The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to prose. Volume II (of X) - Rome
History
The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to prose. Volume II (of X) - Rome
Literature -- Collections
[Footnote 65: Not the triumvir, but his uncle, Caius Antonius, a man
who after the conspiracy made a scandalous record, and in consequence
was surnamed "Hybrida." He was Consul with Cicero, and is believed to
have been one of the original Catiline conspirators, but Cicero gained
him over to his own side by promising him the rich province of
Macedonia. As Consul, Antonius was under the necessity of leading the
army against Catiline; but, owing to unwillingness to fight against
his former friend (Sallust says owing to lameness) he gave the
immediate command on the day of battle to his legate, Petreius. The
father of this Antonius and the grandfather of Mark Antony, the
triumvir, was Mark Antony, the orator, frequently referred to by
Cicero as one of the greatest of Roman orators.]
[Footnote 66: That is, northern Italy, which In ancient times had been
occupied by Gallic people. Pistoria was an Etruscan town lying at the
foot of the Apennines.]
LIVY
Born In Padua in 59 B.C.; died there in 17 A.D.; one of the
most famous of the Roman historians; his work, embracing the
period from the founding of the city, comprized one hundred
and forty-two books, of which only thirty-five have come
down to us; he spent over forty years in writing the
history; he wrote also philosophical dialogs and a work on
rhetorical training.[67]
I
HORATIUS COCLES AT THE BRIDGE[68]
(About 510 B.C.)
The Sublician bridge[69] well-nigh afforded a passage to the enemy,
had it not been for one man, Horatius Cocles, given by fortune on that
day as a defense of Rome. He happened to be posted on guard at the
bridge and when he saw the Janiculum taken by a sudden assault, and
that the enemy were pouring down thence in full speed, and that his
own party in terror and confusion were abandoning their arms and
ranks--laying hold of them one by one, standing in their way, and
appealing to the faith of gods and men, he declared "that their flight
would avail them nothing if they deserted their post; if they passed
the bridge and left it behind them, there would soon be more of the
enemy in the Palatium and Capitol than in the Janiculum; for that
reason he advised and charged them to demolish the bridge, by their
sword, by fire, or by any means whatever; that he would stand the
shock of the enemy as far as could be done by one man."
He then advanced to the first entrance of the bridge, and being easily
distinguished among those who showed their backs in retreating from
the fight, facing about to engage the foe hand to hand, by his
surprizing bravery he terrified the enemy. Two indeed a sense of shame
kept with him--Spurius Lartius and Titus Herminius--men eminent for
their birth, and renowned for their gallant exploits.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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