When Regulus was sent by the Carthaginians, whose prisoner he was,
to Rome, with a convoy of ambassadors to sue for peace, it was on
condition that he should return to his prison if peace was not
effected. He took an oath to do so. When he appeared at Rome he urged
the senators to persevere in the war and not to agree to the exchange
of prisoners. That advice involved his return to captivity. The
senators, and even the chief priest, held that as his oath was wrested
from him by force, he was not bound to go. “Have you resolved to
dishonor me?” asked Regulus. “I am not ignorant that tortures and death
are preparing for me; but what are these to the shame of an infamous
action, or the wounds of a guilty mind? Slave as I am to Carthage, I
have still the spirit of a Roman. I have sworn to return. It is my
duty to go. Let the gods take care of the rest.” Regulus accordingly
returned to Carthage and was tortured to death.
(1433)
* * * * *
If one is possest of a delicate sense of honor it is not necessary to
bind him with promises to keep personal matters confidential:
A New England school-teacher maintained an intimate friendship
and spent much time with the poet Tennyson during his later
years. One evening, when the two were thus together, Tennyson
said that he would depart from his custom and narrate a personal
experience; but he had suffered a good deal from repetitions of
his tales by those to whom he had told them, and he would be
obliged to ask his friend never to repeat what he was about to
hear.
The American smoked on for a few seconds while Tennyson waited
for the promise, and then he said, “My lord, in my country a
gentleman would never make that request of another gentleman.”
“H-h-m!” said the poet, and looked out of eyes that wondered if
the quiet smoker opposite knew how much he’d said. Then he told
the story.--_Harper’s Weekly._
(1434)
See MONEY NO TEMPTATION.