Historical tales; the romance of reality

MAURINE L. SCOTT
2208 N. Ross Street
Santa Ana, Calif.

THE CASTLE OF S. ANGELO.

Historical Tales

The Romance of Reality

Boman

By

CHARLES MORRIS

AUTHOR OF

** HALF-HOUR* WITH THE BEST
AMERICAN AUTHORS," " TALI8
FROM THE DRAMATISTS," ZTC.

J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY

PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON

Copyright, I&A by J. B. LlPPINCOTT COMPANY.
Copyright, 1904, by J. B. LlPPINCOTT COMPANY.

SRLI

CONTENTS.

PAOB

How ROME WAS FOUNDED 7

THE SABINE VIRGINS 14

THE HORATII AND CTTRIATII 22

THE DYNASTY OF THE TARQUINS 26

THE BOOKS or THE SIBYL 82

THE STORY OF LTTCRETIA 36

How BRAVE HORATITTS KEPT THE BRIDGE 43

THE BATTLE OF LAKE BEGILLTTS 50

THE REVOLT OF THE PEOPLE 54

THE REVENGE OF CORIOLANUS 60

ClNCINNATUS AND THE ^EQUIANS 68

THE SACRIFICE OF VIRGINIA 75

CAMILLTTS AT THE SIEGE OF VEII 87

THE GAULS AT ROME 94

THE CURTIAN GULF 105

ANECDOTES OF THE LATIN AND SAMNITE WARS . . . 108

THE CAUDINE FORKS 116

THE FATE OF REGULUS 126

HANNIBAL CROSSES THE ALPS 135

How HANNIBAL FOUGHT AND DIED 145

ARCHIMEDES AT THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE 152

THE FATE OF CARTHAGE 158

THE GRACCHI AND THEIR FALL 165

JUGURTHA, THE PURCHASER OF ROME 173

THE EXILE AND REVENGE OF MARIUS 180

THE PROSCRIPTION OF SULLA 191

THE REVOLT OF THE GLADIATORS 198

CJSSAR AND THE PIRATES 204

8

4 CONTENTS.

TABU

CJCSAR AND POMPEY 208

THE ASSASSINATION OF CAESAR 218

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA 227

AN IMPERIAL MONSTER 236

THE MURDER OF AN EMPRESS 243

BOADICEA, THE HEROINE OF BRITAIN 250

ROME SWKPT BY FLAMES 255

THE DOOM OF NERO 262

THE SPORTS OF THE AMPHITHEATRE 272

THE REIGN OF A GLUTTON 280

THE FAITHFUL EPONINA 289

THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM 293

THE DESTRUCTION OF POMPEII 301

AN IMPERIAL SAVAGE 309

THE DEEDS OF CONSTANTINE , 319

THE GOTHS CROSS THE DANUBE .... 825

THE DOWNFALL OF ROME 331

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

ROMAN.

PAGE

THE CASTLE OF S. ANQELO Frontispiece.

THE FORUM OF HOME 26

BRUTUS ORDERING THE EXECUTION OF HIS SONS . . 40

THE SACRIFICE OF VIRGINIA 75

RUINS OF THE KOMAN AQUEDUCTS 106

THE BATHS OF CARACALLA 150

THE ASSASSINATION OF CAESAR 218

THE GALLEY OF CLEOPATRA 230

THE TOMB OF HADRIAN 260

A ROMAN CHARIOT RACE 275

THE RUINS OF POMPEII 306

EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF MARCUS AURELIUS 309

THE LAST COMBAT OF THE GLADIATORS , .... 333

HOW ROME WAS FOUNDED.

VERY far back in time, more than twenty-six hun«
dred years ago, on the banks of a small Italian river,
known as the Tiber, were laid the foundations of a
city which was in time to become the conqueror of
the civilized world. Of the early days of this re-
nowned city of Rome we know very little. What is
called its history is really only legend, — stories in-
vented by poets, or ancient facts which became grad-
ually changed into romances. The Romans believed
them, but that is no reason why we should. They
believed many things which we doubt. And yet
these romantic stories are the only existing founda-
tion-stones of actual Roman history, and we can do
no better than give them for what little kernel of fact
they may contain.

In our tales from Greek history it has been told
how the city of Troy was destroyed, and how JSneas,
one of its warrior chiefs, escaped. After many ad-
ventures this fugitive Trojan prince reached Italy
and founded there a new kingdom. His son Ascanius
afterwards built the city of Alba Longa (the long
white city) not far from the site of the later city of
Rome. Three hundred years passed away, many
kings came and went, and then Numitor, a descend-

7

8 HISTORICAL TALES.

ant of ^Eneas, came to the throne. But Numitor
had an ambitious brother, Amulius, who robbed him
of his crown, and, while letting him live, killed
his only son and shut up his daughter Silvia in the
temple of the goddess Vesta, to guard the ever-
burning fire of that deity.

Here Silvia had twin sons, whose father was said,
in the old superstitious fashion, to be Mars, the God
of War. The usurper, fearing that these sons of
Mars might grow up and deprive him of his throne,
ordered that they and their mother should be flung
into the Tiber, then swollen with recent rains. The
mother was drowned, but destiny, or Mars, preserved
the sons. Borne onward in their basket cradle, they
were at length swept ashore where the river had
overflown its banks at the foot of the afterwards
famous Palatine Hill. Here the cradle was over-
turned near the roots of a wild fig-tree, and the
infants left at the edge of the shallow waters.

What follows sounds still more like fable. A she-
wolf that came to the water to drink chanced to see
the helpless children, and carried them to her cave,
where she fed them with her milk. As they grew
older a woodpecker brought them food, flying in and
out of the cave. At length Faustulus, a herdsman
of the king, found these lusty infants in the wolf's
den, took them home, and gave them to his wife
Laurentia to bring up with her own children. He
gave them the names of Romulus and Remus.

Tears went by, and the river waifs grew to be
strong, handsome, and brave young men. They be-
came leaders among the shepherds and herdsmen,

HOW ROME WAS POUNDED. 9

and helped them to fight the wild animals that
troubled their flocks. Their home was on the Pala-
tine Hill, and the cattle and sheep for which they
cared were those of the wicked king Amulius.
Near by was another hill, called the Aventine, and
on this the deposed king Numitor fed his flocks. In
course of time a quarrel arose between the herdsmen
on the two hills, and Numitor' s men, having laid an
ambush, took Eemus prisoner and carried him to Alba,
where their master dwelt. This no sooner became
known to Romulus than he gathered the young men
of the Palatine Hill, and set out in all haste to the
rescue of his brother.

Meanwhile, Remus had been taken before Numitor,
who gazed on him with surprise. His face and bear-
ing were rather those of a prince than of a shepherd,
and there was something in his aspect familiar to the
old king. Numitor questioned him closely, and Re-
mus told him the story of the river, the wolf, and
the herdsman. Numitor listened intently. The story
took him back to the day, many years before, when
his daughter Silvia and her twin sons had been
thrown into the swollen stream. Could the children
have escaped? Could this handsome youth be his
grandson ? It must be so, for his age and his story
agreed.

But while they talked, Romulus and his followers
reached the city, and, being forbidden entrance, made
an assault on the gates. In the conflict that ensued
Amulius took part and was killed, and thus Numitor
and his daughter were at last revenged. Seeking
Remus, the victorious shepherd prince found him

10 HISTORICAL TALES.

with Numitor, who now fully recognized in the twin
youths his long-lost grandsons. Romulus, who was
now master of the city, restored his royal grand-
father to the throne.

As for Romulus and Remus, their life as shep-
herds was at an end. It was not for youths of royal
blood and warlike aspirations to spend their lives in
keeping sheep. But Numitor had been restored to
the throne of Alba, and they decided to build a city
of their own on those hills where all their lives had
been passed and on which they preferred to dwell.
The land belonged to Numitor, but he willingly
granted it to them, and they led their followers to
the spot.

Here a dispute arose between the brothers. The
story goes that Romulus wished to have the city
built on the Palatine Hill, Remus on the Aventine
Hill ; and that, as they could not agree, they referred
the matter to their grandfather, who advised them to
settle it by augury, — or by watching and forming
conclusions from the flight of birds. This long con-
tinued the favorite Roman mode of settling difficult
questions. It was easier than the Greek plan of
going to Delphi to consult the oracle.

The two brothers now stationed themselves on the
opposite hills, each with a portion of their followers,
and waited patiently for what the heavens might
send. The day slowly waned, and they waited in
vain. Night came and deepened, and still their vigil
lasted. At length, just as the sun of a new day rose
in the east, Remus saw a flight of vultures, six in
all. He exulted at the sight, for the vulture, as a

HOW ROME WAS FOUNDED. 11

bird which was seldom seen and did no harm to
cattle or crops, was looked upon as an excellent
augury. Word of his success was sent to Eomulus,
but he capped the story with a better one, saying
that twelve vultures had just passed over his hill.

The dispute was still open. Eemus had seen the
birds first ; Eomulus had seen the most. Which had
won ? The question was offered to the decision of
their followers, the majority of whom raised their
voices in favor of Eomulus. The Palatine Hill was
therefore chosen as the city's site. This event took
place, so Eoman chronology tells us, in the year
753 B.C.

The day fixed for the beginning of the work on
the new city — the 21st of April — was a day of re-
ligious ceremony and festival among the shepherds.
On this day they offered sacrifices of cakes and milk
to their god Pales, asked for blessings on the flocks
and herds, and implored pardon for all offences
against the dryads of the woods, the nymphs of the
streams, and other deities. They purified themselves
by flame and their flocks by smoke, and afterwards
indulged in rustic feasts and games. This day of
religious consecration was deemed by Eomulus the
fittest one for the important ceremony of founding
his projected city.

Far back in time as it was when this took place,
Italy seems to have already possessed numerous
cities, many of which were to become enemies of
Eome in later days. The most civilized of the
Italian peoples were the Etruscans, a nation dwell-
ing north of the Tiber, and whose many cities dis-

12 HISTORICAL TALES.

played a higher degree of civilization than those
around them. From these the Eomans in later days
borrowed many of their religious customs, and to
them Komulus sent to learn what were the proper
ceremonies to use in founding a city.

The ceremonies he used were the following. At
the centre of the chosen area he dug a circular pit
through the soil to the hard clay beneath, and cast
into this, with solemn observances, some of the first
fruits of the season. Each of his men also threw
in a handful of earth brought from his native land.
Then the pit was filled up, an altar erected upon it,
and a fire kindled on the altar. In this way was
the city consecrated to the gods.

Then, having harnessed a cow and a bull of snow-
white color to a plough whose share was made of
brass, Romulus ploughed a furrow along the line of
the future walls. He took care that the earth of the
furrow should fall inward towards the city, and also
to lift the plough and carry it over the places where
gates were to be made. As he ploughed he uttered
a prayer to Jupiter, Mars, Vesta, and other deities,
invoking their favor, and praying that the new city
should long endure and become an all-ruling power
upon the earth.

The Eomans tell us that his prayer was answered
by Jupiter, who sent thunder from one side of the
heavens and lightning from the other. These omens
encouraged the people, who went cheerfully to the
work of building the walls. But the consecration
of the city was not yet completed. Its walls were
to be cemented by noble blood. There is reason to

HOW ROME WAS POUNDED. 13

believe that in those days the line of a city's walls
was held as sacred, and that it was desecration to
enter the enclosure at any place except those left
for the gates. This may be the reason that Romulus
gave orders to a man named Celer, who had charge
of the building of the walls, not to let any one pass
over the furrow made by the plough. However this
be, the story goes that Remus, who was still angry
about his brother's victory, leaped scornfully over
the furrow, exclaiming, " Shall such defences as these
keep your city ?"

Celer, who stood by, stirred to sudden fury by this
disdain, raised the spade with which he had been
working, and struck Remus a blow that laid him
dead upon the ground. Then, fearing vengeance for
his hasty act, he rushed away with such speed that
his name has since been a synonyme for quickness.
Our word " celerity" is derived from it. But Romu-
lus seems to have borne the infliction with much of
that spirit of fortitude which distinguished the Ro-
mans in after-times. At least, the only effect the
death of his brother had upon him, so far as we
know, was in the remark, " So let it happen to all
who pass over my walls !" Thus were consecrated
iu the blood of a brother the walls of that city which
in later years was to be bathed in the blood of the
brotherhood of mankind, and from which was des-
tined to outflow a torrent of desolation over the
earth.

THE SABINE VIRGINS.

A TRACT of ground surrounded by walls does not
make a city. Men are wanted, and of these the new
city of Borne had but few. The band of shepherds
who were sufficient to build a wall, or perhaps only
a wooden palisade, were not enough to inhabit a city
and defend it from its foes. The neighboring people
had cities of their own, except bandits and fugitives,
men who had shed blood, exiles driven from their
homes by their enemies, or slaves who had fled from
their lords and masters. These were the only people
to be had, and Eomulus invited them in by pro-
claiming that his city should be an asylum for all
who were oppressed, a place of refuge to which any
man might flee and be safe from his pursuers. He
erected a temple to a god named Asylseus, — from
whom comes the word asylum, — and in this he " re-
ceived and protected all, delivering none back,
neither the servant to his master, the debtor to his
creditor, nor the murderer into the hands of the
magistrate, saying that it was a privileged place,
and they could so maintain it by an order of the
holy oracle, insomuch that the city grew presently
very populous."

It was a quick and easy way of peopling a city.
14

THE SABINE VIRGINS. 15

Doubtless the country held many such fugitives,-^
men lurking in woods or caves, hiding in mountain
clefts, abiding wherever a place of safety offered, —
hundreds of whom, no doubt, were glad to find a
shelter among men and behind walls of defence.
But it was probably a sorry population, made up of
the waifs of mankind, many of whom had been
slaves or murderers. There were certainly no
women among this desperate horde, and Bomulus
appealed in vain to the neighboring cities to let his
people obtain wives from among their maidens. It
was not safe for the citizens of Rome to go abroad
to seek wives for themselves ; the surrounding
peoples rejected the appeal of Romulus with scorn
and disdain; unless something was done Rome bade
fair to remain a city of bachelors.

In this dilemma Romulus conceived a plan to win
wives for his people. He sent word abroad that he
had discovered the altar of the god Consus, who
presided over secret counsels, and he invited the
citizens of the neighboring towns to come to Rome
and take part in a feast with which he proposed to
celebrate the festal day of the deity. This was the
21st of August, just four months after the founding
of the city, — that is, if it was the same year.

There were to be sacrifices to Consus, where liba-
tions would be poured into the flames that consumed
the victims. These would be followed by horse- and
chariot-races, banquets, and other festivities. The
promise of merry-making brought numerous spec-
tators from the nearer cities, some doubtless drawn
by curiosity to see what sort of a commonwealth

16 HISTORICAL TALES.

this was that had grown up so suddenly on the sheep
pastures of the Palatine Hill ; and they found their
wives and daughters as curious and eager for enjoy-
ment as themselves, and brought them along, ig-
noring the scorn with which they had lately rejected
the Roman proposals for wives. It was a religious
festival, and therefore safe; so visitors came from
the cities of Coenina, Crustumerium, and Antemna,
and a multitude from the neighboring country of
the Sabines.

The sacrifices over, the games began. The visit-
ors, excited by the races, became scattered about
among the Romans. But as the chariots, drawn by
flying horses, sped swiftly over the ground, and the
eyes of the visitors followed them in their flight,
Romulus gave a preconcerted signal, and immedi-
ately each Roman seized a maiden whom he had
managed to get near and carried her struggling and
screaming from the ground. As they did so, each
called out " Talasia," a word which means spinning,
and which afterwards became the refrain of a Roman
marriage song.

The games at once broke up in rage and confusion.
But the visitors were unarmed and helpless. Their
anger could be displayed only in words, and Romu-
lus told them boldly that they owed their misfortune
to their pride. But all would go well with their
daughters, he said, since their new husbands would
take the place with them of home and family.

This reasoning failed to satisfy the fathers who
had been robbed so violently of their daughters, and
they had no sooner reached home than many of

THE SABINE VfRGUNS. 17

them seized their armg and marched against their
faithless hosts. First came the people of Coenina ;
but the Romans defeated them, and Romulus killed
their king. Then came the people of Crustumerium
and Antemna, but they too were defeated. The pris-
oners were taken into Rome and made citizens of
the new commonwealth.

But it was the Sabines who had most to deplore,
for they had come in much the greatest number, and
it was principally the Sabine virgins whom the Ro-
mans had borne off from the games. Titus Tatius,
the king of the Sabines, therefore resolved upon a
signal revenge, and took time to gather a large army,
with which he marched against Rome.

The war that followed was marked by two ro-
mantic incidents. Near the Tiber is a hill, — after-
wards known as the Capitoline Hill, — which was
divided from the Palatine Hill by a low and swampy
valley. On this hill Romulus had built a fortress,
as it sort of outwork of his new city. It happened
that Tarpeius, the chief who held this fortress, had
a daughter named Tarpeia, who was deeply affected
by that love of finery which has caused abundant
mischief since her day. When she saw the golden
collars and bracelets which many of the Sabines
wore, her soul was filled with longing, and she man-
aged to let them know that she would betray the
fortress into their hands if they would give her the
bright things which they wore upon their arms.

They consented, and she secretly opened to them
a gate of the fortress. But as they marched through
the gate, and the traitress waited to receive her re-
ii — b 2*

18 HISTORICAL TALES.

ward, the Sabine soldiers threw on her the bright
shields which they wore on their arms, and she was
crushed to death beneath their weight. The steep
rock of the Capitoline Hill from which traitors were
afterwards thrown was called, after her, the Tar-
peian Eock.

The fortress thus captured, the valley between the
hill and the city became the scene of battle. Here
the Sabines repulsed the Eomans, driving them back
to one of their gates, through which the fugitives
rushed in confusion, shutting it hastily behind them.
But — if we may trust the legend — the gate refused
to stay shut. It opened again of its own accord.
They closed it twice more, and twice more it swung
open. The victorious Sabines, who had now reached
it, began to rush in ; but just then, from the Temple
of Janus, near by, there burst forth a might}' stream
of water, which swept the Sabines away and saved
Rome from capture. Therefore, in after-days, the
gates of the Temple of Janus stood always wide
open in time of war, that the god might go out, if
he would, to fight for the Romans.

Another battle took place in the valley, and the
Romans again began to flee. Romulus now prayed
to Jupiter, and vowed to erect to him a temple as
Jupiter Stator, — that is, the " stayer," — if he would
stay the Romans in their flight. Jupiter did so, or,
at any rate, the Romans turned again to the fight,
which now waxed furious. What would have been
its result we cannot tell, for it was brought to an
end by the other romantic incident of which we have
spoken.

THE SABINB VIRGINS. 19

In fact, while the fathers of the Sabine virgins re-
tained their anger against the Eomans, the virgins
themselves, who had now long been brides, had be-
come comforted, most of them being as attached to
their husbands as they had been to their parents
before; and in the midst of the furious battle be-
tween their nearest relatives the lately abducted
damsels were seen rushing down the Palatine Hill,
and forcing their way, with appealing eyes and dis-
hevelled hair, in between the combatants.

" Make us not twice captives I" they earnestly ex-
claimed, saying pathetically that if the war went on
they would be widowed or fatherless, both of which
sad alternatives they deplored.

The result of this appeal was a happy one. Both
sides let fall their arms, and peace was declared
upon the spot, it being recognized that there could
be no closer bond of unity than that made by the
daughters of the Sabines and wives of the Eomans.
The two people agreed to become one, the Sabines
making their new home on the Capitoline and Quiri-
nal Hills, and the Romans continuing to occupy the
Palatine. As for the women, there was established
in their honor the feast called Matronalia, in which
husbands gave presents to their wives and lovers to
their betrothed. Romulus and Tatius were to rule
jointly, and afterwards the king of Rome should be
alternately of Roman and Sabine birth.

After five years Tatius was killed in a quarrel,
and Romulus became sole king. Under him Rome
grew rapidly. He was successful in his wars, and
enriched his people with the spoils of his enemies.

20 HISTORICAL TALES.

In rule he was just and gentle, and punished those
guilty of crime not by death, but by fines of sheep
or oxen. It is said, though, that he grew somewhat
arrogant, and was accustomed to receive his people
dressed in scarlet and lying on a couch of state,
where he was surrounded by a body of young men
called Celeres, from the speed with which they flew
to execute his orders.

For nearly forty years his reign continued, and
then his end came strangely. One day he called
the people together in the Field of Mars. But sud-
denly there arose a frightful storm, with such ter-
rible thunder and lightning and such midnight dark-
ness that the people fled homeward in affright
through the drenching rain. That was the last of
Romulus. He was never seen in life again. He
may have been slain by enemies, but the popular
belief was that Mars, his father, had carried him up
to heaven in his chariot. All that the people knew
was that one night, when Proculus Julius, a friend
of the king, was on his way from Alba to Rome, he
met Romulus by the way, his stature beyond that
of man, and his face showing the beauty of the gods.

Proculus asked him why he had left the people to
sorrow and wicked surmises, for some said that the
senators had made away with him. Romulus replied
that it was the wish of the gods that, after building
a city that was destined to the greatest empire and
glory, he should go to heaven and dwell with the
gods.

" Go and tell my people that they must not weep
for me any more," he said ; " but bid them to be

THE SABINE VIRGINS. 21

brave and warlike, and so shall they make my city
the greatest on the earth."

This story satisfied the people that their king had
been made a god ; so they built a temple to him, and
always afterwards worshipped him under the name
of the god Quirinus. A festival called the Quirinalia
was celebrated each year on the 17th of February,
the day on which he had vanished from the eyes of
men.

THE HO RATH AND CURIATII.

ROMULUS was succeeded by a king named Numa
Pompilius, of Sabine origin, who so loved peace that
during his reign Rome had no wars and no enemies,
so that the doors of the Temple of Janus were never
once opened while he was on the throne. He built a
temple to Faith, that men might learn to avoid false-
hood and to act honestly. He taught the people to
sacrifice nothing but the fruits of the earth, cakes of
flour, and roasted corn, and to shed no blood upon
the altars. And so Rome was peaceful and prosper-
ous throughout his long reign, and grew rapidly in
wealth and population. He died at length when
eighty years of age, and was succeeded by Tullus
Hostilius, a king of Roman birth.

The new king loved war as much as the gentle
Numa had loved peace. Under his rule the gates of
the Temple of Janus were soon thrown open again,
long to remain so. His first war was with the city
of Alba Longa, the foster-parent of Rome. Some
border troubles brought on hostilities, war broke out,
and an Alban army marched until within fifteen
miles of Rome. And here took place a celebrated
incident. The two armies were drawn out on the
, and were about to plunge into the dreadful work
22

THE HOEATII AND CURIATII. 28

of battle, when the Alban king, to whom the war
seemed a foolish and useless one, stood out between
the two armies and spoke in the hearing of both.

He reminded them that the Eomans and Albans
were of the same origin, and that they were sur-
rounded by nations who would like to see both of
them weakened. He proposed, therefore, that the
dispute between them should be decided not by
battle, but by a duel between a few soldiers, and
that the side which won should rule the other. This
proposal seemed to Tullus a sensible one, and he ac-
cepted it, offering as the combatants on his side three
twin brothers known as the Horatii.

The Alban army had also three twin brothers, of
about the same age as the Roman champions, known
as the Curiatii, and these were chosen to uphold the
honor and dominion of Alba against Rome. So, with
the two armies as spectators, and a broad space
between for the deadly duel, the six champions, fully
armed, faced each other in the field.

The onset was fierce, and set every heart in the
two armies throbbing in hope or dread. But after a
short time a shout of triumph went up from the
Alban host. Two of the Horatii lay stretched in
death on the field. The Curiatii were all wounded,
but they were now three to one, so the remaining
Horatius turned and fled, though he was still unhurt.
Dismay fell on the Romans as they saw their single
champion in full flight, pursued by his opponents.
The glad shouts of the Albans redoubled.

Suddenly a change came. The fugitive, whosa
flight had been a feint, to separate his foes, now

24 HISTORICAL TALES.

turned and saw that the wounded men were lagging
in pursuit and were widely separated. Running
quickly back, he met the nearest, and killed him
with a blow. The other two were met and slain in
succession before they could aid each other. Then,
holding up his bloody sword in triumph, the victor
invited the plaudits of his friends, while shedding
dismay on Alban hearts.

The Romans, now lords of the Albans, returned to
Rome in triumph, their advent to the city being
marked by the first of those pompous processions
which in after-years became known as Roman
Triumphs, and were celebrated with the utmost
splendor and costliness of display.

But the affair of the Horatii and Curiatii was not
yet at an end. It was to be finished in blood and
crime. A sister of the Horatii was the affianced
bride of one of the Curiatii, and as she saw her
victorious brother enter the city, bearing on his
shoulders the military cloak which she had, wrought
for her lover with her own hands, she broke into
wild invectives, tearing her hair, and upbraiding her
brother with bitter words. Roused to fury by this
accusation, the victor, in a paroxysm of rage, struck
his sister to the heart with the sword which had
slain her lover, crying out, " So perish the Roman
maiden who shall weep for her country's enemy."

This dreadful deed filled with horror the hearts of
all who beheld it. Men cried that it was a crime
against the law and the gods, too great to be atoned
for by the victor's services. He was seized and
dragged to the tribunal of the two judges who dealt

THE HORATII AND CURIATII. 25

with crimes of bloodshed. These heard the evidence
of the crime, and condemned him to death, in despite
of what he had done for Eome.

But the Eoman law permitted an appeal from the
judges to the people. This appeal Horatius made,
and it was tried before the assembly of Eomans.
Here his father spoke in his favor, saying that in his
opinion the maiden deserved her fate. Eemembrance
of the great service performed by Horatius was
also strong with the people, and the voice of the as-
sembly freed him from the sentence of death. But
blood had been shed, and blood required atonement,
so a sum of money was set aside to pay for sacrifices
to atone for this dreadful deed. Ever afterwards
these sacrifices were performed by members of the
Horatian clan.

In a later war the Albans failed to aid the Eomans,
as they were required to do by the terms of alliance.
As a result the city of Alba was destroyed, and tht
Albans forced to come and live in Eome, the Cseliai,
Hill being given them for a dwelling-place.

THE DYNASTY OF THE TAR-
QUINS.

THE tale we have now to tell forces us to pass
rapidly over years of history. After several kings
of Roman and Sabine birth had reigned, a foreigner,
of Greek descent, came to the throne of Rome. This
was one Lucomo, the son of a native of Corinth, who
had settled at Tarquinii in Italy. Growing weary
of Tarquinii, Lucomo left that city, with his family
and wealth, and made his way to Rome. As he
came near the gates of the city an eagle swooped
down, lifted the cap from his head, and, bearing it
high into the air, descended and placed it on his
head again. His wife Tanaquil, who was skilled in
augury, told him this was a happy omen, and that
he was destined to become great.

And so he did. His riches, courage, and wisdom
brought him great favor in Rome, and on the death
of their king Ancus the people chose Lucius Tar-
quinius — as they called him, from his native city — to
reign over them in his stead. He proved a valiant
and successful warrior, and in times of peace did
noble work. He built great sewers to drain the city,
constructed a large circus or race-course, and a
forum or market-place, and built a wall of stone
around the city in place of the old wooden wall.

THE DYNASTY OF THE TARQUINS. 27

He also began to build a great temple on the Capi-
toline Hill, which was designed to be the temple
of the gods of Rome. In the end Lucius was mur-
dered by the sons of King Ancus, who declared that
he had robbed them of the throne.

There is a story of the deed of an augur in his
reign which is worth repeating, whether we believe
it or not. Lucius had little trust in the augur, and
said to him, " Come, tell me by your auguries whether
the thing I have in my mind may be done or not."
" It may," said Attus, the augur. " It is this," said
the king, laughing: "it was in my mind that you
should cut this whetstone in two with this razor.
Take them and see if you can do it."

Attus took the razor and whetstone, and with a
bold stroke cut the latter in two. From that time
on Lucius did nothing without first consulting the
augurs, and testing the purposes of the gods by the
flight of birds, and — so say the legends — he pros-
pered accordingly.

The cause of the death of Lucius was this. One
day a boy who dwelt in the palace fell asleep in its
portico, and as he lay there some attendants who
passed by saw a flame playing lambently around his
head. Alarmed at the sight, they were about to
throw water upon him to extinguish the flame,
when Tanaquil, the queen, who had also seen it, for-
bade them. She told the king of what had hap-
pened, and said that the boy whom they were bring-
ing up so meanly was destined to become great and
noble. She bade him, therefore, to rear the child ia
a way befitting his destiny.

28 HISTORICAL TALES.

The boy, whose name was Servius Tullius, was
thereupon brought up as a prince, and when old
enough married the king's daughter. Lucius reigned
forty years, and then the sons of Ancus, fearing to
be robbed of their claim to the throne by young
Servius, who had become very popular, managed to
get an audience with and kill the king.

The murderers gained nothing by their deed of
blood. Queen Tanaquil shrewdly told the people
that Lucius was only stunned by the blow, and that
he wished them to obey the orders of Servius. To
the young man she said, " The kingdom is yours ; if
you have no plans of your own, then follow mine."
For several days Servius acted as king, and then,
the people and senate having grown used to seeing
him on the throne, the death of Lucius was declared
and Servius proclaimed king. He had the consent
of the senate, but had not asked that of the people,
being the first king of Rome who reigned without
the votes of the assembly of the Roman people.

Servius Tullius reigned long and won victories,
but his greatest triumphs were those of peace. He
formed a league with the thirty cities of Latium,
and is said to have taken a census of the people of
the city, which was found to have eighty -three thou-
sand inhabitants. To strengthen his power he mar-
ried his two daughters to two sons of Lucius Tar-
quinius, a well-intended act which led to a tragic
and dreadful deed.

The daughters of Servius were very unlike in
nature, and the same may be said of their hus-
bands, and they became unequally mated. Lucius

THE DYNASTY OF THE TARQUIN8. 29

Tarquinius was proud and full of evil, while his
wife, the elder Tullia, was good and gentle. Aruns
Tarquinius was of a mild and kindly nature, while
his wife, the younger Tullia, was cruel and am-
bitious. They were thus sadly mismated. But the
evil pair saw in each other kindred spirits, and in
the end Lucius secretly killed his wife, and the
younger Tullia her husband. The wicked pair then
married, and proceeded to carry out the purposes of
their base hearts.

Servius, being himself of humble birth, had favored
the people at the expense of the nobles. He even
made a law that no king should rule after him, but
that two men chosen by the people should govern
them year by year. Thus it was that the commons
came to love him and the nobles to hate him, and
when he asked for a vote of the people on his king-
ship there was not a voice raised against him.

Lucius, whom his wicked wife steadily goaded to
ambitious aims, conspired with the nobles against
the king. There were brotherhoods of the young
nobles, pledged to support each other in deeds of
oppression. These he joined, and gained their aid.
Then he waited till the harvest season, when the
commons were in the fields, gathering the ripened
corn.

This absence of the king's friends gave him the
opportunity he wished. Gathering a band of armed
men, he suddenly entered the Forum, and took his
seat on the king's throne, before the door of tbf
senate-chamber, from which Servius was accustomed
to judge the people. Word of this act of treasof
3*

30 HISTORICAL TALES.

was borne to the old king, who at once hastened to
the Forum and sternly asked the usurper why he
had dared to take that seat.

Lucius insolently answered that it was his father's
throne, and that he had the best right to it. Then,
as the aged and unguarded king mounted the steps
of the senate-house, his ambitious son-in-law sprang
up, caught him by the middle, and flung him head-
long down the steps to the ground. Then he went
into the senate-chamber and called the senators to-
gether, as though he were already king.

The old monarch, sadly shaken by his fall, rose to
his feet and made his way slowly towards his home
on the Esquiline Hill. But when he came near it
he was overtaken by some bravos whom Lucius had
sent in pursuit. These killed the unprotected old
man, and left him lying in his blood in the middle
of the street.

And now was done a deed which has aroused the
execrations of mankind in all later ages. Tullia, who
had instigated her husband to the murder of her
father, waited with impatience until it was per-
formed. Then, mounting her chariot, she bade the
coachman to drive to the Forum, where, heedless of
the crowd of men who had assembled, she called
Lucius from the senate-house, and cried to him, in
accents of triumph, " Hail to thee, King Tarquinius!"

Wicked as Lucius was, he was not as shameless
as his wife, and sternly bade her to go home. She
obeyed, taking the same street as her father had
followed. Soon reaching the spot where the bleed-
ing body of the old king lay stretched across the

THE DYNASTY OP THE TABQUINS. 31

way, the coachman drew up his horses and pointed
out to Tullia the dreadful spectacle.

" Drive on," she harshly commanded. " I cannot."
he replied. " The street is too narrow to pass with-
out crushing the king's body." " Drive on," she
again fiercely ordered, and the coachman did so.
Tullia went to her home with her father's blood
upon the wheels of her chariot, and with the exe-
cration of all good men upon her head. And thus
it was that Lucius Tarquinius and his wicked wife
succeeded the good king Servius upon the throne.

We may tell here briefly the end of this evil pair.
Tarquin the Proud, as he is known in history,
reigned as a tyrant and oppressor, while his wife
was viewed with horror by all virtuous matrons.
At length the people rose against a base deed of the
tyrant's son, and the wicked Tullia fled in terror
from her house. No one sought to stop her in her
flight ; but all. men and women alike, cursed her as
she passed, and prayed that the furies of her father's
blood might take revenge for her dreadful deed.

She never saw Eome again. Tarquin sought long
to regain his crown, but in vain, and the wicked
usurpers died in exile. No king ever again ruled
over the Eomans. Tarquin's tyranny had given the
people enough of kings, and the law of good Servius
Tullius was at last carried out.

THE BOOKS OF THE SIBYL.

WHILE Tarquin the Proud was king a strange
thing happened at Eome. One day an unknown
woman came to the king, bearing in her arms nine
books, which she offered to sell to him at a certain
price. She told him that they contained the prophe-
cies of the Sibyl of Cumae, and that from them
might be learned the destiny of Kome and the way
to carry out this destiny.

But the price she asked for her books seemed to
the king exorbitant, and he refused to buy them,
whereupon the woman went away from the palace
and burned three of the volumes. She then returned
with six only and offered them to the king, but
demanded the same price for the six as she had
before done for the nine. King Tarquin heard this
demand with laughter and mockery, and again
refused to buy. The woman once more left the
palace, and burned three more of the books.

To the king's astonishment his strange visitor
soon returned, bearing the three books that remained.
On being asked their price, she named the same sum
as she had demanded for the six and the nine. This
was ceasing to be matter for mockery. There might
be some important mystery concealed behind this
strange demand. The king sent for the augurs of
32

THE BOOKS OF THE SIBYL. 33

the court, told them what had happened, and asked
what he should do. They told him that he had done
very wrong. In refusing the books he had refused
a gift ot the gods. By all means he must buy the
books that were left. He bought them, therefore,
at the Sibyl's price. As for the woman, she was
never seen again.

The books were placed in a chest of stone, and
kept underground in the great temple which his
father had begun on the Capitoline Hill, and which
he had completed. Two men were appointed to
guard them, who were called the two men of the
sacred books ; and no treasure could have been kept
with more care and devotion than these mysterious
rolls.

The temple in which these books were kept was
the grandest edifice Kome had yet known. When
Tarquin proposed to build it he found the chosen
site already occupied by many holy places, sacred to
the gods of the Sabines, the first dwellers on the
Capitoline Hill. The augurs consulted the gods to
see if these holy places could safely be removed, to
make room for the new temple. The answer came
that they might take away all except the holy places
of the god of Youth and of Terminus, the god of
boundaries. This was accounted a happy augury,
for it seemed to mean that the city should always
retain its youth and that no enemy should remove
its boundaries. And when the foundations of the
temple were dug a human head was found, which
was held to be a sign that the Capitoline Hill should
be the head of all the earth. So a great temple was

II. — C

34 HISTORICAL TALES.

built, and consecrated to Jupiter and to Juno and to
Minerva, the greatest of the Etruscan gods. This
edifice, afterwards known as the Capitol, was the
most sacred and revered edifice of later Eome.

In the vaults of this temple the sacred books of
the Sibyl were sedulously kept, and here they were
consulted from time to time, as occasions arose in the
history of the city when divine guidance seemed
necessary. None of the people were permitted to
gaze within the sacred cell in which they lay. Only
the augurs consulted them, and the word of the
augurs had to be taken for what they revealed. It
may be that the augurs themselves invented all that
they told, for the books at length perished in the
flames, and no man knows what secret lore they
really contained.

It was during the wars of Sulla and Marius (83 B.C.)
that this disaster occurred. The Capitol was burned,
and with it those famous oracles, which had so long
directed the counsels of the nation. Their loss
threw Eome into the deepest consternation, the loss
of the Capitol itself seeming small beside that of
these famous scrolls.

To replace them as far as possible, the senate sent
embassadors to the various temples of Italy, Greece,
and Asia Minor, within which were Sibyls, or oracle-
speaking priestesses. These collected such oracles
referring to Rome as they could find, about one
thousand lines in all, and brought them to Rome,
where they were placed in the same locality in the
new Capitol that they had occupied in the old.

These oracles do not appear to have predicted

THE BOOKS OP THE SIBYL. 35

future events, but were consulted to discover the
religious observances necessary to avert great calam-
ities and to expiate prodigies. During the reign of
Augustus they were removed to the Temple of Apollo
on the Palatine Hill, and all the false Sibylline leaves
which were extant were collected and burned. They
remained here until shortly after the year 400 A.D.,
when they were publicly burned by Stilicho, a
famous general of Christian Borne, as impious docu-
ments of heathen times.

THE STORY OF LUCRETIA.

WE have next to tell how Tarquin the Proud lost
his throne, through his own tyranny and the crimi-
nal action of his son. Once upon a time, when this
king was at the height of his power, he, as was
usual, offered sacrifices to the gods on the altar in
the palace court-yard. But from the altar there
crawled out a snake, which devoured the offerings
before the flames could reach them.

This was an alarming omen. The augurs were
consulted, but none of them could explain it. So
Tarquin sent two of his sons to the Temple of
Delphi, in Greece, whose oracle was famous in all
lands, to ask counsel of Apollo concerning this
prodigy. With these two princes, Titus and Aruns
by name, went their cousin, Lucius Juuius, a youth
who seemed so lacking in wit that men called him
Brutus, — that is, the " Dullard." One evidence of
his lack of wit was that he would eat wild figs with
honey. Just in what way this was an evidence of
want of good sense we do not know, though doubt-
less the Romans did.

But Brutus was by no means the fool that men
fancied him. He was shrewd instead of stupid.
His father had left him abundant wealth, to which
36

THE STORY OP LUCRETIA. 37

his uncle, King Tarquin, might at any time take a
fancy, and sweep him away to enjoy it. The king
had killed his brother for his wealth, and would bo
likely to serve him in the same way if he deemed
him wise enough to fight for his inheritance. So,
preferring life to money, Brutus feigned to be want-
ing in sense.

When he went to Delphi he took with him a
hollow staff of horn, which he had filled with gold,
and offered this staff to the oracle as a likeness of
himself, — perhaps as one empty of wit and whose
whole merit lay in his gold. When the three young
men had performed the bidding of the king, and
asked the oracle the meaning of the prodigy, they
were told that it portended the fall of Tarquin.
Then they said, " O Lord Apollo, tell us which of
us shall be king of Rome." From the depth of the
sanctuary there came a voice in reply, "The one
among you who shall first kiss his mother."

This was one of those enigmas in which the
Delphian oracle usually spoke, saying things with
a double meaning, and which men were apt to take
amiss. It was so now. The two princes drew lots
which of them should first kiss their mother on his
return ; and they agreed to keep the oracle secret
from their brother Sextus, lest he should be king
rather than they. But Brutus was wiser than them
both. As they left the temple together, he pretended
to stumble and fell with his face to the ground. He
then kissed the earth, saying, " The earth is the true
mother of us all."

On their return to Rome the princes found that
4

38 HISTORICAL TALES.

their father was at war. He was besieging the city
of Ardea, which lay south of Rome ; and as this city
was strong and well defended the king and his army
were kept a long while before it, waiting until famine,
their ally, should force the inhabitants to surrender.
While the army was thus waiting in idleness its offi-
cers had leisure for feasts and diversions, and one of
the king's sons found time to indulge in fatal mischief.
This arose from a supper in the tent of Prince Sex-
tus, at which his brothers Titus and Aruns, and his
cousin Tarquin of Collatia, were present.

While they feasted a dispute arose between them,
as to which had the worthiest wife. It ended in a
proposition of Tarquin, " Let us go and see with our
own eyes what our wives are doing, and we can then
best decide which is the worthiest." This propo-
sition hit with their humor, and, mounting their
horses, they rode to Rome. Here they found the
wives of the three princes merrily engaged at a ban-
quet. They then rode on to Collatia. It was now
late at night, but they found Lucretia, the wife of
their cousin, neither sleeping nor feasting, but work-
ing at the loom, with her handmaids busily engaged
around her.

On seeing this, they all cried, " Lucretia is the
worthiest lady." She ceased her work to entertain
them, after which they took to their horses again,
and rode back to the camp before Ardea.

But Sextus was seized with a vile passion for his
cousin's wife, and a few days afterwards went alone
to Collatia, where Lucretia received him with much
hospitality, as her husband's kinsman. He treated

THE STORY OF LUCRETIA. 39

her shamefully in return, forcing her, with wicked
threats, to accept him as her lover and husband, in
defiance of the laws of God and man.

As soon as Sextus had left her and returned to the
camp, Lucretia sent to Rome for her father and to
Ardea for her husband. Tarquin brought with him
his cousin Lucius Juniusl or Brutus the Dullard.
When they arrived the lady, with bitter tears, told
them of the wickedness of Sextus, and said, "If
you are men, avenge it!" They heard her tale in
horror, and swore to deeply revenge her wrong.

" I am not guilty," she now said ; " yet I too must
share in the punishment of this deed, lest any should
think that they may be false to their husbands and
live." As "she spoke she drew a knife from her
bosom and stabbed herself to the heart.

As they saw her fall, a cry of horror arose from
her husband and father. But Brutus, who saw that
the time had come for him to throw off his pretence
of stupidity and act the man, drew the knife from
the bleeding wound and held it up, saying, in solemn
accents, " By this blood, I swear that I will visit this
deed upon King Tarquin and all his accursed race!
And no man hereafter shall reign as king in Eome,
lest he may do the like wickedness."

He then handed the knife to the others, and bade
them to take the same oath. This they did, wonder-
ing at the sudden transformation in Brutus. They
then took up the body of the slain woman and car-
ried it into the forum of the town, crying to the
gathering people, " Behold the deeds of the wicked
family of Tarquin, the tyrant of Rome!"

40 HISTORICAL TALES.

The people, maddened by the sight, hastily sought
their arms, and while some guarded the gates, that
none might carry the news to the king, the others
followed Brutus to Rome. Here the story of the
wickedness of Sextus and the self-sacrifice of Lu-
crotia ran through the city like wildfire, and a mul-
titude gathered in the Forum, where Brutus ad-
dressed them in fervent words. He recalled to
them all the tyranny of Tarquin and the vices of
his sons, reminding them of the murder of Servius,
the impious act of Tullia, and ending with an
earnest recital of the wrongs of the virtuous Lucre-
tia, whose bleeding corpse still lay in evidence in the
forum of Collatia.

His words went to the souls of his hearers. An
assembly of the people being quickly called, it was
voted that the Tarquins should be banished, and the
office of king should be forever abolished in Rome.
Tullia, learning of the cause of the tumult, hastily
left the palace, and fled from Rome in her chariot
through throngs that followed her with threats and
curses. Brutus, perhaps with the crimsoned knife
still in his hand, bade the young men to follow him,
and set off in haste to Ardea, to spread through the
army the story of the deed of crime and blood.

Meanwhile, Tarquin had been told of the revolt,
and was hurrying to Rome to put it down. Brutus
turned aside from the road that he might not meet
him, and hastened on to the camp, where the story
of the revolt and its cause was told the soldiers.
On hearing the story the whole army broke into a
tumult of indignation, drove the king's sons from

THE STORY OP LUCRETIA. 41

the camp, and demanded to be led to Eome. The
siege of Ardea was at once abandoned and the back-
ward march began.

Meanwhile, Tarquin had reached the city, but only
to find the gates closed against him and stern men
on the walls. " You cannot enter here," they cried.
" You are banished from Eome, you and all of yours,
and shall never set foot within its walls again. And
you are the last of our kings. No man after you
shall ever call himself king of Eome."

Just in what threats, promises, and persuasions
Tarquin indulged we do not know. But the men on
the walls were not to be moved by threats or prom-
ises, and he was obliged to take himself away, a
crownless wanderer. As for Sextus, to whom all
the trouble was due, some say that he was killed in
a town whose people he had betrayed, while others
say that he was slain in battle while his father was
fighting to regain his throne.

But this is certain, no king ever reigned in Eome
again. The people, talking among each other, said,
" Let us follow the wise laws of good King Servius.
He bade us to meet in our centuries (or hundreds)
and to choose two men year by year to govern us,
instead of a king. This let us do, as Servius would
have done himself had he not been basely mur-
dered."

So the centuries of the people met in the Campus
Martius (Field of Mars), and there chose two men, —
Brutus, the leader in the revolution, and Lucius Tar-
quin, the husband of the fated Lucretia. These offi-
cials were afterwards called Consuls, and were given
4*

42 HISTORICAL TALES.

ruling power in Eome. But they had to lay down
their office at the end of the year and be succeeded by
two others elected in their stead. The people, how-
ever, were afraid of the very name of Tarquin, and
in electing Lucius to the consulate it seemed as if
they had put a new Tarquin on the throne. So they
prayed him to leave the city; and, taking all his
goods, he went away and settled at Lavinium, a new
consul being elected in his place. A law was now
passed that all the house of the Tarquins should be
banished, whether they were of the king's family or
not.

Thus ended the kingly period in Eome, after six
kings had followed Eomulus. With the consuls
many of the laws of King Servius, which Tarquin
had set aside, were restored, and a much greater
degree of freedom came to the people of Eome.
But that there might not now seem to be two kings
instead of one, it was decreed that only one of the
consuls should rule at a time, each of them acting
as ruler for a month, and then giving over the power
to his associate.

HOW BRAVE HORATIUS KEPT
THE BRIDGE.

THE banished King Tarquin did not lightly yield
his realm. He roused the neighboring cities against
Kome and fought fiercely for his throne. Soon after
he was exiled from Rome he sent messengers there
for his goods. These the senate decreed should be
given him. But his messengers had more secret
work to do. They formed a plot with many of the
young nobles to bring back the king, and among
these traitors were Titus and Tiberius, the sons of
Brutus.

A slave overheard the conspirators and betrayed
them to the consuls, and they were seized and
brought to the judgment-seat in the Forum. Here
Brutus, sitting in judgment, beheld his two sons
among the culprits. He loved them, but he loved
justice more, and though he grieved deeply in-
wardly, his face was grave and stern as he gave
judgment that the law must take its course. So the
eons of this stern old Roman were scourged with
rods before his eyes, and then, with the other con-
spirators, were beheaded by the lictors, while he
looked steadily on, never turning his eyes from the
dreadful sight. But men could see that his heart
bled for his sons.

43

44 HISTORICAL TALES.

Soon afterwards Tarquin led an army of Etrus-
cans against .Rome, and the two consuls marched
against them at the head of the Koman army. In
the battle that followed Brutus met Aruns, the king's
son, in advance of the lines of battle. Aruns, seeing
Brutus dressed in royal robes and attended by the
lictors of a king, was filled with anger, and levelled
his spear and spurred his horse against him. Brutus
met him in mid-career with levelled spear. Both
were run through, and together fell dead upon the
field.

The day ended with neither party victors. But
during the night a woodland deity was heard speak-
ing from a forest near by. "One man more has
fallen of the Etruscans than of the Romans," it said ;
" the Romans are to conquer." This strange oracle
ended the war. It was a reason, surely, for which
war was never ended before or since. The Etrus-
cans, affrighted, marched hastily home ; while the
Romans carried home their slain patriot, for whom
their women mourned a whole year, in honor of his
noble service in avenging Lucretia.

The banished king still craved his lost kingdom,
and made other efforts to regain it. Having failed
in his first attempt, he went to another city, named
Clusium, in the distant part of Etruria, and here be-
sought Lars Porsenna, the king of that city, to aid
him recover his throne. Lars Porsenna, -with a
fellow-feeling for his dethroned brother king, raised
a large army and marched with Tarquin and his
fellow-exiles against defiant Rome.

The Romans now awaited him at home, and the

HOW BRAVE HORATIUS KEPT THE BRIDGE. 45

two armies met on the hill called Janiculum, beyond
the river from the city. Here came the crash of
battle, but the men of Clusium proved the stronger,
and after a sharp struggle the Romans gave way and
were driven pell-mell down the hill and across the
bridge which spanned the Tiber at this point. This
was a wooden bridge on which the Romans set great
store, as it was their only means of crossing the
stream. But it now was likely to serve as a means
of the loss of their city. Their flying army was
pouring in panic across it, with the Etruscans in hot
pursuit, seeking strenuously to win the bridge.

The bridge must be speedily destroyed or the
city would be lost, but it seemed too late for this ;
unless the enemy could in some way be kept back
till the bridge was cut down, Tarquin and his allies
would be in the streets of Rome.

At this juncture a brave and stalwart son of
Rome, Horatius Codes by name, stepped forward
and offered his life in his city's defence. " Cut away
with all haste," he said ; " I will keep the bridge
until it falls." Two others, Spurius Lartius and
Titus Herminius, sprang to his side, and the three,
fully armed and stout of heart, ranged themselves
across the narrow causeway, while behind them the
axes of the Romans played ringingly upon the sup-
ports of the bridge.

On came the Etruscans in force. But the bridge
was so narrow that only a few could advance at
once, and these found in the way the sharp spears
and keen-edged blades of the patriot three. Down
went the leading Etruscans, and others pressed on,

46 HISTORICAL TALES.

only to fall, till the defenders of the bridge had a
bulwark of the slain in their front.

And now the bridge creaked and groaned as the
axes kept up their lively play, the ring of steel find-
ing its chorus in the cheering shouts of the Romans
on the bank.

" Back ! back !" cried the axemen. " It will be
down in a minute more ; back for jTour lives !"

" Back!" cried Horatius to his comrades, and they
hastily retreated ; but he stood unmoving, still boldly
facing the foe.

" Fly ! It is about to fall !" was the shout.

" Let it," cried Horatius, without yielding a step.

And there he stood alone, defying the whole army
of the Etruscans. From a distance they showered
their javelins on him, but he caught them on his
shield and stood unhurt. Furious that they should
be kept from their prey by a single man, they
gathered to rush upon him and drive him from his
post by main force; but just then the creaking
beams gave way, and the half of the bridge be-
hind him fell with a mighty crash into the stream
below.

The Etruscans paused in their course at this
crashing fall, and gazed, not without admiration, at
the stalwart champion who had stayed an army in
its victorious career. He was theirs now ; he could
not escape; his life should pay the penalty for their
failure.

But Horatius had no such thought. He looked
down on the stream, and prayed to the god of the
river, " O Father Tiber, I pray thee to receive these

HOW BRAVE HORATIUS KEPT THE BRIDGE. 47

arms and me who bear them, and to let thy waters
befriend and save me."

Then, with a quick spring, he plunged, heavy with
armor, into the swift-flowing stream, and struck out
boldly for the shore. The foemen rushed upon the
bridge and poured their darts thick about him ; yet
none struck him, and he swam safely to the shore,
where his waiting friends drew him in triumph from
the stream.

For this "grand deed of heroism the Komanjs set
up a statue to Horatius in the comitium, and gave
him in reward as much land as he could drive his
plough round in the space of a whole day. Such
deeds cannot be fitly told in halting prose, and Lord
Macaulay, in his " Lays of Ancient Eome," has most
ably and picturesquely told

" How well Horatius kept the bridge
In the brave days of old. ' '

But though Home was saved from capture by
assault, the war was not ended, and other deeds of
Roman heroism were to be done. Porsenna pressed
the siege of the city so closely that hunger became
his ally, and the Komans suffered greatly. Then
another patriot devoted his life to his city's good.
This man, a young noble named Caius Mucius, went
to the senate and offered to go to the Etruscan camp
and slay Lars Porsenna in the midst of his men.

His proposal acceded to, he crossed the stream by
stealth and slipped covertly into the camp, through
which he made his way, seeking the king. At length

48 HISTORICAL TALES.

ho saw a man dressed in a scarlet robe and seated
on a lofty seat, while many were about him, coming
and going. " This must be King Porsenna," he said
to himself, and he glided stealthily through the crowd
until he came near by, when, drawing a concealed
dagger from beneath his cloak, he sprang upon the
man and stabbed him to the heart.

But the bold assassin had made a sad mistake.
The man he had slain was not the king, but his
scribe, the king's chief officer. Being instantly
seized, he was brought before Porsenna, where the
guards threatened him with sharp torments unless
he would truly answer all their questions.

"Torments!" he said. "You shall see how little
I care for them."

And he thrust his right hand into the fire that
was burning on the altar, and held it there till it
was completely consumed.

King Porsenna looked at him with an admiration
that subdued all anger. Never had he seen a man of
such fortitude.

" Go your way," he cried, " for you have harmed
youi'self more than me. You are a brave man, and
I send you back to Rome free and unhurt."

" And you are a generous king," said Caius, " and
shall learn more from me for your kindness than
tortures could have wrung from my lips. Know,
then, that three hundred noble youths of Rome have
bound themselves by oath to take your life. I am
but the first ; the others will in turn lie in wait for
you. I warn you to look well to yourself."

He was then set free, and went back to the city,

HOW BRAVE HOBATIUS KEPT THE BRIDGE. 4f

where he was afterwards known as Scaevola, the left-
handed.

The warning of Caius moved King Porsenna to
offer the Eomans terms of peace, which they gladly
accepted. They were forced to give up all the land
they had conquered on the west bank of the Tiber,
and to agree not to use iron except to cultivate the
earth. They were also to give as hostages ten noble
youths and as many maidens. These were sent;
but one of the maidens, Cloelia by name, escaped
from the Etruscan camp, and, bidding the other
maidens to follow, fled to the river, into which they
all plunged and swam safely across to Eome.

They were sent back by the Romans, whose way
it was to keep their pledges ; but King Porsenna,
admiring the courage of Ckelia, set her free, and
bade her choose such ot the youths as she wished to
go with her. She chose those of tenderest age, and
the king set them free.

The Romans rewarded Caius by a gift of land, and
had a statue made of Cloelia, which was set up in
the highest part of the Sacred "Way. And King
Porsenna led his army home, with Tarquin still
dethroned.

ii.— c d

THE BATTLE OF LAKE
REGILLUS.

A third time Tarquin the Proud marched against
Eome, this time in alliance with the Latins, whose
thirty cities had joined together and declared war
against the Romans. But as many of the Romans
had married Latin wives, and many of the Latins
had got their wives from Rome, it was resolved that
the women on both sides, who preferred their native
land to their husbands, might leave their new homes
and take with them their virgin daughters. And,
as the legend tells, all the Latin women but two
remained in Rome, while all the Roman women
returned with their daughters to their fathers'
homes.

The two armies met by the side of Lake Regillus,
and there was fought a battle the story of which
reads like a tale from the Iliad of Homer ; for we
are told not of how the armies fought, but of how
their champions met and fought in single combats
upon the field. King Tarquin was there, now hoary
with years, yet sitting his horse and bearing his
lance with the grace and strength of a young man.
And there was Titus his son, leading into battle all
the banished band of the Tarquins. And with them
was Octavius Mamilius, the leader of the Latins,
60

THE BATTLE OF LAKE REGILLTJS. 51

who swore to seat Tarquin again on his throne and
to make the Komans subjects of the Latins.

On the Eoman side were many true and tried
warriors, among them Titus Herminius, one of those
who fought on the bridge by the side of Horatius
Codes, when that champion fought so well for
Rome.

It is too long to tell how warrior rode against
warrior with levelled lances, and how this one was
struck through the breast and that one through the
arm, and so on in true Homeric style. The battle
was a series of duels, like those fought on the plain
of Troy. But at length the Tarqain band, under
the lead of Titus, charged so fiercely that the
Komans began to give way, many of their bravest
having been slain.

At this juncture Aulus, the leader of the Romans,
rode up with his own chosen band, and bade them
level their lances and slay all, friend or foe, whose
faces were turned towards them. There was to be
no mercy for a Roman whose i?,ce was turned from
the field. This onset stopped the flight, and Aulus
charged fiercely upon the Tarquins, praying, as he
did so, to the divine warriors Castor and Pollux, to
whom he vowed to dedicate a temple if they would
aid him in the fight. And he promised the soldiers
that the two who should first break into the camp of
the enemy should receive a rich reward.

Then suddenly, at the head of the chosen band,
appeared two unknown horsemen, in the first bloom
of youth and taller and fairer than mortal men,
while the horses they rode were white as the driven

52 HISTORICAL TALES.

snow. On went the charge, led by these two noble
strangers, before whom the enemy fled in mortal
terror, while Titus, the last of the sons of King Tar-
quin, fell dead from his steed. The camp of the
Latins being reached, these two horsemen were the
first to break into it, and soon the whole army of the
enemy was in disorderly flight and the battle won.

Aulus now sought the two strange horsemen, to
give them the reward he had promised; but ke
sought in vain ; they were not to be found, among
either the living or the dead, and no man had set
eyes upon them since the camp was won. They had
vanished as suddenly as they had appeared. But on
the hard black rock which surrounds the lake was
visible the mark of a horse's hoof, such as no earthly
steed could ever have made. For ages afterwards
this mark remained.

But the strangers appeared once again. It was
known in Rome that the armies were joined in battle,
and the longing for tidings from the field grew in-
tense. Suddenly, as the sun went down behind the
city walls, there were seen in the Forum two horse-
men on milk-white steeds, taller and fairer than the
tallest and fairest of men. Their horses were bathed
in foam, and they looked like men fresh from battle.

Alighting near the Temple of Vesta, where a
spring of water bubbles from the ground, these men,
-vhom no Romans had ever seen before, washed from
their persons the battle-stains. As they did so men
crowded round and eagerly questioned them. In
reply, they told them how the battle had been fought
and won, — though in truth the battle ended only as

THE BATTLE OP LAKE REGILLUS. 53

the sun went down over Lake Regillus. They then
mounted their horses and rode from the Forum, and
were seen no more. Men sought them far and wide,
but no one set eyes on them again.

Then Aulus told the Romans how he had prayed
to Castor and Pollux, the divine twins, and said thai
it could be none but they who had broken so fiercely
into the enemy's camp, and had borne the news of
Victory with more than mortal speed to Rome. So
he built the temple he had vowed to the hero gods,
and gave there rich offerings as the rewards he had
promised to the two who should first enter the camp
of the foe.

/Thus ended the hopes of King Tarquin, against
whom the gods had taken arms. His sons and all
his family slain, he was left ruined and hopeless, and
retired to the city of Cumse, whence formerly the
Sibyl had come to his court. Here he died, and thus
passed away the last of the Roman kings.

THE REVOLT OF THE PEOPLE.

THE overthrow of the kings of Rome did not
relieve the people from all their oppression. The in-
habitants of that city had long been divided into
two great classes, the Patricians, or nobles, and the
Plebeians, or common people, and the former held in
their hand nearly all the wealth and power of the
state. The senate, the law-making body, were all
Patricians; the consuls, the executors of the law,
were chosen from their ranks; and the Plebeians
were left with few rights and little protection.

It was through the avarice of money-lending
nobles that the people were chiefly oppressed. There
were no laws limiting the rate of interest, and the
rich lent to the poor at extravagant rates of usury.
The interest, when not paid, was added to the debt,
so that in time it became impossible for many
debtors to pay.

And the laws against debtors had become terribly
severe. They might, with all their families, be held
as slaves. Or if the debtor refused to sell himself
to his creditor, and still could not pay his debt, he
might be imprisoned in fetters for sixty days. At
tne end of that time, if no friend had paid his debt,
he could be put to death, or sold as a slave into a
foreign state. If there were several creditors, they
64

THE REVOLT OP THE PEOPLE. 55

could actually cut his body to pieces, each taking a
piece proportional in size to his claim.

This cruel severity was more than any people
could long endure. It led to a revolution in Kome.
In the year 495 B.C., fifteen years after the Tarquins
had been expelled, a poor debtor, who had fought
valiantly in the wars, broke from his prison, and —
with his clothes in tatters and chains clanking upon
his limbs — appealed eloquently to the people in the
Forum, and showed them on his emaciated body the
scars of the many battles in which he had fought.

His tale was a sad one. While he served in the
Sabine war, the enemy had pillaged and burned his
house ; and when he returned home, it was to find
his cattle stolen and his farm heavily taxed. Forced
to borrow money, the interest had brought him
deeply into debt. Finally he had been attacked by
pestilence, and being unable to work for his creditor,
he had been thrown into prison and cruelly scourged,
the marks of the lash being still evident upon his
bleeding back.

This piteous story roused its hearers to fury. The
whole city broke into tumult, as the woful tale
passed from lip to lip. Many debtors escaped from
their prisons and begged protection from the in-
censed multitude. The consuls found themselves
powerless to restore order; and in the midst of the
uproar horsemen came riding hotly through the
gates, crying out that a hostile army was near at
hand, marching to besiege the city.

Here was a splendid opportunity for the Plebeians.
When called upon to enroll their names and take

56 HISTORICAL TALES.

arms for the city's defence, they refused. The
Patricians, they said, might fight their own battles.
As for them, they had rather die together at home
than perish separate upon the battle-field.

This refusal left the Patricians in a quandary.
With riot in the streets and war beyond the walls
they were at the mercy of the commons. They
were forced to promise a mitigation of the laws,
declaring that no one should henceforth seize the
goods of a soldier while he was in camp, or hinder
a citizen from enlisting by keeping him in prison.
This promise satisfied the people. The debtors'
prisons were emptied, and their late tenants crowded
with enthusiasm into the ranks. Through the gates
the army marched, met the foe, and drove him in
defeat from the soil of the Eoman state.

Victory gained, the Plebeians looked for laws to
sustain the promises under which they had fought.
They looked in vain ; the senate took no action for
their redress. But they had learned their power,
and were not again to be enslaved. Their action
was deliberate but decided. Taking measures to
protect their homes on the Aventine Hill, they left
the city the next year in a body, and sought a hill
beyond the Anio, about three miles beyond the walls
of Rome. Here they encamped, built fortifications,
and sent word to their lordly rulers that they were
done with empty promises, and would fight no more
for the state until the state kept its faith. All the
good of their fighting came to the Patricians, they
said, and these might now defend themselves and
their wealth.

THE REVOLT OP THE PEOPLE. 57

The senate was thrown into a panic by this
decided action. When the hostile cities without
should learn of it, they might send armies in haste
to undefended Eome. The people left in the city
feared the Patricians, and the Patricians feared them.
All was doubt and anxiety. At length the senate,
driven to desperation, sent an embassy to the rebels
to treat for peace, being in deadly fear that some
enemy might assail and capture the city in the
absence of the bulk of its inhabitants.

The messenger sent, Menenius Agrippa Lanatus,
was a man famed for eloquence, and a popular
favorite. In his address to the people in their camp
he repeated to them the following significant fable ;

" At a time when all the parts ot the body did not
agree together, as they do now, but each had its own
method and language, the other parts rebelled against
the belly. They said that it lay quietly enjoying
itself in the centre, while they, by care, labor, and
service, kept it in luxury. They therefore conspired
that the hands should not convey food to the mouth,
the mouth receive it, nor the teeth chew it. They
thus hoped to subdue the belly by famine ; but they
found that they and all the other parts of the body
suffered as much. Then they saw that the belly by
no means rested in sloth ; that it supplied instead of
receiving nourishment, sending to all parts of the
body the blood that gave life and strength to the
whole system."

It was the same, he said, with the body of the
state. All must work in unity, if all would prosper.
This homely argument hit the popular fancy. The

58 HISTORICAL TALES.

people consented to treat for their return if their
liberties could be properly secured. But they must
now have deeds instead of words. It was not politi-
cal power they sought, but protection, and protection
they would have.

Their demands were as follows : All debts should
be cancelled, and all debtors held by their creditors
should be released. And hereafter the Plebeians
should have as their protectors two officials, who
should have power to veto all oppressive laws, while
their persons should be held as sacred and inviolable
as those of the messengers of the gods. These offi-
cials were to be called Tribunes, and to be the chief
officers of the commons as the consuls were of the
nobles.

This proposition was accepted by the senate, and
a treaty signed between the contesting parties, as
solemnly as if they had been two separate nations.
It was an occasion as important to the liberties of
Romans as the treaty signed many centuries after-
wards on the field of Runnymede, between King John
and his barons, was to the liberties of Englishmen,
and was held by the Romans in like high regard.
The hill on which the treaty had been made was ever
after known as the Sacred Mount. Its top was con-
secrated and an altar built upon it, on which sacri-
fices were made to Jupiter, the god who strikes men
with terror and then delivers them from fear ; for
the people had fled thither in dread, and were now to
return home in safety.

Thus ended the great revolt of the people, who
had gained in the Tribunes defenders of more power

THE REVOLT OP THE PEOPLE. 59

and importance than they or the senate knew. They
were never again to suffer from the bitter oppression
to which they had been subjected in preceding years.
As for Lanatus, to whose pleadings they had yielded,
he died before the year ended, and was found to have
not left enough to pay for his funeral. Therefore
the Plebeians collected funds to give him a splendid
burial; but the senate having decreed that the state
should bear this expense, the money raised by the
grateful people was formed into a fund for the bene-
fit of his children.

THE REVENGE OF CORIO-

LANUS.

CAIUS MABCIUS, a noble Eoman youth, descended
from the worthy king Ancus Marcius, fought val-
iantly when but seventeen years of age in the battle
of Lake Eegillus, and was there crowned with an
oaken wreath, the .Roman reward for saving the life
of a fellow-soldier. This he showed with the great-
est joy to his mother, Volumnia, whom he loved ex-
ceedingly, it being his greatest pleasure to receive
praise from her lips for his exploits. He afterwards
won many more crowns in battle, and became one of
the most famous of Eoman soldiers.

One of his memorable exploits took place during
a war with the Volscians, in which the Eomans
attacked the city of Corioli. The citizens made a
sally, and drove the Eomans back to their camp.
But Caius, with a few followers, stopped them and
turned the tide of battle, driving the Volscians back.
As they fled into the city through the open gates, he
cried, " Those gates are set open for us rather than
for the Volscians. Why are we afraid to rush in ?"
And suiting his act to his words, the daring soldier
pursued the enemy into the town.

Here he found himself almost alone, for very few
had followed him. The enemy turned on the bold
60

THE REVENGE OF CORIOLANUS. 61

invaders, but Caius proved so strong of hand and
stout of he?rt that he drove them all before him,
keeping a way clear for the Romans, who soon
thronged in through the open gate and took the
city. The army gave Caius the sole credit for the
victory, saying that he alone had taken Corioli ; and
the general said, " Let him be called after the name
of the city." He was, therefore, afterwards known
by the name of Caius Marcius Coriolanus.

Courage was not the only marked quality of
Coriolanus. His pride was equally great. He was
a noble of the nobles, so haughty in demeanor and
so disdainful of the commons that they grew to
hate him bitterly. At length came a time of great
scarcity of food. The people were on the verge of
famine, to relieve which shiploads of corn were sent
from Sicily to Rome. The senate resolved to dis-
tribute this corn among the suffering people, but
Coriolanus opposed this, saying, "If they want corn
let them show their obedience to the Patricians, as
their fathers did, and give up their tribunes. If
they do this we will let them have corn, and take
care of them."

When the people heard of what the proud roble
had said they broke into such fury that a mob gath-
ered around the doors of the senate house, prepared
to seize and tear him to pieces when he came out.
They were checked in this by the tribunes, who
said, " Let us not have violence. We will accuse
him of treason before the assembly, and you shall be
his judges."

The tribunes, therefore, as the law gave them
6

62 HISTORICAL TALES.

the right, summoned Coriolanus to appear before
the popular tribunal and answer to the charges
against him. But he, knowing how deeply he had
offended them, and that they would show him no
mercy, stayed not for the trial, but fled from Eome,
exiled from his native land by his pride and disdain
of the people.

The exile made his way to the land of the Vol-
scians, and seating himself by the hearth-fire of At-
tius Tullius, their chief, waited there with covered
head till his late bitter foe should come in. How
Attius would receive him he knew not ; but he was
homeless, and had now only his enemies to trust.
But when the chieftain entered, and learned that the
man who sat crouched beside his hearth, subject to
his will, was the great warrior who by his own
hands had taken a Yolscian city, but was now ban-
ished and a fugitive, he was filled with compassion.
He greeted him kindly and offered him a home, say-
ing to himself, " Caius, our worst foe, is now our friend
and a foe to Eome ; we will make war against that
proud city, and by his aid will conquer it."

But the Volscians were not eager for war. They
were afraid of the Romans, who had so often de-
feated them, and Attius sought in vain to stir them
to hostility. Failing to rouse the*z by eloquence,
he practised craft. There was a great festival at
Rome, to which had come the people of various
cities, among them many of the Volscians. Attius
now went privately to the Xoman consuls and bade
<Jvatu beware of the Volscians, lest they should stir
op a not and make /rouble in the city, hinting that

THE REVENGE OP CORIOLANUS. 63

mischief was intended. In consequence of this
warning proclamation was made that every Vol-
scian should leave Rome before the setting of the
sun.

This produced the effect which Attius had hoped.
He met the Volscians on their way home, and found
them fired with indignation against Rome. He pre-
tended similar indignation. " You have been made
a show of before all the nations," he cried. " You
and your wives and children have been basely in-
sulted. They have made war on us while their
guests ; if you are men you will make them rue this
deed."

His words inflamed his countrymen. The story
of the insult spread widely through the country, all
the tribes of the Volscians took up the quarrel, and
a great army was raised and set in march towards
Rome, with Attius and Coriolanus at its head.

The Volscian force was greater than the Romans
were prepared to meet, and the army marched victo-
riously onward, taking city after city, and finally
encamping within five miles of Rome. When the
Volscians entered Roman territory they laid waste,
by order of Coriolanus, the lands of the commons,
but spared those of the nobles, the exiled patrician
deeming the former his foes and the latter his
friends. The approach of this powerful army
threw the Romans into dismay. They had been
assailed so suddenly that they had made no prepara-
tions for defence, and the city seemed to lie at the
mercy of its foes. The women ran to the temples
to pray for the favor of the gods. The people de-

64 HISTORICAL TALES.

manded that the senate should send deputies to the
invading army to treat for peace. The senate, ap-
parently no less frightened than the people, obeyed,
sending five leading Patricians to the Volscian camp.

These deputies were haughtily received by Corio-
lanus, who offered them the following severe terms :
" We will give you no peace till you restore to the
Volscians all the land and cities which Borne has
ever taken from them, and till you make them citi-
zens of Rome, and give them all the rights in your
city which you have yourselves."

These conditions the deputies had no power to
accept, and they threw the senate into dismay. The
deputies were sent again, instructed to ask for gen-
tler terms, but now, Coriolanus refused even to let
them enter his camp.

This harsh repulse plunged Rome into mortal
terror. The senate, helpless to resist, now sent the
priests of the gods and the augurs, all clothed in
their sacred garments, and bearing the sacred em-
blems from the temples. But even this solemn dele-
gation Coriolanus refused to receive, and sent them
back to Rome unheard.

Where all this time was the Roman army, which
always before and after made itself heard and felt ?
This we are not told. We are in the land of legend,
and cannot look for too much consistency. For once
in its history Rome seems to have forgotten that its
mission was not to plead, but to fight. Perhaps its
armies had been beaten and demoralized in previous
battles. At any rate we can but tell the story as it
is told to us.

THE REVENGE OF CORIOLANUS. 65

The help of delegates, priests, and augurs having
proved unavailing, that of women was next sought.
A noble lady, Valeria by name, who with other sup-
pliants had sought the Temple of Jupiter, was in-
spired by a sudden thought, which seemed sent by
the god himself. Rising, and bidding the other
noble ladies to accompany her, she proceeded to the
house of Volumnia, the mother of Coriolanus, whom
she found with Virgilia, his wife, and his little chil-
dren.

" We have come to ask you to join us," she said,
"in order that we women, without aid from man,
may deliver our country, and win for ourselves a
name more glorious even than that of the Sabine
wives of old, who stopped the battle between their
husbands and fathers. Come with us to the camp
of Caius, and let us pray him to show us mercy."

" It is well thought of; we shall go with you,"
said Volumnia, and, with Virgilia and her children,
the noble matron prepared to seek the camp and tent
of her exiled son.

It was a sad and solemn spectacle, as this train of
noble ladies, clad in their habiliments of woe, and
with bent heads and sorrowful faces, wound through
the hostile camp, from which they were not ex-
cluded, like the men. Even the Volscian soldiers
watched them with pitying eyes, and spoke no word
as they moved slowly past. On reaching the midst
of the camp, they saw Coriolanus on the- general's
seat, with the Volscian chiefs gathered around him.

At first he wondered who these women could be.
But when they came near, and he saw his mother at
ii.— « 6*

66 HISTORICAL TALES.

the head of the train, his deep love for her welled up
so strongly in his heart that he could not restrain
himself, but sprang up and ran to meet and kiss her.
The Roman matron stopped him with a dignified
gesture, saying, —

"Ere you kiss me, let me know whether I am
speaking to an enemy or to my son; whether I
stand here as your prisoner or your mother."

He stood before her in silence, with bent head, and
unable to speak.

" Must it then be that if I had never borne a son,
Home would have never seen the camp of an enemy?"
said Volumnia, in sorrowful tones. " But I am too
old to bear much longer your shame and my misery.
Think not of me, but of your wife and children,
whom you would doom to death or to life in bond-
age."

Then Virgilia and the children came up and kissed
him, and all the noble ladies in the train burst into
tears and bemoaned the peril of their country.
Coriolanus still stood silent, his face working with
contending thoughts. At length he cried out, in
heart-rending accents, " O mother, what have you
done to me?"

Clasping her hand, he wrung it vehemently, say-
ing, " Mother, the victory is yours ! A happy victory
for you and Rome, but shame and ruin to your son."

Then he embraced her with yearning heart, and
afterwards clasped his wife and children to his
breast, bidding them return with their tale of con-
quest to Rome. As for himself, he said, only exile
and shame remained.

THE KEVENGE OF CORIOLANUS. 67

Before the women reached home the army of the
Volscians was on its homeward march. Ccriolanus
never led them against Eome again. He lived and
died in exile, far from his wife and children. When
very old, he sadly remarked, " That now in his old
age he knew the full bitterness of banishment."

The Romans, to honor Yolumnia and those who
had gone with her to the Yolscian camp, built a
temple to " Woman's Fortune" on the spot where
Coriolanus bad yielded to his mother's entreaties;
and the first priestess of this temple was Yaleria,
into whose heart Jupiter had put the thought that
saved Home.

CINCINNATUS AND THE
&QUIANS.

IN the old days of Rome, not far from the time
when Coriolanus yielded up his revenge at his
mother's entreaty, the Roman state possessed a
citizen as patriotic as Coriolanus was proud, and
who did as much good as the other did evil to his
native land. This citizen, Lucius Quinctius by name,
was usually called Cincinnatus, or the " crisp-haired,"
from the fact that he let his hair grow long, and
curled and crisped it so carefully as to gain as much
fame for his hair as for his wisdom and valor.

Cincinnatus was the simplest and least ambitious
of men. He cared nothing for wealth, and had no
craving for city life, but dwelt on his small farm
beyond the Tiber, which he worked with his own
hands, content, so his crops grew well, to let the
lovers of power and wealth pursue their own devices
within the city walls. But he was soon to be drawn
from the plough to the sword.

While Cincinnatus was busy ploughing his land,
Rome kept at its old work of ploughing the nations.
War at this time broke out with the ^Equians, a neigh-
boring people ; but for this war the ^Equians were
to blame. They had plundered the lands of some of
the allies of Rome, and when deputies were sent to
68

CINCINNATUS AND THE .EQUIANS. 69

complain of this wrong, Gracchus, their chief, re-
ceived them with insulting mockery.

He was sitting in his tent, which was pitched in
the shade of a great evergreen oak, when the depu-
ties arrived.

"I am busy with other matters," he answered
them ; " I cannot hear you ; you had better tell your
message to the oak yonder."

"Yes," said one of the deputies, "let this sacred
oak hear, and let all the gods hear also, how treach-
erously you have broken the peace. They shall
hear it now, and shall soon avenge it ; for you have
scorned alike the laws of the gods and of men."

The deputies returned to Eome, and reported how
they had been insulted. The senate at once declared
war, and an army was sent towards Algidus, where
the enemy lay. But Gracchus, who was a skilled
soldier, cunningly pretended to be afraid of the
Komans, and retreated before them, drawing them
gradually into a narrow valley, on each side of which
rose high, steep, and barren hills.

When he had lured them fairly into this trap, he
sent a force to close up the en1 ranee of the valley.
The Eomans suddenly found that they had been en-
trapped into a cul-de-sac, with impassable hills in
front and on each side, and a strong body of vEquians
guarding the entrance to the ravine. There was
neither grass for the horses nor food for the men.
Gracchus held not only the entrance, but the hill-
tops all round, so that escape in any direction was
impossible. But before the road in the rear was
quite closed up five horsemen had managed to break

70 HISTORICAL TALES.

out ; and these rode with all speed to Eome, where
they told the senate of the imminent danger of the
consul and his army.

These tidings threw the senate into dismay. What
was to be done? The other consul was with his
army in the country of the Sabines. He was at
once sent for, and hastened with all speed to Rome.
Here a consultation took place, which ended in the
leading senators saying, '"There is only one man
who can deliver us. We must make Lucius Quinc-
tius Master of the People." Master of the People
meant in Rome what we now mean by Dictatoi', —
that is, a man above the law, an autocrat supreme.
What service this unambitious tiller of the ground
had previously done for Rome to make him worthy
this distinction we are not told, but it is evident that
he was looked upon as the man of highest wisdom
and soldiership in Rome.

Caius Nautius, the consul, appointed Cincinnatus
to this high office, as he alone was privileged to do,
and then hastened back to his army. Early the next
morning deputies from the senate sought the farm
of the new dictator, to apprise him of the honor
conferred on him. Early as it was, Cincinnatus was
already at work in his fields. He was without his
toga, or cloak, and vigorously digging in the ground
with his spade, never dreaming that he, a simple
husbandman, had been chosen to save a state.

" We bring you a message from the senate," said
the deputies. "You must put on your cloak to
receive it with the fitting respect.''

" Has evil befallen the state ?" asked the farmer,

CINCINNATTJS AND THE ^EQUIANS. 71

as he bade his wife to bring him his cloak. When he
had put it on he returned to the deputies.

" Hail to you, Lucius Quinctius !" they now said.
" The senate has declared you Master of the People,
and have sent us to call you to the city; for the
consul and the array in the country of the ^Equians
are in imminent danger."

Without further words, Cincinnatus accompanied
them to the boat in which they had crossed the
Tiber, and was rowed in it to the city. As he left
the boat he was met by a deputation consisting of
his three sons, his kinsmen and friends, and many
of the senators of Rome. They received him with
the highest honor, and led him in great state to his
city residence, the twenty-four lictors walking before
him, with their rods and axes, while a great multi-
tude of the people crowded round with shouts of
welcome. The presence of the lictors signified that
this plain farmer had been invested with all the
power of the former kings.

The new dictator quickly proved himself worthy
of the trust that had been placed in him. He chose
at once as his Master of the Horse Lucius Tarqui-
tius, a brave man, of noble descent, but so poor that
he had been forced to serve among the foot-soldiers
instead of the horse. Then the two entered the
Forum, where orders were given that all booths
should be closed and all lawsuits stopped. All men
were forbidden to look after their own affairs while
a Roman army lay in peril of destruction.

Orders were next given that every man old enough
to go to battle should appear before sunset with hii

72 HISTORICAL TALES.

arms and with five days' food in the Field of Mars,
and should bring with him twelve stakes. These
they were to cut where they chose, without hinder-
arice from any person. While the soldiers occupied
themselves in cutting these stakes, the women and
older men dressed their food. Such haste was made,
under the energetic orders of the dictator, that an
army was ready, equipped as commanded, in the
Field of Mars before the sun had set. The march
was at once begun, and was continued with such
rapidity that by midnight the vicinity of Algidus
was reached. On the enemy being perceived, a halt
was called.

Cincinnatus now rode forward and inspected the
camp of the enemy, so far as it could be seen by
night. He then ordered the soldiers to throw down
their baggage, and to keep only their arms and stakes.
Marching stealthily forward, they now extended
their lines until they had completely surrounded the
hostile camp. Then, upon a given signal, a simulta-
neous shout was raised, and each soldier began to dig
a ditch where he stood and to plant his stakes in the
ground.

The shout rang like a thunder-clap through the
camp of the jEquians, waking them suddenly and
filling them with dismay. It also reached the ears
of the Romans who lay in the valley, and inspired
them with hope, for they recognized the Roman
war-cry. They raised their own battle-shout in re-
sponse, and, seizing their arms, sallied out and made
a fierce attack upon the foe, fighting so desperately
that the vEquians were prevented from interrupting

CINCINNATUS AND THE ^EQUIANS. 73

the work of the outer army. All the remainder of
the night the battle went on, and when day broke
the ^Equians found that a ditch and a palisade of
stakes had been made around their entire camp.

This work accomplished, Cincinnatus ordered his
men to attack the foe, and thus aid their entrapped
countrymen. The JEquians, finding themselves be-
tween two armies, and as closely walled in as the
Eomans in the valley had before been, fell into a
panic of hopelessness, threw down their arms, and
begged their foes for mercy. Cincinnatus now sig-
nalled for the fighting to cease, and, meeting those
who came to ask on what terms he would spare
their lives, said, —

" Give me Gracchus and your other chiefs bound.
As for you, you can have your lives on one condi-
tion. I will set two spears upright in the ground,
and put a third spear across, and every man of you,
giving up your arms and your cloaks, shall pass
under this yoke, and may then go away free."

To go under the yoke was accounted the greatest
dishonor to a soldier. But the jEquians had no
alternative and were obliged to submit. They de-
livered up to the Eomans their king and their chiefs,
left their camp with all its spoil to the foe, and
passed without cloaks or arms under the crossed
spears, their heads bowed with shame. They then
went home, leaving their chiefs as Eoman prisoners.
Thus was Gracchus punished for his pride.

In less than a day's time Cincinnatus had saved a
Roman army and humiliated the jEquian foe. As for
the battle spoils, he distributed them among his own
» 7

74 HISTORICAL TALES.

men, giving none to the consul's army, and degraded
the consul, making him his under-officer. He then
marched the two armies back to Eome, which he
reached that same evening, and where he was re-
ceived with as much astonishment as joy. The res-
cued army were too full of thankfulness at their
escape to feel chagrin at their loss of spoil, and
voted to give Cincinnatus a golden crown, calling
him their protector and father.

The senate decreed that Cincinnatus should enter
the city in triumph. He rode in his chariot through
the gates, Gracchus and the chiefs of the ^Equians
being led in fetters before him. In front of all the
standards were borne, while in the rear marched the
soldiers, laden with their spoil. At the door of every
house tables were set, with meat and drink for the
soldiers, while the people, singing and rejoicing,
danced with joy as they followed the conqueror's
chariot, and all Rome was given up to feasting and
merry-making.

As for Cincinnatus, he laid down his power and
returned to his farm, glad to have rescued a Roman
army, but caring nothing for the pomp and authority
he might have gained. And for all we know, he
lived and died thereafter a simple tiller of the ground.

THE SACRIFICE OF VIRGINIA.

IN the year 504 B.C. a citizen of Eegillum, of much
wealth and importance, finding himself at odds with
his fellow-citizens, left that city and proceeded to
Rome, with a long train of followers, much as the
elder Tarquin had come from Tarquinii. His name
was Atta Clausus, but in Rome he became known as
Appius Claudius. He was received as a patrician,
was given ample lands, and he and his descendants
in later years became among the chief of those who
hated and oppressed the plebeians.

About half a century after this date, one of these
descendants, also named Appius Claudius, was a
principal actor in one of the most dramatic events
of ancient Rome. The trouble which had long ex-
isted between the patricians and the plebeians now
grew so pronounced, and the demand for a reform in
the laws so great, that in the year 451 B.C. a com-
mission was sent to the city of Athens, to report on
the system of government they found there and
elsewhere in Greece. After this commission had re-
turned and given its report, a body of ten patricians
was appointed, under the title of Decemvirs (or ten
men), to prepare a new code of laws for Rome.
They were chosen for one year, and took the place
of the consuls, tribunes, and all the chief officials of
Rome.

76

76 HISTORICAL TALES.

At the head of this body was Appius Claudius.
The laws of Rome had previously been only partly
written, the remainder being held in memory or
transmitted as traditions. A complete code of
written laws was desired, and to this work the
decemvirs set themselves diligently. After a few
months they prepared a code of laws, which was
accepted by nobles and people alike as fair and satis-
factory, and it was ordered that these laws should
be engraved upon ten tables of brass and hung up
in the comitium, or place of assembly of the people,
where all might read them and learn under what
laws they lived. It is probable that the plebeian
demand for reform was so great that the decemvirs
did not dare to disregard it.

At the end of the year of office of these officials
it was felt that they had done so well that it was
thought wise to continue them in power for another
year. But when the time for election came round,
Appius Claudius managed to have his nine associates
defeated, he alone being re-elected. The other nine
chosen were men whom he felt sure he could control.
And now, having a year's rule assured him, he threw
off the cloak of moderation he had worn, and began
a career of oppression of the plebeians, aided by his
subservient associates. The first step taken was to
add two new laws to the code, which became known,
therefore, as the " Twelve Tables." These new laws
proved so distasteful to the people that they almost
broke into open rebellion. It was evident that the
haughty decemvirs were seeking to increase the
power of their class.

THE SACRIFICE OP VIRGINIA. 77

The decemvirs did not confine themselves to pass-
ing oppressive laws. They began a career of out-
rage and oppression that filled Rome with woe. The
youthful patricians followed their lead, and insult
and murder became common incidents in Rome.
When the second year of the decemvirate expired,
Appius and his colleagues, knowing that they could
not be elected again, showed no intention of yielding
up their authority. They were supported by the
senate and the patricians, and had gained such
power that they defied the plebeians. Those of the
people who were active in opposition were quietly
disposed of, and so intolerable became the tyranny
that numbers of the plebeian party fled from Rome.

While this was going on war broke out with the
Sabines and the JSquians. Of the armies sent against
these nations, one was commanded by Lucius Sicinius
Dentatus, among the bravest of the Romans, and
who had fought in one hundred and twenty battles
and was covered with the scars of old wounds. On
his way to his post this veteran was murdered by
bravos sent by Appius Claudius. Decemvirs were
now appointed to command the armies, Appius and
one of his colleagues remaining in Rome to look
after the safety of the city.

The story goes that both armies were beaten by
their foes, and forced to retreat within Roman terri-
tory. While they lay encamped, not many miles
from Rome, an event occurred in the city which
gave them new work to do, and proved that the worst
enemies of Rome were not without, but within, her
walls.

7" 77

78 HISTORICAL TALES.

In the army sent against the ^Equians was a cen-
turion named Lucius Virginius, who had a beautiful
daughter named Virginia, whom he had betrothed
to Lucius Icilius, recently one of the tribunes of
Rome. But the tyranny of the decemvirs was
directed against the wives and daughters as well as
the men of the plebeians, as was now to be strikingly
shown.

One day, as the beautiful maiden was on her way,
attended by her nurse, to school in the Forum
(around which the schools were placed), she was
seen by Appius Claudius, who was so struck by her
beauty that he determined to gain possession of her,
and sought to win her by insidious words. The
innocent girl repelled his advances, but this only in-
creased his desire to possess her, and he determined,
as she was not to be had by fair means, to have her
by foul. He therefore laid a wicked plot for her
capture.

Marcus Claudius, one of his clients, instigated by
him, seized the girl as she entered the Forum, claim-
ing that she was his slave. The nurse screamed for
help, and a crowd quickly gathered. Many of these
well knew the maiden, her father, and her betrothed,
and vowed to protect her from wrong. But the
villain declared that he meant no harm, and that he
only claimed his own, and was quite willing to submit
his claim to the decision of the law.

Followed by the crowd, he led the weeping maiden
to where Appius Claudius occupied the judgment-
seat, and demanded justice at his hands. He de-
clared that the wife of Virginius, being childless,

THE SACRIFICE OF VIRGINIA. 79

had got this child from its mother and presented
it to Virginius as her own, and said that the reai
mother had been his slave, and that, therefore, the
daughter was his slave also. This he would prove
to Virginius on his return to Korne. Meanwhile it
was but just that the master should keep possession
of his slave.

This specious appeal was earnestly combated by
the friends of the maiden, many of whom were
present in the throng. Virginius, they said, was
absent from Eome in the service of the common-
wealth. To take such action in his absence was un-
just. They would send him word at once, and in
two days he would be in the city.

"Let the case stand until he can appear," they
demanded. "The law expressly declares that in
cases like this every one shall be considered free till
proved a slave. The maiden, therefore, should legally
be left with her friends till the day of trial. Put not
her fair fame in peril by giving up a free-born
maiden into the hands of a man whom she knows
not."

To this reasonable appeal Appius, with a show of
judicial moderation, replied, —

" Truly, I know the law you speak of, and hold it
just and good, for it was enacted by myself. But
this maiden cannot in any case be free ; she belongs
either to her father or to her master. And as her
father is not here, who but her master can have any
claim to her ? I decide, therefore, that M. Claudius
shall keep her till Virginius comes, and shall require
him to give sureties to bring her before my judgment-

80 HISTORICAL TALES.

seat when the day comes for hearing the case be-
tween them."

This illegal decision was far from satisfying the
multitude. The decemvirs and their adherents had
gained an unholy reputation for dishonorable treat-
ment of the wives and daughters of the people, and
it was not safe to trust a maiden in their hands.
Word had been hastily sent to Numitorius, the uncle
of Virginia, and Icilius, her betrothed, and they now
came up in great haste, and protested so vigorously
against the sentence, that the surrounding people
became roused to fury. Appius, seeing the temper
of the throng, and fearing a riotous demonstration,
felt forced to change his decision. He said, there-
fore, that, in view of the rights of fathers over their
children, he would let the case rest till the next
day.

" If, then," he said, with a show of stern dignity,
" Virginius does not appear, I plainly tell Icilius and
his fellows that I will support the laws which I have
made. Violence shall not prevail over justice at this
tribunal."

Obliged to be content with this, the friends of
Virginia conducted her home, and Icilius sent mes-
sengers in all haste to the camp, to bid Virginius
come without an hour's delay to Home. Surety
was given that the maiden should appear before
Appius the next day.

It was fortunate that the army in which Virginius
was a centurion had been obliged to retreat, and
then lay not many miles from Borne. The messen-
gers sent reached the camp that same evening, and

THE SACRIFICE OP VIRGINIA. 81

told Virginius of the peril of his daughter. Appius
had also sent messengers to his colleagues in com-
mand of the army, secretly instructing them not to
let Virginius leave the camp on any pretence. But
the messengers of right outstripped those of wrong,
and when word came from the decemvirs in com-
mand to restrain Virginius he had already been
given leave of absence, and was speeding on the road
to Eome, spurred by love and indignation.

Morning came, and Appius resumed his judgment-
seat, under the delusion that his vile scheme was
safe. To his surprise and dismay, he saw Virginius,
whom he supposed detained in camp, dressed in
mean attire, like a suppliant, and leading his daugh-
ter into the Forum. With him came a body of
Roman matrons and a great troop of friends, for
the affair had roused the people almost to the point
of revolt.

" This is not my cause only, but the cause of all,"
said Virginius, in moving accents, to the people. " If
my daughter shall be robbed from me, what father
and mother among you all is safe ?"

Icilius earnestly seconded this appeal, and the
mothers who stood by wept with pity, their tears
moving the people even more than the words of the
father and lover.

But Appius was not to be moved by tears or ap-
peals. Bent on gaining his unholy ends, he did not
even give Virginius time to address the tribunal, but
before Claudius had done speaking be hastened to
give sentence. The maiden, he said, should be con-
sidered a slave until proved to be free-born. In the
n— /

82 HISTORICAL TALES.

mean time she should remain in the custody of her
master Claudius.

This monstrous decision, a perversion of all law,
natural and civil, filled the people with astonish-
ment. Could the maker of the laws of Rome thus
himself set them at defiance? They stood as if
stunned, until Claudius approached to lay hands on
the maiden, when the women and her friends gath-
ered around her and kept him off, while Virginius
broke out in passionate threats that he would not
tamely submit to so great a wrong.

Appius had prepared for this. He had brought
with him a body of armed patricians, and, supported
by them, he bade his lictors to drive back the crowd.
Before their threatening axes the unarmed people
fell back, and the weeping maiden was left standing
alone. Virginius looked on in despair. Was he to
be robbed of his daughter in the face of Rome, and
in defiance of all justice and honor? There was one
way still to save her, and only one.

With an aspect of humility he asked Appius to
let him speak one word to the nurse in the maiden's
hearing, that he might learn whether she were really
his child or not. " If I am not indeed her father, I
shall bear her loss the lighter," he said.

Appius, with a show of moderation, consented, and
the distracted father drew the nurse and his daugh-
ter aside to a spot where stood some butchers'
booths, for the Forum of Rome was then a place of
trade as well as of justice. Here he snatched a knife
from a butcher, and, holding the poor girl in his
arm, he cried, " This is the only way, my child, to

THE SACRIFICE OF VIRGINIA. 83

keep thee free," and plunged the weapon to her
heart.

Then, turning to Appius, he cried, in threatening
accents, " On you and on your head be the curse of
this blood !"

" Seize the madman !" yelled Appius.

But, brandishing the bloody knife, Virginius broke
through the multitude, which readily made way for
his passage, and flew to the city gates, where, seizing
a horse, he rode with wild haste to the camp of Tus-
culum.

Meanwhile Icilius and Numitorius held up the
maiden's body, and bade the people see the bloody
result of the decemvir's unholy purpose. A tumult
instantly arose, the people rushing in such fury upon
the tribunal that the lictors and armed patricians
were driven back, and Appius, stricken with fear,
covered his face with his robe and fled into a neigh-
boring house.

Never had Kome been so stirred to fury. The
colleague of Appius rushed with his followers to the
Forum, but the people were too strong for all the
force he could gather. The senate met, but could do
nothing in the excited state of public feeling. An at-
tempt to support the decemvirs now might cause the
commons once more to secede to the Sacred Hill.

While this was going on in the city, Virginius,
followed by many citizens, had reached the camp.
Here the encrimsoned knife he held, the blood on his
face and body, and the many unarmed citizens who
followed him, brought the soldiers crowding round
to learn what all this meant.

84 HISTORICAL TALES.

The tale was told in moving accents. On hearing
it the whole army burst into a storm of indignation.
Heedless of the orders of their generals, they rushed
excitedly to arms, pulled up their standards, and put
themselves in hasty march for Eome. The only
leader they recognized was Virginius, who, knife in
hand, led the way in the van.

Reaching the city, the soldiers called on the com-
mons to assert their liberties and elect new tribunes,
the decemvirs having deprived them of these offi-
cials. They then marched to the Aventine Hill,
where they selected ten military tribunes. The
senate sent to them to know what they wanted,
but they replied that they had no answer to give
except to their own friends.

The other army had also heard of the outrage, and
soon appeared at the Aventine, led by Icilius and
Numitorius, who had hastened with the dreadful
story to its camp. It, too, elected ten tribunes, and
waited to hear what the senate had to propose.
They waited in vain. No word came to them. The
senate, distracted by the sudden occurrence, sought
to temporize, but the people were in too deadly
earnest to be thus dealt with. In the end the ar-
mies left the Aventine, marched through the city,
and made their way to the Sacred Hill, where the
seceding commoners had established themselves on
a famous occasion long before. Men, women, and
children followed them in multitudes. Once more
the city was deserted by the plebeians, and the patri-
cians were left to keep Rome together as they could.

This brought the senate to terms. The decemvirs

THE SACRIFICE OF VIRGINIA. 85

agreed to resign. Deputies were sent to ask what
the people demanded. They replied that they
wanted their tribunes and the right of appeal re-
stored, full indemnity for all the leaders in the
secession, and the punishment of their oppressors.

"These decemvirs," said Icilius, "are public ene-
mies, and we will have them die the death of such.
Give them up to us, that they may be burnt with
fire, as they have richly deserved."

This bloodthirsty desire, however, was not insisted
on. All their other requests were granted, and the
people returned to Eome. The decemvirs had re-
signed. Ten tribunes were chosen, among them Vir-
ginius and Icilius. The people of Eome had regained
the liberty of which they had been robbed by their
late oppressors.

But though the decemvirs had been spared from
death by fire, they were not forgiven. Vir^inius,
as a tribune, impeached Appius for having given a
decision in defiance of the law. The proud patrician
appeared in the Forum surrounded by a body of
young nobles, but he gained nothing by this bravado.
He refused to go before the judge, appealed to the
people, and demanded to be released on bail. This
Virginius refused. He could not be trusted at
liberty. He was therefore thrown into prison, to
await the judgment of the people.

This judgment he did not live to hear. Whether
he killed himself in prison, or was killed by order of
his accusers, we do not know. We only know that
he died. His colleague, who had come to his aid on
that fatal day, was also thrown into prison, on the

86 HISTORICAL TALES.

charge of having wantonly scourged an old and dis-
tinguished soldier. He also died there. The other
decemvirs, with M. Claudius, who had claimed Vir-
ginia as his slave, were allowed to give bail, and all
fled from Eome. The property of all of them was
confiscated and sold.

Eome had experienced enough of decemvirate rule.
The tribunes of the people were restored, and there-
after they were both freely chosen by the people,
which had not been the case before.

And thus it was that Virginia was revenged and
justice once more reigned in Rome.

CAMILLUS AT THE SIEGE OF
VEIL

WE have now to tell the story of another dictator
of Rome. Like Cincinnatus, Camillus is largely a
creature of legend, but he plays an active part in old
Roman annals, and the tale of his doings is well
worth repeating.

Rome was at war with the city of Veii, a large
and strong city beyond the Tiber, and not many
miles away. In the year of Rome 350 (or 403 B.C.)
the siege of Veii began, and was continued for seven
years. We are told that the Romans surrounded the
city, five miles in circumference, with a double wall,
but it could not have been complete, or the Veien-
tians could not have held out against starvation so
long. For the end of the siege and the taking of
the city we must revert to the legendary tale.

For seven years and more, so the legend says, the
Romans had been besieging Veii. During the last
year of the siege, in late summer, the springs and
rivers all ran low; but of a sudden the waters of the
Lake of Alba began to rise, and the flood continued
until the banks were overflowed and the fields and
houses by its side were drowned. Still higher and
higher the waters swelled till they reached the tops
of the hills which rose like a wall around the Jake.

87

88 HISTORICAL TALES.

In the end they overflowed these hills at their lowest
points, and poured in a mighty torrent into the plain
beyond.

The prayers and sacrifices of the Komans haO
failed to check the flood, which threatened their city
and fields, and despairing of any redress from their
own gods they sent to Delphi, in Greece, and applied
there to the famous oracle of Apollo. While the
messengers were on their way, it chanced that a
Eoman centurion talked with an old Veientian on
the walls whom he had known in times of peace,
and knew to be skilled in the secrets of Fate. The
Roman condoled with his friend, and hoped that no
harm would come to him in the fall of Veii, sure to
happen soon. The old man laughed in reply, and
said, —

" You think, then, to take Veii. You shall not
take it till the waters of the Lake of Alba are all
spent, and flow out into the sea no more."

This remark troubled the Roman, who knew the
prophetic foresight of his friend. The next day he
talked with him again, and finally enticed him to
leave the city, saying that he wished to meet him at
a certain secret place and consult with him on a
matter of his own. But on getting him in this way
out of the city, he seized and carried him oif to the
camp, where he brought him before the generals.
These, learning what the old man had said, sent him
to the senate at Rome.

The prisoner here spoke freely. "If the lake
overflow," he said, " and its waters run out into the
sea, woe unto Rome; but if it be drawn off, and the

CAMILLUS AT THE SIEGE OF VEIL 89

waters reach the sea no longer, then it is woe unto
Yeii."

This he gave as the decree of the Fates; but the
senate would not accept his words, and preferred to
wait until the messengers should return from Delphi
with the reply of the oracle.

When they did come, they confirmed what the old
prophet had said. " See that the waters be not con-
fined within the basin of the lake," was the message
of Apollo's priestess : " see that they take not their
own course and run into the sea. Thou shalt take
the water out of the lake, and thou shalt turn it to
the watering of the fields, and thou shalt make
courses for it till it be spent and come to noth-
ing."

What all this could possibly have to do with the
siege of Veii the oracle did not say. But the people
of the past were not given to ask such inconvenient
questions. The oracle was supposed to know better
than they, so workmen were sent with orders to
bore through the sides of the hills and make a pass-
age for the water. This tunnel was made, and the
waters of the lake were drawn off, and divided into
many courses, being given the duty of watering the
fields of the Eomans. In this way the water of the
lake was all used up, and no drop of it flowed to the
sea. Then the Eomans knew that it was the will
of the gods that Veii should be theirs.

Despite all this, the army of Rome must have met

with serious difficulties and dangers at Veii, for the

senate chose a dictator to conduct the war. This

was their ablest and most famous man, Marcus

8*

90 HISTORICAL TALES.

Furius Camillas, a leader among the aristocrats, and
a statesman of distinguished ability.

Under the command of Camillus the army hotly
pressed the siege. So straitened became the Veien-
tians that they sent envoys to Eome to beg for
peace. The senate refused. In reply, one of the
chief men of the embassy, -who was a skilled prophet,
rebuked the "Romans for their arrogance, and pre-
dicted coming retribution.

" You heed neither the wrath of the gods nor the
vengeance of men," he said. " Yet the gods shall re-
quite you for j'our pride ; as you destroy our country,
so shall you shortly after lose your own."

This prediction was verified before many years in
the invasion of the Gauls and the destruction of
Rome, — a tale which we have next to tell.

Camillus, finding that Veii was not to be taken
by assault over its walls, began to approach it from
below. Men were set to dig an underground tunnel,
which should pass beneath the walls, and come to
the surface again in the Temple of Juno, which
stood in the citadel of Yeii. Night and day they
worked, and the tunnel was in course of time com-
pleted, though the ground was not opened at its inner
extremity.

Then many Romans came to the camp through
desire to have a share in the spoil of Veii. A tenth
part of this spoil was vowed by Camillus to Apollo,
in reward for his oracle ; and the dictator also
prayed to Juno, the goddess of Veii, begging her to
desert this city and follow the Romans home, where
a temple worthy of her dignity should be built.

CAMILLUS AT THE SIEGE OP VEIL 91

All being ready, a fierce assault was made on the
city from every side. The defenders ran to the walls
to repel their foes, and the fight went vigorously on.
While it continued the king of Veii repaired to the
Temple of Juno, where he offered a sacrifice for the
deliverance of the city. The prophet who stood
by, on seeing the sacrifice, said, " This is an accepted
offering. There is victory for him who offers the en-
trails of this victim upon the altar."

The Romans who were in the secret passage below
heard these words. Instantly the earth was heaved
up above them, and they sprang, arms in hand, from
the tunnel. The entrails were snatched from the
hands of those who were sacrificing, and Camillus,
the Roman dictator, not the Veientian king, offered
them upon the altar. While he did so his followers
rushed from the citadel into the streets, flung open
the city gates, and let in their comrades. Thus both
from within and without the army broke into the
town, and Veii was taken and sacked.

From the height of the citadel Camillus looked
down upon the havoc in the city streets, and said in
pride of heart, " What man's fortune was ever so
great as mine?" But instantly the thought came to
him how little a thing can bring the highest fort-
une down to the lowest, and he prayed that if some
evil should befall him or his country it might be
light.

As he prayed he veiled his head, according to the
Roman custom, and turned toward the right. In
doing so his foot slipped, and he fell upon his back
on the ground. " The gods have heard my prayer,"

92 HISTORICAL TALES.

he said. " For the great fortune of my victory over
Veii they have sent me only this little evil."

He then bade some young men, chosen from the
whole army, to wash themselves in pure water, and
clothe themselves in white, so that there would be
about them no stain or sign of blood. This done,
they entered the Temple of Juno, bowing low, and
taking care not to touch the statue of the goddess,
which only the priest could touch. They asked the
goddess whether it was her pleasure to go with them
to Rome.

Then a wonder happened ; from the mouth of the
image came the words " I will go." And when they
now touched it, it moved of its own accord. It was
carried to Rome, where a temple was built and con-
secrated to Juno on the Aventine Hill.

On his return to Rome Camillas entered the city
in triumph, and rode to the Capitol in a chariot
drawn by four white horses, like the horses of Jupiter
or those of the sun. Such was his ostentation that
wise men shook their heads. " Marcus Camillus
makes himself equal to the blessed gods," they said.
" See if vengeance come not on him, and he be not
made lower than other men."

There is one further legend about Camillus. After
the fall of Veii he besieged Falerii. During this
siege a school-master, who had charge of the sons of
the principal citizens, while walking with his boys
outside the walls, played the traitor and led them
into the Roman camp.

But the villain received an unexpected reward.
Camillus, justly indignant at the act, put thongs iu

CAMILLUS AT THE SIEGE OF VEIL 93

the boys' hands and bade them flog their master back
into the town, saying that the Eomans did not war
on children. On this the people of Falerii, overcome
by his magnanimity, surrendered themselves, their
city, and their country into the hands of this gener-
ous foe, assured of just treatment from so noble a
man.

But trouble came upon Camillus, as the wise men
had predicted. He was an enemy of the commons
and was to feel their power. It was claimed that
he had kept for himself part of the plunder of Yeii,
and on this charge he was banished from Rome.
But the time was near at hand when his foes would
have to pray for his return. The next year the
Gauls were to come, and Camillus was to be re-
venged upon his ungrateful country. This story
we have next to tell.

THE GAULS AT ROME.

WE have related in the preceding tale how a
Veientian prophet predicted the ruin of Rome, in
retribution for the cruelty of the Romans to the
people of Veii. It is the story of this disaster
which we have now to tell. While the Romans
were assailing Veii and making other conquests
among the neighboring cities, a new people had
come into Central Italy, a fair-faced, light-haired,
great- bodied tribe of barbarians, fierce in aspect,
warlike in character, the first contingent of that
great invasion from the north which, centuries after-
wards, was to overthrow the empire of Rome.

These were the Gauls, barbarian tribes from the
region now known as France, who had long before
crossed the Alps and made themselves lords of
much of Northern Italy. Just when this took place
we do not know, but about the time with which we
are now concerned they pushed farther south, over-
threw the Etruscans, and in .the year 389 B.C. crossed
the Apennines and penetrated into Central Italy.

And now the proud city of Rome was to come
face to face with an enemy more powerful and cour-
ageous than any it had hitherto known. In the
year named the Gauls besieged the city of Clusium,
94

THE GAULS AT ROME. 95

in Eiruria, the city of Lars Porsenna, who in former
years had aided Tarquin against Rome. The Roman
senate, alarmed at their approach, sent three depu-
ties to observe these barbarian bands. What follows
is the story as told in Roman annals. It cannot be
accepted as the exact truth, though no one questions
the destruction of Rome by the Gauls.

The story goes, then, that the deputies sent to
the barbarians, and asked by what right they sought
to take a part of the territory of Clusium, a city in
alliance with Rome. Brennus, the leader of the
Gauls, who knew little and cared less about Rome,
replied, with insolent pride, that all things be-
longed to the brave, and that their right lay in
their swords.

Soon after, in a sortie that was made from the
city, one of the Roman deputies joined the soldiers,
and killed a Gaulish champion of great size and
stature. On this being reported to Brennus he sent
messengers to Rome, demanding that the man who
had slain one of his chiefs, when no war existed be-
tween the Gauls and Romans, should be delivered
into his hands for punishment. The senate voted
to do so, as the demand seemed reasonable ; but an
appeal was made to the people, and they declared
that the culprit should not be given up. On this
answer being taken to Brennus, he at once ordered
that the siege of Clusium should be abandoned, and
marched with his whole army upon Rome.

A Roman army, forty thousand strong, was hastily
raised, and crossed the Tiber, marching towards Yeii,
where they expected to meet the advancing enemy.

96 HISTORICAL TALES.

But they reckoned wrongly: the Gauls came down
the left bank of the river, plundering and burning
as they marched. This threw the Romans into the
greatest alarm. For many miles above Rome the
Tiber could not be forded, there were no bridges,
and boats could not be had to convey so large an
army. The Romans were forced to march back
with all speed to the city, cross the river there, and
hasten to meet their foes before they got too near
at hand. But when they came within sight of the
Gauls the latter were already within twelve miles
of Rome.

The Roman army was drawn up behind the Alia,
a little stream whose deep bed formed a line of
defence. But the Gauls made their attack upon the
weakest section of the Roman army, hewing them
down with their great broadswords, and assailing
their ears with frightful yells. The Roman right
wing, formed of new recruits, gave way before this
vigorous charge, and in its flight threw the regular
legions of the left wing into disorder. The Gauls
pursued so fiercely that in a short time the whole
army was in total rout, and flying as Roman army
had never fled before.

Many plunged into the river, in hope of escaping
by swimming across it. But of these the Gauls
slew multitudes on the banks, and killed most of
those in the stream with their javelins. Others took
refuge in a dense wood near the road, where they
lay hidden till nightfall. The remainder fled back
to the city, where they brought the frightful tidings
of the utter ruin of the Roman army.

THE GAULS AT ROME. 97

The news threw Rome into a panic. Of those
who escaped from the battle, the majority had
crossed the river and made their way to Veii. No
other army could be raised. Most of the other in-
habitants left the city, as the people of Athens had
done when the army of Xerxes approached. It was
resolved to abandon the city to the barbarians, but
to maintain the citadel, the home of the gods of
Rome. The holy articles in the temples were buried
or removed, the Vestal Virgins sent away, and the
flower of the patricians took refuge in the Capitol,
determined to defend to the last that abiding-place
of the guardian gods of Rome.

But there were aged members of the senate, old
patricians who had filled the highest offices in the
state, and venerable ministers of the gods, who felt
that they had a different duty to perform. They
could not serve their country by their deeds ; they
might by their death. They devoted themselves and
the army of the Gauls, in solemn invocations, to the
spirits of the dead and to the earth, the common
grave of man. Then, attiring themselves in their
richest robes of office, each took his seat on his ivory
<jhair of magistracy in the gate-way of his house.

Meanwhile the Gauls had delayed for a day their
attack on the city, fearing that the silence portended
some snare. When they did enter, the people had
escaped with such valuables as they could carry. The
Capitol was provisioned and garrisoned, and the aged
senators awaited death in solemn calm.

On seeing these venerable men, sitting in motion-
less silence amid the confusion of the sack of the
ii.— E g 9

98 HISTORICAL TALES.

city, the Gauls viewed them with awe, regarding
them at first as more than human. One of the
soldiers approached M. Papirius, and began rever-
ently to stroke his long white beard. Papirius was
a minister of the gods, and looked on this touch
of a barbarian hand as profanation. With an im-
pulse of anger he struck the Gaul on the head with
his ivory sceptre. Instantly the barbarian, breaking
into rage, cut him down with his sword. This put
an end to the feeling of awe. All the old men were
attacked and slain, their vow being thus fulfilled.

Rome, except its Capitol, was now in the hands
of the Gauls. The sack and ruin of the city went
mercilessly on. But the Capitol defied their efforts.
It stood on a hill which, except at a single point,
presented precipitous sides. The Gauls tried to
storm it by this single approach, but were driven
back with loss. They then blockaded the hill, and
spent their time in devastating the city and neigh-
boring country.

While this was going on the fugitives from Rome
had gathered at Veii, where they daily became more
reorganized. And now they turned in their distress
to a man whom they had injured in their prosperity.
Camillus, the conqueror of Veii, had been exiled
from Rome on a charge of having been dishonest in
distributing the spoils of the conquered city. He
was now living at Ardea, whither messengers were
sent, begging him to come to the aid of Rome. He
sent word back that he had been condemned for an
offence of which he was not guilty, and would not
return unless requested to do so by the senate.

THE GAULS AT ROME. 99

But the senate was shut up in the Capitol. How
could it be reached ? In this dilemma a young man,
Pontius Cominius, volunteered for the adventure.
He swam the Tiber at night, climbed the hill by the
aid of shrubs and projecting stones, obtained for
Camillus the appointment as dictator, and returned
by the same route.

The feat of Cominius, whatever its real purpose,
came near being a fatal one to Rome. He had left
his marks on the cliff. Here the soil had been
trodden away and stones loosened ; there bushes had
been broken or torn from the soil. The sharp eyes
of the Gauls saw, in the morning light, these proofs
that some one had climbed or descended the hill.
The cliff, then, could be climbed. Some Eoman had
climbed it ; why not they ? The spot, supposed to
be inaccessible, was not guarded. There was no
wall at its top. Here was an open route to that
stubborn citadel. They resolved to attempt it as
soon as night should fall.

It was midnight when the Gauls began to make
their way slowly and with difficulty up the steep
cliff. The moon may have aided them with its rays,
but, if so, it revealed them to no sentinel above. The
very watch-dogs failed to scent and signal their ap-
proach. They reached the summit, and, to their
gratification, no alarm had been given. The Romans
slept on.

The fate of Rome in that hour hung in the bal-
ance. Had the citadel been taken and its defenders
slain, Rome might never have recovered from the
blow. The whole course of history might have been

100 HISTORICAL TALES.

changed. It was the merest chance that saved the
city from this impending disaster.

It chanced that on this part of the hill stood the
temple of the guardian gods of Rome, — Jupiter, Juno,
and Minerva, — and in this temple were kept a number
of geese, sacred to Juno. Though food was not abun-
dant, the garrison had spared these sacred geese.
They were now to be amply repaid, for the geese
alone heard the noise of the ascending Gauls, and in
alarm began a loud screaming and flapping of wings.

The noise aroused Marcus Manlius, who slept near.
Hastily seizing his sword and shield, he called to his
comrades and ran to the edge of the cliff. He reached
there just in time to see the head and shoulders of a
burly Gaul, who had nearly attained the summit.
Dashing the rim of his shield into the face of the
barbarian, Manlius tumbled him down the rock, and
with him those who followed in his track. The
others, dismayed, dropped their arms to cling more
closely to the rocks. Unable to ascend or descend,
they were easily slaughtered by the guards who fol-
lowed Manlius. The Capitol was saved. As for the
captain of the watch, from whose neglect of duty
this peril had come, he was punished the next morn-
ing by being hurled down the cliff upon the slaugh-
tered Gauls.

Manlius was rewarded, says the story, by each
man giving him from his scanty store a day's allow-
ance of food, — namely, half a pound of corn and five
ounces in weight of wine. As for the real defenders
of Rome, the geese of the .Capitol, they were ever
after held in the highest honor and veneration.

THE GAULS AT ROME. 101

As the Capitol could not be taken by assault or
surprise, there remained only the slow process of
siege. For six or eight months the Gauls blockaded
the hill. So says the story, but it was probably not
so long. However, in the end the Romans were
brought to the point of famine, and offered to ran-
som their city by paying a large sum of gold. Bren-
nus, the Gaulish king, was ready to accept the offer.
His men were suffering from the Roman fever ; food
had grown scarce ; he agreed, if paid a thousand
pounds' weight of gold, to withdraw his army from
Rome.

Much gold had been brought by the fugitive
patricians into the Capitol. From this the dele-
gates brought down and placed in the scales a suf-
ficient quantity. But while they found the gold, the
Gauls found the weights^ and it was soon discovered
that the wily barbarians were cheating. Their
weights were too heavy. Complaint of this fraud
was made by the Roman tribune of the soldiers. In
reply Brennus drew his heavy broadsword and threw
it into the scale with the weights.

" What does this mean ?" asked the tribune.

"It means," answered the barbarian, haughtily,
" woe to the vanquished !" " Vce victis esse!"

While this was going on, says the legend, Camil-
lus, the dictator, was marching to Rome with the
legions he had organized at Veii. He appeared at
the right minute for the dramatic interest of the
story, entered the Forum while the gold was being
weighed, bade the Romans take back their gold,
threw the weights to the Gauls, and told Brennus
9*

102 HISTORICAL TALES.

proudly that it was the Roman custom to pay their
debts in iron, not in gold.

A fight ensued, as might be expected. The Gauls
were driven from the city. The next day Camillus
attacked them in their camp, eight miles from Rome,
and defeated them so utterly that not a man was
left alive to carry home the tale of the slaughter.

This story of the coming of Camillus is too much
like the last act of a stage-play, or the denouement
of a novel, to be true. Most likely the Gauls
marched off with their gold, though they may have
been attacked on their retreat, and most or all of
the gold regained.

Camillus, however, is said to have saved Rome in
still another way. The old city was in ashes. Most
of the citizens were at Veii, where they had found
or built new homes. They were loath to come back
to rebuild a ruined city. This Camillus induced
them to do. Every appeal was made to the local
pride and the religious sentiments of the people. A
centurion, marching with his company, and being
obliged to halt in front of the senate-house, called to
the standard-bearer, " Pitch your standard here, for
this is the best place to stop at." This casual re-
mark was looked upon as an omen from heaven, and
by this and the like means the people were induced
to return.

Then the rebuilding of Rome began. The sites of
the temples were retraced as far as could be done in
the ruins. The laws of the twelve tables and some
other records were recovered, but the mass of the
historical annals of Rome had been destroyed. Some

THE QAUL8 AT ROME. 103

relics were said to have been miraculously pre-
served, among them the shepherd's crook of Rom-
ulus.

But the bulk of the possessions of the Romans had
vanished in the flames ; the streets were mere heaps
of ashes ; the very walls had been in part pulled
down ; rubbish and ruin lay everywhere. Eome, like
the phoenix, had to be born again from its ashes.
Men built wherever they could find a clear spot.
Stones and roofing-material were brought from Veii,
and one city was dismantled that another might be
restored. Stones and timber were supplied to any
man from the public lands. The city rapidly rose
again. But it was an irregular city; the streets ran
anywhere ; no effort was made at rule or system in
the making of the new Rome.

As for Camillus, he came to be honored as the
second founder of Rome. "While the Romans were
at work on their new homes they were harassed by
their foes, and he was kept busy with the army in
the field. He lived for twenty-five years longer,
and in the year 367 B.C., when some eighty years of
age, he marched again to meet the Gauls in a new
assault upon Rome, and defeated them with such
slaughter that they left Rome alone for many years
afterwards.

Marcus Manlius, the preserver of the Capitol, was
not so fortunate. He came forward as the patron
of the poor, who began to suffer again from the
severe laws against debtors. Finally he began to use
his large fortune to relieve suffering debtors, and is
said to have paid the debts of four hundred debtors,

104 HISTORICAL TALES.

thus saving them from bondage. This generosity
won him the unbounded affection of the people, who
called him the " Father of the Commons." But it
aroused the suspicion of the patricians, and some of
these, against whom he had used violent language,
had him arrested on a charge of treason, perhaps
with good reason. Though he showed the many
honors he had received for services to his country,
he was condemned to death and his house razed to
the ground. Thus the patricians dealt with the
benefactors of the poor.

THE CURTIAN GULF.

DURING three years — 363 to 361 B.C. — Eome was
ravaged by the plague, which was so violent and
fatal as to carry off the citizens by hundreds. In
its first year it found a noble victim in Camillus,
the conqueror of Veil and the second founder of
Rome, who four years before had a second time de-
feated the Gauls. He was the last of the old heroes
of Eome, those whose glory belongs to romance
rather than history. The Gauls had destroyed the
records of old Eome, and left only legend and ro-
mance. With the new Rome history fairly began.

But we have another romantic tale to tell before
we bid adieu to the story of early Rome. In the
second year of the pestilence a strange and porten-
tous event occurred. The Tiber rose to an unusual
height, overflowed with its waters the great circus
(Circus Maximus), and put a stop to the games then
going on, which were intended to propitiate the
wrath of heaven, and induce the gods to relieve man
from the evil of the plague.

And now, in the midst of the Forum, there yawned
open a fearful gulf, so wide and deep that the super-
stitious Romans viewed it with awe and affright.
Whether it was due to an earthquake or the wrath
of the gods is not for us to say. The Romans be-
lieved the latter ; those who prefer may believe the

106

106 HISTORICAL TALES.

former. But, so we are told, it seemed bottomless.
Throw what they would in it, it stood unfilled, and
the feeling grew that no power of man could ever
fill its yawning depths.

Man being powerless, the oracles of the gods were
consulted. Must this gaping wound always stand
open in the soil of Rome ? or could it in any way be
filled and the offended deities who had caused it be
propitiated ? From the oracle came the reply that
it must stand open till that which constituted the
best and true strength of the Roman commonwealth
was cast as an offering into the gulf. Then only
would it close, and thereafter forever would the state
live and flourish.

The true strength of Rome! In what did this
consist ? This question men asked each other anx-
iously and none seemed able to answer. But there
was one man in Rome who interpreted rightly the
meaning of the oracle. This was a noble youth,
M. Curtius by name, who had played his part val-
iantly in war, and gained great fame by brave and
manly deeds. The true strength of Rome ? he said
to the people. In what else could it lie but in the
arms and valor of her children? This was the
sacrifice the gods demanded.

Going home, he put on his armor and mounted
his horse. Riding to the brink of the gulf, he, be-
fore the eyes of the trembling and awe-struck mul-
titude, devoted himself to death for the safety and
glory of Rome, and plunged, with his horse, head-
long into the gaping void. The people rushed after
him to the brink, flung in their offerings, and with a

THE CURTIAN GULF. 107

surge the lips of the gap came together, and the
gulf was forever closed. The place was afterwards
known by the name of the Curtian Lake, in honor
of this sacrifice.

There are two other stories of this date worth re-
peating, as giving rise to two great names in Home.
T. Manlius, the future conqueror of the Latins, fought
with a gigantic Gaul on the bridge over the Anio on
the Salarian road. Slaying his enemy, he took from
his neck a chain of gold (torques), which he after-
wards wore upon his own. From this the soldiers
called him Torquatus, which name his descendants
ever afterwards bore.

In a later battle Marcus Valerius fought with a
second gigantic Gaul. During the combat a won-
derful thing happened. A crow perched on the
helmet of the Roman, and continued there as the
combatants fought. Occasionally it flew up into the
air, and darted down upon the Gaul, striking at his
eyes with its beak and claws. The Gaul, confounded
by this attack, soon fell by the sword of his foe, and
then the crow flew up again, and vanished towards
the east. The name of Corvus (crow) was added to
that of Valerius, and was long afterwards borne by
his descendants.

These stories are rather to be enjoyed than be-
lieved. They probably contain more poetry than
history, particularly that of Curtius and the gulf.
Yet they were accepted as history by the Romans,
and are given in all their detail in the fine old work
of Livy, the rarest and raciest of the story-tellers of
Rome.

ANECDOTES OF THE LATIN
AND SAMNITE WARS.

THE conquest of Italy by Eome was attended by
many interesting events, of which we propose to
relate here some of the more striking. The capture
and burning of Home by the Gauls, and the dispersal
of her army and people, ruinous as it seemed, was
but an event in her career of conquest. The city
was no sooner rebuilt than the old regime of war
was resumed, and it was no longer a struggle be-
tween neighboring cities, but of Rome against pow-
erful confederacies and peoples, such as the Volscians,
the Etruscans, the Latins, the Campanians, and the
Samnites, the final conquest of which gave her the
dominion of Italy.

The war with the Latins was attended with some
circumstances showing strongly the stern and in-
domitable spirit of the Romans. This war was car-
ried into Campania, in Southern Italy ; and here, on
a celebrated occasion, when the two armies lay en-
camped in close vicinity on the plain of Capua, the
Roman consuls issued a strict order against skir-
mishing or engaging in single encounters with the
enemy. The two peoples were alike in arms and in
language, and it was feared that such chance com-
bats might lead to confusion and disaster.
108

ANECDOTES OF THE LATIN AND SAMNITE WARS. 109

The only man to disobey this order was T. Man-
lius, the son of one of the consuls. A Latin warrior,
Geminus Metius, of Tuseulum, challenged young Man-
lius to meet him in single combat; and the youthful
warrior, fired by ambition and warlike zeal, and
eager to sustain the honor of Eome, accepted the
challenge, despite his father's order. If killed, his
fault would be atoned ; if successful, victory over a
noted warrior must win him pardon and praise.

The duel that ensued was a fierce and gallant one.
It ended in the triumph of the young Roman, who
laid his antagonist dead at his feet. Shouts of
triumph from the Roman soldiers hailed his vic-
tory; and when he had despoiled his slain foe of
his arms, and borne them triumphantly from the
field, the exultation of the Romans was as unbounded
as the chagrin of the Latins was deep. Towards his
father's tent the young victor proudly went, through
exulting lines of troops, and laid his spoils in triumph
at the feet of the stern old man.

The poor youth, the rejoicing soldiers, knew not
the man with whom they had to deal. A military
order had been disobeyed. To old Manlius the fact
that the culprit was his son, and that he had added
honor to the Roman arms, weighed nothing. Dis-
cipline stood above affection or victory. Turning
coldly away, the iron-hearted old Roman ordered
that the soldiers should be immediately summoned
to the prsetorium, or general's tent, and that his son
should be beheaded before them.

This cruel and inhuman order filled the whole
army with horror. Yet none dared interfere, and
10

110 HISTORICAL TALES.

the unnatural mandate was obeyed, in full view of
an army whose late exultation was turned to deepest
woe and indignation. The youngest soldiers never
forgave the consul for his inhuman act, but regarded
him with abhorrence to the end of his life. But
their hatred was mingled with fear and respect, and
the stern lesson taught was doubtless felt for years
in the discipline of the armies of Rome.

The next event worthy of record took place in
the vicinity of Mount Vesuvius, under whose very
shadow a fierce battle was fought between the Latin
and Roman armies, with the then silent volcano as
witness. Two centuries more were to pass before
Rome would learn what fearful power lay sleeping
in this long voiceless mountain.

Before the battle joined, the gods, as usual, were
appealed to. During the night both consuls had
dreamed the same dream. A figure of more than
human stature and majesty had appeared to them,
and told them that the earth and the gods of the
dead claimed as their victims the general of one
party and the army of the other. When the sacri-
fices were made, the signs given by the entrails of
the victims signified the same thing. It was re-
solved, therefore, that if the army of Rome any-
where gave way, the general commanding on that
side should devote himself, and the army of the
enemy with him, to the gods of death and the grave.
" Fate," said the augurs, " requires the sacrifice of a
general from one party and an army from the other.
Let it be our general and the Latin army that shall
perish."

ANECDOTES OP THE LATIN AND SAMNITE WARS. Ill

It was the left wing of the Romans, commanded by
the consul Publius Decius, that first gave way. The
consul at once accepted his fate. By the direction
of the chief priest, he wrapped his consular toga
around his head, holding it to his face with his hand,
and then set his feet upon a javelin, and repeated
after the priest the words devoting him to the gods
of death. Then, arming himself at all points, and
wrapping his toga around his body in the manner
usual in sacrifices, he sprang upon his horse, and
spurred headlong into the ranks of the enemy, where
he soon fell dead.

This sacrifice filled the Romans with hope, and the
Latins, who understood its meaning, with dismay.
Yet the latter, after being driven back, soon recov-
ered, and, despite the self-devotion of Decius, would
probably have won the victory had not the remain-
ing consul brought up his reserve troops just in time.
In the end the Latins were utterly defeated, and
Vesuvius looked down on the massacre of one army
by the swords of another, scarcely a fourth of the
Latins escaping. Thus the gods seemed to keep
their word, though probably the Roman reserve
force had more to do with the victory than all the
gods of Rome.

The next event which we have to relate took place
during the second Samnite war. Its hero was L.
Papirius Cursor, one of the favorite heroes of Ro-
man tradition, and the avenger of the disgrace of
the Caudine Forks, the story of which we have next
to tell. This famous soldier is said to have possessed
marvellous swiftness of foot and gigantic strength,

112 HISTORICAL TALES.

with extraordinary capacity for food, while his iron
strictness of discipline was at times relieved by a
rough humor. All this made his memory popular
with the Romans, who boasted that Alexander the
Great would have found in him a worthy champion,
had that conqueror invaded Italy.

The event we have now to narrate occurred early
ui the war. One of the consuls, being taken ill, was
ordered to name a dictator to replace him, and chose
Papirius Cursor. This champion appointed Q. Fabius
Rullianus, another famous soldier, his master of the
horse, and marched out to attack the Samnites.

As it happened, the auspices taken by the dictator
at Borne before marching to the seat of war were
of no particular significance. Not satisfied with
them, he decided to take them again, and returned
to Rome for this purpose, the auspices being of a
kind which could only be taken within the city
walls. He ordered the master of the horse to re-
main strictly on the defensive during his absence.

Fabius did not obey this order. He attacked the
enemy and gained some advantage. The annals
say that he won a great victory, defeating the
Samnites with a loss of twenty thousand men ; but
the annals have a habit of magnifying small affairs
into large ones where they have any object to gain.

On hearing that his orders had been disobeyed,
Papirius hurried back to the camp in a violent rage,
and with the intention of making such an example
of discipline as Manlius had made in the execution
of his son. On reaching camp he ordered that
Fabius should be immediately executed. His au-

ANECDOTES OF THE LATIN AND SAMNITB WARS. 113

thority as dictator gave him power for this violent
act ; but he failed to reckon on the spirit of the sol-
diers, who supported Fabius to a man, and broke
into a violent demonstration that was almost mutiny.
So strong was their feeling that the furious dictator
found himself obliged to halt in his purpose.

But Fabius knew too well the iron nature of his
antagonist to trust his life in his hands. That night
he fled from the camp to Eome, and immediately
appealed to the senate for protection. Papirius
followed in hot haste, and while the senators were
still assembling arrived in Eome, where, under his
authority as dictator, he gave order for the arrest
of the culprit. In this critical situation the pris-
oner's father, M. Fabius, appealed to the tribunes
for the protection of his son, saying that he pro-
posed to carry the case before the assembly of the
people.

The tribunes found themselves in a dilemma.
Papirius warned them not to sanction so flagrant
a breach of military discipline, nor to lessen the
majesty of the office of dictator, and they found
themselves hesitating between their duty to support
the absolute power of the dictator and their abhor-
rence of an exercise of this power that must shock
the feelings of the whole Eoman people. The
people themselves relieved their tribunes from this
difficulty. They hastily met in assembly, and by a
unanimous vote implored the dictator to be merci-
ful, and for their sakes to forgive Fabius. His
authority thus acknowledged, Papirius yielded, and
declared that he pardoned the master of the horse.
ii.— A 10*

114 HISTORICAL TALES.

"And the authority of the Roman generals," says
Livy, "was established no less firmly by the peril of
Q. Fabius than by the actual death of the young T.
Manlius."

It was well for Kome that Fabius was spared, for
he afterwards proved one of their ablest generals.
The time came, also, when he was able to confer a
benefit upon Papirius Cursor. This was during a
subsequent war with the Etruscans, in which he
commanded as consul and gained great victories.
Meanwhile a Roman army was defeated by the
Samnites, and on the news of this defeat reaching
Rome the senate at once resolved to appoint Papi-
rius once more as dictator.

But this appointment must be made by a consul.
One consul was with the defeated army, perhaps
dead. It was necessary to apply to Fabius, the other
consul, and the declared enemy of the proposed dicta-
tor. To overcome his personal feelings, a deputation
of the highest senators was sent him, who read him
the senate's decree and strongly urged him to sup-
port it. Fabius listened in dead silence, not answer-
ing by word or look. When they had ended, he ab-
ruptly withdrew from the room. But at dead of
night he pronounced, in the usual form, the nomi-
nation of Papirius as dictator. When the deputies
thanked him for his noble conquest over his feelings,
he listened still in dead silence, and dismissed them
without a word in answer.

We must now pass over years of war, in which
both Fabius and Papirius gained honor and fame,
and come to an occasion in which the son of Fabius

ANECDOTES OF THE LATIN AND SAMNITE WARS. 115

led a Roman army as consul, and met with a severe
defeat by a Samnite army. He had been tricked
by the Samnites, and great indignation was aroused
against him in Rome. It was proposed to remove
him from his office, a disgrace which no consul ever
experienced in Roman history. It was also proposed
that old Fabius should be appointed dictator. But
the aged soldier, to preserve the honor of his son,
offered to go with him as his lieutenant, and the offer
was accepted by the senate.

A second battle ensued, in the heat of which the
consul became surrounded by the enemy, and his
aged father led the charge to his rescue. His ex-
ample animated the Romans, they followed him in a
vigorous assault, and a complete victory was won.
Twenty thousand Samnites were slain, four thou-
sand taken prisoners, and with them their general,
C. Pontius. After other victories the younger Fabius
returned to Rome and was given a triumph, while
behind him rode his old father on horseback, as one
of his lieutenants, delighting in the honor conferred
on his son. The Samnite general was made to walk
in the procession, and at its end was taken to the
prison under the Capitoline Hill and there beheaded.
It was thus that Rome dealt with its captured foes.

THE CAUDINE FORKS.

WESTWARD from Rome rise the Apennine Moun-
tains, the backbone of Italy ; and amid their highest
peaks, where the snow lies all the year long, and
whence streams flow into the two seas, dwelt the
Sabines, an important people, from whom came the
mothers of the Roman state. There is a legend
concerning this people which we have now to tell.
For many years they had been at war with their
neighbors, the Umbrians ; and at length, failing to
conquer their enemies by their own strength, they
sought to obtain the help of the divinities. They
made a vow that if victory was given to them, all
the living creatures born that year in their land
should be held as sacred to the gods.

The victory came, and they sacrificed all the lambs,
calves, kids, and pigs of that year's birth, while they
redeemed from the gods such animals as were not
suitable for sacrifice. But, as it appeared, the deities
were not satisfied. The land refused to yield its
fruits, and the Sabines were not long in deciding
why their crops had failed. They had neither sacri-
ficed nor redeemed the children born that year, and
had thus failed in their duty to the gods.

To atone for this fault, all their children of that
116

THE CATJDINE FORKS. 117

year's birth were devoted to the god Mamers, and
when they had grown up they were sent away to
make themselves a home in a new land. As the
young men started on their pilgrimage a bull went
before them, and, as they fancied that Mamers had
sent this animal for their guide, they piously followed
him. He first lay down to rest when he had come
to the land of the Opicans. This the Sabines took
for a sign, and they fell on the Opicans, who dwelt
in villages without walls, and drove them out from
their country, of which the new-comers took posses-
sion. They then sacrificed the bull to Mamers ; and
in after-ages they bore the bull for their device.
They also took a new name, and were afterwards
known as Samm'tes.

While the Eomans were extending their dominion
in Central Italy, the Samnites were conquering the
peoples farther south. Their dominion became
great, and at one time included the famous cities
of Herculaneum and Pompeii and many others of
the cities of the southern plains. In the centre of
the Samnite country stood a remarkable mountain
mass, an offshoot from the Apennines. This moun-
tain, now called the Matese, is nearly eight miles in
circumference, and rises abruptly in huge wall-like
cliffs of limestone to the height of three thousand
feet. Its surface is greatly varied in character, now
sloping into deep valleys, now rising into elevated
cliffs, of which the loftiest is six thousand feet high.
It is rich in springs, which gush out in full flow, and
disappear again in the caverns with which limestone
rocks abound. Its valleys yield abundant pasture

118 HISTORICAL TALES.

and magnificent beech forests, while on its highest
summits the snow tarries till late summer, and in the
Hottest months of summer the upland pastures con-
tinue cool.

This mountain fastness formed the citadel from
which the Samnites issued in conquering excursions
over the surrounding country, and enabled them in
time to extend their dominion far and wide, and to
rival Rome in the width and importance of their
state. Thus Rome and Samnium approached each
other step by step, and the time inevitably came
when they were to join issue in war.

Three wars took place between the Romans and
the Samnites. In the first of these Valerius Cor-
vus (the origin of whose name of Corvus we have
already told) led the Roman army to victory. In
honor of this victory Rome received from Carthage
(with which city it was to engage in a desperate
contest in later years) a golden crown, for the shrine
of Jupiter in the Capitol.

In 329 B.C. Rome finally overcame the Volscians,
with whom they had been many years at war, and
three years afterwards war with the Samnites was
again declared. The latter were invading Cam-
pania, in which country lay the volcano of Vesuvius
and the city of Naples. Rome came to the aid of
the Campanians, and a war began which lasted for
more than twenty years.

Of this war we have but one event to tell, that in
which Rome suffered the greatest humiliation it had
met with in its entire career, the famous affair of the
Caudine Forks. It was in the fifth campaign of the

THE CAUDINE PORKS. 119

war that this event took place. Two Roman armies
had marched into Campania and threatened the
southern border of Samnium, which the Samnite
general Pontius was prepared to defend. His force
occupied the passes which led from the plain of
Naples into the higher mountain valleys; but he
deceived the Romans by spreading the report that
the whole Samnite army had gone to Apulia, where
they were besieging the city of Luceria. His pur-
pose was to lure the Romans into these difficult
defiles under the impression that the Samnites wert.
trusting to the natural strength of their country for
its defence.

The trick succeeded. The Roman consuls believed
the story, and, in their haste to go to the aid of their
allies in Apulia, chose the shortest route, that which
led through the Samnian hills. The absence of the
Samnite army would enable them, they thought, to
force their way through Samnium without difficulty ;
and, blinded by their false confidence, the consuls
recklessly led their men into the fatal pass of
Caudium.

This pass was a narrow opening in the outer wall
of the Apennines, which led from the plain of Cam-
pania to Maleventum. To-day it is traversed by the
road from Naples to Benevento, and is called the
valley of Arpaia. In the past it was famous as
Caudium.

Into this defile the Romans marched between the
rugged mountain acclivities that bounded its sides,
and through the deep silence that reigned around.
The pass seemed utterly deserted, and they expected

120 HISTORICAL TALES.

soon to emerge into a more open valley in the interior
of the hills.

But as they advanced the pass contracted, until it
became but a narrow gorge, and this they found to
be blocked up with great stones and felled trees.
Brought to a halt, the troops stood gazing in dismay
and dread on these obstacles, when suddenly the
silence was broken, loud war-cries filled the air, and
armed Samnites appeared as if by magic, covering
the hills on both flanks, and crowding into the pass
in the rear.

The Eomans were caught in such a trap as that
from which Cincinnatus had rescued a Roman army
many years before. But there was here no Cincin-
natus with his stakes, and they were far from Rome.
The entrapped army made a desperate effort to es-
cape, attacking the Samnites in the rear, and seeking
to force their way up the rugged surrounding hills.
They fought in vain. Many of them fell. The
Samnite foe pressed them still more closely into the
rocky pass. Only the coming of night saved them
from total destruction.

But escape was impossible. The gorge in front
was completely blocked up. The pass in the rear
was held by the enemy in force. The flanking hills
could hardly have been climbed by an army, even if
they had not been occupied. No resource remained
to the Romans but to encamp in the broader part of
the narrow valley, and there wait in hopeless despair
the outcome of their folly.

The Samnites could well afford to let them wait.
The rear was held by the bulk of their army. The

THE CAUDINE PORKS. 121

obstacles in front were strongly guarded. Every
possible track by which the Eomans might try to
scale the hills was held. Some desperate attempts
to break out were made, but they were easily re-
pulsed. Nothing remained but surrender, or death
by famine.

One or other of these alternatives had soon to be
chosen. A large army, surprised on its march, and
confined within a barren pass, could not have subsist-
ence for any long period. Nothing was to be gained
by delay, and they might as well yield themselves
prisoners of war at once.

So the Eomans evidently thought, and without
delay they put themselves at the mercy of their con-
querors. " We yield ourselves your captives," they
said, "to do with as you will. Put us all to the
sword, if such be your decision ; sell us into slavery ;
or hold us as prisoners until we are ransomed : one
thing only we ask, save our bodies, whether living or
dead, from all unworthy insults.''

In this request they forgot the record that Rome
had made ; forgot how often noble captives had been
forced to walk in Roman triumphs and been after-
wards slain in cold blood in the common prison ; for-
got how they had recently refused the rites of burial
to the body of a noble Samnite. But Pontius, the
Samnite general, was much less of a barbarian than
the Romans of that age. He was acquainted with
Greek philosophy, had even held conversation, it is
said, with Plato, and was not the man to indulge in
cruel or insulting acts.

" Restore to us," he said to the consuls, " the towns
» 11

122 HISTORICAL TALES.

and territory you have taken from us, and withdraw
the colonists whom you have unjustly placed on our
Boil. Conclude with us a treaty of peace, in which
each nation shall be acknowledged to be independent
of the other. Swear to do this, and I will grant you
your lives and release you without ransom. Each
man of you shall give up his arms, but may keep
his clothes untouched ; and you shall pass before
our army as prisoners who have been in our power
and whom we have set free of our own will, when
we might have killed or sold them, or held them for
ransom."

These terms the consuls were glad enough to
accept. They were far better than they would have
granted the Samnites under similar circumstances.
Pontius now called for the Roman fecialis, whose
duty it was to conclude all treaties and take all oaths
for the Roman people. But there was no fecialis
with the army. The senate had sent none, having
resolved to make no terms with the Samnites, and to
accept only their absolute submission. They had
never dreamed of such a turn of the tide as this.

In the absence of the proper officer, the consuls
and all the surviving officers took the oath, while it
was agreed that six hundred knights should be held
as hostages until the Roman people had ratified the
treaty. Why Pontius did not insist on treating with
the senate and people of Rome at once, instead of
trusting to them to ratify a treaty made with
prisoners of war, we are not told. He was soon to
learn how weak a reed to lean upon was the Roman
faith.

THE CAUDINE FORKS. 123

The treaty made, the humiliating part of the affair
came. The Eoman army was obliged to march
under the yoke, which consisted of two spears set
upright and a third fastened across their tops.
Under this the soldiers of the legions without their
arms, and wearing but a single article of clothing, —
the campestre or kilt, which reached from the waist
to the knees, — passed in gloomy succession. Even
the consuls were obliged to appear in this humble
plight, the six hundred hostage knights alone being
spared.

This was no peculiar insult, but a common usage
on such occasions. The Eomans had imposed it
more than once on defeated enemies. They were
now to endure it themselves, and the affair, under
the name of the Caudine Forks, has become famous
in history.

Pontius proved, indeed, generous to his foes. He
supplied carriages for the sick and wounded, and
furnished provisions to last the army until it should
arrive at Eome. When that city was reached the
senate and people came out and welcomed the sol-
diers with the greatest kindness. But the wounded
pride of the legionaries could not be soothed. Those
who had homes in the country stole from the ranks
and sought their several dwellings. Those who lived
in Eome lingered without the walls until after the
sun had fallen, and then made their way home
through the darkness. The consuls were obliged to
enter in open day, but as soon as possible they sought
their homes, and shut themselves up in privacy.

As for the city, it went into mourning. All busi-

124 HISTORICAL TALES.

ness was suspended ; the patricians laid aside their
gold rings and took off the red border of their
dresses which marked their rank; the plebeians
appeared in mourning garbs; there was as much
weeping for those who had returned in dishonor as
for those left dead on the field ; all rejoicings, festi-
vals, and marriages were set aside for a year of
happier omen.

The final result was such as might have been ex-
pected from the earlier record of Rome. The senate
refused to recognize the treaty. The defeated con-
suls themselves sustained this bad faith, saying that
they and all the officers should be given up to the
Samnites, as having promised what they were unable
to perform.

This was done. Half stripped, as when they
passed under the yoke, and their hands bound behind
their backs, the officers were conducted by the fecia-
les to the Samnian frontier, and delivered to the
Samnites as men who had forfeited their liberty by
their breach of faith. The surrender completed,
Postumius, one of the consuls, struck a fecialis
violently with his knee, — his hands and feet being
bound, — and cried out, —

" I now belong to the Samnites, and I have done
violence to the sacred person of a Roman fecialis and
ambassador. You will rightfully wage war with us,
Romans, to avenge this outrage."

This transparent trick was wasted on Pontius.
He refused the victims offered him. They were not
the guilty ones, he said. The legions must be placed
again in the Caudium Valley, or Rome keep the

THE CAUDINE FORKS. 125

treaty. Anything else would be base and faith-
less.

The treaty was not kept. The war went on. And
nearly thirty years afterwards, as we have told in the
preceding story, Pontius, who had behaved so gen-
erously to the Eomans, was led as a prisoner in a
Eoman triumph, and then basely beheaded while
the triumphal car of the victor ascended the Capitol-
me Hill. His death is one of the darkest blots on
the Eoman name. "Such a murder," we are told,
"committed or sanctioned by such a man as Q.
Fabius, is peculiarly a national crime, and proves
but too clearly that in their dealings with foreigners
the Eomans had neither magnanimity, nor humanity,
nor justice."

THE FATE OF REGULUS.

WE have followed the growth of Eorae from itt
seed in the cradle of Romulus and Remus to its
early maturity in the conquest of Italy. Its triumph
over the Latins, Samnites, and Etruscans had made
it virtually master of that peninsula. In the year
280 B.C. it was first called upon to meet a great
foreign soldier in the celebrated Pyrrhus of Epirus,
who had invaded Italy. How this great soldier
scared the Romans with his elephants and defeated
them in the field, but was finally baffled and left the
country in disgust, we have told in " Historical Tales
of Greece." It was not many years after this that
Rome herself went abroad in search of new foes,
and her long and bitter struggle with Carthage
began.

The great city of Carthage lay on the African side
of the Mediterranean, where it had won for itself a
great empire, and had added to its dominion by im-
portant conquests in Spain and Sicily. Settled many
centuries before by emigrants from the Phoenician
city of Tyre, it had, like its mother city, grown rich
through commerce, and was now lord of the Medi-
terranean and one of the great cities of the earth.
With this city Rome was now to begin a mighty
struggle, which would last for many years and end
126

THE PATE OF REQULUS. 127

in the utter destruction of the great African city
and state.

Pyrrhus of Epirus, on leaving Sicily, had said,
" What a grand arena this would be for Home and
Carthage to contend upon!" And it was in the
island of Sicily that the struggle between these two
mighty powers began. In the year 264 B.C., nearly
five centuries after the founding of Rome, that city
first sent its armies beyond the borders of Italy, and
the long contest between Rome and Carthage was
inaugurated.

Some soldiers of fortune, who had invaded Sicily
and found themselves in trouble, called upon Rome
for help. Carthage, which held much of the island,
was also appealed to, and both sent armies. The re-
sult was a collision between these armies. In two
years' time most of Sicily belonged to Rome, and
Carthage retained hardly a foothold upon that
island.

This rapid success of the Romans in foreign con-
quest encouraged them greatly. But they were
soon to find themselves at a disadvantage. Being
an inland power, they knew nothing of ocean war-
fare, and possessed none but small ships. Carthage,
on the contrary, had a large and powerful fleet, and
now began to use it with great effect. By its aid
the Carthaginians took from Rome many towns on
the coast of Sicily. They also landed on and ravaged
the coasts of Italy. It was made evident to the
Roman senate that if they looked for success they
must meet the enemy on their own element, and
dispute with Carthage the dominion of the sea.

128 HISTORICAL TALES.

How was this to be done? The largest ships they
knew of had only three banks of oars. Carthage
possessed war vessels with five banks of oars, and
built on a plan different from, that of the smaller
vessels. Rome had no model for these ships, and was
at a loss what to do. Fortunately a Carthaginian
quinquereme (a ship with five banks of oars) ran
ashore on the coast of Italy, and was captured and
sent to Eome. This served as a model for the ship-
wrights of that city, and so energetically did they
set to work that in two months after the first cutting
of the timber they had built and launched more than
a hundred ships of this class.

And while the ships were building the crews se-
lected for the quinqueremes were practising. Most
of them had never even seen an oar, and they were
now placed on benches ashore, ranged like those in
the ships, and carefully taught the movements of
rowing, so that when the ships were launched they
were quite ready to drive them through the waves.
The Romans, who could fight best hand to hand,
added a new and important device, providing their
ships with wooden bridges attached to the masts,
and ready to fall on an enemy's vessel whenever one
came near. A great spike at the end was driven
into the deck of the enemy's ship by the weight of
the falling bridge, and held her while the Romans
charged acrosa the bridge.

The new fleet was soon tried. It met a Cartha-
ginian fleet on the north coast of Sicily. The Ro-
mans proved poor sailors, but the bridges gave them
the victory. These could be wheeled round the mast

THE FATE OF REGULTT8. 129

and dropped in any direction, and, however the Car-
thaginians approached, they found themselves grap-
pled and boarded by the Eomans, whose formidable
swords soon did the rest. In the end Carthage lost
fifty ships and ten thousand men, and with them the
dominion of the seas.

This success was a great event in the history of
Eome. The victory was celebrated by a great naval
triumph, and a column was set up in the Forum,
which was adorned with the ornamental prows of
ships.

Three years afterwards Eome resolved to carry
the war into Africa, and for this purpose built a
great fleet of three hundred and thirty ships, and
manned by nearly three hundred thousand seamen,
in addition to its soldiers or fighting men. These
were largely made up of prisoners from Sardinia and
Corsica, Carthaginian islands which had been at-
tacked by the Eoman fleets. The two consuls in
command were L. Manlius Vulso and M. Atilius
Eegulus.

The great fleet of Eome met a still greater Car-
thaginian one at Ecnomus, on the southern coast of
Sicily, and here one of the greatest sea-fights of his-
tory took place. In the end the Eomans lost twenty-
four ships, while of those of the enemy thirty were
sunk and sixty-four captured. The remainder of the
enemy's fleet fled in all haste to Carthage.

The Eomans now prepared to take one of the
greatest steps in their history, — to cross the sea to
the unknown African world. The soldiers mur-
mured loudly at this. They were to be taken to a

130 HISTORICAL TALES.

new and strange land, burnt by scorching heats and
infested with noisome beasts and monstrous ser-
pents ; and they were to be led into the very strong-
hold of the enemy, where they would be at their
mercy. Even one of their tribunes supported the
soldiers in this complaint. But Eegulus was equal
to the occasion: he threatened the tribune with
death, forced the soldiers on board, and sailed for
the African coast.

The event proved very different from what the
soldiers had feared. The army of Carthage was so
miserably commanded that the Eomans landed with-
out trouble and ravaged the country at their will ;
and instead of the scorching heats and deadly ani-
mals they had feared, they found themselves in a
fertile and thickly-settled country, where grew rich
harvests of corn, and where were broad vineyards
and fruitful orchards of figs and olives. Towns were
numerous, and villas of wealthy citizens covered the
bills.

On this rich and undefended country the hungry
Roman army was let loose. Villas were plundered
and burnt, horses and cattle driven off in vast num.
bers, and twenty thousand persons, many of them
doubtless of wealth and rank, were carried away to
be sold as slaves. Meanwhile the army of Carthage
lurked on the hills, and was defeated wherever en-
countered. Regulus, who had been left in sole com-
mand of the Roman army, overran the country
without opposition, and boasted that he had taken
and plundered more than three hundred walled
towns or villages.

THE FATE OP REQULUS. 131

The Carthaginians, who were also attacked by
roving desert tribes, who proved even worse than
the Eomans, were in distress, and begged for peace.
But the terms offered by Regulus were so intoler-
able that it was impossible to accept them. " Men
who are good for anything should either conquer or
submit to their betters," said Eegulus, haughtily.
He had not yet learned how unwise it is to drive a
strong foe to desperation, and was to pay dearly for
his arrogance and pride.

The tide of war turned when Carthage obtained a
general fit to command an army. An officer who had
been sent to Greece for soldiers of fortune brought
with him on his return a Spartan named Xan-
thippus, a man who had been trained in the rigid
Spartan discipline and had played his part well in
the wars of Greece. He openly and strongly con-
demned the conduct of the generals of Carthage;
and, on his words being reported to the govern-
ment, he was sent for, and so clearly pointed out the
causes of the late disasters that the direction of all
the forces of Carthage was placed in his hands.

And now a new spirit awakened in Carthage.
Xanthippus reviewed the troops, taught them how
they should meet the Roman charge, and filled them
with such enthusiasm and hope that loud shouts
broke from the ranks, and they eagerly demanded
to be led at once to battle.

The army numbered only twelve thousand foot,
but had four thousand cavalry and a hundred ele-
phants, in which much confidence was placed. The
demand of the soldiers was complied with ; they

132 HISTORICAL TALES.

boldly marched out, and now no longer to the hills,
but to the lower ground, where the devastation of
the enemy was at once checked.

Regulus was forced to risk a battle, for his supply
of food was in peril. He marched out and encamped
within a mile of the foe. The Carthaginian gen-
erals, on seeing these hardy Eoman legions, so long
victorious, were stricken with something like panic.
But the soldiers were eager to fight, and Xanthippus
bade the wavering generals not to lose so precious
an opportunity. They yielded, and bade him to
draw up the army on his own plan.

In the battle that ensued the victory was due to
the cavalry and elephants. The cavalry drove that
of Italy from the field, and attacked the Roman
rear. The elephants broke through the Roman
lines in front, furiously trampling the bravest under-
foot. Those who penetrated the line of the ele-
phants were cut to pieces by the Carthaginian in-
fantry. Of the whole Roman army, two thousand
of the left wing alone escaped ; Regulus, with five
hundred others, fled, but was pursued and taken
prisoner ; the remainder of the army was destroyed
to a man. The defeat was total. Rome retained
but a single African port, which was soon given up.
Xanthippus, crowned with glory and richly re-
warded, returned to Greece to enjoy the fame be
had won.

For five years Regulus remained a prisoner in
Carthage, while the war went on in Sicily. Here,
in the year 250 B.C., the Romans gained an impor-
tant victory at Panormus (now Palermo), and Car-

THE PATE OF REGULUS. 133

thage, weary of the struggle, sent to Rome to ask
for terras of peace. With the ambassadors came
Regulus, who had promised to return to Carthage
if the negotiations should fail, and whom the Car-
thaginians naturally expected to use his utmost in-
fluence in favor of peace.

They did not know their man. Regulus proved
himself one of those indomitable patriots of whom
there are few examples in the ages. On reaching
the walls of Rome he refused at first to enter, saying
that he was no longer a citizen, and had lost his
rights in that city. When the ambassadors of Car-
thage had offered their proposal to the senate,
Regulus, who had remained silent, was ordered by
the senate to give his opinion of the proposed
treaty. Thus commanded, he astonished all who
heard by strongly advising the senate not to make
the treaty. He might die for his words, he might
perish in torture, but the good of his country was
dearer to him than his own life, and he would not
counsel a treaty that might prove of advantage to
the enemy. He even spoke against an exchange of
prisoners, saying that he had not long to live, having,
he believed, been given a secret poison by his cap-
tors, and would not make a fair exchange for a hale
and hearty Carthaginian general.

Such an instance of self-abnegation has rarely
been heard of in history. It has made Regulus
famous for all time. His advice was taken, the
treaty was refused ; he, refusing to break his parole,
or even to see his family, returned to Carthage with
the ambassadors, knowing that he was going to his
12

134 HISTORICAL TALES.

death. The rulers of that city, so it is said, furioui
*,hat the treaty had been rejected through his ad
vice, resolved to revenge themselves on him \>y hor-
rible tortures. His e3'elids were cut off, and he was
exposed to the full glare of the African sun. He
was then placed in a cask driven full of nails, and
left there to die.

It is fortunate to be able to say that there is no
historical warrant for this story of torture, or for
the companion story that the wife and son of Kegu-
lus treated two Carthaginian prisoners in the same
manner. We have reason to believe that it is un-
true, and that Regulus suffered no worse tortures
than those of shame, exile, and imprisonment.

HANNIBAL CROSSES THE ALPS.

IN the year 235 B.C. the gates of the Temple of
Janus were closed, for the first time since the reign
of Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome, nearly
five centuries before. During all that long period
war had hardly ever ceased in Rome. And these
gates were soon to be thrown open again, in con-
sequence of the greatest war that the Roman state
had ever known, a war which was to bring it to the
very brink of destruction.

The end of the first Punic War — as the war with
Carthage was called — left Rome master of the large
island of Sicily, the first province gained by that
ambitious city outside of Italy. Advantage was also
taken of some home troubles in Carthage to rob that
city of the islands of Sardinia and Corsica, — a piece
of open piracy which redoubled the hatred of the
Carthaginians.

Yet Rome just now was not anxious for war
with her southern rival. There was enough to do
in the north, for another great invasion of Gauls
was threatened. And about this time the Capitol
was struck by lightning, a prodigy which plunged
all Rome into terror. The books of the Sibyl were
hastily consulted, and were reported to say, " When

135

136 HISTORICAL TALES.

the lightning shall strike the Capitol and the Temple
of Apollo, then must thou, O Koman, beware of the
Gauls." Another prophecy said that the time would
come " when the race of the Greeks and the race of
the Gauls should occupy the Forum of Eome."

But Rome had its own way of dealing with
prophecies and discounting the decrees of destiny.
A man and woman alike of the Gaulish and of the
Greek race were buried alive in the Forum Boarium,
and in this cruel way the public fear was allayed.
As for the invasion of the Gauls, Eome met and
dealt with them in its usual fashion, defeating them
in two battles, in the last of which the Gaulish
army was annihilated. This ended this peril, and
the dominion of Rome was extended northward to
the Alps.

It was fortunate for the Romans that they had
just at this time rid themselves of the Gauls, for they
were soon to have a greater enemy to meet. In the
first Punic War, Carthage had been destitute of a
commander, and had only saved herself by borrow-
ing one from Greece. In the second war she had a
general of her own, one who has hardly had his equal
before or since, the far-famed Hannibal, one of the
few soldiers of supreme ability which the world has
produced.

During the peace which followed the first Punic
"War Carthage sent an expedition to Spain, with the
purpose of extending her dominions in that land.
This was under the leadership of Hamilcar, a soldier
of much ability. As he was about to set sail he
offered a solemn sacrifice for the success of the enter-

HANNIBAL CROSSES THE ALPS. 137

prise. Having poured the libation on the victim,
which was then duly offered on the altar, he requested
all those present to step aside, and called up his son
Hannibal, at that time a boy of but nine years of
age. Hamilcar asked him if he would like to go to
the war. With a child's eagerness the boy implored
his father to take him. Then Hamilcar, taking the
boy by the hand, led him up to the altar, and bade
him lay his hand on the sacrifice, and swear " that
he would never be the friend of the Romans." Han-
nibal took the oath, and he never forgot it. His
whole mature life was spent in warfare with Rome.

From the city of New Carthage (or Carthagena),
founded by Carthage in Spain, Hamilcar gradually
won a wide dominion in that land. He was killed in
battle after nine years of success, and was succeeded
by Hasdrubal, another soldier of fine powers. On
the death of Hasdrubal, Hannibal, then twenty-six
years of age, was made commander-in chief of the
Carthaginian armies in Spain. Shortly afterwards
his long struggle with Rome began.

Hannibal had laid siege to and captured the city
of Saguntum. The people of Saguntum were allies
of Rome. That city, being once more ready for war
with its rival, sent ambassadors to Carthage to
demand that Hannibal and his officers should be sur-
rendered as Roman prisoners, for a breach of the
treaty of peace. After a long debate, Fabius, the
Roman envoy, gathered up his toga as if something
was wrapped in it, and said, " Look ; here are peace
and war ; take which you choose." " Give which-
ever you please," was the haughty Carthaginian
12*

138 HISTORICAL TALES.

reply. " Then we give you war," said Fabius, shak-
ing out the folds of the toga. " With all our hearts
we welcome it," cried the Carthaginians. The Ro-
mans left at once for Rome. Had they dreamed
what a war it was they were inviting it is doubtful
if they would have been so hasty in seeking it.

War with Rome was what Hannibal most desired.
He was pledged to hostility with that faithless city,
and had assailed Saguntum for the purpose of bring-
ing it about. On learning that war was declared, he
immediately prepared to invade Italy itself, leading
his army across the great mountain barrier of the
Alps. He had already sent messengers to the Gauls,
to invite their aid. They were found to be friendly,
and eager for his coming. They had little reason to
love Rome.

A significant dream strengthened Hannibal's pur-
pose. In his vision he seemed to see the supreme
god of his fathers, who called him into the presence
of all the gods of Carthage, seated in council on
their thrones. They solemnly bade him to invade
Italy, and one of the council went with him into
that land as guide. As they passed onward the
divine guide warned, " See that you look not behind
you." But at length, heedless of the command,
the dreamer turned and looked back. He saw
behind him a monstrous form, covered thickly with
serpents, while as it moved houses, orchards, and
woods fell crashing to the earth. " What mighty
thing is this?" he asked in wonder. "You see the
desolation of Italy," replied the heavenly guide ; "go
on your way, straight forward, and cast no look

HANNIBAL CROSSES THE ALPS. 139

behind." And thus, at the age of twenty-seven,
Hannibal, at the command of his country's gods,
went forward to the accomplishment of his early
vow.

His route lay through northern Spain, where he
conquered all before him. Then he marched through
Gaul to the Ehone. This he crossed in the face of
an army of hostile Gauls, who had gathered to op-
pose him. He had more difficulty with his elephants,
of which he had thirty-seven. Rafts were built to
convey these great beasts across the stream, but
some of them, frightened, leaped overboard and
drowned their drivers. They then swam across
themselves, and all were safely landed.

Other difficulties arose, but all were overcome, and
at length the mountains were reached. Here Han-
nibal was to perform the most famous of his exploits,
the crossing of the great chain of the Alps with an
army, an exploit more remarkable than that which
brought similar fame to Napoleon in our own days,
for with Hannibal it was pioneer work, while Napo-
leon profited by his example.

The mountaineers proved to be hostile, and
gathered at all points that commanded the narrow
pass. But they left their posts at night, and Hanni-
bal, when nightfall came, set out with a body of light
troops and occupied all these posts. When morning
dawned the natives, to their dismay, found that they
had been outgeneralled.

Soon after the day began the head of the army
entered a dangerous defile, and made its way in a
long slender line along the terrace-like path which

140 HISTORICAL TALES.

overhung the valley far below. The route proved
comparatively easy for the foot-soldiers, but the
cavalry and the baggage-animals only made their
way with great difficulty, finding obstacles at almost
every step.

The sight of the struggling cavalcade was too
much for the caution of the natives. Here was
abundant plunder at their hands. From many
points of the mountain above the road they rushed
down upon the Carthaginians, arms in hand. A
frightful disorder followed. So narrow was the path
that the least confusion was likely to throw the
heavily-laden baggage-animals down the precipitous
steep. The cavalry horses, wounded by the arrows
and javelins of the mountaineers, plunged wildly
about and doubled the confusion.

It was fortunate for Hannibal that he had taken
the precaution of the night before. From the post
he had taken with his light troops the whole scene
of peril and disorder was visible to his eyes. Charg-
ing down the hill, he attacked the mountaineers and
drove them from their prey. But it was a dearly
bought victory, for the fight on the narrow road in-
creased the confusion, and in seeking the relief of
his army he caused the destruction of many of his
own men.

At length the perilous defile was safely passed,
and the army reached a wide and rich valley beyond.
Here was the town of Montmelian, the principal
stronghold of the mountaineers. This Hannibal
took by storm, and recovered there many of his own
men, horses, and cattle which the natives had taken,

HANNIBAL CROSSES THE ALPS. 141

while he found an abundant store of food for the use
of his weary soldiers.

After a day's rest here the march was resumed.
During the next three days the army moved up the
valley of the river Isere without difficulty. The
natives met them with wreaths on their heads and
branches in their hands, promising peace, offering
hostages, and supplying cattle. Hannibal mistrusted
the sudden friendliness of his late foes, but they
seemed so honest that he accepted some of them as
guides through a difficult region which he was now
approaching.

He had reason for his mistrust, for they treacher-
ously led him into a narrow and dangerous defile,
which might have easily been avoided ; and while
the army was involved in this straitened pass an
attack was suddenly made by the whole force of the
mountaineers. Climbing along the mountain-sides
above the defile, they hurled down stones on the en-
tangled foe, and loosened and rolled great rocks
down upon their defenceless heads.

Fortunately Hannibal, moved by his doubts, had
sent his cavalry and baggage on first. The attack
fell on the infantry, and with a body of these he
forced his way to the summit of one of the cliffs
above the defile, drove away the foe, and held it
while the army made its way slowly on. As for the
elephants, they were safe from attack. The very
Bight of these huge beasts filled the barbarians with
such terror that they dared not even approach them.
There was no further peril, and on the ninth day of
its march the army reached the summit of the Alps.

142 HISTORICAL TALES.

It was now the end of October. The grass and
flowers which carpet that elevated spot in summer
had become replaced by snow. In truth, the climate
of the Alps was colder at that period than now, and
snow lay on the higher passes all through the year.
The soldiers were disheartened by cold and fatigue.
The scene around them was desolate and dreary.
New perils awaited their onward course. But no
such feeling entered Hannibal's courageous soul.
Fired by hope and ambition, he sought to plant new
courage in the hearts of his men.

"The valley you see yonder is Italy," he said,
pointing to the sunny slope which, from their
elevated position, appeared not far away. " It leads
to the country of our friends, the Gauls ; and yonder
is our way to Home." Their eyes followed the
direction of his pointing hand, and their hearts grew
hopeful again with the cheerfulness and enthusiasm
of his words.

Two days the army remained there, resting, and
waiting for the stragglers to come up. Then the
route was resumed.

The mountaineers, severely punished, made no
further attacks; but the road proved more difficult
than that by which the ascent had been made.
Snow thickly covered the passes. Men and horses
often lost their way, and plunged to their death
down the precipitous steep. Onward struggled the
distressed host, through appalling dangers and end-
less difficulties, losing men and animals at every step.
But these troubles were trifling compared with those
which they were now to endure. They suddenly

HANNIBAL CROSSES THE ALPS. 143

found that the track before them had entirely dis-
appeared. An avalanche had carried it bodily away
for about three hundred yards, leaving only a steep
and impassable slope covered with loose rocks and
snow.

A man of less resolution than Hannibal might
well have succumbed before this supreme difficulty.
The way forward had vanished. To go back was
death. It was impossible to climb round the lost
path, for the heights above were buried deep in snow.
Nothing remained but to perish where they were, or
to make a new road across the mountain's flank.

The energetic commander lost not an hour in
deciding. Moving back to a space of somewhat
greater breadth, the snow was removed and the
army encamped. Then the difficult engineering
work began. Hands were abundant, for every man
was working for his life. Tools were improvised.
So energetically did the soldiers work that the road
rapidly grew before them. As it was cut into the
rock it was supported by solid foundations below.
Many ancient authors say that Hannibal used vine-
gar to soften the rocks, but this we have no suffi-
cient reason to believe.

So vigorously did the work go on, so many were
the hands engaged, that in a single day a track was
made over which the horses and baggage-animals
could pass. These were sent over and reached the
lower valley in safety, where pasture was found.

The passage of the elephants was a more difficult
task. The road for them must be solid and wide. It
took three days of hard labor to make it. Mean-

144 HISTORICAL TALES.

while the great beasts suffered severely from hunger,
for forage there was none, nor trees on whose leaves
they might browse.

At length the road was strong enough to bear
them. They safely passed the perilous reach. After
them came Hannibal with the rear of the army, soon
reaching the cavalry and baggage. Three days more
the wearied host struggled on, down the southward
slopes of the Alps, until finally they reached the
wide plain of Northern Italy, having safely accom-
plished the greatest military feat of ancient times.

But Hannibal found himself here with a frightfully
reduced army. The Alps had taken toll of their
invader. He had reached Gaul from Spain with fifty
thousand foot and nine thousand horse. He reached
Italy with only twenty thousand foot and six thou-
sand horse. No fewer than thirty-three thousand
men had perished by the way. It was a puny force
with which to invade a country that could oppose
it with hundreds of thousands of men. But it had
Hannibal at its head.

HOW HANNIBAL FOUGHT AND
DIED.

THE career of Hannibal was a remarkable one.
For fifteen years he remained in Italy, frequently
fighting, never losing a battle, keeping Eome in a
state of terror, and dwelling with his army in com-
fort and plenty on the rich Italian plains. Yet he
represented a commercial city against a warlike
state. He was poorly supported by Carthage ;
Eome was indomitable ; great generals rose to com-
mand her armies ; in the end the mighty effort of
Hannibal failed, and he was forced to leave Rome
un conquered and Italy unsubdued.

The story of his deeds is a long one, a record of
war and bloodshed which our readers would be little
the wiser and none the better for hearing. We shall
therefore only give it in the barest outline.

Hannibal defeated the Romans on first meeting
them, and the Gauls flocked to his army. But of
the elephants, which he had brought with such dif-
ficulty over the Rhone and the Alps, the cold of
December killed all but one. But without them he
met a large Roman army at Lake Trasi menus, and
defeated it so utterly that but six thousand escaped.

Rome, in alarm, chose a dictator, Fabius Maximus
by name. This leader adopted a new method of
ii.— Q k 13 145

146 HISTORICAL TALES.

warfare, which has ever since been famous as the
" Fabian policy." This was the policy of avoiding
battle and seeking to wear the enemy out, while
harassing him at every opportunity. Fabius kept
to the hills, followed and annoyed his great antag-
onist, yet steadily avoided being drawn into battle.

For more than a year this continued, during all
which time Fabius grew more and more unpopular
at Rome. The waiting policy was not that which
the Romans had hitherto employed, and they be-
came more impatient as days and months passed
without an effort to drive this eating ulcer from
their plains. In time the discontent grew too strong
to be ignored. A man of business, who was said to
have begun life as a butcher's son, Varro by name,
became the favorite leader of the populace, and was
in time raised to the consulship. He enlisted a pow-
erful army, ninety thousand strong, and marched
away to the field of Cannae, where Hannibal was en-
camped, with the purpose of driving this Cartha-
ginian wasp from the Italian fields.

It was a dwarf contending with a giant. The
vainglorious Varro gave Hannibal the opportunity
for which he had long waited. The Roman army
met with such a crushing defeat that its equal is
scarcely known in history. Baffled, beaten, and sur-
rounded by Hannibal's army, the Romans were cut
down in thousands, no quarter being asked or given,
till when the sun set scarce three thousand men
were left alive and unhurt of Varro's hopeful host.
Of Hannibal's army less than six thousand had
fallen. Of the Roman forces more than eighty thou-

HOW HANNIBAL FOUGHT AND DIED. 147

eand paid the penalty of their leader's incompe-
tence.

Hannibal did not advance to Rome, which seemed
to lie helpless before him. He doubtless had good
reasons for not attempting to capture it. Maharbal,
his cavalry general, said, " Let me advance with the
horse, and do you follow; in four days from this
time you shall sup in the Capitol." Hannibal, on
the contrary, sent terms of peace to Rome. These
the Romans, unconquerable in spirit despite their
disaster, refused. He then marched to southern
Italy and established his head-quarters in the rich
city of Capua, which opened its gates to him, and
which he promised to make the capital of all Italy.

Hannibal won no more great victories in Italy,
though he was victor in many small conflicts. The
Romans had paid dearly for their impatience.
Fabius was again called to the head of the army,
and his old policy was restored. And thus years
went on, Hannibal's army gradually decreasing and
receiving few reinforcements from home, while
Rome in time regained Capua and other cities.

At length, in the year 208 B.C., Hasdrubal, the
brother of Hannibal, who commanded the Cartha-
ginian armies in Spain, resolved to go to his brother's
aid. He crossed the Alps, as Hannibal had done,
following the same pass, and making use of the
bridges, rock cuttings, and mountain roads which
his brother had made eleven years before.

Had this movement been successful, it might have
been the ruin of Rome. But the despatches of Has-
drubal were intercepted by the Romans. Perceiving

148 HISTORICAL TALES.

their great danger, they raised an army in haste,
marched against the invader, and met him before
he could effect a junction with his brother. The
Carthaginians were defeated with great slaughter.
Hasdrubal fell on the field, and his head was cruelly
sent to Hannibal, who, as he looked with bitter an-
guish on the gruesome spectacle, sadly remarked,
" I recognize in this the doom of Carthage."

Yet for four years more Hannibal remained in
the mountains of Southern Italy, holding his own
against Rome, though he had lost all hopes of con-
quering that city. But Rome had now a new gen-
eral, with a new policy. This was the famous Scipio,
and the policy was to carry the war into Carthage.
Fabius had done his work, and new measures came
with new men. Scipio led an army into Spain,
which he conquered from Carthage. Then he in-
vaded Africa, and Hannibal was recalled home, after
his long and victorious career in Italy.

Hannibal had never yet suffered a defeat. He
was now to experience a crushing one. With a new
army, largely made up of raw levies, he met the
veteran troops of Scipio on the plains of Zama.
Hannibal displayed here his usual ability, but for-
tune was against him, his army was routed, the vet-
erans he had brought from Italy were cut down
where they stood, and he escaped with difficulty
from the field on which twenty thousand of his men
had fallen. It was an earlier Waterloo.

His flight was necessary, if Carthage was to be
preserved. He was the only man capable of saving
that great city from ruin. Terms of peace were

HOW HANNIBAL FOUGHT AND DIED. 149

offered by Scipio, severe ones, but Hannibal accepted
them, knowing that nothing else could be done.
Then he devoted himself to the restoration of his
country's power, and for seven years worked dili-
gently to this end.

His efforts were successful. Carthage again be-
came prosperous. Rome trembled for fear of her
old foe. Commissioners were sent to Carthage to
demand the surrender of Hannibal, on the plea that
he was secretly fomenting a new war. His reforms
had made enemies in Carthage, his liberty was in
danger, and nothing remained for him but to flee.

Escaping secretly from the city, the fugitive made
his way to Tyre, the mother-city of Carthage, where
he was received as one who had shed untold glory
on the Phoenician name. Thence he proceeded to
Antioch, the capital of Antiochus, king of Syria, and
one of the successors of Alexander the Great.

During the period over which we have so rapidly
passed the empire of Rome had been steadily ex-
tending. In addition to her conquests in Spain and
Africa, Macedonia, the home-realm of Alexander the
Great, had been successfully invaded, and the first
great step taken by Rome towards the conquest of
the East.

The loss of Macedonia stirred up Antiochus, who
resolved on war with Rome, and marched with his
army towards Europe. Hannibal, who had failed to
find him at Antioch. overtook him at Ephesus, and
found him glad enough to secure the services of a
warrior of such world-wide fame.

Antiochus, unfortunately, was the reverse of a
13*

150 HISTORICAL TALES.

great warrior, and by no means the man to cope
with Rome. Hannibal saw at a glance that his
army was not fit to fight with a Eoman force, and
strongly advised him to equip a fleet and invade
Southern Italy, saying that he himself would take
the command. But nothing was to be done with
Antiochus. He was filled with conceit of his own
greatness, was ignorant of the power of Rome, and
was jealous of the glory which Hannibal might at-
tain. His guest then advised that an alliance should
be made with Philip, king of Macedonia. This, too,
was neglected, and the Romans hastened to ally
themselves with Philip. Antiochus, puffed up with
pride, pointed to his great army, and asked Hanni-
bal if he did not think that these were enough for
the Romans.

" Yes," he replied, sarcastically, " enough for the
Romans, however greedy they may be."

It proved as he feared. The Romans triumphed.
Hannibal was employed only in a subordinate naval
command, in which field of warfare he had no ex-
perience. Peace was made, and Antiochus agreed
to deliver him up to Rome. The greatest of Rome's
enemies was again forced to fly for his life.

Hannibal now took refuge with Prusias, king of Bi-
thynia. Here he remained for five years. But even
here the implacable enmity of Rome followed him.
Envoys were sent to the court of Prusias to demand
his surrender. Prusias, who was a king on a small
scale, could not, or would not, defend his guest, and
promised to deliver him into the hands of his unre-
lenting foes.

o'

HOW HANNIBAL FOUGHT AND DIED. 151

Only one course remained. Death was tenfold
preferable to figuring in a Roman triumph. Find-
ing the avenues to his house secured by the king's
guards, the great Carthaginian took poison, which
he is said to have long carried with him in a ring,
in readiness for such an emergency. He died at
Libyssa, on the eastern shore of the sea of Mar-
mora, in his sixty -fourth year, as closely as we know.
In the same year, 183 B.C., died his great and suc-
cessful antagonist, Scipio Africanus.

Thus perished, in exile, one of the greatest warriors
of any age, who, almost without aid from home, sup-
ported himself for fifteen years in Italy against all
the power of Rome and the greatest generals she
could supply. Had Carthage shown the military
spirit of Rome, Hannibal might have stopped effect-
ually the conquering career of that warlike city.

ARCHIMEDES AT THE SIEGE
OF SYRACUSE.

THE city of Syracuse, the capital of Sicily, rose to
prominence in ancient history through its three
famous sieges. The first of these was that long
siege which ruined Athens and left Syracuse un-
captured. The second was the siege by Timoleon,
who took the city almost without a blow. The third
was the siege by the Romans, in which the genius of
one man, the celebrated mathematician and engineer
Archimedes, long set at naught all the efforts of the
besieging army and fleet.

This remarkable defence took place during the
wars with Hannibal. Such was the warlike energy
of the Romans, that, while their city itself was
threatened by this great general, they sent armies
abroad, one into Spain and another into Sicily.
The latter, under a consul named Appius, besieged
Syracuse by sea and land. Hoping to take the city
by sudden assault, before it could be properly got
ready for defence, Appius pushed forward his land
force, fully provided with blinds and ladders, against
the walls. At the same time a fleet of sixty quin-
queremes under the consul Marcellus advanced to
the assault from the side of the harbor. Among the?e
vessels were eight which had been joined together
152

ARCHIMEDES AT THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 153

two and two, and which carried machines called
sackbuts. These consisted of immensely long lad-
ders, projecting far beyond the bows, and so arranged
that they could be raised by ropes and pulleys, and
the end let fall upon the top of the wall. Four
men, well protected by wooden blinds, occupied the
top of each ladder, ready to attack the defenders
of the walls while their comrades hastened up the
ladder to their aid.

There was only one thing on which the consuls
had not counted, and that was that Syracuse pos-
sessed the greatest artificer of ancient times. The}'
had to fight not Syracuse alone but Syracuse and
Archimedes; and they found the latter their most
formidable foe. In short, the skill of this one man
did more to baffle the Eomans than the strength and
courage of all the garrison.

The historian Polybius has so well told the story
of this famous defence, that we cannot do better
than quote from his work. He remarks, after de-
scribing at length the Roman preparations, —

" In this manner, then, when all things were ready,
the Romans designed to attack the towers. But
Archimedes had prepared machines that were fitted
to every distance. While the vessels were yet far
removed from the walls, he, employing catapults and
balistse that were of the largest size and worked by
the strongest springs, wounded the enemy with his
darts and stones, and threw them into great disorder.
When the darts passed beyond them he then used
other machines, of a smaller size, and proportioned
to the distance. By these means the Romans were

154 HISTORICAL TALES.

BO effectually repulsed that it was not possible for
them to approach.

" Marcellus, therefore, perplexed with this resist-
ance, was forced to advance silently with his vessels
in the night. But when they came so near to the
land as to be within the reach of darts, they were
exposed to a new danger, which Archimedes had
contrived. He had caused openings to be made in
many parts of the wall, equal in height to the stature
of a man, and to the palm of the hand in breadth.
Then, having planted on the inside archers and little
scorpions, he discharged a multitude of arrows
through the openings, and disabled the soldiers that
were on board. In this manner, whether the
Romans were at a great distance or whether they
were near, he not only rendered useless all their
efforts, but destroyed also many of their men.

" When they attempted also to raise the sackbuts,
certain machines which he had erected along the
whole wall inside, and which were before concealed
from view, suddenly appeared above the wall and
stretched their long beaks far beyond the battle-
ments. Some of these machines carried masses of
lead and stone not less than ten talents [about eight
hundred pounds] in weight. Accordingly, when the
vessels with the sackbuts came near, the beaks, being
first turned by ropes and pulleys to the proper point,
let fall their stones, which broke not only the sack-
buts but the vessels likewise, and threw all those
who were on board into the greatest danger.

" In the same manner also the rest of the machines,
as often as the enemy approached under cover of

ARCHIMEDES AT THE SIEGE OP SYRACUSE. 155

their blinds, and had secured themselves by that
protection against the darts that were discharged
through the openings in the wall, let fall upon them
stones of so large a size that all the combatants on
the prow were forced to retire from their station.

" He invented, likewise, a hand of iron, hanging
by a chain from the beak of a machine, which was
used in the following manner. The person who, like
a pilot, guided the beak, having let fall the hand and
caught hold of the prow of any vessel, drew down
the opposite end of the machine, that was inside of
the walls. When the vessel was thus raised erect
upon its stern, the machine itself was held immov-
able ; but the chain being suddenly loosened from the
beak by means of pulleys, some of the vessels were
thrown upon their sides, others turned with their
bottoms upward, and the greatest part, as the prows
were plunged from a considerable height into the sea,
were filled with water, and all that were on board
thrown into tumult and disorder.

"Marcellus was in no small degree embarrassed
when he found himself encountered in every attempt
by such resistance. He perceived that all his efforts
were defeated with loss, and were even derided by
the enemy. But, amidst all the anxiety that he
suffered, he could not help jesting upon the inven-
tions of Archimedes.

" ' This man,' said he, ' employs our ships as buckets
to draw water, and, boxing about our sackbuts, as if
they were unworthy to be associated with him,
drives them from his company with disgrace.' Such
was the success of the siege on the side of the sea.

156 HISTORICAL TALES.

" Appius also, on his part, having met with the
same obstacles in his approaches, was in like manner
forced to abandon his design. For while he was yet
at a considerable distance, great number of his men
were destroyed by the balistae and the catapults, so
wonderful was the quantity of stones and darts, and
so astonishing the force with which they were
thrown. The means, indeed, were worthy of Hiero,
who had furnished the expense, and of Archimedes,
who designed them, and by whose directions they
were made.

" If the troops advanced nearer to the city, they
either were stopped in their advance by the arrows
that were discharged through the openings in the
walls, or, if they attempted to force their way under
cover of their bucklers, they were destroyed by
stones and beams that were let fall upon their heads.
Great mischief also was occasioned by these hands
of iron that have been mentioned; for they lifted
men with their armor into the air and dashed them
upon the ground. Appius, therefore, was at last
constrained to return back again into his camp."

This ended the assault. For eight months the
Romans remained, but never again had the courage
to make a regular attack, depending rather on the
hope of reducing the crowded city by famine. " So
wonderful, and of such importance on some occasions,
is the power of a single man, and the force of science
properly employed. With so great armies both by
sea and land the Romans could scarcely have failed
to take the city, if one old man had been removed.
But while he was present they did not even dare to

ARCHIMEDES AT THE SIEGE OF SYRACUSE. 157

make the attempt; in the manner, at least, which
Archimedes was able to oppose." The story was
told in past times that the great scientist set the
Eoman ships on fire by means of powerful burning
glasses, but this is not believed.

The end of this story may be briefly told. The
Romans finally took the city by surprise. Tradition
tells that, as the assailants were rushing through the
streets, with death in their hands, they found Archi-
medes sitting in the public square, with a number
of geometrical figures drawn before him in the sand,
which he was studying in oblivion of the tumult of
war around. As a Eoman soldier rushed upon him
sword in hand, he called out to the rude warrior not
to spoil the circle. But the soldier cut him down.
Another story says that this took place in his room.

When Cicero, years afterwards, came to Syracuse,
he found the tomb of Archimedes overgrown with
briers, and on it the figure of a sphere inscribed in
a cylinder, to commemorate one of his most impor-
tant mathematical discoveries.

THE FATE OF CARTHAGE.

IN all the history of Rome there is no act of more
flagrant treachery and cruelty than in her final
dealings with the great rival city of Carthage. In
the whole history of the world there is nothing
more base and frightful than the utter destruction
of that mighty mart of commerce. The jealousy of
Rome would not permit a rival to exist. It was
not enough to drive Hannibal into exile ; Carthage
was recovering her trade and regaining her strength ;
new Hannibals might be born ; the terror of the
great invasion, the remembrance of the defeat at
Cannae, still remained in Roman memories.

Cato the Censor, a famous old Roman, now eighty-
four years of age, and who had served in the wars
against Hannibal, hated Carthage with the hatred
of a fanatic, and declared that Rome would never
be safe while this rival was permitted to exist.

Rising from his seat in the senate, the stern old
man glowingly described the power and wealth of
Carthage. He held up some great figs, and said,
" These figs grow but three days' sail from Rome."
There could be no safety for Rome, he declared,
while Carthage survived.

"Every speech which I shall make in this house,"
he sternly declared, "shall finish with these words:
158

THE FATE OF CARTHAGE. 159

' My opinion is that Carthage must be destroyed (de-
lenda est Carthago.y "

These words sealed the fate of Carthage. Men
of moderate views spoke more mercifully, but Cato
swayed the senate, and from that day the doom of
Carthage was fixed.

The Carthaginian territory was being assailed and
ravaged by Masinissa, the king of Numidia. Eome
was appealed to for aid, but delayed and temporized.
Carthage raised an army, which was defeated by
Masinissa, then over ninety years of age. The war
went on, and Carthage was reduced to such straits
that resistance became impossible, and in the end
the city and all its possessions were placed at the
absolute disposal of the senate of Eome, which, ab-
solutely without provocation, had declared war.

An army of eighty thousand foot and four thou-
sand horse was sent to Africa. Before the consuls
commanding it there appeared deputies from Car-
thage, stating what acts of submission had already
been made, and humbly asking what more Rome
could demand.

" Carthage is now under the protection of Rome,"
answered Censorinus, the consul, " and can no longer
have occasion to engage in war ; she must therefore
deliver without reserve to Rome all her arms and
engines of war."

Hard as was this condition, the humiliated city
accepted it. We may have some conception of the
strength of the city when it is stated that the mili-
tary stores given up included two hundred thousand
stand of arms and two thousand catapults. It was

160 HISTORICAL TALES.

a condition to which only despair could have yielded,
seemingly the last act of humiliation to which any
city could consent.

But if Carthage thought that the end had been
reached, she was destined to be rudely awakened
from her dream. The consuls, thinking the city
now to be wholly helpless, dropped the mask they
had worn, and made known the senate's treacherous
decree.

" The decision of the senate is this," said Censo-
rinus, coldly, to the unhappy envoys of Carthage:
" so long as you possess a fortified city near the sea,
Rome can never feel sure of your submission. The
senate therefore decrees that you must remove to
some point ten miles distant from the coast. Car-
thage must be destroyed."

The trembling Carthaginians heard these fatal
words in stupefied amazement. On recovering their
senses they broke out into passionate exclamations
against the treachery of Rome, and declared that
the freedom of Carthago had been guaranteed.

" The guarantee refers to the people of Carthage,
not to her houses," answered the consul. " You
have heard the will of the senate; it must bo
obeyed, and quickly."

Carthage, meanwhile, waited in gloomy dread the
return of the commissioners. When they gave in
the council-chamber the ultimatum of Rome, a cry
of horror broke from the councillors. The crowd in
the street, on hearing this ominous sound, broke
open the doors and demanded what fatal news had
been received.

THE FATE OF CARTHAGE. 161

On being told, they burst into a paroxysm of
fury. The members of the government who had
submitted to Rome were obliged to fly for their
lives. Every Italian found in the city was killed.
The party of the people seized the government, and
resolved to defend themselves to the uttermost. AD.
armistice of thirty days was asked from the consuls,
that a deputation might be sent to Rome. This was
refused. Despair gave courage and strength. The
making of new arms was energetically begun. Tem-
ples and public buildings were converted into work-
shops ; men and women by thousands worked night
and day ; every day there were produced one hun-
dred shields, three hundred swords, five hundred
pikes and javelins, and one thousand bolts for cata-
pults. The women even cut off their hair to be
twisted into strings for the catapults. Corn was
gathered in all haste from every quarter.

The consuls were astonished and disappointed.
They had not counted on such energy as this. They
did not know what it meant to drive a foe to des-
peration. They laid siege to Carthage, but found
it too strong for all their efforts. They proceeded
against the Carthaginian army in the field, but
gained no success. Summer and winter passed, and
Carthage still held out. Another year (148 B.C.)
went by, and Rome still lost ground. Old Cato,
the bitter foe of Carthage, had died, at the age
of eighty-five. Masinissa, the warlike Numidian,
had died at ninety-five. The hopes of the Cartha-
ginians grew. Those of Rome began to fall. The
rich booty that was looked for from the sack of
I 14*

162 HISTORICAL TALES.

Carthage was not to be handled so easily as had
been expected.

What Eome lacked was an able general. One was
found in Scipio, the adopted son of Publius Scipio,
son of the great Scipio Africanus. This young man
had proved himself the only able soldier in the war.
The army adored him. Though too young for the
consulship, he was elected to that high office, and in
147 B.C. sailed for Carthage.

The new commander found the army disorgan-
ized, and immediately restored strict discipline to its
ranks. The suburb of Megara, from which the
people of the city obtained their chief supply of
fresh provisions, was quickly taken. Want of food
began to be felt. The isthmus which connected the
city with the mainland was strongly occupied, and
land-supplies were thus cut off. The fleet blockaded
the harbor, but, as vessels still made their way in,
Scipio determined to build an embankment across
the harbor's mouth.

This was a work of great labor, and slowly pro-
ceeded. By the time it was done the Carthaginians
had cut a new channel from their harbor to the sea,
and Scipio had the mortification to see a newly-
built fleet of fifty ships sail out through this fresh
passage. On the third day a naval battle took place,
in which the greater part of the new fleet was
destroyed.

Another winter came and went. It was not until
the spring of 146 B.C. that the Romans succeeded in
forcing their way into the city, and their legions
bivouacked in the Forum of Carthage.

THE FATE OF CARTHAGE. 163

But Carthage was not yet taken. Its death-
struggle was to be a desperate one. The streets
leading from the Forum towards the Citadel were
all strongly barricaded, and the houses, six stories
in height, occupied by armed men. For three days
a war of desperation was waged in the streets. The
Romans had to take the first houses of each street
by assault, and then force their way forward by
breaking from house to house. The cross streets
were passed on bridges of planks.

Thus they slowly advanced till the wall of Bosra
— the high ground of the Citadel — was reached.
Behind them the city was in flames. For six days
and nights it burned, destroying the wealth and
works of years. When the fire declined passages
were cleared through the ruins for the army to
advance.

Scipio, who had scarcely slept night or day during
the assault, now lay down for a short repose, on an
eminence from which could be seen the Temple of
Esculapius, whose gilded roof glittered on the highest
point of the hill of Bosra. He was aroused to re-
ceive an offer from the garrison to surrender if their
lives were spared. Scipio consented to spare all but
Roman deserters, and from the gates of the Citadel
marched out fifty thousand men as prisoners of war.

Hasdrubal, the Carthaginian commander, who had
made so brave a defence against Rome, retired with
his family and nine hundred deserters and others
into the Temple of Esculapius, as if to make a final
desperate defence. But his heart failed him at the
last moment, and, slipping -out alone, he cast him-

164 HISTORICAL TALES.

self at Scipio's feet, and begged his pardon and mercy.
His wife, who saw his dastardly act, reproached him
bitterly for cowardice, and threw herself and her
children into the flames which enveloped the Cit-
adel. Most of the deserters perished in the same
flames.

" Assyria has fallen," said Scipio, as he looked with
eyes of prevision on the devouring flames. " Persia
and Macedonia have likewise fallen. Carthage is
burning. The day of Rome's fall may come next."

For five days the soldiers plundered the city, yet
enough of statues and other valuables remained to
yield the consul a magnificent triumph on his return
to Rome. Before doing so be celebrated the fall of
Carthage with grand games, in which the spoil of
that great city was shown the army. To Rome he
sent the brief despatch, " Carthage is taken. The
army waits for further orders."

The orders sent were that the walls should be
destroyed and every house levelled to the ground.
A curse was pronounced by Scipio on any one who
should seek to build a town on the site. The curse
did not prove effective. Julius Caesar afterwards
projected a new Carthage, and Augustus built it.
It grew to be a noble city, and in the third century
A.D. became one of the principal cities of the Roman
empire and the chief seat of Western Christianity
It was finally destroyed by the Arabs.

THE GRACCHI AND THEIR
FALL.

IN the assault by the Roman forces on Megara,
the suburb of Carthage, the first to mount the wall
was a young man named Tiberius Gracchus, brother-
in-law of Scipio, the commander, and grandson of
the famous Scipio Africanus. This young man and
his brother were to play prominent parts in Rome.

One day when the great Scipio was feasting in the
Capitol, with other senators of Rome, be was asked
by some friends to give his daughter Cornelia in
marriage to Tiberius Gracchus, a young plebeian.
Proud patrician as he was, he consented, for Grac-
chus was highly esteemed for probity, and had done
him a personal service.

On his return home he told his wife that he had
promised his daughter to a plebeian. The good
woman, who had higher aims, blamed him severely
for his folly, as she deemed it. But when she was
told the name of her proposed son-in-law she changed
her mind, saying that Gracchus was the only man
worthy of the gift.

There were three children from this marriage, a
daughter, who became the wife of the younger
Scipio, and two sons, Tiberius and Cains Gracchus,
who are known in history as "The Gracchi." Their

165

166 HISTORICAL TALES.

father became famous in war and peace, taking im«
portant steps in the needed movement of reform.
He died, and after his death many sought the hand
of the noble Cornelia in marriage, among them King
Ptolemy of Egypt. But she refused them all, de-
voting her life to the education of her children, for
which she was admirably fitted by her lofty spirit
and high attainments.

Concerning this lady, one of the greatest and
noblest which Rome produced, there is an anecdote,
ofien repeated, yet well worth repeating again. A
Campanian lady who called upon her, and boastfully
spoke of her wealth in gold and precious stones,
asked Cornelia for the pleasure of seeing her jewels.
Leading her visitor to another room, the noble
matron pointed to her sleeping children, and said,
" There are my jewels ; the only ones of which I am
proud."

These children were born to troublous times.
Rome had grown in corruption and ostentation as
she had grown in wealth and dominion. When the
first Punic War broke out Rome ruled only over
Central and Southern Italy. When the third Punic
War ended Rome was lord of all Italy, Spain, and
Greece, and had wide possessions in Asia Minor and
Northern Africa. Wealth had flowed abundantly
into the imperial city, and with it pride, corruption,
and oppression. The great grew greater, the poor
poorer, and the old simplicity and frugality of Rome
were replaced by overweening luxury and greed of
wealth.

The younger Tiberius Gracchus, who was nine

THE GRACCHI AND THEIR PALL. 167

years older than his brother, after taking part in the
siege of Carthage, went to Spain, where also was
work for a soldier. On his way thither he passed
through Etruria, and saw that in the fields the old
freeman farmers had disappeared, and been replaced
by foreign slaves, who worked with chains upon their
limbs. No Cincinnatus now ploughed his own small
fields, but the land was divided up into great estates,
cultivated by the captives taken in war ; while the
poor Eomans, by whose courage these lands had
been won, had not a foot of soil to call their own.

This spectacle was a sore one to Tiberius, in whose
mind the wise teachings of his mother had sunk
deep. Here were great spaces of fertile land lying
untilled, broad parks for the ostentation of their
proud possessors, while thousands of Eomans lan-
guished in poverty, and Eome had begun to depend
for food largely upon distant realms.

There was a law, more than two hundred years
old, which forbade any man from holding such large
tracts of land. Tiberius thought that this law should
be enforced. On his return to Eome his indignant
eloquence soon roused trouble in that city of rich and
poor.

"The wild beasts of the waste have their caves
and dens," he said ; " but you, the people of Eome,
who have fought and bled for its growth and glory,
have nothing left you but the air and the sunlight.
There are far too many Eomans," he continued,
" who have no family altar nor ancestral tomb.
They have fought well for Eome, and are falsely
called the masters of the world ; but the results of

168 HISTORICAL TALES.

their fighting can only be seen in the luxury of the
great, while not one of them has a clod of dirt to
call his own."

Cornelia urged her son to do some work to ennoble
his name and benefit Home.

" I am called the ' daughter of Scipio,' " she said.
" I wish to be known as ' the mother of the Gracchi.' "

It was not personal glory, but the good of Eome,
th&t the young reformer sought. He presented him-
self for the office of tribune, and was elected by the
people, who looked upon him as their friend and ad-
vocate. And at his appeal they crowded from all
quarters into the city to vote for the re-establishment
of the Licinian laws, — those forbidding the rich to
hold great estates.

These laws were re-enacted, and those lands which
the aristocrats had occupied by fraud or force were
taken from them by a commission and returned to
the state.

All this stirred the proud land-holders to fury.
They hated Gracchus with a bitter hatred, and began
to plot secretly for his overthrow. About this time
Attalus, king of Pergamus, moved by some erratic
whim, left his estates by will to the city of Rome.
Those who had been deprived of their lands claimed
these estates, to repay them for their outlays in im-
provement. Gracchus opposed this, and proposed to
divide this property among the plebeians, that they
might buy cattle and tools for their new estates.

His opponents were still more infuriated by this
action. He had offered himself for re-election to the
office of tribune, promising the people new and im-

THE GRACCHI AND THEIR FALL. 169

portant reforms. His patrician foes took advantage
of the opportunity. As he stood in the Forum, sur-
rounded by his partisans, an uproar arose, in the
midst of which Gracchus happened to raise his hand
to his head. His enemies at once cried out that he
wanted to make himself king, and that this was a
sign that he sought a crown.

A fierce fight ensued. The opposing senators
attacked the crowd so furiously that those around
Gracchus fled, leaving him unsupported. He has-
tened for refuge towards the Temple of Jupiter, but
the priests had closed the doors, and in his haste he
stumbled over a bench. Before he could rise one of
his enemies struck him over the head with a stool.
A second repeated the blow. Before the statues of
the old kings, which graced the portals of the temple,
the tribune fell dead.

Many of his supporters were slain before the
tumult ceased. Many were forced over the wall at
the edge of the Tarpeian Rock, and were killed by
their fall. Three hundred in all were slain in the
fray.

Thus was shed the first blood that flowed in civil
strife at Home. It was a crimson prelude to the
streams of blood that were to follow, in the long
series of butcheries which were afterwards to disgrace
the Roman name.

Tiberius Gracchus may well be called the Great,
for the effect of his life upon the history of Rome
was stupendous. He held office for not more than
seven months, yet in that short time the power of
the senate was so shaken by him that it never fully

H 16

170 HISTORICAL TALES.

recovered its strength. Had he been less gentle, or
more resolute, in disposition his work might have
been much greater still. Fiery indignation led him
on, but soldierly energy failed him at the end.

Caius Gracchus was in Spain at the time of his
brother's murder. On his return to Rome he lived
in quiet retirement for some years. The senate
thought he disapproved of his brother's laws. They
did not know him. At length he offered himself as
a candidate for the tribuneship, and so convincing
was his eloquence that the people supported him in
numbers, and he was elected to the office.

He at once made himself an ardent advocate of
his brother's reforms, and with such impassioned
oratory that he gained adherents on every side. He
made himself active in all measures of public prog-
ress, advocating the building of roads and bridges,
the erection of mile-stones, the giving the right to
vote to Italians in general, and the selling of grain
at low rates to the deserving poor. The laws passed
for these purposes are known as the Sempronian
laws, from the name of the family to which the
Gracchi belonged.

By this time the rich senators had grown highly
alarmed. Here was a new Gracchus in the field, as
eloquent and as eager for reform as his brother, and
who was daily growing more and more in favor with
the people. Something must be done at once, or this
new demagogue — as they called him — would do them
more harm than that for which they had slain his
brother.

They adopted the policy of fraud in place of that

THE GRACCHI AND THEIR FALL. 171

of violence. The people were gullible ; they might
be made to believe that the senators of Rome were
their best friends. A rich and eloquent politician,
Drusus by name, proposed measures more democratic
even than those which Gracchus had advocated. This
effort had the effect that was intended. The influ-
ence of Gracchus over the popular mind was lessened.
The people had proved fully as gullible as the shrewd
senators had expected.

Among other measures proposed by Gracchus was
one for planting a colony and building a new city
on the site of Carthage. The senate appeared to
approve this, and appointed him one of the commis-
sioners for laying out the settlement. He was forced
to leave Rome, and during his absence his enemies
worked more diligently than ever. Gracchus was
defeated in the election for tribune that followed.

And now the plans of his enemies matured. It
was said that the new colony at Carthage had been
planted on the ground cursed by Scipio. Wolves
had torn down the boundary-posts, which signified
the wrath of the gods. The tribes were called to
meet at the Capitol, and repeal the law for colonizing
Carthage.

A tumult arose. A man who insulted Gracchus
was slain by an unknown hand. The senate pro-
claimed Gracchus and his friends public enemies, and
roused many of the people against him by parading
the body of the slain man. Gracchus and his friends
took up a position on the Aventine Hill. Here they
were assailed by a strong armed force.

There was no resistance. Gracchus sought refuge

172 HISTORICAL TALES.

at first in the Temple of Diana, and afterwards made
his way to the Grove of the Furies, several of his
friends dying in defence of his flight. A single slave
accompanied him. When the grove was reached by
his pursuers both were found dead. The faithful
slave had pierced his master's heart, and then slain
himself by the same sword.

Slaughter ruled in Rome. The Tiber flowed thick
with the corpses of the friends of Gracchus, who
were slain by the fierce patricians. The houses of
the murdered reformers were plundered by the mob,
for whose good they had lost their lives. For the
time none dared speak the name of Gracchus except
in reprobation. Yet he and his brother had done
yeoman service for the ungrateful people of Rome.

Cornelia retired to Misenum, where she lived for
many years. But she lived not in grief for her sons,
but in pride and triumph. They had died the deaths
of heroes and patriots, and she gloried in their fame,
declaring that they had found worthy graves in the
temples of the gods.

So came the people to think, in after-years, and
they set up in the Forum a bronze statue to the great
Roman matron, on which were inscribed only these
words : To CORNELIA, THE MOTHER OP THE GRACCHI.

JUGURTHA, THE PURCHASER OF
ROME.

MASINISSA, the valiant old king of Numidia, who
had ravaged Carthage in its declining days, left
his kingdom to his three sons. On the death of
Micipsa, the last remaining of these, in 118 B.C., he,
in turn, left the kingdom to his two sons. They
were still young, and Jugurtha, their cousin, was
appointed their guardian and the regent of the
kingdom.

Shrewd, bold, ambitious, and unscrupulous, Jugur-
tha was the most dangerous man in Numidia to
whose care the young princes could have been con-
fided. Scipio read his character rightly, and said to
him, " Trust to your own good qualities, and power
will come of itself. Seek it by base arts, and you
will lose all."

Some of the young nobles in Scipio's camp gave
baser advice. " At Rome," they told him, " all
things could be had for money." They advised him
to buy the support of Eome, and seize the crown of
Numidia.

Jugurtha took this base advice, instead of the wise
counsel of Scipio. He was destined to pay dearly
for his ambition and lack of faith and honor. One
16* 173

174 HISTORICAL TALES.

of the young princes showed a high spirit, and
Jugurtha had him assassinated. The other fled to
Rome and sought the support of the senate. Ju-
gurtha now, following the suggestions of his false
friends, sent gold and promises to Rome, purchased
the support of venal senators, and had voted to him
the strongest half of the kingdom ; Adherbal, the
young prince, being given the weaker half.

But the young man was not left in peace, even in
this reduced inheritance. Jugurtha sent more pres-
ents to Rome, and, confident of his strength there,
boldly invaded the dominions of Adherbal. A Ro-
man commission threatened him with Rome's dis-
pleasure if he did not keep within his own domin-
ions. He affected to submit, but as soon as the
commissioners turned their backs the daring adven-
turer renewed his efforts, got possession of his cousin
through treachery, and at once ordered him to be put
to death with torture.

Since Rome had become great and powerful no
one had dared so openly to contemn its decrees.
But Jugurtha knew the Romans of that day, and
trusted to his gold. He bought a majority in the
senate, defied the minority, and would have gained
his aim but for one honest man. This was the tribune
Memmius, who, seeing that the senate was hopelessly
corrupt, called the people together in the Forum, told
them of the crimes of Jugurtha, and demanded jus-
tice and redress at their hands.

And now a struggle arose like that between the
Gracchi and the rich senators. Jugurtha sent more
gold to Rome. An army was despatched against

JUQURTHA, THE PURCHASER OP ROME. 175

him, but he purchased it also. He gave up his ele-
phants in pledge of good faith, and then bought
them back at a high price. The officers divided the
money, and the army failed to advance.

Jugurtha would have triumphed but for Memmius,
who resolutely kept up his attacks. In the end the
usurper was ordered to come to Kome, — under a safe-
conduct. He came, and here by his gold purchased
one of the tribunes, who protected him against the
wrath of Memmius and the people. But Memmius
was resolute and determined. Another Numidian
prince was found and asked to demand the crown
from the senate. Jugurtha learned what was afoot,
and sent an agent, Bomilcar by name, to assassinate
the new prince. An indictment was laid against
Bomilcar, but Jugurtha, fearing to have his own
share in the murder exposed, sent him off secretly
to Africa.

This was too much, even for the purchased mem-
bers of the senate. Such open disdain of the majesty
of Rome no man, however avaricious, dared support.
Jugurtha had a safe-conduct, and could not be seized,
but he was ordered to quit Eome immediately. He
did so, and as he passed out of the gates he looked
back and said, "A city for sale if she can find a pur-
chaser."

The remainder of Jugurtha's history is one of
war. The time for winning power by bribery was
past. The people were so thoroughly aroused and
incensed that none dared yield to cupidity. The in-
dignation grew. The first army sent against Jugur-
tha was baffled by the wily African, caught in a

176 HISTORICAL TALES.

defile, and only escaped by passing under the yoke,
and agreeing to evacuate Numidia.

This disgrace stirred Eome more deeply still. A
new consul was elected and a new army raised. A
commission was appointed to inquire into the conduct
of the senate, and several of the leading members
were found guilty of high treason and put to death
without mercy. Eome had begun to purge itself.

The new general, Metellus, was not one to be sent
under the yoke. He defeated Jugurtha in the field
and pursued him so unrelentingly that soon the
African usurper was a fugitive, without an army, and
with only some fortresses under his control.

Metellus had with him as his principal officer a
man who was to become famous in Roman history.
This man, Caius Marius, was then fifty years of age.
Yet he had years enough before him to play a
mighty part. He was a man of the people, rough
and uneducated ; scorned learning, but had a vigor-
ous ambition and a striking military genius. He
claimed to be a New Man, knew no Greek, and
boasted that he had no images but " prizes won by
valor and scars upon his breast."

This man made himself the favorite of the popu-
lace, was elected consul, and by undisguised trickery
took the conduct of the war out of the hands of
Metellus just as the latter was about to succeed.
With him to Africa went another man who was to
become equally famous, L. Cornelius Sulla, the
future chief of Rome. Sulla was not a New Man.
He was an aristocrat, knew Greek better than
Marius knew Latin, was educated and dissipated,

JUGURTHA, THE PURCHASER OF ROME. 177

and showed the marks of a dissolute life in his face.
When he rode into the camp of Marius at the head
of the cavalry he had seen no service, and the
rugged soldier looked with contempt on this effemi-
nate pleasure-seeker who had been sent as his lieu-
tenant. He soon learned his mistake, and before
the campaign ended Sulla was his most trusted
officer and chief adviser.

In the subsequent conduct of the war there is an
interesting story to tell. There were two hill- forts
in Numidia which still remained in Jugurtha's con-
trol. One of these was taken easily. The other —
which contained all that was left of the usurper's
treasures — was a formidable place, which long defied
the Eoman engineers. It stood on a precipitous
rock, with only a single narrow ascent; was well
garrisoned and supplied with arms, food, and water ;
and so long defied all the efforts of Marius that he
almost despaired of its capture.

In this dilemma a happy chance came to his aid.
A Ligurian soldier, a practised mountaineer, being
in search of water, saw a number of snails crawling
up the rock in the rear of the castle. These were a
favorite food with him, and he gathered what he
saw, and climbed the cliff in search of more.
Higher and higher he went, till he had nearly
reached the summit of the rock. Here he found
himself near a large oak, which had rooted itself in
the rock crevices, and grew upward so as to overtop
the castle hill.

The Ligurian, led by curiosity, climbed the tree,
and gained a point from which he could see the
II. — m

178 HISTORICAL TALES.

castle, undefended on this side, and without sen-
tinels. Having taken a close observation, he de-
scended, carefully examining every point as he went.
He now hastened to the tent of Marius, recounted
to him his exploit, and offered to guide a party up
the perilous ascent.

Marius was quick to seize this hopeful chance.
Five trumpeters and four centurions were selected,
who were placed under the leadership of the moun-
taineer. Laying aside all clothing and arms that
would obstruct them, they followed the Ligurian up
the rock. He, an alert and skilful climber, here and
there tied ropes to projecting points, here lent them
the aid of his hand, here sent them up ahead and
carried their arms after them. At length, with
great toil and risk, they reached the summit, and
found the castle at this point undefended and un-
watched, the Numidians being all on the opposite
side.

Marius, being apprised of their success, ordered a
vigorous assault in front. The garrison rushed to
the defence of their outer works. In the heat of
the action a sudden clangor of trumpets was heard
in their rear. This unexpected sound spread instant
alarm. The women and children who had come out
to watch the contest fled in terror. The soldiers
nearest the walls followed. At length the whole
body, stricken suddenly with panic, took to flight,
followed in hot pursuit by their foes.

Over the deserted works the Romans clambered,
into the castle they burst, all who opposed them
were cut down, and in a short time the place which

JUGTJRTHA, THE PURCHASER OF ROME. 179

had so long defied them was theirs, while the four
trumpets to which their victory was due sounded
loudly the war-peal of triumph.

Jugurtha was still at large. He was supported by
Bocchus, king of Mauritania, whose daughter he had
married. Sulla was sent to demand his surrender.
Bocchus refused at first, but at length, through fear
of Eome, consented, and the bold usurper was be-
trayed into Sulla's hands.

The end of Jugurtha was one in accordance with
the brutal cruelty of Eome, yet it was one which
he richly deserved. It was in the month of Janu-
ary, 104 B.C., three years after his capture, that
Marius entered Eome in triumphal procession, dis-
playing to the people the spoils of his victories,
while before his car walked his captive in chains.

The African seemed sunk in stupor as he walked.
He was roused by the brutal mob, who tore off his
clothes and plucked the gold rings from his ears.
Then he was thrust into the dungeon at the foot of
the Capitoline Hill. " Hercules, what a cold bath
this is!" he exclaimed. There he who had defied
Eome and lorded it over Africa starved to death.
A prince of the line of Masinissa succeeded him on
the throne.

THE EXILE AND REVENGE OF
MARIUS.

MARITJS and Sulla, the heroes of the Jugurthine
War, in later years led in greater wars, in which
they gained much fame. They ended their careers
in frightful massacres, in which they gained great
infamy. Rome, which had made the world its
slaughter-house, was itself turned into a slaughter-
house by these cruel and revengeful rivals.

There was rarel}" any lack of work for the swords
of Rome. While Marius was absent in Africa a
frightful peril threatened the Roman* state. A vast
horde of barbarians was sweeping downward from
the north. The Germans of Central Europe had
ravaged Switzerland and invaded Gaul. Every
army sent against them had been defeated with
great slaughter. Italy was in immediate danger
of invasion, Rome in imminent peril. Marius was
sadly needed, and on his return from Africa was
hailed as the only man who could save the state.

Instantly he gathered an army and set out for
Gaul, Sulla going with him as a subordinate officer.
Two years were spent in marches and counter-
marches, and then (B.C. 102) he met the enemy and
defeated them with immense slaughter. Reserving
the richest of the spoils, he devoted the remainder
180

THE EXILE AND REVENGE OF MARIU8. 181

to the gods, and, as he stood in a purple robe, torch
in hand, about to apply the flame to the costly
funeral pile, horsemen dashed at full speed through
the open lines of the troops, and announced that for
a fifth time he had been elected consul of Eome.

In this war Sulla also showed valor and won fame.
But he had grown jealous of the glory of Marius,
and left his army to join that of the consul Catulus,
who was being driven backward by another great
horde of barbarians. Marius, having beaten his own
foes, hastened to the relief of his associate ; the flight
was stopped, and a battle ensued in which the in-
vading army was swept from the face of the earth,
and Home freed for centuries from danger of bar-
barian invasion.

Sulla and Catulus had their share in this victory,
but the people gave Marius the whole honor, called
him the third founder of their city (as Camillus had
been the second), and gathered in rejoicing multi-
tudes to witness his triumph.

While this war was going on there was dreadful
work at home. Tie slaves had, for the second time,
broken into insurrection. This servile war was
mainly in Sicily, where thousands of slaves were
slain. Of the captives, many were taken to Eome
to fight with wild beasts in the arena, but they dis-
appointed the eager spectators by killing each other.
This outbreak only made slavery at Eome harder
and harsher than before.

Years passed on, and then another war broke out.
The Italian allies, who had helped to make Eome
great, claimed rights of citizenship and suffrage.

16

182 HISTORICAL TALES.

These were denied, and what is known as the Social
War began. Sulla and Marius took part in this con-
flict, which ended in favor of Eome, though the
franchise fought for was in large measure gained.
It was of little value, however, since all who held it
were obliged to go to the city of Eome to vote.

During these various conflicts the rivalry between
Marius and Sulla grew steadily more declared. The
old plebeian, now seventy years of age, was jealous
of the honors which his aristocratic rival had gained
in the Social War, and a spirit of bitter hatred,
which was to bear dire results, arose in his heart.

Events to come were to blow this spark of hatred
into a glowing flame. A new war threatened Kome.
Mithridates the Great, king of Pontus, in Asia
Minor, was pursuing a career of conquest, and the
Roman provinces in Asia were in danger. War was
determined on, and Sulla, who had already held suc-
cessful command in the East, claimed the command
of the new army. Marius, old as he was, wanted it,
too, and by his influence with the new citizens of
Rome succeeded in defeating Sulla and gaining the
appointment of general in the war against Pontus.

This vote of the tribes precipitated a contest. The
Social War was not yet fully ended, and Sulla has-
tened to the camp where his soldiers were besieging
a Samnite town. It was his purpose to set sail for
the East before he could be superseded. He was too
late. Officials from Rome reached the camp almost
as soon as he, bearing a commission from Marius to
assume the command. It was a critical moment.
Sulla must either yield or inaugurate a civil war.

THE EXILE AND REVENGE OP MARIUS. 183

He chose the latter. Calling the soldiers together,
he told them that he had been insulted and injured,
and that, unless they supported him, they would be
left at home, and a new army raised by Marius
would obtain the spoils of the Mithridatic war.
Stirred by this appeal to their avarice, the legions
stoned to death the officers sent by Marius, and
loudly demanded to be led to Borne.

Their coming took Marius by surprise, and threw
the city into consternation. No one had dreamed
of such daring and audacity. To lead a Roman
army against Eome was unprecedented. The sen-
ate sent an embassy asking Sulla to halt till the
Fathers could come to some decision. He promised
to do so, but as soon as the envoys had gone he sent
a force that seized the Colline Gate and entered the
city streets. Here their progress was stopped by
the people, who hurled tiles and stones upon their
heads from the house-tops.

The whole army soon followed, and Sulla entered
the city with two legions at his back. The people
again opposed their march, but Sulla seized a
torch and threatened to burn the city if any hos-
tility were shown. This ended all opposition, except
that made by Marius, who retreated to the Capi-
tol, where he proclaimed liberty to all slaves who
would join his banner. This did him much more
harm than good ; his adherents dispersed ; he and
his chief supporters were forced to seek safety in
flight.

And now we] have a story of striking interest to
tell It would need the powers of invention of a

184 HISTORICAL TALES.

romancer to devise a series of adventures as remark-
able as those which befell old Marius in his flight.
It is one of the strangest stories in all the annals of
history, a marked illustration of the saying that fact
is often stranger than fiction.

Marius fled to Ostia, at the mouth of the Tiber,
in company with Granius, his son-in-law, and five
slaves. He proposed to take ship there for Africa,
where his influence was great. His son followed
him by a different route, and arrived at Ostia to
find that his father had put to sea. There was an-
other vessel about to sail, which the son took, and
in which he succeeded in reaching Africa.

The older fugitive had no such good fortune. The
elements pronounced against him, and a storm drove
the vessel ashore near Circeii. Here the party wan-
dered in distress along the desolate coast, in immi-
nent danger of capture, for emissaries of Sulla were
scouring the shores of Italy in his pursuit. For-
tunately for the old general, he was recognized by
some herdsmen, who warned him that a troop of
cavalry was approaching. Not knowing who they
were, and fearing their purpose, the fugitives hastily
left the road and sought shelter in the forest that
there came down near to the coast.

Here the night was miserably passed, the fugitives
suffering for want of food and shelter. When the
dawn of the next day broke, their forlorn walk was
resumed, there being no enemy in sight. By this
time the whole party, with the exception of Marius,
was greatly depressed. He alone kept up his spirits,
telling his followers that he had been six times

THE EXILE AJ*D REVENGE OF MARIUS. 185

consul of Rome, and that a seventh consulship
would yet be his.

There seemed little hope of such a turn of fortune
as the hungry fugitives dragged wearily onward.
For two days they kept on, making about forty
miles of distance. At the end of that time peril of
capture came frightfully near. A body of horse-
men was visible at a distance, coming rapidly on.
No friendly forest here offered shelter. The only
hope of escape lay in two merchant vessels, which
were moving slowly close in shore.

Calling loudly for aid, Marius and those with him
plunged into the water and swam for these vessels.
Granius reached one of them. Harms was so ex-
hausted that he could not swim, and was supported
with difficulty above the water by two slaves till
the seamen of the other vessel drew him on board.

He had barely reached the deck when the troop
of horsemen rode to the water's edge, and their
leader called to the captain of the vessel, telling him
that it was the proscribed Marius he had rescued,
and bidding him at once to deliver him up.

What to do the captain did not know. The officer
on shore threatened him with the vengeance of
Sulla if he failed to yield the fugitive. Marius, with
tears in his eyes, earnestly begged for protection
from the captain and crew. The captain wavered
in purpose, but finally yielded to Marius and sailed
on. But he did so in doubt and fear, and on reach-
ing the mouth of the river Liris he persuaded Marius
to go ashore, saying that the vessel must lie to till
the land-wind rose. The instant the boat returned
16*

186 HISTORICAL TALES.

the faithless captain sailed away, leaving the aged
fugitive absolutely alone on the beach.

Walking wearily to the sorry hut of an old
peasant, which stood near, Marius told him who he
was, and begged for shelter. The old man hid him
in a hole near the river, and covered him with reeds.
While he lay there the horsemen, who had followed
the vessel along the shore, came up, and asked the
tenant of the hut where Marius was.

The shivering fugitive, in fear of being betrayed,
rose hastily from his hiding-place and dashed into
the stream. Some of the horsemen saw him, he was
pursued, and, covered with mud and nearly naked,
the old conqueror was dragged from the river,
placed on a horse, and carried as a captive to the
neighboring town of Miturnae. Here he was con-
fined in the house of a man named Famia till his
fate could be determined.

A circular letter had been received by the magis-
trates from the consuls at Eome, ordering them to
put Marius to death if he should fall into their
hands. This was more than they cared to do on
their own responsibility, and they called a meeting
of the town council to decide the momentous ques-
tion. The council decided that Marius should die,
and sent a Gaulish slave to put him to death.

It was dark when the executioner entered the
house of Famia. The slave, little relishing the task
committed to his hands, entered the room where
Marius lay. All the trembling wretch could see in
the darkness were the glaring eyes of the old man
fixed fiercely on him, while a deep voice came from

THE EXILE AND REVENGE OF MARIUS. 187

the couch, " Fellow, darest thou slay Caius Ma-
rius?"

Throwing down his sword, the Gaul fled in terror
from those accusing eyes, crying out, loudly, " I can-
not slay Caius Marius !"

The magistrates made no further effort to put their
prisoner to death. They managed that he should
escape, and he made his way to the island of Ischia,
which Granius had already reached. Here a friendly
ship took them on board, and they sailed for Africa.

But the perils of the fugitive were not yet at an
end. The ship was forced to stop at Erycina, in
Sicily, for water. Here a Roman official recognized
Marius, fell upon the party with a company of sol-
diers, and slew sixteen of them. Marius was nearly
taken, but managed to escape, the vessel hastily
setting sail. He now reached Africa without fur-
ther adventure.

His son and other friends had arrived earlier, and,
encouraging news being told him, he landed near
the site of ancient Carthage. The praetor, learning
of his presence, and advised of the revolution at
Rome, sent him word to quit the province without
delay. As the messenger spoke Marius looked at
him with silent indignation.

" What answer shall I take back to the prater ?"
asked the man.

" Tell him," said the old general, with impressive
dignity, "that you have seen Caius Marius sitting
among the ruins of Carthage."

Meanwhile his son had reached Numidia, where
he was outwardly well received by the king, yet

188 HISTORICAL TALES.

held in captivity. He was at length enabled to es-
cape by the aid of the king's daughter, and joined
his father. Marius was not further molested.

Yet it would have been well for the fame of Caius
Marius had his life ended here. He would have es-
caped the infamy of his later years, and the flood
of blood and vengeance in which his career reached
its end. He had friends still in Rome. Sulla had
made many foes by his capture of the city. Among
the new consuls elected was Cornelius Cinna, who
quickly made trouble for the ruler of Eome. Sulla,
finding his power abating, and fearing assassination
by friends of Marius, concluded to let the senate fight
its own battles, and shipped his troops for Greece,
leaving Rome to its own devices, while he occupied
himself with fighting its enemy in the East.

No sooner had he gone than civil war began.
Fighting took place in the streets of Rome. Cinna
moved in the senate that Marius should be restored
to his rights. Failing in this, he gathered an army
and threatened his enemies in Rome.

News of all this soon reached old Marius in Africa.
At the head of a thousand desperate men he took
ship and landed in Etruria. Here he proclaimed
liberty to all slaves who would join him, and soon
had a large force. He also gained a small fleet. He
and Cinna now joined forces and marched on Rome.

The senate, which stood for Sulla, had meanwhile
been gathering an army for the defence of the city.
But few of those ordered from afar reached the
gates, and of the principal force the greater part
deserted to Marius. The city was soon invested o»«

THE EXILE AND REVENGE OF MARIU8. 189

all sides. The ships of Marius captured the corn-
vessels from Sicily and Africa. A plague broke out
in the city, which decimated the army of the senate,
In the end beleaguered Kome was forced to open its
gates to a new conqueror.

All the senate asked for was that Cinna would not
permit a general massacre. This he promised. But
behind his chair, in which he sat in state as consul,
stood old Marius, whose face threatened disaster.
He was dressed in mean attire ; his hair and beard
hung down rough and long, for neither had been cut
since the day he fled from Eome ; on his brow was
a sullen frown that boded only evil to his foes.

Evil it was, evil without stint. Rome was treated
as a conquered city. The slaves and desperadoes
who followed Marius were let loose to plunder at
their will. Octavius, the consul who had supported
the senate, was slain in his consular chair. A series
of horrible butcheries followed. Marius was bent
on dire vengeance, and his enemies fell in multi-
tudes. Followed by a band of ruffians known as
the Bardiaei, the remorseless old man roamed in
search of victims through the city streets, and any
man of rank whom he passed without a salute was
at once struck dead.

The senators who had opposed his recall from
exile fell first. Others followed in multitudes.
Those who had private wrongs to revenge followed
the example of their chief. The slaves of the army
killed at will all whom they wished to plunder. So
great became the licentious outrages of these slaves
that in the end Cinna, who had taken no part in the

190 HISTORICAL TALES.

massacres, fell upon them with a body of troops and
slew several thousands. This reprisal in some meas-
ure restored order in Rome.

Sulla, meanwhile, was winning victories in the
East, and the news of them somewhat disturbed the
ruthless conquerors. But for the present they were
absolute, and the saturnalia of blood went on. It
ended at length in the death of Marius.

Since his return he had given himself to wine and
riotous living. This, after the privations and hard-
ships he had recently suffered, sapped his iron conr
stitution. He was elected to the seventh consulship,
which he had predicted while wandering as a fugi-
tive on the south Italian shores. But he fell now
into an inflammatory fever, and in two weeks after
his election he ceased to breathe. Great and suc-
cessful soldier as he had been, his late conduct had
won him wide-spread detestation, and he died hated
by his enemies and feared even by his friends.

THE PROSCRIPTION OF SULLA.

WHILE Marius and his friends were ruling and
murdering in Rome, Sulla, their bitter enemy, was
commanding and conquering in the East, biding his
time for revenge. He drove the Asiatic foe out of
Greece, taking and pillaging Athens as an episode.
He carried the war into Asia, forced Mithridates to
eue for peace, and exacted enormous sums (more
than one hundred million dollars in our money) from
the rich cities of the East. Then, after giving his
soldiers a winter's rest in Asia, he turned his face
towards Rome, writing to the senate that he was
coming, and that he intended to take revenge on his
enemies.

It was now the year 83 B.C. Three years had
passed since the death of Marius. During the inter-
val the party of the plebeians had been at the head
of affairs. Now Sulla, the aristocrat, was coming to
call them to a stern account, and they trembled in
anticipation. They remembered vividly the Marian
carnival of blood. What retribution would his
merciless rival exact ?

Cinna, who had most to fear, proposed to meet the
conqueror in the field. But his soldiers were not in
the mood to fight, and settled the question by murder-

191

192 HISTORICAL TALES.

ing their commander. When spring was well ad-
vanced, Sulla left Asia, and in sixteen hundred ships
transported his men to Italy, landing at the port of
Brundusium.

On the 6th of July, shortly after his landing, an
event occurred that threw all Rome into consterna-
tion. The venerable buildings of the Capitol took
fire and were burned to the ground, the cherished
Sibylline books perishing in the flames. Such a dis-
aster seemed to many Romans a fatal prognostic. The
gods were surely against them, and all things were
at risk.

Onward marched Sulla, opposed by a much greater
army collected by his opponents. But he led the
veterans of the Mithridatic War, and in the ranks
of his opponents no man of equal ability appeared.
Battle after battle was fought, Sulla steadily advan-
cing. At length an army of Samnites, raised to
defend the Marian cause, marched on Rome. Caius
Pontius, their commander, was bent on terribly
avenging the sufferings of his people on that great
city.

" Rome's last day," he said to his soldiers, " is come.
The city must be annihilated. The wolves that have
so long preyed upon Italy will never cease from
troubling till their lair is utterly destroyed."

Rome was in despair, for all seemed at an end.
The Samnites had not forgotten a former Pontius,
who had sent a Roman army under the Caudine
Forks, and had been cruelly murdered in the Capitol.
They thundered on the Colline Gate. But at that
critical moment a large body of cavalry appeared

THE PROSCRIPTION OP SULLA. 193

and charged the foe. It was the vanguard of Sulla's
army, marching in haste to the relief of Eome.

A fierce battle ensued. Sulla fought gallantly.
He rode a white horse, and was the mark of every
javelin. But despite his efforts his men were forced
back against the wall, and when night came to their
relief it looked as if nothing remained for them but
to sell their lives as dearly as possible the next
morning.

But during the night Sulla received favorable news.
Crassus, who commanded his right wing, had com-
pletely defeated a detachment of the Marian army.
With quick decision, Sulla marched during the night
round the enemy's camp, joined Crassus, and at day-
break attacked the foe.

The battle that ensued was a terrible one. Fifty
thousand men fell on each side. Pontius and other
Marian leaders were slain. In the end Sulla tri-
umphed, taking eight thousand prisoners, of whom
six thousand were Samnites. The latter were, by
order of the victor, ruthlessly butchered in cold
blood.

This was but the prelude to an equally ruthless but
more protracted butchery. Sulla was at last lord of
Rome, as absolute in power as any emperor of later
days. In fact, he had himself appointed dictator, an
office which had vanished more than a century
before, and which raised him above the law. He
announced that he would give a better government
to Home, but to do so he must first rid that city of
its enemies.

Marius, whom Sulla hated with intense bitterness,
II.— I n 17

194 HISTORICAL TALES.

had escaped him by death. By his orders the bones
of the old general were torn from their tomb near
the Anio and flung into that stream. The son of
Marius had slain himself to prevent being taken.
His head was brought to Sulla at Rome, who gazed
on the youthful face with grim satisfaction, saying,
"Those who take the helm must first serve at the
oar." As for himself, his fortune was now accom-
plished, he said, and henceforth he should be known
as Felix.

The cruel work which Sulla had promised im-
mediately began. Adherents of the popular party
were slaughtered daily and hourly at Eome. Some
who had taken no part in the late war were slain.
No man knew if he was safe. Some of the sena-
tors asked that the names of the guilty should be
made known, that the innocent might be relieved
from uncertainty. The proposition hit with Sulla's
humor. He ordered that a list of those doomed to
death should be made out and published. This was
called a Proscription.

But the uncertainty continued as great as ever.
The list contained but eighty names. It was quickly
followed by another containing one hundred and
twenty. Day after day new lists of the doomed were
issued. To make death sure, a reward of two talents
was promised any one who should kill a proscribed
man, — even if the killer were his son or his slave.
Those who in any way aided the proscribed became
themselves doomed to death.

Men who envied others their property managed
to have their names put on the list. A partisan of

THE PROSCRIPTION OP SULLA. 195

Sulla was exulting over the doomed, when his eye fell
on his own name in the list. He hastily fled, and
the bystanders, judging the cause, followed and cut
him down. Catiline, who afterwards became notori-
ous in Roman history, murdered his own brother,
and to legalize the murder had the name of his
victim placed on the list.

How many were murdered we do not know.
Probably little less than three thousand in Rome.
The stream of murder flowed to other cities. Several
of these defied the conqueror, but were taken one by
one and their defenders slain. To all cities which
had taken part with the Marians the proscription
made its way. Of the total number slain during this
reign of terror no record exists, but the deliberate
butchery of Sulla went far beyond the ferocious but
temporary slaughter of Marius.

Murder was followed by confiscation. Sulla
ordered that the property of the slain should be
sold at auction and the proceeds put in the treasury.
But the favorites of the dictator were the chief bid-
ders, the property was sold at a tithe of its value,
and the unworthy and dissolute obtained the lion's
share of the spoil.

During this period of murder and confiscation we
first hear the names of a number of afterwards
famous Romans. Catiline we have named. Pompey
took part in the war on Sulla's side, was victorious
in Sicily and Africa, and on his return was hailed
by his chief with the title of Pompey the Great.
Another stjll more famous personage was Julius
Caesar. Sulla had ordered that all persons connected

196 HISTORICAL TALES.

by marriage with the Marian party should divorce
their wives. Pompey obeyed. Csesar, who was a
nephew of Marius and had married the daughter of
Cinna, boldly refused. He was then a youth of nine-
teen. His boldness would have brought him death
had not powerful friends asked for his life.

" You know not what you ask," said Sulla ; " that
profligate boy will be more dangerous than many
Mariuses."

Caesar, not trusting Sulla's doubtful humor, es-
caped from Rome, and hid in the depths of the
Sabine mountains, awaiting a time when the streets
of the capital city would be safer for those who
dared speak their minds.

Another young man of rising fame showed little
less boldness. This was Cicero, who had just re-
turned to Rome from his studies in Greece. He
ventured to defend Roscius of Ameria against an
accusation of murder made by Chrysogonus, a prime
favorite of Sulla. Cicero lashed the favorite vigor-
ously, and won a verdict for his client. But he found
it advisable to leave Rome immediately and resume
his studies at Rhodes.

Sulla ended his work by organizing a new senate
and making a new code of laws. Three hundred
new members were added to the senate, and the laws
of Rome were brought largely back to the state in
which they had been before the Gracchi.

This done, to the utter surprise of the people he
laid down his power and retired from Rome, within
whose streets he never again set foot. He had no
occasion for fear. He had scattered his veterans

THE PROSCRIPTION OF SULLA. 197

throughout Italy on confiscated estates, and knew
that he could trust to their support. Before his de-
parture he gave a feast of costly meats and rich
wines to the Roman commons, in such profusion that
vast quantities that could not be eaten were cast
into the Tiber. Then he dismissed his armed at-
tendants, and walked on foot to his house, through
a multitude of whom many had ample reason to
strike him down.

He now retired to his villa near Puteoli, on the
Bay of Naples, with the purpose of enjoying that
life of voluptuous ease which he craved more than
power and distinction. Here he spent the brief
remainder of his life in nocturnal orgies and literary
converse, completing his "Memoirs," in which he
told, in exaggerated phrase, the story of his life and
exploits.

He lived but about a year. His excesses brought
on a complication of disorders, which ended, we are
told, in a loathsome disease. The senate voted him
a gorgeous funeral, after which his body was burned
on the Campus Martius, that no future tyrant could
treat his remains as he had done those of his great
rival Marius.

17*

THE REVOLT OF THE GLAD I A-
TORS.

AT the beginning of the first Punic War, or war
with Carthage, a new form of entertainment was
introduced into Eome. This was the gladiatorial
show, the fights of armed men in the arena, the
first of which was given in the year 264 B.C., at the
funeral of D. Junius Brutus. These exhibitions
were long confined to funeral occasions, money
being frequently left for this purpose in wills, but
they gradually extended to other occasions, and
finally became the choice amusement of the brutal
Roman mob. The gladiators were divided into sev-
eral classes, in accordance with their particular
weapons and modes of fighting, and great pains
were taken to instruct them in the use of their
special arms. But in the period that followed the
death of Sulla Rome was to have a gladiatorial ex-
hibition of a different sort.

In the city of Capua was a school of gladiators,
kept by a man named Lentulus. It was his practice
to hire out his trained pupils to nobles for battles in
the arena during public festivals. His school was a
large one, and included in its numbers a Thracian
named Spartacus, who had been taken prisoner while
leading his countrymen against the Romans, and was
198

THE REVOLT OP THE GLADIATORS. 199

to be punished for his presumption by making sport
for his conquerors.

But Spartacus had other and nobler aims. He
formed a plot of flight to freedom in which two
hundred of his fellows joined, though only seventy-
eight succeeded in making their escape. These men,
armed merely with the knives and spits which they
had seized as they fled, made their way to the neigh-
boring mountains, and sought a refuge in the crater
of Mount Vesuvius. It must be borne in mind that
this mountain, in that year of 73 B.C., was silent and
seemingly extinct, though before another century
passed it was to awake to vital activity. It was only
hiding its time in slumber.

It was better to die on the open field than in the
amphitheatre, argued Spartacus, and his followers
agreed with him. Their position in the crater was
a strong one, and the news of their revolt soon
brought them a multitude of allies, — slaves and out-
laws of every kind. These Spartacus organized and
drilled, supplying them with officers from the gladia-
tors, mostly old soldiers, and placing them under
rigid discipline. It was liberty he wanted, not
rapine, and he did his utmost to restrain his lawless
followers from acts of violence.

Pompey, the chief Roman general of that day,
was then absent in Spain, fighting with a remnant
of the Marian forces. Two Roman prsetors led their
forces against the gladiators, but were driven back
with loss, and the army of Spartacus swelled day by
day. The wild herdsmen of Apulia joined him in
large numbers. They wore slaves to their lords,

200 HISTORICAL TALES.

whom they hated bitterly, and here was an opening
for freedom and revenge.

It was soon evident that Rome had on its hands
the greatest and most dangerous of its servile wars.
Spartacus was brave and prudent, and possessed the
qualities of an able leader. Unfortunately for him,
he led an unmanageable host. In the next year both
the consuls took the field against him. By this time
his army had swelled to more than one hundred thou-
sand men, and with these he pushed his way north-
ward through the passes of the Apennines. But now
insubordination appeared. Crixus, one of his lieuten-
ants, ambitious of independent command, led off a
large division of the army, chiefly Germans. He was
quickly punished for his temerity, being surprised
and slain with the whole of his force.

Spartacus, wise enough to know that he could not
long hold out against the whole power of Rome,
kept on northward, hoping to pass the Alps and find
a place of refuge remote from the stronghold of his
foes. Both the consuls attacked him in his march,
and both were defeated, while he retaliated on Rome
by forcing his prisoners to fight as gladiators in
memory of the slain Crixus.

Reaching the provinces of the north, his dimin-
ished force was repulsed by Crassus, one of the
richest men of Rome, who had taken the field as
praetor. Spartacus would still have fought his way
towards the Alps but for his followers, whose impa-
tient thirst for rapine forced him to march south-
ward again.

Every Roman force that assailed him on this

THE REVOLT OF THE GLADIATORS. 201

march was hurled back in defeat. He even medi-
tated an attack on Eome itself, but relinquished this
plan as too desperate, and instead employed his men
in collecting arms and treasure from the cities of
central and southern Italy. Discipline was almost
at an end. The wild horde of slaves and outlaws
were beyond any strict military control. So great
and general were their ravages that in a later day
the poet Horace promised his friend a jar of wine
made in the Social War, " if he could find one that
had escaped the ravages of roaming Spartacus."

In the year 71 B.C. the most vigorous efforts were
made to put down this dangerous revolt. Pompey
was still in Spain. The only man at home of any
military reputation was the praetor Crassus, who had
amassed an enormous fortune by buying up property
at famine prices during the Proscription of Sulla, and
in speculative measures since.

He was given full command, took the field with a
large army, restored discipline to the beaten bands
of the consuls by cruel and rigorous measures, and
assailed Spartacus in Calabria, where he was seeking
to rekindle the Servile War, or slave outbreak, in
Sicily. He had even engaged with pirate captains
to transport a part of his force to Sicily, but the
freebooters took the money and sailed away without
the men.

And now began a struggle for life and death.
Spartacus was in the narrowest part of the foot of
Southern Italy. Crassus determined to keep him
there by building strong lines of intrenchment
across the neck of land. Spartacus attacked hia

202 HISTORICAL TALES.

works twice in one day, but each time was repulsed
with great slaughter. But he defended himself vig-
orously.

Pompey was now returning from Spain. Crassus,
not caring to be robbed of the results of his labors,
determined to assault Spartacus in his camp. But
before he could do so the daring gladiator attacked
his lines again, forced his way through, and marched
for Brundusium, where he hoped to find ships that
would convey him and his men from Italy.

As it happened, a large body of Eoman veterans,
returning from Macedonia, had just reached Brun-
dusium, and undertook its defence. Foiled in his
purpose, Spartacus turned upon the pursuing army
of Crassus, like a wolf at bay, and attacked it with
the energy of desperation. The battle that ensued
was contested with the fiercest courage. Spartacus
and his men were fighting for their lives, and the
result continued doubtful till the brave gladiator was
wounded in the thigh by a javelin. Falling on his
knee, he fought with the courage of a hero until,
overpowered by numbers, he fell dead.

His death decided the conflict. Most of his fol
lowers were slain on the field. A strong body
escaped to the mountains, but these were pursued,
and many fell. Five thousand of them made their
way to the north of Italy, where they were met by
Pompey, on his return from Spain, and slaughtered
to a man.

Crassus took six thousand prisoners, and these
ne disposed of in the cruel Roman way of dealing
with revolted slaves, hanging or crucifying the

THE REVOLT OF THE GLADIATORS. 203

whole of them along the road between Rome and
Capua.

Thus ended far the most important outbreak of
Roman gladiators and slaves. The south of Italy
suffered horribly from its ravages, but not through
any act of Spartacus, who throughout showed a
moderation equal to his courage and military ability.
Had it not been for the lawless character of his fol-
lowers his career might have had a very different
ending, for he had shown himself a commander of
rare ability and unconquerable courage.

CAESAR AND THE PIRATES.

WE have spoken of the pirates who agreed to
convey the forces of Spartacus from Italy to Sicily,
but faithlessly sailed away with his money and with-
out his men. From times immemorial the Mediter-
ranean had been ravaged by pirate fleets, which
made the inlets of Asia Minor and the isles of the
Archipelago their places of shelter, whence they
dashed out on rapid raids, and within which they
vanished when attacked.

This piracy reached its highest power during and
after the Social and Civil Wars of Eome, the outlaws
taking prompt advantage of the distractions of the
times, and gaining a strength and audacity unknown
before. Their chief places of refuge were in the
coast districts of Cilicia and Pisidia, in Asia Minor,
while in the mountain valleys which led down from
Taurus to that coast they had strongholds difficult
of access, and enabling them to defy attack by land.

They were now aided by Mithridates, who sup-
plied them with money and encouraged their raids.
So great became their audacity that they carried off
important personages from the coast of Italy, among
them two praetors, whom they held to ransom. They
ravaged all unguarded shores, and are said to have
204

(LESAR AND THE PIRATES. 205

captured in all four hundred important towns. The
riches gained in these raids were displayed with the
ostentation of conquerors. The sails of their ships
were dyed with that costly Tyrian purple which at
a later date was reserved for the robes of emperors;
their oars were inlaid with silver, and their pennants
glittered with gold. As for the merchant fleets of
Home, they made their journeys under constant risk,
and there was danger, if the pirates were not sup-
pressed, that they would cut off the entire grain-
supply from Africa and Sicily.

The most interesting story told in connection with
these marauders is connected with the youthful days
of Julius Caesar, afterwards so great a man in Rome.

In the year 76 B.C. Ca3sar, then a young man of
twenty-four, and seemingly given over to mere en-
joyment of life, with no indications of political aspi-
ration, was on his way to the island of Rhodes, where
he wished to perfect himself in oratory in the famous
school of Apollonius Melo, in which Cicero, a few
years before, had gained instruction in the art.
Cicero had taught Rome the full power of oratory,
and Caesar, who was no mean orator by nature, and
recognized the usefulness of the art, naturally sought
instruction from Cicero's teacher.

He was travelling as a gentleman of rank, but on
his way was taken prisoner by pirates, who, deeming
him a person of great distinction, held him at a high
ransom. For six weeks Ca3sar remained in their
hands, waiting until his ransom should be paid. He
was in no respect downcast by his misfortune, but
took part freely in the games and pastimes of the
18

206 HISTORICAL TALES.

pirates, and, according to Plutarch, treated them
with such disdain that whenever their noise dis-
turbed his sleep he sent orders to them to keep
silence. In his familiar conversations with the
chiefs he plainly told them that he would one day
crucify them all. Doubtless they laughed heartily
at this pleasantry, as they deemed it, but they were
to find it a grim sort of jest.

Caesar was released at last, the ransom paid
amounting to about fifty thousand dollars. He lost
not a moment in carrying out his threat. Obtaining
a fleet of Milesian vessels, he sailed immediately to
the island in which he had been held captive, and
descended upon the pirates so suddenly that he took
them prisoners while they were engaged in dividing
their plunder. Carrying them to Pergamus, he
handed them over to the civil authorities, by whom
his promise of crucifying them all was duly carried
out. Then he went to Khodes, and spent two years
in the study of elocution. He had proved himself
an awkward kind of prey for pirates.

These worthies continued their depredations, and
became at length so annoying that extraordinary
measures were taken for their suppression. Pompey,
then the most powerful man in Home, was given ab-
solute control over the Mediterranean. This was
not done without opposition, for it was feared that
he aspired to kingly rule. " You aspire to be Rom-
ulus ; beware of the fate of Romulus," said some of
the opposing senators.

Despite opposition the power was given him, and
he used it with remarkable results. A large fleet

OSJSAR AND THE PIRATES. 207

was at once got ready and put to sea, confining
its operations at first to the west of the Mediterra-
nean, and driving the piratical fleets towards their
lurking-places in the east. Land troops meanwhile
guarded the coasts. In the brief space of forty days
he reported to the senate that the whole sea west of
Greece was cleared of pirates.

Then he sailed for the Archipelago, swept its in-
lets, spread his ships everywhere, and drove the foe
towards Cilicia. Here they gathered their fleet and
gave him battle, but suffered a total defeat. A sur-
render followed, to which he won them over by leni-
ent terms. In three months from the day he began
his work the war was ended, and the pirates who had
so long troubled the republic of Eome had retired
from business.

CAESAR AND POMPEY.

THERE were three leaders in Rome, Pompey,
whom Sulla had named the Great, Crassus, the rich,
and Caesar, the shrewd and wise. Two of these had
reached their utmost height. For Pompey there was
to be no more greatness, for Crassus no more riches.
But Caesar was the coming man of Rome. After
a youth given to profligate pleasures, in which he
spent money as fast as Crassus collected it, and ac-
cumulated debt more rapidly than Pompey accumu-
lated fame, the innate powers of the man began to
declare themselves. He studied oratory and made
his mark in the Roman Forum ; he studied the
political situation, and step by step made himself a
power among men. He was shrewd enough to
cultivate Pompey, then the Roman favorite, and
brought himself into closer relations with him by
marrying his relative. Steadily he grew into public
favor and respect, and laid his hands on the reins of
control.

There was a fourth man of prominence, Cicero,
the great scholar, philosopher, and orator. He pros-
ecuted Verres, who, as governor of Sicily, had com-
mitted frightful excesses, and drove him from Rome.
He prosecuted Catiline, who had made a conspiracy
208

CJESAR AND POMPET. 209

to seize the government, and even to burn Borne,
The conspirators were foiled and Catiline killed.
But Cicero, earnest and eloquent as he was, lacked
manliness and courage, and was driven into exile by
his enemies.

There remained the three leaders, Pompey, Caesar,
and Crassus, and these three made a secret compact
to control the government, forming what became
known as a triumvirate, or three man power. Pom-
pey married Julia, the young and beautiful daughter
of Caesar, and the two seemed very closely united.

Caesar was elected consul, and in this position won
public favor by proposing some highly popular laws.
After his year as consul he was made governor of
Gaul, and now began an extraordinary career. The
man who had by turns shown himself a dissolute
spendthrift, an orator, and a political leader, sud-
denly developed a new power, and proved himself
one of the greatest soldiers the world has ever
known.

Gaul, as tlien known, had two divisions, — Cis-
alpine Gaul, or the Gaulish settlements in Northern
Italy; and Transalpine Gaul, or Gaul beyond the
Alps, including the present countries of France and
Switzerland. In the latter country Borne possessed
only a narrow strip of land, then known as the
Province, since then known as the country of
Provence.

From this centre Caesar, with the small army
under his command, consisting of three legions, en-
tered upon a career of conquest which astonished
Eome and drew upon him the eyes of the civilized
n.— o 18*

210 HISTORICAL TALES.

world. He had hardly been appointed when he re-
ceived word that the Helvetian tribes of Switzerland
were advancing on Geneva, the northern outpost of
the Province, with a view of invading the West.
He hastened thither, met and defeated them, killed
a vast multitude, and drove the remnant back to
their own country. Then, invited by some northern
tribes, he attacked a great German band which had
invaded Northern Gaul, and defeated them so utterly
that few escaped across the Rhine. From that point
he made his way into and conquered Belgium. In
a year's time he had vastly extended the Roman
dominion in the West.

For nine years this career of conquest continued.
The barbarian Gauls proved fierce and valiant sol-
diers, but at the end of that time they had been
completely subdued and made passive subjects of
Rome. Caesar even crossed the sea into Britain, and
took the first step towards the conquest of that
island, of which Rome had barely heard before.

During this career of conquest many hundreds of
thousands of men were slain. But, then, Caesar was
victorious and Rome triumphant, and what mattered
it if a million or two of barbarians were sacrificed
to the demon of conquest? It mattered little to
Rome, in which great city barbarian life was scarcely
worth a second thought. It mattered little to Caesar,
who, like all great conquerors, was quite willing to
mount to power on a ladder of human lives.

Meanwhile what were Caesar's partners in the
Triumvirate doing? When Ceasar was given the
province of Gaul, Pompey was made governor of

OSSAR AND POMPEY. 211

Spain, and Crassus of Syria. Crassus, who had
gained some military fame by overcoming Spar-
tacus the gladiatoi*, wished to gain more, and sailed
for Asia, where he stirred up a war with distant
Parthia. That was the end of Crassus. He marched
into the desert of Mesopotamia, and left his body on
the sands. His head was sent to Orodes, the Par-
thian king, who ordered molten gold to be poured
into his mouth, — a ghastly commentary on his thirst
for wealth.

Pompey left Spain to take care of itself, and re-
mained in Rome, where he sought to add to his
popularity by building a great stone theatre, large
enough to hold forty thousand people, where for
many days he amused the people with plays and
games. Here, for the first time, a rhinoceros was
shown. Eighteen elephants were killed by Libyan
hunters, and five hundred lions were slain, while
hosts of gladiators fought for life and honor.

While thus seeking popular favor, Pompey was
secretly working against the interests of Caesar, of
whose fame he had grown jealous. His wife Julia
died, and he joined his strength with that of the
aristocrats ; while Caesar, a nephew of old Marius,
was looked upon as a leader of the party of the
people.

Pompey's power and influence over the senate in-
creased until he was virtually dictator in Rome.
Caesar's ten years' governorship in Gaul would ex-
pire on the 1st of January, 49 B.C., and it was re-
solved by Pompey and the senate to deprive him of
the command of the army. But Caesar was not the

212 HISTORICAL TALES.

man to be dealt with in this summary manner. His
career of conquest ended, he entered his province of
Cisalpine Gaul, or Northern Italy, where he was re-
ceived as a great hero and conqueror. From here
he sent secret agents to Rome, bribed with large
sums a number of important persons, and took other
steps to guard his interests.

Meanwhile the senate tried to disarm Csesar by
unfair means. They had the power to shorten or
lengthen the year as they pleased, and announced
that that year would end on November 12, and that
Csesar must resign his authority on the 13th. Curio,
a tribune of Rome and Caesar's agent, said that it
was only fair that Pompey also should give up the
command of the army which he had near Rome.
This he refused to do, and Curio publicly declared
that he was trying to make himself a tyrant.

Finally the senate decreed that each general
should give up one legion, to be used in a war with
the Parthians. There was no such war, but it was
pretended that there soon would be. Pompey agreed,
but he called upon Csesar to send him back a legion
which he had lent him three years before. Csesar
did not hesitate to do so : he sent Pompey's legion
and his own ; but he took care to win the soldiers by
giving each a valuable present as he went away.
These legions were not sent to Asia, but to Capua.
The senate wanted them for use nearer than Parthia.

Ccesar was then at Ravenna, a sea-side city on the
southern limit of his province. South of it flowed
a little stream called the Rubicon, which formed his
border-line. Here he took a bold step. He sent a

CAESAR AND POMPEY. 213

letter to the senate, offering to give up his command
if Pompey would do the same. A violent debate
followed in the senate, and a decree was passed that
unless Caesar laid down his command by a certain
day he should be declared an outlaw and enemy of
Rome. At the same time the two consuls were
made dictators, and the two tribunes who favored
Csesar — one of them the afterwards famous Marc
Antony — fled for safety from Rome.

The decree of the senate was equivalent to a dec-
laration of war. On the one side was Pompey,
proud, over-confident, and unprepared. On the other
was Csesar, knowing his strength, satisfied in the
power of the money he had so freely distributed,
and sure of his men. He called his soldiers to-
gether and asked if they would support him. They
answered that they would follow wherever he led.
At once he marched for the Rubicon, the limit of
his province, to cross which stream meant an inva-
sion of Italy and civil war.

Plutarch tells us that he halted here and deeply
meditated, troubled by the thought that to cross
that stream meant the death of thousands of his
countrymen. After a period of such meditation, he
cried aloud, "The die is cast; let us go where the
gods and the injustice of our foes direct!" and, spur-
ring his horse forward, he plunged into the stream.

This story, which has been effectively used by
a great epic poet of Rome, probably relates what
never happened. From all we know of Caesar, the
question of bloodshed in attaining the aims of his
ambition did not greatly trouble his mind. Yet the

214 HISTORICAL TALES.

story has taken hold, and "to cross the Rubicon"
has become a proverb, signifying the taking of a
step of momentous importance.

Caesar, after the legions sent the senate, had but
a single legion left with him. He sent orders to
others to join him with all haste, but they were dis-
tant. As for Pompey, knowing and despising the
weakness of his rival, he had made no preparations.
He had Caesar's two legions at Capua and one of
his own at Rome, while thousands of Sulla's vet-
erans were settled in the country round. " I have
but to stamp my foot," he said, " and armed men
will start from the soil of Italy."

He did not stamp, or, if he did, the armed men
did not start. Caesar marched southward with his
accustomed rapidity. Town after town opened its
gates to him. Labienus, one of his principal officers,
deserted to Pompey. Caesar showed his contempt
by sending his baggage after him. Two legions
from Gaul having reached him, he pushed more
boldly' still to the south. The cities taken were
treated as friends ; there was no pillage, no violence.
Everywhere Caesar won golden opinions by his
humanity.

Meanwhile Pompey's armed men came not; his
rival was rapidly approaching ; he and his party of
the senate fled from Rome. They reached Brundu-
sium, where Caesar with six legions quickly ap-
peared. The town was strong, and Pompey took
his time to embark his men and sail from Italy. Dis-
appointed of his prey, Caesar turned back, and en-
tered Rome on April 1, now full lord and master of

CAESAR AND POMPEY. 215

Italy and its capital city. In the treasury of that
city was a sacred hoai-d of money, which had been
set aside since the invasion of the Gauls, centuries
before. The people voted this money for his use.
There was no more danger from the Gauls, it was
said, for they had all become subjects of Eome.
Yet the keeper of the treasury refused to produce
the keys, and when Csesar ordered the doors to be
broken open, tried to bar his passage into the sacred
chamber.

" Stand aside, young man," said Caesar, with stern
dignity ; " it is easier for me to do than to say."

Cffisar was not the man to rest while an enemy
was at large. Pompey had gone to the East. There
was no fleet with which to follow him ; and in Spain
Pompey had an army of veterans, who might enter
Italy as soon as he left it. These must first be dealt
with.

This did not delay him long. Before the year
closed all Spain was his. Most of the soldiers of
Pompey joined his army. Those who did not were
dismissed unharmed. Everywhere he showed the
greatest leniency, and everywhere won friends. On
his return to Eome he gained new friends by pass-
ing laws relieving debtors and restoring their civil
rights to the children of Sulla's victims.

He remained in Eome only eleven days, and then
sailed for Greece, where Pompey had gathered a
large army. It was January 4, 48 B.C , when he
sailed. On June 6 of the same year was fought, at
Pbarsalia, in Thessaly, a great battle which decided
the fate of the Eoman world.

216 HISTORICAL TALES.

Pompey's army consisted of about forty-four thou-
sand men. Ceesar had but half as many. But his
men were all veterans ; many of those of Pompey
were new levies, collected in Asia and Macedonia.
The battle was fierce and desperate. During its
course the cavalry of Pompey attacked Caesar's weak
troops and drove them back. The infantry advanced
to their support, and struck straight at the faces of
the foe. Plutarch tells us that this cavalry was made
up of young Eomans, of the aristocratic class and
proud of their beauty, and that the order was given to
Cffisar's soldiers to spoil their beauty for them. But
this story, like many told by Plutarch, lacks proof.

Whatever was the cause, the cavalry were broken
and fled in disorder. Csesar's reserve force now at-
tacked Pompey's worn troops, who gave way every-
where. Caesar ordered that all Eomans should be
spared, and only the Asiatics pursued. The legions,
hearing of this, ceased to resist. The foreign soldiers
fled, after great slaughter. Pompey rode hastily
from the field.

The camp was taken. The booty captured was
immense. But Csesar would not let his soldiers rest
or plunder till they had completed their work. This
proved easy ; all the Eomans submitted ; the Asiatics
fled. Pompey put to sea, where he had still a power-
ful fleet. Africa was his, and he determined to take
refuge in Egypt. It proved that he had enemies
there. A small boat was sent off to bring him
ashore. Among those on board was an officer named
Septimius, who had served under Pompey in the war
with the pirates.

CAESAR AND POMPEY. 217

Pompey recognized his old officer, and entered the
boat alone, his wife and friends watching from the
vessel as he was rowed ashore. On the beach a
number of persons were collected, as if to receive
him with honor. The boat stopped. Pompey took
the hand of the person next him to assist him to rise.
As he did so Septimius, who stood behind, struck
him with his sword. Pompey, finding that he was
among enemies, made no resistance, and the next
blow laid him low in death. His assassins cut off
his head and left his body on the beach. Here one
of his freedmen and an old soldier of his army broke
up a fishing-boat and made him a rude funeral pile.
Such were the obsequies of the one-time master of
the world.

The battle of Pharsalia practically ended the
struggle that made Caesar lord of Eome. Some
more fighting was necessary. Africa was still in
arms. But a few short campaigns sufficed to bring
it to terms, while a campaign against a son of Mith-
ridates ended in five days, Casar's victory being an
nounced to the senate in three short words, " Veni,
vidi, vici" (I came, I saw, I conquered). Then he
returned to Rome, where he shed not a drop of the
blood of his enemies, though that of gladiators and
wild animals was freely spilled in the gorgeous
games and festivals with which he amused the sov-
ereign people.

19

THE ASSASSINATION OF
CAESAR.

THE republic of Rome was at an end. The army
had become the power, and the will of the head of
the army was the law, of the state. Caesar celebrated
his victories with grand triumphs ; but he celebrated
them more notably still by a clemency that signified
his innate nobility of character. Instead of dyeing
the streets of Rome with blood, as Marius and Sulla
had done before him, he proclaimed a general am-
nesty, and his rise to power was not signalized by
the slaughter of one of his foes.

He signalized it, on the contrary, by an activity
in civil reform as marked as had been his energy in
war. The title and privilege of Roman citizenship
had so far been confined to Italians. He extended
it to many parts of Gaul and Spain. He formed
plans to drain the Pontine marshes, to make a survey
and map of the empire, to form a code of laws, and
other great works, which he did not live to fulfil.
Of all his reforms, the best known is the revision
of the Calendar. Before his time the Roman year
was three hundred and fifty-five days long, an extra
month being occasionally added, so as to regain the
lost days. But this was very irregularly done, and
the civil year had got to be far away from the solar
218

THE ASSASSINATION OP C-ffiSAR. 219

year. To correct this Caesar was obliged to add
ninety days to the year 46 B.C., which was therefore
given the unprecedented length of four hundred and
forty-five days. He ordered that the year in future
should be three hundred and sixty-five and one-
fourth days in length, a change which brought it very
nearly, but not quite, to the true length. A new re-
form was made in 1582, by Pope Gregory XIII., which
made the civil and solar years almost exactly agree.

Caesar did not live to see his reforms consummated.
He was murdered, perhaps because he had refused
to murder. In a few months after he had brought
the civil war to an end he fell the victim of assassins.
The story of his death is famous in Roman history,
and must here be told.

After his triumphs Caesar, who had been dictator
twice before, was named dictator for the term often
years. He was also made censor for three years.
These offices gave him such unlimited power that he
was declared absolute master of the lives and for-
tunes of the citizens and subjects of Eome. Impera-
tor men called him, a term we translate emperor, and
after his return from Spain, where he overthrew the
last army of his foes, the senate named him dictator
and imperator for life.

These high honors were not sufficient for Csesar's
ambition. He wished to be made king. He had no
son of his own, but desired to make his power
hereditary, and chose his grandnephew Octavius as
his heir. But he was to find the people resolutely
bent on having no king over Eome.

To try their temper some of his friends placed a

220 HISTORICAL TALES.

crown on his statue in the Forum. Two of the trib-
unes tore it off, and the crowd loudly applauded.
Later, at the festival of the Alban Mount, some
voices in the crowd hailed him as king. But the
mutterings of the multitude grew so loud, that he
quickly cried, " I am no king, but Csesar."

At the feast of the Lupercalia, on February 15, he
was approached by Marc Antony, as he sat in his
golden chair, and offered an embroidered band, such
as the sovereigns of Asia wore on their heads. The
crowd failed to applaud, and Csesar pushed it aside.
Then the multitude broke out in a roar of applause.
Again and again he rejected the glittering bauble,
and again the people broke into loud cries of ap-
proval. It was evident that they would have no
king. At a later date it was moved in the senate
that Csesar should be king in the provinces; but he
died before this decree could be put in effect.

There was discontent at Rome. Even the clem-
ency of Csesar had made him enemies, for there were
many who hoped to profit by proscription. His jus-
tice made foes among those who wished to grow rich
through extortion and oppression. He secluded him-
self while engaged on his reforms, and this lost him
popularity. A conspiracy was organized against
him by a soldier named Caius Cassius and others of
the discontented. For leader they selected Marcus
Junius Brutus, who believed himself a descendant of
the Brutus of old, and was won to their plot by being
told that, while his great ancestor had expelled the
last king of Rome, he was resting content under the
rule of a new king.

THE ASSASSINATION OP (LESAR. 221

Brutus, at length convinced that Caesar was seek-
ing to overthrow the .Roman republic, and that
patriotism required him to emulate the famous
Brutus of old, joined the conspiracy, which now in-
cluded more than sixty persons, most of whom had
received benefits and honors from the man they
wished to kill. But no considerations of gratitude
prevailed ; they determined on Caesar's death ; and
the meeting of the senate called for the Ides of
March (March 15) was fixed for the time and place
of the projected murder.

The morning of that day seemed full of omens
and warnings. The secret was oozing out. Caesar
received more than one intimation of impending
danger. A soothsayer had even bidden him to
" beware of the Ides of March." During the pre-
ceding night his wife was so disturbed by dreams
that in the morning she begged him not to go that
day to the senate, as she was sure some peril was at
hand. Her words failed to trouble Caesar's resolute
mind, but to quiet her apprehensions he agreed not
to go, and directed Marc Antony to preside over the
senate in his stead.

When this word was brought to the assembled
senate the conspirators were in despair. Their secret
was known to too many to remain a secret long.
Even a day's delay might be fatal. An hour might
put Caesar on his guard. What was to be done?
Unless their victim could he brought to the senate
chamber all would be lost.

Decimus Brutus, one of the conspirators who had
been favored by Caesar's bounty, went hastily to his
19*

222 HISTORICAL TALES.

house, and, telling him that the senate proposed that
day to make him king of the provinces, bade him
not to yield to such idle matters as auguries and
dreams, but show himself above any such supersti-
tious weakness. These cunning arguments induced
Caesar to change his mind, and he called for his litter
and was carried forth.

On his way to the senate new intimations of dan-
ger came to him. A slave had in some way dis-
covered the conspiracy, and tried to force himself
through the crowd to the dictator's litter, but was
driven back by the throng. Another informant was
more fortunate. A Greek philosopher, Artemidorus
by name, had also discovered the conspiracy, and
succeeded in reaching Caesar's side. He thrust into
his hand a roll of paper containing a full account of
the impending peril. But the star of Caesar that
day was against him. Thinking the roll to contain
a petition of some sort, he laid it in the litter by his
side, to examine at a more convenient time. And
thus he went on to his death, despite all the warnings
sent him by the fates.

The conspirators meanwhile were far from easy
in mind. There were signs among them that their
plot had leaked out. Casca, one of their number,
was accosted by a friend, "Ah, Casca, Brutus has
told me your secret." The conspirator started in
alarm, but was relieved by the next words, " Where
will you find money for the expenses of the aedile-
ship?" The man evidently referred to an expected
office.

Another senator, Popillius Lsenas, hit the mark

THE ASSASSINATION OF C^SAR. 223

closer. " You have my good wishes ; but what you
do, do quickly," he said to Brutus and Cassius.

The alarm caused by his words was doubled when
he stepped up to Caesar, on his entrance to the
chamber, and began to whisper in his ear. Cassius
was so terrified that he grasped his dagger with the
thought of killing himself. He was stopped by
Brutus, who quietly said that Popillius seemed rather
to be asking a favor than telling a secret. Whatever
his purpose, Caesar was not checked, but moved
quietly on and took his seat.

Immediately Cimber, one of the conspirators, ap-
proached with a petition, in which he begged for
the recall of his brother from banishment. The
others pressed round, praying Caesar to grant his
request. Displeased by their importunity, Caesar
attempted to rise, but was pulled down into his seat
by Cimber, while Casca stabbed him in the side, but
inflicted only a slight wound. Then they all assailed
him with drawn daggers.

Caesar kept them off for a brief time by winding
his gown as a shield round his left arm, and using
his sharp writing style for a weapon. But when he
saw Brutus approach prepared to strike he ex-
claimed in deep sorrow and reproach, " Et tu, Brute /"
(Thou too, Brutus !) and covering his face with his
gown, he ceased to resist. Their daggers pierced his
body till he had received twenty-three wounds, when
he fell dead at the base of the statue of Pompey,
which looked silently down on the slaughter of his
great and successful rival.

What followed this base and fruitless deed may b«

224 HISTORICAL TALES.

briefly told. The senators not in the plot rose in
alarm and fled from the house. When Brutus turned
to seek to justify his deed only empty benches re-
mained. Then the assassins hurried to the Forum,
to tell the people that they had freed Eome from a
despot. But the people were hostile, and the words
of Brutus fell on unfriendly ears.

Marc Antony followed, and delivered a telling
oration, which Shakespeare has magnificently para-
phrased. He showed the mob a waxen image of
Caesar's body, pierced with wounds, and the garment
rent by murderous blades. His words wrought his
hearers to fury. They tore up benches, tables, and
everything on which they could lay their hands, for
a funeral pile, placed on it the corpse, and set it on
fire. Then, seizing blazing embers from the pile,
they rushed in quest of vengeance to the houses of
the conspirators. They were too late ; all had fled.
The will of the dictator, in which he had made a
large donation to every citizen of Eome, added to
the popular fury, and a frenzy of vengeance took
possession of the people of Rome.

We must give the sequel of this murderous deed
in a few words. Marc Antony was now master of
Rome. He increased his power by pretending
moderation, and having a law passed to abolish the
dictatorship forever. But there were other actors
on the scene. Octavius, whom Caesar's will had named
as his heir, took quick steps to gain his heritage.
Antony had taken possession of Caesar's wealth, but
Octavius managed to raise money enough to pay
his uncle's legacy to the citizens of Rome. A third

THE ASSASSINATION OP C^SAR. 225

man of power was Lepidus, who commanded an
army near Borne, and was prepared to take part in
the course of events.

Octavius was still only a boy, not yet twenty
years of age. But he was shrewd and ambitious,
and soon succeeded in having himself elected consul
and put at the head of a large army. Cicero aided
him with a series of orations directed against
Antony, which were so keen and bitter, and had
such an effect upon the people, that Antony was de-
clared a public enemy. Octavius marched to meet
him and Lepidus, who were marching southward
with another large army.

Instead of fighting, however, the three leaders
met in secret conclave, and agreed to divide the
power in Rome between them. This compact is
known as the Second Triumvirate. Its members
followed the example of Marius and Sulla, not that
of Caesar, and resolved to extirpate their enemies.
Each of them gave up personal friends to the ven-
geance of the others. Of their victims the most
famous was Cicero, who had delivered his orations
against Antony in aid of Octavius. The ambitious

tt

boy was base enough to yield his friend to the ven-
geance of the incensed Antony. No less than three
hundred senators and two thousand knights fell
victims to this new proscription, which while it
lasted made a reign of terror in Eome.

Brutus and Cassius had meanwhile made them-
selves masters of Greece and the eastern provinces
of Rome, and were ready to meet the forces of the
Triumvirate in the field. The decisive battle was
u.— p

226 HISTORICAL TALES.

fought on the field of Philippi in Northern Greece.
The division of Cassius was defeated, and he killed
himself in despair. Twenty days afterwards another
battle was fought on the same field, in which Brutus
was defeated, and likewise put an end to his life.
The triumvirs were undisputed lords of Rome. The
imperial rule of Caesar had lasted but a few months,
and ended with his life. But with Octavius began an
imperial era which lasted till the end of the dominion
of Rome.

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA.

THE battles of Philippi and the death of Brutus
and Cassius put an end to the republican party to
whom Caesar owed his death. The whole realm was
handed over to the imperial Triumvirate, who now
made a new division of the vast Eoman world.
Antony took as his share all the mighty realm of
the East ; Octavius all the West. To Lepidus, whom
his powerful confederates did not take the trouble to
consult, only Africa was left.

The after-career of Antony was a curious and im-
pressive one. He loved a bewitching Egyptian queen,
and for a false love lost the vast dominion he had won.
The story is one of the most romantic and popular
of all that have come to us from the past. It has
been told in detail by Plutarch and richly dramatized
by Shakespeare. We give it here in brief epitome.

Fourteen years previously Antony had visited
Alexandria, and had there seen the youthful Cleo-
patra, then a girl of fifteen, but already so beautiful
and attractive that the susceptible Roman was deeply
smitten with her charms. Later she had charmed
Caesar, and now when the lord of the East set out
on a tour of his new dominions, the love queen of
Egypt left her capital for Cilicia with the purpose
of making him her captive.

227

228 HISTORICAL TALES.

It was midsummer of the year 41 B.C. when
Antony arrived at Tarsus, on the river Cydnus.
Up this stream to visit him came, in more than
Oriental pomp, the beautiful Egyptian queen. The
galley that bore her was gorgeous beyond compari-
son. Its sails were of Tyrian purple ; silver oars
fretted the yielding wave, while music timed their
rise and fall; the poop glittered with burnished
gold ; rich perfumes filled the air with fragrance.
Here, on a splendid couch, under a spangled canopy,
reclined Cleopatra, attired as Venus, and surrounded
by attendants dressed as Graces and Cupids. Beau-
tiful slaves moved oars and ropes, and the whole
array was one of wondrous charm. We cannot do
better than quote Shakespeare's vivid description of
this unequalled spectacle :

" The barge she sat in, like a burnished throne,
Burned on the water ; the poop was beaten gold ;
Purple the sails, and so perfumed that
The winds were love-sick with them ; the oars were silver,
Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made
The water that they beat to follow faster,
As amorous of their strokes. For her own person,
It beggared all description ; she did lie
In her pavilion — cloth-of-gold of tissue —
Outpicturing that Venus where we see
The fancy outwork nature ; on each side her
Stood pretty dimpled boys, like smiling Cupids,
With divers-colored fans, whose wind did seem
To glow the delicate cheeks which they did cool."

The people of Tarsus ran in crowds to gaze on
this wondrous spectacle, leaving Antony alone in the

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 229

Forum. At the request of Cleopatra he came also,
and was so captivated at sight that he became her
slave. He forgot Rome, forgot his wife Fulvia, for-
got honor and dignity, through his wild passion for
this Egyptian sorceress. Following her to Alexan-
dria, he laid aside his Eoman garb for the Oriental
costume of the Egyptian court, gave way to all
Cleopatra's pleasure-loving caprices, and lived in a
perpetual round of orgies and festivities, heedless of
honor and duty, and caring for naught but love and
sensual enjoyment.

Intoxicated with pleasure, Antony did not know
what risk he ran. Shortly before Octavius had been
spoken of as a boy, whom it would be easy to manage
and control. He was feeble and sickly, — so much
so, indeed, that just at this time his death was re-
ported in Rome. But the "boy" was ambitious,
astute, and far-seeing, and Mare Antony was de-
scending to ruin with every step he took in his
career of folly and profligacy.

The history of the succeeding years is long, but
must here be made short. The two lords of Rome
were changed from friends to enemies by the act
of Fulvia, the wife of Antony. Octavius had mar-
ried her daughter Claudia, and now divorced her.
Anger at this, and a hope of winning Antony from
the seductions of the Egyptian queen, caused her
to organize a formidable revolt against Octavius.
She succeeded in raising a large army, but Antony
was still too absorbed in Cleopatra to come to her
aid, and Agrippa, the able general of Octavius, soon
put down the revolt.

-20

230 HISTORICAL TALES.

Then, when it was too late to help her, Antony
awoke from his lethargy, and sailed to battle with
Octavius. He besieged Brundusium. But Fulvia
had died, the soldiers had no heart for civil war, and
the great rivals again made peace. Antony married
Octavia, the sister of Octavius, they divided the
Roman world between them as before, and Rome
was made happy by a grand round of games and
festivities.

For three years Antony remained true to his new
wife, and aided Octavius in putting down the foes
of Rome. Then, during a campaign in Syria, his
old passion for the fascinating Egyptian returned,
he called Cleopatra to him, dallied with her instead
of prosecuting his march, and in the end was forced
to retreat in haste from the barbarian foe.

For three years now Antony was the willing slave
of the enchanting queen. The courage and stoical
endurance of the soldier vanished, and were replaced
by the soft indulgence of the voluptuary. The rigid
discipline of the camp was exchanged for the idle
and often childish amusements of the Oriental court.
Cleopatra enchained him with an endless round of
pleasures and profligacies. Now, while in a fishing-
boat on the Nile, the queen amused him by having
salted fish fixed by divers on his hook, which he
drew up amid the laughter of the party. Again she
wagered that she would consume ten million ses-
terces at a meal, and won her wager by drinking
vinegar in which she had dissolved a priceless pearl.
All the enjoyments that the fancy of the cunning
enchantress could devise were spread around him,

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 231

and he let the world roll unheeded by while he
yielded to their alluring charm.

Antony posed at festive tables in the character of
the god Osiris, while Cleopatra played the rSle of
Isis. He issued coins which bore her head and his.
He gave away kingdoms and principalities in the
East to please her fancy. It was her hope and aim
to lead her yielding lover to the conquest of Eome,
and to rule as empress of that imperial city.

But the madness of Antony led to destruction, not
empire. The story of his doings was repeated at
Rome, where the voluptuary lost credit as Octavius
gained it. Antony's friends urged him to dismiss
Cleopatra and fight for the empire. Instead of this
the infatuated madman divorced Octavia and clung
to the Egyptian queen.

This act led to an open rupture. Octavius, by
authority of the senate, declared war, not against
Antony, but against Cleopatra. Antony was at
length roused. He gathered an army in haste,
passed to Ephesus and Athens, and everywhere
levied men and collected ships. A last and great
struggle for the supreme headship of the Roman
world was at hand.

Octavius was not skilled in war, but he had in
Agrippa one of the ablest of ancient generals, and
was wise enough to trust all warlike operations to
him. Antony had strongly fortified himself at Ac-
tium, on the west coast of Greece, while the strong
fleet he had gathered lay in its spacious bay. Here
took place one of the decisive battles of the world's
history.

232 HISTORICAL TALES.

Antony had made the fatal mistake of bringing
Cleopatra with him. Under her advice he played
the part of a poltroon instead of a soldier. His
chief officers, disgusted by his fascination, deserted
him in numbers, and, yielding to her urgent fears,
he resolved to fly with the fleet and abandon the
army.

In this act of folly he failed. A strong gale from
the south kept the fleet for four days in the harbor.
Then the ships of Octavius came up, and the two
fleets joined battle off the headland of Actium.

The ships of Antony were much larger and more
powerful than those of Octavius. Little impression
was made on them by the light Italian vessels, and
had Antony been a soldier still, or Cleopatra pos-
sessed as much courage as guile, the victory might
well have been theirs. But battle was no place for
the pleasure-loving queen. Filled with terror, she
took advantage of the first wind that came, and
sailed hastily away, followed by sixty Egyptian
ships.

The moment Antony discovered her flight he
gave up the world for love. Springing from his
ship-of-war into a light galley, he hastened in wild
pursuit after his flying mistress. Overtaking her
vessel, he went on board, but seated himself in mo-
rose misery at a distance, and would have nothing
to do with her. Ruin and despair were now his
mistresses.

Their commander fled, the ships fought on, and
yielded not till the greater part of them were in
flames. Before night they were all destroyed, and

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 233

with them perished most of those on board, while
all the treasure was lost. When the army heard of
Antony's desertion the legions went over to the
conqueror. That brief sea-fight had ended the war.

For a year Octavius did not trouble his rival.
He spent the time in cementing his power in Greece
and Asia Minor. Cleopatra tried her fascinations
on him, as she had on Caesar and Antony, but in
vain. She sought to fly to some place beyond the
reach of Home, but Arabs destroyed her ships. At
length Octavius came. Antony made some show of
hostility, but Cleopatra betrayed the fleet to his rival
and all resistance ended. Octavius entered the open
gates of Alexandria as a conqueror.

The queen shut herself up in a building which she
had erected as a mausoleum. It had no door, being
built to receive her body after death, and word was
sent out that she was already dead.

When these false tidings were brought to Antony
all his anger against the fair traitress was replaced
by a flood of his old tenderness. In despair he
stabbed himself, bidding his attendants to lay his
body beside that of Cleopatra.

Still living, he was borne to the queen's retreat,
where, moved by pity, she had him drawn up by
cords into an upper window. Here she threw her-
self in agony on his body, bathed his face with her
tears, and continued to bemoan his fate until he was
dead.

She afterwards consented to receive Octavius.
He spoke her fairly, but she was wise enough to see
that all her charms were lost on him, and that he
20*

234 HISTORICAL TALES.

proposed to degrade her by making her walk as a
captive in his triumph.

With a cunning greater than his own, Cleopatra
promised to submit. She had no apparent means of
taking her life in the cell, every dangerous weapon
was removed by his orders, and he left her, as he
supposed, a safe victim of his wiles.

He did not know Cleopatra. When his messen-
gers returned, at the hour fixed, to conduct her
away, they found only the dead body of Cleopatra
stretched upon her couch, and by her side her two
faithful attendants, Iris and Charmion. It is said
that she died from the bite of an asp, a venomous
Egyptian serpent, which had been secretly conveyed
to her concealed in a basket of fruit ; but this story
remains unconfirmed.

Plutarch tells the story thus : " But when they
opened the doors they found Cleopatra stark dead,
laid upon a bed of gold, attired and arrayed in her
royal robes, and one of her two women, who was
called Iris, dead at her feet, and the other woman
(called Charmion) half dead, and trembling, trimming
the diadem which Cleopatra wore upon her head.

" One of the soldiers, seeing her, angrily said to
her, ' Is that well done, Charmion ?' ' Very well,'
said she again, ' and meet for a princess descended
from the race of so many noble kings.' She said no
more, but fell down dead, hard by the bed.

" Now Caesar, though he was marvellous sorry for
the death of Cleopatra, yet he wondered at her noble
mind and courage, and therefore commanded that
she should be nobly buried and laid by Antony."

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA. 235

Thus ends the story of these two famous lovers
of old. Octavius, afterwards known as Csesar Augus-
tus, reigned sole emperor of Eome, and the republic
was at an end. He was not formally proclaimed em-
peror, but liberty and independence were thereafter
forgotten words in Rome. He ended the old era of
Eoman history by closing the Temple of Janus, for
the third time since it was built, and by freely for-
giving all the friends of Antony. He had nothing
to fear and had no thirst for blood and misery.
Base as he had shown himself in his youth, his reign
was a noble one, and during it Eome reached its
highest level of literary and military glory.

AN IMPERIAL MONSTER.

A BEING, half monster, half madman, had come
to empire in Eome. This was Caius Csesar, great-
grandson of Augustus, who in his short career aa
emperor displayed a malignant cruelty unsurpassed
by the worst of Roman emperors, and a mad folly
unequalled by any. The only conceivable excuse for
him is mental disease; but insanity which takes the
form of thirst for blood, and is combined with un-
limited power, is a spectacle to make the very gods
weep. "We describe his career as the most exagger-
ated instance on record of mingled folly and malig-
nity.

Brought up in the camp, he was christened by the
soldiers Caligula, from the soldier's boots (caligce)
which he wore. By shrewd dissimulation he pre-
served his life through the reign of Tiberius, and
was left heir to the throne along with the emperor's
grandson. But, deceiving the senate by his pre-
tended moderation, he was appointed by that body
sole emperor.

They little knew what they did. Tiberius, who

appears to have read him truly, spoke of educating

him "for the destruction of the Roman people," and

Caligula seemed eager to make these words good.

236

AN IMPERIAL MONSTER. 237

At first, indeed, he seemed generous and merciful,
mingling this affectation with a savage profligacy
and voluptuousness. Illness, however, apparently
affected his brain or destroyed what little moral
nature he possessed, and he quickly embarked on a
career of frightful excess and barbarity.

The great wealth left by Tiberius — over twenty-
five million dollars — was expended by him in a
single year, and to gain new funds he taxed and
robbed his subjects to an incredible extent. One of
his methods of finance was to force wealthy citizens
to gamble with him for enormous sums, and when
they lost their all (they dared not win), he would
make their lives the stake and bid their friends re-
deem them. In addition to this open robbery of
the rich, taxes of all sorts were laid and unlimited
oppressions enforced. The new edicts of the em-
peror were written so small and posted so high as
to be unreadable, yet no excuse of ignorance of the
law was admitted in extenuation of a fault.

The funds obtained by such oppressive means were
lavished on the most extravagant follies. We are
told of loaves of solid gold set before his guests, and
the prows of galleys adorned with diamonds. His
favorite horse was kept in an ivory stable and fed
from a golden manger, and when invited to a ban-
quet at his own table was regaled with gilded oats,
served in a golden basin of exquisite workmanship.

In addition to these domestic follies, he built villas
and laid out gardens without regard to cost; and,
that be might vie with Xerxes, he constructed a
bridge of ships three miles long, from Baise to

238 HISTORICAL TALES.

Puteoli, on which he built houses and planted trees.
This madness was concluded by throwing a great
many of his guests from the bridge into the sea, and
by driving recklessly with his war-galley through
the throng of boats that had gathered to witness the
spectacle.

These cruelties were mild compared with his more
deliberate ones. Eome was filled with executions,
the estates of his victims being confiscated; and it
was his choice delight to have these victims tortured
and slain in his presence while at dinner, the officers
being bidden to protract their sufferings, that they
might "feel themselves die." On one occasion he
expressed the mad wish that all the Eoman people
had but one neck, that he might strike it off" at a
blow.

Priding himself on the indifference with which he
could gaze on human torture, it was one of his en-
joyments to witness criminals torn to pieces by wild
beasts, and if criminals proved scarce he did not
hesitate to order some of the spectators to be thrown
into the arena. In the same manner, if a full supply
of gladiators was wanting, he would command Ro-
man knights to battle in the arena, taking delight
in the fact that this was viewed as an infamous pur-
suit. He kept two lists containing names of knights
and senators whom he intended to put to death, and
these contained the majority of both those bodies of
Eoman patricians. He is said to have put one man
to death for being better dressed than himself, and
another for being better looking.

He married more wives than he had years of em-

AN IMPERIAL MONSTER. 239

pire; but when one of these wives, Drusilla by name.,
died, he affected the bitterest grief, exiling himgeli
to Sicily, and letting his beard and hair grow ink
wild disorder. On his return to Eome his sub
jects found themselves in a dangerous quandary.
Those who made a show of sadness were declared
guilty of disrespect to the memory of the queen,
who had been translated to the joys of heaven.
Those who seemed glad were adjudged equally
guilty for not mourning her loss. And those who
showed neither joy nor sorrow were accused of
criminal indifference to his feelings. One man, who
sold warm water in the streets, was sentenced to
death for daring to pursue his occupation on so
solemn an occasion.

At a loss, as it would appear, in what madness
next to indulge, Caligula finally not only declared
himself a god, but erected a temple to his own
divinity, and created a college of priests to serve at
his altar. Among these were some of the first sen-
ators of Eome, who vied with each other in adula-
tion to this impious wretch. Not content with these,
he made his wife a priest, then his horse, and at
length became a priest to himself. He played with
the dignities of the realm in the same manner as
with its religion, raised the ministers of his lusts to
the highest offices, and finally went so far as to make
his horse a consul of Eome.

In his position as a deity he pretended to be equal
to and on friendly terms with Jupiter, and would
whisper in the ears of his statue as if they were in
familiar intercourse. He had a machine constructed

2-fO HISTORICAL TALES.

to vie with Jupiter's thunder, and during the light-
ning of a storm would challenge the god to mortal
combat by hurling stones into the air.

This succession of mad frolics and ruthless cruel-
ties should, it would seem, have satisfied even a Calig-
ula, but he managed to overtop them all by a supreme
piece of folly, which stands alone among human
freaks. Hitherto his doings had been those of
peace; he now resolved to gain glory in war, and
show the Romans what a man of soldierly mettle
they had in their emperor. There were no particu-
lar wars then afoot, but he would make one, and
resolved on an invasion of Germany, whose people
were at that time quiet subjects or allies of Borne.

To decide with him was to act. The army was
ordered to prepare with the utmost haste, and was
driven so fiercely that all was in confusion, the roads
everywhere being blocked up with hurrying troops
and great convoys of provisions, all converging
rapidly on the line of march. Not waiting their
arrival, he put himself at the head of the first legions
gathered, and set out on the march with such furi-
ous speed that the legionaries were utterly exhausted
with fatigue. Then, suddenly changing his mood,
he affected the slow progress and military pomp of
an Oriental king.

On reaching the borders of Germany the emperor
found no foes and showed no fancy for fighting.
Concealing some boys in a wood, he got up a mock
battle with them, and at its end congratulated the
troops on their valor and felicitated himself on his
success. Next, the British island being still under

AN IMPERIAL MONSTER. 241

process of conquest, he marched his army, two hun-
dred thousand strong, to the sea-shore of Gaul, and
drew them up in line of battle. The legionaries
stolidly obeyed, wondering in their stern souls what
new madness the emperor had in mind.

They were soon to know. He bade them to fill
their helmets with sea-shells, "the spoils of the ocean
due to the Capitol and the palace." Then he dis-
tributed large sums of money among the troops,
giving a reward for valor to each, and bidding them
" henceforth to be happy and rich."

This was all well for the army, but the people of
Rome must be impressed with the glory and victori-
ous success of their emperor. Such a career was
worthy a triumph ; and to the German hostages and
criminals, destined to figure in the procession to the
Capitol, he added a number of tall and martial
Gauls, chosen without regard to rank or condition,
whom he ordered to learn German, that they might
pass for German captives.

And now, his military expedition having ended
without shedding the blood of a foe, Caligula's in-
sane thirst for blood arose, and he determined to
glut it out of the ranks of his own army. There
were in it some regiments which had mutinied
against his father on the death of Augustus. He
ordered these to be slaughtered for their crime.
Some of his higher officers representing to him the
danger of such a proceeding, he changed his mind,
and gave orders that these legions should be deci-
mated. But the whole army showed such symp-
toms of discontent with this cruel order that Calig-
II.— L q 21

242 HISTORICAL TALES.

ula was seized with consternation, and fled in a
panic to Kome.

On reaching the city the senate proved bold
enough to vote him an ovation instead of the
triumph on which he had set his mind. Incensed at
this, he met the advances of the patricians with
stinging insults, and perhaps determined in his mind
to be deeply revenged for this premeditated slight.

Whatever he had in view, he did not live much
longer to afflict mankind. Four months more brought
him to the end of his flagitious career. There was a
brave soldier of the palace guard, Cassius Chserea
by name, who happened to have a weak voice, and
whom Caligula frequently insulted in public for this
fault of nature. These insults in time grew heavier
and viler than the veteran could bear, and he or-
ganized a conspiracy with a few others against the
emperor's life. Meeting him without guards, the
conspirators assailed him with their daggers and
put an end to his base life.

Thus died, after twenty-nine years of life and four
years of power, one of the vilest, cruellest, and mad-
dest of the imperial demons who so long made Eome
a slaughter-house and an abomination among the
nations.

THE MURDER OF AN EMPRESS.

NERO was lord of Eome. Chance had placed a
weak and immoral boy in unlimited control of the
greatest of nations. Utterly destitute of principle,
he gradually descended into the deepest vice and
profligacy, which was soon succeeded by the basest
cruelty and treachery. And one of the first victims
of his treachery was bis own mother, who had mur-
dered her husband, the Emperor Claudius, to place
him on the throne, and had now committed the
deeper fault of attempting to control her worthless
and faithless son.

She had threatened to replace him on the throne
with his half-brother Britannicus, and Nero had es-
caped this difficulty by poisoning Britannicus. She
then opposed his vicious passions, and made a bitter
foe of his mistress Poppsea, who by every artifice in-
censed the weak-minded emperor against his mother,
representing her as the only obstacle to his full en-
joyment of power and pleasure.

At length the detestable son was wrought up to
the resolution of murdering her to whom he owed
his life. But how ? He was too cowardly and irreso-
lute to take open means. Should he remove her by
poison or the poignard? The first was doubtful.

243

244 HISTORICAL TALES.

Agrippina was too practised in guilt, too accustomed
to vile deeds, to be easily deceived, and had, more-
over, by taking poisons, hardened her frame against
their effect. Nor could she be killed by the knife
and the murder concealed. The murder-seeking
wretch, who had no plan, and no stronger person
than himself in whom he could confide, was at a
loss how to carry out his wicked purpose.

At this juncture his tutor Anicetus came to his
aid. This villain, who bitterly hated Agrippina, was
now in command of the fleet that lay at Misenum.
He proposed to Nero to have a vessel built in such a
manner that it might give way in the open sea, and
plunge to the bottom with all not prepared to escape.
If Agrippina could be lured on board such a vessel,
her drowning would seem one of the natural disas-
ters of the open sea.

This suggestion filled with joy the mind of the
unnatural son. The court was then at Baise, cele-
brating the festival called the Quinquatria. Agrip-
pina was invited to attend, and Nero, pretending a
desire for reconciliation, went to the sea-shore to
meet her on her arrival, embraced her tenderly, and
conducted her to a villa in a pleasant situation,
looking out on a charming bay of the Mediter-
ranean.

On the waters of the bay floated a number of ves-
sels, among which was one superbly decorated, being
prepared, as she was told, in her honor as the em-
peror's mother. This was intended to convey her to
Baise, where a banquef was to be given to her that
evening.

THE MURDER OF AN EMPRESS. 245

Agrippina was fond of sailing. She had fre-
quently joined coasting parties and made pleasure
trips of her own. But for some reason, perhaps
through suspicion of Nero's dark project, she now
took a carriage in preference, and arrived safely at
Baise, much to the discomfiture of her worthless son.

Nero, however, was cunning enough to conceal his
disappointment. He gave her the most gracious re-
ception, placed her at table above himself, and by
his affectionate attentions and his easy flow of talk
succeeded in dispelling any suspicions his mother
may have entertained.

The banquet was continued till a late hour, and
when Agrippina rose to go Nero attended her to the
shore, where lay the sumptuously decorated vessel
ready to convey her back to her villa. Here he
lavished upon her marks of fond affection, clasped
her warmly to his bosom, and bade her adieu in
words of tender regret, disguising his fell purpose
under the utmost show of tenderness.

Agrippina went on board, attended by only two
of her train, one of whom, a maid named Acerronia,
lay at the foot of her mistress's couch, and gladly
expressed her joy at the loving reconciliation which
she had just perceived.

The night was calm and serene. The stars shone
with their brightest lustre. The sea extended with
an unruffled surface. The vessel moved swiftly, at
no great distance from the shore, under the regular
sweep of the rowers' oars. Yet little way had been
made when there came a disastrous change. A
signal was given, and suddenly the deck over Agrip-
21*

246 HISTORICAL TALES.

piua's cabin sank in, borne down by a great weight
of lead.

One of the attendants of the empress was crushed
to death, but the posts of Agrippina's couch proved
strong enough to bear the weight, and she and
Acerronia escaped and made their way hastily to
the deck. Here confusion and consternation reigned.
The plot had failed. The vessel had not fallen to
pieces at once, as intended. Those who were not in
the plot rushed wildly to and fro, hampering, by
their distracted movements, the operations of the
guilty. These sought to sink the vessel at once, but
in spite of their efforts the ship sank but slowly,
giving the intended victims an opportunity to escape.

Acerronia, with instinctive devotion to her mis-
tress, or a desire to save her own life, cried out that
she was Agrippina, and pathetically implored the
mariners to save her life. She won death instead.
The assassins attacked her with oars and other
weapons, and beat her down to the sinking deck.
Agrippina, on the contrary, kept silent, and, with
the exception of a wound on her shoulder, remained
unhurt. Dashing into the dark waters of the bay,
she swam towards the shore, and managed to keep
herself afloat till taken up by a boat, in which some
persons who had witnessed the accident from the
shore had hastily put out. Telling her rescuers who
she was, they conveyed her up the bay to her villa.

Agrippina had been concerned in too many crimes
of her own devising to be deceived. The treach-
ery of her son was too evident. Without touching
a rock, and in complete calm, the vessel had suddenly

THE MURDER OF AN EMPRESS. 247

broken down, as if constructed for the purpose. Her
own wound and the murder of her maid were fur-
ther proofs of a preconcerted plot. Yet she was too
shrewd to make her suspicions public. The plot had
failed, and she was still alive. She at once de-
spatched a messenger to her son, saying that by the
favor of the gods and his good auspices she had
escaped shipwreck, and that she thus hastened to
quiet his affectionate fears. She then retired to her
couch.

Meanwhile Nero waited impatiently for the news
of his mother's death. When word was at length
brought him that she had escaped, his craven soul
was filled with terror. If this should get abroad ;
if she should call on her slaves, on the army, on the
senate; if the people should learn of the plot of
murder, and rise in riot ; if any of a dozen contin-
gencies should happen, all might be lost.

The terrified emperor was in a frightful quandary.
He sent in all haste for his advisers, but none of
them cared to offer any suggestions. At length the
villanous Anicetus came to his aid. While they
talked the messenger of Agrippina had arrived, and
was admitted to give his message to the prince. As
he was speaking Anicetus foxily let fall a dagger
between his legs. He instantly seized him, snatched
up the dagger and showed it to the company, and
declared that the wretch had been sent by Agrip-
pina to assassinate her son. The guards were called
in, the man was ordered to be dragged away and
put in fetters, and the story of the discovered plot
of Agrippina was made public.

248 HISTORICAL TALES.

" Death to the murderess !" cried Anicetus. " Let
me hasten at once to her punishment."

Nero gladly assented, and Anicetus hurried from
the room, empowered to carry out his murderous
intent.

Meanwhile the news of the peril and escape of
the empress had spread far and wide. A dreadful
accident had occurred, it was said. The people
rushed in numbers to the shore, crowded the piers,
filled the boats, and gave voice to a medley of cries
of alarm. The uproar was at length allayed by
some men with lighted torches, who assured the
excited multitude that Agrippina had escaped and
was now safe in her villa.

While they were speaking a body of soldiers, led
by Anicetus, arrived, and with threats of violence
dispersed the peasant throng. Then, planting a
guard round the mansion, Anicetus burst open its
doors, seized the slaves who appeared, and forced his
way to the apartment of the empress.

Here Agrippina waited in fear and agitation the
return of her messenger. Why came he not ? Was
new murder in contemplation? She heard the
tumult and confusion on the shore, and learned
from her attendants what it meant. But the noise
was suddenly hushed; a dismal silence prevailed;
then came new noises, then loud tones of command,
and violent blows on the outer doors. In dread of
what was coming, the unhappy woman waited still,
till loud steps sounded in the passage, the attendants
at her door were thrust aside, and armed men entered
her chamber.

THE MURDER OF AN EMPRESS. 249

The room was in deep shadow, only the pale
glimmer of a feeble light breaking the gloom. A
single maid remained with the empress, and she, too,
hastened to the door on hearing the tramp of war-
like feet.

" Do you, too, desert me ?" cried Agrippina, in deep
reproach.

At that moment Anicetus entered the room, fol-
lowed by two other ruffians. They approached her
bed. She rose to receive them.

"If you come from the prince," she said, "tell him
I am well. If your intents are murderous, you are
not sent by my son. The guilt of parricide is foreign
to his heart."

Her words were checked by a blow on the head
with a club. A sword-thrust followed, and she ex-
pired under a number of mortal wounds. Thus died
the niece, the wife, and the mother of an emperor,
the daughter of the celebrated soldier Germanicus,
herself so stained with vice that none can pity her
fate, particularly as she had committed the further
unconscious crime of giving birth to the monster
"aamed Nero.

BOADICEA, THE HEROINE OF
BRITAIN.

PRASUTAGUS, the king of the Icenians, a tribe of
the ancient Britons, had amassed much wealth in the
course of a long reign. On his death, in order to
secure the favor of the Romans, now masters of the
island, he left half his wealth by will to the emperor
and half to his two daughters. This well-judged
action of the barbarian king did not have the in-
tended effect. No sooner was he dead than the
Romans in the vicinity claimed the whole estate as
theirs, ruthlessly pillaged his house, and seized all
his effects.

This base brigandage roused Boadicea, the widowed
queen, to a vigorous protest, but with the sole result
of bringing a worse calamity upon her head. She
was seized and cruelly scourged by the ruthless
Romans, her two daughters were vilely maltreated,
and the noblest of the Icenians were robbed of their
possessions by the plunderers, who went so far as to
reduce to slavery the near relatives of the deceased
king.

Roused to madness by this inhuman treatment,

the Icenians broke into open revolt. They were

joined by a neighboring -state, while the surrounding

Britons, not yet inured to bondage, secretly resolved

250

BOADICEA, THE HEROINE OF BRITAIN. 251

to join the cause of liberty. There had lately been
planted a colony of Koman veterans at Camalodunum
(Colchester), who had treated the Britons cruelly,
driven them from their houses, and insulted them
with the names of slaves and captives ; while the
common soldiers, a licentious and greedy crew, still
further degraded and robbed the owners of the land.

The invaders went too far for British endurance,
and brought a terrible retribution upon themselves.
Paulinus Suetonius, an able officer, who then com-
manded in Britain, was absent on an expedition to
conquer the island of Mona. Of this expedition the
historian Tacitus gives a vivid account. As the
boats of the Romans approached the island they
beheld on the shore the Britons prepared to receive
them, while through their ranks rushed their women
in funereal attire, their hair flying loose in the wind,
flaming torches in their hands, and their whole ap-
pearance recalling the frantic rage of the fabled
Furies. Near by, ranged in order, stood the vener-
able Druids, or Celtic priests, with uplifted hands, at
once invoking the gods and pouring forth impreca-
tions upon the foe.

The novelty and impressiveness of this spectacle
filled the Romans with awe and wonder. They stood
in stupid amazement, riveted to the spot, and a mark
for the foe had they been then attacked. From this
brief paralysis the voice of their general recalled
them, and, ashamed of being held in awe by a troop
of women and a band of fanatic priests, they rushed
to the assault, cut down all before them, and set fire
to the edifices and the sacred groves of the island

252 HISTORICAL TALES.

with the torches which the Britons themselves had
kindled.

But Suetonius had chosen a perilous time for this
enterprise. During his absence the wrongs of the
Icenians and the exhortations of Boadicea had roused
a formidable revolt, and the undefended colonies of
the Romans were in danger.

In addition to the actual peril the Romans were
frightened with dire omens. The statue of victory
at Camalodunum fell without any visible cause, and
lay prostrate on the ground. Clamors in a foreign
accent were heard in the Roman council chamber,
the theatres were filled with the sound of savage
bowlings, the sea ran purple as with blood, the fig-
ures of human bodies were traced on the sands, and
the image of a colony in ruins was reflected from the
waters of the Thames.

These omens threw the Romans into despair and
filled the minds of the Britons with joy. No effort
was made by the soldiers for defence, no ditch was
dug, no palisade erected, and the assault of the
Britons found the colonists utterly unprepared.
Taken by surprise, the Romans were overpowered,
and the colony was laid waste with fire and sword.
The fortified temple alone held out, but after a two
days' siege it also was taken, and the legion which
marched to its relief was cut to pieces.

Boadicea was now the leading spirit among the
Britons. Her wrongs had stirred them to revolt,
and her warlike energy led them to victory and
revenge. But she was soon to have a master-spirit
to meet. Suetonius, recalled from the island of Mona

BOADICEA, THE HEROINE OF BRITAIN. 253

by tidings of rebellion and disaster, marched hastily
as far as London, which was even then the chief
residence of the merchants and the centre of trade
and commerce of the island.

His army was small, not more than ten thousand
men in all. That of the Britons was large. The
interests of the empire were greater than those of
any city, and Suetonius found himself obliged to
abandon London to the barbarians, despite the sup-
plications of its imperilled citizens. All he would
agree to was to take under his protection those who
chose to follow his banner. Many followed him, but
many remained, and no sooner had he marched out
than the Britons fell in rage on the settlement, and
killed all they found. In like manner they ravaged
Verulamium (St. Albans). Seventy thousand Eomans
are said to have been put to the sword.

Meanwhile Suetonius marched through the land,
and at length the two armies met. The skilled
Roman general drew up his force in a place where a
thick forest sheltered the rear and flanks, leaving
only a narrow front open to attack. Here the
Britons, twenty times his number, and confident of
victory, approached. The warlike Boadicea, tall,
stern of countenance, her hair hanging to her waist,
a spear in her hand, drove along their front in a war-
like car, with her two daughters by her side, and
eloquently sought to rouse her countrymen to thirst
for revenge.

Telling them of the base cruelty with which she
and her daughters had been treated, and painting in
vivid words the arrogance and insults of the Romans,

254 HISTORICAL TALES.

she besought them to fight for their country and
their homes. " On this spot we must either conquer
or die with glory," she said. " There is no alterna-
tive. Though I am a woman, my resolution is fixed.
The men, if they prefer, may survive with infamy
and live in bondage. For me there is only victory
or death."

Stirred to fury by her words, the British host
poured like a deluge on their foes. But the Eoman
arms and discipline proved far too much for bar-
barian courage and ferocity. The British were re-
pulsed, and, rushing forward in a wedge shape, the
legions cut their way with frightful carnage through
the disordered ranks. The cavalry seconded their
efforts. Thousands fell. The rest took to flight.
But the wagons of the British, which had been
massed in the rear, impeded their flight, and a dread-
ful slaughter, in which neither sex nor age was
spared, ensued. Tacitus tells us that eighty thou-
sand Britons fell, while the Eoman slain numbered
no more than four hundred men.

Boadicea, who had done her utmost to rally her
flying hosts, kept to her resolution. When all was
lost, she took poison, and perished upon the field
where she had vowed to seek victory or death.
With her decease the success of the Britons vanished.
Though they still kept the field, they gradually
yielded to the Eoman arms, and Britain became in
time a quiet and peaceful part of the great empire
of Eome.

ROME SWEPT BY FLAMES.

NERO, the cruel coward under whom Rome for its
gins was made to suffer, could scarcely devise follies
and atrocities enough to please his profligate fancy.
He offended the pride and sense of decorum of Rome
by forcing senators and women of the highest rank
to appear as gladiators in the arena. He exposed
himself to ridicule by appearing as an actor in the
theatre at Naples, which theatre, as soon as the
audience dispersed, tumbled to pieces, — a little late
so far as Nero himself was concerned. Returning
to Rome, he indulged in every species of vice and
folly, lavishing the wealth of the state with the ut-
most prodigality. On the lake of Agrippa he had a
pavilion erected on a great floating platform, which
was moved from point to point by the aid of boats
superbly decorated with gold and ivory, while to
furnish the banquet here given, animals of the chase
were sought in the whole country round, and fish
were brought from every sea and even from the
distant ocean. When night descended a sudden illu-
mination burst forth from all sides, and music re-
sounded from every grove. These are the mention-
able parts of the festival. Vile scenes were exhibited
of which nothing can be said.

255

256 HISTORICAL TALES.

Finally, at a loss in what deeper excess of vice and
ostentation to indulge, the crowned reprobate set fire
to Rome that he might enjoy the spectacle of an un-
limited conflagration. This wickedness, it is true, is
doubted by some historians, but we are told that
during the prevalence of the flames a crew of incen-
diaries threatened anyone with death who should seek
to extinguish them, and flung flaming torches into the
dwellings, crying that they acted under orders.

In all the history of Eome this fire was far the
most violent and destructive. Breaking out in a
number of shops stored with combustible goods,
and driven by the winds, it raged with the utmost
fury, neither the thick walls of the houses nor the
enclosures of the temples sufficing to stay its fright-
ful progress. The form of the streets, long, narrow,
and winding, added to the mischief, and the flames
swiftly sped alike through the humblest and the
stateliest quarters of the mighty capital.

" The shrieks and lamentations of women, the in-
firmities of age, and the weakness of the young and
tender," says Tacitus, " added misery to the dreadful
scene. Some endeavored to provide for themselves,
others to save their friends, in one part dragging
along the lame and impotent, in another waiting to
receive the tardy, or expecting relief themselves;
they hurried, they lingered, they obstructed one
another ; they looked behind, and the fire broke out
in front ; they escaped from the flames, and in their
place of refuge found no safety ; the fire raged in
every quarter; all were involved in one general
conflagration.

ROME SWEPT BY FLAMES. 257

"The unhappy wretches fled to places remote,
and thought themselves secure, but soon perceived
the flames raging round them. Which way to turn,
what to avoid, or what to seek, no one could tell.
They crowded the streets ; they fell prostrate on the
ground ; they lay stretched in the fields, in conster-
nation and dismay resigned to their fate. Numbers
lost their whole substance, even the tools and imple-
ments by which they gained their livelihood, and, in
that distress, did not wish to survive. Others, wild
with affliction for their friends and relations whom
they could not save, embraced voluntary death, and
perished in the flames."

The story goes that, while the city was in its in-
tensest blaze, Nero watched it with high enjoyment
from a tower in the house of Maecenas, and finally
went to his own theatre, where in his scenic dress he
mounted the stage, tuned his harp, and sang the
destruction of Troy.

How far Nero was guilty and to what extent the
stories told of him were true will never be known,
but he was destined to feel the calamity himself, for
in time the devouring flames reached the imperial
palace, and laid it with all its treasures and surround-
ing buildings in ruins. For six days the fire raged
uncontrolled, and then, when it seemed subdued, a
new conflagration broke out and burned with all the
old fury, spreading still more widely the area of ruin
and devastation.

The number of buildings destroyed cannot be
ascertained. Not only dwellings and shops, but
temples, porticos, and other public buildings, were
ii.— r 22*

258 HISTORICAL TALES.

destroyed, among them the most venerable monu-
ments of antiquity, which the worship of ages had
rendered sacred ; and with these the trophies of
uncounted victories, the inimitable works of the
great artists of Greece, and precious monuments of
literature and ancient genius, were irrecoverably
lost.

Whether or not this fire took place through Nero's
orders, and was played to by him on the harp, he
showed more feeling for the people and more good
sense in the rebuilding of the city than could have
been expected from one of his weak and vicious
character. By his orders the Field of Mars, the
magnificent buildings erected by Agrippa, and even
the imperial gardens were thrown open to the house-
less people, and sheds for their shelter were erected
with all possible haste. Household utensils and
all kinds of useful implements were brought from
Ostia and other neighboring cities, and the price of
grain was reduced. But all this failed to gain the
good-will of the people, who were exasperated by
the story that Nero had exulted in the grandeur of
the flames, and harped over burning Eome.

When the fire was at length subdued, of the four-
teen quarters of Eome only four were left entire ;
the remainder presented more or less utter ruin.
The conflagration in the time of the Gauls had been
little more complete, while the wealth now consumed
was incomparably greater. The whole world had
been robbed of its treasures to feed the flames of
Rome. But the haste and ill-judged confusion with
which the city was rebuilt after the irruption of the

ROME SWEPT BY FLAMES. 259

Gauls was not now repeated. A regular plan was
formed ; the new streets were made wide and
straight ; the elevation of the houses was defined, and
each was given an open area before the door, and
was adorned with porticos. The expense of these
porticos Nero took upon himself. He ordered also
that the new houses should not be contiguous, but
that each should be surrounded by its own enclosure ;
and, in order to huriy the work, he offered rewards
to those who should finish their buildings in a fixed
period. As for the refuse of the fire, it was removed
at Nero's expense to the marshes of Ostia in the
ships that brought corn up the Tiber.

These regulations, while they must have made
much confusion among the rival claimants of build-
ing sites, added greatly to the beauty and comfort
of the new city, and the Rome which rose from the
ruins was far more stately and handsome than the
Eome which had vanished in ashes and smoke. But
Nero, while showing some passing feeling for the
people and some wisdom in the rebuilding of the
city, did not hesitate to use a generous portion of
the devastated space for his own advantage. His
palace had been destroyed, and he built a new and
most magnificent one on the Palatine Hill, the famous
"golden house," which after-ages beheld with un-
stinted admiration.

But he did not confine his ostentation to the palace
itself. A great space around it was converted into
pleasure-grounds for his amusement, in which, as
Tacitus says, "expansive lakes and fields of vast
extent were intermixed with pleasing variety ; woods

260 HISTORICAL TALES.

and forests stretched to an immeasurable length, pre-
senting gloom and solitude amid scenes of open space,
where the eye wandered with surprise over an un-
bounded prospect."

But nothing that Nero could do sufficed to remove
from men's minds the belief that on him rested the
infamy of the fire. This public sentiment troubled
and frightened him, and to remove it he sought to
lay the burden of guilt on others. It was now the
year 64 A.D., and for at least thirty years the new
sect of the Christians had been spreading in Rome,
where it had gained many adherents among the
humbler and more moral section of the population.
The Christians were far from popular. They were
accused of secret and evil practices and debasing
superstitions, and on this despised sect Nero deter-
mined to turn the fury of the populace.

With his usual artifice he induced a number of
abandoned wretches to confess themselves guilty,
and on their purchased evidence numbers of the
Christians were seized and convicted, mainly on the
plea of their sullen hatred of the whole human race.
A frightful persecution followed, Nero perhaps
hoping, by an exhibition of human suffering, so dear
to the rabble of Rome, to turn the thoughts of the
people from their own-losses.

The captives were put to death with every cruelty
the emperor could devise, and to their sufferings he
added mockery and derision. Many were nailed to
the cross; others were covered with the skins of
wild beasts, and left to be devoured by dogs ; num-
bers were burned alive, many of these, covered with

ROME SWEPT BY FLAMES. 261

inflammable matter, being set on fire to serve as
torches during the night.

That the public might see this tragic spectacle
with the more satisfaction, it was given in the im-
perial gardens. The sports of the circus were added
to the tortures of the victims, Nero himself driving
his chariot in the races, or mingling with the rabble
in his coachman's dress. These cruel proceedings
continued until even the hardened Eoman heart
became softened with compassion, spectators failed
to come, and Nero felt obliged to yield to a general
demand that the persecutions should cease.

While all this went on at Eome, the people of the
whole empire suffered with those of the capital city.
Italy was ravaged and the provinces plundered to
supply the demand for the rebuilding of the city and
palace and the unbounded prodigality of the emperor.
The very gods were taxed, their temples being
robbed of golden treasures which had been gather-
ing for ages through the gifts of pious devotees ;
while in Greece and Asia not alone the treasures of
the temples but the statues of the deities were seized.
Nero was preparing for himself a load of infamy
worthy of the most frightful retribution, and which
would not fail soon to reap its fitting reward.

THE DOOM OF NERO.

WE have perhaps paid too much attention to
the enormities of Caligula and Nero. Yet the mad
freakishness of the one and the cowardly dissimula-
tion of the other give to their stories a dramatic in-
terest which seems to render them worth repeating.
Nero, one of the basest and crudest of the Koman
emperors, is one of the best known to readers, and
the interest felt in him is not alone due to the story
of his life, but as well to that of his death, which we
therefore here give.

A conspiracy against him among some of the
noblest citizens of Rome was discovered and pun-
ished with revengeful fury. It was followed, a few
years afterwards, by a revolt of the armies in Gaul
and Spain. This was in its turn quelled, and Nero
triumphed in imagination over all his enemies. But
he had lost favor alike with the army and the people,
and an event now happened that threw the whole
city into a ferment of anger against him.

Food was scarce, and the arrival of a ship from
Alexandria, supposed to be loaded with corn, filled
the people with joy. It proved instead to be loaded
with sand for the arena'. In their disappointment
the people broke at first into scurrilous jests against
262

THE DOOM OP NERO. 263

Nero, and then into rage and fury. A wild clamor
filled the streets. On all sides rose the demand to
be delivered from a monster. Even the Praetorian
guards, who had hitherto supported the emperor,
began to show signs of disaffection, and were
wrought to a spirit of revolt by two of the choice
companions of Nero's iniquities, who now deserted
him as rats desert a sinking ship. The senate was
approached and told that Nero was no longer sup-
ported by his friends, and that they might now re-
gain the power of which they had been deprived.

Some whisper of what was afloat reached Nero's
ears. Filled with craven fury, he resolved to mas-
sacre the senate, to set fire again to the city, and
to let loose his whole collection of wild beasts. He
proposed to fly to Egypt during the consternation
that would prevail. A trusted servant, to whom he
told this design, revealed it to the senate. It filled
them with fear and rage. Yet even in so dire a con-
tingency they could not be prevailed upon to act
with vigor, and all might have been lost by their pro-
crastination and timidity but for the two men who
had organized the revolt.

These men, Nymphidius and Tigellinus by name,
went to the palace, and with a show of deep afflic-
tion informed Nero of his danger. "All is lost,"
they said : " the people call aloud for vengeance ;
the Praetorian guards have abandoned your cause;
the senate is ready to pronounce a dreadful judg-
ment. Only one hope remains to you, to fly for
your life, and seek a retreat in Egypt."

It was as they said ; revolt was everywhere in the

264 HISTORICAL TALES.

air, and affected the armies near and far. Nero
sought assistance, but sought it in vain. The palace,
lately swarming with life, was now deserted. Nero
wandered through its empty chambers, and found
only solitude and gloom. Conscience awoke in his
seared heart, and he was filled with horror and re-
morse. Of all his late crowd of courtiers only three
friends now remained with him, — Sporus, a servant ;
Phaon, a freedman ; and Epaphroditus, his secretary.

" ' My wife, my father, and my mother doom me
dead !' " he bitterly cried, quoting a line from a
Greek tragedy.

With a last hope he bade the soldiers on duty to
hasten to Ostia and prepare a ship, on which he
might embark for Egypt. The men refused.

" ' Is it, then, so wretched a thing to die ?' " said
one of them, quoting from Virgil.

This refusal threw Nero into despair. He hurried
to the Servilian gardens, with a vial of deadly poison,
which, on getting there, he had not the courage to
take. He returned to the palace and threw himself
on his bed. Then, too agitated to lie, he sprang up
and called for some friendly hand to end his wretched
life. No one consented, and in his wild despair he
called out, in doleful accents, " My friends desert me,
and I cannot find an enemy."

The world had suddenly fallen away from the des-
picable Nero. A week before he had ordered it at his
will, now " none so poor to do him reverence." His
craven terror would have been pitiable in any one to
whom the word pity could apply. In frantic dread
he rushed from the palace, as if with intent to fling

THE DOOM OP NERO. 265

himself into the Tiber. Then as hastily he returned,
saying that he would fly to Spain, and yield himself
to the mercy of Galba, who commanded the revolted
army. But no ship was to be had for either Spain
or Egypt, and this plan was abandoned as quickly as
formed.

These and other projects passed in succession
through his distracted brain. One of the most
absurd of them was to go in a mourning garb to the
Forum, and by his powers of eloquence seek to win
back the favor of the people. If they would not
have him as emperor, he might by persuasive oratory
obtain from them the government of Egypt.

Full of hope in this new project, he was about to
put it into effect, when a fresh reflection filled his
soul with horror. What if the populace should,
without waiting to hear his harmonious accents and
unequalled oratory, break out in sudden rage and
rend him limb from limb? Might they not assail
him in the palace ? Might not a seditious mob be
already on its way thither, bent on bloody work?
"Whither should he fly ? Where find refuge ?

Turning in despair to his companions, he asked
them, wildly, " Is there no hiding-place, no safe re-
treat, where I may have leisure to consider what is
to be done ?"

Phaon, his freedman, told him that he owned an
obscure villa, at a distance of about four miles from
Rome, where he might remain for a time in conceal-
ment.

This suggestion, in Nero's state of distraction, was
eagerly embraced, — in such haste, indeed, that he left
M 23

266 HISTORICAL TALES.

the palace without an instant's preparation, his feet
destitute of shoes, and no garment but his close
tunic, his outer garments and imperial robe having
been discarded in his distraction. The utmost he
did was to snatch up an old rusty robe as a disguise,
covering his head with it, and holding a handker-
chief before his face. Thus attired, he mounted his
horse and fled in frantic fear, attended only by the
three men we have mentioned, and a fourth named
Neophytus.

Meanwhile, the revolt in the city was growing
more and more decided. When the coming day
showed its first faint rays, the Praetorian guards,
who had been on duty in the palace, left their post
and marched to the camp. Here, under the influ-
ence of Nymphidius, Galba was nominated emperor.
This was an important innovation in the govern-
ment of Rome. Hitherto the imperial dignity had
remained in the family of Caesar, descending by
hereditary transmission. Nero was the last of that
family to wear the crown. Henceforth the army
and its generals controlled the destinies of the em-
pire. The nomination of Galba by the Praetorian
guard signalized the new state of things, in which
the emperors would largely be chosen by that guard
or by some army in the field.

The action of the Praetorian guard was supported
by the senate. That body, awaking from its late
timidity, determined to mark the day with a decree
worthy of its past history. With unanimous de-
cision they pronounced Nero a tyrant who had
trampled on all laws, human and divine, and con-

THE DOOM OF NERO. 267

demned him to suffer death with all the rigor of the
ancient laws.

"While this revolution was taking place in the city
the terror-stricken Nero was still in frantic flight.
He passed the Praetorian camp near enough to hear
loud acclamations, among which the name of Galba
reached his ear. As the small cavalcade hastened
by a man early at work in the fields, he looked up
and said, " These people must be hot in pursuit of
Nero." A short distance farther another hailed
them, asking, "What do they say of Nero in the
city?"

A more alarming event occurred soon. As they
drew near Phaon's house the horse of Nero started
at a dead carcass beside the road, shaking down the
handkerchief by which he had concealed his face.
The movement revealed him to a veteran soldier,
then on his way to Rome, and ignorant of what was
taking place in the city. He recognized and saluted
the emperor by name.

This incident increased Nero's fear. His route of
flight would now be known. He pressed his horse
to the utmost speed until Phaon's house was close at
hand. They now halted and Nero dismounted, it
being thought unsafe for him to enter the house
publicly. He crossed a field overgrown with reeds,
and, being tortured with thirst, scooped up some
water from a muddy ditch and drank it, saying,
dolefully, " Is this the beverage which Nero has been
used to drink ?"

Phaon advised him to conceal himself in a neigh-
boring sand-pit, from which could be opened for him

268 HISTORICAL TALES.

a subterraneous passage to the house, but Nero re-
fused, saying that he did not care to be buried alive.
His companions then made an opening in the wall
on one side of the house, through which Nero crept
on his hands and knees. Entering a wretched
chamber, he threw himself on a mean bed, which was
covered with a tattered coverlet, and asked for some
refreshment.

All they could offer him was a little coarse bread,
so black that the sight of it sickened his dainty
taste, and some warm and foul water, which thirst
forced him to drink. His friends meanwhile were
in little less desperation than himself. They saw
that no hope was left and that his place of conceal-
ment-would soon be known, and entreated him to
avoid a disgraceful death by taking his own life.

Nero promised to do so, but still sought reasons
for delay. His funeral must be prepared for, he
said, and bade them to dig a grave, to prepare wood
for a funeral pile, and bring marble to cover his
remains. Meanwhile he piteously bewailed his un-
happy lot; sighed and shed tears copiously; and
said, with a last impulse of vanity, " What a musi-
cian the world will lose !"

While he thus in cowardly procrastination delayed
the inevitable end, a messenger, whom Phaon had
ordered to bring news from Eome, arrived with
papers. These Nero eagerly seized and read. He
found himself dethroned, declared a public enemy,
and condemned to suffer death with the rigor of
ancient usage. Such was the decree of the senate,
which hitherto had been his subservient slave.

THE DOOM OF NERO. 269

"Ancient usage?" he asked. "What do they
mean ? What kind of death is that ?"

" It is this," they told him. " Every traitor, by
the law of the old republic, with his head fastened
between two stakes, and his body stripped naked,
was slowly flogged to death by the lictors' rods."

Dread of this terrible and ignominious punish-
ment roused the trembling wretch to some sem-
blance of courage. He produced two daggers, which
he had brought with him, and tried their points.
Then he replaced them in their scabbards, saying,
" The fatal moment is not yet come."

Turning to Sporus, he said, "Sing the melancholy
dirge, and offer the last obsequies to your friend."
Then, rolling his eyes wildly around, he exclaimed,
" Why will not some one of you kill himself, and
teach me how to die ?"

He paused a moment. No one seemed inclined to
adopt his suggestion. A flood of tears burst from
his eyes. Starting up, he cried, in a tone of wild
despair, "Nero, this is infamy; you linger in dis-
grace; this is no time for dejected passions; this
moment calls for manly fortitude."

These words were hardly spoken when the sound
of horses was heard advancing rapidly towards the
house. Theatrical to the end, he repeated a line
from Homer which the noise of hoofs recalled to his
mind. At length, driven to desperation, he seized
his dagger and stabbed himself in the throat, — but
cowardice made the stroke too feeble. Epaphroditus
now lent his aid, and the next thrust was a mortal
one.

23*

270 HISTORICAL TALES.

It was time. The horses were those of pursuers.
The senate, informed of his probable place of refuge,
had sent soldiers in haste to bring him back to Eome.
there to suffer the punishment decreed. In a minute
afterwards a centurion entered the room, and, seeing
Nero prostrate and bleeding, ran to his aid, saying
that he would bind the wound and save his life.

Nero looked up languidly, and said, in faint tones,
" You come too late. Is this your fidelity ?" In a
moment more he expired.

In the words of Tacitus, "The ferocity of his
nature was still visible in his countenance. His eyes
fixed and glaring, and every feature swelled with
warring passions, he looked more stern, more grim,
more terrible than ever."

Nero was in his thirty-second year. He had
reigned nearly fourteen years. Tacitus says of
him, " The race of Csesars ended with Nero ; he was
the last, and perhaps the worst, of that illustrious
house."

The tidings of his death filled Rome with joy.
Men ran wildly about the streets, their heads cov-
ered with liberty caps. Acclamations of gladness
resounded in the Forum. Icelus, Galba's freedman
and agent in Eome, whom Nero had thrown into
prison, was released and took control of affairs. He
ordered that Nero's body should be burned where he
had died, and this was done so quickly and secretly
that many would not believe that he was dead. The
report got abroad that he had escaped to Asia or
Egypt, and from time to time impostors appeared
claiming to be Nero. The Parthians were deluded

THE DOOM OF NERO. 271

by one of these impostors and offered to defend his
cause. Another made trouble in the Greek islands.
Nero's profligate companions in Eome, who alone
mourned his death, while affecting to believe him
still alive raised a tomb to his memory, which for
several years they annually dressed with the flowers
of spring and summer. But the world at large
rejoiced in its delivery from the rule of a monster
of iniquity.

THE SPORTS OF THE AM PHI.
THEATRE.

IN no other nation upon the earth and no other
period of history has enjoyment taken so cruel and
brutal a shape as in the Roman empire. The fierce
people of the imperial city seemed to have a native
thirst for blood and misery, which no amount of
slaughter in the arena, of the sufferings of captives
and slaves, or of the torments of persecuted Chris-
tians sufficed to assuage. The love of theatrical
representations, which has proved so potent and un-
ceasing with other nations, had but a brief period
of prevalence in Rome, its milder enjoyment vanish-
ing before the wild excitement of the gladiatorial
struggle and the spectacle of rending beasts and
slaughtered martyrs.

It was not in the theatre, but in the amphitheatre,
that the Romans sought their chief enjoyment, and
few who wished the favor of the Roman people
failed to seek it by the easy though costly means of
gladiatorial shows. The amphitheatre differed from
the theatre in forming a complete circle or oval in-
stead of a semicircle, with an arena in the centre
instead of a stage at the side. It also greatly sur-
passed the theatre in BiZe, the purpose being to see,
not to hear.
272

THE SPORTS OP THE AMPHITHEATRE. 273

These buildings were at first temporary edifices
of wood, but of enormous size, since one which col-
lapsed at Fidense, during the reign of Tiberius, is
said to have caused the death of fifty thousand
spectators. The first of stone was built by the com-
mand of Augustus. But the great amphitheatre of
Eome, the Flavian, whose mighty ruins we possess
in the Colosseum, was that begun by Yespasian, and
finished by Titus ten years after the destruction of
Jerusalem.

This vast building is elliptical in shape and covers
about five acres of ground, being six hundred and
twelve feet in its greatest length and five hundred
and fifteen in greatest breadth. It is based on rows
of arches, eighty in number, and rises in four differ-
ent orders of architecture to a height of about one
hundred and sixty feet. The outside of this great
edifice was encrusted with marble and decorated with
statues. Interiorly its vast slopes presented sixty
or eighty rows of marble seats, covered with cushions,
and capable of seating more than eighty thousand
spectators. There were sixty-four doors of en-
trance and exit, and the entrances, passages, and
stairs were so skilfully constructed that every person
could with ease and safety reach and leave his place.

Nothing was omitted that could add to the pleas-
ure and convenience of the spectators. An ample
canopy, drawn over their heads, protected them
from the sun and the rain. Fountains refreshed
the air with cooling moisture, and aromatics pro-
fusely perfumed the air. In the centre was the
arena or stage, strewn with fine sand, and capable
ii. — *

274 HISTORICAL TALES.

of being changed to suit varied spectacles. Now it
appeared to rise out of the earth, like the gardens
of the Hesperides ; now it was made to represent
the rocks and caverns of Thrace. Water was abun-
dantly supplied by concealed pipes, and the sand-
strewn plain might at will be converted into a wide
lake, sustaining armed vessels, and displaying the
swimming monsters of the deep.

In these spectacles the Koman emperors loved
to display their wealth. On various occasions the
whole furniture of the amphitheatre was of amber,
silver, or gold, and in one display the nets provided
for defence against wild beasts were of gold wire,
the porticos were gilded, and the belt or circle that
divided the several ranks of spectators was studded
with a precious mosaic of beautiful stones. In the
dedication of this mighty edifice five thousand wild
beasts were slain in the arena, the games lasting one
hundred days.

The first show of gladiators in Rome was one
given by Marcus and Decius Brutus, on the occa-
sion of thr death of their father, 264 B.C. Three
pairs of gladiators fought in this first contest. This
gladiatorial spectacle was continued on funeral occa-
sions, but afterwards lost its religious character an.d
became a popular amusement, there being schools
for the training of gladiators, whose pupils were re-
cruited from the captives of Eome, from condemned
criminals, and from vigorous men desirous of fame.

As time went on the magnificence of these spec-
tacles increased. Julius Caesar gave one in which
three hundred and twenty combatants fought. Tra-

THE SPORTS OF THE AMPHITHEATRE. 275

jan far surpassed this with a show that lasted for
one hundred and twenty -three days, and in which
ten thousand men fought with each other or with
wild beasts for the pleasure of the Roman populace.

The gladiators were variously armed, some with
sword, shield, and body armor; some with net and
trident; some with noose or lasso. The disarmed
or overthrown gladiator was killed or spared in re-
sponse to signals made by the thumbs of the spec-
tators ; while the successful combatant was rewarded
at first with a palm branch, afterwards with money
and rich and valuable presents.

The gladiators were not always passive instru-
ments of Eoman cruelty. We have elsewhere de-
scribed the revolt of Spartacus and his brave
struggle for liberty. Other outbreaks took place.
During the reign of Probus a revolt of about eighty
gladiators out of a school of some six hundred filled
Rome with death and alarm. Killing their keepers,
they broke into the streets, which they set afloat
with blood, and only after an obstinate resistance
and ample revenge were they at length overpowered
and cut to pieces by the soldiers of the city. But
such outbreaks were but few, and the Roman mul-
titude usually enjoyed its cruel sports in safety.

We cannot here describe the many remarkable
displays made by successive emperors, and which
grew more lavish as time went on. Probus, about
280 A.D., gave a show in which the arena was trans-
formed into a forest, large trees, dug up by the roots,
being transported and planted throughout its space.
In this miniature forest were set free a thousand

276 HISTORICAL TALES.

ostriches, and an equal number each of stags, fallow
deer, and wild boars. These were given to the mul-
titude to assail and slay at their will. On the fol-
lowing day, the populace being now safely screened
from danger, there were slain in the arena a hundred
lions, as many lionesses, two hundred leopards, and
three hundred bears.

The younger Gordian, in his triumphal games,
astonished the Romans by the strangeness of the
animals displayed, in search of which the whole
known world was ransacked. The curious mob now
beheld the graceful forms of twenty zebras, and the
remarkable stature of ten giraffes, brought from re-
mote African plains. There were shown, in addition,
ten elks, as many tigers from India, and thirty
African hyenas. To these were added a troop of
thirty-two elephants, and the uncouth forms of the
hippopotamus of the Nile and the rhinoceros of the
African wilds. These animals, familiar to us, were
new to their observers, and filled the minds of their
spectators with wonder and awe.

Gladiators, as we have said, were not confined
to slaves, captives, and criminals. Roman citizens,
emulous of the fame and rewards of the successful
combatant, entered their ranks, and men of birth
and fortune, thirsting for the excitement of the
arenal strife, were often seen in the lists. In the
reign of Nero, senators, and even women of high
birth, appeared as combatants; and Domitian ar-
ranged a battle between dwarfs and women. As
late as 200 A.D. an edict forbidding women to fight
became necessary.

THE SPORTS OP THE AMPHITHEATRE. 277

The emperors, as a rule, were content with send-
ing their subjects to death in those frightful shows j
but one of them, Commodus, proud of his strength
and skill, himself entered the lists as a combatant.
He was at first content with displaying his remark-
able skill as an archer against wild animals. With
arrows whose head was shaped like a crescent, he
cut asunder the long neck of the ostrich, and with
the strength of his bow pierced alike the thick skin
of the elephant and the scaly hide of the rhinoceros.
A panther was let loose and a slave forced to act as
its prey. But at the instant when the beast leaped
upon the man the shaft of Commodus flew, and the
animal fell dead, leaving its prey unhurt. No less
than a hundred lions were let loose at once in the
arena, and the death-dealing darts of the emperor
hurtled among them until they all were slain.

During this exhibition of skill the emperor was
securely protected against any chance danger from
his victims. But later, to the shame and indigna-
tion of the people, he entered the arena as a gladi-
ator, and fought there no less than seven hundred
and thirty-five times. He was well protected, wear-
ing the helmet, shield, and sword of the Secutor,
while his antagonists were armed with the net and
trident of the Retiarius. It was the aim of the
latter to entangle his opponent in the net and then
despatch him with the trident, and if he missed he
was forced to fly till he had prepared his net for a
second throw.

As may be imagined, in these contests Commo-
dus was uniformly successful. His opponents were
24

278 HISTORICAL TALES.

schooled not to put forth their full skill, and were
usually given their lives in reward. But the em-
peror claimed the prize of the successful gladiator,
and himself fixed this reward at so high a price that
to pay it became a new tax on the Roman people.
Commodus, we may say here, met with the usual
fate of the base and cruel emperors of Borne, falling
by the hands of assassins.

The gladiatorial shows were not without their
opponents in Rome. Under the republic efforts
were made to limit the number of combatants and
the frequency of the displays, and the Emperor
Augustus forbade more than two shows in a year.
They were prohibited by Constantino, the first
Christian emperor, in 325 A.D., but continued at in-
tervals till 404. In that year Telemachus, an Asiatic
monk, filled with horror at the cruelty of the prac-
tice, made his way to Rome, and during a contest
rushed into the arena and tried to part two gladia-
tors.

The spectators, furious at this interruption of
their sport, stoned the monk to death. But the
Emperor Honorius proclaimed him a martyr, and
issued an edict which finally brought such exhi-
bitions to an end.

There was another form of spectacle at Rome, in
its way as significant of cruelty and ruthlessness,
the Triumph, each occasion of which signified some
nation conquered or army defeated, and thousands
slain or plunged into misery and destitution. The
victorious general to whom the senate granted the
honor of a triumph was not allowed to enter the

THE SPORTS OP THE AMPHITHEATRE. 279

city in advance, and Lucullus, on his return from
victory in Asia, waited outside Eorae for three years,
until the desired honor was granted him.

Starting from the Field of Mars, outside the city
walls, the procession passed through the gayly gar-
landed streets to the Capitol. It was headed by the
magistrates and senate of Eome, who were followed
by trumpeters, and then by the spoils of war, con-
sisting not only of treasures and standards, but of
representations of battles, towns, fortresses, rivers,
etc.

Next came the victims intended for sacrifice,
largely composed of white oxen with gilded horns.
They were followed by prisoners kept to grace the
triumph, and who were put to death when the
Capitol was reached. Afterwards came the gor-
geous chariot of the conqueror, crowned with laurel
and drawn by four horses. He wore robes of purple
and gold taken from the temple of Jupiter, carried
a laurel branch in his right hand, and in his left a
sceptre of ivory with an eagle at its tip. After him
came the soldiers, singing lo triumphe and other
songs of victory.

On reaching the Capitol the victor placed the
laurel branch on the cap of the seated Jupiter,
and offered the thank-offerings. A feast of the dig-
nitaries, and sometimes of the soldiers and people,
followed. The ceremony at first occupied one day
only, but in later times was extended through
several days, and was frequently attended with
gladiatorial shows and other spectacles for the
greater enjoyment of the Eoman multitude.

THE REIGN OF A GLUTTON.

THE death of Nero cut all the reins of order in
Rome. Until now, as stated in a preceding tale, some
form of hereditary succession had been followed, the
emperors being of the family of Cffisar, though not
his direct descendants. Now confusion reigned su-
preme. The army took upon itself the task of nomi-
nating the emperor, and within less than two years
four emperors came in succession to the royal seat,
each the general of one of the armies of Rome.

Galba, who headed the revolt against Nero, and
succeeded him on the throne, reigned but seven
months, being overthrown by Otho, who conspired
against him with the Praetorian guards. The new
emperor reigned only three months. The army of
Germany proclaimed their general — Vitellius — em-
peror, marched against Otho, and defeated him. He
ended the contest by committing suicide. Vitellius
reigned less than a year. The army of the East
rebelled against him, proclaimed their general — Ves-
pasian— emperor, and a new civil war broke out,
which was closed by the speedy downfall of Vitellius.
It is the story of this man, emperor for less than a
year, which we have here to describe.

The three men named were alike unfit to reign
280

THE REIGN OP A GLUTTON. 281

over Home. Galba was very old and very incompe-
tent, Otho was a declared profligate, and Vitellius
was a glutton of such extraordinary powers that
his name has become a synonyme for voracity. He
had by his arts and his skill as a courtier made him-
self a favorite with four emperors of widely differing
character, — Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero.
The suicide of Otho had now made him emperor
himself, and he gave way without stint to the pecu-
liar vice which has made his name despicable, that
of inordinate love of the pleasures of the table.

After the death of Otho, says Tacitus, " Vitellius,
sunk in sloth, and growing every day more contempt-
ible, advanced by slow marches towards the city of
Home. In all the villas and municipal towns through
which he passed, carousing festivals were sufficient
to retard a man abandoned to his pleasures. He was
followed by an unwieldy multitude, not less than
sixty thousand men in arms, all corrupted by a life
of debauchery. The number of retainers and fol-
lowers of the army was still greater, all disposed to
riot and insolence, even beyond the natural bent of
the vilest slaves.

"The crowd was still increased by a conflux of
senators and Roman knights, who came from Rome
to greet the prince on his way ; some impelled by
fear, others to pay their court, and numbers, not to
be thought sullen or disaffected. All went with the
current. The populace rushed forth in crowds, ac-
companied by an infamous band of pimps, players,
buffoons, and charioteers, by their utility in vicious
pleasures all well known and dear to Vitellius.
24*

282 HISTORICAL TALES.

"To supply so vast a body with provisions the
colonies and municipal cities were exhausted ; the
fruits of the earth, then ripe and fit for use, were
carried off; the husbandman was plundered; and
his land, as if it were an enemy's country, was laid
waste and ruined."

The followers of Vitellius were many of them
Germans and Gauls, so savage of aspect as to create
consternation in Rome. " Covered with the skins
of savage beasts, and wielding large and massive
spears, the spectacle which they exhibited to the
Roman citizens was fierce and hideous." They were
as savage as they looked, and many conflicts took
place both outside and inside of Rome, in which
numbers of citizens were slaughtered. In fact, the
march of Vitellius to Rome was almost like that of
a conqueror through a captive province.

The conduct of Yitellius and his army in Rome
was an abhorrent spectacle of sloth and licentious-
ness. All discipline vanished. The Germans and
Gauls entered into the vilest habits of the city, and
by their disorderly lives brought on an epidemic dis-
ease which swept thousands of them away. Vitel-
lius, lost in sluggishness and gluttony, wasted the
funds of the state on his pleasures, and laid severe
taxes to raise new funds. " To squander with wild
profusion," says Tacitus, " was the only use of money
known to Vitellius. He built a set of stables for the
charioteers, and kept in the circus a constant spec-
tacle of gladiators and wild beasts ; in this manner
dissipating with prodigality, as if his treasury over-
flowed with riches."

THE REIQN OF A GLUTTON. 283

While the Vitellian army was indulging in riot,
bloodshed, and vice, and the populace was kept
amused by the frightful gladiatorial shows, the
emperor spent his days in a sloth and gluttony that
stand unrivalled in imperial records. We may quote
from Whyte-Melville's romance of " The Gladiators"
a sketch of a Vitellian banquet whose characteristic
features are taken from exact history :

" A banquet with Vitellius was no light and simple
repast. Leagues of sea and miles of forest had been
swept to furnish the mere groundwork of the enter-
tainment. Hardy fishermen had spent their nights
on the heaving wave, that the giant turbot might
flap its snowy flakes on the emperor's table broader
than its broad dish of gold. Many a swelling hill,
clad in the dark oak coppice, had echoed to ringing
shout of hunter and deep-mouthed bay of hound, ere
the wild boar yielded his grim life by the morass,
and the dark, grisly carcass was drawn off to pro-
vide a standing dish that was only meant to gratify
the eye. Even the peacock roasted in its feathers
was too gross a dainty for epicures who studied the
art ot gastronomy under Caesar; and that tasie
would have been considered rustic in the extreme
which could partake of more than the mere fumes
and savor of so substantial a dish. A thousand
nightingales had been trapped and killed, indeed,
for this one supper, but brains and tongues were all
they contributed to the banquet; whilo even the
wing of a roasted hare would have been considered
far too coarse and common food for the imperial
board.

284 HISTORICAL TALES.

" It would be useless to go into the details of such
a banquet as that which was placed before the guests
of Caesar. Wild boar, pasties, goats, every kind of
shell-fish, thrushes, beccaficoes, vegetables of all de-
scriptions, and poultry, were removed to make way
for the pheasant, the guinea-hen, the capon, venison,
ducks, woodcocks, and turtle-doves. Everything that
could creep, fly, or swim, and could boast a delicate
flavor when cooked, was pressed into the service of
the emperor ; and when appetite was appeased and
could do no more, the strongest condiments and other
remedies were used to stimulate fresh hunger and
consume a fresh supply of superfluous dainties."

Deep drinking followed, merely to stimulate fresh
hunger. The disgusting story is even told that the
imperial glutton was in the habit of taking an emetic
to empty his stomach, that he might begin a fresh
course of gluttony.

Certain artists in the preparation of original dishes
employed themselves in devising new and appetizing
compounds of food for the table of Vitellius. They
were sure of an ample reward if they should suc-
ceed in pleasing the imperial palate. Failure, how-
ever, was attended by a severe penance. The artist
was not permitted to eat any food but his own un-
successful dish until he had atoned for his failure by
a success.

While Vitellius was thus sunk in sloth and glut-
tony his destiny was on its march. A terrible and
disgraceful retribution awaited him. He had never
been emperor of all the Eoman empire. The army
of Syria had declared for Vespasian, its general ; and

THE REIGN OP A GLUTTON. 285

while Vitellius had been wasting his means and ruin-
ing his army by permitting it to indulge in every vice
and excess, his rival in the East was carefully lay-
ing his plans to insure success. He finally seized
Alexandria, thus being able at will to starve Eome,
by cutting off its food-supply; and sent Antonius
Primus, his principal general, with a strong force to
Italy.

The progress of Antonius in Italy was rapid. City
after city fell into his hands. The fleet at Ravenna
declared for Vespasian. The general of Vitellius
Bought to carry his whole army over to Antonius,
but found his men more faithful than himself. The
Vitellians were defeated in two battles; Cremona
was taken and destroyed ; all was at risk ; and yet
Vitellius remained absorbed in luxury. " Hid in the
recess of his garden, he indulged his appetite, for-
getting the past, the present, and all solicitude about
future events; like those nauseous animals that
know no care, and, while they are supplied with
food, remain in one spot, torpid and insensible."

At length awakened from his stupor, Vitellius took
eome steps for defence. He was too late. His men
deserted their ranks ; the army of Antonius steadily
advanced. Filled with terror, the emperor called an
assembly of the people and offered to resign. The
people in violent uproar refused to accept his resig-
nation. He then proposed to seek a retreat in his
brother's house. This the populace also opposed
and forced him to return to the palace.

This attempted abdication brought civil war into
the city. Sabinus, the brother of Vespasian, raised

286 HISTORICAL TALES.

a force and took possession of the Capitol. He
besieged here, and in the conflict that ensued the
Capitol was set on fire and burned to the ground.
It was the second time this venerable edifice had
oeen consumed by the flames. Sabinus was taken
prisoner, and was murdered by the mob.

News of this revolt and its disastrous end hastened
the march of Antonius. Once more, as in the far-off
days of the Gaulish invasion, Rome was to be at-
tacked and taken by a hostile army. It was assailed
at three points, each of which was obstinately de-
fen dg^d- Finally an entrance was made at the Col-
linian gate, and the battle was transferred to the
open streets, in which the Vitellians defended them-
selves as obstinately as before.

And now was seen an extraordinary spectacle.
While two armies — one from the East, one from the
North — contended fiercely for the possession of
Borne, the populace of that city flocked to behold
the fight, as if it was a gladiatorial struggle got up
for their diversion, and nothing in which they had
any personal interest. Tacitus says, —

" Whenever they saw the advantage inclining to
either side, they favored the contestants with shouts
and theatrical applause. If the men fled from their
ranks, to take shelter in shops or houses, they roared
to have them dragged forth and put to death like
gladiators for their diversion. While the soldiers
were intent on slaughter, these miscreants were em-
ployed in plundering. The greatest part of the
booty fell to their share. Borne presented a scene
truly shocking, a medley of savage slaughter and

THE EEIGN OP A GLUTTON. 287

monstrous vice ; in one place war and desolation ; in
another bathing, riot, and debauchery. The whole
city seemed to be inflamed with frantic rage, and at
the same time intoxicated with bacchanalian pleas-
ures. In the midst of rage and massacre, pleasure
knew no intermission. A dreadful carnage seemed
to be a spectacle added to the public games."

It was a spectacle certainly without its like in the
history of nations.

The battle ended in the complete overthrow of
the army of Vitellius. The camp was taken, and
all that defended it were slain. And now took place
a scene which recalls that of the last days of Nero.
Yitellius, seeing that all was lost, was in an agony
of apprehension. He left the palace by a private
way to seek shelter in his wife's house on the Aven-
tine. Then irresolution brought him back to the
palace, which he found deserted. The slaves had
fled. The dead silence that reigned filled him with
terror. All was solitude and desolation. He wan-
dered pitiably from room to room, and finally, weary
and utterly wretched, sought a humble hiding-place.
Here he was discovered and dragged forth.

And now the populace, who had lately refused his
deposition, turned upon him with the bitterest in-
sults and contumely. With his hands bound behind
him and his garment torn, the obese old glutton was
dragged through crowds who treated him with scoffs
and words of contempt, not a voice of pity or sym-
pathy being heard. A German soldier struck at
him with his sword, and, missing his aim, cut off the
ear of a tribune. He was killed on the spot.

288 HISTORICAL TALES.

As Vitellius was thus dragged onward, his captors,
with swords pointed at his throat, forced him to raise
his head and expose his bloated face to scorn and
derision. They made him look at his statues, which
were being tumbled to the ground. They pointed out
to him the place where Galba had perished. They
pricked his body with their weapons. With endless
contumely they brought him to the public charnel,
where the body of Sabinus had been thrown among
those of the vilest malefactors.

A single expression is recorded as coming from his
tips. " And yet," he said, to a tribune who insulted
his misery, " I have been your sovereign."

His torment soon ended. The rabble fell on him
with swords and clubs and he died under a multitude
of wounds. Even after his death those who had
worshipped him in the height of his power continued
to shower marks of rage and contempt upon his re-
mains. Thus perished one of the most despicable of
all the emperors who disgraced Eome, to make room
for one whose wisdom and virtue would make still
more contemptible the excesses of his gluttonous
predecessor.

THE FAITHFUL EPONINA.

THOUGH Borne had extended its conquests over
numerous tribes and nations of barbarians, and
reduced them to subjection, much of the old love
of liberty remained, and many of the later Eoman
wars were devoted to the suppression of outbreaks
among these unwilling subjects. In the reign of
Vespasian occurred such a rebellion, followed by so
remarkable an instance of womanly devotion that it
has since enlisted the sympathy of the world.

Julius Sabinus, a leading chief among the Ligones,
a tribe of the Gauls, led by ambition and daring,
and stirred by hatred of the Eoman dominion, re-
solved to shake oif the yoke of conquest, and by his
arts and eloquence kindled the flame of rebellion
among his countrymen. Gathering an army, he
drove the Komans from the territory of his own
people, and then marched into the country of the
Sequani, whom he hoped to bring into the revolt.

But the discomfiture of the Eomans lasted only
until they could bring their forces together. A battle
ensued between the hastily-levied followers of Sa-
binus and a disciplined Eoman army, with the in-
evitable result. The barbarians were defeated with
great slaughter, the death of most, the flight of the
others, bringing the rebellion to a disastrous end.
ii.— » t 25 289

290 HISTORICAL TALES.

Sabinus was among those who escaped the general
carnage. He sought shelter from his pursuers in an
obscure cottage, and, being hotly and closely tracked,
he set fire to his lurking-place and caused a report
to be spread that he had perished in the flames. He
had been attended in his flight by two faithful freed-
men, and one of these, Martialis by name, sought
Eponina, the loving wife of the chief, and told her
that her husband was no more, that he had perished
in the flames of the burning hut.

Giving full credit to the story, Eponina was thrown
into a transport of grief which went far to convince
the spies of Rome that she must have received sure
tidings of her husband's death, and that Sabinus had
escaped the vengeance of Rome. For several days
her grief continued unabated, and then the same
messenger returned and told her that her husband
still lived, having spread the report of his death to
throw his pursuers off his track.

This information brought Eponina as lively joy as
the former news had brought her sorrow ; but know-
ing that she was watched, she affected as deep grief
as before, going about her daily duties with all the
outward manifestations of woe. When night came
she visited Sabinus secretly in his new hiding-place,
and was received in his arms with all the joy of
which loving souls are capable. Before the dawn
of day she returned to her home, from which her
absence had not been known.

During seven months the devoted wife continued
these clandestine visits, softening by caresses and
brave words her husband's anxious care, and supply-

THE FAITHFUL EPONINA. 291

ing his wants as far as she was capable. At the end
of that time she grew hopeful of obtaining a pardon
for the fugitive chief. For this purpose she induced
him to disguise himself in a way that made detection
impossible and accompany her on a long and painful
journey to Eome.

Here the earnest and faithful woman made every
possible effort to gain the ear and favor of the em-
peror and to obtain influence in high places. She
unhappily found that Eoman officials had no time or
thought to waste on fugitive rebels, and that com-
passion for those who dared oppose the supremacy
of Rome was a sentiment that could find no place in
the imperial heart. Repelled, disappointed, hopeless,
the unhappy woman and her disguised husband re-
traced their long and weary journey, and Sabinus
again sought shelter in the dens and caves which
formed his only secure places of refuge.

And now the faithful wife, abandoning her home,
joined him in his lurking-place, and for nine long
years the devoted couple lived as homeless fugitives,
mutual love their only comfort, obtaining the neces-
saries of life by means of which we are not aware.
By the tendered affection Eponina softened the
anxieties of her husband, the birth of two sons
served still more to alleviate the misery of their dis-
tressful situation, and all the happiness that could
possibly come to two so circumstanced attended the
pair in their straitened place of refuge.

At the end of nine years the hiding-place of the
fugitives was discovered by their enemies, and they
were seized and sent in chains to Rome. Here Ves-

292 HISTORICAL TALES.

pasian, who had gained a reputation for kindness
and clemency, acted with a cruelty worthy of the
worst emperors of Rome. The pitiable tale of the
captives had no effect upon him ; the devotion of the
wife roused no sympathy in his heart ; Sabinus had
dared rebel against Rome, no time nor circumstance
could soften that flagitious crime ; without hesita-
tion the chief was condemned to death, and instant
execution ordered.

This cruel sentence changed the tone of Eponina.
She had hitherto humbly and warmly supplicated
her husband's pardon. Now that he was dead she
resolved not to survive him. With the spirit and
pride of a free-born princess she said to Vespasian,
" Death has no terror for me. I have lived happier
underground than you upon your throne. You have
robbed me of all I loved, and I have no further use for
life. Bid your assassins strike their blow ; with joy
I leave a world which is peopled by such tyrants as
you."

She was taken at her word and ordered by the
emperor for execution. It was the darkest deed of
Vespasian's life, a blot upon his character which all
his record for clemency cannot remove, and which
has ever since lain as a dark stain upon his memory.

Plutarch, who has alone told this story of love
unto death, concludes his tale by saying that there
was nothing during Vespasian's reign to match the
horror of this atrocious deed, and that, in retribu-
tion for it, the vengeance of the gods fell upon Ves-
pasian, and in a short time after wrought the extir-
pation of his entire family.

THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM.

CHRIST had not long passed away from the earth
when the reign of peace and brotherly love which
He had so warmly inculcated ceased to exist on the
soil of Judaea. Forty years after He foretold the de-
struction of the Temple of Jerusalem that noble edi-
fice had ceased to exist, Jerusalem itself was burned
to the ground, and a million of people perished by
sword and flames. It is this lamentable tale which
we have now to tell.

Caligula, the mad emperor, first roused the indig-
nation of the Jews, by demanding that his statue
should be placed in that holy shrine in which no
image of man had ever been permitted. War would
have followed, for the Jews were resolute against
such an impious desecration of their Temple, had not
the sword of the assassin removed the tyrant.

But the discontent of the Jews was not ended.
They were resolved that no image of the Caesars
should be brought into their land, and carried this so
far that when the governor of Syria wished to march
through a part of their territory to attack the Arabs,
they objected that the standards of the legions were
crowded with profane images, which their sacred
laws did not permit to be seen in their country. The
25* 293

294 HISTORICAL TALES.

governor yielded to their remonstrance, and marched
around the land of Judsea.

This concession did not allay the discontent. Felix,
a governor under Claudius, by oppression and cruelty
aroused a general spirit of revolt. Gessius Florus,
appointed by Nero governor of Judsea, found his
province in a state of irritation and tumult. His
avarice and robbery of the people ripened this to
war. The province broke into open rebellion. It
was quickly invaded by Gallus, the governor of
Syria, who marched through the country to the walls
of Jerusalem. But he was not a soldier, and was
quickly forced to abandon the siege and retreat in
haste, losing six thousand men in his flight.

Nero now, finding that Eome had an obstinate
struggle on its hands, chose Vespasian, a soldier of
renown, to conduct the war. This he did with the
true Roman energy and thoroughness, subduing the
whole country, and capturing every stronghold ex-
cept Jerusalem, within two years. He was called
from this work to the struggle for the empire of
Borne, leaving his able son Titus to complete the
task.

The taking of Jerusalem was not to be easily per-
formed. The city was of immense strength. It
stood upon two hills, Mount Sion to the south, Mount
Acra to the north. The former, being the loftiest,
was called the upper, and Acra the lower, city. Each
of these hills was surrounded by a wall of great
strength and elevation, their bases washed by a rapid
stream that ran through the valleys of Hinnom and
Cedron, to the foot of the Mount of Olives. A third

THE SIEQE OF JERUSALEM. 295

hill, Mount Moriah, was the seat of the famous Tem-
ple, an immense group of courts and edifices which
looked more like a citadel than a sanctuary of re-
ligious faith. The true temple stood separate, in the
midst of these buildings, its interior being divided by
a curtain into two parts, of -which the inmost was
the Holy of Holies. The total group of edifices was
nearly a mile in circumference.

Jerusalem, unfortunately for its defence, had,
during the conquest of the country, become filled
with fugitives. To these the celebration of the Pass-
over, now at hand, added other great numbers, so
that when the army of Titus invested it, it was
crowded with a vast multitude of human beings.
Filled with religious enthusiasm, accustomed to war,
and believing that the Lord of Hosts would come to
their aid, the garrison displayed a desperate resolu-
tion that the Eomans were to find very difficult to
overcome.

Yet it was as much due to themselves as to the
Eoman arms that the city at length fell. Resolute
as the Jews were in defence against the foreign foe,
they were divided among themselves, the city being
held by three factions bitterly hostile to each other.
One of these, known as the Zealots, under Eleazer,
held the Temple. Another, under John of Grisela, an
artful orator but a man of infamous character, occu-
pied another portion of the city. A third, whose
leader was named Simon, a man known for crime and
courage, held still another section. These three
parties kept Jerusalem in tumult. There were fero-
cious battles in the streets ; houses were plundered,

296 HISTORICAL TALES.

families slain, and when Titus encamped before the
walls, he had before him a city distracted by civil
war and its streets filled with blood and carnage.

The story of the siege of Jerusalem is far too long
a one to be told in detail. Several times during the
siege Titus offered terms of pardon and amnesty to
the besieged, but all in vain. Divided as they were
among themselves, they were united in hostility to
Borne. The siege began and proceeded with the
usual energy shown by a Eoman army. Mounds
were erected, forts built, warlike engines constructed.
Darts and other weapons were rained into the city,
great stones were flung from engines, every resource
known to ancient war was practised. A breach
was at length made in the walls, the soldiers rushed
in, sword in hand, and the section of the city
known as Salem was captured. Five days after-
wards Bezetha, a hill to the north of the Temple, was
taken by Titus, but he was here so furiously assailed
by the garrison that he was forced to retreat to his
camp.

Some days of quiet now followed, while the Ro-
mans prepared for a second attack. The factions
in the city, fancying that their foes had withdrawn
in despair, at once resumed their feuds, and the
streets again ran with blood. John invaded the
Temple precincts, overcame the party of Eleazer,
and a general massacre followed which desecrated
with slaughter every part of the holy place.

Soon the Romans advanced again, and the two
remaining factions united in defence. Now the
Romans penetrated the city, now they were driven

THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM. 297

out in a fierce charge, and their camp nearly taken.
And now famine came to add to the horrors of the
siege, and made frightful havoc in the dense multi-
tude with which every part of the city was thronged.
The dead and dying filled the streets, the wounded
soldiers perished of starvation, groans and lamenta-
tions resounded in every quarter ; to rid themselves
of the hosts of dead John and Simon had them
thrown from the walls, to fester in heaps before the
Roman works. Among the scenes of horror related,
a woman was seen to kill and devour her own infant
child.

At length the Romans made such progress that all
the city was theirs except the Temple enclosure, into
which the remainder of the garrison had gathered.
Titus wished to save this famous structure, and made
a last effort to end the siege by peaceful measures.
Josephus, the Jewish historian, who had been taken
prisoner during the war, and was now in his camp,
was sent into the city, with an offer of amnesty if
they would even now yield. The offer was refused,
and Titus saw that but one thing remained.

On the next day the assault on Mount Moriah
began. The Jews fought with fierce courage, but
the close lines and steady discipline of the legions
prevailed. The defenders, after a bitter resistance,
were forced back ; the assailants furiously pursued ;
the inner court of the Temple was entered ; in the
uproar of the furious strife the orders of Titus and
his officers to save the Temple were unheard ; all was
tumult, the roar of battle, the shedding of blood.
The Jews fought with frantic obstinacy, but their

298 HISTORICAL TALES.

undisciplined valor failed to affect the steady disci-
pline or break the close array of the legions. Many
fled in despair to the sanctuary. Here were gathered
priests and prophets, who still declared the Lord of
Hosts was on their side, and that He would protect
His holy seat.

Even while these assurances were being given the
assailants forced the gates. The eyes of the ava-
ricious Komans rested on the golden and glittering
ornaments of the Temple, and they sought more
fiercely than ever to hew their way through flesh and
blood to these alluring treasures. One soldier, fran-
tic with the fury of the fight, snatched a flaming
ember from some burning materials, and, lifted by a
comrade, set fire to a gilded window of the Temple.
Almost in an instant the flames flared upward, and
the despairing Jews saw that their holy house was
doomed. A great groan of agony burst from their
lips. Many occupied themselves in vain efforts to
quench the flames; others flung themselves in de-
spairing rage on the Komans, heedless of life now
that all they lived for was perishing.

Titus, on learning what had been done, ran in all
haste to the scene, and loudly ordered the soldiers to
extinguish the flames, signalling to the same effect
with his hand. But his voice was drowned in the
uproar and his signals were not understood, while
the thirst for plunder carried the soldiers beyond all
restraint. The holy place of the Temple was still in-
tact. This Titus entered, and was so impressed with
its beauty and splendor that he made a strenuous
effort to save it from destruction. In vain he begged

THE SIEGE OP JERUSALEM.

and threatened. While some of the soldiery tore
with wolfish fury at its gold, others fired its gates,
and soon the Holy of Holies itself was in a blaze,
and the whole Temple wrapped in devouring flames.

The rapacious soldiers raged through the build-
ings, rending from them everything of value which
the fire had left untouched. The defenders fell by
thousands. Great numbers perished in the flames.
A multitude of fugitives, including women and chil-
dren, sought refuge in the outer cloisters. These
were set on fire by the furious soldiers, and thou-
sands were swept away by the pitiless hand of death.
Word was brought to Titus that a number of priests
stood on the outside wall, begging for their lives.
" It is too late," he replied ; " the priests ought not
to survive their temple." Eetiring to an outer fort,
he gazed with deep regret on the devouring confla-
gration, saying, " The God of the Jews has fought
against them : to him we owe our victory."

Thus perished the Temple of Jerusalem, a magnifi-
cent structure, for ages the pride and glory of the
Jews. First erected by Solomon, eleven centuries
before, it was burnt by the Babylonians five hundred
years afterwards. It was rebuilt by Haggai, in the
reign of King Cyrus of Persia, and had now stood
more than six hundred years, enlarged and adorned
from time to time. But Christ had said, " There shall
not be left one* stone upon another that shall not be
thrown down." This prophetic utterance was now
fulfilled. Thenceforward there was no Temple of
the Jews.

But more fighting remained. The defenders made

300 HISTORICAL TALES.

their way into the upper city on Mount Sion, and
here held out bitterly still, rejecting the terms
offered them by Titus of unconditional surrender.
The place was strong, and defended by towers that
were almost impregnable. Better terms might have
been extorted from Titus had John and Simon, the
leaders of the party of defence, been as brave as
they were blatant. But after refusing surrender
they lost heart, and hid themselves in subterranean
vaults, leaving their deluded followers to their own
devices. The end came soon. A breach was made
in the walls. The legions entered, sword in hand,
and with the rage of slaughter in heart. A dread-
ful carnage followed. Neither sex nor age was
spared. According to Josephus, not less than one
million one hundred thousand persons perished dur-
ing this terrible siege. Of those that remained alive
the most flagrant were put to death, some were re-
served to grace the victor's triumph, and the others
were sent to Egypt to be sold as slaves. As for the
city, it had been in great part consumed by flames.
Thus ended the rebellion of the Jews. To rule or
ruin was the terrible motto of Borne.

THE DESTRUCTION OF POMPEII.

ON the eastern margin of the Bay of Naples,
where it serves as a striking background to the city
of that name, stands the renowned Vesuvius, the
most celebrated volcano in the world. During many
centuries before the Christian era it had been a dead
and silent mountain. Throughout the earlier period
of Eoman history the people of Campania treated it
with the contempt of ignorance, planting their vine-
yards on its fertile slopes and building their towns
and villages around its base. Under the shadow of
the silent mountain armies met and fought, and its
crater was made the fort and lurking-place of Spar-
tacus and his party of gladiators. But the time was
at hand in which a more terrible enemy than a band
of vengeful rebels was to emerge from that threat-
ening cavity.

The sleeping giant first showed signs of waking
from his long slumber in 63 A.D., when earthquake
convulsions shook the surrounding lands. These
tremblings of the earth continued at intervals for
sixteen years, doing much damage. At length, on
the 24th of August of the year 79, came the culmi-
nating event. With a tremendous and terrible ex.
plosion the whole top of the mountain was torn out,

26 301

302 HISTORICAL TALES.

and vast clouds of steam and volcanic ashes were
hurled high into the air, lit into lurid light by the
crimson gleams of the boiling lava below.

The scene was a frightful one. The vast, tree-
like cloud, kindled throughout its length by almost
incessant flashes of lightning ; the fiery glare that
gleamed upward from the glowing lava; the total
darkness that overspread the surrounding country
as the dense mass of volcanic dust floated outward,
a darkness only relieved by the glare that attended
each new explosion, formed a spectacle of terror to
make the stoutest heart quail, and to fill the weak
and ignorant with dread of a final overthrow of the
earth and its inhabitants.

The elder Pliny, the famous naturalist, was then
in command of a fleet at Misenum, in the vicinity.
Led by his scientific interest, he approached the vol-
cano to examine the eruption more closely, and fell
a victim to the falling ashes or the choking fumes
of sulphur that filled the air. His nephew, Pliny
the younger, then only a boy of eighteen, has given
a lucid account of what took place, in letters to the
historian Tacitus. After describing the journey and
death of his uncle, he goes on to speak of the vio-
lent earthquakes that shook the ground during the
night. He continues with the story of the next
day:

" Though it was now morning, the light was ex-
ceedingly faint and languid ; the buildings all around
us tottered, and though we stood upon open ground,
yet, as the place was narrow and confined, there was
no remaining there without certain and great dan-

THE DESTRUCTION OP POMPEII. 303

ger ; we therefore resolved to leave the town. The
people followed us in the utmost consternation, and,
as to a mind distracted with terror every suggestion
seems more prudent than its own, pressed in great
crowds about us in our way out.

"Being got at a convenient distance from the
houses, we stood still, in the midst of a most dan-
gerous and dreadful scene. The chariots which we
had ordered to be drawn out were so agitated back-
ward and forward, though upon the most level
ground, that we could not keep them steady, even
by supporting them with large stones. The sea
seemed to 'roll back upon itself, and to be driven
from its banks by the convulsive motion of the
earth ; it is certain, at least, that the shore was con-
siderably enlarged, and several sea-animals were left
upon it. At the other side a black and dreadful
cloud, bursting with an igneous serpentine vapor,
darted out a long train of fire, resembling flashes of
lightning, but much larger. . . .

" Soon afterwards the cloud seemed to descend
and cover the whole ocean, as indeed it entirely hid
the island of Capreae and the promontory of Mise-
num. My mother strongly conjured me to make my
escape at any rate, which, as 1 was young, I might
easily do ; as for herself, she said, her age and corpu-
lence rendered all attempts of that sort impossible.
However, she would willingly meet death if she
could have the satisfaction of seeing that she was
not the occasion of mine. But I absolutely refused
to leave herj and, taking her by the hand, I led her
on; she complied with great reluctance, and not

304 HISTORICAL TALES.

without many reproaches to herself for retarding
my flight.

" The ashes now began to fall on us, though in no
great quantity. I turned my head, and observed
behind us a thick smoke, which came rolling after
us like a torrent. I proposed, while we yet had any
light, to turn out of the high-road, lest she should
be pressed to death in the dark by the crowd that
followed us. We had scarce stepped out of the
path when darkness overspread us, not like that of
a cloudy night or when there is no moon, but of a
room when it is shut up and all the lights extinct.
Nothing then was to be heard but the shrieks of
women, the screams of children, and the cries of
men ; some calling for their children, others for their
parents, others for their husbands, and only distin-
guishing each other by their voices ; one lamenting
his own fate, another that of his family; some wish-
ing to die from the very fear of dying ; some lifting
their hands to the gods; but the greater part im-
agining that the last and eternal night was come,
which was to destroy the gods and the world to-
gether.

" Among these were some who augmented the real
terrors by imaginary ones, and made the frightened
multitude falsely believe that Misenum was in flames.
At length a glimmering light appeared, which we
imagined to be rather the forerunner of an approach-
ing burst of flames, as in truth it was, than the re-
turn of day. However, the fire fell at a distance
from us; then again we were immersed in thick
darkness, and a heavy shower of ashes rained upon

THE DESTRUCTION OF POMPEII. 305

us, which we were obliged every now and then to
shake off, otherwise we should have been crushed
and buried in the heap. I might boast that during
all this scene of horror not a sigh or expression of
fear escaped from me, had not my support been
found in that miserable, though strong, consolation,
that all mankind were involved in the same calamity,
and that I imagined I was perishing with the world
itself.

" At last this dreadful darkness was dissipated by
degrees, like a cloud of smoke; the real day re-
turned, and even the sun appeared, though very
faintly, and as when an eclipse is coming on. Every
object that presented itself to our eyes seemed
changed, being covered over with white ashes, as
with a deep snow."

This graphic story repeats the experience of thou-
sands on that fatal occasion, in which great numbers
perished, while many lost their all. Villas of wealthy
Eomans were numerous in the vicinity of the vol-
cano, while among the several towns which sur-
rounded it three were utterly destroyed, — Pompeii,
Herculaneum, and Stabiee. Of these much the most
famous is Pompeii, which, being buried in ashes, has
proved far easier of exploration than Herculaneum,
which was overwhelmed with torrents of mud,
caused by heavy rains on the volcanic ash.

Pompeii was an old town, built more than six
hundred years before, and occupied at the time of
its destruction by the aristocracy of Rome. Tri-
umphal arches were erected there in honor of Ca-
ligula and Nero, who probably honored it by visits.
ii.— u 26*

306 HISTORICAL TALES.

It possessed costly temples, handsome theatres and
other public buildings, luxurious residences, and all
the ostentatious magnificence arising from the
wealth of the proud patricians of Eome.

What Pompeii was in its best days we are not
now able to estimate. It was essentially, in its ar-
chitecture, a Greek city, rich and artistic, gay and
luxurious. But on February 5, 63 A.D., came the
first of the long series of earthquakes, and when it
ended nearly all of old Pompeii was levelled with
the ground. It was not yet a lost city, but was a
thoroughly ruined one. In the years that followed
it was rapidly rebuilt, Eoman architecture and dec-
oration, of often tawdry and inferior character, re-
placing the chaste and artistic Greek. Once more
the city became a centre of gayety, ostentation, and
licentiousness, when, in 79 A.D., the eruption of Vesu-
vius came, and the overwhelming storm of ashes
came down like a thick-descending fall of snow on
the doomed city.

The description given by Pliny relates to a less
endangered point. Upon Pompeii the ashes settled
down in seemingly unending volumes, continuing
for three days, during which all was enveloped in
darkness and gloom. The citizens fled in terror,
such as were able to, though many perished and
were buried deep in their ruined homes. On the
fourth day the sun began to reappear, as if shining
through a fog, and the bolder fugitives returned in
search of their lost property.

What they saw must have been frightfully dis-
heartening. Where the busy city had stood was

THE DESTRUCTION OP POMPEII. 307

now a level plain of white ashes, so deep that not a
house-top could be seen, and only the upper walls
of the great theatre and the amphitheatre were
visible. Digging into the fleecy ashes, many of
them recovered articles of value, while thieves also
may have reaped a rich harvest. The emperor
Titus even undertook to clear and rebuild the city,
but soon abandoned the task as too costly a one, and
for many centuries afterwards Pompeii remained
buried in mud and ashes, lost to the world, its site
forgotten, and the forms of many of its old inhabi-
tants preserved intact in the bed of ashes in which
they had perished.

It was only in 1748 that its site was recognized,
and only since 1860 has there been a systematic
effort to dig the old city out of its grave. At pres-
ent nearly one-half — the most important half — of
Pompeii has been laid bare, and we are able to see
for ourselves how the Eomans lived. The narrow
streets, fourteen to twenty-four feet wide, are well
paved with blocks of lava, which are cut into deep
ruts by the wheels of chariots that rolled over
them two thousand years ago. On each side rise the
walls of houses, two, and sometimes three, stories
in height, and some of them richly painted and
adorned, while walls and columns are brightly
painted in red, blue, and yellow, which must have
given the old city a gay and festive hue.

The ornaments, articles of furniture, and domestic
utensils found in these houses go far to teach us the
modes of life in Eoman times, and reveal to us that
the Romans possessed many comforts and conven-

308 HISTORICAL TALES.

ionces for which we had not given them credit.
Even the forms of the inhabitants have in many
cases been recovered. Though these forms have
long vanished, the hollows made by their bodies in
the hardened ashes in which they lay and slowly
decayed have remained unchanged, and by pouring
liquid plaster of Paris into these cavities perfect
casts have been obtained, showing the exact shape
of face and body, and even every fold of the clothes
of these victims of Vesuvius eighteen hundred years
ago. They are not altogether pleasant to see, for
the}7 express the agony of those caught in the swift
descending death of the falling volcanic shroud, but
as tenants of an archaeological museum they stand
unrivalled in lifelike fidelity.

Herculaneum, which was buried to a depth of
from forty to one hundred feet, and with wet ma-
terial which has grown much harder than the ashes
of Pompeii, has been but little explored. It was the
larger and more important city of the two, while
none of its treasures could have been recovered by
their owners. The art relics found there far exceed
in interest and value those of Pompeii, but the work
is so difficult that as yet very little has been done in
the task of restoring this " dead city of Campania"
to the light of the modern day.

EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF MARCUS AURELIUS.

AN IMPERIAL SAVAGE.

WE have now reached the period in which began
the decline and fall of the Roman empire. Its story
is crowded with events, but lacks those dramatic and
romantic incidents which give such interest to the
history of early Rome. Now good emperors ruled,
now bad ones followed, now peace prevailed, now
war raged ; the story grows monotonous as we ad-
vance. The reigns of virtuous emperors yield much
to commend but little to describe ; those of wicked
emperors repel us by their enormities and disgust us
by their follies. We must end our tales with a few
selections from the long and somewhat dreary list.

After Vespasian came to the throne, a period of
nearly two centuries elapsed during most of which
Rome was governed by men of virtue and ability,
though cursed for a time by the reigns of the cruel
Domitian, the dissolute Commodus, the base Cara-
calla, and the foolish Blagabalus. Fortunately, none
of the monsters who disgraced the empire reigned
long. Assassination purified the throne. The total
length of reign of the cruel monarchs of Rome
covered no long space of time, though they occupy a
great space in history.

We have now to tell how the patrician families of

309

310 HISTORICAL TALES.

Eome lost their hold upon the throne, and a barbarian
peasant became lord and master of this vast empire,
of which his ancestors of a few generations before
had perhaps scarcely heard. The story is an inter-
esting one, and well worth repeating.

Just after the year 200 A.D. the emperor Septimius
Severus, father of the notorious Caracalla, while
returning from an expedition to the East, halted in
Thrace to celebrate, with military games, the birth-
day of Greta, his youngest son. The spectacle was
an enticing one, and the country-people for many
miles round gathered in crowds to gaze upon their
sovereign and behold the promised sports.

Among those who came was a young barbarian of
such gigantic stature and great muscular develop-
ment as to excite the attention of all who saw him.
In a rude dialect, which those who heard could
barely understand, he asked if he might take part
in the wrestling exercises and contend for the prize.
This the officers would not permit. For a Eoman
soldier to be overthrown by a Thracian peasant, as
seemed likely to be the result, would be a disgrace
not to be risked. But he might try, if he would,
with the camp followers, some of the stoutest of
whom were chosen to contend with him. Of these
he laid no less than sixteen, in succession, on the
ground.

Here was a man worth having in the ranks. Some
gifts were given him, and he was told that he might
enlist, if he chose ; a privilege he was quick to accept.
The next day the peasant, happy in the thought of
being a soldier, was seen among a crowd of recruits,

AN IMPERIAL SAVAGE. 311

dancing and exulting in rustic fashion, while his head
towered above them all.

The emperor, who was passing in the march, looked
at him with interest and approval, and as he rode on-
ward the new recruit ran up to his horse, and followed
him on foot during a long and rapid journey without
the least appearance of fatigue.

This remarkable endurance astonished Severus.
"Thracian," he said, "are you prepared to wrestle
after your race ?".

" Eeady and willing," answered the youth, with
alacrity.

Some of the strongest soldiers of the army were
now selected and pitted against him, and he over-
threw seven of them in rapid succession. The em-
peror, delighted with this matchless display of vigor
and agility, presented him with a golden collar in
reward, and ordered that he should be placed in the
horse-guards that formed his personal escort.

The new recruit, Maximin by name, was a true
barbarian, though born in the empire. His father
was a Goth, his mother of the nation of the Alani.
But he had judgment and shrewdness, and a valor
equal to his strength, and soon advanced in the favor
of the emperor, who was a good judge of merit.
Fierce and impetuous by nature, experience of the
world taught him to restrain these qualities, and he
advanced in position until he attained the rank of
centurion.

After the death of Severus the Thracian served
with equal fidelity under his son Caracalla, whose
favor and esteem he won. During the short reign

312 HISTORICAL TALES.

of the profligate and effeminate Elagabalus, Maximin
withdrew from the ceurt, but he returned when
Alexander Severus, one of the noblest of Roman
emperors, came to the throne. The new monarch
was familiar with his ability and the incidents of
his unusual career, and raised him to the responsible
post of tribune of the fourth legion, which, under
his rigid care, soon became the best disciplined in the
whole army. He was the favorite of the soldiers
under his command, who bestowed pn their gigantic
leader the names of Ajax and Hercules, and rejoiced
as he steadily rose in rank under the discriminating
judgment of the emperor. Step by step he was
advanced until he reached the highest rank in the
army, and, but for the evident marks of his savage
origin, the emperor might have given his own sister
in marriage to the son of his favorite general.

The incautious emperor was nursing a serpent.
The favors poured upon the Thracian peasant failed
to secure his fidelity, and only nourished his ambition.
He began to aspire to the highest place in the em-
pire, which had been won by many soldiers before
him. Licentiousness and profligacy had sapped the
strength of the army during the weak preceding
reigns, and Alexander sought earnestly to overcome
this corruption and restore the rigid ancient disci-
pline. It was too great a task for one of his- lenient
disposition. The soldiers were furious at his restric-
tions, many mutinies broke out, his officers were mur-
dered, his authority was widely insulted, he could
scarcely repress the disorders that broke out in his
immediate presence.

AN IMPERIAL SAVAGE. 313

This sentiment in the army offered the opportunity
desired by Maximin. He sent his emissaries among
the soldiers to enhance their discontent. For thir-
teen years, said these men, Eome had been governed
by a weak Syrian, the slave of his mother and the
senate. It was time the empire had a man at its
head, a real soldier, who could add to its glory and
win new treasures for his followers.

Alexander had been engaged in a war with Persia.
He had no sooner returned than an outbreak in Ger-
many forced him to hasten to the Rhine. Here a
large army was assembled, made up in part of new
levies, whose training in the art of war was given to
the care of Maximin. The discipline exacted by
Alexander was no more acceptable to the soldiers
here than elsewhere, and the secret agents of the
ambitious Thracian found fertile ground for their
insinuations.

At length all was ripe for the outbreak. One day
— March 19, 239 A.D. — as Maximin entered the field
of exercise, the troops suddenly saluted him as em-
peror, and silenced by violent exclamations his obsti-
nate show of refusal. The rebels rushed to the tent
of Alexander and consummated their conspiracy by
striking him dead. His most faithful friends per-
ished with him; others were dismissed from court
and army ; and some suffered the crudest treatment
from the unfeeling usurper. Thus it was that the
imperial dignity descended from the noblest citizens
of Eome to a peasant of a distant province of bar-
barian origin. It was one of the most striking steps
in the decline of the empire.
o 27

314 HISTORICAL TALES.

The new emperor was a man of extraordinary
physical powers. He is said to have been more than
eight feet in height, while his strength and appetite
were in accordance with his gigantic stature. It is
stated that he could drink seven gallons of wine and
eat thirty or forty pounds of meat in a day, and
could move a loaded wagon with his arms, break a
horse's leg with his fist, crumble stones in his hands,
and tear up small trees by the roots. His mental
powers did not accord with his physical ones. He
was savage of aspect, ignorant of civilized arts,
destitute of accomplishments, and ruthless in dispo-
sition.

He had the virtues of the camp, and these had
endeared him to the soldiers, but his barbarian
origin, his savage appearance, and his rudeness and
ignorance were the contempt of cultivated people,
and had gained him many rebuffs in his humbler
days. He was now in a position to revenge himself,
not only on the haughty nobles who had treated him
with contempt, but even on former friends who were
aware of his mean origin, — of which he was heartily
ashamed. For both these crimes many were put to
death, and the slaughter of several of his former
benefactors has stained the memory of Maximin
with the basest ingratitude.

Eome, in the strange progress of its history, had
raised a savage to the imperial seat, and it suffered
accordingly. A scion of the despised barbarians of
the northern forests was now its emperor, and he
visited on the proud citizens of Eome the wrongs of
his ancestors. The suspicion and cruelty of Maximin

AN IMPERIAL SAVAGE. 315

were unbounded and unrelenting. A consular sen-
ator named Magnus was accused of a conspiracy
against his life. Without trial or opportunity for
defence Magnus was put to death, with no less than
four thousand supposed accomplices.

This was but an incident in a frightful reign of
terror. The emperor kept aloof from his capital,
but he filled Eome, and the whole empire, in fact,
with spies and informers. The slightest accusation
or suspicion was sufficient for the blood-thirsty
tyrant. On a mere unproved charge Eoman nobles
of the highest descent — men who had served as con-
suls, governed provinces, commanded armies, enjoyed
triumphs — were seized, chained on the public car-
riages, and borne away to the distant camp of the
low-born tyrant.

Here they found neither justice nor compassion.
Exile, confiscation, and ordinary execution were mild
measures with Maximin. Some of the unfortunates
were clubbed to death, some exposed to wild beasts,
some sewed in the hides of slaughtered animals and
left to perish. The worst enormities of Caligula
and Nero were rivalled by this rude soldier, who,
during the three years of his reign, disdained to
visit either Rome or Italy, and permitted no men
of high birth, elegant accomplishments, or knowl-
edge of public business to approach his person. His
imperial seat shifted from a camp on the Rhine to
one on the Danube, and his sole idea of government
seems to have been the execution of the suspected.

It was the great that suffered, and to this the
people were indifferent. But they all felt his avarice.

S16 HISTORICAL TALES.

The soldiers demanded rewards, and the empire was
drained to supply them. By a single edict all the
stored-up revenue of the cities was taken to supply
Maximin's treasury. The temples were robbed of
their treasures, and the statues of gods, heroes, and
emperors were melted down and converted into coin.
A general cry of indignation against this impiety
rose throughout the Roman world, and it was evi-
dent that the end of this frightful tyranny was
approaching.

An insurrection broke out in Africa. It was sup-
ported in Rome. But it ended in failure, the Gor-
dians, father and son, who headed it, were slain, and
the senate and nobles of Rome fell into mortal terror.
They looked for a frightful retribution from the im-
perial monster. With the courage of despair they
took the only step that remained: two new emperors,
Maximus and Balbinus, were appointed, and active
steps taken to defend Italy and Rome.

There was no time to be lost. News of these rev-
olutionary movements had roused in Maximin the
rage of a wild beast. All who approached his person
were in danger, even his son and nearest friends.
Under his command was a large, well-disciplined,
and experienced army. He was a soldier of acknowl-
edged valor and military ability. The rebels, with
their hasty levies and untried commanders, had
everything to fear.

They took judicious steps. When the troops of
Maximin, crossing the Julian Alps, reached the bor-
ders of Italy, they were terrified by the silence and
desolation that prevailed. The villages and open

AN IMPERIAL SAVAGE. 317

towns had been abandoned, the bridges destroyed,
the cattle driven away, the provisions removed, the
country made a desert. The people had gathered
into the walled cities, which were plentifully pro-
visioned and garrisoned. The purpose of the senate
was to weaken Maximin by famine and retard him
by siege.

The first city assailed was Aquileia. It was fully
provisioned and vigorously defended, the inhabitants
preferring death on their walls to death by the
tyrant's order. Yet Kome was in imminent danger.
Maximin might at any moment abandon the siege of
a frontier city and march upon the capital. There
was no army capable of opposing him. The fate of
Eome hung upon a thread.

The hand of an assassin cut that thread. The
severity of the weather, the growth of disease, the
lack of food, had spread disaffection through Maxi-
min's army. Ignorant of the true state of affairs,
many of the soldiers feared that the whole empire
was in arms against them. The tyrant, vexed at the
obstinate defence of Aquileia, visited his anger on his
men, and roused a stern desire for revenge. The end
came soon. A party of Praetorian guards, in dreact
for their wives and children, who were in the camp
of Alba, near Eome, broke into sudden revolt, entered
Maximin' s tent, and killed him, his son, and the prin-
cipal ministers of his tyranny.

The whole army sympathized with this impulsive

act. The heads of the dead, borne on the points of

spears, were shown the garrison, and at once the gates

were thrown open, the hungry troops supplied with

27*

318 HISTORICAL TALES.

food, and a general fraternization took place. Joy
in the fall of the tyrant was universal throughout
the empire, the two new emperors entered Eome in
a triumphal procession, people and nobles alike went
wild with enthusiasm, and the belief was entertained
that a golden age was to succeed the age of iron that
had come to an end. Yet within three months after-
wards both the new emperors were massacred in the
streets of Rome, and the hoped-for era of happiness
and prosperity vanished before the swelling tide of
oppression, demoralization, and decline.

THE DEEDS OF CONSTANTINE.

IN the century that followed the reign of Maximin
great changes came upon the empire of Rome. The
process of decline went steadily on. The city of
Eome sank in importance as the centre of the
empire. The armies were recruited from former
barbarian tribes ; many of the emperors reigned in
the field ; the savage inmates of the northern forests,
hitherto sternly restrained, now began to gain a foot-
ing within the borders ; the Goths plundered Greece ;
the Persians took Armenia ; the day of the downfall
of the great empire was coming, slowly but surely.
One important event during this period, the rebellion
of Zenobia and the ruin of Palmyra, we have told it,
" Tales of Greece." There are two other events to
be told : the rise of Christianity, and the founding
of a new capital of the empire.

From the date of the death of Christ, the Christ-
ian religion made continual progress in the city and
empire of Rome. Despite the contempt with which
its believers were viewed, despite the persecution to
which they were subjected, despite frequent mas-
sacres and martyrdoms, their numbers rapidly in-
creased, and the many superstitions of the empire
gradually gave way before the doctrines of human

819

320 HISTORICAL TALES.

brotherhood, infinite love and mercy, and the eternal
existence and happiness of those who believed in
Christ and practised virtue. By the time of the
accession of the great emperor Constantino, 306 A.D.,
the Christians were so numerous in the army and
populace of the empire that they had to be dealt
with more mercifully than of old, and their teachings
were no longer confined to the lowly, but ascended
to the level of the throne itself.

The traditional story handed down to us is that
Constantine, in his struggle with Maxentius for the
empire of the West, saw in the sky, above the mid-
day sun, a great luminous cross, marked with the
words, " In hoc signo vinces" (" In this sign conquer").
The whole army beheld this amazing object; and
during the following night Christ appeared to the
emperor in a vision, and directed him to march
against his enemies under the standard of the cross.
Another writer claims that a whole army of divine
warriors were seen descending from the sky, and fly-
ing to the aid of Constantine.

It may be said that both these stories, though
told by devout authors, are destitute of proof, and
that all we know is that Constantine became a pro-
fessed Christian, and as such availed himself of the
enthusiastic support of the Christians of his army.
By an edict issued at Milan, 313 A.D., he gave civil
rights and toleration to the Christians throughout
the empire, and not long afterwards proclaimed
Christianity the religion of the state, though the
pagan worship was still tolerated.

This highly important act of Constantine was fob

THE DEEDS OF CONSTANTINE. 321

lowed by another of great importance, the establish-
ment of a new capital of the Eoman empire, one
which was destined to keep alive some shadow of
that empire for many centuries after Eome itself had
become the capital of a kingdom of barbarians. On
the European bank of the Bosphorus, the channel
which connects the Sea of Marmora with the Black
Sea, had for ages stood the city of Byzantium,
which played an important part in Grecian history.

On the basis of this old city Constantino resolved
to build a new one, worthy his greatness. The
situation was much more central than that of Eome,
and was admirably chosen for the government of an
empire that extended as far to the east in Asia as to
the west in Europe, while it was at once defended by
nature against hostile attack and open to the benefits
of commercial intercourse. This, then, was the site
chosen for the new capital, and here the city of Con-
stantinople arose.

We have, in our first chapter, described how Bomu-
lus laid out the walls of Eome. "With equally im-
pressive ceremonies Constantino traced those of the
new capital of the empire. Lance in hand, and fol-
lowed by a solemn procession, the emperor walked
over a route of such extent that his assistants cried
out in astonishment that he had already exceeded
the dimensions of a great city.

" I shall still advance," said Constantino, " till He,
the invisible guide who marches before me, thinks
proper to stop."

From the eastern promontory to that part of the
Bosphorus known as the "Golden Gate," the city

II.— V

HISTORICAL TALES.

extended along the strait about three Roman miles.
Its circumference measured between ten and eleven,
the space embraced equalling about two thousand
acres. Upon the five hills enclosed within this space,
which, to those who approach Constantinople, rise
above each other in beautiful order, was built the
new city, the choicest marble and the most costly
and showy materials being abundantly employed to
add grandeur and splendor to the natural beauty
of the site.

A great multitude of builders and architects were
employed in raising the walls and building the edi-
fices of the imperial city, while the treasures of the
empire were spent without stint in the effort to
make it an unequalled monument. In that day the
art of architecture had greatly declined, but for the
adornment of the city there were to be had the
noblest productions the world had ever known, the
works of the most celebrated artists of the age of
Pericles.

These were amply employed. To adorn the new
city, the cities of Greece and Asia were despoiled of
their choicest treasures of art. In the Forum was
placed a lofty column of porphyry, one hundred and
twenty feet in height, on whose summit stood a
colossal statue of Apollo, supposed to be the work of
Phidias. In the stately circus or hippodrome, the
space between the goals, round which the chariots
turned in their swift flight, was filled with ancient
statues and obelisks. Here was also a trophy of
striking historical value, the bodies of three serpents
twisted into a pillar of brass, which once supported

THE DEEDS OP CONSTANTINE. 323

the golden tripod that was consecrated by the Greeks
in the temple of Delphi after the defeat of Xerxes.
It still exists, as the choicest antiquarian relic of the
city.

The palace was a magnificent edifice, hardly sur-
passed by that of Kome itself. The baths were en-
riched with lofty columns, handsome marbles, and
more than threescore statues of brass. The city
contained numbers of other magnificent public build-
ings, and over four thousand noble residences, which
towered above the multitude of plebeian dwellings.
As for its wealth and population, these, in less than
a century, vied with those of Eome itself.

With such energy did Constantine push the work
on his city that its principal edifices were finished in
a few years, — or in a few months, as one authority
states, though this statement seems to lack prob-
ability. This done, the founder dedicated his new
capital with the most impressive ceremonies, and
with games and largesses to the people of the great-
est pomp and cost. An edict, engraved on a marble
column, gave to the new city the title of Second or
New Eome. But this official title died, as the ac-
cepted name of the city, almost as soon as it was
born. Constantinople, the "city of Constantine,"
became the popular name, and so it continues till
this day in Christian acceptation. In reality, how-
ever, the city has suffered another change of name,
for its present possessors, the Turks, know it by the
name of Stamboul.

An interesting ceremony succeeded. With every
return of the birthday of the city, a statue of Con-

324 HISTORICAL TALES.

stantine, made of gilt wood and bearing in its right
hand a small image of the genius of the city, was
placed on a triumphal car, and drawn in solemn pro-
cession through the Hippodrome, attended by the
guards, who carried white tapers and were dressed
in their richest robes. "When it came opposite the
throne of the reigning emperor, he rose from his
seat, and, with grateful reverence, adored the mem-
ory of the founder. Thus it was that Byzantium
was replaced by Constantinople, and thus was the
founder of the new capital held in honor.

THE GOTHS CROSS THE
DANUBE.

THE doom of Home was at hand. Its empire had
extended almost inimitably to the east and west,
had crossed the sea and deeply penetrated the desert
to the south, but had failed in its advances to the
north. The Ehine and the Danube here formed its
boundaries. The great forest region which lay be-
yond these, with its hosts of blue-eyed and fair-
skinned barbarians, defied the armies of Borne.
Here and there the forest was penetrated, hundreds
of thousands of its tenants were slain, yet Eome
failed to subdue its swarming tribes, and simply
taught them the principle of combination and the
art of war. Early in the history of Eome it was
taken and burnt by the Gauls. Eaids of barbarians
across the border were frequent in its later history.
As Eome grew weaker, the tribes of the north grew
bolder and stronger. The armies of the empire were
kept busy in holding the lines of the Ehine and the
Danube. At length Eoman weakness and incom-
petency permitted this barrier to be broken, and the
beginning of the end was at hand. This is the im-
portant event which we have now to describe.

In the year 375 A.D. there existed a great Gothic
kingdom in the north, extending from the Baltic tt
28 325

326 HISTORICAL TALES.

the Black Sea, under the rule of an able monarch
named Hermanric, who had conquered and com-
bined numerous tribes into a single nation. On this
nation, just as assassination removed the Gothic con-
queror, descended a vast and frightful horde from
northern Asia, the mighty invasion of the Huns,
which was to shake to its heart the empire of Eome.

The Ostrogoths (Eastern Goths) were conquered
by this savage horde. The Visigoths (Western
Goths), stricken with mortal fear, hurried to the
Danube and implored the Romans to save them
from annihilation. For many miles along the banks
of the river extended the panic-stricken multitude,
with outstretched arms and pathetic lamentations,
praying for permission to cross. If settled on the
waste lands of Thrace they would pledge themselves
to be faithful subjects of Eome, to obey its laws and
guard its limits.

Sympathy and pity counselled the emperor to
grant the request. Political considerations bade
him refuse. To admit such a host of warlike bar-
barians to the empire was full of danger. Finally
they were permitted to cross, under two stringent
conditions: they must deliver up their arms, and
they must yield their children, who were to be
taken to Asia, educated, and held as hostages. Such
was the first fatal step in the overthrow of Eome.

The task of crossing was a difficult one. The
Danube there was more than a mile wide, and had
been swollen with rains. A large fleet of boats and
ressels was provided, but it took many days and
nights to transport the mighty host, and numbers

THE GOTHS CROSS THE DANUBE. 327

of them were swept away and drowned by the rapid
current. Probably the whole multitude numbered
nearly a million, of whom two hundred thousand
were warriors.

Of the conditions made only one was carried out.
The children of the Goths were removed, and taken
to the distant lands chosen for their residence. But
the arms were not given up. The Roman officers
were bribed to let the warriors retain their weapons,
and in a short time a great army of armed barba
rians was encamped on the southern bank of the
Danube.

These new subjects of Rome were treated in a
way well calculated to convert them into enemies.
The officials of Thrace disobeyed the orders of the
emperor, sold the Goths the meanest food at extrav-
agant prices, and by their rapacious avarice bitterly
irritated them. While this was going on, the Ostro-
goths also appeared on the Danube, and solicited
permission to cross. Valens, the emperor, refused.
He was beginning to fear that he had already too
many subjects of that race. But the discontent of
the Visigoths had drawn the soldiers from the
stream and left it unguarded. The Ostrogoths
seized vessels and built rafts. They crossed with-
out opposition. Soon a new and hostile army was
encamped upon the territory of the Roman empire.

The discontent of the Visigoths was not long in
breaking into open war. They had marched to
Marcianopolis, seventy miles from the Danube.
Here Lupicinus, one of the governors of Thrace, in-
vited the Gothic chiefs to a splendid entertainment.

HISTORICAL TALES.

Their guards remained under arms at the entrance
to the palace. But the gates of the city were closely
guarded, and the Goths outside were refused the use
of a plentiful market, to which they claimed admis-
sion as subjects of Eome.

The citizens treated them with insult and derision.
The Goths grew angry. Words led to blows. A
sword was drawn, and the first blood shed in a long
and ruinous war. Lupicinus was told that many of
his soldiers had been slain. Heated with wine, he
gave orders that they should be revenged by the
death of the Gothic guards at the palace gates.

The shouts and groans in the street warned Friti-
gern, the Gothic king, of his danger. At a word
from him his comrades at the banquet drew their
swords, forced their way from the palace and through
the streets, and, mounting their horses, rode with all
speed to their camp, and told their followers what
had occurred. Instantly cries of vengeance and
warlike shouts arose, war was resolved upon by the
chiefs, the banners of the host were displayed, and
the sound of the trumpets carried afar the hostile
warning.

Lupicinus hastily collected such troops as he could
command and advanced against the barbarians ; but
the Roman ranks were broken and the legions
slaughtered, while their guilty leader was forced to
fly for his life. " That successful day put an end to
the distress of the barbarians and the security of
the Romans," says a Gothic historian.

The imprudence of Valens had introduced a nation
of warriors into the heart of the empire ; the venality

THE GOTHS CROSS THE DANUBE. 329

of the officials had converted them into enemies;
Valens, instead of seeking to remove their causes of
hostility, marched with an army against them. We
cannot here describe the various conflicts that took
place. It will suffice to say that other barbarians
crossed the Danube, and that even some of the Huns
joined the army of Fritigern. The borders of the
empire were effectually broken, and the forest myri-
ads swarmed unchecked into the empire.

On August 9, 378, the Emperor Yalens, inspired
by ambition and moved by the demands of the ig-
norant multitude, left the strong walls of Adrian-
ople and marched to attack the Goths, who were en,
camped twelve miles away. The result was fatal.
The Eomans, exhausted with their march, suffering
from heat and thirst, confused and ill-organized, met
with a complete defeat. The emperor was slain on
the field or burnt to death in a hut to which he had
been carried wounded, hundreds of distinguished
officers perished, more than two-thirds of the army
were destroyed, and the darkness of the night only
saved the rest. Valens had been badly punished for
his imprudence and the Romans for their venality.

This signal victory of the Goths was followed by
a siege of Adrianople. But the barbarians knew
nothing of the art of attacking stone walls, and
quickly gave up the impossible task. From Adri-
anople they marched to Constantinople, but were
forced to content themselves with ravaging the sub-
urbs and gazing, with impotent desire, on the city's
distant splendor. Then, laden with the rich spoils
of the suburbs, they marched southward through
28*

330 .HISTORICAL TALES.

Thrace, and spread over the face of a fertile and
cultivated country extending as far as the confines
of Italy, their course being everywhere marked with
massacre, conflagration, and rapine, until some of
the fairest regions of the empire were turned almost
into a desert. It may be that the numbers of Eo-
mans who perished from this invasion equalled those
of the Goths whom imprudent compassion had de-
livered from the Huns.

As regards the children of the Goths, who had
been distributed in the provinces of Asia Minor,
there remains a cruel story to tell. Though given
the education and taught the arts of the Eomans,
they did not forget their origin, and the suspicion
arose that they were plotting to repeat in Asia the
deeds of their fathers in Europe. Julius, who com-
manded the troops after the death of Valens, took
bloody measures to prevent any such calamity. The
youthful Goths were bidden to assemble, on a stated
day, in the capital cities of their provinces, the hint
being given that they were to receive gifts of land
and money. On the appointed day they were col-
lected unarmed in the Forum of each city, the sur-
rounding streets being occupied by Eoman troops,
and the roofs of the houses covered with archers
and slingers. At a fixed hour, in all the cities, the
signal for slaughter was given, and in an hour more
not one of these helpless wards of Eome remained
alive. The cruel treachery of this blood-thirsty act
remains almost unparalleled in history.

THE DOWNFALL OF ROME.

THEODOSIUS, the great and noble emperor who
succeeded Valens, pacified and made quiet subjects
of the Goths. He died in 395, and before the year
ended the Gothic nation was again in arms. At the
first sound of the trumpet the warriors, who had
been forced to a life of labor, deserted their fields
and flocked to the standards of war. The barriers
of the empire were down. Across the frozen sur-
face of the Danube flocked savage tribesmen from
the northern forests, and joined the Gothic hosts.
Under the leadership of an able commander, the
famous Alaric, the barbarians swept from their fields
and poured downward upon Greece, in search of an
easier road to fortune than the toilsome one of
industry.

Many centuries had passed since the Persians in-
vaded Greece, and the men of Marathon and Ther-
mopylae were no more. Men had been posted to
defend the world-famous pass, but, instead of fight-
ing to the death, like Leonidas and his Spartans of
old, they retired without a blow, and left Greece to
the mercy of the Goth.

Instantly a deluge of barbarians spread right and
left, and the whole country was ravaged. Thebea

381

332 HISTORICAL TALES.

alone resisted. Athens admitted Alaric within its
gates, and saved itself by giving the barbarian chief
a bath and a banquet. The other famous cities had
lost their walls, and Corinth, Argos, and Sparta
yielded without defence to the Goths. The wealth
of the cities and the produce of the country were
ravaged without stint, villages and towns were com-
mitted to the flames, thousands of the inhabitants
were borne off to slavery, and for years afterwards
the track of the Goths could be traced in ruin
throughout the land.

By a fortunate chance Rome possessed at that
epoch a great general, the famous Stilicho, whose
military genius has rarely been surpassed. He had
before him a mighty task, the forcing back of the high
tide of barbarian overflow, but he did it well while
he lived. His death brought ruin on Rome. Stilicho
hastened to Greece and quickly drove the Goths
from the Peloponnesus. But jealousy between Con-
stantinople and Rome tied his hands, he was recalled
to Italy, and the weak emperor of the East rewarded
the Gothic general for his destructive raid by making
him master-general of Illyricum.

Alaric, fired by ambition, used his new power in
forcing the cities of his dominion to supply the
Goths with the weapons of war. Then, Greece and
the country to the north having been devastated, he
turned his arms against Italy, and about 400 A.D.
appeared at the foot of the Julian Alps, the first in-
vader who had threatened Italy since the days of
Hannibal, six hundred years before.

There were at that time two rulers of the Roman

THE LAST COMBAT OF THE GLADIATORS.

THE DOWNFALL OP ROME. 333

empire, — Arcadius, emperor of the East, and Hono-
rius, emperor of the West. The latter, a coward
himself, had a brave man to command his armies,
— Stilicho, who had driven the Goths from Greece.
But Italy, though it had a general, was destitute of
an army. To meet the invading foe, Stilicho was
forced to empty the forts on the Ehine, and even to
send to England for the legion that guarded the
Caledonian wall. With the array thus raised he
met the Gothic host at Pollentia, and defeated them
with frightful slaughter, recovering from their camp
many of the spoils of Greece. Another battle was
fought at Yerona, and the Goths were again de-
feated. They were now forced to retire from Italy,
Stilicho and the emperor entered Rome, and that
capital saw its last great triumph, and gloried in a
revival of its magnificent ancient games.

In these games the cruel combat of gladiators was
shown for the last time to the blood-thirsty populace
of Rome. The edict of Constantino had failed to
stop these frightful sports. The appeal of a Chris-
tian poet was equally without effect. A more de-
cisive action was necessary, and it came. In the
midst of these bloody contests an Asiatic monk,
named Telemachus, rushed into the arena and at-
tempted to separate the gladiators. He paid for his
rashness with his life, being stoned to death by the
furious spectators, with whose pleasure he had dared
to interfere. But his death had its effect. The fury
of the people was followed by shame. Telemachus
was looked upon as a martyr, and the gladiatorial
shows came to an end, the emperor abolishing for-

334 HISTORICAL TALES.

ever the spectacle of human slaughter and human
cruelty in the amphitheatre of Rome.

Rome triumphed too soon. Its ovation to victory
was the expiring gleam in its long career of glory
and dominion. Its downfall was at hand. Fight as
it might in Italy, the gate-ways of the empire lay
open in the north, and through them still poured
barbarian hordes. The myriads of the Huns, rush-
ing in a devouring wave from the borders of China,
made a mighty stir in the forest region of the Baltic
and the Danube. In the year 406 a vast host of
Germans, known by the names of Vandals, Burgun-
dians, and Suevi, under a leader named Rhodogast,
or Radagaisus, crossed the Danube and made its way
unopposed to Italy. Multitudes of Goths joined
them, till the army numbered not less than two
hundred thousand fighting men.

As the flood of barbarians rushed southward
through Italy, many cities were pillaged or de-
stroyed, and the city of Florence sustained its first
recorded siege. Alaric and his Goths were Chris-
tians. Radagaisus and his Germans were half- savage
pagans. Florence, which had dared oppose them,
was threatened with utter ruin. It was to be re-
duced to stones and ashes, and its noblest senators
were to be sacrificed on the altars of the German
gods. The Florentines, thus threatened, fought
bravely, but they were reduced to the last ex-
tremity before deliverance came.

Stilicho had not been idle during this destructive
raid. By calling troops from the frontiers, by arm-
ing slaves, and by enlisting barbarian allies, he was

THE DOWNFALL OF ROME. 335

at length able to take the field. He led the last
army of Eome, and dared not expose it to the wild
valor of the savage foe. On the contrary, he sur-
rounded their camp with strong lines which defied
their efforts to break through, and waited till star-
vation should force them to surrender.

Florence was relieved. The besiegers were in
their turn besieged. Their bravest warriors were
slain in efforts to break the Eoman lines. Rada-
gaisus surrendered to Stilicho, and was instantly ex-
ecuted. Such of his followers as had not been swept
away by famine and disease were sold as slaves.
The great host disappeared, and Stilicho a second
time won the proud title of Deliverer of Italy.

But the whole army of Radagaisus was not de
stroyed. Half of it had remained in the north.
These were forced by Stilicho to retreat from Italy.
But Gaul lay open to their fury. That great and rich
section of the empire was invaded and frightfully
ravaged, and its conquerors never afterwards left its
fertile fields. The empire of Rome ceased to exist in
the countries beyond the Alps, those great regions
which had been won by the arms of Marius and Csesar.

And now the time had come for Rome to destroy
itself. The mind of the emperor was poisoned
against Stilicho, the sole remaining bulwark of his
power. He had sought to tie the hands of Alaric
with gifts of power and gold, and was accused of
treason by his enemies. The weak Honorius gave
way, and Stilicho was slain. His friends shared his
fate, and the cowardly imbecile who ruled Rome cut
down the only safeguard of his throne.

336 HISTORICAL TALES.

The result was what might have been foreseen.
In a few months after the death of Stilicho, Alaric
was again in Italy, exasperated by the bad faith of
the court, which had promised and not performed.
There was no army and no general to meet him.
City after city was pillaged. Avoiding the strong
walls of Ravenna, behind which the emperor lay
secure, he marched on Eome, led his army under the
stately arches, adorned with the spoils of countless
victories, and pitched his tents beneath the walls of
the imperial city.

Six hundred and nineteen years had passed since
a foreign foe had gazed upon those proud walls,
within which lay the richest and most splendid city
of the world, peopled by a population of more than
a million souls. But Borne was no longer the city
which had defied the hosts of Hannibal, and had sold
at auction, for a fair price, the very ground on which
the great Carthaginian had pitched his tent. Alaric
was not a Hannibal, but much less were the Romans
of his day the Romans of the past.

Instead of striking for the honor of Rome, they
lay and starved within their walls until thousands
had died in houses and streets. No army came to
their relief, and in despair the senate sent delegates
to treat with the king of the Goths.

" We are resolved to maintain the dignity of
Roine, either in peace or war," said the envoys,
with a show of pride and valor. " If you will not
yield us honorable terms, you may sound your
trumpets and prepare to fight with myriads of men
used to arms and with the courage of despair."

THE DOWNFALL OP ROME. 337

"The thicker the hay, tho easier it is mowed,"
answered Alaric, with a loud and insulting laugh.

He then named the terms on which he would re>
treat, — all the gold and silver in the city; all the
rich and precious movables ; all the slaves who were
of barbarian origin.

" If such are your demands," asked the envoys,
now reduced to suppliant tones, " what do you intend
to leave us ?"

"Your lives" said Alaric, in haughty tones.

The envoys retired, trembling with fear.

But Alaric moderated his demands, and was
bought off by the payment of five thousand pounds
of gold, thirty thousand pounds of silver, four thou-
sand robes of silk, three thousand pieces of scarlet
cloth, and three thousand pounds of pepper, then a
costly and favorite spice. The gates were opened,
the hungry multitude was fed, and the Gothic army
marched away, but it left Eome poor.

What followed is too long to tell. Alario treated
for peace with the ministers of the emperor. But
he met with such bad faith and so many insults that
exasperation overcame all his desire for peace, and
once more the army of the Goths marched upon
Rome.

The crime and folly of the court of Honorius at
Ravenna had at last brought about the ruin of the
imperial city. The senate resolved on defence ; but
there were traitors within the walls. At midnight
the Salarian Gate was silently opened, and a chosen
band of barbarians entered the streets. The tre-
mendous sound of the Gothic trumpet aroused the
II. — f w 29

338 HISTORICAL TALES.

sleeping citizens to the fact that all was lost. Eleven
hundred and sixty-three years after the foundation
of Borne, and eight hundred years after its capture
by the Gauls, it had again become the prey of bar-
barians, and the imperial mistress of the world was
delivered to the fury of the German and Gothic
hordes.

Alaric, while permitting his followers to plunder
at discretion, bade them to spare the lives of the un-
resisting ; but thousands of .Romans were slain, and
the forty thousand slaves who had joined his ranks
revenged themselves on their former masters with
pitiless rage. Conflagration added to the horrors,
and fire spread far over the captured city. The
Goths held Eome only for six days, but in that time
depleted it frightfully of its wealth. The costly
furniture, the massive plate, the robes of silk and
purple, were piled without stint into their wagons,
and numerous works of art were wantonly de-
stroyed.

But Alaric and many of his followers were Chris-
tians, and the treasures of the Church escaped. A
Christian Goth broke into the dwelling of an aged
woman, and demanded all the gold and silver she
possessed. To his astonishment, she showed him a
hoard of massive plate, of the most curious work-
manship. As he looked at it with wonder and de-
light, she solemnly said, —

"These are the consecrated vessels belonging to
St. Peter. If you presume to touch them, your con-
science must answer for the sacrilege. For me, I
dare not keep what I am riot able to defend."

THE DOWNFALL OF ROME. 339

The Goth, struck with awe by her words, sent
word to Alaric of what he had found, and received
an order that all this consecrated treasure should be
transported without damage to St. Peter's Church.
A remarkable spectacle, never before seen in a cap-
tured city, followed. From the Quirinal Hill to the
distant Yatican marched a long train of devout Goths,
bearing on their heads the sacred vessels of gold
and silver, and guarded on each side by a detach-
ment of their armed companions, while the martial
shouts of the barbarians mingled with the hymns of
devotees. A crowd of Christians flocked from the
houses to join the procession, and through its shel-
tering aid a multitude of fugitives escaped to the
secure retreat of the Vatican.

Not satisfied with plundering the city, the con-
querors ended by selling its citizens, save those who
could ransom themselves, for slaves. Many of these
were redeemed by the benevolent, but as a result of
the taking of Rome hosts of indigent fugitives were
scattered through the empire, from Italy to Syria.

From this time forward the Western Empire of
Rome was the prey of barbarians. In 451 the Huns
under Attila invaded Gaul, besieged Orleans, and
were defeated at Chalons in the last great victory of
Rome. In the following year Attila invaded Italy,
and Rome was only saved from the worst of horrors
by a large ransom. Three years afterwards, in 455,
an army of Vandals, who had invaded Africa, sailed
to Italy, and Rome was again taken and sacked.
For fourteen days and nights the pillage continued,
and when it ended Rome was stripped bare of

340 HISTORICAL TALES.

treasure ; the Christian churches, which had been
spared by the Goths, being mercilessly plundered by
these heathen conquerors.

A few 3'ears more and the Western Empire of
Borne came to an end. In the year 476 or 479,
Augustulus, the last emperor, was forced to resign,
and Odoacer, a barbarian chief, assumed the title of
King of Italy. As for the Eastern Empire, it main-
tained a half-life for nearly a thousand years after,
Constantinople being finally taken by the Turks, and
made the capital of Turkey, in 1453.

THE END.

l P "™ "''"' o QV1 4