 Preface to Famous Men of Rome The study of history, like the study of a landscape, should begin with the most conspicuous features. Not until these have been fixed in memory will the lesser features fall into their appropriate places and assume their right proportions. In order to attract and hold the child's attention, each conspicuous feature of history presented to him should have an individual for its center. The child identifies himself with the personage presented. It is not Romulus or Hercules or Caesar or Alexander that the child has in mind when he reads, but himself acting under the prescribed conditions. Prominent educators appreciating these truths have long recognized the value of biography as a preparation for the study of history and have given it an important place in their scheme of studies. The former practice in many elementary schools of beginning the detailed study of American history without any previous knowledge of general history limited the pupil's range of vision, restricted his sympathies, and left him without material for comparisons. Moreover, it denied to him a knowledge of his inheritance from the Greek philosopher, the Roman law giver, the Teutonic lover of freedom. Hence the recommendation so strongly urged in the report of the committee of 10 and emphasized also in the report of the committee of 15 that the study of Greek, Roman, and modern European history in the form of biography should precede the study of detailed American history in our elementary schools. The committee of 10 recommends an eight years course in history beginning with the fifth year in school and continuing to the end of the high school course. The first two years of this course are given holy to the study of biography and mythology. The committee of 15 recommends that history be taught in all the grades of the elementary school and emphasizes the value of biography and of general history. The series of historical stories to which this volume belongs was prepared in conformity with the foregoing recommendations and with the best practice of leading schools. Teachers often find it impractical to give the study of mythology and biography a place of its own in an already overcrowded curriculum. In such cases they prefer to correlate history with reading and for this purpose the volumes of this series supply most desirable textbooks. It has been the aim of the authors to make an interesting story of each man's life and to tell these stories in such a style so simple that pupils in the lower grades will read them with pleasure and so dignified that they may be used with profit as textbooks for reading. The value of the illustrations can scarcely be overestimated. They will be found to surpass in number and excellence anything here to foreoffered in a school book. For the most part they are reproductions of world famous pictures and for that reason the artist's names are generally affixed. End of Preface Chapter 1 A Famous Men of Rome This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Famous Men of Rome by John H. Horan and A. B. Poland Chapter 1 Romulus Part 1 Many, many years ago in the pleasant land of Italy there was a little city called Alba. It stood on the sunny side of a mountain near the river Tiber and not far from the Mediterranean Sea. In this city and around the mountain lived a brave intelligent people known as Latins. Several other tribes inhabited the adjacent mountains and plains. The Latins were ruled by kings and one of their kings in very early times was named Aeneas. He was a famous Trojan chief who had come over the seas to Italy and settled there with his family and friends after Troy was destroyed by the Greeks. A great many years after the death of Aeneas one of his descendants named Procus was king of Alba. He ruled wisely and well for a long time and his rather small kingdom on the mountainside with its wheat fields and vineyards was very prosperous. He had two sons, one named Numeter and the other Amulius. As Numeter was the elder he was heir to his father's throne. But when king Procus died Amulius seized the kingdom by force and made himself king. Then Numeter with his two children a boy and a girl left the king's palace at Alba and went to reside on a farm a short distance away. Part 2 Amulius was now king but he did not feel quite happy. He was much troubled about Numeter's son and daughter. The son, he thought, might someday claim the right to be king as heir of his father or the daughter might marry and have a son who could become king as grandchild of Numeter. To prevent either of these things from happening Amulius had Numeter's son secretly put to death and he appointed the daughter Sylvia to be a priestess or an attendant in the temple of the goddess Vesta. Only young girls were appointed attendants in this temple and they had to take a vow that they would not marry for thirty years. They were called Vestal Virgins. It was their duty to keep a fire burning continually on the altar of the goddess. This was called the Sacred Fire and it was believed that if it went out some great disaster would happen to the city. Amulius now thought there was nothing to hinder him from being king of Alba all his life. But one day the god of Mars came down to the city from his palace on a high mountaintop and saw Sylvia as she went out to the temple to get water at a well. He fell deeply in love with her. She also fell in love with the god for he had the appearance of a handsome young man. They were married secretly and in course of time Sylvia had beautiful twin boys. When Amulius heard of this he gave orders that Sylvia should be put to death for breaking her vow and that the two infants should be thrown into the tiber. These wicked orders were carried out for no one dared to disobey the king. Fortunately, however, the babes had been placed in a stout basket which floated along the tiber until it was carried by the waters to the foot of a hill called Palatine Hill. Here the huge roots of a wild fig tree upset the basket and the little ones were thrown out upon the river bank. At this moment a great she-wolf came strolling down the hill to drink at the river's edge. She heard the feeble cries of the infants and went to the place where they lay helpless on the wet sands. She touched them gently with her rough paws, turned them over and licked their faces and plump bodies. Perhaps she thought they were some of her own cubs. At any rate, she carried the babes up the hill to her cave under a large rock. There she fed them as she fed her own cubs and seemed pleased to have them near her. It is said that a woodpecker flew in and out of the cave many times a day, bringing berries for the boys to eat. One morning as Faustulus, the herdsman of King Amulius, was going over Palatine Hill, looking for cattle that had gone astray. He saw the boys playing with the wolf at the mouth of her cave. He frightened the wolf away and took the boys to his home. His wife pitted the little foundlings and cared for them as though they were her own children. The herdsman named them Romulus and Remus. They grew up to be strong, handsome youth, brave and kind. Until they were twenty years old, they lived with the herdsman and helped him in his work, and roamed over the hills light-hearted and free. During all those years Numenor lived on his farm, and his brother Amulius remained king of Abba. Numenor did not know that his two grandsons had been saved from a watery grave and were living so near to him. But one day Remus had a quarrel with one of the herdsmen of Numenor, and they took him prisoner. They then brought him before Numenor, who was much impressed with the noble appearance of the youth, and asked him who he was. Remus told all he knew about himself and Romulus, how they had been found at the cave of the she-wolf, and had been reared by the king's herdsman. Just then Faustulus and Romulus came searching for Remus and were full of joy when they found that no harm had come to him. Numenor questioned the herdsman about the finding of the twins, and after hearing his story was convinced that Romulus and Remus were Sylvia's boys, who had been strangely saved from the wrath of their cruel uncle. He was very happy at finding his grandsons, and he thanked the herdsmen for his good care of them. Romulus and Remus were also very happy at finding a grandfather and at the sudden change of their fortune. When they were told about Amulius and his wicked deeds, they resolved to punish him for the murder of their mother. So with a few followers they rushed to the palace at Alba and entered the king's chamber. Behold, we are Sylvia's sons whom you thought you had killed. They shouted to Amulius as he started up an alarm at their appearance. You killed our mother, and you shall die for it. Before he could utter a word, they sprang on him with drawn swords and cut his head off. Then they brought Numenor to the palace, and the people welcomed him as the rightful king of Alba. After a little time the two brothers thought they would build a city on Palatine Hill, where the she-wolf had nursed them. So they went to the hill and selected a site. Then they began to talk of a name for their city. I will be king and give the new city my name, said Romulus. No, cried Remus. I will be the king and name the city after myself. I have just as much right as you have. So the brothers argued for a while, but at last they agreed to settle the matter in this way. At midnight Romulus was to stand on Palatine Hill, and Remus was to stand on another hill a short distance off. Then they were to ask the gods to show them a sign of favor in the sky, and the first who should see anything very remarkable was to name the new city and be its king. So they went to watch, but nothing appeared until sunrise of the second day, when Remus saw six great vultures flying across the sky from north to south. He ran swiftly to Palatine Hill and told Romulus of what he had seen, but just then twelve vultures, one after another, flew high over the head of Romulus in an almost unbroken line and were soon lost to view. Then Romulus claimed that he had the favor of the gods as more birds had appeared to him, but Remus claimed that the gods favored him as the birds had appeared to him first. Romulus asked the opinion of some of his friends, and as they all agreed that he was right in his claim he paid no further attention to Remus, but began to lay out the new city. He gave it the name of Roma, or Rome, after himself. With a plow he marked out the space on Palatine Hill and along the banks of the Tiber, and he built a low wall round about to protect the city from invaders. One day while the work was going on, Remus came by in a very bitter mood. He was still angry with Romulus. He laughed scornfully at the little wall and said to his brother, Shall such a defense as this keep your city? It may prevent children from getting in, but not men, for they can jump over it. So saying, Remus put his hands on the wall and sprang over it to show that his words were true. Romulus, in a sudden outburst of rage, struck him on the head with a spade and instantly killed him, at the same time crying out, So perish any one who shall hear after attempt to leap over my wall. Then Romulus continued his work. While he was building his wall he also built some houses. The first houses were nothing more than wood huts covered with mud and straw. But in course of time the Romans had houses of stone, and they built fine temples and theaters and streets and squares, and at last Rome became the greatest and grandest city in the whole world. Part 4 Romulus founded Rome in the year 753 B.C. After he had built his city he had some difficulty in getting people to live in it. He had only a few followers and was not able to obtain any more. He decided therefore to make Rome a place of refuge to which people who had got into trouble in other countries might come for safety. And so when those who had committed crime in other places and had to flee to escape punishment, found out that Romulus would give them a refuge, they came in large numbers to his city. People also came who had been driven from home by enemies, or had run away for one reason or another. It was not long therefore until Rome was full of men. There were men from many different tribes and countries. Thus the Roman nation began, and for years it steadily grew and prospered. But the Romans were much troubled about one thing. A great many of them had no wives, and they could not get any because the women of the neighboring tribes would not marry them, for the Romans had a bad name. Romulus was very anxious that his people should have good wives, but how they should get them greatly puzzled him for a long time. At last he hit upon a plan and began at once to carry it out. He sent messengers to the cities all around to announce that on a certain day a great festival in honor of the God Jupiter would be held on the plain in front of Rome. There were to be games, combats, horse racing, and other sports. The people were invited to attend the festival and also to take part in the contest for prizes. When the festival day came, a multitude of men and women from far and near assembled before the walls of Rome. Hundreds of pretty girls were there in fine dresses. A great many came from the Sabine tribe. This was a tribe of warriors that lived on a mountain near Rome. Suddenly Romulus blew a loud blast upon a horn. Then quick as a flash, the Romans seized the girls and bore them off to Rome. The Sabines were greatly enraged at this, and their king, Titus Tashus, raised a large army and at once began a war against the Romans. The war went on for three years, but the Sabines were so strong that Romulus could not defeat them in the field. He therefore withdrew his army into the city. King Tashus quickly marched after him, resolved to take Rome or perish in the attempt. Now Romulus had erected a strong fortress on a hill near the Palatine to keep invaders from Rome. The hill was called the Sachernian Hill, and the fortress was in charge of a brave Roman captain who had a daughter named Tarpia. When the Sabines reached this fortress they could go no further. They marched up and down seeking for a spot where they might force an entrance, but they could find none. There was a small barred gate in the fortress, and through this gate Tarpia came out to get water. King Tashus saw her. He at once stepped forward and said, Fair Maiden, open the gate and let us in. If you do, you shall have for your reward anything you ask. Tarpia was gazing with admiration at the bracelets of gold which the Sabines wore on their arms. I will open the gate, she said. If you'll give me some of those things which your soldiers wear upon their arms. King Tashus agreed, and Tarpia opened the gate. As the Sabines rode past the silly Maiden, each threw at her, not his bracelet, but his shield. The shield, then used, was round or oblong and made of bronze, or of wicker work or oxide covered with metal plates. It had two handles at the back, and the soldier held it with his left hand and arm so that he could move it up or down to save his head or breast from blows. Tarpia stood in amazement as the heavy shields began to pile up around her. One struck her, and then another and another. At last she fell to the ground and was soon crushed to death. When the soldiers saw that Tarpia was dead they took up the shields they had thrown at her. Then they hurled her body from the top of a great rock that was near the gate she had opened. The rock was afterwards known as the Tarpian Rock, and for hundreds of years the punishment for traders in Rome was to be thrown from this rock. As soon as they passed the fortress the Sabines ran down the Ceturnian hill to make an attack on Rome, but Romulus and his band of warriors bravely came out of the city to drive back the enemy. The two forces met in the valley and then a fierce battle began. But while they were fighting a crowd of excited women came running from the city. They were the Sabine women whom the Romans had carried off. Some of them had their infants in their arms and they rushed between the lines of soldiers and begged that the fight should stop. Do not fight any more for us, they said to their fathers and brothers. We love the Romans we have married. They have been good to us and we do not wish to leave them. Of course this settled the matter. Romulus had a talk with King Tashus and they agreed not to fight any more. They also agreed that the two nations should be as one. They joined their governments and their armies and each of the kings had equal power. Soon afterwards King Tashus died, then Romulus ruled alone for nearly forty years. He was a wise and just king and did a great deal of good for his people. He established a body called the Senate to help him in important affairs of government. It was called the Senate from Senex, the Latin word for an old man. It was formed of the chiefs or old men of the earliest settlers in Rome. The descendants of those settlers were called patricians or fathers from the Latin word Pater, a father. They were the nobles or upper class in Rome. The ordinary citizens were called plebeians from Plebs, the Latin word for the common people. Romulus took care to train up the young Romans to be good soldiers. Outside the city along the bank of the Tiber there was a great plain which in later times was called Campus Martius or Field of Mars. Here the Roman soldiers were drilled. They were taught how to use the spear and the javelin and the sword and the shield. They were also exercised in running and jumping and wrestling and swimming and carrying heavy loads. Thus the young men were made fit to bear the hardships of war and to fight and win battles for their country. It is related that in his old age Romulus suddenly disappeared from the earth. He called his people together on a great field one day and while he was speaking to them a violent storm came on. The rain fell in torrents and the lightning and thunder were so terrible that the people fled to their homes. When the storm was over the people went back to the field but Romulus was nowhere to be found. Then it was said that his father, the God of Mars, had taken him up to the clouds in a golden chariot. Next morning at early dawn a Roman citizen named Julius saw a figure descending from the heavens. It had the appearance of Romulus and it approached Julius and said, Go and tell my people that it is the will of the gods that Rome shall be the greatest city of the world. Let them be brave and warlike and no human power shall be able to conquer them. Afterwards the Romans worshipped Romulus as a god. They worshipped him under the name Quirinus which was one of the names of the god Mars and they built a temple to him on a hill which was called the Quirinal Hill. And of Chapter 1 Chapter 2 of The Famous Men of Rome This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Jason Mayoff Famous Men of Rome by John H. Haran and A. B. Poland Chapter 2. Numa Pompeilius One For a year after the disappearance of Romulus there was no king of Rome. The city was ruled by the Senate but the people were not satisfied. They preferred to be ruled by one man and though they had the right to elect a king themselves they left the choice to the Senate. The Senate chose Numa Pompeilius, a very good and wise man who belonged to the nation of the Sabines. The first thing that Numa did after learning that he had been chosen king was to consult the augers to find out if it was the will of the gods that he should be the ruler of Rome. The augers were what we should call fortune tellers. A number of them lived in Rome. They were much respected and occupied a large temple at the expense of the public. They pretended that by watching the sky and observing how birds and animals acted they could tell what would happen to people and to nations. Then when they were alone they would have a great deal of fun over the tricks they played upon the foolish people. Numa made many important changes at the very beginning of his rule. Before he came to the throne Roman young men were brought up to no business but war. It was considered disgraceful for a Roman citizen whether rich or poor to work at any trade or manufacture. Slaves who were persons taken prisoners in wars did all the hard work. They made all the clothing, tools, arms and household articles. They cooked and served the meals and were general servants for the Roman families. Roman citizens might however without being degraded work on farms and vineyards and many of them made their living in this way. Shortly after King Numa began his reign he divided some of the public lands into small farms and gave one of these farms to every poor Roman. The public lands were lands that belonged to the nation and not to private persons. It was rather hard at first for the Numaid farmers to be contented on their farms and to do good work. They were mostly soldiers and had very little knowledge of anything except marching and fighting. But it was not long before they began to understand what a blessing it is to be self-supporting and independent. Their little farms were pleasant homes. They began to love their new life and soon were able to raise enough for the support of themselves and their families with something to spare. 2. King Numa made many good laws. These laws were engraved on tablets of brass and at certain times were read and explained to the people by lawyers. Numa was very friendly with the people of the country surrounding Rome. He gave them help in times of trouble and would never listen to any talk of war with them. During the many years that he was king Rome had no enemies and no wars. In a sacred grove just outside the walls of Rome there lived in a handsome grotto or cavern a beautiful woman named Egeria. Some persons called her a goddess while others thought she was a fairy. She seemed to have a great knowledge of magic and could do wonderful things. Whenever she called to the songbirds they would come flying around her. They would also perch on her head and shoulders and hands and sing the sweetest songs. Even the fierce animals of the woods were her friends and great bears and wolves would lie at her feet for hours and purr like cats. This mysterious woman goddess or fairy or whatever she was greatly loved and honored good king Numa and at last they were married. Then she taught him many of the magical secrets she possessed. He carefully studied the lessons she gave him and in time he was able to do wonderful things himself. 3. The Romans were earnest worshippers of the gods and goddesses. They believed that there were many such beings and they had many grand temples for religious service. King Numa always paid great attention to religion. He appointed a large number of officials to take care of the temples and to see that all the sacred ceremonies were properly carried out. He was constant and faithful in his own worship and thus by his example gradually induced the whole Roman people to become attentive to their religion. The greatest of the gods that the Romans believed in was the god Jupiter. He was supposed to rule both the sky and the earth. He was so powerful that he could send thunderbolts from the heavens and make the earth tremble by his nod. He had a wife named Juno who had a great deal to do with managing the affairs of the earth. It was at one time believed that Jupiter resided with many other gods on the top of a high mountain in Greece. This mountain was so thickly covered by clouds that the gods could not be seen. But they could see everything that took place on the earth. Jupiter had two brothers named Neptune and Pluto. Neptune was the god of the sea. He lived in a grand golden palace at the bottom of the Mediterranean. He ruled everything under and upon the waters of the world. Now and then he sailed over the ocean in a grand chariot drawn by large fish called dolphins. When he was angry he caused the sea to rise in huge waves. Pluto, the other brother of Jupiter, was the god of Hades or the land of the dead. His home was far down in the earth where all was dark and gloomy. The Romans believed that when people died they were born away to the gloomy kingdom of Pluto. The other principal gods were Mars, Mercury, Vulcan, Apollo and Janus. Mars was the god of war and was especially honored in Rome because it was believed that he was the father of Romulus. Certain days of the year were made festival days in his honor and then there were splendid processions, songs of praise and religious dances. Mercury, the son of Jupiter, was the god of eloquence and commerce. He was also the messenger of the gods. He was generally represented as flying swiftly through the air, carrying messages from place to place. On his head and feet were small wings and in his hand he bore a golden staff with serpents twined around it. Vulcan was a skillful worker in metals. He had a great forge in the heart of a burning mountain where he made wonderful things of iron, copper and gold. He looked after the welfare of blacksmiths, coppersmiths and goldsmiths and was their special god. Apollo, also called Phoebus, which meant the son, was the god of the day. He gave light and heat to the world. He was also the god of music, archery and medicine. His sister Diana was the moon goddess or goddess of the night. She was also the goddess of hunting. In pictures she is sometimes represented with a quiver of arrows over her shoulder and holding a stag by the horns. The god Janus was very much honored by the Romans. It was believed that this god presided over the beginning of every undertaking and so when the Romans began any important work or business they prayed first to Janus. For this reason the first month of the beginning of the year was called the month of Janus or January. Janus was also the god of gates and doors. In statuary and pictures he is often shown with two faces looking in opposite directions because every door faces two ways outward and inward. Pneuma Pompilius built a temple in honor of Janus. The door of this temple was always open in time of war as a sign that the god had gone out to help the Romans. In time of peace the door was shut. The Romans also believed in Venus, the goddess of love. Minerva, the goddess of wisdom. Flora, the goddess of flowers and many others. The Romans had no special day such as our Sunday for religious service but their temples except the temple of Janus were open every day. They had prayers and songs and sometimes what they called sacred dances. They also made offerings to the gods such as fruits or vegetables and oxen, lambs or goats. The offerings went finally into the hands of the priests of the temples. Pneuma Pompilius reigned for nearly half a century and under him the Romans were a peaceful, prosperous and happy people. Rome by John H. Haran and A. B. Poland. Chapter 3 The Horatii and the Curatii 1. The third king of Rome was Tullus Hostilius. In his reign a remarkable combat took place between three Roman brothers and three Latin brothers. The combat came about in this way. For years the people of Rome and the people of Alba also called Latins, as has been already said, were continually quarreling. They would invade and plunder each other's lands. At last, after many petty contests, war was declared between the two nations. King Tullus marched the Roman army to the border of Alba but here his progress was stopped by a great force of Latins under the command of Medius, the Alban King. Tullus looked at the strong lines of Latin soldiers standing firm and resolute to resist the advance of the Romans and thought that it might be well to have a talk with Medius to see whether they could not agree on some way of settling the quarrel without a fight between the two armies. So he sent for Medius and they talked the matter over. Medius also wished very much to avoid a battle and he said to Tullus, would it not be well to fight in such a way that only a few of our soldiers would be killed instead of many? My plan is this. You shall select three of the best fighting men in the Roman army and I will select the best three in the army of Alba. The six men shall fight in the presence of the two armies. If the Romans win, Alba will submit to Rome but if the Latins win, then Rome must submit to Alba. What say you to the plan? It is a good one, said King Tullus, and I agree to it. May the best men win. With these words, they separated and went to prepare for the combat on which was to depend the fate of the two nations. Two. The Romans selected as their champions three brothers belonging to a family known as the Horatius family. The brothers were called the Horatii because this word is the plural form of Horatius. The Horatii brothers were tall, handsome men with wonderful strength, endurance, and courage. The Albans also selected three brothers as their champions. They were called the Curieci. They were bold, skillful soldiers, famous for manly beauty and strength and were champions, well worthy to fight for a nation. When all was ready, the Horatii and the Curatii advanced to the center of a large field and took their places. They carried short, thick swords and large, round shields made of stout leather and metal. The two armies gathered around the six champions but at a distance so as to leave them plenty of room to fight. There was silence for a few moments and then the shrill notes of a trumpet rang out as a signal for the battle. Clash clang what the swords upon the shields and the fight began. Quick, skillful blows were given for a short time but no one was seriously hurt. Suddenly the Latins shouted in intense excitement, low one of the Horatii after a fierce struggle with one of the Curatii was stricken down dead. The Romans groaned, hung their heads and looked in anxious doubt at their remaining two champions. Bravely the Horatii stood two to three and fought with all their might. Step by step they drove the Curatii back across the field. Cheers rang out from the Romans at this heroic effort. The victory might yet be theirs. But alas one of the Curatii with a swift sly sword thrust killed another of the Horatii. Then the Latins shouted, We have won! We have won! We have won! Hail to the brave Curatii! The Romans were wild with grief and rage. They had now but one champion left, Horatius, the last of the heroic Horatii and he was running from the field as if he had given up the fight. He was followed by the Curatii though they were all wounded. One of them running ahead of the others came up to Horatius and was raising his sword when the Roman turned upon him quickly and slew him. The cries of the two armies were now hushed as if by magic all eyes were upon the champions and there was painful silence. Another of the Curatii now came up and began to fight Horatius but the Roman met the attack with great coolness and skill and soon killed the second Latin. Thus under the pretense of running away Horatius separated the Curatii and slew two of them. Then he advanced in a furious manner on the other Latin and began a desperate fight with him. Soon he struck him down with a deadly blow. Rome was victorious. From the whole Roman army now came the cry as if from one man. Hail to the brave Horatius! Hail to the champion and savior of his country! Then they seized Horatius in their arms and bore him in triumph to King Tullus who placed on his head the laurel wreath of victory. This was one of the ways by which the Romans honored any of their soldiers who had been very brave in battle but they also honored Horatius by erecting a statue of him in one of the temples of the city. Three. With songs of joy the army marched back to Rome. Horatius walked by the side of the king a throng of women came forth from the gates of the city eager to greet the soldiers and to rejoice with them over the great victory. The sister of Horatius was in the throng. She had been secretly engaged to be married to one of the Curatii for the Romans and Albans were near neighbors and frequently visited one another in times of peace. When she learned that her brother had slain her lover she began to weep bitterly. Then pointing at Horatius she cried out you have killed my lover do not come near me I hate and curse you. Horatius in a fit of anger suddenly drew his sword and stabbed her to the heart. As she fell dead at his feet he cried in a loud voice so perish the Roman maiden who weeps for her country's enemy for this shocking murder Horatius was tried and sentenced to death but the people would not allow the sentence to be carried out it was made to do a certain penance for the crime and afterwards was set free. Recording by Paradise Camouflage Famous men of Rome by John H. Haran and A. B. Poland Chapter 4 The Tarquins The next king of Rome was Ancus Marchus he was the grandson of Numa Pompeius and a very good king he thought that it would be an advantage to Rome to have a sea harbour for ships so he founded a city at one of the mouths of the Tiber on the coast of the Mediterranean about 15 miles from Rome the city was called Ostia which is a Latin word meaning mouths Latin was the language spoken by the Roman people During the reign of Ancus Marchus a rich man named Lucomo came to live in Rome he came from Tarquini a town some miles distant from Rome in a district or country called Etruria so the Romans called him Tarquinius which in English is Tarquin a very wonderful thing happened to Tarquin when he was on his way to Rome he drove in a chariot with his wife Tanaquil seated beside him and their servants following behind as they were approaching the city an eagle which appeared in the sky above them came gently down and snatched the cap from Tarquin's head with its beak after hovering around for a few moments the eagle replaced the cap and with loud screams flew away Tarquin was much surprised at this strange event he didn't know what to think of it but Tanaquil was much pleased she said to her husband that it was a sign sent by the gods and meant that he was to be a great man perhaps a king Tarquin was not long in Rome before he became a favourite with everybody the people liked him because he spent a great deal of money in doing good the king also liked him and often asked his advice in affairs of government for Tarquin was a man of great knowledge and wisdom and when King Ancus became old and felt that his death was near he appointed Tarquin the guardian of his two sons who were then but boys soon afterwards Ancus died and the people elected Tarquin King he reigned for nearly 40 years and did a great deal for the good of the city it was King Tarquin who began the building of the famous temple of Jupiter on the Saturnian hill the same hill on which stood the fortress that Romulus built while the workmen were digging for the foundations of the temple they found a man's head so well preserved that it looked as if it had been buried quite recently this was so strange a thing that the Orgers were asked about it and they said it was a sign that Rome would become the head or chief city of the world so the new building was called the capital from Caput the Latin word for head and the hill was called the Capitolini hill this has given our language a world we call the building in which our congress meets as well as that in which his state legislature meets the capital it took a long time to finish the capital but when finished it was a great and beautiful building it covered more than eight acres its gates or doors were of solid brass thickly plated with gold the walls inside were all marble ornamented with beautiful figures and grieved in silver Tarquin also began several other works in Rome which were too great and costly to be finished in a lifetime one of them was a wall around the city the wall that Romulus made was only around Palatine hill but since then the city had been much enlarged in course of time it covered seven hills that is why Rome is often called the seven hilled city the seven hills were the Palatine the Capitoline the Chaelion the Quirino the Esquiline the Viminal and the Aventine one of the other things Tarquin did was to establish a kind of police called Lictors these were officers who always walked before the king whenever he appeared in public each Lictor bore upon his shoulder an axe enclosed in a bundle of rods tied with a red strap this was called a fascist it was a mark of the power of the king the axe meant that the king might order criminals to be beheaded and the rods meant that he might punish offenders by flogging another work of Tarquin was the Circus afterwards called the Circus Maximus Great Circus this was a place where horse races and games and shows of various kinds were held the Romans were very fond of such amusements great numbers of them always went to the shows but it was easy for them to go for they did not have to pay for admission the cost of the shows was paid often by rich Romans who wanted to gain the favour of the people and often by the government the Circus had no roof but there were a great many seats all around and in the middle was a large open space for the performance this space was covered in sand and was called the arena a word which is Latin for sand as so many people attended the circus it had to be very large in the time when Rome was an empire about which you will read later on in this book the Circus Maximus was so large that it contained seats for 250,000 people from the circus and arena of the Romans these words have come into use in our own language besides building a circus King Tarquin also greatly improved the forum by making covered walks or porticoes all around it the forum was a large open space at the foot of the Capitolini Hill where public meetings were held and where people came to hear the news or talk about politics it was also used as a marketplace and merchants showed their goods in shops or stores around the porticoes in course of time great buildings were erected around the forum these were courts of justice and temples and statues and monuments of various kinds the Senate House where the Senate held its meeting was also in the forum from the end of the forum next to the Capitolini Hill there was a passage leading up to the capital but the most useful thing King Tarquin did was the building of a great sewer through the city and into the Tiber before his time there was no sewers in Rome though the places between the hills were swampy and wet this made many parts of the city very unhealthy Tarquin's sewer drained the swamps and carried the water into the river it crossed the entire city it was so high and wide that men could sail into it in boats and it was so strongly built that it has lasted to the present time the great sewer is still in use Tarquin wanted very much to change one of the laws about the army but an auger named Atios Navios told him such a thing could not be done without a sign from the gods this made the king angry and he thought he would try to show that the augers had not the power or knowledge they were supposed to have so he said to Atios come now I will give you a question I am thinking whether a certain thing I have in my mind can be done or not go and find out from your signs if it can be done Navios went away and shortly afterwards returned and told the king that the thing could be done then Tarquin said well I was thinking whether or not you could cut this stone in two with this razor as you say it can be done do it Navios took the razor and immediately cut the stone in two with the greatest ease the king never again doubted the power of the augers on the death of Tarquin his son-in-law Servios Tullios was made king Tarquin had two young sons and the sons of Ancus Marchios were also living but the people preferred to have Servios Tullios for their king Servios was a very good king he had many good laws as made and like King Muma Pompilius he divided some of the public lands among the poor people of the city one of the important things Servios did was to finish the wall around the city which Tarquin had begun this wall was very high it was made of stone and earth and on the outside there was a ditch a hundred feet wide and thirty feet deep there were several gates in the wall but they were all well guarded night and day by soldiers so that no enemy could enter King Servios was the first to have a census taken in Rome he made a rule or law that once every five years all the people should assemble in the Campos Marchios to be counted the word census is a Latin word meaning accounting or reckoning and so we use it in our own country for the counting of the people which takes place every ten years Servios Tullios was killed by King Tarquin's son he was also called Tarquin but got the name of Superbus or Proud because he was a very haughty and cruel man the dead body of Servios was left lying on the street where he had been killed and Tullia, wife of the wicked Tarquin and daughter of the murdered King drove her chariot over it Tarquin the Proud now became king it was during his reign that the Sibylane books were brought to Rome these books were not like our books they were merely three bundles of loose pieces of parchment having moral sentences on them written in the Greek language this is the story of how the books were obtained one morning an old woman came to King Tarquin carrying nine books in her hands she offered to sell them to the king but when she named a large sum as the price he laughed at her and ordered her away the next day the woman came again but only with six books she had burned the other three she offered to sell the six but she asked the same price that she had asked the day before for the whole nine the king again laughed at her and drove her away the same day Tarquin went to visit the augers in the temple and he told them about the old woman and her books the augers declared that she was certainly a Sibyl and that her books doubtless contained important predictions about Rome the Sibyls were women who pretended to be able to foretell events there were Sibyls in many countries but the most famous of them was the Sibyl of Cumae a town in the south of Italy this was the Sibyl who brought the books to Tarquin Tarquin was now sorry he had not taken the books and he hoped the woman would come again she did come on the following day but she had only three books instead of six she had burned the other three the day before the king was very glad to see her and he bought the remaining three books but he had to pay just as much for them as the old woman had asked at first for the whole nine then the Sibyl disappeared and was never seen again the ordinary books the Romans had were not like the Sibyling books they had no printed books for printing was not known for many centuries after their books were written with pens made of reeds their paper was made of the pith of a plant called a papyrus and from this name the word paper is derived to make a book they cut the paper into leaves or pages and after writing on them they pasted the pages one to another sideways until all the pages of one book were put together this long strip was made into a cylindrical roll and was called a volume from the Latin word volumen a roll when the volume was being read it was held in both hands the reader unrolling it with one hand and rolling it with the other the Sibylian books were put in the temple of Jupiter on the capitalini hill two offices were appointed to keep watch over them whenever the Romans were going to war or had any serious trouble they would consult the books the way they did it was this one of the offices would open the stone chest where the books were kept and take out the first piece of parchment he laid his hands on then the Greek sentence found on the piece would be translated into Latin it was sometimes very hard to tell what the sentence really meant often they had to guess when they made sense out of it they said that it was a prophecy of the Sibyl and would surely come to pass End of Chapter 4 read by Aunty from Inveronin m-e-l-y-s dot w-s Chapter 5 of The Famous Men of Rome This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Philippa Jevons Famous Men of Rome by John H. Haran and A. B. Poland Chapter 5 Junius Brutus 1 Tarquin the Proud had a nephew named Junius Brutus he seemed to be a simpleton but he was really a very wise man his brother had been murdered by the king and he feared the same fate himself so he pretended to be half-witted and about saying and doing silly things Tarquin therefore did him no harm but rather pitied him two sons of Tarquin once went to a noted fortune teller taking Brutus with them the young men asked several questions one was who shall rule Rome after Tarquin the fortune teller gave this answer young men whichever of you shall first kiss your mother shall be the next ruler of Rome the king's sons at once started for home each eager to be the first to kiss his mother but Brutus thought that something else was really meant by the answer so after they had left the fortune teller he managed to stumble and fall on his face then he kissed the ground saying the earth is the true mother of us all and as we shall see Brutus became the next ruler of Rome the eldest son of Tarquin was named Sextus he was a very bad man he deeply injured a beautiful woman named Lucretia the wife of Colotinus his cousin Lucretia told her husband and father and Junius Brutus of what Sextus had done and called upon them to punish him for his wicked deed then she plunged a dagger into her breast and fell dead Brutus drew the dagger from her bleeding body and holding it up before his horrified companions exclaimed I vow before the gods to avenge the wronged Lucretia not one of the Tarquins shall ever again be king in Rome Rome shall have no more kings they all vowed with Brutus that Lucretia should be avenged and that there should be no more kings in Rome then they took up her body and carried it to the forum there they showed it to the people who gathered round in horror at the site Brutus no longer appeared dull and simple but stood with head erect and flashing eyes and spoke to the crowd in eloquent, stirring words see what has come from the evil deeds of the Tarquins he shouted pointing to the dead woman let us free ourselves from the rule of these wicked men down with Tarquin the tyrant no more kings in Rome the people were much excited by his speech and they made the forum ring with their cries down with Tarquin down with Tarquin no more kings then they resolved to take the power of King away from Tarquin and to banish him and his family from Rome they also decided to adopt the good laws which had been made years before by King Servius Tullius and to choose two men each year to govern the nation instead of a king the men were to be called consuls and were to rule in turn one for one month, the other for the next and so on for twelve months at the end of the year two new consuls were to be elected meanwhile news of the revolt reached King Tarquin who was at the time in camp with his army some distance from Rome he instantly mounted his horse and rode in haste to the city when he reached the gates he found them shut against him as he stood impatiently demanding to be admitted a Roman officer appeared on the wall and told him of the sentence of banishment Tarquin rode away and Rome was rid of him forever 510 BC 3 the people elected Junius Brutus and Lucius Colotinus the husband of Lucretia to be their first consuls but after a short time Colotinus resigned because he was himself a Tarquin Publius Valerius was elected in his stead Tarquin now sent messengers for his household goods and other things belonging to him which were in Rome the messengers while in the city had secret meetings with a number of young men of noble families and a plot was formed to restore Tarquin to the throne the young nobles vowed that they would destroy the new republic and bring back the king for they did not like government by the common people but while they were making their plans an intelligent slave overheard what they were saying this slave went to Brutus and told him of the plot all engaged in it were at once arrested and put in prison two sons of Brutus himself Titus and Tiberius were found among the plotters when Brutus learned that his own children were traitors he was overcome with sorrow for several days he shut himself up in his house and would see no one but when the day for the trial came he did his duty sternly as judge the consuls being judges as well as rulers Titus and Tiberius were proved guilty of treason together with the others and Brutus sentenced them to be whipped with rods and then beheaded he even was a witness of the execution of the sentence and we are told that he sat unmoved in his chair and did not turn away his eyes while his two sons were put to death it was his duty to punish traitors and he did his duty without sparing his own flesh and blood after the loss of his sons Brutus became dull and melancholy and appeared to care very little for life Tarquin made an attempt to take Rome with the aid of the people of two cities of Etruria and Brutus led the Romans to the field to fight against their former king during the first part of the battle a son of Tarquin rode furiously at Brutus to kill him Brutus saw him and advanced rapidly on his horse to meet the attack when they came together each ran his spear through the body of the other and both were killed the death of Brutus maddened the Romans furiously until dark then the armies went to their camps and no one knew which side had won but in the middle of the night a loud voice came from a wood close by the camp of the Etruscans as the people of Etruria were called the voice said one man more has fallen on the side of the Etruscans than on the side of the Romans the Romans will conquer in this war the Etruscans believed that this was the voice of the god Jupiter and they were so frightened that they broke up their camp and quickly marched back to their own land end of chapter 5 chapter 6 of the famous men of Rome this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Paradise Camouflage famous men of Rome by John H. Harren and A. B. Poland chapter 6 Horatius for a long time Rome was ruled by Publius Valerius he was a good man he caused laws to be passed for the benefit of the people and was therefore called Publicola as the people's friend he had to fight Tarquin frequently the banished king was constantly trying to capture Rome and get back his throne he got help from various nations and fought very hard but was never successful in his efforts at one time he was aided by Lars Porcena king of Clusium a city in Ertuoria he was a great army and set out to attack Rome but Porcena could not enter the city without crossing the Tiber and there was only one bridge this was called the Sublysian Bridge it was so called from the Latin word Subleicoi which means wooden beams when the Romans saw the great army of the Truscans in the distance they were much alarmed and so powerful a force the consul thought for a while and then he resolved to cut down the bridge as the only means of saving Rome so a number of men worked once set to work with axes and hammers it was hard work for the bridge was very strongly built before the beams supporting it were all cut away the army of Porcena was seen approaching the river what was to be done it would take a few minutes more to finish the work and if the farther end of the bridge could be held against the Truscans for those few minutes all would be well for Rome but how was it to be held and who would hold it suddenly from the ranks of the Roman soldiers the brave Horatius Caclus stepped out and cried to the consul give me two good men to help me and I will hold the bridge and stop the enemy from coming over immediately two brave men Sporius Larsius and Tito Cerminius ran to his side then the three hurried over to the other end of the bridge and stood ready to keep off the enemy when the army of the Truscans saw the three men standing to keep them back a shout of laughter went up upon them three men to keep back thousands how ridiculous there the three brave Romans stood however at the entrance of the bridge with determined faces and fearless eyes very quickly three Truscans, Stout, Abel fighters came forth from the army to give battle to the three Romans after a short combat the Truscans were killed three more came out and continued the fight they too were beaten by Horaceus and his companions but now the bridge began to shake and crack Horaceus felt that it was about to fall and he cried to Sporius and Tito's to run back to the other side while they did so he stood alone and defied the whole a Truscans army which was now rushing upon him a whole army against one man the Romans were hurled at him but he skillfully warded them off with his shield just as the Truscans reached him the last beam was cut away and the bridge fell with a tremendous crush as it was falling Horaceus plunged into the Tiber and praying to the gods for help he swam to the other side in safety the Romans received him with shouts of joy and even the Truscans could not help raising a cheer and admiration of his bravery the three Romans were well rewarded a fine statue of Horaceus was built in one of the squares of the city on the base of the statue was placed a brass tablet with an account of the heroic deed engraved on it the Sennate also gave Horaceus as much land as he could plow around in a day end of chapter six of Famous Men of Rome recording by Andy from Inferno in Scotland chapter seven of the Famous Men of Rome this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public to mean for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Paradise Camouflage Famous Men of Rome by John H. Hardin and A. B. Poland chapter seven Mucius the left handed but Porcena still remained with his army on the other side of the river he thought that by preventing food from being sent into the city he could force the inhabitants to surrender so he got ships and stationed them on the tower to drive away seize any vessels that should attempt to come to Rome with food now there was in Rome at this time a very brave young man named Caius Mucius and he thought of a plan to save the city his plan was to march boldly into the enemies camp and kill King Porcena so he concealed his sword under his tunic and went across the river to the Etruscan camp then he made his way to the place where the king was sitting it happened that it was payday in the army and the soldiers were getting their money a secretary who sat beside the king and was dressed very much like him was talking to the men and giving them orders Mucius mistook the secretary for Porcena and rushed forward and stabbed him to death instantly the daring Roman was seized by the guards he heard the soldiers crying out that the secretary was killed then he knew what a mistake he had made Porcena was greatly enraged at seeing his secretary killed and a loud and angry voice he commanded Mucius to tell who he was and why he had committed such a deed without showing any sign of fear the bold Mucius answered I am a Roman citizen I will kill you because you are an enemy of my country I have failed but there are others to come after me who will not fail your life will be constantly in danger and you will be killed when you least expect it when hearing these words Porcena jumped from his seat in a great fury and threatened to burn Mucius to death if he did not at once tell all about the others who were coming to kill him but Mucius was not frightened and to show how little he cared about the king's threat he thrust his right hand into the flame of a fire which had been lighted close by and held there without flinching at the same time he cried out to the king behold how little we Romans care for pain when it is to defend our country Porcena was astonished at this site and he so much admired the courage and patriotism of the Roman that he ordered the guards to set him free then Mucius said to the king in return for your kindness I now tell you of my own free will what I would not tell you when you threaten me with punishment know then that 300 Roman youths have bound themselves by oath to kill you each to make the attempt in his turn the lot fell first on me I have failed but the attempt will be made again and again until someone succeeds King Porcena was so terrified on hearing this that he resolved to make peace at once with Rome so he immediately sent messages to the senate in terms of peace were quickly agreed upon the senate rewarded Mucius by giving him attractive land on the banks of the Tiber this land was afterwards called the Mucian Meadows Mucius himself got the name of skyvola a Latin word which means left handed he had lost the use of his right hand by burning it in the fire end of chapter 7 recording by Andy from Infer Arnaud Scotland chapter 8 of the famous men of Rome this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Philippa Jevons famous men of Rome by John H. Haran and A. B. Poland chapter 8 Coriolanus 1 one of the great men of Rome not long after the banishment of the Tarquins was Caius Marcius he was a member of a noble family and from his youth he had been noted for his bravery in his time there was a war between the Romans and the Volskins a people of a district in Latium the Romans made an attack on Corioli the capital city of the Volskins but were defeated and driven back Caius Marcius reproached the Roman soldiers for running from the enemy his words made them ashamed and they turned again to the fight with Caius at their head they sent the Volskins flying back into the city Caius followed the enemy to the gates which were partly open when he saw this he shouted to the Romans the gates are open for us let us not be afraid to enter Caius himself sprang in and kept the gates open for the Romans after a short fight the city was taken then everybody said that it was Caius who had taken Corioli and that he should be called after the name of the city he had won afterward he was known as Coriolanus two but though Coriolanus was a brave soldier and always ready to fight for Rome he had some qualities that were not so good he had great contempt for the common people and he took part with those who tried to oppress them only a little while before the taking of Corioli there was a serious trouble between the people and the patricians a great many of the people earned their living by farming but when there was a war the strong men had to become soldiers and as Rome was almost constantly at war the men were nearly always away from their farms very often therefore they had to borrow money to support their families while they themselves were away fighting for at this time Roman soldiers got no regular pay now it was the rich patricians who loaned the money they were not paid back at the time agreed upon they could put the people who owed it in jail or they could sell their wives and children as slaves in this way the Brabians often suffered much hardship at last a great number of them resolved to leave Rome and make a settlement for themselves somewhere else in Italy the patricians did not like this very much for if the common people went away there would be a scarcity of soldiers for the army so the senate thinking the matter over proposed that the Brabians should elect officers of their own to be called tribunes who should have power to veto laws they did not like that is prevent them from being passed the word veto which is Latin for I forbid is used in the same way in our own country the president of the united states and the governors of some states have within certain limits power to prevent the passing of laws this is called the veto power the plebeians were pleased with the proposal that they were to have tribunes so they returned to Rome and for a time there was peace between them and the patricians but Coriolanus and other patricians were opposed to the election of tribunes because they thought it gave the common people too much power once when there was a famine in Rome and the poor were suffering greatly from want of food the Greeks living in Sicily had several ships laid in with corn to Rome to relieve the people in distress when the corn arrived the senate was about to order that it should be divided among the people who needed it but Coriolanus interfered no no he said if the people want corn let them first give up their tribunes it must be either no corn or no tribunes the people were so angry when they heard of this speech that they talked about killing Coriolanus but for the wise advice of the tribunes no no said the tribunes you must not kill him that would be against the law but you can have him tried for treason against the people and we will be his accusers Coriolanus was then ordered to appear before the assembly of the people to be tried for the people had power to try in their assemblies persons charged with such offences but Coriolanus was afraid the assembly would condemn him so he secretly fled from the city leaving his family behind and went to a town of the Volskians the chief of the Volskians received Coriolanus in a friendly manner Coriolanus then told him why he had left Rome the Volskian chief was glad to hear it he had long wanted to fight the Romans but had been afraid to make the attempt with the aid of such a soldier Coriolanus however he was sure that Rome might be taken so he raised a large army and put it under the command of the great Roman three the Volskian army, led by Coriolanus captured many cities belonging to the Roman Republic at last Coriolanus resolved to attack Rome itself and he marched his army towards the city the Romans just then were not so the senate decided to send messengers to Coriolanus to make him to spare his native city and make terms of peace the messengers chosen were five of the leading nobles and they at once set out for the Volskian camp Coriolanus received them cordially for they were old friends but he said that he would not spare Rome unless the Romans would give up all the lands and cities which they had taken from the Volskians in former wars to this the senate would not agree and Coriolanus refused to listen to any other terms the Romans then began to prepare for battle though they feared very much that they would be defeated but while the men were thus in fear and doubt the women of Rome saved the city Valeria, a noble Roman lady remembered that Coriolanus had always dearly loved his mother perhaps, thought she, he may listen to her though he will hear no one else so Valeria with a large number of noble ladies went to the house of Vituria the mother of Coriolanus and said to her the gods have put it into our hearts to come and ask you to join with us to save our country from ruin come then with us to the camp of your son and pray him to show mercy the aged mother at once agreed to go so she got ready immediately and set out for the camp of the Volskins accompanied by a great number of ladies and her son's wife and little children it was a strange sight this long line of Roman ladies all dressed in mourning and even the Volskins soldiers showed them respect as they passed along Coriolanus happened to be sitting in front of his tent in the Volskins camp with a number of officers around him as the procession came in view who are these women? he asked before an answer could be given he saw that among them were his mother and wife and children and he stood up and hastened forward to meet them they fell on their knees and begged him to spare his native city Coriolanus seemed deeply distressed he made no answer but bent his head pressed his hand to his breast on upon the dear ones who knelt at his feet then his mother said if I had no son Rome would not be in this danger I am too old to bear much longer your shame and my own misery look to your wife and children if you continue in your present course you will send them to an early death Coriolanus was so grieved that for some minutes he could not speak at last he cried out oh mother what have you done to me you have saved Rome but you have ruined your son then he embraced his mother and looked at her sadly for a moment he also embraced and kissed his wife and children and told them to go back to Rome for they would be safe there the women then returned to the city and Coriolanus marched away with the Volskian army Rome was saved Coriolanus lived the rest of his life with the Volskians but he never again made war against his native city it is supposed that he died about the middle of the fifth century before Christ End of Chapter 8 Chapter 9 of The Famous Men of Rome This is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recorded by Alec Datesman Famous Men of Rome by John H. Haran and A. B. Poland Chapter 9 The Fabii At about the time in which Coriolanus lived the family of the Fabii were very powerful in Rome among the leaders or chief men of the family at that period were Quintus Fabius Marcus Fabius and Caesophabius in those times the Roman nobles were very rich and powerful they held all the high officers of government and cared very little about the welfare of the Plebeians often they treated them very harshly the Fabii also treated the Plebeians harshly once when Quintus Fabius defeated the Volskians in a battle he sold all the valuable things he took from the enemy and put the money into the public treasury such things were called spoils the Roman generals usually divided the spoils among the soldiers this was the way the soldiers were paid in those days but Quintus Fabius would not divide the spoils so the soldiers were very bitter against him but sometime afterwards Marcus Fabius was elected consul and once after a great battle with the people of Etruria he took the entire care of the poor wounded soldiers and supplied all their wants at his own expense the next year his brother Caesophabius was consul and he tried to get the senate to divide among the poor citizens the lands that had been taken from the Viancians and other people whom the Romans had defeated in war often afterwards in the senate the voice of a Fabius was heard speaking for justice to the plebeians the common people therefore soon loved only of the Fabii instead of hating them as they had before the nobles were very angry because the Fabii took the side of the plebeians and they threatened to do all they could against them now the Fabii saw clearly that it would be useless to attempt to fight the nobles because the nobles had a great deal of power and could do almost whatever they pleased in Rome therefore the Fabii thought that it would be better for them to remove from the city and make a new home for themselves so they resolved to do this and the place they selected was on the banks of the river Cremera, a few miles from Rome at this time the Romans were again at war with the Viancians these people lived in Vii, a city on the Cremera river one day when there was a discussion in the Roman senate about this war Caesophabius said as you know, we of the house of the Fabii are going to leave Rome and settle on the borders of the country of the Viancians we will fight those people and try to defeat them for the honor of Rome and the glory of our house we will ask neither money nor men from the senate we will carry on the war with our own men and at our own cost the senators were glad of the chance to get rid of the Fabii and so they at once gave them the permission they asked for the Fabii then began to make preparations for their departure there were over 300 men in addition to women folk, children and servants and when all were ready they marched out of the city to their new home with Caesophabius at their head at first the Fabii had only a camp on the Cremera river but afterwards they built a small city with a strong fortress many good Roman soldiers came and joined them and soon they had a fine army of earnest devoted men the Viancians were soon conquered Fabius and his brave men defeated them in several battles and at last the Viancians made up their minds they got enough of war then they returned to their own city of Vii and remained quiet for a long time but they declared that they would destroy the Fabii whenever they could get the chance now it was an old custom of the Fabii to have a special worship of the gods on a certain day of every year early in the morning of that day all the men of the family would go in a body to a famous temple on a hill near Rome and have religious services for several hours the men took no arms with them as it was thought improper to go armed to religious worship the Viancians heard of this annual religious service of the Fabii and saw in it a chance for revenge so they resolved to kill the Fabii the next time they went to the temple for their special service when the day came the Fabii set out as usual on their way to the temple they had to go over a road which had high steep rocks on each side there a large number of Viancian soldiers hid themselves and when the unsuspecting Fabii came along a furious attack was made on them from front and rear without arms they could not fight very well they made the best defense they could but it was useless they were all killed except one young man who escaped to Rome thus the cowardly Viancians had their revenge and of Chapter 9 recorded by Alec Datesman, Brooklyn, New York Chapter 10 of The Famous Men of Rome this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Famous Men of Rome by John H. Hiran and A. B. Poland Chapter 10 Sincenatus In the mountains east of Ladium there lived a rather wild people called equians who were very often at war with Rome after some time of peace and good conduct these people suddenly began to plunder the rich farms of the Romans this was about 450 years before the birth of Christ and not long after the Viancians had destroyed the Fabian family as soon as the Roman senate heard what the equians were doing it sent messengers to the equian king to complain of the wrong the messengers found the king in his camp sitting near a huge oak tree but when they spoke to him he answered them rudely saying I am too busy now with other matters go tell your message to the oak yonder this made the messengers very angry and one of them said we shall tell it to the oak but we shall tell it also to the gods and call them to witness how you have broken the peace and they shall be on our side when we come to punish you and your people for the crimes you have committed against us and it is said that every messengers did tell the message to the oak and to all the other trees around and boldly shouted that war would come from this insult to Rome then the messengers returned to Rome and told the senate how they had been insulted by the equian king the senate at once declared war against the equians and ordered the consul Minucius to lead an army against them the Romans easily won a few battles at first then the equians began to retreat as if they did not mean to fight anymore the Romans followed swiftly until they were drawn into a narrow valley on each side of which were high rocky hills it was a trap and the Romans knew it before they had marched very far from the entrance the equian king then closed up the valley with strong barricades and placed his troops at the entrance and along the hills so that the Romans could not get out in the valley there was very little grass for the horses and no food for the men so that if the Romans were not soon relieved both they and their horses would die of hunger too but luckily for the Romans a few of their horsemen had managed to get out of the valley before the equians closed it these horsemen rode as fast as they could to Rome and told the senate how Minucius and his soldiers were placed what was to be done? no one seemed to know at first but after a good deal of discussion a senator said he is the only man who could save us the senate agreed to this and so Lucius Quintias was chosen as the dictator a dictator had more power than the senate or the consuls all his commands had to be obeyed as if he were a king but there was not a dictator always a dictator was appointed only when there was some great danger and he held office only for six months Lucius Quintias belonged to a noble family he was a great soldier and had won many battles for his country he had such beautiful long curly hair that the people called him and this is the name by which he is known in history at the time Cincinnati was appointed dictator he lived on a small farm outside of Rome he worked on the farm himself and when the messages from the senate came to tell him that he had been chosen dictator they found him plowing in one of his fields he left his plow where it stood and hastened to Rome where he was welcomed by all the people the first thing he did was to raise a new army he gave orders that every man of suitable age should buckle on his sword and be ready in a few hours to march to the help of Minercius and his soldiers before evening Cincinnati's and his army marched out of the city for the Albin Hills where the Romans were shut up they reached the palace in the early morning and formed in a line all around the hills the equians then found themselves hemmed in on every side between two Roman armies the army of Minercius and the army of Cincinnati's they fought as well as they could but they were quickly overpowered so that they could do nothing but cry to the Roman commander to spare their lives Cincinnati's spared their lives but he made them pass under the yoke the yoke was formed of two spears fixed upright in the ground and a third fastened across near the top from one to the other Cincinnati's made the equians lay down their arms and pass out every man of them under the yoke of spears they had to bend their heads as they did so well the spears were not very long and the one on top was only a few feet from the ground between two lines of Roman soldiers and as the equians passed under it the Romans jeered at them and taunted them having to pass under the yoke was regarded as the greatest disgrace that could happen to soldiers many much prefer to suffer death the practice has given to our language the word subjugate meaning to subdu or conquer from the Latin word sub under and jugum yoke when the soldiers of consul Minercius came out of the valley they shouted for joy and crowded around thanking him as their deliverer and protector let us give Cincinnati's a golden crown they cried but the great general only smiled shook his head and gave the order for the homeward march great was the rejoicing in Rome when the news of the victory was received the senate ordered that there should be a general holiday and a grand parade through the city and so the victorious army marched into Rome amid the shouts and cheers of the people Cincinnati's wrote in a splendid chariot by six handsome black horses he wore the dress of dictator of Rome and on his head was a laurel wreath behind his chariot the equine king and his chiefs walked looking very humble and forlorn following them were slaves laden with the arms and other valuable things taken from the enemies camp with bugles and trumpets gaily sounding the parade went through the city the chariot of Cincinnati's was followed by a throng of people cheering and crying hail to the dictator hail to the conqueror flowers were showered upon him and thrown before his chariot wheels a few days afterward Cincinnati's gave up the office of dictator and went back to his little farm end of chapter 10 recorded by Alec Datesman, Brooklyn, New York chapter 11 of the famous men of Rome this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recorded by Alec Datesman famous men of Rome by John H. Haran and A. B. Poland chapter 11 Camillus about 380 years before the birth of Christ the Romans had another war with the V.I. ancients during this war they tried to take the rich city of V.I. but there was a great wall of stone all around the city and the gates which were of brass were very high and very strong so the Romans though they tried as hard as they could for seven years were not able to take V.I. and to make matters worse for them it was reported that 12 Etruscan cities were going to send armies to help the V.I. ancients it was also said that as soon as the 12 armies had driven the Romans away from the walls of V.I. they would roam and destroy the city the Romans were much alarmed by these reports and they resolved that there should be a dictator so the senate appointed a dictator and the man appointed was Marcus furious Camillus Camillus was one of the greatest men of Rome he belonged to a very rich and powerful family and he was a great soldier when he was made dictator he raised a large army and marched at once to V.I. he tried a long time to break down but he could not do it then he thought of the plan of digging a tunnel under the walls this seemed a good idea so Camillus set a great number of his men to work soon they had a tunnel dug under the walls and so far under the city that they thought they were as far as the great temple of Juno which was in the fort or strongest part of V.I. here they stopped to consider what next to do suddenly the sound of voices as of people talking in the temple above them was heard by the leaders so they sent for Camillus and when he came he listened to the voices now it happened that at this moment the king of V.I. was in the temple preparing to offer an ox as a sacrifice to Juno and praying to the goddess to save the city from the Romans the ox was killed and its carcass was ready to be laid on the altar after the king had prayed one of the priests pretending that he had received an answer from Juno cried out and offered this as a sacrifice upon the altar as soon as Camillus who was listening all the time heard these words of the priest he ordered his men to break an opening in the earth over their heads this was quickly done and the Romans sprang through into the midst of the worshippers they had once seized the carcass of the ox and Camillus himself offered it upon the altar to Juno then he and his companions rushed out of the temple and opened the gates of the city before the astonished and frightened people was being done as soon as the gates were opened the Roman soldiers poured in by the thousands the Viancians fought bravely but they were quickly defeated and their great and rich city was at last in the hands of the Romans in those times as has already been said it was the custom to divide among the victorious soldiers the valuable things taken from a defeated enemy the riches of V.I. were therefore divided among the Roman soldiers and there were so many precious things gold and silver and jewelry that the men were quite rich when each got his share two sometime after the taking of V.I. the Romans were at war with the Felicians and other people of Etruria and Camillus went with an army to besiege their chief town which was called Felleri he made his camp in front of the walls station soldiers all around and tried hard to take the town but the Felicians were very strong and defeated their town so well that Camillus began to be afraid he would not be able to take it at all now there was at the time in Felleri a school master who taught the sons of the chief citizens of the town this school master used to take his boys every day for a walk outside the walls one day he led them within the lines of the Roman army and brought them into the camp of Camillus Camillus was surprised at seeing the boys he asked the school master who they were and why he had bought them there the school master told who the boys were and then said I bring them here to give them up to you in doing this I give you up the city for their fathers will surrender the city to you in order to get back their children Camillus stood for a moment in silence gazing at the traitor with a look of disgust then in an angry voice he cried out villain we Romans are not so base as you are we do not make war upon children but upon men who do us wrong he then ordered some of his soldiers to tie the school master's hands behind his back and to get each of the boys a rod telling them to scourge the traitor before them into the city this the boys did with a hearty goodwill they whipped the unworthy school master into fallery and when the people saw the sight and heard of the noble conduct of Camillus they resolved not to fight anymore against so good a man so they sent ambassadors to Rome to make peace and the Romans and Felicians became good friends 3 not long after this time one of the tribunes bought a charge against Camillus that he had kept for his own use more than his fair share of the spoils of Vi some valuable things were noticed in his house and it was said that he had not got them as part of his share it was believed therefore that he had taken them sequentially from Vi the Romans were very particular upon this point they had strict laws for the division of spoils obtained in war and no one was permitted to take more than he was entitled to according to his rank in the army. Camillus was summoned to appear in the people's court to answer the charge made against him but he would not humble himself so much as to go before the plebeians to be tried he preferred rather to leave Rome forever so the great Camillus departed from his native city intending never to return as he passed out of the gates he prayed to the gods that some dreadful thing might happen to the Romans so that they would be forced to call him back again to Rome to save the city and very soon something did happen which compelled the Romans to ask for the help of Camillus for a long time a people called the Gauls had been doing a great deal of mischief in some parts of Italy these people came from the country now known as France which in ancient times was called Gaul thousands of them made their way across the high mountains called the Alps and settled on the plains of northern Italy for many years they lived in this region then they heard that further south the country was very beautiful and was rich in corn and cattle so they started out in great numbers to conquer it they were restrained savage people very different from the Romans or the Etruscans they were very tall and strong and had long shaggy black hair and dark fierce faces so that they appeared very terrible to the Italians in battle they showed all their savage nature they rushed furiously at their enemies yelling at the top of their voices flourishing enormous swords and blowing trumpets the chief or king of the Gauls at this time was called Brenas he was a man of great strength and size he wore a golden collar around his neck and on his arms which were bare he sometimes wore bracelets of gold the Gauls found the southern lands very much to their liking they robbed farms attacked some of the Etruscan cities and then after a short time they marched for Rome a great Roman army went out to fight them and two armies met on the banks of a river called the Alia Roman soldiers had never before seen the dreadful Gauls they were therefore greatly terrified when the tall fierce looking savages came running over the plains in vast numbers shouting furiously and blowing their trumpets and though the Roman general Marcus Manlius tried to make his men go forward bravely to meet the Gauls it was useless they fought badly and were killed by thousands at last they ran from the field and fled toward Rome 4 when the defeated soldiers reached Rome and told what had happened there was great terror in the city most of the people bundled up their household goods and fled to hiding places in the mountains close by where they thought they would be safe from the Gauls but many of the senators and other brave men both nobles and plebeians instead of running away from the city went up to the capital fastened the gates and made ready for a siege the capital was the most sacred part of the city it contained splendid statues of Jupiter Juno and Minerva and as you know the famous Sibylene books some old men who had been consuls resolved to remain in the city and wait for the Gauls to come they thought that if the Gauls should kill them they would then be satisfied and would spare the city so the patriotic old men addressed themselves in their finest robes and sat in chairs in the forum each with an ivory staff in his right hand when the Gauls reached the city there was no one to oppose them they watched onto the forum and found the old men with long white beards sitting in their chairs so still that they looked like statues a Gaul went up to one of them and pulled his beard to see if he were a living person instantly the old men raised his staff and struck the barbarian in the face the Gauls then fell upon the patriots and killed them then they began to plunder after destroying the greater part of the city the Gauls turned their attention to the capital the rock on which it was built was high and steep Brennitz led his soldiers up the hill but the Romans in the capital rushed down the narrow road and after a few minutes of brave fighting drove them back the Gauls made another attempt but it was no more successful than the first Brennitz saw that the Romans could not be driven from the capital he therefore decided to starve them out he put a strong guard at the entrance so that the Romans could not come out to get food for weeks the capital was thus besieged but its faithful defenders held out manfully meanwhile the people who had fled from Rome took courage again they gathered at the city of Vi and organized a strong army to fight the Gauls but they wanted a commander and they thought of Camillus all agreed that he would be the right man to be their general so they resolved to send for him but first they thought they must have the approval of the senate here was a difficulty how could a messenger get to the senate while the Gauls were around the capital this puzzled them for a good while but at last a young man named Pontius Caminus volunteered to carry a message to the capital so on a very dark night Pontius left Vi and swam down the Tiber until he reached the Capitoline hill then he went on shore and crept up the hill as far as the great rock the Gauls had put no guard there for they thought no one could climb the rock because it was so steep by great efforts Pontius managed to climb up several times he was near falling but by clinging to the vines and bushes on the rock he came to the top at last his countrymen in the capital were delighted to see him they were also very glad when they heard about the army at Vi and the senate at once approved of the proposal about Camillus it was agreed not only to make him general but to make him dictator then Cominius went down the rock and the hill by the way he had come up and hastened off to Vi 5 the next day some of the Gauls while walking along this side of the hill there were some marks in the soil they also noticed that bushes growing high up on the rock were crushed and torn then they knew that someone had gone up or come down the cliff and they resolved to try to go up themselves that night so shortly after midnight when they thought that the Romans would be fast asleep a party of Gauls began cautiously and silently to clamor up the steep rock some placed their shields across their shoulders for others to stand upon and in this way they supported one another and fast some of them made their way very near to the top and one got just to the edge of a balcony of the capital no one within the building heard them not even the watchdogs but at that moment there was a loud cackling of geese these birds were thought to be favorite birds of the goddess Juno many were kept in the capital and some of them happened just then to be at the side the Gauls were coming up the movements of the climbers, quiet though they were disturbed the geese and they began to cackle and flap their wings the geese had been aroused Marcus Manlius from his sleep he sprang from his bed seized his sword and shield and ran to the balcony there he saw a Gaul climbing onto the parapet and others scrambling up behind Marcus rushed upon him struck him in the face with his shield and tumbled him headlong down the rock as the Gauls fell he knocked down some of his companions who were climbing behind him the geese still kept up their loud cackling and soon all the Romans were awakened and came quickly to the assistance of Marcus they were hurled back as they mounted the rock and in a few minutes all who had come up were dashed down the steep cliff and killed thus the capital was saved by the cackling of geese for his brave action on this occasion Marcus Manlius was honored by being called Marcus Capitalinus 6 Brennes now saw that he could not take the capital so he thought it would be useless to remain any longer in Rome he therefore offered to go away if the senate would give him a thousand pounds of gold the senate thought it better to do this food was very scarce in the capital and in a few days the brave men there would have none at all they had heard nothing further from the army at VI and they were not sure that help could come in time to save them so the senate resolved to give the thousand pounds in gold to the Gauls and an officer named Quintus Sulpidius was sent with some lictors to deliver it to Brennes but the gold had to be weighed and the Gauls attempted to cheat the Romans by using false weights and when Brennes complained of this Brennes took off his sword and threw it belt and all into one of the scales and when Sulpidius asked what that meant Brennes answered what should it mean but woe to the conquered at that moment Camillus appeared at the gates with his army he soon learned what was going on quickly he marched to the spot and ordered the lictors to take the gold out of the scale and carry it back to the Roman treasury then he turned to Brennes and addressing him in a stern voice not with gold but with steel immediately there was a battle and the Gauls were defeated and driven out of the city next day there was another battle a few miles from Rome and the Gauls were again defeated and thousands of them slain Camillus then returned to Rome at the head of his victorious army the people received him with shouts of joy and for several days they had celebrations in his honor they called him the second Romulus meaning that he was the second founder of the city the father of his country 7 it was in the time of Camillus that a great hole or chasm caused perhaps by an earthquake suddenly appeared in the ground in the middle of the forum workmen were sent to fill it up but no matter how much earth they threw into it the hole seemed to be as large and deep as before the senate then consulted the augurs and they said the hole could not be filled up until what was most valuable in Rome was cast into it then the people began to throw in gold and silver and jewelry but still the hole was as deep as ever at last a young man named Curtis said that the most valuable things the Romans had were their arms and their courage then he put on his armor and his sword and mounting his horse wrote into the forum and leaped into the great hole immediately it closed up behind him and neither he nor his horse was ever seen again in the old Roman stories, Curtis is much praised as a patriot and hero the people thought he had saved his country from some great evil which they believed would have happened to it if the hole in the forum had not been closed up and of Chapter 11 recorded by Alec Datesman Brooklyn, New York Chapter 12 of the famous men of Rome this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recorded by Alec Datesman famous men of Rome by John H. Haran and A. B. Poland Chapter 12 Manlius Torcatus Marcus Manlius who commanded the Roman army at the battle of Alia and who so well defended the capital against the Gauls belonged to a family known as the Manlii gave many brave generals to the Republic one of them was named Titus Manlius some years after the siege of the capital Titus had a remarkable fight with a huge Gaul the Gauls had come back to make war again upon Rome their army was encamped near a bridge on the Anio a small river a few miles from the city and the Roman army sent to oppose them was on the other side of the river waiting for a good opportunity for battle every day a Gaul of gigantic size who wore around his neck a chain of twisted gold threads used to come to the bridge to insult the Romans he would call them cowards who were afraid to fight one day he dared them to send someone out to fight with him Manlius at once accepted the challenge and the two immediately took their places in an open space within sight of both armies the Gaul was so tall and strong the moment appeared like a boy beside him and everybody thought the big warrior would have an easy victory but Titus was very quick in his movements for a few moments after the fight began he skillfully dodged the furious blows of his opponent then he suddenly ran up close to him sprang under his great shield and plunged his sword deep into the Gaul's body the Gaul fell to the ground dead then Titus took the golden collar from the dead man's neck and put it on his own so afterwards he was called Manlius Torkatus from the word Tork which is Latin for a twisted collar Manlius Torkatus became consul but he was not much liked by the people for he was a very stern and severe ruler during a war which the Romans had with the Latins and some tribes of south Italy Manlius was in command of the Roman army he marched to meet the enemy who were assembled in force on the foot of Mount Vesuvius while the two armies were encamped opposite to each other Manlius ordered that none of his men should fight with any of the Latins until the word for battle was given soon after a Latin officer met young Manlius the consul's son riding in front of the lines with a troop of his comrades they entered into conversation about the coming battle and each boasted of the valor of the soldiers on his own side the officer challenged the young Roman to a single combat will to thou he cried measure thy strength with mine it will then be seen how much the Latin horseman excels the Roman Manlius accepted the challenge and in the fight which immediately took place he was the victor he killed the Latin and according to the custom of those times stripped him of his armor and carried it to the Roman camp then he went to tell his father said he I present you this armor which I have taken from the enemy I hope you will accept it as a proof that I am ready and able to do my duty as a Roman soldier Torcanus looked at his son sadly and then said my son you say you are willing to do your duty as a soldier but the first duty of a soldier is obedience this duty you have not performed for you have just now disobeyed me your commander you have fought with the enemy without receiving orders to do so but you shall not escape punishment because you are my son then turning to his lictors he said go bind him to a stake and cut off his head at this cruel order loud cries of horror came from the soldiers young Manlius threw himself at his father's feet and begged for mercy but the stern console turned away from him and ordered the lictors to perform their duty so the brave young Manlius was led to a stake and bound and with one stroke of the lictors axe his head was cut from his body soon afterwards there was a battle between the two armies and the romans gained a great victory but the war continued for some time longer it ended however in the defeat of the latins Manlius took possession of one of their towns the town of Antium on the Mediterranean coast and compelled the inhabitants to give up their warships war vessels and galleys in those times had sharp prows made for the purpose of running into and breaking through the sides of other vessels the prow was a beam with pointed irons fastened to it and a metal figure resembling the beak or head of a bird or other animal the beak was called a rostrum when the romans captured the warships of Antium they broke off the beaks and carried them to Rome there they fastened them as ornaments to the platform in the forum from which orators addressed the people hence the word rostrum came to mean a platform or pulpit for public speaking and in this sense it is now used in our own language End of Chapter 12 Recorded by Alec Datesman Bro...