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
CHAPTER XIX
THE BOOKS OF THE SIBYL
One day, when Tarquin the Proud was at the height of his power, a woman came to the city and demanded to see the king. She was a stranger, and carried in her arms nine books.
When she was brought before the king she asked him to buy the books, telling him that they were the sacred prophecies of the inspired Sibyl of Cumæ. Cumæ was in the Campania, and was the most ancient of the Greek towns in Italy. The prophecies were written on loose leaves, and in them, said the strange woman, the king would read the destiny of Rome, and how to fulfil it.
But the stranger asked so large a sum of money for the nine books that the king laughed and refused to buy.
Quietly, before the king’s eyes the woman burned three of the nine books. Then, turning to him again, she offered the six books for the same price as she had before demanded for the nine.
Tarquin laughed still more scornfully, and refused to buy the six as he had already refused to buy the nine books.
Quietly as before the woman burned three more books before the eyes of the king. Then turning to him she offered the three books that were left for the same sum.
Then the king laughed no more. He began to wonder if perhaps the gods had sent the books to Rome. So he consulted the augurs, and by their advice he now bought the three books for the sum which would have bought the nine.
She carried in her arms nine books.
The strange woman, having done her work, disappeared and was seen no more, while the books were put in a chest and kept in the Capitol, which was now complete.
Two Greeks were appointed to guard the Sibylline books, for they were written in the Greek language. And ever when death, pestilence, or war threatened the city, the books were consulted by the augurs, if perchance Rome might be saved from destruction.
Many years after the reign of Tarquin the Capitol was burned, and the sacred books were destroyed in the fire.
To the Romans the loss of the books was a greater blow than even the destruction of the Capitol.
The Senate sent ambassadors to Greece and to Asia Minor to beseech the sibyls there to find fresh oracles, that calamity might still be averted from Rome.
And the ambassadors were successful, for when they returned they brought with them new scrolls, which, when a new Capitol was built, were placed within its sacred precincts.
During the reign of Augustus, the oracles were removed to the temple of Apollo, which stood on Mount Palatine.
But long after the time of Augustus, in A.D. 400, they were burned in public by a famous Roman, for he was a Christian, and cared little for the ancient oracles, believing them to be but a useless relic of the old pagan days.
CHAPTER XX
THE INDUSTRY OF LUCRETIA
As the years passed, Tarquin was disturbed by terrible dreams. The evil deeds he had done came back to his memory, and haunted him by day and by night. Even in the temples of the gods he could find no rest from his fears.
One day, as sacrifices were being offered, the king saw a serpent stealing down a wooden pillar. Fascinated, he watched as it dropped slowly on to the altar and devoured the sacrifice. His fear told him that this was a bad omen, and, thoroughly alarmed, Tarquin determined to consult the Greek oracle at Delphi, for this oracle was famous not only in Greece, but throughout the world.
So he sent his two sons, Titus and Aruns, to Delphi. With them went the king’s nephew, named Junius, but called Brutus because he was believed to be stupid. But Brutus only pretended to be stupid so that his uncle would not trouble to do him harm.
When the princes reached the dwelling of the priestess, the king’s sons offered her valuable gifts, while Brutus gave to her only a simple staff. His cousins mocked at Brutus as they were used to do, for a priestess would not care for so poor a gift, they were sure. But Brutus was wiser than they deemed, for the staff had been made hollow, and then had been filled with gold.
As the king had bidden, the young princes asked the oracle the meaning of the serpent that had devoured the sacrifice on the altar.
It was indeed an evil omen. ‘The fall of Tarquin is at hand,’ was the sinister answer they received.
‘Which of us shall reign after him?’ demanded the king’s sons with unseemly eagerness.
‘He who shall first kiss his mother,’ responded the oracle.
Then the two princes cast lots to determine which of them should greet their mother first on their return.
But Brutus guessed that the words of the oracle had a deeper meaning.
As he left the Delphic temple, he pretended to slip, and falling to the ground, he secretly kissed the Earth, knowing that she was the mother of all men.
When the princes returned the king was at war, besieging Ardea, a town in Latium. It seemed that he had forgotten his fears, nor does the story tell what he thought of the answer of the oracle.
Meanwhile the siege of Ardea dragged on month after month, so bravely did the inhabitants defend their town.
In the Roman camp, Prince Sextus and a noble named Collatinus one day whiled away the hours by wondering what their wives were doing. Each boasted that his wife was the more diligent and the more modest of the two women.
At length one of their friends idly suggested that Sextus and Collatinus should ride to their homes and find out how their wives were employed.
So the two officers, accompanied by their friends, ordered their horses, and rode first of all to Rome.
Here they found the wife of Sextus at a banquet, where she was dancing gaily, the merriest of all the merry throng.
It was late when they reached Collatia, where they found Lucretia, the wife of Collatinus, still busy with her maidens at the spinning-wheel.
The whole company agreed that of the two wives Lucretia deserved the greater praise. Then the frolic being over, the prince and his friends rode back to camp.
CHAPTER XXI
THE DEATH OF LUCRETIA
The idle suggestion that had made Sextus and Collatinus ride from the camp to Rome and Collatia led to terrible disaster.
Sextus, having seen how wise and beautiful Lucretia was, wished to win her from her husband; and one day, leaving the camp, he again rode to Collatia, but this time he rode alone.
Lucretia, believing the prince was her husband’s friend, received him with fitting hospitality when he arrived at her house, hot and tired after his ride. But when she found that he was not a true friend to Collatinus she was no longer kind. Then the prince grew angry, and treated Lucretia so cruelly that she knew she could never again be happy.
The next day she clad herself in black, and sent messengers to her father and her husband, bidding them come to Collatia with all possible speed.
When they arrived, she told them how Sextus had treated her, and making them swear to avenge her wrongs, she plunged a dagger into her heart and died.
Brutus, the king’s nephew, had ridden from the camp with Collatinus, and he, too, swore to avenge Lucretia, and to see that never more should any of the race of Tarquin sit upon the throne of Rome.
This oath was also taken by the husband and father of Lucretia, as well as by two brave Romans named Publius Valerius and Spurius Lucretius.
The dead body of the Roman matron was carried to the market-place, and when the people were told what had happened, they broke out into loud cries, and mourned for her sad fate.
Brutus then hastened to Rome to tell the terrible tale. In the Forum, amid the assembled people, his voice rang out clear and fearless as he reminded them of the crimes of Tarquin the Proud, and denounced the king and his son Sextus.