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
Then Tatius bade his men not to refuse ‘the least part of what they wore on their left arms,’ and himself taking off his bracelet, threw it to her, together with his shield, which he also bore on his left arm.
His men did as their king had done, so that Tarpeia soon fell to the ground and was killed by the weight of the shields that covered her.
The traitress was buried on the hill which she had betrayed. From that day traitors were punished by being thrown over the steepest rock on the Capitoline hill, which was named after the maiden who betrayed her city, ‘The Tarpeian Rock.’
CHAPTER IX
THE MYSTERIOUS GATE
The fortress on the Capitoline hill was now in the hands of the Sabines, but they had still to fight with the Romans who dwelt on the Palatine hill.
Romulus was, indeed, already to be seen leading his men into the valley that lay between the two mountains.
The battle was long and fierce, and disaster well-nigh overtook the Sabines.
In the valley was a swamp, and in this swamp the whole of the enemy’s army would have been engulfed, had not Curtius, one of their most gallant soldiers, warned them of danger.
He himself had been carried by his horse into the mire. Nobly he tried to free his steed, but his efforts were all in vain. The more the animal struggled, the deeper it sank into the swamp, until at length Curtius was forced to leave his horse that he might save himself. This swamp was ever after known as the Curtian Lake.
Hour after hour the battle raged, until at last Romulus and his followers were driven backward. In their dismay the Roman army rushed through one of the gates into their city, hastily shutting it behind them, that the foe might not also enter.
But lo! so says the legend, the gate would not remain shut, but opened, as it seemed, of its own accord.
Twice again the terrified Romans tried to close it, and twice it opened as mysteriously as before.
The Sabines reached the gate as it opened for the last time.
In through the open gate pushed the triumphant enemy, when suddenly a great flood of water gushed forth from the temple of the god Janus, which stood near to the gate.
Overwhelmed by the force of the water, the Sabines were swept, not only out of the gate, but far away from the city, and Rome was saved.
But although the Sabines had been forced to flee, they had not been conquered. Again and again they marched against Romulus, for they could not forgive him for the loss of their daughters.
In one of these battles Romulus was wounded by a stone and fell to the ground. His followers, seeing that their king was wounded, lost courage and began to retreat.
But the king was soon on his feet, calling to his men to stand and fight. But it seemed as though they dared not turn to face the foe.
Then, in his great need the king stretched out his hands to heaven and besought Jupiter to come to his aid, promising that he would build a temple to his name, so only he would stay the flight of his army.
Even as he prayed the answer came. No voice from heaven commanded them to stand, yet the Romans were suddenly ashamed of their cowardice and turned once more to face the foe.
But as the battle was about to begin with redoubled fury the Sabine women rushed in between the two armies with loud cries, entreating now their fathers and brothers, now their husbands to end this cruel slaughter.
They even begged that they themselves might be slain, for, ‘Better it is that we perish,’ said the women, ‘than live as widows and orphans.’
In their arms the women carried their little sons, and these babes stretched out their tiny arms toward their grandsires, as though they too would beg for peace. The lamentable cries of their daughters, the sight of their little grandchildren made the Sabines hesitate, and soon the warriors in either army let their weapons fall to the ground in mood no longer warlike. ‘Then fathers and sons-in-law clasped hands in friendship. The old men embraced their daughters, and carried their baby grandsons on their shields. Surely a sweeter way was that to use the shield.’
Peace was then made, and the Romans and Sabines agreed to become one, while Romulus and Tatius ruled together over their united people.
Five years later Tatius was killed in a quarrel, and Romulus again ruled alone.
CHAPTER X
THE KING DISAPPEARS
As the years passed, the city of Rome became ever larger and more powerful. The king, too, grew haughty, and as his greatness increased, careless of the welfare of his people. His subjects, who had formerly loved Romulus, now began to hate him, so insolent seemed to them his behaviour.
Dressed in a scarlet robe, the king spent his days lying on a couch, while young lads, called Celeres, waited upon him. This name was bestowed upon them because of the swiftness with which they sped to do the king’s behests.
Nor was this all, but when Romulus at times roused himself to walk through the streets of the city, the Celeres went before him, bearing staves. These they used, to thrust aside any of the common people who dared to disturb the king by their presence.
The staves angered the people, but even more did they resent the leather thongs which the Celeres wore, for these were used to bind and take prisoner whoever displeased the king.
After he had reigned forty years a strange thing happened.
Romulus ordered the people to assemble on the Field of Mars, which reached from the city to the river Tiber, for here a festival was to be held. But when the king and his subjects met, a terrible storm arose. Dark and yet darker grew the sky, while fierce gusts of wind, blowing now in one direction, now in another, confused the terrified crowd. Flashes of lighting gleamed across the faces of the throng, then darkness, more dense, fell across the field, hiding each from the other. Thunder rolled until the earth seemed to shake at the sound.
In terror and distraught with fear, the crowd fled to their homes, lashed by a ceaseless torrent of rain.
And the king? When the storm was over the king was nowhere to be found. He had disappeared, and was seen no more on earth in human form.
‘His enemies have slain him,’ said some among the people. But others thought that the god Mars had carried the king to heaven in a chariot.
Proculus, a friend of Romulus, told the people a story, which made them believe that their king had himself become a god.
One day, as Proculus was walking from Alba to Rome, Romulus stood before him, clad in shining armour.
His friend was afraid when he saw the king, so tall and comely had he become, and he cried: ‘Why, O King, have you abandoned us, and left the whole city to bereavement and endless sorrow?’
Proculus did not seem to know that Romulus had lost the love of his people many years before.
The figure in shining armour answered his friend in these wise words:
‘It pleased the gods, O Proculus, that we, who came from them, should remain so long a time amongst men as we did, and having built a city to be the greatest in the world for empire and glory, should again return to heaven.
‘Farewell, and tell the Romans that by the exercise of temperance and fortitude they shall attain the height of human power. We will be to you from henceforth the god Quirinus.’
The Romans listened eagerly to Proculus, and when his story ended, they determined to build a temple on the Quirinal hill in honour of their new god.
And each year, on the 17th February, the day that Romulus had been taken from their sight, the Romans held a festival in honour of Quirinus, calling it the Quirinalia.
CHAPTER XI
THE PEACE-LOVING KING
After the disappearance of Romulus, the Romans and Sabines each wished to appoint a new king.