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v
Marta C. Bunge
Felipe Gago
Ana Marı́a San Luis
April 7, 2017
Preface
The subject of synthetic differential geometry (SDG) has its origins in lectures and
papers by F. William Lawvere, most notably [67], but see also [69, 70]. It extends
the pioneering work of Charles Ehresmann [38] and André Weil [104] to the setting
of an elementary topos [53]. It is axiomatic, with a basic set of axioms as well as
further axioms and postulates used in different portions of the theory. It attempts
to capture classical concepts of differential geometry in an intuitive fashion using
the logic of the topos, which is intuitionistic. It exploits the rich structure of a topos
(finite limits, exponentiation, subobject classifier) in order to conceptually simplify
both the statements and their proofs. It is well-adapted to the study of classical
differential geometry by virtue of some of its models.
v
vi Preface
synthetic versions of classical results profit from the extra structure of a topos, not
available when working in the category of smooth manifolds, but that, in addition,
such synthetic versions can be applied to obtain classical results, often in a greater
generality and conceptual simplicity than those that can be found in the literature.
We are grateful to both Bill Lawvere and Andrée Ehresmann for their valuable input
and constant support in matters related to the subject of this book.
vii
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1 Elementary Toposes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.1 Basic Notions of Elementary Toposes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.2 The Logic of Elementary Toposes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.3 Logico–Geometric Notions in Toposes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
ix
x Contents
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
List of Figures
4.1 Exponentiating to D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
5.1 Open U ⇢ X ⇥ Z . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
5.2 Monad of a point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
5.3 Compact object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
xi
Metadata
Marta C. Bunge
Department of Mathematics and Statistics
McGill University, Burnside Hall
805 Sherbrooke Street West
Montréal, Quebec, Canada H3A 0B9
bunge@math.mcgill.ca
Key words and phrases : elementary topos, Grothendieck topos, atom, tiny ob-
ject, intuitionistic logic, coherent logic, Penon opens, synthetic differential geome-
try, Kock-Lawvere axiom, synthetic differential topology, well adapted models, Law-
vere algebraic theories, C• -rings, Dubuc topos, commutative algebra, algebraic
geometry, differential geometry, calculus of variations, affine connections, sprays,
differential topology, stable mappings, singularities, unfoldings, Mather’s theorem,
Morse theory.
xiii
Introduction
This book deals with a subject that extends synthetic differential geometry [56] to
differential topology, in particular to the theory of smooth mappings and their sin-
gularities. The setting is that of category theory [80] in general and of elementary
topos theory [53] in particular. An excellent introduction to both subjects including
applications to several topics, among them synthetic differential geometry is [73].
Our book is intended as the basis for an advanced course or seminar whose only
prerequisite is a reasonable acquaintance with category theory, logic, commutative
algebra, infinitesimal calculus, general topology, differential geometry and topol-
ogy. It consists of five parts.
In the first part of this book we review all basic notions of the theory of ele-
mentary toposes that are needed in the sequel. We also discuss in it some logico-
geometric notions that have arisen in connection with SDG. If desired, this material
could be extended to cover some of the topics from [53] and related sources. This
is followed by a summary of the main aspects of synthetic differential geometry,
which we refer to as SDG [56]. The first axiom of SDG postulates, for an elementary
topos E with a natural numbers object N and a commutative ring R in it, the repre-
sentability of jets of mappings as mappings themselves, albeit with (algebraically)
infinitesimal domains. As a second axiom we postulate that the jet representing ob-
jects be tiny (well supported atoms). To these two axioms we add several postulates
that are used in order to develop part of the differential calculus.
In order to illustrate the synthetic method in differential geometry and analysis
we give, in the second part of this book, two different applications of it : a synthetic
theory of connections and sprays [27, 21], and a synthetic calculus of variations
[50, 26]. In the synthetic theory of connections and sprays it is emphasized that,
unlike the classical theory, the passage from connections to (geodesic) sprays need
not involve integration except in infinitesimal form. In the case of the synthetic
calculus of variations, it is shown that one can develop it without variations except
for those in an infinitesimal guise. In both illustrations of the synthetic method,
the domain of application is the class of the so-called infinitesimally linear objects,
which is closed under finite limits, exponentiation, and étale descent. In particular,
1
2 Introduction
and in both cases, the domain of application of the synthetic theory extends well
beyond the classical setup.
In the third part of this book we introduce the subject matter of the title. The ori-
gin of synthetic differential topology, which we refer to as SDT, can be traced back
to the introduction [90] of an intrinsic topological structure on any object of a topos
(‘Penon opens’). This in turn motivated the introduction and study of general topo-
logical structures in elementary toposes [24] and is included here as a preliminary
to the specific topological structures of interest in this book, that is, the euclidean
and the weak topological structures. By synthetic differential topology (SDT) we
shall understand an extension of synthetic differential geometry (SDG) obtained by
adding to it axioms of a local nature—to wit, germ representability and the tiny-
ness of the representing objects [90, 24], which are logical, rather than algebraic
infinitesimals. To those, we add five postulates—a postulate of order, the covering
property of the Euclidean topological structure, infinitesimal integration of vector
fields, infinitesimal inversion, and density of regular values.
The problem of classifying all germs of smooth mappings according to their
singularities is intractable. Topologists reduce the question to the consideration of
stable (germs of) smooth mappings. In the context of synthetic differential topol-
ogy, the entire subject is considerably simplified by the force of the axiom of the
representability of germs of smooth mappings by means of logical infinitesimals. A
smooth mapping is said to be stable if any infinitesimal deformation of it is equiv-
alent to it, in the sense that under a small deformation there is no change in the
nature of the function. A class of mappings is said to be generic if the class is closed
under equivalence and is dense in that of all smooth mappings equipped with the
Whitney topology. The main tools in the classification problem is Mather’s theo-
rem. A synthetic theory of germs of smooth mappings and their singularities, in-
cluding Morse theory, has been developed by the authors of the present monograph
[19, 42, 25, 43, 44, 97] and constitutes the fourth part of this book.
In the fifth part of the book we focus on a particular model of SDT that is shown
to be well adapted to the applications to classical mathematics in the sense of [30,
9]. This model is the Dubuc topos G [32], constructed using the notion of a C• -
ring which is due to F.W. Lawvere and goes back to [65]. What makes this topos a
model of SDT (in fact, the only one that is known) is the nature of the ideals, which
are germ determined or local. Some of the axioms involved in the synthetic theory
for differential topology are intrinsically related to this particular model, whereas
others were suggested by their potential applications to a synthetic theory of smooth
mappings and their singularities. The existence of a well adapted model of SDT is
what renders the synthetic approach to be relevant to classical mathematics.
Part I
Toposes and Differential Geometry
With the introduction of elementary toposes as a categorical surrogate of set theory
whose underlying logic is intuitionistic and where no appeal to an axiom of choice
is permitted, it became possible to formally introduce infinitesimals in the study of
differential geometry in the same spirit as that of the work carried out by Charles
Ehresmann and André Weil in the 50’s. Whereas the known models that are well
adapted for the applications to classical mathematics are necessarily Grothendieck
toposes, the theory of such is not enough to express the richness of the synthetic
theory. For the latter one needs the internal language that is part of the theory of
elementary toposes and that is based on the axiom of the existence of a subobjects
classifier. This first part is an introduction to elementary toposes and to synthetic
differential geometry, both of which originated in the work of F.W. Lawvere. These
introductory presentations will gradually be enriched as we proceed, but only as
needed for the purposes of this book.
Chapter 1
Elementary Toposes
Definition 1.1 An elementary topos is a category E such that the following axioms
are satisfied:
1. (Finite limits) There is a terminal object 1 in E and any pair of morphisms
f : A / C and g : B / C has a pullback
P /B
g
✏ ✏
A f
/C
5
6 1 Elementary Toposes
2. (Power objects) For each object A there is an object P(A) and a relation 2A
from A to P(A), i.e., a monomorphism 2A / / A ⇥ P(A), which is generic
in the sense that, for any relation R / / A ⇥ B, there is a unique morphism
r : B / P(A) such that the diagram
R / 2A
✏ ✏
✏ ✏
A⇥B idA ⇥r
/ A ⇥ P(A)
is a pullback.
Definition 1.2 (Peano-Lawvere axiom) An elementary topos E is said to have a
natural numbers object if there is an object N of E , together with morphisms
0: 1 / N, s : N / N
x: 1 / X, u : X / X
s
0
7N /N
1 f f
x ' ✏ ✏
X u
/X
commutes.
u
A0 / /A
j
✏ ✏
1 /W
>
1.1 Basic Notions of Elementary Toposes 7
This is a consequence of the power object axiom. Another consequence is the ex-
istence of finite colimits. This is best shown by observing that the power object
functor P : E op / E is monadic (Paré’s theorem [86]).
The existence of finite limits and colimits, and the universal property of the
pair (W , > : 1 / W ), allow us to define new morphisms corresponding to log-
ical connectives, to wit, ? : 1 / W (for “false”), ^ : W ⇥ W / W (“conjunc-
tion”) , _ : W ⇥ W / W (“disjunction”), ) : W ⇥ W / W (“implication”), and
¬: W / W (“negation”). With these, W becomes a Heyting algebra.
It also follows from the axioms for an elementary topos that exponentiation ex-
ists. This property, which together with the existence of finite limits and the exis-
tence of a subobjects classifier, provides for an alternative definition of the notion of
a topos, says the following: Given any two objects A, B of E , there is an object BA
and a morphism evA,B : A ⇥ BA / B satisfying a universal property which can be
summarized by saying that for each object A, the functor A ⇥ ( ) : E / E has a
right adjoint
A ⇥ ( ) a ( )A : E / E .
The so-called Kripke-Joyal semantics [11] (section 6.6) consists of the rules gov-
erning these interpretations and extends the semantics of S. Kripke for intuitionistic
logic [62].
Any elementary topos E has stable image factorizations for its morphisms. This
means that given any morphism f : A / B in E , there exists a factorization
A / / If / / B
f
E / E0
p p0
X
commutes. The data just given can easily be shown to be a category, which is de-
noted Sh(X).
An alternative description of the category Sh(X) is a direct generalization of the
notion of a topological space, as follows. A section of an étalé space p : E / X
above an open subset U ✓ X is a continuous map s : U / E such that p s =
idU . Taking sections defines a functor F on the opposite of the category O(X) of
open subsets of X and inclusions, into the category Set, of sets and functions. The
rule which to an open inclusion V ✓ U assigns a function F(U) / F(V ) is the
restriction s 7! s|V of a section on U to V . Let {Ua } be any open covering of U, and
let sa be any family of sections that is compatible on the intersections Ua \Ub , in the
sense that sa |Ua \Ub = sb |Ua \Ub . Then there exists a unique section s 2 F(U) such
that s|Ua = sa for each a. Abstracting this property gives an alternative definition
of a sheaf, to wit, any functor F : O(X)op / Set satisfying the above condition
for any open covering of X.
1.1 Basic Notions of Elementary Toposes 9
Given a site (C, J), a sheaf on it is any functor F : Cop / Set such that for ev-
ery covering family { fi : Ai / A} 2 J(A) and a compatible family of elements
ai 2 F(Ai ), there exists a unique a 2 F(A) such that, for each i 2 I, its restric-
tion to Ai (image under F( fi )) is ai . Denote by Sh(C, J) the full subcategory of the
op
category SetC whose objects are sheaves on the site (C, J). That means that its
morphisms are natural transformations between sheaves regarded as presheaves.
By a Grothendieck topos it is meant any category of the form Sh(C, J).
10 1 Elementary Toposes
E / F
is any functor which preserves the topos structure, that is, finite limits and power
objects, and therefore also W , exponentiation, finite colimits, and in fact, interpre-
tations of first order formulas whose sorts of the free variables are interpreted as
objects of the topos.
If E is an elementary topos, given any object X in E , we can consider the slice
category E /X whose objects are morphisms in E with codomain X and whose mor-
phisms from a : A / X to b : B / X are morphism g : A / B of E over X, in
the sense that the triangle
g
A /B
a b
X
commutes. The category E /X is an elementary topos. As a simple example of a
logical morphism one has
X⇤ : E / E /X
for any object X of E , which is given by pulling back along the unique morphism
X / 1 from X into the terminal object.
More generally, if f : X / Y in E , then there is induced a functor
f ⇤ : E /Y / E /X
S f a f ⇤,
f ⇤ a Pf .
Thinking of toposes as generalized spaces (even though they may have no points)
a notion of geometric morphism emerges by abstracting properties of continuous
mappings. A continuous mapping
g: X / Y
lifts to the generalized spaces Sh(X) and Sh(Y ) in the form of a functor
g⇤ : Sh(Y ) / Sh(X)
given by pulling back the étalé spaces along g. The functor g⇤ preserves finite limits
and has a right adjoint g⇤ . This point of view motivates the following definition.
Definition 1.9 A geometric morphism from a topos E to a topos F is given by a
pair (g⇤ , g⇤ ), where
g⇤ a g⇤ : E / F
¬¬ : W / W
is one such topology, and the topos corresponding to it, Sh¬¬ (X) of ‘double nega-
tion sheaves’, is a Boolean topos (i.e., a topos in which the Heyting algebra W is a
Boolean algebra, hence logic becomes classical therein).
The known models of synthetic differential geometry that are well adapted for
the applications to classical mathematics are Grothendieck toposes (or elementary
toposes bounded over the elementary topos Set) whose internal logic is necessarily
intuitionistic. That this is the case is well explained by R. Lavendhomme [64] by
analysing the “catastrophic” effect that adopting classical logic would have on the
basic axiom of synthetic differential geometry – to wit, the Kock-Lawvere axiom.
Indeed, synthetic differential geometry starts by postulating the existence of a pair
(E , R) where E is an elementary topos and R is a ring ”of line type”. If classical
logic is employed, such a ring R is easily shown to be the null ring. We are then
forced, from the very beginning of the theory, to make sure that only intuitionistic
principles be employed.
On account of the considerations made above, one could perhaps simply warn the
reader acquainted with (classical) logic about the unsuitability for the development
12 1 Elementary Toposes
j _ ¬j
where j is any formula of the language is not allowed for the practical reason that we
wish to have models. In particular then, we could point out that the double negation
principle
¬(¬j) ) j
is not allowed in general either although in certain cases it is.
For the record, we list next some not universally valid deductions in the deductive
system corresponding to intuitionistic predicate calculus. This does not mean that
they should never be used, only that one must make sure that they are valid in the
particular cases where they are used.
j ^ (j ) y) c ) j(a) j(a) ) c
y c ) (8a 2 A j(a)) (9a 2 A j(a)) ) c
G `j
the statement that the formula j is deducible from the set of formulas in G . Rules
of inference can be set up from the valid formulas already listed by means of the
following metatheorem
Theorem 1.10. [61]. Let G be a finite set of formulas and j, y any single formulas
in the language. Then
(G ^ j) ` y implies G ` (j ) y).
In the deductive system corresponding to the intuitionistic predicate calculus, the
following principles are instances of valid deductions
j j ) ¬y j )y
¬¬j ¬(j ^ y) ¬(j ^ ¬y)
j )y ¬j _ ¬y 8a 2 A ¬j(a)
¬y ) ¬j ¬(j ^ y) ¬9a j(a)
9a 2 A ¬j(a) 9a 2 A j(a) (j _ y) ) c
¬8a 2 A j(a) ¬8a 2 A ¬j(a) (j ) c) ^ (y ) c)
where the double line indicates validity in both directions and the simple line means
validity from top to bottom.
Exercise 1.1. Prove the validity of the following deduction in intuitionistic logic
using the list of valid deductions given above.
14 1 Elementary Toposes
Wn Vn
( i=1 ji ) ) ¬( i=1 yi )
Vn
i=1 (ji ) ¬yi )
j `y
8x1 · · · 8xn (j ) y) .
This means that, in these terms, one occurrence of ) is allowed inside the for-
mula and any finite string of universal quantifiers can occur at the outer level of the
formula.
For instance, for a commutative ring A with unit, where a 2 A⇤ ⇢ A is the extent
of the formula 9x 2 A (a · x = 1), the formula
F1. 8a 2 A (a = 0 _ a 2 A⇤ )
is coherent and expresses the property of A being a field. On the other hand, the
classically (but not intuitionistically) equivalent formulas
F2. 8a 2 A (¬(a = 0) ) a 2 A⇤ )
and
F3. 8a 2 A (¬(a 2 A⇤ ) ) a = 0)
Remark 1.2. With the addition of the assumption ¬(0 = 1) for a commutative ring
A with unit 1 in a topos E , F1 is often referred to as a “geometric field” since
it is expressed in the geometric language of the theory of rings, in the sense of
formulas preserved by the inverse image parts of geometric morphisms. Geometric
logic differs from coherent logic only in that infinitary disjunctions are allowed
in addition to finite ones. Alternatively, coherent logic may be viewed as finitary
geometric logic.
1.2 The Logic of Elementary Toposes 15
Also geometric (in fact, coherent) is the notion of an integral domain which, for
a commutative ring A with unit is expressed by the formula
⇥ ⇤
8a 2 A a · a0 = 0 ) (a = 0) _ (a0 = 0) .
8a 2 A [a 2 A⇤ _ (1 a) 2 A⇤ ] ,
then the subobject M / / A of its non invertible elements is an ideal, and the quo-
tient A/M is a residue field in the sense that it satisfies F3.
What is important about a coherent theory —that is a theory whose axioms are
all given by coherent formulas, is that models in Set are enough to test their validity
in any topos. We refer the reader to [84] for a full account of coherent theories and
their “classifying toposes” . The completeness theorem just informally stated for
coherent theories is a consequence of theorems of P. Deligne and M. Barr to the
effect that the classifying toposes of coherent theories (“coherent toposes”) have
enough points [53, 6].
1. Given an elementary topos E with a natural numbers object N, the object of
integers Z can be constructed in E by means of the pushout
0
1 /N
✏
0 r2
✏ ✏
N / r1
/Z
The object of the rationals Q can be constructed as the ring of fractions Z[P 1 ],
where
P = [[z 2 Z | 9n 2 N (z = r1 (s(n))]]
is the subobject of positive integers, which is a multiplicative set.
The objects Z and Q are preserved by inverse image parts of geometric mor-
phisms. A different matter is that of an object of real numbers in E , since classically
equivalent constructions may give non-isomorphic objects. For instance, there is an
object Rd (Dedeking reals) and an object Rc (Cauchy reals) both candidates for an
object of real numbers in E , but these two are in general not isomorphic objects.
2. A byproduct of using intuitionistic (rather than classical) logic is that it forces
mathematicians to be more discriminating in their choice of concepts. For instance,
to say that a non-trivial commutative ring A is a field, we may classically choose
16 1 Elementary Toposes
from any of the above listed equivalent notions. In fact, there are interesting ‘field-
like’ objects in any topos with a natural numbers object which, such as the Dedekind
reals Rd , satisfy F2 or F3 but not F1. In effect, F2 corresponds to fields which arise
as fields of fractions of integral domains, whereas F3 correspond to those fields that
arise as residue fields of local rings. For a prime ideal p, the field of fractions of
an integral domain A/p equals the residue field of the local ring Ap , and either one
yields a field satisfying F1.
3. Another construction, this time involving the axiom of choice, is that of the
algebraic closure of a field. Even for geometric fields, algebraic closures need not
exist in an elementary topos, although, for a Grothendieck topos E , a theorem of
M. Barr [53] says that a topos F satisfying the axiom of choice, and a surjection
f: F / E (i.e., a geometric morphism f for which f ⇤ is faithful) always exists
so that, by ‘moving’ to F we can find all algebraic closures—the problem being
that in general, and in view of the poor preservation properties of the inverse image
functor f⇤ , it is not possible to come back to E without losing much of what was
gained. By contrast, the theory of ordered fields has a more constructive flavor. One
aspect of this is the fact, proven in [18], that in any Grothendieck topos E , the real
closure of an ordered field always exists.
4. Although we have concentrated on algebra in the above examples, other
branches of mathematics, such as general topology and analysis, have been for a
long time the object of interest for constructivist mathematics [48, 39]. For exam-
ple, A. Joyal [54] has constructed a topos in which the unit interval (of the Dedekind
reals) is not compact. Hence, such a property of the real numbers cannot be estab-
lished within intuitionistic set theory without the axiom of choice. We refer to [20]
for selected applications of topos theory in logic, set theory, and model theory.
In the study of synthetic differential geometry, two additional notions have come
out in the context of elementary toposes—to wit, atoms and Penon objects.
In synthetic differential geometry (and topology) certain objects are implicitly
thought of as “objects of infinitesimals” by virtue of the axioms (jets representabil-
ity, germs representability). It seemed desirable, however, to pin down this idea by
means of additional axioms. In this section we lay down the definitions that will
be employed in the axiomatic treatments of differential geometry and topology and
explore some of their aspects. Our sources are mainly [70], [40], and [106].
The notion of an atom, as used in this context, arose in connection with a charac-
terization of categories of diagrams [15] given by analogy with the characterization
of fields of sets as complete atomic Boolean algebras [99]. Subsequent versions of
1.3 Logico–Geometric Notions in Toposes 17
the notion of an atom were given in [16], [17], and [70]. The terminology “tiny” was
suggested by P.J.Freyd [40] to replace that of “atom” used in those sources in order
to avoid conflict with another notion by that name, due to M. Barr [5]. However,
in view of the main result in [106], the intended meaning should have been that of
a well-supported atom, which is precisely what we here have meant by “tiny”. For
historical reasons we keep both here. It is to be noted, however, that the instances of
atoms that arise in synthetic differential geometry and topology are so by virtue of
their being “infinitesimal” in the sense of their having a unique point.
In E = Set, only the terminal object 1 is an atom and it is tiny. In a diagrammatic
category E = SetC , of Set-valued functors on a small category C, if C has finite
coproducts, then every representable object is an atom. Explicitly, for any F 2 SetC ,
the exponential
( )A G
E / E / Set
has a right adjoint since each functor in the composite does, hence preserves all Set-
colimits. From the existence of a generating set in E and the adjoint triangle theorem
of [29] follows that if an object A of a Grothendieck topos E is a Set-atom, then it is
also an atom in the sense of Definition 1.11. In synthetic differential geometry it is
often the case that atoms are used in an external rather than internal sense [58]. Uses
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want of an enemy upon whom they could wreak their fury.
Once more the maiden, whose cheeks had reddened, and whose
heart beat tumultuously at the noise and the shouting, raised her
shapely hand, and again silence fell upon the crowd.
“I thank ye all, my soldiers. I thank each and every one.” She
spoke with visible emotion. “Now hearken attentively to my words,
for time is short. Our forces are small, while those on yonder fleet
are large. Yet, indeed, I know that, should it come to fighting, ye will
fight most valiantly, and to the death if need be. But I am not
prepared, nor do I intend, unless the worst comes to the worst, that
ye should throw away your lives in an unequal battle with yonder
mercenaries. Nay, all of ye have long to live, if ye but implicitly trust
in me and obey unquestioningly the commands that will be put upon
you. Thus, even should the orders that ye will shortly receive appear
unmeaning and futile, and should a long night and morning of
apparently useless marching and work be your portion, yet rely upon
me. Nothing that ye do will be without cause, but all for the common
welfare.
“For seeing our weakness, if we would not be crushed, we must
meet guile with guile, deceit with deceit. And we will see by to-
morrow’s morn whose plans are the most successfully laid; those of
the crafty general clad in golden armour, whom I can now see
stepping into his galley from the flag ship yonder, or those of
Hannibal’s daughter, the young maiden who now asks you to trust
her.”
“We trust thee! we trust thee, oh, Elissa!” cried all the soldiers
vociferously.
“Then, that is good. One command I lay upon ye all, officers and
men alike: avoid all discourse, if possible, with any who should land
from the ships. But if, from their superior rank, ye cannot avoid
answering the questions of any, then say simply this, no more nor
less, that Saguntum fell more than a week ago, and that part of
Hannibal’s troops are expected to march into Carthagena shortly. I
have done. Now, Captain Gisco, wilt thou give orders to reform the
ranks, tell off the troops for the guard of honour, and carry out the
instructions that thou knowest?”
Swiftly, and in order, the troops reassumed their original formation,
while Elissa, somewhat heated and fatigued after her efforts of
oratory, had the bale of merchandise upon which she had been
standing, moved to the water’s edge, and seated herself where she
could get the sea breeze and watch what was going on outside the
gulf.
Meanwhile, the boom having been opened wide enough to admit
of the passage of boats, the herald had passed through with the
barge of State and conveyed the two letters to the hexireme, which
he rightly conjectured to be the ship of the commander of the fleet.
He was met at the gangway by an officer, who instantly conveyed
him to where Adherbal was sitting under a crimson awning. He was
surrounded by several officers clad like himself in golden armour,
which, with the rich wine cups standing about, betokened that they
were all members of the body of élite already mentioned, and known
in Carthage as the Sacred Band.
Adherbal himself was a dark, very powerfully built, and handsome
man of about thirty. He was continually laughing and showing his
white teeth, and seemed to be generally well contented with his own
person. But his smiles were too many, and his bonhomie often
deceptive, for, although he was personally brave, he was
nevertheless at heart a thorough villain. His wealth being
unbounded, he had been hitherto always able to indulge to the
utmost in the debauchery in which he revelled, and there was no
baseness or fraud to which, by means of his wealth, he had not
frequently descended, in the pursuit of women of immaculate life and
high station in Carthage. He was the leader of the most dissolute
band of young nobles in all Carthage, and his high rank and station
alone as Commander of the Sacred Band, and as the head of the
now paramount family in that city, had hitherto been the means of his
immunity from punishment in any way, either for his own notorious
escapades or for those of the followers who consorted with him, and
who, under his protection, vied with each other in imitating his
iniquities. Among these companions it had frequently been his boast
that there was no woman, no matter of what rank or family, upon
whom he had cast his eyes, who had not, sooner or later, either by
force or fraud, become his victim. And these boasts were,
unfortunately, true; many a family having been made miserable,
many a happy home made wretched by his unbridled license and
wickedness. It was during a drinking bout to which he had invited the
Roman envoys, and when he was boasting as usual in his cups, that
Ariston, one of his companions, jealous of his success where some
woman, whom he himself fancied, was concerned, had taunted him
before all those assembled.
“Oh, yes!” said Ariston banteringly, “we all know that thou art a sad
dog, Adherbal, and that here in Carthage thou wilt soon be
compelled to weep like Alexander, because thou hast no more
worlds left to conquer. For soon, doubtless, either all the maidens will
be dead for love of thee, or else all the fathers of families or the
husbands of pretty wives will have destroyed them to preserve them
from thee. And yet, for all that, I venture to state that there is one
Carthaginian family, whose dishonour thou wouldst more willingly
compass than any other, where even such a seductive dog as thyself
can never hope for success, and whose honour, despite all thine
arts, shall always remain inviolable. And yet, if report says true, there
is a beautiful young maiden in that family, one so lovely, indeed, that
not one of all those who have hitherto felt thy kisses can be
mentioned in the same breath with her. But she is not for thee, oh,
Adherbal! thou most glorious votary of Tanais; no, this is game, my
noble falcon, at which even thou darest not to fly.”
“For whom, then, is this pretty pigeon reserved, my good Ariston?
Is it, perchance, for thine own dovecote that she hath the
distinguished honour of being reserved? Well, here’s to thy success!”
Thus he answered, scornfully tossing off a huge bumper of wine.
“No, not for me either,” replied Ariston; “it is not for me to rashly
venture in where the bold Adherbal dares not even place a foot
within the doorway. But I am sorry for thee, Adherbal, for the pretty
bird would well have suited thy gilded cage in the suburbs of the
Megara.”
“I will wager thee five hundred talents that thou liest, Ariston,”
replied the other, inflamed with wine, and irritated at the banter which
was making the other boon companions laugh at his expense. “I will
wager thee five hundred silver talents,” he repeated, “that there is no
family in Carthage where, if it so please me, I dare not place a foot;
there is no quarry upon whom I dare not swoop, if I so choose, ay,
nor fail to bear off successfully to mine eyrie in the Megara. But
name this most noble family, pray, name this peerless beauty of
thine, and we will see,” and he laughed defiantly, and took another
deep draught of wine.
“I said not a family in Carthage, I said a Carthaginian family,”
answered Ariston, purposely provoking and tantalising him. “I spoke
of a more beautiful girl than either thou or any one at this festive
board hath ever yet seen.”
But now the curiosity of all the other convives, including the
Roman envoys, was aroused.
“The name, the name!” they cried tumultuously; “name the family
and name the girl.”
“The family is that of Hannibal; the girl whose favours even
Adherbal dareth not seek to obtain is Elissa, Hannibal’s daughter.”
“Hannibal! Hannibal’s daughter!”
A hushed awe fell upon the assembled guests as they repeated
these words. Then they burst out into a roar of drunken laughter, and
taunted the boaster.
“Ha! he hath got thee there, Adherbal; thou hadst better pay up thy
five hundred talents to Ariston at once and look pleasant, and seek
thy revenge another day.”
But Adherbal, furious at the banter and the mention of the hated
name of Hannibal, had sprung to his feet, wine cup in hand.
“I double my wager,” he cried; “not five hundred, but one thousand
talents do I now stake, that by some means or other I gain absolute
possession of the girl. Nay, further, I solemnly vow, by Astarte,
Moloch, and Melcareth, to whom I pour out this libation of wine, to
bring her father Hannibal’s head also, and lay it at the feet of these,
our guests, the Roman envoys. I do not think that, seeing the
mission upon which they have arrived in Carthage, I could promise
them a more acceptable present. But secrecy must be preserved.”
The speech was received with deafening applause by all present,
all being of the anti-Barcine party, and ways and means were
immediately discussed.
CHAPTER IV.
FOUR CARTHAGINIAN NOBLES.
After the reading aloud of this epistle, there was much laughter
and jesting among the four nobles on the deck at Hannibal’s
expense. They made fun of his apparent gullibility with reference to
the object of their expedition; they indulged in the lewdest of jests
about the ladies left in the palace, with whom, apparently so
innocently, Hannibal suggested they were to stay for a few days, and
discussed the necessity, if troops were to arrive from Saguntum, of
going ashore at once. They talked openly, for they were all flushed
with wine, of the ease with which the object of their visit to New
Carthage seemed likely to be accomplished, and how, further, they
would easily seize and capture Hannibal himself at Saguntum.
Meanwhile, the troops who were crowded on the decks around were
listening to every word.
“Now, let us see Elissa, my little sweetheart’s, letter,” said
Adherbal gaily. It ran as follows:—