The Story of Greece and Rome for boys and girls
- Автор: Macgregor Mary
- Год: 1914
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Зарубежная литература для детей
Электронная книга - «The Story of Greece and Rome for boys and girls». Краткое содержание книги:
The Story of Greece: Told to Boys and Girls от Mary Macgregor
The Story of Rome, From the Earliest Times to the Death of Augustus, Told to Boys and Girls от Mary Esther Miller MacGregor
His slave obeyed, and, faithful to the end, slew himself as well as his master.
Here in the grove his enemies found the body of Gaius Gracchus, covered by that of his devoted slave.
Here it would be possible, he thought, to hold the enemy at bay.
The head of the dead man was cut off, and to increase its weight was filled with lead. This was done, it is told, by one who was once his friend. But this we cannot easily believe. It was, however, taken to the Consul, who gave for it the promised reward—its weight in gold.
The body of Gaius was then dragged through the streets, and thrown into the Tiber.
And Cornelia, the mother of the Gracchi?
She bore the loss of her two sons as she had borne all the disasters of her life, with an undaunted spirit.
Her friends marvelled to hear her speak of her sons with no outward sign of grief, but Cornelia was too proud of the service they had done for Rome to weep. Yet she left the city and lived in retirement, for, with all her fortitude, she could not bear to meet those who had approved of the murder of her sons.
In after years the Romans learned to be ashamed of their treatment of the Gracchi, and in reverence for the noble matron who had borne them they erected a bronze statue in the Forum. On it were inscribed these simple words: ‘To Cornelia, the mother of the Gracchi.’
CHAPTER LXXXIII
THE GOLD OF JUGURTHA
Jugurtha was king, King of Numidia. It is true that he had stolen his kingdom, or at least the greater part of it, from his two young cousins, the grandsons of Masinissa, yet he was safely seated on the throne.
One of the princes Jugurtha had murdered, the other had escaped to Rome and claimed her help.
But Jugurtha was rich, and he knew that at Rome gold could purchase what he wished. So now he sent large sums of money to some of the senators, and these could not resist the wealth that was offered to them.
In this way justice went awry, to the bewilderment of Adherbal the prince, for the senators who were bribed, voted that Jugurtha should keep the wealthiest and strongest part of Numidia, while Adherbal might claim what was left.
But even this was not enough to satisfy the ambition of the king. He now wished to wrest from the prince even the small dominion that had been allotted to him.
Again and again Adherbal appealed to Rome, but her hands were filled with the gold of the tyrant, and she would do nothing to help his victim.
At length Jugurtha besieged his cousin in his capital town of Cirta.
The prince was not strong enough to defy his enemy, and there was no choice but to surrender, and this Adherbal did, on condition that his life and that of the inhabitants should be spared.
But it was vain to trust Jugurtha. He cared little for the promise he had given, and no sooner had the prince left the city than his cousin ordered that he should be put to death, while the inhabitants, Italians as well as Numidians, were also slain.
The treachery of Jugurtha was known in Rome, but it was ignored. How could it be otherwise when those who should have rebuked and punished him were spending his money.
But among the tribunes there was one man whose hands were clean, and he, in the Assembly of the people, denounced the nobles for taking bribes and allowing Jugurtha to go on his treacherous way unchecked.
So earnest were the words of Memmius that the people were roused, and the Senate dared no longer refuse to call the tyrant to account. War was therefore declared against the King of Numidia in 112 B.C.
But it was useless to send an army to Africa unless the officers were honourable men.
Bestia, the Consul, when he reached the enemy’s country, did at first attack and capture several towns, as well as take many of Jugurtha’s men prisoners.
Then, all at once, the activities of the Consul came to an end. He fought no more against the enemy. For Bestia had been offered the gold of Jugurtha and had accepted it, and the tyrant was again left to use his power as he chose.
At home, however, Memmius did not scruple to expose the conduct of Bestia, and to denounce it as unworthy of a Roman. His persistence won the day.
In 110 B.C. Jugurtha was brought to Rome under a safe conduct, that he might give evidence against those who had accepted his gold.
But even now the king still found some willing to handle his money, and justice was delayed, if it was not altogether turned aside.
One of the Consuls meanwhile wished to depose Jugurtha and make a young prince King of Numidia.
When Jugurtha heard this he did not hesitate to order his slave to go at once to put his rival to death.
Such a deed was more than Rome could tolerate, and Jugurtha found it necessary to escape from the city.
The Senate saw that the war in Africa must be carried on. But to do so with any hope of success it was necessary to find a general who would scorn to take a bribe.
In the summer of 109 B.C. such a man was found in the Consul Metellus, who was now sent to Numidia as commander of the army. With him, as his lieutenant or legate, he took Gaius Marius, of whose boyhood I must tell you.
CHAPTER LXXXIV
GAIUS MARIUS WINS THE NOTICE OF SCIPIO AFRICANUS
Gaius Marius was born in 157 B.C. His parents were humble folk, who had to work for their daily bread.
Marius grew up knowing nothing of the indolence and luxury that surrounded so many Roman youths of noble birth.
His boyhood was lived in a mountain village, where, if his training made him rough and uncouth, it also taught him to endure hardness, and to eat and drink only what was needful for his health. It was many long years before Marius knew anything of the polished manners and indulgent ways of the city.
From his youth Gaius Marius was bold and active. As he grew older, his temper would often flash out in ungovernable passion when there was little to provoke it.
The lad first served as a soldier under the younger Scipio Africanus. He was used to frugal fare, and to him the simple manner in which Scipio insisted that his soldiers should live seemed only natural.
The young soldier’s bravery gained the attention of his commander more than once, and it is easy to believe that such notice awoke his pride and roused his ambition.
One evening, as he sat at supper, Scipio was asked where the Romans would find another leader when he was no longer with them.
‘Perhaps here,’ answered Scipio, and as he spoke he touched Marius lightly on the shoulder.
At these words the ambition of Marius leaped to greater heights than ever before.
When he was thirty-eight years of age he became a tribune, and he at once set himself to win the favour of the people by bringing forward a measure to keep the election of magistrates free from bribery, but the Senate refused to allow the bill to be put to the vote.
Marius, nothing daunted, threatened that the Consuls should be imprisoned if they did not compel the Senate to let the bill take its course. So determined was he that he gained his end. The bill came before the people, and they, well pleased that Marius had compelled the Senate to yield, voted for it, and the bill became law.
In 115 B.C. he became a prætor, and was sent to service in Spain. Here he showed that he was a leader of men, for under him the Roman army speedily cleared the land of the robbers that had for long infested it.
At this time those who rose to fame in Rome were almost always either rich or eloquent.
But Marius was poor, and he had no gift of speech, yet these things did not prevent him from looking forward to the days when he, too, would be famous.