maiden. A Tale of Jerusalem, London: Longmans, Green, and Co, 1903.