valley between two steep mountains. All at once a thou-sand sav-age
men sprang out from among the rocks before us and above us. They had
blocked up the way; and the pass was so narrow that we could not
fight. We tried to come back; but they had blocked up the way on this
side of us too. The fierce men of the mountains were before us and
behind us, and they were throwing rocks down upon us from above. We
had been caught in a trap. Then ten of us set spurs to our horses; and
five of us forced our way through, but the other five fell before the
spears of the mountain men. And now, O Roman Fathers! send help to our
army at once, or every man will be slain, and our city will be taken."
"What shall we do?" said the white-haired Fathers. "Whom can we send
but the guards and the boys? and who is wise enough to lead them, and
thus save Rome?"
All shook their heads and were very grave; for it seemed as if there
was no hope. Then one said, "Send for Cincinnatus. He will help us."
Cincinnatus was in the field plowing when the men who had been sent to
him came in great haste. He stopped and greeted them kindly, and
waited for them to speak.
"Put on your cloak, Cincinnatus," they said, "and hear the words of
the Roman people."
Then Cincinnatus wondered what they could mean. "Is all well with
Rome?" he asked; and he called to his wife to bring him his cloak.
She brought the cloak; and Cincinnatus wiped the dust from his hands
and arms, and threw it over his shoulders. Then the men told their
errand.
They told him how the army with all the noblest men of Rome had been
en-trapped in the mountain pass. They told him about the great danger
the city was in. Then they said, "The people of Rome make you their
ruler and the ruler of their city, to do with everything as you
choose; and the Fathers bid you come at once and go out against our
enemies, the fierce men of the mountains."
[Illustration]
So Cincinnatus left his plow standing where it was, and hurried to the
city. When he passed through the streets, and gave orders as to what
should be done, some of the people were afraid, for they knew that he
had all power in Rome to do what he pleased. But he armed the guards
and the boys, and went out at their head to fight the fierce mountain
men, and free the Roman army from the trap into which it had fallen.
A few days afterward there was great joy in Rome. There was good news
from Cincinnatus. The men of the mountains had been beaten with great
loss. They had been driven back into their own place.
And now the Roman army, with the boys and the guards, was coming home
with banners flying, and shouts of vic-to-ry; and at their head rode
Cincinnatus. He had saved Rome.
Cincinnatus might then have made himself king; for his word was law,
and no man dared lift a finger against him. But, before the people
could thank him enough for what he had done, he gave back the power to
the white-haired Roman Fathers, and went again to his little farm and
his plow.
He had been the ruler of Rome for sixteen days.
THE STORY OF REGULUS.
On the other side of the sea from Rome there was once a great city
named Car-thage. The Roman people were never very friendly to the
people of Car-thage, and at last a war began between them. For a long
time it was hard to tell which would prove the stronger. First the
Romans would gain a battle, and then the men of Car-thage would gain a
battle; and so the war went on for many years.
Among the Romans there was a brave gen-er-al named Reg´u-lus,--a man
of whom it was said that he never broke his word. It so happened after
a while, that Reg-u-lus was taken pris-on-er and carried to Carthage.
Ill and very lonely, he dreamed of his wife and little children so far
away beyond the sea; and he had but little hope of ever seeing them
again. He loved his home dearly, but he believed that his first duty
was to his country; and so he had left all, to fight in this cruel
war.
He had lost a battle, it is true, and had been taken prisoner. Yet he
knew that the Romans were gaining ground, and the people of Carthage
were afraid of being beaten in the end. They had sent into other
countries to hire soldiers to help them; but even with these they
would not be able to fight much longer against Rome.
One day some of the rulers of Carthage came to the prison to talk with
Regulus.
"We should like to make peace with the Roman people," they said, "and
we are sure, that, if your rulers at home knew how the war is going,
they would be glad to make peace with us. We will set you free and let
you go home, if you will agree to do as we say."
"What is that?" asked Regulus.
"In the first place," they said, "you must tell the Romans about the
battles which you have lost, and you must make it plain to them that
they have not gained any-thing by the war. In the second place, you
must promise us, that, if they will not make peace, you will come back
to your prison."
"Very well," said Regulus, "I promise you, that, if they will not make
peace, I will come back to prison."
And so they let him go; for they knew that a great Roman would keep
his word.
When he came to Rome, all the people greeted him gladly. His wife and
children were very happy, for they thought that now they would not be
parted again. The white-haired Fathers who made the laws for the city
came to see him. They asked him about the war.
"I was sent from Carthage to ask you to make peace," he said. "But it
will not be wise to make peace. True, we have been beaten in a few
battles, but our army is gaining ground every day. The people of
Carthage are afraid, and well they may be. Keep on with the war a
little while longer, and Carthage shall be yours. As for me, I have
come to bid my wife and children and Rome fare-well. To-morrow I will
start back to Carthage and to prison; for I have promised."
Then the Fathers tried to persuade him to stay.
"Let us send another man in your place," they said.
"Shall a Roman not keep his word?" answered Regulus. "I am ill, and at
the best have not long to live. I will go back, as I promised."
His wife and little children wept, and his sons begged him not to
leave them again.
"I have given my word," said Regulus. "The rest will be taken care
of."
Then he bade them good-by, and went bravely back to the prison and the
cruel death which he ex-pect-ed.
This was the kind of courage that made Rome the greatest city in the
world.
CORNELIA'S JEWELS.
It was a bright morning in the old city of Rome many hundred years
ago. In a vine-covered summer-house in a beautiful garden, two boys
were standing. They were looking at their mother and her friend, who
were walking among the flowers and trees.
"Did you ever see so handsome a lady as our mother's friend?" asked
the younger boy, holding his tall brother's hand. "She looks like a
queen."
"Yet she is not so beautiful as our mother," said the elder boy. "She
has a fine dress, it is true; but her face is not noble and kind. It
is our mother who is like a queen."
"That is true," said the other. "There is no woman in Rome so much
like a queen as our own dear mother."
Soon Cor-ne´li-a, their mother, came down the walk to speak with them.
She was simply dressed in a plain white robe. Her arms and feet were
bare, as was the custom in those days; and no rings nor chains
glit-tered about her hands and neck. For her only crown, long braids
of soft brown hair were coiled about her head; and a tender smile lit
up her noble face as she looked into her sons' proud eyes.
"Boys," she said, "I have something to tell you."
They bowed before her, as Roman lads were taught to do, and said,
"What is it, mother?"
"You are to dine with us to-day, here in the garden; and then our
friend is going to show us that wonderful casket of jewels of which
you have heard so much."
The brothers looked shyly at their mother's friend. Was it possible
that she had still other rings besides those on her fingers? Could she
have other gems besides those which sparkled in the chains about her
neck?
When the simple out-door meal was over, a servant brought the casket
from the house. The lady opened it. Ah, how those jewels dazzled the
eyes of the wondering boys! There were ropes of pearls, white as milk,
and smooth as satin; heaps of shining rubies, red as the glowing
coals; sap-phires as blue as the sky that summer day; and di-a-monds
that flashed and sparkled like the sunlight.
The brothers looked long at the gems.
"Ah!" whis-pered the younger; "if our mother could only have such
beautiful things!"
At last, how-ever, the casket was closed and carried care-ful-ly away.
"Is it true, Cor-ne-li-a, that you have no jewels?" asked her friend.
"Is it true, as I have heard it whis-pered, that you are poor?"
"No, I am not poor," answered Cornelia, and as she spoke she drew her
two boys to her side; "for here are my jewels. They are worth more
than all your gems."
I am sure that the boys never forgot their mother's pride and love and
care; and in after years, when they had become great men in Rome, they
often thought of this scene in the garden. And the world still likes
to hear the story of Cornelia's jewels.
ANDROCLUS AND THE LION.
In Rome there was once a poor slave whose name was An´dro-clus. His
master was a cruel man, and so unkind to him that at last An-dro-clus
ran away.
He hid himself in a wild wood for many days; but there was no food to
be found, and he grew so weak and sick that he thought he should die.
So one day he crept into a cave and lay down, and soon he was fast
asleep.
After a while a great noise woke him up. A lion had come into the
cave, and was roaring loudly. Androclus was very much afraid, for he
felt sure that the beast would kill him. Soon, however, he saw that
the lion was not angry, but that he limped as though his foot hurt
him.
Then Androclus grew so bold that he took hold of the lion's lame paw
to see what was the matter. The lion stood quite still, and rubbed his
head against the man's shoulder. He seemed to say,--
"I know that you will help me."
Androclus lifted the paw from the ground, and saw that it was a long,
sharp thorn which hurt the lion so much. He took the end of the thorn
in his fingers; then he gave a strong, quick pull, and out it came.
The lion was full of joy. He jumped about like a dog, and licked the
hands and feet of his new friend.
Androclus was not at all afraid after this; and when night came, he
and the lion lay down and slept side by side.
For a long time, the lion brought food to Androclus every day; and the
two became such good friends, that Androclus found his new life a very
happy one.
One day some soldiers who were passing through the wood found
Androclus in the cave. They knew who he was, and so took him back to
Rome.
It was the law at that time that every slave who ran away from his
master should be made to fight a hungry lion. So a fierce lion was
shut up for a while without food, and a time was set for the fight.
When the day came, thousands of people crowded to see the sport. They
went to such places at that time very much as people now-a-days go to
see a circus show or a game of base-ball.
The door opened, and poor Androclus was brought in. He was almost dead
with fear, for the roars of the lion could al-read-y be heard. He
looked up, and saw that there was no pity in the thou-sands of faces
around him.
Then the hungry lion rushed in. With a single bound he reached the
poor slave. Androclus gave a great cry, not of fear, but of gladness.
It was his old friend, the lion of the cave.
The people, who had ex-pect-ed to see the man killed by the lion, were
filled with wonder. They saw Androclus put his arms around the lion's
neck; they saw the lion lie down at his feet, and lick them
lov-ing-ly; they saw the great beast rub his head against the slave's
face as though he wanted to be petted. They could not un-der-stand
what it all meant.
[Illustration: Androclus and the Lion.]
After a while they asked Androclus to tell them about it. So he
stood up before them, and, with his arm around the lion's neck, told
how he and the beast had lived together in the cave.
"I am a man," he said; "but no man has ever befriended me. This poor
lion alone has been kind to me; and we love each other as brothers."
The people were not so bad that they could be cruel to the poor slave
now. "Live and be free!" they cried. "Live and be free!"
Others cried, "Let the lion go free too! Give both of them their
liberty!"
And so Androclus was set free, and the lion was given to him for his
own. And they lived together in Rome for many years.
HORATIUS AT THE BRIDGE.
Once there was a war between the Roman people and the E-trus´cans who
lived in the towns on the other side of the Ti-ber River. Por´se-na,
the King of the E-trus-cans, raised a great army, and marched toward
Rome. The city had never been in so great danger.
The Romans did not have very many fighting men at that time, and they
knew that they were not strong enough to meet the Etruscans in open
battle. So they kept themselves inside of their walls, and set guards
to watch the roads.
One morning the army of Por-se-na was seen coming over the hills from
the north. There were thousands of horsemen and footmen, and they were
marching straight toward the wooden bridge which spanned the river at
Rome.
"What shall we do?" said the white-haired Fathers who made the laws
for the Roman people. "If they once gain the bridge, we cannot hinder
them from crossing; and then what hope will there be for the town?"
Now, among the guards at the bridge, there was a brave man named
Ho-ra´ti-us. He was on the farther side of the river, and when he saw
that the Etruscans were so near, he called out to the Romans who were
behind him.
"Hew down the bridge with all the speed that you can!" he cried. "I,
with the two men who stand by me, will keep the foe at bay."
Then, with their shields before them, and their long spears in their
hands, the three brave men stood in the road, and kept back the
horsemen whom Porsena had sent to take the bridge.
On the bridge the Romans hewed away at the beams and posts. Their axes
rang, the chips flew fast; and soon it trembled, and was ready to
fall.
"Come back! come back, and save your lives!" they cried to Ho-ra-ti-us
and the two who were with him.
But just then Porsena's horsemen dashed toward them again.
"Run for your lives!" said Horatius to his friends. "I will keep the
road."
They turned, and ran back across the bridge. They had hardly reached
the other side when there was a crashing of beams and timbers. The
bridge toppled over to one side, and then fell with a great splash
into the water.
When Horatius heard the sound, he knew that the city was safe. With
his face still toward Porsena's men, he moved slowly back-ward till he
stood on the river's bank. A dart thrown by one of Porsena's soldiers
put out his left eye; but he did not falter. He cast his spear at the
fore-most horseman, and then he turned quickly around. He saw the
white porch of his own home among the trees on the other side of the
stream;
"And he spake to the noble river
That rolls by the walls of Rome:
'O Tiber! father Tiber!
To whom the Romans pray,
A Roman's life, a Roman's arms,
Take thou in charge to-day.'"
He leaped into the deep, swift stream. He still had his heavy armor
on; and when he sank out of sight, no one thought that he would ever
be seen again. But he was a strong man, and the best swimmer in Rome.
The next minute he rose. He was half-way across the river, and safe
from the spears and darts which Porsena's soldiers hurled after him.
Soon he reached the farther side, where his friends stood ready to
help him. Shout after shout greeted him as he climbed upon the bank.
Then Porsena's men shouted also, for they had never seen a man so
brave and strong as Horatius. He had kept them out of Rome, but he had
done a deed which they could not help but praise.
As for the Romans, they were very grateful to Horatius for having
saved their city. They called him Horatius Co´cles, which meant the
"one-eyed Horatius," because he had lost an eye in defending the
bridge; they caused a fine statue of brass to be made in his honor;
and they gave him as much land as he could plow around in a day. And
for hundreds of years afterwards--
"With weeping and with laugh-ter,
Still was the story told,
How well Horatius kept the bridge
In the brave days of old."
JULIUS CÆSAR.
Nearly two thousand years ago there lived in Rome a man whose name was
Julius Cæ´sar. He was the greatest of all the Romans.
Why was he so great?
He was a brave warrior, and had con-quered many countries for Rome. He
was wise in planning and in doing. He knew how to make men both love
and fear him.
At last he made himself the ruler of Rome. Some said that he wished to
become its king. But the Romans at that time did not believe in kings.
Once when Cæ-sar was passing through a little country village, all the
men, women, and children of the place came out to see him. There were
not more than fifty of them, all together, and they were led by their
may-or, who told each one what to do.
These simple people stood by the roadside and watched Cæsar pass. The
may-or looked very proud and happy; for was he not the ruler of this
village? He felt that he was almost as great a man as Cæsar himself.
Some of the fine of-fi-cers who were with Cæsar laughed. They said,
"See how that fellow struts at the head of his little flock!"
"Laugh as you will," said Cæsar, "he has reason to be proud. I would
rather be the head man of a village than the second man in Rome!"
At an-oth-er time, Cæsar was crossing a narrow sea in a boat. Before
he was halfway to the farther shore, a storm overtook him. The wind
blew hard; the waves dashed high; the lightning flashed; the thunder
rolled.
It seemed every minute as though the boat would sink. The captain was
in great fright. He had crossed the sea many times, but never in such
a storm as this. He trembled with fear; he could not guide the boat;
he fell down upon his knees; he moaned, "All is lost! all is lost!"
But Cæsar was not afraid. He bade the man get up and take his oars
again.
"Why should you be afraid?" he said. "The boat will not be lost; for
you have Cæsar on board."
THE SWORD OF DAMOCLES.
There was once a king whose name was Di-o-nys´i-us. He was so unjust
and cruel that he won for himself the name of tyrant. He knew that
almost everybody hated him, and so he was always in dread lest some
one should take his life.
But he was very rich, and he lived in a fine palace where there were
many beautiful and costly things, and he was waited upon by a host of
servants who were always ready to do his bidding. One day a friend of
his, whose name was Dam´o-cles, said to him,--
"How happy you must be! You have here everything that any man could
wish."
"Perhaps you would like to change places with me," said the tyrant.
"No, not that, O king!" said Dam-o-cles; "but I think, that, if I
could only have your riches and your pleas-ures for one day, I should
not want any greater hap-pi-ness."
"Very well," said the tyrant. "You shall have them."
And so, the next day, Damocles was led into the palace, and all the
servants were bidden to treat him as their master. He sat down at a
table in the banquet hall, and rich foods were placed before him.
Nothing was wanting that could give him pleasure. There were costly
wines, and beautiful flowers, and rare perfumes, and de-light-ful
music. He rested himself among soft cushions, and felt that he was the
happiest man in all the world.
[Illustration: The Sword of Damocles.]
Then he chanced to raise his eyes toward the ceiling. What was it that
was dangling above him, with its point almost touching his head? It
was a sharp sword, and it was hung by only a single horse-hair. What
if the hair should break? There was danger every moment that it would
do so.
The smile faded from the lips of Damocles. His face became ashy pale.
His hands trembled. He wanted no more food; he could drink no more
wine; he took no more delight in the music. He longed to be out of the
palace, and away, he cared not where.
"What is the matter?" said the tyrant.
"That sword! that sword!" cried Damocles. He was so badly frightened
that he dared not move.
"Yes," said Di-o-nys-i-us, "I know there is a sword above your head,
and that it may fall at any moment. But why should that trouble you? I
have a sword over my head all the time. I am every moment in dread
lest something may cause me to lose my life."
"Let me go," said Damocles. "I now see that I was mis-tak-en, and that
the rich and pow-er-ful are not so happy as they seem. Let me go back
to my old home in the poor little cot-tage among the mountains."
And so long as he lived, he never again wanted to be rich, or to
change places, even for a moment, with the king.
DAMON AND PYTHIAS.
A young man whose name was Pyth´i-as had done something which the
tyrant Dionysius did not like. For this offense he was dragged to
prison, and a day was set when he should be put to death. His home was
far away, and he wanted very much to see his father and mother and
friends before he died.
"Only give me leave to go home and say good-by to those whom I love,"
he said, "and then I will come back and give up my life."
The tyrant laughed at him.
"How can I know that you will keep your promise?" he said. "You only
want to cheat me, and save your-self."
Then a young man whose name was Da-mon spoke and said,--
"O king! put me in prison in place of my friend Pyth-i-as, and let him
go to his own country to put his affairs in order, and to bid his
friends fare-well. I know that he will come back as he promised, for
he is a man who has never broken his word. But if he is not here on
the day which you have set, then I will die in his stead."
The tyrant was sur-prised that anybody should make such an offer. He
at last agreed to let Pythias go, and gave orders that the young man
Da-mon should be shut up in prison.
Time passed, and by and by the day drew near which had been set for
Pythias to die; and he had not come back. The tyrant ordered the
jailer to keep close watch upon Damon, and not let him escape. But
Damon did not try to escape. He still had faith in the truth and honor
of his friend. He said, "If Pythias does not come back in time, it
will not be his fault. It will be because he is hin-dered against his
will."
At last the day came, and then the very hour. Damon was ready to die.
His trust in his friend was as firm as ever; and he said that he did
not grieve at having to suffer for one whom he loved so much.
Then the jailer came to lead him to his death; but at the same moment
Pythias stood in the door. He had been de-layed by storms and
ship-wreck, and he had feared that he was too late. He greeted Damon
kindly, and then gave himself into the hands of the jailer. He was
happy because he thought that he had come in time, even though it was
at the last moment.
The tyrant was not so bad but that he could see good in others. He
felt that men who loved and trusted each other, as did Damon and
Pythias, ought not to suffer un-just-ly. And so he set them both
free.
"I would give all my wealth to have one such friend," he said.
A LACONIC ANSWER.
Many miles beyond Rome there was a famous country which we call
Greece. The people of Greece were not u-nit-ed like the Romans; but
instead there were sev-er-al states, each of which had its own rulers.
Some of the people in the southern part of the country were called
Spar-tans, and they were noted for their simple habits and their
brav-er-y. The name of their land was La-co´ni-a, and so they were
sometimes called La-cons.
One of the strange rules which the Spartans had, was that they should
speak briefly, and never use more words than were needed. And so a
short answer is often spoken of as being _la-con-ic_; that is, as
being such an answer as a Lacon would be likely to give.
There was in the northern part of Greece a land called Mac´e-don; and
this land was at one time ruled over by a war-like king named Philip.
Philip of Mac-e-don wanted to become the master of all Greece. So he
raised a great army, and made war upon the other states, until nearly
all of them were forced to call him their king. Then he sent a letter
to the Spartans in La-co-ni-a, and said, "If I go down into your
country, I will level your great city to the ground."
In a few days, an answer was brought back to him. When he opened the
letter, he found only one word written there.
That word was "IF."
It was as much as to say, "We are not afraid of you so long as the
little word 'if' stands in your way."
THE UNGRATEFUL GUEST.
Among the soldiers of King Philip there was a poor man who had done
some brave deeds. He had pleased the king in more ways than one, and
so the king put a good deal of trust in him.