Roman Mysteries (2007) s02e10 Episode Script

Hephzibah can't remember being freed.
I'm not a slave! I had one of my dreams.
I know that someone close to me is dead.
I'm having twins, Jonathan.
Find the other six It was her - she killed Papillio! If I die, the prophecy will be fulfilled.
The rest of you will be safe.
It's all my fault.
I thought all I had to do to free Nubia was ask her to recline next to me.
Can't I just pay the slave tax? You're still a child.
Your father owns you and therefore everything you own.
Including slaves.
Then only Marcus can free her, and he and Gaius are still in Sicily! They said they weren't expected back until tomorrow, but that's too late - Nubia will be tortured! I can't believe Marcus wouldn't have paid the slave tax.
When you free a slave, you register it at the Forum.
They give you a sealed tablet, a receipt.
Greetings.
Greetings.
Greetings.
Now then, Master Flaccus, time for your first lesson in law! Oh, where would he keep something so important? Yes! Here! Miriam, you shouldn't have come! She made me bring her.
I put our house up as a pledge.
Your house! It's all I could raise.
But Gaius .
.
Will understand.
It's her bail.
We'll get the money back after the trial.
Unless Hephzibah runs away before it! What about Nubia? She has an appointment.
Jonathan! Do you want to get yourself killed?! No, Jonathan.
It will be me.
It's better this way.
Wait! This girl is free.
That's the receipt.
I knew it wasn't you in Jonathan's dream! Papillio was in the Sixth Legion.
Do you think he said, find the other six, meaning we could find the answer with his old army comrades? I don't think so.
All this flailing about, surely we should be studying law or rhetoric? You can't stand up in a Roman court without knowing the gestures.
Let me demonstrate again.
The gesture expressing wonder and amazement must always be accompanied by a widening of the orbs, thus.
Good, good.
More.
And then of course there's the classic gesture for silence.
Ahhh.
I suggest you use that before your first speech tomorrow.
Look, are you absolutely sure about this? The accusing stare.
What? Very clever, Lupus.
Flaccus, wait! It's only your first case, Flaccus, you're allowed to be nervous.
Flavia, I'm terrified.
Hephzibah's life depends on me and there's so little time.
I'm a poet, not a lawyer.
I have faith in you.
Poet or lawyer.
And the girl of gold does follow blindly.
Trust and belief complete.
But poetry won't help us.
Tomorrow, the opposing lawyer will make mincemeat of me.
You don't know that.
Nonius has probably hired some cheap windbag.
Look, it's Bato! Bato, what are you doing here? Ah, and you're a magistrate now, congratulations.
Look who it is! Well, well, well, if it isn't Evaporatus! I thought your name was Floridius? Not after he worked as my vineyard foreman.
I sacked him when a whole year's vintage simply evaporated.
Vineyard foreman? I thought you studied law with Quintilian? Quintilian of Rome? This old wine sack hasn't left Ostia in his whole life! Er, nice to see you again, Bato.
Um, well, I'll go and tend to my chickens Ow! Lupus, wait! Oh, Lupus! I hear you're conducting your first case today, Flaccus.
Good luck.
He doesn't need luck.
It doesn't matter about Floridius, we will save Hephzibah.
I want you to know, Flavia Gemina, this is just business.
Marcus Artorius Bato will speak for the prosecution.
This girl, Hephzibah bat David of Jerusalem, was sold to Dives last year.
Why is Bato on their side? Nonius is a rich man now.
Treacherous toad! Hephzibah soon set her sights on becoming the wife of Dives.
Last week, raised voices were heard coming from his bed chamber.
One of his freedmen saw Hephzibah run out screaming, "I hate you!" She had asked Dives to set her free and marry her.
But he rejected her.
She didn't tell us that.
Two days later, she smothered him in his sleep.
She made up a story about being freed so that she could leave the estate and run away with her childhood friend, Miriam bat Mordecai.
When my client, Nonius, asked for proof, she eventually called Papillio as a witness, but imagine - he is murdered before he can appear! What unfortunate luck this girl has! I will prove to you, and to this young, ahem poet, who defends her, that this girl is not only a slave, but a treacherous, money-grabbing murderer who deserves crucifixion.
Time! He timed that speech perfectly.
There you are.
Look, I always wanted to be an Orator.
I read Quintilian even if I never met him.
I'm so sorry, Lupus.
I won't bother you again, little friend.
Gaius Valerius Flaccus to speak for the defence.
Esteemed judges .
.
I am but a young man, a student of Oratory.
I cannot compare myself with these prestigious personages.
The gesture of humility, how old-fashioned! I can't bear to look.
Olives for sale! Freshly picked from Portus.
Can you tell me how to get to the Dives estate? Nonius' estate now.
Towards Laurentum.
When I when I say she is innocent, do I imply that I know something my esteemed opponent does not? Obviously.
Not at all.
It is notthat he does not know, it is that I know .
.
more.
What is he blathering about? For I will, on the contrary, point out what needs to be pointed out and say what needs Time! LAUGHTER Poor Flaccus.
Don't you mean poor Hephzibah? The Delphina? Father and Uncle Gaius are back! .
.
Go, and take someone with you.
My waters have broken! What? It's too soon! It's her time.
Father, Gaius is back! You go.
Jonathan, speak to him.
As her husband, he can insist that I take charge of the birth.
No! No? My place is with my family, you said it yourself! Argh! Sorry, little brother! Somebody distract her before my hand falls off! Hephzibah, what Bato said today about you and Dives It's true.
He said the gods had brought us together and that we should marry.
I screamed that I hated him and I ran out of the room.
The next day, he summoned me again and said he would give me time to see he was sincere.
Then he set me free, with Papillio as witness, and he did it secretly so Nonius would not know.
The next day he was dead.
But, you do realise this gives you motive to kill him? The wind's died.
They'll be becalmed.
I think the gods want Gaius to miss this birth! Lupus, what are you doing?! Lupus! It's too far, he'll never make it.
They are still in the wrong position.
Your father will No! Hephzibah, remember your promise, my babies must live! And your husband? Ahhh! Oh Gaius! Why aren't you here? What happened between you and your father, Jonathan? He's angry with me.
I can't talk about it, not now.
GROANING We'll talk about something else.
Our only clue is Papillio's last words.
Find the other six.
.
We have to work out what he meant to save Hephzibah's life.
Dives was in the Legion and so was Papillio.
Small army patrols are usually six men.
Nonius must have been a Legionary too.
An army connection.
But where does that get us? GROANING CONTINUES You're thinking about your dream again, aren't you? Nubia said that, if she died the prophecy would be fulfilled and we'd all be safe.
I hope the body in my dream was me.
I can't bear for it to be anyone else.
I trust your dreams, Jonathan, but what's going to happen is already written by the gods.
Nubia couldn't change it.
None of us can.
LOUD GROAN I can't stand it any more.
I'm going up! No, Father! Why are they here? Jonathan I'm sorry.
She doesn't want you.
GROANING I hope you're not squeamish.
No.
Not any more.
I need another pair of hands.
Thank you, Jonathan! But if you faint I'll never stop teasing you! I could handle that.
Brother! It's Lupus! Miriam? It's too soon! Right, I'll untie the skiff.
You have to get home.
I know what you must think of me.
A selfish fat drunk who cares for no-one but himself? Exactly.
So listen to what I have to say.
I didn't do this for me, I did it for Lupus and his friends.
I sneaked over to the Dives estate and talked to the household slaves.
They said that Nonius knew all along that Hephzibah was free.
They overheard the whole ceremony.
Twins! Why are these women here? Why is Miriam not feeding them? Miriam? Miriam? No! JONATHAN: 'I see a funeral party.
'I know that someone close to me is dead.
'I walk towards them, trying to see who it is.
' I see a body on a bier .
.
but before I can see the face a voice in my head says won't you come? His voice sounds like the rushing waters of a river when it floods in winter.
Before I can say goodbye, he lifts me into the sky.
And then I know.
Miriam left this note for Gaius.
She had the same dream as Jonathan, but she knew what it meant.
Part of growing up is having to make difficult decisions.
Miriam made a choice.
Give him time.
The prophecy came true, didn't it? It was Miriam's death that Jonathan dreamt of, not Hephzibah's.
They will crucify her! We can't let it happen, Nubia.
We've never failed to solve a mystery before.
If I hadn't stayed to witness that will, we'd have been back.
No-one knows what the gods have planned.
Gaius and the other six, they received a small bequest.
What other six? Every time a will is redrafted, it must be witnessed by seven Roman citizens.
Find the other six .
.
by Hercules! Papillio's last words Find the other six.
When Papillio said find the other six, he was talking about the other six witnesses to a will.
Of course - a new will.
One that no doubt did not do Nonius any favours.
Flavia Gemina, you've done it! You've given me a chance! Um, where do people keep wills? Most people lodge them in a temple.
But there are ten temples in Ostia.
Then we don't have much time.
Hephzibah the Jewess, native of the rebellious city of Jerusalem, sits accused of murdering Dives and his friend Papillio.
Do you know what both her victims had in common? Can you guess? Both Dives and Papillio took part in the destruction of her city, Jerusalem.
Now both are dead! The court will recess.
Flaccus.
Flavia and I thought there was an army connection.
But Nonius was never in the Legion.
He never said he was.
He couldn't have been.
They wouldn't have accepted him.
This is a right handed blade.
Three Temples, seven to go! Trying to find the right temple in a city this size is like a labour of Hercules! Hercules? Temple.
Hercules Victor.
Papillio said, by Hercules.
We thought he was swearing.
He was talking about the Temple of Hercules! You overheard Hephzibah being freed, didn't you? Knowing a master often sets a slave girl free before he marries her, and thinking you would be disinherited, you panicked and smothered Dives that very night.
But there was a problem.
The witness to her freedom.
You had no idea who he was until Praeco shouted his name out loud in the Forum.
You slipped away to find Papillio, who gave you some bad news.
Dives not only freed Hephzibah, but he made a new will.
One that disinherited you.
You threatened Papillio for the names of the other six witnesses, but he refused, so you stabbed him.
Then you diverted everyone's attention by accusing a Jewish slave girl Sorry, ssh! Only you didn't count on her friends.
Rubbish! There is no new will.
Oh yes, there is! Why didn't she tell me? I might have saved her.
You loved her too much.
She knew you wouldn't be able to choose her babies over her.
Your coming of age came much too soon.
For the wrong that I did to her people, and for the deep affection I hold for her, I leave my entire estate to my freedwoman, Artoria Hephzibah.
Freedwoman.
Did you hear that? Finally, to Nonius Celer, I leave my finest rope with which he may hang himself.
Silence! Artoria Hephzibah, you are established a freed woman.
But, you are not cleared of murder.
Exactly! There's no way you can prove I killed anyone.
I believe this can.
Aristo.
This is blank.
Nothing on this tablet proves I murdered anyone.
No, but the fact that you caught it with your left hand does.
Papillio was killed by a left-handed man.
A single blow to the heart with this gladius.
Look how easy that is for a Dexter, a right-handed man.
Now see how hard it is for a Sinister, a left-handed man.
It was a very clumsy blow.
Why? Because the gladius is always designed for a right-handed soldier.
It seems that Nonius here is a Sinister man.
In every sense of the word.
Dives was a looter.
He would have been executed if it wasn't for me.
And then he tried to cheat me out of my share! It wasn't murder, it was justice.
Papillio, he just got in the way! Lucius Nonius Celer, you have just confessed to murder.
But unless a Roman citizen summons you to court .
.
I have no power to hold you.
Does any citizen here summon Nonius? Chickens! Name? Me? Oh, er, Aulus Probus Floridius.
A masterly performance, in the end.
Well done, Flaccus.
A good lawyer needs evidence.
When he's not kissing unmarried girls, that is.
I'm so sorry, Marcus Geminus.
I don't know what I was thinking.
I do.
So you've been busy while I was away, Little Owl? I suppose I'm to be scolded again? No, not this time.
You stood up for justice, your mother would have been proud of you.
So am I.
I'm glad Hephzibah's safe.
She meant so much to Miriam.
The twins will be safe now.
Live birds for sale Let's buy a dove, set it free in the name of Fortuna for good luck.
Live birds! Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me ten sesterces.
I don't know to what I owe this unexpected valediction, but I taught Master Flaccus everything he knows.
For your bravery.
After summoning Nonius the murderer to court.
Well done, Lupus.
What a brave and noble friend! Brave? Bravery? Murderer? I wonder what we'll grow up to be like? We might not even be together.
Well, we can't know.
That's the mystery.
The biggest mystery.
Ready? Fortuna, bring the children good luck.