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 1653 East Mam Street 
 
 Rochester. New York 14609 USA 
 
 (716) 482 - 0300 -Phone 
 
 (716) 288 - 5989 - Fat 
 
MACAU LAYS 
 
 LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME 
 
 AJIO 
 
 THE ARMADA 
 
 v ■-.-■;.■■ 
 
 Witll Jn'HOOUCTtON AND NgtES 
 
 .»- 
 
 H^OtkMnOH 
 
 
 9 J 
 
 
 ^"-c- 
 
 A.* W. MACKIltLAY. 
 
 ism 
 
 TiTf TTTVf'E^ 
 
 MWCYKUPf*: ■■III IMlAtl li Mi 
 
 t^wBPsm^ ., 
 
ifc.v 
 
 
 MACAULAY'S 
 
 LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME 
 
 AND 
 
 THE ARMADA 
 
 WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES 
 
 BY 
 
 A. CAMERON, 
 
 PRINCIPAL COINTY ACADEMV, YARMOITII, S. B 
 
 HALIFAX, N. S. : 
 
 A. & VV. MACKINLAY, 
 
 1902. 
 
 / 
 
 Ksmitv UL-ii Tjnrr- 
 

 Entered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada in the 
 
 year iS</9 
 
 15y T. ' AI.LKN AM) Co., 
 In the Department of Agriculture (Copyright Branch). 
 

 MACAULAY'S 
 
 LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME 
 
 AND 
 
 THE ARMADA 
 
^''~- -^AM-^^mg. 
 
 " 3 Jl^SSt^^ itrl 
 
PKKFACE. 
 
 This edition of " The Armada " and the " Romn ) i " 
 has been prepared for the use of students in t: . iligh 
 School? of Nova Scotia. 
 
 The I v)eni8 arc given at full length — the breaks in 
 "Virginia" are Macaulay's own, — and the text is the 
 same as thut of all the editit.is. Some punctuation 
 marks may not be just the same as in some editions, 
 but apart from this the variations are very few and very 
 slight. In " Horatius " lOtJ some read folks and some 
 POLK, in l:i8 some print i wis an«l some iwis, in " Capys " 
 180 some S|)ell vail and some vgil, and in " Regillus " 
 213 one edition has Ua > instead MEN. 
 
 Macaulay's prefaci-s to lie "I ./s" were not written 
 fur schoolboys, and oniy • vtracts from them are given 
 here. When the oars brl ■<: wider knowledge and ripor 
 judgment the st ' nt may Hing aside his schoolbook 
 and get a man's edition. 
 
 In the Notes it is assumed that the student has access 
 to dictionaries, maps, histories of England and Rome, 
 and other common works of reference ; and that he has 
 been taught how to use them. He need not look in the 
 notes here for information that can be readily found 
 there by any intelligent schoolgirl. Some such informa- 
 
VI 
 
 PIIEFACK. 
 
 '^ 
 
 tion has probably leaked in, but the editor has tried 
 hard to keep it out. 
 
 Such as they are, the notes should not be looked at — 
 nor should any others — until each poem has been read 
 over and over again, so that the student is quite familiar 
 with it as a whole. Let him leave the puzzling passages 
 and words alone at first, — and indeed it is good to 
 leave some of them alone at the very last: one is not 
 bound to solve all puzzles during one's schooldays. 
 
 In the " Lays," such names of ])ersons and places as 
 are of frequent occurrence in history and literature, 
 should be looked up and studied, so as to become part 
 of the student's stock of general information. In select- 
 ing these names he will be guided by his teacher, his 
 history of Rome, and his map. The other proper names 
 will, of course, be enjoyed for their taste in the m >uth 
 and for their sound in the ear, but beyond this there 
 should not be much worrying about them. 
 
 In all four " Lays," but especially in the last two, the 
 student should be careful to distinguish between the 
 circumstances connected with the subject of the " Lay " 
 and those connected with the supposed time of making 
 and singing it. 
 
 I 
 
SOME DATES AND EVENTS IN 
 MACAULAY'S LIFE. 
 
 1800. Born October 25tli, at Kctlilcy Tcmpk' in Leicester- 
 
 sinn^ 
 
 ISIS. 
 1S25. 
 1830. 
 is; 52. 
 1832. 
 
 1833. 
 18.'34. 
 
 . 5' 
 
 ana 
 
 1839. 
 1842. 
 1846. 
 1847. 
 
 1848. 
 18r,2. 
 18,55. 
 IS;-)". 
 
 1859. 
 ISOO. 
 
 Entered Trinity ('ol]e<^(', Cambridge, 
 
 Essay on IMilton in •• E<linburgli lieview 
 
 M. P. for Calne. 
 
 Takes an active part in favour of tbe Reform Bill. 
 
 M. P. for Leeds in tlie Ifefornied Parliament, 
 
 Secretary of tbe IJoard of Control for India. 
 The Akmada. 
 
 Goes to India as ]\Iember of tbe Supreme Council. 
 Back in England. 
 
 ]\I. 1\ for Edinburgb. Secretary at War till 1841 
 Lays op Axcient Eome. 
 Paymaster-General. 
 Loses bis seat for Edinburgb, 
 Volumes I, and II. of tbe History, 
 Again M. P. for Ediid)urgb. 
 Volumes III, and IV, of tbe History, 
 liaised to tbe IVerage. "His enjoyed it," says 
 
 sister, Lady Trevelyun, "as be did everytbing, 
 
 simply and cordially,'' 
 Died December 'JStb. "^ 
 January 9tb: P>uried in Westminster Abbev. 
 
 nis 
 
 For a sketcb of Macanlay's life. r. T. C. Allen's edition 
 of tbe essay on Milton, or any good encycloj)8edia or bio- 
 graftbical dictionary. If you can get hold of "Tbe J^ife and 
 Letters" by bis nejtbew Sir George Otto Trevelyan, read 
 that in preference to everything else on tbe subject. 
 
 I 
 
THE ARMADA. 
 
 A FRAGMENT. 
 
 Attend, all ye who list to hear our noble England's 
 
 praise ; 
 I tell of the thrice-famous deeds she wrought in ancient 
 
 days, 
 When that great fleet invincible against her bore in vain 
 The richest spoils of Mexico, the stoutest hearts of Spain. 
 
 It was about the lovely close of a warm summer day, 
 There came a gallant merchant-ship full sail to Plymouth 
 
 Bay ; 
 
 Her crew had seen Castile's black fleet, beyond Aurigny's 
 
 Isle, 
 At earliest twilight, on the waves lie heaving many a milt. 
 At sunrise she escaped their van, by God's especial grace ; 
 10 And the tall Pinta, till the noon' had held her close in 
 
 chase. 
 Forthwitli a guard at every gun was placed along the wall ; 
 Ihe beacon blazed upon the r<H)f of Edgecumbe's lofty hall ; 
 Many a light fishing bark put out to pry along the coast. 
 And with loose rein and bloody spur'rode inland many 
 
 a post. 
 
 With his white hair unbonneted, the stout old sheriff 
 comes ; 
 
 Behind him march the halberdiers; before him sound the 
 drums ; 
 
 His yeomen round the market cross make clc-ir an ample 
 
 space ; 
 For there behoves him to set up the standard of Her Grace. 
 And haughtily the trumpets peal, and gaily dance the 
 bells, 
 20 As slow upon the labouring wind the royal blazon swells. 
 
 1 
 
MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 Look how the Lion of the sea lifts uj) his ancient crown, 
 And underneath liis .U-adly paw treads tlie gay lilies down. 
 So stalked he when he turned to Hight, on that famed 
 I'icard field, , • 
 
 Bohemia's plume, and Genoa's how, and Cajsar s eagle 
 
 shield. . , 1 , 14. 
 
 So glared he when at Agincourt in wrath he turned to 
 
 And crushed and torn beneath his claws the princely 
 
 hunters lay. , , , 
 
 Ho! strike the flagstaff deep. Sir Knight: ho! scatter 
 
 flowers, fair maids : 
 Ho! gunners, fire a loud salute: ho! gallants, draw your 
 
 blades : <• i • i 
 
 Thou sun, shine on her joyously; ye breezes, waft her wide; 
 30 Our glorious sempkr kadkm, the banner of our pride. 
 The freshening breeze of eve unfurled that banner s massy 
 
 The parting gleam of sunshine kissed that haughty scroll 
 
 of gold; 
 Night sank upon the dusky beach, and on the purple sea. 
 Such night in England ne'er had been, nor e er again 
 
 shall be. r t <- 
 
 From Eddystone to Berwick bounds, from Lynn to 
 
 Milford Bay, 
 That time of slumber was as brudit and busy as the (lay; 
 For swift to east and swift to west the ghastly war-flame 
 
 spread, . ., i 
 
 High on St. Michael's Mount it shone: it shone on 
 
 Beach V Head. 
 Far on the deep the Spaniard saw, along each southern 
 
 40 Cape"" 'ileyond cape, m endless range, those twinkling 
 points of fire. -.-^^ ■ 
 
 The fisher left his skift to rock on lamar's glittering 
 
 The rugged miner poured to war from Mendip's sunless 
 
 O'er Longleat's towers, o'er Cranbourne's oaks, the tiery 
 
 herald flew : 
 He roused the shepherds of Stonehenge, the rangers ot 
 
 BeauJieu. 
 
THE ARMADA. 
 
 Right sharp and quick the helL: all night rang out from 
 
 Bristol town, 
 And ere tlie day three liundred horse liad met on Clifton 
 
 down; 
 The sentinel on "Whitehall gate looked forth into the night, 
 And saw o'erhaugin^^ liichinoud Hill ihe streak of blood- 
 red light, 
 Then bugle's note and cannon's roiir the death-like silence 
 
 broke, 
 50 And with one start, and with one cry, the royal city 
 
 woke. 
 At once on .all her stately gates arose the answering fires; 
 At once the vild alarum clashed from all her reeling 
 
 spins; 
 From all the batteries of the L'ower pealed loud the voice 
 
 of fear; 
 And all the thousand masts of Thames sent back a hnider 
 
 cheer; 
 And from the farthest wards was heard tlie rush of hurry- 
 ing feet, 
 And the broad streams of pikes and flags rushed down 
 
 cell roaring street; 
 And broader still became the blaze, and louder stiH the 
 
 din. 
 As fast from every village round the horse came spurring 
 
 in; 
 And eastward straight from wild Blackheath the warlike 
 
 errand went, 
 60 And roused in many an ancient hall the ya'lant squires of 
 
 K.nt. 
 Southward from Surrey's pleasant hills flew those blight 
 
 couriers forth ; 
 High on bleak Hampstead's swarthy !noor they started for 
 
 the north; 
 And on, and on, without a pause, untired they Lounc 
 
 still: 
 All night from tower to tower they sprang; they sprang 
 
 from hill to hill : 
 Till the proud Peak unfurled the flag o'er Darwin'« rocky 
 
 dales, 
 Till like volcanoes flared to heaven the storiry hills of 
 
 Wales, 
 
4 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 Till twelve fair counties saw the blaze on Malvern's 
 
 lonely height, 
 Till streamed in crimson on the wind the Wrekin's crest 
 
 «t£ light, 
 Till broad and tierce the star came forth on ' ly's stately 
 
 fane, 
 70 And towti- and hamlet rose in arms o'er all the borndless 
 
 plain ; 
 Till Belvoir's lordly terracei^ the sign to Lincoln sent, 
 And Lincoln sped the messafre on o'er the wide vale of 
 
 Trent ; 
 Till Skiddaw saw the fire that burned on Gaunt's em- 
 battled pile, 
 And the red glare on Skiddaw roused the burghers of 
 
 Carlisle. 
 
NOTES TO TPIE \RMADA. 
 
 (1833). 
 
 In Ti-evelyan's Life and Letters of Lord Macaulay we are told : — " In 
 the 'Friendship's Offering' o' 1833, one of those mawkish annual pub- 
 hcations of the album species which were then in fasliion, api)eared his 
 poem of ' The Armada,' whose swinging couplets read us if somewhat out 
 of place in the company of such productions." 
 
 It is only " A Fragment," as its author states in the title. It is a great 
 pity that we couM not have had a complete ballad in the same sj ited 
 style and in the same "swinging coupl.-ts." As it is, there is liiue or 
 nothing about the Armada; and the Fragment might as well have been 
 called 'The Lighting of the Be.-^'oi.s.' 
 
 The student should tract' out on his map the enurce of the fiery .signals 
 which flamed out from hill ind headland on that faiiKius July night in 
 1588. There are no notes given here on the names of hills, towns, rivers, 
 plains, capes, etc., whic. can easily be found i>\i any good map, or in any 
 gazetteer. But son-e ha'i.-dozen or so of the pi; e-naiiies are those of castles, 
 halls, or towers, — historic in themselves and ilie seats of iiistorie families', 
 — and notes on these will be found under the number of the line where 
 ejich is mentioned. 
 
 Line 1. Lim;— Wliich ci the following " lists" is this ?— fa) "Lay 
 thine ear close to the ground and i.isr if thou caiist hear the' tread of 
 travellers. (b) "Co to bed when she i.rsT, )i.se when she list." 
 
 1. England :— Is this the right word ! Would it be the right word in 
 a ballad on Crecy, or Bleidieim, or Trafalgar, or Waterloo, or Balaklava, 
 or Candahar, or Omdunnan ? 
 
 2. I Tkll: - In his Roman Lays Macaulay makes ancient Romans tell 
 the stones ; his Ivry is a song of the Huguenots ; his Naseby is a i.sah:. 
 by a Piiiitan sergeant, ''.'ho tells the story here ? 
 
 4. Thk Richest Spoils of MEXiro : — Fmude savs in the Armn.la 
 chapter of his history: "On tlie fleet itself the treasures of the India-, 
 mines hiid for three \e,irs been freely lavished." 
 
 TiiK St.htkst Hkaiits ok .Spain : — The Spain of l.'.SS was a verv dif- 
 ferent power from the Spain <.f 1898 which tlie United States found it' such 
 an easy matter to crush. Her king at tliis time was Pinlip IL, the lins- 
 band of our .luecn Mary Tu.h.i. I„ Tennvson-s drama Queen Mary, 
 Act 5, bcene L, Philip is leavin- Knglaud and his wife. He says " Many 
 voices call me hence." Mary asks " What voices, and Low many ? " 
 
 I'HILIP. — '• The voices of Castile and Aragon, 
 
 Granada, Naples, Si( ily, and Milan, — 
 
 The voices of Franche-'Conite and the Netherlands, 
 
6 
 
 MACAU LAYS LAYS. 
 
 Mart. 
 
 The voices of Peru ami Mexico 
 Tunis, and Onm, and the I'hiliiiinneii, 
 And all the fair since-islands of the East." 
 
 ' You are the niightieiit monarch upon earth, 
 I but a little queen." 
 
 For a i)rose commentary on these speeches, and for a contrast between 
 the Spain of Philip and that of even two hundred years ago, — when it 
 was not so dcirij)it as it was in 1K1»8, — look at somt; of the iiaragraphs 
 near the bt>ginning of ilacaulay's essay on Lord Mahon's War of the 
 Succession. 
 
 f). It was a Friday evening in July; try to find the exact date. Get 
 some one to tell you the story of the famous match at bowls that was going 
 on then. 
 
 (Jf, this line from Macaulay's Battle of Naseby : — 
 
 " It was about the noon of a glorious day of June." 
 
 6-10. She was a Scots privateer : her master's name, Fleming. In 
 Kingsiey's Westward Ho ! chap. bO, t'apt. Fleniing tells his news to Lord 
 Howard in this wise : — "If I didn't see the Sjuinish fleet la * sun-down, 
 coming along half-moon wise, and full seven mile from wing to wing, 
 within a four mile of me, I 'm a sinner." 
 
 Why Castilk's, and why Black ? Why not use the more familiar name 
 Aldeksev ? Was it really down there that the Armada "'as first seen ? 
 
 12. EiHiKciMBK : — Tills is a hill on the west side of PljTnouth Sound, 
 two miles fron» the town. The Hall is the seat of Lord Mount- 
 Edgecumbe. 
 
 14. Post : — Look up the different meanings, and the derivation. 
 
 15. Unuonnhtki) : — What was a bonnet in those days \ 
 Stout : — .Vhich of its meanings have we here? 
 
 18. Make a drawing of Her Grace's standard, and another of Her present 
 Majestv's. 
 
 19. "Here the IwUs " gaily .lance," in 52 they "clash" : Why ? 
 
 24. Why Pn'MK with Bohemia, and Bow with Genoa ? 
 
 C.EsAii: — He was the son of the King of Bohemia and bore the title 
 " King of tlie Romans." 
 
 25. Trevelyan tells us; "Lord Macaulay was born ... on the 25th 
 of October, the day of St. Crispin, the anniversary of Agincourt (as he liked 
 to say)." 
 
 26. For the French loss at Agincourt, v. Shakespeare's Henry V. 4, 8, 
 27-28. Wliy should he vary the construction as he does in these lines ? 
 30. Se.mfeii Eadem : — This was Queen Elizabeth's motto. The ban- 
 ner (c. lines 21-2) " seems to have been first introduced by Henry VIII., 
 and wns retained by F'Jizubeth." If you have access to a coj>y of the 9th 
 edition of the Encyclopfedia Britannica, look at the article on Flag. 
 
 33. How do " dusky " and "purple " agree with your own observation 
 under similar circumstances ? 
 
 35. Quote anything like this line that you have read or heard anywhere. 
 
 Bkuwick BuL'.Mis "applies to the easte'.o part of the town \ which the 
 jurisdiction was exclusively English." 
 
 ff^*^^ 
 
NOTES TO THE ARMADA. 7 
 
 38. If your mnj) docs not givo St. Miilmil's Mount, look for Mount's 
 Bay. Tliis is the " mount" of Milton's Lyciilas, 161-ii : — 
 
 " Wlific tlif great vision of the gimnlcd iimunt 
 Looks toward Niitnancos and hayonna's iiold." 
 
 40. To tiie Spaniards " far on liif dccji," the hi-acons look like "twink- 
 ling iH)ints (if hrc." To the liurgiiers ot Carlisle the luacon on Skiddaw 
 is a " red glare." Coni|>are thi' internieiliate deseri|>tivc touches. 
 
 43. LnMM.KAT : —Tile hoMM! of tile Maii(iiis of Hath in Wiltshire. 
 CiiANiioniNK: — III the norili-ea>t of l)orselshire. There is an old priory 
 
 there, which lx'loiig> to the Manjuis of Salisbury, 'iiid which gives tlie 
 title of Viscount Cianliouriie to his eldest son. 
 
 44. Ukai'mki' : -The naiiie of an alihey, ard of a river which runs 
 through the New Forest ill IIaiiip>hirc. 
 
 4t}. Clifton is about a mile U-low llristol. For Down i-. tlu' di( tionaiy. 
 
 47. The Whitehall of to-dav is a broail street leading lioni 'i'rat'algar 
 S<|uar3 south towanls Westiiiiiis\er, and is oicupied by several goveinnient 
 offices, such as the Horse (luani ;, the Treasury, etc. 'I'lie Wiiitcliall of 
 the text was the London residi'iice of the Kirglish sovr-icigiis from Henry 
 VIII. (r. Shakespeare's Ileiiiy VIII., 4, 1, !'7) to William HI. Macaiilay 
 calls it "the most celebrated palace ii- ■■ icli the sovereigns ot Kitglainl 
 have ever dwelt," (y. chap. "JiJ of his !■. .ory for an account of its de- 
 struction by fire in lii!t8.) 
 
 What historical events nrc associated with Whitehall Palace ? What 
 were Klizabeth's other palaces ' (Slie was born in one, and ilicd .n 
 another.) 
 What are the royal n'sidences now ! Which is the London one ? 
 
 48. Richinond Hill is a iicautiful spot on the riyht bank of the Thames, 
 about ten miles aliove London. The Star and (iaiter Inn in the town is 
 famous ill Kiiglisli Iiistoiy ami liction. 
 
 5L GArKS — FlKKS : — Some London streets, etc. still preserve the 
 names of the old city-gates, — c. y., Lud-ate, Biliiimsgat.-, Alduate. New- 
 gate, .Moorgate, etc. 
 
 The lircs on the gites, like those on the towers and loftv halls, were 
 lighted .n a sort of iron cage on the highest part of the roof nr tower. 
 
 53. VoicK OK Fkaii : - What does this mean .' 
 
 59. Blackheath lies back of Creenwich. It is now chietlv noted for 
 golf, as it was formerly for the robbery of belated travellers. It was here 
 that the mayor and aldermen of London came to meet Heiirv V. on his 
 trium|ihant return from Asinconrt. Here, too. Wat Tvler in h'i.baid 
 Ij.'s time, and .lack Ca.le in Henry VI. 's time as.scmbled the rebellious 
 Kentish men. 
 
 6'2. Hami)stead is a hill in the north of London coinmandiiig a beautiful 
 and e.Ktensive view, — north to l'.arnet, si\ith to Svdeiiham. east to (iraves- 
 eiid, and west to Windsor. 
 
 65. DAliwrv : — Look for the Derwent on your map. 
 
 67. Which twelve ? Is there any such sjiot in this country ' 
 
 7L Belvoi; Castle is the principal seat of the Duke of Kutland. It is 
 in the north-east corner of L«'icestersliire. The name is pronounced 
 Beavek : cf. Cholmondeley, Marjoribanks, Heauchamp, Cohiuhoun. 
 
 73. Gaunt's E.MBATTLEI) PiLE Is Lancaster Castle. It was once the 
 
 ^^ 
 
8 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 ro«idence of John of Gaunt, but erer since the reign of Elizabeth has it 
 served as a county prison and s»iit of administration of justice. It oc- 
 cupies the summit of a bold eminence which rises above the town of 
 Lancaster. 
 
 From Lancaster to Skiddaw is over forty miles, from Skiddaw to Carlisle 
 is twenty. 
 
 iJritw a map of England and mark wiih red all the places mentioned in 
 the (wem. 
 
 'm 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT HOME. 
 
 KXTRACTS FROM TIIK AUTHOR'S GENERAL I'RKFACE 
 AND FROM HIS PREFACES TO THE SEVERAL LAYS. 
 
 Thk early history of R(»mp is indeed fur more poetical than 
 aiiytliiiif; else in Latin literature. The love.s of the Vestal 
 and the God of War, the cradle laid among the reeds of Tiber, 
 the tig-tree, the she-wolf, the slie|.lierd's cabin, the recogni- 
 tion, the fratricide, the rape <.f the Sahine.s, the (h-atli of 
 Tarpeia, the fall of llostus Ilostiliiis, the struggle of Mettn» 
 Curtius through tlu; marsh, the women 'ushing with tora 
 raiment and dishevelle<i hair between their fathers an<l their 
 husbands, the nightly ni«'etiii„'s of Nunui and the iS'ymph by 
 the well in the sacred grove, the light of the three Romans 
 and the three Albans, the purchase of the Sibylline books, 
 the crime of TuUia. the simulated madness of Hrutus, the 
 ambiguous reply of the Delphian oracle to the Tar.piins, the 
 \yrongs of Lucretia, the heroic actions of Horatius Codes, of 
 Scicvola, and of Chelia, the battle of Regilhis won bv the aid 
 of Castor an<l Pollux, the defence of Cremera, the touching 
 story of Corndanus. the still more touching story of Virginia. 
 the wild legend about the «lraining of the Al'lnin lake, the 
 combat between Valerius Corvus and the gigantic Gaul, are 
 among the many instances which will at once suggest them- 
 selves to every reader. 
 
 The Latin literature which has come down to ns is of 
 later date than the commencement of the Second Runic War, 
 :ind consists almost exclusively of works fashioned on 
 (J reek models. . . . 
 
 Hut there was an earlier Latin literature, a literature truly 
 Latin, which has wholly perished, which had, indeed, almost 
 
10 
 
 MACAri-AVS LAYS. 
 
 wholly jM-rislicd l<»ii{j; 1 lui-t- tliox. wlmni «<• an* in flii- liahit 
 of rr^Mnliii); us tin- nrratost liUtiii writers wi-rr lioni. Tliut 
 litcnitiiii' al>oiiiMlft| with metrical roiiiaiifcs, sii !i as arc 
 foiiml ill (Vt'i-y loiiiitrv wlicif ihnc is imich i-iiriosity ami 
 iiitclli-jfiu-.', hut lifdr icatliiij,' and writing'. All liiitnaii bc- 
 iii;js. not utterly savajii'. loiij; for souii- inforinal ion ahoiit 
 past tinii's, ami arc th'li^^litrd l.y nanativfs wliicli lut-scnt 
 |ii«tuifs to thf fvt of the iiiiiid. lliif it is only in vi-rv t'n- 
 lij^'htfiu'd coiiiniiiiiitics that hookw arc readily aeressilde. 
 Metrieal eoiii|ioMt ion. therefore, whieh, in a hij;hly cIn ili/.ed 
 nation, is a mere luxury, is, in nations inijierfeotly civilized, 
 almost a iieeessary of life, and is valued le.ss on aceoiint df the 
 pleasure whifh it jjives to the ear, than oii aeeount of the 
 help whieh it gives to the ini-moiy. A man who eaii invent 
 or emhellish an interesting story, and put it into a form 
 whieh others may easily retain in their recolleetion, will 
 always he hijihly esteenn'il hy a peoj)le eager for amusement 
 
 and inforinati hut destitute of lihraries. Such is the 
 
 origin of hallad-poetry, a species of ^.imposition which 
 soarctdy ever fails to spring up and flourish in evo-v society, 
 at a certain point in the progress towards refinement. . . . 
 
 As it is agreeahle to general experience that, at a certain 
 stage in the progress of society, hallad-poetry should tiourish, 
 so is it also agreeahle to general e.\perieiH-e that, at a sul)- 
 scqiient -tage in the progress of .soeii-ty, hallad-poetry should 
 he undervalued and neglected. Knowledge advances : man- 
 ner> change: grent foreign models of composition are studied 
 and imitated. The phraseology of the idd minstnds hoc iiies 
 ohsolete. Their versification, which, having n-ceived its laws 
 only from the ear. ahounds in irregularities, seems licentious 
 and uncouth. Their simplicity appears heggarly when com- 
 pared with the (plaint forms and gamly colouring of such 
 arti>ts as Cowley and (ioiigora. TJie ancient lays, unjustly 
 despised hy the learned and jiolite, linger for a time in the 
 memory of the vulgar, and are at length too often irrctriev- 
 al.ly lo>t. W( cannot wonder that the ballads of Koine 
 shouhl have altogether disappeared, when we reinembor how 
 Very narrow iy. in spire of the invention of printing, those 
 of our own country and thost; of Spain escaped the same 
 fate. . . . 
 
 That the early Romans should have had ballad-poetry, and 
 that this poetry should have perished, is therefore not strange. 
 
LAYS OF ANCIKNT ItOMK. 
 
 n 
 
 If would, oil tlie rontrinT, liiivr hccii sfrurij^.- if tli.-s.. tliinjrs 
 had not coino t«. jiass; ami we slioiilil li<- jii>»ilif<| in pr.,. 
 iioiinring tlii'iu lii^lily prol.iiM,., ,.v..|i if w.- had iio .lirr.t 
 »'vid.Mio»> on tin* .-iil.j.ct. iJiit wi! Iiavo din-.t «vid.-iKr „{ 
 uii)|ii«>Ntioiialil<> uutlmrity. 
 
 Tliat this poftiT shoiihl ha\c 1 n .siif'tVrtd t-i iH-riish will 
 
 not appear .straiij,'(! wht-n we c.nsidrr In.w cuniplct.- was tht? 
 triumph of thu (ir.-ck ^'.Miius ov.-r thr puMic mind of 
 Italy. ... 
 
 . . . The Latin halhids perished forever. Vet diseerninj; 
 critics have thoujrht that they could still i)erceive in the 
 early history of Konie uunuTous fra^iuents nf this losJ poetry, 
 as the traveUer on elassic jjround sometimes tinds, l.uilt into 
 the heavy wall of a fort or convent, a pillar rich with a«an- 
 thus leaves, or a frieze where the Amazons aii<l iWehaiials 
 .s«em to live. The theatres and temples of the (ireek and the 
 Roman were dej,Maded into the .piarries ..f the Turk and the 
 (roth. Even so did the ancient Saturnian poetrv become 
 the (piarry in which a crowd of orators and annalists found 
 the materials for their prose. 
 
 It is not difficult to tra .• the process hy which the old 
 songs were transmuted into the form which they now wear. 
 Funeral pauejjyric ami chrouirle appear to have heen tho 
 intermediate links which connected the lost ballads with the 
 histories now extant. From a v ry early period ir was the 
 Usage that an oration should be » ; .nounced over the remains 
 of a noble Konian. Tlie or.ttor. as we learn from Polvbius, 
 was expected, on such an occasion, to recapitulate all the 
 services which the ancestors of the deceased ha<l, from the 
 earliest time, rendered to the commonwealth. There can be 
 little doubt thr*^ the spt-aiier on whom this duty was imposed 
 would nudvc use of all the stories suited to his purpose which 
 were to be found in the popular lays. There can be as little 
 doubt that the family of iui eminent man would preserve a 
 copy of the speech which had been pronounced over his 
 corj>se. The Compilers of the early chronicles would have 
 recourse to these speeches; ant ttie great liistorians of a 
 later period would have recourse to the chronicles. 
 • 
 
 Such, or nearly such, appears to have been the process by 
 
12 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 which 'he lost ballad-poetry of TJome was transformed into 
 history. To reverse that process, to transform some portions 
 of early Roman history back into the poetry out of which 
 they were made, is the object of this work. 
 
 In the following poems the author speaks, not in his own 
 person, but in the {lersons of ancient minstrels who know- 
 only what a Roman citizen, born three or four hun(h-ed years 
 before tlie Christian era, may be supposed to liave known, 
 and who are in no wi..e above the passions and prejudices of 
 tlieir age and nation. To these imaginary jxtets must be 
 ascribed some blunders which are so obvious that it is un- 
 necessary to point them out. The real blunder would liave 
 been to represent these old poets as deeply versed in 
 general history, and studious of chronological accuracy. To 
 them must also be attributed the illiberal sneers at the 
 Greeks, the furious party-spirit, the contemi>t for the arts 
 of peace, the love of war for its own sake, the ungenerous 
 exultation over the vanquished, which the reader will some- 
 times observe. To portray a Roman of the age of Cumillus 
 or Curius as sujierior to national antipathies, as mourning 
 over the devastation and slaughter by which empires and 
 triumphs were to be won, as looking on human suffering 
 with the sympathy of Howard, or as treating contpicred 
 enemies with the delicacy of the Black Prii .-c, would be to 
 violate all dramatic propriety. The old Romans had some 
 great virtues, fortitude, temperance, veracity, spirit to resist 
 oppression, respect for legitimate authority, fidelity in the 
 observing of contracts, disinterestedness, ardent patriotism; 
 but Christian charity and chivalrous generosity were alike 
 unknown to them. 
 
 It would have l)een obviously imjirojier to mimic the man- 
 ner of any particular age or country. Something has been 
 borrowed, however, from our own old ballads, and more from 
 Sir Walter Scott, the great restorer of our b\llad-poetrv. 
 To the Iliad still greater obligations are due and those 
 obligations have been contracted with the less hesitation, 
 because there is reason to believe that some of the old Latin 
 min.strels really had recourse to that inexhaustible store of 
 poetical images. 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT ROiME. 
 
 13 
 
 HORATIUS. 
 
 There can be little doubt that among those parts of 
 early Roman history which had a poetical origin wa.; the 
 legend of Horatius Codes. We have several versions of the 
 story, and these versions differ from each other in jioints of 
 no small importance. Polybius, there is reason to believe, 
 heard the tale recited over the remains of some Consul or 
 Tra'tor descended from the old Horatian j»atricians; for he 
 introduces it as a specimen of the narnitives with which 
 the Romans were in the habit of embellishing their funeral 
 oratory. It is remarkable that, accor<liiig to him, Horatius 
 defended the bridge alone, and perished in tlie waters. 
 According to the chronicles which Livy and Dionysius 
 followed, Horatius had two companions, swam safe to 
 shore, and was loaded with honours and rewarils. 
 
 ' * " • • . 
 
 Tlie following ballad is supi)osed to have been made about 
 a hundred and twenty years after the war which it ctde- 
 brates, and just before the taking of Rome by the Gauls. 
 The author seems to have be.Mi an honest citizen, j.roud of 
 the military glory of his country, sick of tlu; disputes of 
 factions, and much given to pining .after good (.Id times 
 winch had never really existed. The allusion, however, to 
 the partial manner in which the jmblic lands were allotted, 
 could proceed only from a plebeian; and the allusion to the 
 fraudulent sale of spoils marks the date of the poem, and 
 shows that the poet shared in the general discontent with 
 which the i.roceedings of Cainillus, after the taking of Veii, 
 Wf^re regardiMl. 
 
 Niebubr's supposition, that each of the three defenders of 
 the bridge was tho ropv^entative of one uf tlie three patri- 
 cian tribes, is both ingenious and probable, and has been 
 adopted in the following poem. 
 
 J 
 
u 
 
 MAC AUL AY'S LAYS. 
 
 THE BATTLE OF THE LAKE REGILLUS. 
 
 The following poem is supposed to have l>een produced 
 about ninety years after the lay of lloralius. Some 2)ersons 
 mentioned in the lay of Horatius make their appearance 
 ajjain, and some appellations and epithets used in the lay of 
 Horatius have been purposely i-epeated: for. in an age of 
 ballad-poetry, it scarcely ever fails to hap])i ii, that certain 
 j)hrases come to be appropriated to certain men and things, 
 and are regular\v apjdied to those men and things, by 
 every minstrel. . . . Thus in our own national songs, 
 Douglas is almost always the doughty Douglas; Ei gland is 
 merry England; all the gold is red; and all the ladies are 
 
 gay- 
 
 [The story of] the Battle of the Lake Eegillus [as it has 
 come down to us] is in all respects a Homeric battle, except 
 that the combatants ride astride on their horses, instead of 
 driving chariots. The mass of lighting men is hardly men- 
 tioned. The leaders single each other out, and engage hand 
 to hand. Tin; great object of the warriors on both sides is, 
 as in the Iliad, to obtain possession of the spoils and bodies 
 of the slain; and several circumstances are related which 
 forcibly remind us of the great slaughter round the corpses 
 of Sarpedon and Patroclus. 
 
 lint there is one circumstance which deserves especial 
 notice. Jiotli the war of Troy and the war of IJegillus were 
 caused by the licentious passions of young princes, who were 
 therefore pt'culiarly bound not to be sparing of their own 
 persons in the day of battle. Now the conduct of Sextus at 
 Ivegillus, as described by Eivy, so exactly resembles tliat of 
 I'aris, as described at the beginning of the third book of tlie 
 Iliad, that it is difficult to believe the resemblance acci- 
 dental. l*aris appears before the Trojan ranks, defying 
 the bravest Greek to encounter him. . . . Livy introduces 
 Sextus in a similar manner. . . . Menelaus rushes to meet 
 Paris. A Koman noble, eager for vengeance, spurs his 
 
LAYS OF AXCIKNT ROME. 
 
 15 
 
 horse towards Sextus. Both the guilty princes are instantly 
 terror-stricken. 
 
 • •••••• 
 
 In the following poem, therefore, iniagt'.s and incidents 
 have been borrowed, not merely without scruple, but on 
 principle, from the incompanilde battle-pieces of Ildmer. 
 
 The popular belief at Komi', from an early period, seems 
 to have been that tlie event of the great day of Kegillus was 
 decided by supernatural agency. Castor and I'ollux, it was 
 said, had fought, armed and mounted, at the head of the 
 legions of the commonwealth, and had afterwards carried 
 the news of the victory with incredible speed to the city. 
 The well in the Forum at which tliey had alighted was 
 pointed out. Near the well rose tlieir ancient temple. A 
 great festival was kept to their honour on the Ides of Quin- 
 tilis, supposed to be the anniversary of the battle, and on 
 that day sumptuous sacrifices were offered to tlietn at the 
 public charge. One spot on tlie margin of Lake IJegillus 
 was regarded during many ages with superstitious awe. V 
 mark, resembling in shape a liorse's hoof, was discernible in 
 the volcanic rock; and this mark was believed to have been 
 made by one of the celestial cl\argers. 
 
 How the legend originated cannot now be ascertained. 
 ... It is probable that Livy is correct wlieu he says that 
 the Roman general, in the liour of jn'ril, vowed a temple to 
 Castor. If so, nothing could be more natural tliaii tbat the 
 multitude should ascribe the vict<iry to the favour of the 
 Twin Gods. ... It is conceival i that tlie aiipearance of 
 Castor and Pollux may liave bi'(;ome an article of faith 
 before the generation which had fought at Hcgilhis had 
 passed away. Nor could anything be more natural than 
 that the poets of the next age should enilH'lJish this story. 
 and make the celestial horsemen bear tin- tidings of victory 
 to Rome. 
 
 Many years after the temple of thr Twin (xoo had been 
 built in the Forum, an im})ortant ad<lition was made to the 
 ceremonial by wliich the state annually testified its grati- 
 tude for their protection. . . . 
 
 ... It was ordained that a grand muster and inspection 
 of the equestrian body should be part of the ceremonial })er- 
 formed, on the anniversary of the battle of Regillus, in 
 honour of Castor and Pollux, the two equestrian Gods. All 
 
16 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 the knights, clad in purph' iiiid crowned with olive, were 
 to meet at a temple oi .Mars in the .suburbs. Thence they 
 were to ride iu state to the Forum, where tiie temple of the 
 Twins stood. This pajjeant was, during several centuries, 
 considered as one of tl>e nn.st sph-ndid sights of Kome. In 
 the time of J)ionysius the cavalcade sometimes consisted 
 of live tliousand horsemen, all persons of fair n-pute and easy 
 fortune. 
 
 The following poem is supposed to have been made for 
 this great occasion, ... It is likely that tlie Censors and 
 rontirt's, when tliey had resolved to add a grand procession 
 of knights to the other solemnities annually performed on 
 the Ides of Quint ills, wcmld call in the aid nH a poet. Such 
 a poet wouM naturally take for ins subject tlie battle of 
 liegillus, the apj.earance of the Twin Gods, and the institu- 
 tion of their festival. . . . 
 
 Antiquaries differ wi<lely as to tlx' situation of tlu' liold of 
 battle. The oi)iiiion of those who su))pose that the armies 
 met near Cornufelle. between Frascati and the Monto Porzio, 
 is at least plausible, and has been followed in the poem. 
 
 As to the details of the battle, it has not been tliought 
 desirable to adhere minutely to tli»> accounts which have 
 come down to us. Those acc(Mint.s, indeed, differ widely froni 
 each other, and. in all i>robability, <liffer as widely from the 
 ancient poem from wiiich they were originally derived. 
 
 It is unnecessary to point out the oltvious imitations • 
 the Iliad, which have been jturposely introduced. 
 
 VIRGINIA. 
 
 A cn!,LE€T[O.V consisting exclusively of war-songs would 
 giv.' an imperfect, or rather an erroneous, notion of the 
 spirit of the old Latin ballads. The Patricians, .luring 
 more than a century after the expulsion of the lvin;,rs. held 
 all the iiigli military commands. .\ I'lebeian, even'^thongji 
 he were distinguished by his valour and knowledge of war, 
 cotild serve rmly in subordinate posts. ,V minstrel, there- 
 fore, who wished to celebrate the early triumphs of his 
 
LAYS OF ANX'IENT ROME. 
 
 17 
 
 country, could l.anlly take any but Patricians for his heroes. 
 1 he warrior; who are mentioned in t!i(^ two precediriL' lay 
 Horatius, Lartius, Hern.inius, Aulas Posthun.ius. .Ehutius 
 Wva, Semprunius Atratinus. Vah'rius i'<.plic(da, were all 
 men»h.-rs of th.- duuiii.ai.t or.ler; and a poet who was sinjrinir 
 their praises, whatever his own pol'tical opinio..s nnijht he 
 woul( nafnrally abstain from insultinj,' tlie class to whii-h 
 th.'V helon-ed. and from r.-A.-ctin^ on the system which had 
 placed s..,:h m.-n at th.- jiead of th.= legions of the Common- 
 wealth. 
 
 1. It there was a class of compositions in whi(,h the great 
 hunilics were hy n.. means so curtecmslv treated. X,, parts 
 ot early Kninan history are ri.'hrr with poetical clr.urin.r 
 than those whu-h r.date t.. th,. lung contest between the i,ri\- 
 ileged iiouses ami the commonalty. . , . 
 
 . . . We can hardly be mistaken in supposing that at the 
 great crisis of the civil conHict, [the popular minstrelsl cm- 
 ph.yed themselves m versifying all the most i.owerfnl and 
 vn-ulent s,.eeches of the Tribunes, and in heaping abuseon the 
 lea<lers of the aristocracy. Every i.eis.Mial defect, every ,lo- 
 mestic scamlal, every tradition dishonournblc to a noble house 
 would be sought out, brought into notice, and exaggerat.-d'. 
 J he illustrious hea.l of the aristocratical party, IMaivis Fnrius 
 Uimillus, might perhaps be, in some measure, prot.-cted by 
 his venerable age an.l by the memory of hi.s great services to 
 the State. Put Aj^pius Claudius Crassus enjoved no such 
 imniunity. He was descended from a h.i.g line'of ancestors 
 distingmshe.l by their haughty .-meanour, and bv tin- in- 
 flexibility with which tl vhad withstood .11 the\lemands 
 of the 1 lebeiau order. V ^le the political conduct -.d the 
 dep-rtnient of the CI , ,u,bles drew up.,n them the 
 
 hercest publu hatre.l, ; were accus.-d of wanting, ifanv 
 
 credit IS due to the early instory of Home, a class of oualities 
 ^Miich, in the military commonwealth, is suffi.;ient to ever a 
 jnultm.de of offences. The chiefs of the .\.:.nly appear to 
 uue l,e..n eloquent, versed in civil business, and learned aft.H- 
 tlie fashion of their age; but in war they were not distin- 
 gaish.d by skill or vahmr. .Some of them, as if conscious 
 where their w^-akness lay. had, when filling the highest 
 magistracies taken internal a.lministration as their dtW- 
 ment of public business^ an,l left the military command to 
 their colleagues. One of them had been intrusted with an 
 
18 
 
 MACAUI.WS LAV; 
 
 anny. and 1ia<l failiul i}»i Diniiiionsly. Nono of tlioni had 
 Wen liDUonit'd with a triiiiiiph. NDiio of tiiciii had achit'Vi'd 
 any martial cxjiloit, sucli as those hy whirh lincitis (^iiinctiiis 
 Cincinnatus, Titus (^)uiii('tiiis Capitoliims, Aultis Cornelius 
 Cossus, and. ahovt" all, the j^rcat Cauiillus, had ('xtort('<l tin; 
 rtductant fstocni of llic nnltitudi Durinj^ the Ijcinian con- 
 tlirt. Ajtjiius Claudius Crassus >ijj;nali/.('d himself h^- the 
 aliility and severity with whieh he haranj^ued aj,'ainst tlu- 
 two gr<'at ajjjitators. lie would naturally, therefore, he 
 the favourite mark of the IMeheian satirists; nor would they 
 have heen at a loss to fiiul a point on which lie was open to 
 attack. 
 
 His grandfather, called, like liiinself, A|)j>ius Claudius, 
 had left a name as unudi detesteil as that of 8extus Tur- 
 (juinius. This ehler Ajipius had heen Consul more than 
 seventy years before the introduction of the Licinian laws. 
 r>y availing himself of a singular crisis in puhlic feeding, lie 
 had (detained the consent of the Commons to the abolition of 
 the Tribuneshii). and had been the chief of that (\>uncil of 
 Ten to which tiie whole direction of the State ha<l been com- 
 mitted. Inafew months his administration had beconu^ uni- 
 versally odious. Jt had been swept away by an irresistible 
 outbre;il i>f i)opular fury ; and its memory was still held in 
 abhorrence by the whole city. The immediate cause of the 
 downfall of this execrable government was said to have been 
 an attempt nuuh' by Ap|>ins Claudius upon the chastity of a 
 beautiful young girl of humble birth. The story riin that 
 the Decemvir, unable to succeed by bribes and solicitations, 
 resorted to an outrageous act of tyranny. A vile dependent 
 of the Claudian house lai<l claim to the damsel as his slave. 
 Tile cause was lu-ouglit before the triluinal of Appius. The 
 wicked magistrate, in detiauce of the clearest proofs, gave 
 judgment for the claimant. ISut the girl's father, a brave 
 Mildier. saved her from servitude and dishonour by stabbing 
 her to the heart in the sight of the whole Forum. That 
 blow was the signal for a general explosiou. Camp and city 
 reseat once: the Ten were pulled down; the Tribuneship was 
 rt-t;.vtabli>htil; ;iiid .\p]iiu> cM-ajifd tlie liaud.s of the execu- 
 tioner only by a voluntary death. 
 
 It can hardly be doul)ted that a story .so admirably adapted 
 to the purposes both of the poet and of the demagogue would 
 be eagerly seized upon by minstrels burning with hatred 
 
LAYS OF an'cii:nt romk. 
 
 19 
 
 against the Patrician order, against the Claudian Imuso, and 
 etipocially against thi' grandson and nanicsakc of the in- 
 famous Deeemvir. 
 
 In order that the reaih-r may judge fiiirl.v of tlwse fragments 
 of the hiy of Virginia, he must iinagint! "himself ji IMeheian 
 who has just voted for tlie re-eh-etion of Sextiusand Lieinius. 
 All the power of the Patricians has heen exerted to throw 
 out tile two^ great champions of the Commons. Every Pos- 
 thumius, .Kmilius, and Cornelius has used his influence to 
 the utmost. J)ehtors have bet ii let < ut of the workhouses on 
 condition of voting against the men of the people: clients 
 have been posted to hiss and interr'ij)t the favourite candi- 
 dates: Apjiius Clau<lius Crassus has spoken with more than 
 his usual eloquence and asperity: all has been in vain; 
 Licinius and Sextius iiave a fifth time carried all the tribes: 
 work issusj.ended: the booths are closeil : the I'lebeians bear 
 on their slioulders the two champions of lil»erty through the 
 Forum. Just at this moment it is announced that a popular 
 l)oet, a zealous adherent of the Tribunes, has made a new 
 song which will cut the Claudian nobles to the heart. The 
 crowd gathers round him. and calls on him to recite it. He 
 takes his stand on the spot where, aitcording to tradition, 
 Virginia, more than seventy years ago, was seized bv the 
 pandar of Appius, and ho begins his story. 
 
 THE PKOPIIECY OF CAPYS. 
 
 It can hardly be necessary to remind any reader that, 
 according t.. the ])opular tradition. Komulus^ after he ha<l 
 slain his grand-uncle Amulius. and restored his grandfather 
 Numitor. determined to cpiit Alba, the hereditarv <l<.iiiain ..f 
 the Sylvian princes, and to fnund a new city, the (iods. ir 
 was added. vuucli>afed the clearest signs of the favour with 
 which they regarded the enterprise, and of the high destinies 
 re^erxed for the youni; colonv. 
 
 This event was lik(dy to be a favourite theme (^f the old 
 Latin minstrels. They would naturally attribute the project 
 of Romulus to some divine intimation of the j)ower and [>ros- 
 pcrity .vhich it was decreed that his city should attain. 
 
20 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 They would probably introduce seors foretelling the victories 
 of unborn Consuls and Dictators, and the last great victory 
 would generally occupy the most conspicuous place in tlie 
 prediction. There is nothing strange in the supposition 
 that the poet who was employed to celebrate the first great 
 triumph of the Romans over the Greeks might throw his 
 song of exultation into this form. 
 
 ...... 
 
 [r. History of Rome for the story of the Tarentum insult 
 and the defeat of Pyrrhus by Curius Dentatus.l 
 
 The con<|uerors had a good' right to exult in their success; 
 for their glory was all their own. They had not learned from 
 their enemy how to conquer him. It was with their own 
 national arms, and in their own national battie-array, that 
 they had overcome weapons and tactics long beli«'ved to be 
 invincible. Tlie pilum and the broadsword had van(|uished 
 the Macedonian spear. The legion had broken the ]\lacedo- 
 nian phalanx. Even the elephants, when the surprise pro- 
 duced by their first appearance was over, could cause no 
 disorder in the steady yet flexible battalions of Rome. 
 
 It is said by Florus, and may easily be believed, that the 
 triumph far surpassed in magnificence any that Rome had 
 previously seen. The only spoils which I'apirius Cursor 
 and Fabius ivlaximus could exJiibit were flocks and herds, 
 wagons of rude structure, and heaps of st»ears and helmets. 
 But now, for the first time, the riches of Asia and the arts 
 of Greece adorned a Roman pageant. Plate, fine stuffs, 
 costly furniture, rare animals, exquisite paintings and sculp- 
 tures, formed part of the procession. At the banquet would 
 be assembled a crowd of warriors and statesmen, among whom 
 Manius Curius Dentatus would take the highest room. . . . 
 
 On such a day we may suppose that the patriotic enthu- 
 siasm of a Latin jwet would vent itself in reiterated shouts 
 of lo triump/w, such as were uttered by Horace on a far less 
 exciting occasion, and in boasts resembling those which 
 Virgil put into the mouth of Anchises. The superiority of 
 some foreign nations, and especially of the Greeks, in' the 
 lazy arts of punce, would be admitted with disdainful can- 
 dour ; but pre-eminence in all the qualities which fit a peo- 
 ple to subdue and govern mankind would be claimed for the 
 Romans. 
 
 The following lay belongs to the latest age of Latin 
 
LAYS OF AN'CIENT ROME. 21 
 
 ballad-poetry Na-viuM and Livius Andronicu.s were proh- 
 ably among tlie childn>n whose n.othors hold then, up to 
 see he chariot of Curi... go by. The min.str..l who Lng 
 on that di^' might pos..bly have live<l to rea.l the first hexa- 
 meters of Lnn.us, and to see the tir.st come.lies of I'lautu.. 
 His poem, as might be expected, shows a nuieh wider a.- 
 quaintance with the geography, manners, and productions of 
 remote nations, than would have been f. ud in con.pusitions 
 of the age of Camil us. But he trouble himself Utile about 
 da es, an.l having heard travellers talk with admiration of 
 the C..I0.SSUS of Kho,les, and of the structures an.l gardens 
 with which the Mace.lonian kings of Syria had embtllishe.l 
 their residence on the banks of the On.ntes, he has never 
 thought of inquiring whether these things existed in the age 
 
22 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS 
 
 HORATIUS. 
 
 A LAY MADK AHOl T TIIK VKAIt OK THE flTY Cf'CLX. 
 
 Laks Pokskna of Clu.xiiim 
 
 Uy t'lic Nine (lods ho swore 
 Tliat the jjri'ut house of Tun|uiii 
 
 Sliould slitter wroiiif no more. 
 By the Nine (rods he swore it, 
 
 And named a trvstinj^ »hiy, 
 And h.uh' his inessenLjers ri''.- forth 
 East and west and south and ujrth, 
 
 To sununon his anMV. 
 
 10 
 
 V^,.' 
 
 East an<l west and soutli :'nd north 
 
 'Die niessen<jers ride fast, 
 And towi'r and town and cottafie 
 
 Have lieard tlie trumpet's hlast. 
 Shanu' on the false Etruscan 
 
 Who linj^ers in his home, 
 AVhen IV.rsena of Chisium 
 
 Is on the march for liome. 
 
 20 
 
 Tlie horsemen and the footmen 
 
 Are pouriiifjf in amain 
 From many .t statelv market-phice; 
 
 i-'rom many a fruitful yAiun ; 
 From many a lonely hamlet. 
 
 Which, hid by lieech and p! le, 
 Like an eatjle's nest, han(,'s on the crest 
 
 ^'f purple Apennine ; 
 
LAYS OF ANCIKNT UOME. 
 
 28 
 
 From lordly Volatt'rrfr, 
 
 WluTi' scowls tlu' fur-f.iiiu'il hold 
 Pili'd by th»' liiiiids of jjiiiiits 
 
 For godlike kings of old ; 
 From st'ugirt ropiilonisi, 
 
 Wliost' si'iitiiu'Is (h'srry 
 •Sardinia's snowy numntain-tops 
 
 Fringing the southern sky ; 
 
 30 
 
 5 
 
 From the ])roud mart of Pistp, 
 
 Quei'n of the western waves, 
 Where ride MassiJia's triremes 
 
 Heavy with fair-haired slaves ; 
 From where sweet Claiiis wanders 
 
 Tlirough corn and vines and flowers ; 
 From where Cortona lifts to heaven 
 
 Her diadem of t(»wers. 
 
 40 
 
 
 
 Tall are the oaks whose acorns 
 
 Drop in dark Auser's rill ; 
 Fat are the stags that champ the boughs 
 
 Of the Ciniinian hill ; 
 Beyond all streani> I'litumnus 
 
 Is to the herdsman dear ; 
 Best <tf all jiools the fowler loves 
 
 The great Vulsinian mere. 
 
 But now no stroke of woodman 
 
 Is heard by Auser's rill ; 
 No hunter tracks the stag's green path 
 
 Up the Ciminian hill ; 
 Unwatched along Clitumnus 
 
 Grazes tlie milk-white steer ; 
 Unharn^ed the waterfowl may dip 
 
 In the Volsinian mere. 
 
 50 
 
24 
 
 MACAULAYS LAYS. 
 
 (iO 
 
 70 
 
 8 
 
 Tlif liiirvestH of Arret ium, 
 
 Thi.s year, old iiifii sliall roap, 
 This year, youiif» l>..y-* \u I'mbn) 
 
 Shall jilmif^i' tin- .slrii},'u'iing whoep; 
 An«l ill tlu' vats of Luna, 
 
 Tins yiar, the iiiiist sliall foam 
 Kound tlif wliitc fti't of laiij,'liiiij,' girla 
 
 Whosf .sin- have niarolud to Koine. 
 
 9 
 
 Tlicrc bt> thirty ••host'ii prophets, 
 
 Th»' wisest of the hind, 
 Wlio alway l>y Lars Torseiia 
 
 liotli niorn aixl eveiiinj^ stand : 
 Eveniiijj and morn tli*' Tliirty 
 
 Have turned tlie versos o'er, 
 Traced from the riglit on linen white 
 
 By mighty seers of yore. 
 
 *Mer--r 
 
 V 
 
 10 
 
 And with one voice tlie Thirty 
 Have tlieir gl;:-' .ii, »\ r giveu 
 "Go fortli, go fc.ith, Lars I'orsena; 
 Go forth, beloved of Heaven: 
 Go, and return in glory 
 To Clusium's royal dome; 
 80 Ami hang round Nurscia's altars 
 
 The golden shields of Rome." 
 
 11 
 
 And now hath every city 
 
 Sent up her tale of men : 
 The foot are fourscore thousand, 
 
 The horse are thousands ten. 
 Before the gates of Sutrium 
 
 Is met the great array. 
 A proud man was Lars J'orsena 
 
 Upon the trysting day. 
 
LAYS OF ANCIKNT ROME. 
 
 26 
 
 12 
 
 For all the Etruscan armies 
 
 \VVri> ranj^fd lu'iicath his eye, 
 And iiiaiiy a l»aiii.slu..l Jtoman, 
 
 Ami many a stout ally; 
 And with a mighty folluwing 
 
 T(» join the mu.-ttrr came 
 Th»' Tusculan Mamilius, 
 
 Prince of the Latian name. 
 
 M 
 
 13 
 
 lit by the yellow Tiber 
 ^ Was tumult and affright : 
 Frnm all the s|taeious champaign 
 
 To Knnie men t(»ok their flight 
 A mile around the city, 
 
 The throng stopped up the ways; 
 A fearful sight it was to see 
 
 Through two long nights and days. 
 
 14 
 
 For aged folk on crutches, 
 
 And women great with child, 
 And mothers s()bl)ing over babes 
 
 That clung to them and smiled, 
 And sick men borne in litters 
 
 High on the necks of slaves, 
 And troops of sunburnt husbandmen 
 
 With reaping-hooks and staves, 
 
 
 100 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 110 
 
 15 
 
 And droves of nmles and asses 
 
 Laden witJ. skins of wine. 
 And endb-ss flocks of gouts and sheep. 
 
 And en.lless Iierds of kine. 
 And endless trains of waggons 
 
 That creaked beneath the weight 
 Of corn-sacks and of household goods, 
 
 Choked every roaring gate. 
 
 120 
 
 lli»j 
 
26 
 
 130 
 
 i'"*> 
 
 ■.'3\ 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 IG 
 
 Now, from the rock Tarpeian, 
 Could the wan burghers sp}' 
 
 The line of blazing villages 
 Ked in the midnight sky. 
 
 The Fathers of the City, 
 They sat all night and day, 
 
 For every huur some horsennm came 
 
 With tidings of disnin 
 
 nv. 
 
 17 
 
 To eastward and to westward 
 
 Have spread the Tuscan bands; 
 Nor house nor fence nor dovecote 
 
 In Crustumerium stands. 
 Yerbenna down to Ostia 
 
 Hath wasted all the plain; 
 Astur hath stormed .faniculum. 
 
 And the stout guards are slain. 
 
 140 
 
 18 
 
 I wis, in all the Senate, 
 
 There was no heart so bold, 
 
 But sore it ached, and fast it beat, 
 
 When that ill news was told. 
 Forthwith up rose the Cnii>iil, 
 
 Up rose the Fathcn? all ; 
 In haste they girded up their gowns. 
 
 And hied then) to the wall. 
 
 150 
 
 19 
 
 They held a council standing 
 
 Before the Biver-Gate; 
 Short time was there ye well may guess, 
 
 For nuising or debate. 
 Out spakt' the Consul roundly : 
 " Tlie ])ridge must straiglit gu down; 
 For, since Janiculum is lost. 
 
 Nought else can save the town." 
 
."^^MmmMS^Ea^i^ 
 
 LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 20 
 
 Just then a scout came flying, 
 
 All wild with haste and fear; 
 •'To arms! to arms! Sir Consul.* 
 
 Liuv i'orsena is here." 
 On the jow hills to westward 
 
 The Jonsul fixed his eye, 
 
 aw the swarthy storm of dust 
 
 Rise fast along the sky. 
 
 ii.i.-l 
 
 21 
 
 And nearer fast and nearer 
 
 Doth the red whirlwind come; 
 And louder still and still more loud. 
 From underneath that rolling cloud. 
 Is licard the trumpet's war-note proud, 
 
 The trampling, and the hum. 
 And plainly and more plainly 
 
 Xow through the gloom appears, 
 Far to left and far to right, 
 In broken gleams of dark-blue light, 
 The long array of helmets bright, 
 
 The long array of spears. 
 
 ' ^1* 
 
 170 
 
 oo 
 
 And plainly, and more plainly 
 
 Above that glimmering line, 
 Now might ye see the banners 
 
 Of twelve fair cities shine : 
 But the banner of ))roud Clusium 
 
 Was highest of them all, 
 The terror of the Umbrian, 
 
 The terror of the Gaul. 
 
 180 
 
 23 
 
 And plainly and morw plainly 
 Now might the burghers know. 
 
 By port and vest, by horse and crest, 
 Each warlike Lucumo. 
 
MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 There Cilnius of Arretiuni 
 
 On his fleet roan was seen ; 
 And Astur of the fourfold shield, 
 Girt with the brand none else may wield, 
 Tolumnius with the belt of gold, 
 And dark Verbenna from the hold 
 
 By reedy Thrasymene. 
 
 I : I 
 
 200 
 
 24 
 
 Fast by the royal standard, 
 
 O'erlooking all the war, 
 Lars Porsena of Clusium 
 
 Sat in his ivory car. 
 By the right wheel rode Marailius, 
 
 Prince of the Latian name; 
 And by the left false Sextns, 
 
 That wrought the deed of shame. 
 
 25 
 
 But when the face of Sextus 
 
 Was seen among the foes, 
 A yell that rent the firmament 
 
 From all the town arose. 
 On the housetops was no woman 
 
 But s[»at towards him and hissed, 
 Ko child but screamed out curses, 
 
 And shook its little fist. 
 
 210 
 
 26 
 
 But the Consul's brow was sad, 
 
 And the Consul's speech was low, 
 And darkly looked he at the wall, 
 
 And darkly at the foe. 
 "Their van will be upon us 
 
 Before the bridge goes down; 
 And if they once may win the bridge,, 
 
 What hope to save the town ? " 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 27 
 
 Then out spake lirave Horatius, 
 
 The Cai)tain of the Gate : 
 "To every man uiwii this earth 
 
 Death cometli soon or late. 
 And how can man die better 
 
 Than facing fearful odds, 
 For the ashes of his fathers, 
 
 And the ten^des of his Gods, 
 
 29 
 
 220 
 
 28 
 
 **Aiid for the tender mofher 
 
 Who dandled him to rest, 
 And for the wife who nurses 
 
 His baby at her breast, 
 And for the holy maidens 
 
 Who feed the eternal flame. 
 To save tlieni from false Sextus 
 
 That wrought the deed of shame ? 
 
 29 
 
 "Hew down the bridge, Sir CcjusuI, 
 
 With all the speed ye may; 
 I, with two more to heljt me, 
 
 Will hold the foe in play. 
 In yon strait path a tliotisand 
 
 May well be stoj)ped bv three. 
 Now who will stand on either hand. 
 
 And keep the bridge with me ? " 
 
 230 
 
 240 
 
 30 
 
 Then out spake Spurius Lartius; 
 
 A Ramnian proud was he : 
 "Lo, I will stand at thy right hand, 
 
 And keep the bridge with ilu-e.'' 
 And out spake strong Herminius; 
 
 Of Titian blood was he : 
 *' I will abide on thy left side. 
 
 And keep the bridge with thee." 
 
 J 
 
80 
 
 250 
 
 MAC AUL AY'S LAYS. 
 
 31 
 
 "Horati.s," quoth the Consul, 
 
 '* As thou sayest, so lot it be." 
 And struig)''" against that great array 
 
 Forth went tlie dauntless Three. 
 For Romans in Rome's quarrel 
 
 Spared neither land nor gold, 
 Nor son nor wife, nor limb nor life, 
 
 In the brave days of old. 
 
 260 
 
 32 
 
 Then none was for a i)arty ; 
 
 Then all were for the state; 
 Then tlie great man helped the poor, 
 
 And tlie i)Oor man loved the great: 
 Then lands were fairly portioned; 
 
 Then spoils were fairly sold : 
 Tlie Romans were like brothers 
 
 In the brave days of old. 
 
 270 
 
 33 
 
 Now Roman is to Roman 
 
 ;More hateful than a foe, 
 And the Tribunes beard the high, 
 
 And the Fathers grind the low. 
 As we wax hot in faction, 
 
 In ])attle we wax cold : 
 Wlierefore men fight not as they fought 
 
 In the brave da^'s of old. 
 
 280 
 
 34 
 
 Now while the Three were tightening 
 Their harness on their backs, 
 
 The Ciinsul was the foremost man 
 To take in hand an axe : 
 
 And Fathers mixed with Commons 
 Seized hatchet, bar and crow, 
 
 And smote upon the planks aljove, 
 And loosed the props below. 
 
 •>-a^ 
 
 ^'■»ii;i 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 31 
 
 35 
 
 Meiinwhilo tlip Tuscan army, 
 
 Kiglit j^lnrious to beliolil, 
 Came ttasliing back tlie noonday light, 
 Itank bt'hind rank, like surges bright 
 
 Of a broad sea cl gokl. 
 Four hundred truniiu-ts soui ded 
 
 A peal i.r warlike glee, 
 As that great host, with measured tread. 
 And spears advanced, and ensigns spread, 
 Kolk'd sk)Wiy towards the bridge's head, 290 
 
 Where stood the dauntl. ^s Three. 
 
 36 
 
 Tlie Three stood calm and silent, 
 
 And looked upon the foes. 
 And a great siiout of laugliter 
 
 From all the vanguard rose; 
 And forth three chiefs came s})urring 
 
 Before that deep array; 
 To earth they sprang, their swords they drew. 
 And lifted high their shields, and llew 
 
 To \, in the narrov,' way.* 300 
 
 37 
 
 Annus, from green Tiferinim, 
 
 Lord of the Hill of Vines; 
 And Seius, wliose eight hundred slaves 
 
 Sicken in Ilva's mines; 
 And Picus, long to Clusium 
 
 Vassal in j)eace and war, 
 Who led to tight his Umhrian powers 
 From that gray crag where, girt with towers, 
 The fortress of Xeiiu'inum lowers 
 
 O'er the pale waves of Nar. 310 
 
 38 
 
 Stout Lartius hurled down Aunus 
 
 Into the stream heneath : 
 Herminius struck at Seius, 
 
 And clove him to the teeth; 
 
 J - 
 
 * 
 
 • 
 
 v^. 
 
 J: 
 
32 
 
 ;;20 
 
 
 MACAULAYS LAYS. 
 
 At Picua brave Horatiiis 
 
 Darted one ticry thru>t ; 
 And tho proud Uiubriuu's gilded fc.rms 
 
 Clashed in the bloody dust. 
 
 39 
 
 Then Ociius of Fulerii 
 
 Kushed ou the Roman Three; 
 And Lausulus of L'rgo, 
 
 The rover of the sea; 
 And Aruns of Volsinium, 
 
 Who slew tho groat \\',]d boar, 
 Tho groat wild boar that had his den 
 Amidst tlie reeds of Cosa's feu. 
 And wasted fields, and slaughtered men, 
 
 Along Albinia's shore. 
 
 330 
 
 40 
 
 Herminius smote down Aruns: 
 
 Lartius laid Oonus low : 
 Riglit to the heart of Lausulus 
 
 Horatius sent a blow. 
 "Lie there," he cried, "fell pirate! 
 
 No more, aghast and pale. 
 From Ostia's walls tho crowd shall mark 
 The track of thy destroying bark. 
 No more Campania's hinds shall fly 
 To woods and caverns when they spy 
 
 Thy thrice accursed sail." 
 
 340 
 
 I 
 
 41 
 
 But now no sound of laughter 
 
 Was lioard among tho foes. 
 A wild and wrathful clamour 
 
 From all the vancnavd r<>so. 
 Six spears' lengths from the entrance 
 
 Halted that deep arraj'. 
 And for a space no man came forth 
 
 To win the narrow wav. 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT HOME. 
 
 42 
 
 But hark ! the cry is Astur : 
 
 And lo ! the ranks divide; 
 And the great Lord of Luna 
 
 Comes with his stately stride. 
 Upon liis ample shoulders 
 
 Clangs loud the fourfold sliield, 
 And in his hand he shakes the brand 
 
 Which nonr but he can wield. 
 
 88 
 
 sr^o 
 
 360 
 
 43 
 
 He smiled on tliose bold Romans 
 
 A smile serene and high ; 
 He eyed the flinching Tuscans, 
 
 And scorn was in his eye. 
 Quoth he, " The she-wolf's litter 
 
 Stand savagely at bay : 
 But will ye dare to follow, 
 
 If Astur clears the way '.'' " 
 
 44 
 
 Then, whirling uji his broads )rd 
 
 Witli both hands to the liei it, 
 He rushed against Horatius, 
 
 And smote with all his might. 
 With shield and blade Horatius 
 
 Right deftly turned the blow. 
 The blow, though turned, came yet too nigh ; 370 
 It missed his helm, but gashed his thigh : 
 The Tuscans raised a joyful cry 
 
 To see the red blood tlovv. 
 
 45 
 
 He reeled, and on Herminius 
 
 He leaned one breathing-siiace; 
 Then, like a wild-cat mad with wounds, 
 
 Sprang right at Asturs face. 
 Through teeth, and skull, and helmet. 
 
 So fierce a thrust he sjted, 
 The good sword stood a handbreadth out 380 
 
 Behind the Tuscan's head. 
 3 
 
 '^if 
 
<Si3k^i;. 
 
 M^-^ 
 
 n4 
 
 lu 
 
 MACAI'LAYS LAYS. 
 
 46 
 
 And tilt' <;rc;it Lord ..f Luna 
 Ft'll at that deadly strnk*., 
 A.H falls on ]\L.unt Alvcrnus 
 
 A tliuiidcr-siiiittcn oak. 
 Far o'er tin- crashing forest 
 
 The giant arms lie spread; 
 And the pale augurs, muttering low, 
 Gaze on the blasted head. 
 
 I 
 
 ft^: 
 
 5- 
 
 " ( 
 
 390 
 
 4(H> 
 
 47 
 
 On Astur's throat Iloratius 
 
 Right firmly pressed his heel. 
 And thrice and four times tugged amain, 
 
 Ere he wreiudied out the stetd. 
 ''And see." he cried, "the welcome, 
 
 P'air guests, that waits you here! 
 What noble Lucunio comes next 
 
 To taste our lioman cheer"'" 
 
 48 
 
 But at his haughty challenge 
 
 A sullen murmur ran, 
 
 ^ling'.ed of wrath and shame and dread, 
 
 Along that glittering van, 
 There lacked not men of pro\V( ss, 
 
 Xor men of lordly race; 
 For all Ktruria s noblest 
 
 \Vere round the fatal place. 
 
 410 
 
 49 
 
 But all Etruria's no])lest 
 Felt their Isj-arts .sink to see 
 
 On the earth the bloody corpses, 
 In the path the dauntless Three: 
 And, from the ghastly entrance 
 Where those bold Itomans stood, 
 
LAYS OF AXCIEM' KO.MI". 
 
 All slinuik. liko boys wlm unawiirc. 
 Kungiiig tJR' Woods to start a lian-, 
 Conit! to till' month of tin- ilark lair 
 WIrtc, growl' ig low, a (i,.r,.,- ,,1J hi-ar 
 Lies ainidst bones and blood. 
 
 35 
 
 50 
 
 Was none wlio would bo foremost 
 
 To lead such dire attack : 
 liut those behind cried '• Forward I'' 
 
 And those before cried "ISaok!'' 
 And backwar<l now and forward 
 
 Wavt-rs the deej) array ; 
 And on the tossing sea of stetd. 
 To and fro the standards reel: 
 And the victorious trunipet-jieal 
 
 Dies titfullv awav. 
 
 4U'0 
 
 Yot one man for one moment 
 
 Stood out before the crowd ; 
 Well known was ho to all tlie Throe, 
 
 And they gave him greeting loud, 
 *'Now welcome, welc«>me. Sextus ! 
 
 Xow welcome to thy home ! 
 Why dost thou stay, and turn awav? 
 
 Here lies the road to Eome." 
 
 4;!0 
 
 52 
 
 Thrice looked he at the city; 
 
 Thrice looked he at the Jlead ; 
 And thrice came on in furv. 
 
 And thrice turned back in dread; 
 And, white with fear and hatred, 
 Sc(twled at the narrow wav 
 
 Where, wallowing in ajvol of blood, 
 
 The bravest Tuscans lav. 
 
 440 
 
.■^ 
 
 Mcr; 
 
 ^:/<i£itjaiE^aK. 
 
 86 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS 
 
 4:.o 
 
 53 
 
 But int'uinvhih' axt' and Icvit 
 
 Have manfully lit-cn plied; 
 And now the bridge lianas tottering 
 
 Above the boilinj; tide. 
 "Come back, conu' back, Iforatius!" 
 
 Loud crie<l the Fathers all. 
 *'i>ack, Lartius! baek, Horminius! 
 
 Back, eru the ruin fall! " 
 
 r)4 
 Back darted Spiirins Lartius ; 
 
 Ilerminius darted baek : 
 And, as they j)asse<l, be'ieath their feet 
 
 They felt the timbers crack. 
 But when they turned their faces, 
 
 And on the farther shore 
 Saw brave Iforatius stand alone, 
 
 They would have crossed once more. 
 
 «)^> 
 
 460 
 
 But witl a crash lik<f thunder 
 
 ?\'ll every loosened beam, 
 And like a dam, the mighty wreck 
 
 Lay right athwart the stream ; 
 And a long shout of triumph 
 
 Rose from the walls of Kome, 
 As to the highest turret-tops 
 
 Was sjilashed the yellow foam. 
 
 470 
 
 56 
 
 And, like a horse unbn ken 
 ^ When first he feels the rein, 
 The furious river struggled hard. 
 
 And tossed his tawny mane, 
 And burst the curb, and bounded, 
 
 Rejoicing to be free. 
 And whirling down, in fierce career, 
 Battlement, and plank, and pier, 
 
 Rushed headlong to the sea. 
 
 
■'^JE^JkTi^ 
 
 iAYS OF ANCIENT RiVE. 
 
 57 
 
 Alone stood brave Herat ins, 
 
 But constant still in mind; 
 Thrice tliirty thousand foes before, 
 
 And tlu' broad tiood bcliind. 
 "Down with him! " cried false Sextus, 
 
 With a smile on his pale fiUM*. 
 "Now yield thee," cried Lars J'orsena, 
 
 "Now yield thee to our grace." 
 
 58 
 
 li.ound turned he, as not deigniiig 
 
 Those craven rank.- to see ; 
 Nought sj.ake he to Lars I'orsena, 
 
 To Sextus nought s])ake lie ; 
 But he saw on Pulatinus 
 
 The white porch of his home; 
 And he spake to the noble river 
 
 That rolls by the towers of Rome. 
 
 /)9 
 
 "O Tiber! father Tiber! 
 
 To whom the Romans pra}', 
 A Roman's life, a Roman's arms, 
 
 Take thou in cliarge this day! " 
 So he snake, and speaking sheathed 
 
 The good sword by his side. 
 And with his harness on his back 
 
 Plunged headlong in the tide. 
 
 60 
 No sound of joy or sorrow 
 
 Was heard from either bank ; 
 But friends and foes in dumb surprise, 
 With partod lips and straining eyes, 
 
 otood gazing wliere he sank ; 
 And wlicn above the surges 
 
 They saw his crest aj)pear, 
 All Rome sent forth a rapturous cry, 
 And even the ranks of Tuscany 
 
 Could scarce forbear to cheer. 
 
 87 
 
 480 
 
 490 
 
 r.oo 
 
 i. 
 
i 
 
 I 
 
 88 
 
 r.10 
 
 MACAULAYS LAYS. 
 
 01 
 
 Hut H«rofly mn tlie curront, 
 •Swollen hij^Ii l»y iiioiitlis of rain: 
 And taf*t lii^i blood was Howiug, 
 
 And lit' \va.s son; in |>ain, 
 And licav V with liis arnionr, 
 
 And spent with chanj^injj Mows : 
 Antl uft thfv thought him sinking, 
 
 Uut still again la ru.se. 
 
 520 
 
 'sao 
 
 Never, I ween, did swimmer, 
 
 In siieh an evil ca.se, 
 Strnggle through such a raging tioo^ 
 
 Sate to the landing-place: 
 Uut his limlis were borne np bravely 
 
 By the brave heart within, 
 And our good father Tiber 
 
 iJure bravely up his chin. 
 
 *■ Curse on him !" «jUoth false Sextus ; 
 
 '' \\ ill not tlie villain drown ? 
 But for this >tay, ere close of day 
 
 We should have sacked the town ! " 
 " Heaven help liim ! " (pioth Lars Porsena, 
 
 '" And bring him safe to shore ; 
 for such a gallant feat of arms 
 
 Was iitvei seen before." 
 
 540 
 
 04 
 
 .\.nd now lie feels the bottom ; 
 
 Now on dry earth he stands ; 
 Now round him throng the Fathers 
 
 To pie>s his gory hands ; 
 And now, with shouts and clapping, 
 
 And noise of weeping loud. 
 He enters through the Kiver-Gate, 
 
 Borne by tlie joyous crowd. 
 
LAYS OF ANCIKNT HOME. 
 
 31) 
 
 They Kiivc Iiiin of the corn-land, 
 
 That was of jiul)li(' li^'lit, 
 Ah imiclj as two >fronjj oxen 
 
 (-'ouM |»lonji;!i from nioni till night ; 
 Ami they made a molten iniagf, 
 
 Auil si't it n\) on high, 
 And then- it .stands nnto this day 
 
 To witness if 1 lie. 
 
 1 
 
 fit) 
 
 It stands in the Coinitiiim, 
 
 Plain for all folk to see ; 
 Horatius in his harness, 
 
 Halting tii»on one knee : 
 And underneath is written, 
 
 In li'tters all of gold, 
 How valiantly he kej.t the hridge 
 
 In the brave days of old. 
 
 050 
 
 And still his name smuids stirrin" 
 
 Unto the nun of Home, 
 As the trnmpet-hlast that cries to them 
 
 To charge the V<dscian home ; 
 And wives still pray to duno 
 
 For hoys with hearts as hold 
 As his who kept the bridge so well 
 
 In the brave days of old. 
 
 nr.o 
 
 ('.8 
 
 And in tlie nights of winter, 
 
 When the cold north-winds blow. 
 And the long howling of the wolves 
 
 Is heard amidst the snow; 
 When round the lonely cottage 
 
 TkOars loud the tempest's din, 
 And the good logs of Algidus 
 
 Roar louder yet within ; 
 
 570 
 
40 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 580 
 
 69 
 
 When tlie oldest cask is opened, 
 
 And the largest lamp is lit ; 
 When the chestnuts glow in the embers, 
 
 And the kid turns on the spit ; 
 When young and old in circle 
 
 Around the firebrands close ; 
 When the girls are weaving baskets, 
 
 And the lads are shaping bows ; 
 
 70 
 
 When the foodman mends his armour, 
 
 And trims his helmet's ]»lumu ; 
 When the goodwife's shuttle merrily 
 
 Goes flashing through the loom, — 
 With weeping and with laughter 
 
 Still is the story told, 
 How well H<jratius kept the bridge 
 
 In the brave days of old. 
 
 
 "w^^^mfmm^ 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 41 
 
 THE BATTLE OF THE LAKE KEGILLUS. 
 
 A LAY SUXG AT THE FEAST OP CASTOR AND POLLUX OW 
 THE IDIS OF QUINTILI8, IN THE YEAR OF THE CITY 
 CCCCI^I, 
 
 Ho, trumpets, sound a wat-note ! 
 
 Ho, lictors, clear the way ! 
 The Knights will ride in all their prido 
 
 Along the streets to-day. 
 To-day the doors and windows 
 Are hung with garlands all. 
 From Castor in the Forum 
 ^ To Mars without the wall. 
 Each Knight is robed in purple, 
 
 With olive each is crowned; lo 
 
 A gallant war-horse under each 
 
 Paws haughtily th. ground. 
 While flows the Yellow Eiver, 
 
 While stands the Sacred Hill, 
 The proud Ides of Quintilis 
 
 Shall have such honour still. 
 Gay are the Martian Kalends : 
 Deccnihcr's Xoiies are gay: 
 But the proud Mos, when the squadron rides, 
 bhall be Kouie's whitest day. 20 
 
 Unto the Great Twin Brethren 
 
 Wo kei'p this solemn feast. 
 Swift, swift, the (Jreat Twin Brethren 
 
 Came spurring from the east. 
 They came o'er wild Parthenius, 
 
 Tossing in waves of pine. 
 
42 
 
 so 
 
 MACAULAYS LAYS. 
 
 O'er Cirrha's dome, o'er Adria's foam, 
 
 O'er purple Apennine, 
 From where with flutes and dances 
 
 Their ancient mansion rings, 
 In lordly Lacedaemon, 
 
 The City of two kings, 
 To where, by Lake Regillus, 
 
 Under the Porcian height, 
 All in the lands of Tusculum, 
 
 Was fought the glorious fight. 
 
 40 
 
 60 
 
 60 
 
 Now on the place of slaughter 
 
 Are cots and sheepfolds seen, 
 And rows of vines and fields of wheat. 
 
 And apple-orchards green ; 
 The swine crush the big acorns 
 That fall from Gome's oaks. 
 Upon the turf by the Fair Fount 
 
 The reaper's pottage smokes. 
 The fisher baits his angle; 
 
 The hunter twangs his bow; 
 Little they think on those strong limbs 
 
 That moulder deep below. 
 Little they think how sternly 
 
 That day the trumpets pealed; 
 How in the slippery swamp of blood 
 
 Warrior and warhorse reeled; 
 How wolves came with fierce gallop. 
 
 And crows on eager wings, 
 To tear the flesh of captains, 
 
 And peck the eyes of kings ; 
 How thick the dead lay scattered 
 
 Under the Porcian height ; 
 How through the gates of Tusculum 
 
 Eaved the wild stream of flight ; 
 And how the Lake Regillus 
 
 Rubbled with crimson foam, 
 What time the Thirty Cities 
 
 Came forth to war with Rome. 
 
 n-<v. .:,vs«'vrv 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 48 
 
 i 
 
 But, Boinan, when thou standest 
 
 Upon that holy ground, 
 Look thou with heed on the dark rock 
 
 That girds the dark lake round 
 So shalt thou see a hoof-mark 
 
 Stamped deep into the flint : 
 It was no hoof of mortal steed 
 
 That made so strange a dint : 
 There to the Great Twin Brethren 
 
 Vow thou thy vows, and pray 
 That they, in tempest and in light 
 
 Will keep thy head alway. 
 
 70 
 
 5 
 
 Since last the Great Twin Brethren 
 
 Of mortal eyes were seen, 
 Have years gone by an hundred 
 
 And fourscore and thirteen. 
 Th:.!; summer a Virginius 
 
 Was Consul first in place; 
 The second was stout Auius, 
 
 Of the Posthumian race. 
 Tlw Herald of the Latines 
 
 From Gabii came in state: 
 The HeiaUl of the Latines 
 
 Passed tliroiigli Konie's Eastern Gate; 
 The Herald of ilie Latines 
 
 Did in our Forum stand: 
 And there he did liis office, 
 
 A sceptre in his hand. 
 
 80 
 
 90 
 
 r 
 
 "Hear, Senators and people 
 
 Of the good town of Rome, 
 The Thirty Cities charge you 
 
 To bring the Tarquins home; 
 And if ye still be stubborn, 
 
 To work the Tarquins wrong. 
 The Thirty Cities warn you, 
 
 Look that your walls be strong." 
 
 100 
 
44 
 
 MACAULAT'S LAYS 
 
 [fi 
 
 110 
 
 Then spake the Consul Aulus, 
 
 He spake a bitter jest : 
 " Once the jays sent a message 
 
 Unto the eagle's nest : 
 Now yield thou up thine eyrie 
 
 Unto the carrion-kite, 
 Or come forth valiantly, and face 
 
 The jays in mortal fight. 
 Forth looked in wrath the eagle; 
 
 And carrion-kite and jay, 
 Soon as they saw his beak and claw 
 
 Fled screaming far away." 
 
 120 
 
 130 
 
 8 
 
 The Herald of the Latines 
 
 Hath hied him back in state 
 The Fathers of the City 
 
 Are met in high debate. 
 Thus spake the elder Consul, 
 
 An ancient man and wise : 
 "Now hearken, Conscript Fathers, 
 
 To that which I advise. 
 In seasons of great peril 
 
 'T is good that one bear sway; 
 Then choose we a Dictator, 
 
 .Vhom all men shall obe}'. 
 Camerium knows how deeply 
 
 The sword of Aulus bites, 
 And all our city calls liiin 
 
 The man of seventy tights. 
 Then let him be Dictat(jr 
 
 For six months and no more, 
 And have a Master of the Knights^ 
 
 And axes twenty-four." 
 
 So Aulus was Dictator, 
 
 The man of seventy fights,; 
 
 (j; ' 'r^-: 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 45 
 
 He made .^butius Elva 
 
 His Master of the Knights. 
 On the tliird morn thereafter, 
 
 At dawning of the day, 
 Did Aiilus and .Ebutius 
 
 Set forth with their array. 
 Sempronius Atratinus 
 
 Was left in charge at home 
 With boys and with grey-headed men, 
 
 To keep the walls of Rome. 
 Hard by the Lake Kegillus 
 
 Our camp was pitched at night; 
 Eastward a mile the Latines lay. 
 
 Under the Pi.rcian height. 
 Far over hill and valley 
 
 Their mighty host was sj)read; 
 And with their thousand watch-tires 
 
 The midnight sky was red. 
 
 140 
 
 160 
 
 10 
 
 Up rose the golden morning 
 
 Over the Porcian height. 
 The Proud Ides of Quiiitilis 
 
 Marked evermore with white. 
 Xot without secret trouble 
 
 Our bravest saw the foes; 
 For girt by threescore thousand spears. 
 
 The thirty standards rose. 
 From every warlike city 
 ^ That boasts tlic Latian name, 
 Foredoomed to dogs and vultures, 
 
 That gallant army came; 
 From Setia's purple vineyards. 
 
 From Xorba's ancient "wall. 
 From the white streets of Tusculum, 
 
 The proudest town of all; 
 From where tiie Witch's Fortress 
 
 O'erhangs the dark-blue seas; 
 From the still glassy lake that sleeps 
 
 Beneath Aricia's trees, — 
 Tho£ trees in whose dim shadow 
 
 160 
 
 170 
 
46 
 
 180 
 
 190 
 
 200 
 
 210 
 
 MACAULAYS LAYS. 
 
 The ghastly priest doth reign, 
 The pni^t who slew the slaver 
 
 And shall himself be slain: 
 From the drear banks of Ufens, 
 
 An JS y^v *'^ ^'-^rsh-fowl play, 
 And buttuloes he uallov/inR ^ 
 
 Ihrough the hot summer's day: 
 Fro.n the gigantic watch-towers, 
 
 ^ow„rkof,arthly„,e„, 
 Whence Cora's sentinels o'erlook 
 
 IJie never-ending fen: 
 
 The wild h.)g's reedy home; 
 
 iTfl. n?''7" •''''"J*^ ^^■'^^'"^^ A»io leaps 
 in floods of snow-white foam. ^ 
 
 11 
 
 Aricia, Cora, Xorba, 
 
 V^L-htra?, with rhe might 
 Of betia and of Tuscdum, 
 
 U ere marshalled on the right: 
 The leader was Mamilius, ^ 
 
 IrinceoftheLatianname; 
 Upon his head a helmet 
 
 Of red gohl shone like tlame; 
 
 High on a gallant charger 
 
 Ot dark.grey hue he rode; 
 Over his gilded armour 
 
 A vest of 2)urple flowed, 
 Woven i„ the land of sm/risc 
 A,u]]t^T' ^!;"-^-b^''^«ed daughters 
 
 i^ar o er the southern waters. 
 
 12 
 Lavinmm and Laurentum 
 
 And banners of the coast. 
 Iheir leader was false Sextus, 
 That wrought the deed of shame- 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 47 
 
 With restless pace and haggard face 
 
 To his last field he came. 
 Men said he saw strange visions 
 
 Which none beside might see, 
 And that strange sounds were in his ears 
 
 Which none might hear but he. 
 A woman fair and stately 
 
 But pale as are the dead, 
 Oft through the watches of the night 
 
 Sat spinning by his bed. 
 And as she plied the distaff. 
 
 In a sweet voice and lnw, 
 She sang of great old houses, 
 
 And fights fought long ago. 
 So s[)un she, and so sang she, 
 
 Until the east was grey, 
 Then pointed to her bleeding breast, 
 
 And shrieked, and tied away. 
 
 220 
 
 13 
 
 But in the centre thickest 
 
 Were ranged the shields of foes. 
 And from the centre loudest 
 
 The cry of battle rose. 
 There Tibur marcJied and Pedum 
 
 Beneath proud Tanpiin's rule. 
 And Ferentinum of the rock, 
 
 And Gabii of the pool. 
 There rode the Volscian succours : 
 
 There, in a dark stern ring, 
 The Roman exiles gathered close 
 
 Around the ancient king. 
 Though white as M nut Soracte, 
 
 When winter nights are long. 
 His beard flowed down o'er mail and belt, 
 
 His heart and hand were strong; 
 Under his hoary eyebrows 
 
 Still flashed forth (pienchless rage, 
 And, if the lance shook in his gripe, 
 
 'T was more with hate than age. 
 
 230 
 
 240 
 
48 
 
 aso 
 
 260 
 
 270 
 
 ^30 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 Close at Iiis siMe was Titus 
 
 Uii an Ajtulian steed, 
 -TitUi,, the yungest Tarquin, 
 
 loo gnod for such a breed. 
 
 14 
 I^W on each side the leaders 
 
 Cave signal for the eharge; 
 AiKi ,.n eaeh side the footn.en 
 
 Mr..de ,m with hmce and targe; 
 An. on eaeh side the liorsenuni 
 
 A, ,"^"''^'"'''--^I'"''«^leep ingore, 
 And front to front tl-.e armies ' 
 
 Met with a mighty roar: 
 Am under that great battle 
 
 \''*;.«;arth with blood Mas red; 
 
 lU'd.st hung overhead; 
 Aiid louder still and hmder 
 
 Kose from the darkened field 
 llieL .. ig of the war-horns, 
 
 I he clang of sword and shield, 
 ihe rush of squadrons sweeping 
 
 L.ke whirlwinds o'er the plain, 
 ihe shouting of the slayers 
 And screeching of the slain. 
 
 15 
 
 False Sextus rode out foremost; 
 His look was liigh and bold; 
 His corselet was of bison's hide, 
 
 -Plated with steel and gold. 
 As glares the famished eagle 
 
 Froru the Digentian riK^k 
 On a choice lamb that bounds alone 
 
 Before Bandusia's flock, 
 iierminius glared on Sextus, 
 And came with eagle speed, 
 Herminius on black Auster 
 
 JJrave champion on brave steed- 
 In his right hand the broadsword' 
 
 mi..^^:^ 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 49 
 
 That kept the bridge go well. 
 Ami on his lu-lm the cn.wn he won 
 
 When pnuul Fiden.-e fell. 
 Woe to the maid whose lover 
 
 Shall cross his path to-davl 2^*0 
 
 False Stxtus saw. and trembled, 
 
 And turned, and fie<l away. 
 As turns, as Hies, the woodman 
 
 In the Calabrian brake. 
 When through the reeds gleams the round eve 
 
 Of that fell speckled snake; 
 So turned, so lied, false Sextus, 
 
 And liid him in the rear, 
 Behind the dark Lavinian ranks. 
 
 Bristling with crest and spear. 300 
 
 16 
 
 But f.ar to north .Elutius, 
 
 The Master (.f the Knights, 
 Gave Tubero of Xorba 
 ^ To feed the I'orcian kites. 
 Next under those red horse-hoofs 
 
 Flac 
 
 eus o 
 
 Setia 
 
 !>een 
 
 lay ; 
 
 pruning 
 
 av 
 
 Better had h 
 
 Among his elms that d„. 
 ^lamilius saw the slaughter. 
 
 And .uss(d his golden crest. 
 Aiid towards the Master of the Knights 
 
 310 
 
 Through the thick battl 
 
 -Dbutius smote Mamil 
 
 e jiressed. 
 
 lUS 
 
 um 
 
 So fiercely on the shield 
 That the gr'eat lord of Tuscul 
 
 Wellnigh rolled on the field. 
 Mamilius smote -£butius, 
 
 With a good aim and true. 
 Just where the neck and shr.ulder jV-in 
 
 And pierce.1 liim through and through : 
 And brave .i'butius Elva 
 
 Fell swf.oning to the ground, 
 But a thick wall of bucklers 
 
 Encompassed him around. 
 
 320 
 
50 
 
 830 
 
 340 
 
 350 
 
 360 
 
 MACArLAY'S LAYS. 
 
 His olit'iits from th.> huttlo 
 iian- iiiiii Noin,. Ijttl,. spaco, 
 
 AiwHillnJah..],,, t>„mtlu..lurklake, 
 An.l batlh-.i Ills Itow aiul far... 
 
 Ami when at last ho oiM-n.-d 
 His swiniiuinj: t'.ves to Ii^r|,t 
 
 .Alon say, the ."arlirst wor.l ho spake 
 »> as, •• trionds, how g(»08 the fight ?" 
 
 17 
 
 But meanwliih! in tlio eentro 
 
 Great .lee.ls of annv were wrought ; 
 Ihere Aulus the J)iotator 
 
 And there Valerius fou<'ht 
 Anhis with his good l.roa<lsw.)rd 
 
 A bloody passage ch-ared 
 lo where amidst the thick.-st foos, 
 
 He saw the long white bend. 
 l-Iat lighted that good broadsword 
 
 I |)on proad Tanjuin's head. 
 "H^^l;!;i/rd;i^"'-H>ea the reins, 
 
 '^wi;.:^;':r',.a^;^i^' 
 
 But taster Titus ..ath sprung down, 
 
 And hath bestrode his rire 
 i^atian eaj.tains, Kou.an knights, 
 
 Kist down to ,.arth they spring, 
 
 And hand to hand they ti^ht on foot 
 Around the ancient kin-r. 
 
 J-irstlitus gave tall CVso 
 
 T M ^'*^*'' ^^'^in"! in the face ; 
 
 lalCa-so was the bravest man 
 
 <->t the brave Fabian race • 
 Aulus slew liexofGabii, 
 
 liie priest .;f Juno's shrine • 
 \ alenus smote down Juliu« 
 
 Of Koine's great Julian line : 
 Julius who lefl hi. mansion 
 
 High on the Veliaii hill, 
 And through all turns of weal and woe 
 
LAVS OF ANCIKXT 1! 
 
 OME. 
 
 61 
 
 X 
 
 ^ Followi'il j.rou.J Tar.juiii >till. 
 ow rijjlit juT..<s |.roii.l Tarquiii 
 
 A rorj.so was Julius laid 
 
 And Tim 
 
 And 
 
 s irroanid with rn 
 
 gt' am; 
 
 ^ And at \ aKrius iiKidf. 
 Valerius >trui-k at Tifu-. 
 
 And loj.}^,! ..ff half his i-rost ; 
 But Titus stahh.'d Vah-rius 
 
 A .vj.au det'p iu the hnast. 
 Like a mast snaj.j.ed hv the tempest, 
 
 Xalt-nus n-t'K-.l and fell. 
 Ah : w..e is nie f.-r the g.M,d h.-use 
 
 That litves the |ie<.|>le well I 
 
 Then .vhi.uted L.ud :lie Latiues. 
 
 An.l with one ru>h thev Lure 
 
 The .struggling r{..njau> liaokward 
 
 Three laiu'e.s" length atid more ; 
 
 And u}. they tuok j,r..ud Tanjuin. 
 
 And laid him un a shield. 
 And four siruiig v.'oinen l.ar.- him. 
 
 Mill ^eu^ele^^. iviu the tield. 
 
 1 grief, 
 
 370 
 
 3((0 
 
 1^ 
 
 r.ut fiercer crew the fiijliting 
 
 Ar-und Valerius dead: 
 F..r Titus di-agge.l him hv the f.ot. 
 
 And Auhis bv The hea.l. 
 "On. Latine.v <>u '. " .juoth Tifis. 
 
 '• See l.'Mw the rebel- t]\- '." 
 "Koiiuin^. stand firm ! '" iju.ith Auliis. 
 "And win thi- fitrht <.r die '. 
 Tl.ey uiusit n.-t yive Valerius 
 
 1 o raven and t" kite ; 
 I'..r aye Valeria- h-athed the wrong. 
 
 And aye unlield t]!< ri-'lit : 
 And fur your wi\es ar.d bahif.^ 
 _ Jn the fr.,,jt rank he fell. 
 2Cow j.lay the men for tJie g'.<»ii house 
 
 That l<»vet the j>eojde well I '' 
 
 o'M.t 
 
 i(M} 
 
MACAl LAY'S LAYS. 
 
 iu 
 
 19 
 
 Then tcnfoM romi<l iho hotly 
 
 'I'Im' roar of hjittk* msf, 
 Like tlie mar of u biir,ii„j, fon-st 
 
 Wlu'ii H stroi.jj nuiih-uiiul blows. 
 JN.'w l';u-k\vanl. .lui now frwani, 
 
 I\o»ki<i fiirio.i>ly tlu* fn.v, 
 Till iiiiii(> fouI.( soe \'i "vriiH, 
 
 And nont> wi-t vliore lu> lay. 
 tor shivt'n'd anus and tMisigns 
 
 Wciv lit-apcd tiler." in a nmuinl, 
 And .orpscs stift, and dyitij; men 
 
 iliat writhed and ^niuwvd the ground: 
 And uounded horses kit-king, 
 
 And sn(.rtit!<; pin-jde foam ; 
 Right well did MU-h a couch beiit 
 A Consular of Konie, 
 
 420 
 
 20 
 
 But 
 
 ut iiorth looked the Dictator; 
 
 North looked ho long and hard: 
 And spake to C'aius C..ssu.s, 
 
 The Caj.tain of his Guard : 
 "Caius, „f all the llonians 
 
 Thou hast the keenest sight 
 Say. what through yonder sto m of dust 
 
 Conns Irom the Latiu i ri"ht ?" 
 
 430 
 
 ^^^,' 
 
 21 
 
 Then answered Cains Cossus : 
 
 ■'1 see an evil sight ; 
 Tile hanner of proud Tuseulum 
 
 Coin.-s from the Latian right: 
 1 see the plumed horsem- ., ; 
 
 And far hef.,re the rest 
 I see the dark-grey charger, 
 
 I s( . the purple vest ; 
 I sec - ,e gulden helmet 
 
 Thu- >hines far .,ff like iame ; 
 bo ever rides Mamilius, 
 
 Trince of the f^atian na <e.." 
 
 J 
 $ 
 
JO. (ie: 
 
 LAYS OF ANCIKNT ROME. 
 
 53 
 
 "Xow lu'iirk.'ii, CiiuH Cossua : 
 
 Sj.rinjjoii fliy h.,i^t''s l.ju-k ; 
 Ki«If as th.' wolv.'s of Ai>cimine 
 
 W»'re all ufon thy tiiuk ; 
 Ila!.ti- t(» our ,- .iitliwurd l»uttl»», 
 
 Ami lU'VtT draw thy mn 
 Until thoii tintl Hi'rii)iniu>, 
 
 And I. id liiiii oorui- aiuaiii." 
 
 440 
 
 JA 
 
 So Auhi.H spake, Hi i !urn.-d hi; ■. 
 
 A, :;iiii to that ficn-f .-tritV : 
 And i lius Cussiis umuntid, 
 
 An.i n.de f..r xU-ath and lif. 
 Loud rl.-nigi'd !.«n.-aui his hoi -hoofa 
 
 I lit' lu Inifts ..f till- d.ad 
 Atid many a cnrdling |h,u1 ,f 1,I,„m1 
 ^ Sjda.sh.-d him fr,,i)i ! -el t. h. L 
 St> oame i,, far t southward. 
 
 W .Tofuujrhr : Ho„„i„ |,o. 
 
 Agaii ,t th hinui.r> f th.- marj) 
 
 And hai. t-rs of ll ,,ast. 
 Like corn • inr>- the 
 
 Tl 
 
 le St .lit 
 
 Beneath ; lie 
 
 "hat k ; I lie I 
 
 iiiiai 
 e "f I 
 
 'K" 
 
 kle 
 ell, 
 true sword 
 
 'Will. 
 
 24 
 
 }{. 
 
 in- 
 
 Villus {;re.'t> thee ; 
 'It ! .- thee i-oine with s;..'ed, 
 heij, ,!ir tentral hatth- ; 
 
 '•>r - ff s there our ne.-d 
 T' vars tl),. voiiiijre.-r 'I'j) 
 
 'here th.- Crest ..f Fla 
 
 'thin ^familiiis. 
 ■ 'J iie Latian name 
 
 r^ 'iiii, 
 
 tiie. 
 
 Tl 
 
 -\ii,i 
 Th. T 
 
 ! Ui 
 Va -ii- hath fallen tij^htinj: 
 
 Jn fj. (if (lur array, 
 And \ui - of (he seventh- fields 
 
 Alone u .holds the dav.' 
 
 4M 
 
 400 
 
 470 
 
64 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 ;80 
 
 25 
 
 Herminius beat his bosom, 
 
 liut never a word he spake. 
 He clapped his hand on Auster's name, 
 
 He gave the reins a sliake, 
 Away, away went Auster, 
 
 Like an arrow from the bow • 
 331ack Auster was the fleetest steed 
 
 1 rom Aufldus to Po. 
 
 26 
 
 Right glad were all the Romans 
 
 Who, in that hour of dread, 
 Against great odds bare up the war 
 
 Around Valerius dead, 
 When from the south the cheering 
 
 Rose with a mighty swell : 
 "Herminius comes, Herminius, 
 
 Who kept the bridge so well I " 
 
 490 
 
 500 
 
 27 
 
 Mamilius .spied Herminius, 
 
 And dashed across the wav. 
 ** Herminius ! I have sought thee 
 
 Through many a bloody day. 
 One of us two, Herminius, 
 
 Shall nevermore go home. 
 I will lay on for Tusculum, 
 And lay thou on for Rome ! " 
 
 28 
 
 All round them paused the battle, 
 
 While met in mortal fray 
 The Roman and the Tusculau, 
 
 The horses black and grey. 
 Herminius smote Mamilius 
 
 Through breastplate and through breast ; 
 And fast flowed out the • - - 
 
 Over the purple vest, 
 
 purple blond 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 55 
 
 Mamilius smote Herminius 
 
 Through head-piece and through head ; 
 And side by side those chiefs of pride 
 
 Together fell down dead. 
 Down fell tliey dead together 
 
 In a great lake of gore ; 
 And still stood all who saw them fall 
 
 While men might count a score. 
 
 510 
 
 29 
 
 Fast, fast, with hoels wild spurning, 
 
 The dark-grey charger fled ; 
 He burst through ranks of fighting men, 
 
 He sprang o'er heaps of dead. 
 His bridle far out-streaming, 
 
 His flanks all blood and foam. 
 He sought the southern mountains, 
 
 The mountains of his home. 
 The pass was steep and rugged, 
 
 The wolves they howled and whined ; 
 But he ran like a whirlwind up the pass, 
 
 And he left the wolves behind. 
 Through many a startled hamlet 
 
 Thundered his flying feet ; 
 He rushed through the gate of Tusculum, 
 
 He rushed up the long white street ; 
 He rushed by tower and temple, 
 And paused iiot from his race 
 Till he stood before his master's door 
 
 In the stately market-place. 
 And straightway round him gathered 
 
 A pale and trembling crowd, 
 And when they knew him, cries of rage 
 
 Brake forth, and wailing loud : 
 And women rent their tresses 
 
 For their great prince's fall ; 
 And old men girt on their old swords. 
 And went to man the wail. 
 
 529 
 
 530 
 
 540 
 
56 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 550 
 
 560 
 
 570 
 
 30 
 
 But, like a graven image, 
 
 Black Auster kept his place, 
 And ever wistfully he looked 
 
 Into his master's face. 
 The raven-n^.ane that daily, 
 
 With pats and fond caresses, 
 The young Herminia washed and combed. 
 
 And twined in even tresses, 
 And decked with coloured ribands 
 
 From her own gay attire, 
 Hung sadly o'er her father's corpse 
 
 In carnage and in mire. 
 Forth with a shout sprang Titus, 
 And seized black Auster's rein. 
 Then Aulus sware a fearful oath, 
 
 And ran at him amain. 
 " The furies of thy brother 
 With me and mine abide, 
 If one of your accursed house 
 Upon black Auster ride ! " 
 As on an Alpine watch-tower 
 
 From heaven comes down the flame. 
 J^ull on the neck of Titus 
 
 The blade of Aulus came ; 
 And out t])e rod blood spouted, 
 
 In a wide arch and tall, 
 As spouts a fountain in the court 
 
 Of some rich Capuan's hall. 
 The knees of all the Latinos 
 Were loosened with dismay 
 When dead, on dead Ilerminnis, 
 The bravest Tarquin lay. 
 
 31 
 
 And Aulus the Dictator 
 
 Stroked Auster's raven mane. 
 Witli heed ho looked unto the girths, 
 
 With heed unto the rein. 
 "Now bear mo well, black Auster. 
 
 Into 
 
 yon thick array 
 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 And thou and I will have revenge 
 For thy good lord this day." 
 
 32 
 So spake he ; and was buckling 
 
 Tighter black Auster's band, 
 When he was aware of a princely pair 
 
 Ihat rode at his right hand. 
 oo like they were, no mortal 
 
 Might one from other know ; 
 White as snow their armour was, 
 
 Iheir steeds were white as snow. 
 -Never on earthly anvil 
 
 Bid such rare armour gleam • 
 And never did such gallant steeds 
 
 Drink of an earthly stream. 
 
 33 
 
 And all who saw them trembled, 
 
 And pale grew every cheek ; 
 And Aulus the Dictator 
 
 Scarce gathered voice to speak. 
 " Sav by what name men call you ? 
 
 What city is your home ? 
 Aiid wherefore ride ye in such guise 
 
 Before the ranks of Rome ?" 
 
 34 
 
 *' By many names men call us ; 
 
 In many lands we dwell : 
 Well Samothracia knows us; 
 
 Cyrene knows us well. 
 Our house in gay Tarentum 
 
 Is hung each morn with flowers; 
 High o'er the masts of Syracuse 
 
 Our marble portal towers ; 
 But by the proud Eurotas 
 
 Is our dear native home ; 
 And for the right we come to fight 
 
 Before the ranks of Rome." 
 
 57 
 
 580 
 
 590 
 
 600 
 
 610 
 
58 
 
 S20 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 35 
 
 So answered tliose strange horsemen, 
 
 And each Couched low his spear; 
 And forthwith all the ranks of Rome 
 
 Were bold, and of good cheer. 
 And on the thirty armies 
 
 Came wonder and affright, 
 And Ardea wavered on the left, 
 
 And Cora on the right. 
 " Rome to the charge ! " cried Aulus ; 
 
 **The foe begins to yield ! 
 Charge for the hearth of Vesta 
 
 Charge for the Golden Shield ! 
 Let no man stop to plunder, 
 
 But slay, and slay, and slay ; 
 The gods who live forever 
 
 Are on our side to-day." 
 
 6S0 
 
 C40 
 
 36 
 
 Then the fierce trumpet-flourish 
 
 From earth to heaven arose. 
 The kites know well the long stern swell 
 
 That bids the Romans close. 
 Then the good sword of Aulus 
 
 Was lifteil up to slay; 
 Then, like a crag down Apennine, 
 
 Rushed Auster through thu fray. 
 But under those strange horsemen 
 
 Still thicker lay the slain; 
 And after those strange horses 
 
 Black Auster toiled in vain. 
 Behind them Rome's long battle 
 
 Came rolling on the foe, 
 Ensigns dancing wild above, 
 
 Blades all in line below. 
 So comes the Po in lluuj-time 
 
 Upon the Celtic plain; 
 So comes the squall, blacker than night, 
 
 Upon the Adrian main. 
 Now, by our Sire Quirinus, 
 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 59 
 
 
 It was a goodly sight 
 
 650 
 
 
 To see the thirty 8tand«ar(l8 
 
 
 
 Swept down the tide of flight. 
 
 
 
 So flies the spray of Adria 
 
 
 
 When the black squall doth blow, 
 
 
 
 So corn-sheaves in the flood-time 
 
 
 
 Spin down the whirling Po. 
 
 
 
 False Sextus to the mountains 
 
 
 
 Turned tirst his horse's head; 
 
 
 
 And fast fled Ferentinum, 
 
 
 
 And fast Lanuvium fled. 
 
 660 
 
 
 The horsemen of Nomentum 
 
 
 
 Spurred hard out of the fray; 
 
 
 
 The footmen of Velitrse 
 
 
 
 Threw shield and spear away. 
 
 
 
 And underfoot was trampled, 
 
 
 
 Amidst the mud and gore, 
 
 
 
 The banner of proud Tusculum, 
 
 
 
 That never stooped before. 
 
 
 
 And down went Flavins Faustus, 
 
 
 
 Who led his stately ranks 
 
 670 
 
 
 From where the apple-blossoms wave 
 
 
 
 On Anio's echoing banks, 
 
 
 
 And Tullus of Arpinum, 
 
 
 
 Chief of the Volscian aids, 
 
 
 
 Antl Metius with the long fair i .rls, 
 
 
 
 The love of Anxur's maids, 
 
 
 
 And the white head of Vulso, 
 
 
 
 The great Arician seer. 
 
 
 
 And Nepos of Laurentum, 
 
 
 
 The hunter of the deer; 
 
 680 
 
 
 And in the back false Sextus 
 
 
 
 Felt the good Roman steel, 
 
 
 
 And wriggling in the dust he died, 
 
 
 
 Like a worm beneath the wheel. 
 
 
 
 And fliers and pursuers 
 
 - 
 
 
 AVere mingled in a mass 
 
 
 
 And far away tlie battle 
 
 
 
 Went roaring through the pass. 
 
 
 
60 
 
 690 
 
 700 
 
 710 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 37 
 
 Sempronius Atratinus 
 
 Sate in the Eastern Gate, 
 Beside him were three Fathers, 
 
 Each in his cliair of state; 
 Fabius, whose nine stout grandsons 
 
 That day were in the field, 
 And Manlius, eldest of the Twelve 
 
 Who kept the Golden Shield; 
 And Sergius, the High Pontiff, 
 
 For wisdom far renowned; 
 In all Etruria's colleges 
 
 Was no such Pontiff found. 
 And all around the jtortal, 
 
 And high above the wall, 
 Stood a great throng of people, 
 
 But sad and silent all ; 
 Young lads, and stooping elders 
 
 That might not bear the mail, 
 Matrons with lips that quivered, 
 
 And maids with faces pale. 
 Since the first gleam of daylight, 
 
 Sempronius l)ad not ceased 
 To listen for the rushing 
 
 Of horse-hoofs from the east. 
 The mist of eve was rising, 
 
 The sun was hastening down, 
 When he was aware of a princely pair 
 
 Fast pricking towards the town. 
 So like they were, man never 
 
 Saw twins so like before; 
 Red with gore their armour was, 
 
 Their steeds were red with gore. 
 
 38 
 **Hail to the great Asylum ! 
 
 Hail to the hill-tops sex-^en ! 
 Hail to the fire that burns for aye, 
 
 And the shield that fell from heaven! 
 This day, by Lake Regillus, 
 
 Under the Porcian height. 
 
 fm^^ 
 
 MMHBi 
 
 "< / : 11 1 ;^-''ae>itnH a r.. ti. 
 
LAYS OP ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 All in the lands of Tusculum 
 Was fought a glorious fight ; 
 
 To-morrow your Dictator 
 
 Shall bring in triumph home 
 
 The spoils of thirty cities 
 
 To deck the shrines of Rome ! " 
 
 61 
 
 730 
 
 39 
 
 Then burst from that great concourse 
 
 A shout that shoi)k the towers, 
 And some ran north, and some ran south, 
 
 Crying, *' The day is ours ! " 
 But on rode the strange horsemen. 
 
 With slow and lordly pace ; 
 And none who saw their bearing 
 
 Durst ask tlieir name or race. 740 
 
 On rode they to tlie Forum, 
 
 While laurel-boughs and flowers, 
 From house-tops and from windows. 
 
 Fell on their crests in showers. 
 When they drew nigh to Vesta, 
 
 They vaulted down amain, 
 And washed their horses in the well 
 
 Tiiat springs by Vesta's fane. 
 And straiglit again tliey mounted. 
 
 And rode to Vesta's door; 750 
 
 Then, like a blast, away they passed, 
 
 And no man saw them more. 
 
 40 
 
 And all the peojjle trembled. 
 
 And i)ale grew every cheek; 
 And Sergius the High Pontiff 
 
 Alone found voice to speak : 
 **The gods who live forever 
 
 Have fought for Rome to-day ! 
 These be the Great Twin Brethren 
 
 To whom the Dorians pray. 
 Back comes the Chief in triumph 
 
 Who, in the hour of tight, 
 Hath seen the Great Twin Brethren 
 
 760 
 
 »* 
 
62 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 770 
 
 780 
 
 790 
 
 In harness on his right. 
 Safe comes the ship to haven, 
 
 Through billows and through gales, 
 If once the Great Twin Brethren 
 
 Sit shining on the sails. 
 Wherefore they washed their horses 
 
 In Vesta's holy well, 
 Wherefore they rode to Vesta's door, 
 
 I know but may not tell. 
 Here, hard by Vesta's Temple, 
 
 Build we a stately dome 
 Unto the Great Twin Brethren 
 
 Who fought so well for Rome. 
 And when the months returning 
 
 Bring back this day of fight, 
 The proud Ides of Quintilis, 
 
 Marked evermore with white, 
 Unto the Great Twin Brethren 
 
 Let all the people throng, 
 With chaplet.s and with offerings. 
 
 With music and with song ; 
 And let the doors and windows 
 
 Be hung with garlands all. 
 And let the Knights be summoned 
 
 To Mars without the wall. 
 Thence let them ride in j)urple 
 
 With joyous trumpet-sound, 
 Ei-ch mounted on his war-horse, 
 
 And each with olivf crowjied ; 
 And pass in solemn ory^r 
 
 Before the sacred (h . j, 
 Where dwell the Great "win Brethren 
 
 Who fought so well for Kome 1 " 
 
 SS^ 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 68 
 
 VIRGINIA. 
 
 FRAGMENTS OF A LAY SUNG IN THE FORUM OS THE DAY 
 WHEREON LUCIUS SEXTIUS SENTINUS LATERANUS AND 
 CAIU8 LICINIUS CALVUS 8T0L0 WERE ELECTED TRIBUNES 
 OF THE COMMONS THE FIFTH TIME, IN THE YEAR OK 
 THE CITY CCCLXXXII. 
 
 Ye good men of the Commons, with loving hearts and 
 
 true. 
 Who stand by the bold Tribunes that still have stood by 
 
 you, 
 Come, make a circle round me, and mark my tale with 
 
 care, 
 A tale of what Rome once hath borne, of what Rome yet 
 
 may bear. 
 This is no Grecian fable, of fountains running wine. 
 Of maids with snaky tresses, or sailors turned to swine. 
 Here, in this very Forum, under the noonday sun. 
 In sight of all the people, the bloody deed was done. 
 Old men still creep among us who saw that fearful day, 
 10 Just seventy years and seven ago, when the wicked Ten 
 
 bare sway. 
 
 Of all the wicked Ten still the names are held accursed. 
 And of all the wicked Ten Ai)pius Claudius was the 
 
 worst. 
 He stalked along the Forum like King Tarquin in his 
 
 pride ; 
 Twelve axes waited on him, six marching on a side; 
 The townsmen shrank to right and left, and eyed askance 
 
 with fear 
 His lowering brow, his curling mouth, which always 
 
 seemed to sneer: 
 That brow of hate, that mouth of scorn^ marks all the 
 
 kindred still : 
 
64 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 For never was there Claudius yet but wished the Commons 
 ill; 
 
 Nor lacks he fit attendance; for close behind his heels, 
 20 With outstretched chin and crouching pace, the client 
 
 Marcus steals, 
 His loins girt up to run with speed, be the orrand what 
 
 it may. 
 And the smile flickering on his cheek, for aught his lord 
 
 may say. 
 Such varlets pimp and jest for hire among the lying 
 
 Greeks : 
 Such varlets still are paid to hoot when brave Licinius 
 
 speaks. 
 Where'er ye shed the honey, the buzzing flits will crowd- 
 Where'er ye iling the carrion, the raven's croak is loud; ' 
 Where'er down Tiber garbage floats, the greedy pike ye 
 
 see ; 
 
 And whereso'er such lord is found, such client still 
 will be. 
 
 Just then, as through one cloudless chink in a black 
 stormy sky, 
 
 30 Shines out" the' dewy morning-star, a fair youuc girl 
 came by, ^ c o 
 
 With her sniall tablets in her hand, and her satchel on 
 her arm. 
 
 Home she went bounding from the school, nor dreamed 
 
 of shame or harm ; 
 And past those dreaded axes she innocent] v ran, 
 With bright frank brnw that had n..t leariied to blush at 
 
 gaze of man ; 
 
 And up the Sacred Street she turned, and, as she danced 
 along, 
 
 She warbled gaily to herself lines of the good old song. 
 How for a sport the princes came si)urring from the 
 camp. 
 
 And found Lucrece, coujbing the fleece, under the mid- 
 night lamp. 
 
 The maiden sang as sings the lark, when up he darts his 
 flight. 
 
 40 From his nest in the green April corn, to meet the morn- 
 ing light ; 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 65 
 
 And Appius hoard her sweet young voice, and Raw her 
 Mweet young face, 
 
 And loved her with the accursed love of his accursed 
 race, 
 
 And all along the Forum, and up the Sacr.d Street, 
 Ills vulture eye pursue.l the trip of those small Klanoinc 
 feet. ^ *• 
 
 • 
 
 Over the Allan mountains the light of morning l.roke: 
 *rom all the roofs of the Seven Hills curled the thin 
 
 wreaths of smoke. 
 The city-gutes were opened; the F<u-um all alive, 
 With huyers and with sellers was humming like a hive 
 lihthely on brass and timber the craftsman's stroke w'as 
 
 ringing, 
 
 50 And blithely o'er her panniers the mark.t-girl was 
 singing. 
 
 And blithely young Virginia came smiling from her 
 
 home : 
 Ah ! woe for young Virginia, the sweetest maid in Rome ! 
 With her small tabl.ts in her hand, and her satchel on 
 
 her arm, 
 
 Forth she went bounding to the school, nor dreamed of 
 
 shame or harm. 
 She crossed the Forum shining with stalls in alleys gay 
 And just had reached the very spot whereon I stAnd this 
 
 day. 
 
 When up the vark-t Marcus came; not such as when 
 erewhile 
 
 He crouched behin.l his patron's heels with the true 
 client smile: 
 
 He came with lowering forehead, swollen features, aiul 
 clenched fist, 
 60 And strode across Virginia's path, and caught her by the 
 wrist. 
 
 Hard strove the frighted maiden, and scream, with look 
 agha'^t ; 
 
 And at her scream from right and left the f<.Ik came run- 
 ning fast ; 
 
 The money-changer Crispus, with his thin silver hairs, 
 And Hanno from the stately booth "littering with Punic 
 wares, 
 
66 
 
 MACAULAYS LAYS. 
 
 And the stnug smith Mui .na, grasping a half-f.rged 
 braiMl, 
 
 And Volero the flesher, his cleaver in his hand. 
 
 All came in wrath and wonder; for all knew that fair 
 
 child; 
 And, as she pjissed them twice a day, all kissed their 
 
 hands, and smiled; 
 And the strong smith Muraena gave Marcus such a blow, 
 70 The caitiff i. ••led three paces back, and let the maiden go. 
 Yet glared he fiercely round him, and growled in liarsii, 
 
 fell tone, 
 " She 's mine, and I will have her: 1 seek but for mine 
 
 own; 
 She is my slave, born in my house, and stolen awav and 
 
 sold, 
 The year of the sore sickness, ere she was twtl\ hours 
 
 old. 
 'Twas in the sad September, the month of wail and 
 
 fright, 
 Two augurs were borne forth that morn; the Consul died 
 
 ere night. 
 I wait on Appius Claudius, I waited on his sire; 
 Let him who works the client wrong bev.are the patron's 
 
 ire ! " 
 
 So spake the varlet Marcus; and dread and silence 
 
 came 
 80 On all the people at the sound of the great Claudian 
 
 name. 
 For then there was no Tribune to speak the word of 
 
 might. 
 Which makes the rich man tremble, and guards the { lor 
 
 man's right. 
 There was no brave Licinius, no honest Sextius then • 
 But all the city in great fear obeyed the wicked Ten. 
 Yet ere the varlet Marcus again might seize the maid, 
 Who clung tight to Mur.'ena's skirt and sobbed and 
 
 shrieked for aid, 
 Forth through the throng of gazers the young Icilius 
 
 pressed, 
 And stamped his foot and rent his gown, and smote upon 
 
 his breast, 
 
 im'r% 'HP^'fT'm.^wm 
 
LAYS OF AX( FK.VT 1{() IK. 
 
 67 
 
 And sprang' upon that colmtiri. by uuuiy a nimBtr*) .lung. 
 90 Wli rec.ii thrte numltl* ring i.-ltiiets, fltre« ru.«ting .swords, 
 ;irp hung, 
 .\ii<i hnkoiu 1 t.. the pf.pl. . and in l...l(l voice and n r 
 J'.'urf'd thick id ta^t tlie burning wonls \vh. ii vyrai.ta 
 tju-ik!- ti. hear. 
 
 '' Now hy yoii cluldren's cradles, n..vv by v<'ur fathers' 
 
 I>. uuui ; 'lay, Q.iirites, or be forevi-r slnvrs! 
 
 Fit .hi- -id Servjiis give us laws? Fctr this did T.icrere 
 
 bleed ' 
 Fur iliijt was the gr<'at vengeance wrought on Taniuins 
 
 ■ Vil Mill '.' 
 
 For this did thone false sons make red the axes of their 
 
 sin- ? 
 For this dul Scievola's right hand bias in the Tuscan fire ? 
 :^hall ti" vile fox-earth av^e the race that stormed the 
 
 lioa'a den '.' 
 too Shall we. who could not brook on- m, ; rouch to the 
 
 wicked Ten '.' 
 Oh for that ancient spirit which curbed the Senate's will ! 
 Oh f.ir the tents which in old time whitened the Sacred 
 
 ilill! 
 In those brave lays our fathers stood firmly side bv side; 
 They fa<-.(l thi' .\larcian fury; they tamed the Fabian 
 
 pride; 
 
 Till y drove the tj.rcest Quinctius an outcast forth from 
 lionie; 
 
 They sent the haughtiest Claudius with shivered fasces 
 home. 
 
 But what their care bf',,u(>athed us our madness flung 
 awa^- : " 
 
 All the ripe fruit of threescore vears ^^.•ls blighted in adii\- 
 Kxult, ye pn.ud Patriciun> ! The hard-fought fi<Tht is o'er 
 110 VVe strove for hon.mrs — 't was in vain; fi.r freedom - 
 t is no more. 
 No crier to the polling summons the eager throng; 
 No Tribune breathes the word of mi-ht that guards the 
 weak from wrong. 
 
 Our very hearts, that were so high, siuk down beneath 
 your will. 
 
68 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 Riches, and lands, and power, and state — ye have them : 
 
 — keep them still. 
 Still keep the holy fillets; still keep the purple gown, 
 The axes, and the curule chair, the car, and laurel crown: 
 Still press us for your cohorts, and, when the fight is done. 
 Still fill your garners from the soil which our good swords 
 
 have won. 
 
 Still, like a spreading ulcer, which leech-craft may not 
 cure, 
 120 Let your foul usance eat away the suhstanco of the jwor. 
 
 Still let your haggard debtors hear all their fathers bore; 
 
 Still let your dens of torment be noisome as of yore; 
 
 No fire when Tiber freezes, no air in dogstar heat; 
 
 And store of rods for free-b< rn backs, and holes for free- 
 born feet. 
 
 Heap heavier still tlie fetters; bar closer still the grate; 
 
 Patient as sheep we yield us up unto your cruel hate. 
 
 But, by the shades beneatli us, and by the gods above, 
 
 Add not unto your cruel hatt; your yet more cruel love ! 
 
 Have ye not graceful iadies, whose spotless lineage springs 
 130 From Consuls, and High Pontiffs, and ancient Alban 
 kings'/ 
 
 Ladies who deign not on our i.aths to set their tender 
 feet. 
 
 Who from their cars look down with scorn upon the won- 
 dering street. 
 Who in Corinthian mirrors their own proud smiles behold. 
 And breathe of Capuan odors, and shine with Spanish' 
 gold? 
 
 Then leave the poor Plebeian his single tie to life 
 
 The sweet, sweet love of daughter, of sister, and of wife, 
 Ihe gentle speech, the balm f..r all that his vexed soul 
 endures, 
 
 The i.iss, in which he half forgets even such a yoke as 
 yours. 
 
 Still let the maidt-n's beauty swell the father's breast 
 
 with pride; 
 140 Still let the bridegroom's arms infold an unpolluted bride 
 Spare us the ine-vpiable wrong, the unutterable shame. 
 That turns the coward's heart to steel, the sluggard's 
 
 blood to flame. 
 Lest, when our latest hope is fled, ye taste of our despair, 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT ROiME. 69 
 
 And learn by proof in some wild hour, how much the 
 wretched dare." 
 
 To^wl?'^^'!r^' ^7':«""f ^^1 th« '"Hi'i a little space aside, 
 lo «here the reeking shambles stood, piled up with horn 
 
 and hid 
 
 Close to yon l.,w dark archway, whore, in a crimson flood. 
 ieai)s down t.. the great sewer the cr,„.„l 
 
 1 
 
 mo V 
 
 Hard by, a flesliei 
 
 on a block had biid I 
 
 ing stream of blood. 
 
 rgmius caught the whittle tip, an.l hid it in his 
 And then Ins eyes grew very d 
 
 lis whittle down 
 gown. 
 
 to swell 
 
 y dim, and his throat began 
 
 ^Vnd in a hoarse, changed voice he spake 
 
 sweet chihl'' Farewell ! 
 
 '* Farewell. 
 
 Oh, ht.w I loved my darling! Thongl 
 
 1 stern 1 some- 
 know'st I was n.it so. Who cnld be so to 
 
 times be 
 To thee, thim I 
 
 thee? 
 And how my darling loved me ! How .r|ad si 
 
 hear 
 
 le was to 
 
 My footstep on the threshold when I came back last 
 year ! 
 
 And liow she ,lance,l with pleasnre to see mv civic crown, 
 And took n.y sword and h.ing it np, and brought me 
 
 lorrli my gown ! 
 Now all those things are over, —yes, all thv i.rettv ways 
 1.U, hy needlework, thy prattle, thy snatclu-s oi-ohl lays"' 
 And none wdl grieve when I go forth, or smile when I 
 
 return, 
 <>•• watch beside the old man's bed. ..r weep upon his nrn. 
 I he house that was the happiest within the Hon.an walls, 
 n... house that envHMl not the wealth of Capua's marbl.. 
 halls. 
 
 Now, for the brightness of thy sn.ile, must have eternal 
 gloom. 
 
 Ami for the n.usic of thy voice, the sileiuv of the tumb. 
 ilH. t.n,e ,s come. See h..w he points his eager hand 
 tins way ! ' 
 
 Sec how his eyes gloat on thy grief, like a kite's upon the 
 p»"y • 
 
 ■V 
 
ro 
 
 MACAULAYS LAYS. 
 
 With all his wit, he little deems that, spurned, betrayed, 
 
 bert'ft, 
 170 Thy father hath in his despair one fearful refuge left. 
 He little deems that in this hand I dutch whit still can 
 
 save 
 Thy gentle yciuth fr<»m taunts and blows, the portion of 
 
 the slave; 
 Yea, and froni nameless evil, that passeth taunt and 
 
 l)low, — 
 Foul outrage which thou knowest not, which thou shalt 
 
 never know. 
 Then clasp nie round the neck once more, and giv me 
 
 one more kiss; 
 And now, mine own dear little girl, there is no wav but 
 
 this." 
 With that he lifted high the steel, and smote her in the 
 
 side. 
 And in her blood she sank to earth, and with one sob she 
 died. 
 
 Then, for a little inonn-nt, all peojde held their breath; 
 180 And througli the crowded Forum was stillness as of 
 
 death; 
 And in another moincnt brake; forth from one and all 
 A cry as if the Volsciaiis were comin<j: o'er the wall. 
 Some with averted faces shrieking thd h.>me amain; 
 Some ran to call ;; leech; and some mu to lift the slain; 
 S(.me felt her lii)s ami little wrist, if life might there bo 
 
 found; 
 A-ul some tore up iheir garments fast, and strove to 
 
 stanch the wound. 
 
 In vain they ran, and felt, and stanched, for never truer 
 blow 
 
 That good right arm had dealt in light against a V(dscian 
 foe. 
 
 When Appius Claudius saw that deed, lie shuddered 
 and sank down, 
 lyo And hid his fuce some littb; space with the CMvner of hi:4 
 gown. 
 Till, with white lips and bloodshot eyes, Virginias tot- 
 tered nigh, 
 
 V^^S? 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 71 
 
 And stood before the judgment-seat, and held the knife 
 on high. 
 
 "O dwellers in the nether gloom, avengers of the slain, 
 By this dear blood I cry to you, do right between us 
 
 twain; 
 And ev.M. as Appius Claudius hath dealt by me and mine, 
 l)eal yon by Appuis Claudius and all the Claudian line ' " 
 bo spake the slayer of his child, and turned, and went 
 his way; 
 
 But first he cast one haggard glance to where the b<.dv 
 lay, •' 
 
 And writiied, and groaned a fearful groan, and th.-n, with 
 steadfast feet, 
 200 Strode right across the market-place unto the Sacred 
 Street. 
 
 Then up sprung Aj.pius Claudius: <'Stop him, alive or 
 dead ! 
 
 Ten thousand pounds of copper to the man who briiu's 
 his head ! " ^' 
 
 He looked upon his clients; but none would work liis 
 will. 
 
 He look.-.l upon his lictors; but they trembled and stood 
 still. 
 
 And, as Virginius thn.ugh the press his wav in sib-nce 
 
 eh'ft. 
 Ever tin- mighty multitude fell back to right and I. -ft. 
 And h.- hath pass.-d in safety unto his wofuj home 
 And tlicre ta'en horse to tell the camp what de'cds are 
 
 done in lionie. 
 
 By this the flood of people was swollen from escry 
 side. 
 
 210 And streets and porches round were filled with that „\-v- 
 
 tlowing tide; 
 And cb.se around the body g!itli,.r..d a little train 
 Of tlK-iii tb.it were the nearest and dearest to the slain 
 J hey brouglit a bier, and hu!-,g it with many a evp.ess 
 
 crown. 
 And gently they uplifted her, and gently laid her down. 
 Ihe face of Appius Claudius wore the Claudian .scowl and 
 
 sneer, 
 
 r.' 
 
72 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 And in the Claudian note he cried, "What doth this 
 rabble here? 
 
 Have they no crafts to mind at liome, that hitherward 
 they stray? 
 
 Ho ! lictors, clear the market-])lace, and fetch the corpse 
 away ! " 
 
 The voice of grief and fury till then hud not been loud; 
 220 Hut a deep sullen murmur wandered ampng the crowd, 
 Like the moaning noise that goes before the whirlwind 
 on the deep, 
 
 Or the growl of a fierce watch-dog but half aroused from 
 sleep. 
 
 But when the lictors at that word, tall yeomen all and 
 strong. 
 
 Each with his axe and sheaf of twigs, went down into 
 
 the throng. 
 Those old men say, who saw that day of sorrow and of sin, 
 Ihat in the Koman Forum was never such a din. 
 The wailing, hooting, cursing, the howls of grief and hate. 
 Were heard beynd the Pincian Hill, beyond the Latin 
 Gate. 
 
 But close around the body, where st I the little train 
 
 2.30 Of them that wen- the nearest and (h-arest to the slain, 
 Xo cries were there, but teeth set fast, low whispers and 
 
 black frowns. 
 And breaking up of b.-nches. and girding up of gowns; 
 Twas well the lictors might not pierce to where tin' 
 
 maidiMi lay. 
 Else surely bad they been all twelve torn iind) from lini)> 
 
 that day. 
 Kight gla.l they were to struggle back, blood streamin-,' 
 
 from their heads, 
 ^yith axes all in splinters, and raim.'nt all in shreds. 
 Then Appins Claudius gnawed bis lip and tlu' blood left 
 
 bis cheek ; 
 And thrice he beckoned with his hand, and thrice he 
 
 strove to speak ; 
 And thrice the tossing F(.rum set up a frightful yell : 
 240 •• See, see. thou d..g : what thou hast done ; and hide thy 
 shame in hell ! 
 Thou that wouldst make our maidens slaves must first 
 make slaves of men. 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 73 
 
 Tribun.. ! Hurrah for Tribunes ! ])...-» with the wicked 
 
 Pel.bh.s u.Hl bricks, uMd pctsherds, all rou.ul the curule 
 ■ litiir • 
 
 And ^I*;;;; Appius (".udiu« great fear and trend.ling 
 
 ^" "Hr" ' ^'"•'^'"^^ ^"* '"•'^^■'^ ^^S--^""'^^ -Sl.t but 
 Th,>UKl.^n>e great houses love us not, we own, to do the.n 
 
 ''''' il ^n^HgJr'^^^' "" ^^^-^ "•"'' ''-•^' ^--' then. 
 o-.n ?/i"v*^'''"' "^ ^'"""r!': ^"'^ triumphs and his wrongs, 
 
 ]" m :iKb''" T'^ ';•'•; ""•'"•^■' '^"' "• ••" -.np-tiS/songs. 
 
 '^"' Is ';!^.ir ^""' ^'^^ ^"^•^'^ "^ '•"" ^^ ^^'-'» herself 
 
 And'd'u;^ ' ?""rr '^''""'-;^'"» - stricken field, 
 
 shhld?^ -''""rhke a maid at sight of sword and 
 
 ^'" ^'w"l^T '""'"^•^'' '^^ ^'"^' ^^"" "•'»''"> the city 
 
 """ b!:rt". '"'^ ""^ "•^'^^ ^^'^^-'^ *•» -y -"^k« 
 
 A Tossus, like a wild-cat, springs ever at the face • 
 
 -Kind clients, hoi.est lictors, stand bv me in this fray ' 
 ''"^^ IJ:\ /r" "' I— •' "--', -home, the neaLt 
 \Vhile^3^t he spake, and looked around with a bewildere<l 
 Four sturdy lictors put their necks beneath the curule 
 
t '^-^^^ 
 
 74 
 
 MAC AULA Y'S LAYS. 
 
 And fourscore clients on tlie left, and fourscore on the 
 
 "Kilt, 
 Arrayed themselves with swords and staves, and loins 
 
 .yirt up for tight. 
 ]?ut, thongli witliout or staff or sword, so furious was the 
 
 throng, 
 -.-3 That scarce the train with might and main could bring 
 
 their lord along. 
 Twelve times the crowd made at him ; five times they 
 
 seized his gown ; 
 
 Small chance was his to rise again, if once they got him 
 down. 
 
 And sharper came the pelting ; and evermore the yell — 
 '• 1 nl.unes ! we will have Tril.unes ! " rose with a louder 
 swell. 
 
 And the chair tossed as tosses a hark with tattered sail 
 \\ hen raves tin' Adriatic h.-neath an eastern gale, 
 Uhen the Calabrian sea-niurks are lost in clouds of spume 
 And the great Thunder Cape has donned his veil of inkv 
 gloom. -' 
 
 One stone hit Aj.pius in the mouth, and one beneath 
 
 the ear ; 
 280 And ere he rcaclie.l Mnmt Palatiii.., he swooned with 
 
 J>aiii and fear. 
 His cursed head, rliat he was wont to hold so high with 
 
 pride. 
 
 Now. lik.' a drunken man's, hung down, and swaved from 
 siile to side ; 
 
 And whni his stout retainers had brought him to his 
 door. 
 
 His face and neck were all one cake „i filth and clotted 
 gore. 
 
 As Aj)pius Claudius was that dav. so may his grand- 
 son be ! • . • « 
 
 Ood send Rome one such other sight, and send me there 
 to see ! 
 
LAYS OF A>,'CJKNT HOME. 
 
 75 
 
 THE PROPHECY OF CAPYS. 
 
 ' "Iv^;,^;' „"/'- ^--^;. - "--»■;; - ™.^ 
 
 t.^ I-N lUh ifcAU OK THE CITY CCCCLXXIX. 
 
 1 
 
 \ 
 
 ow slain IS King Amulius, 
 <)1 the jrrcat Sylvian line, 
 
 Uhu ivigned in Alba L..nga, 
 On tin. thrun,. nf Aventine. 
 
 felain IS tl).> Pontiff Camcrs, 
 
 }\li.. s},ake tl..^ words of d„om 
 • 1 i.-diiMivn to tlie Tiber; 
 llie mother to tiie tonih," 
 
 In All.a's lake no fisher 
 
 His net to.<lay is Hinj^iri}.' ; 
 
 On the .lark riii.l of Alha's^-aks 
 lo-<lay no axe is rinj,'inj.' ; 
 
 J he yoke han<,'s .."er the ?iian<,'er • 
 The .eythe lies in the l,;,v I" ' 
 
 Ihroufih all the Alhan \iilaj,'es 
 No Work i> <loii,. to-(Jav. 
 
 3 
 
 Aiel every AH-aii hiirj^her 
 
 Hath <l>.nhe.l liis whitest gown • 
 An.U'Verv hea.l in AK-a ' 
 
 V> eareiii a poplar erown ; 
 And every Alhan doorj»osf ' 
 ^ With l>o-.vs and ilowers is t:a'- • 
 For t.wlay the .lead an^ living • ' 
 The lost are found to-day. 
 
 10 
 
 20 
 
 "'U", 
 
76 
 
 MACAILAIS LAYS. 
 
 30 
 
 Tliev woro doonu'd by a Moody king; 
 
 Tlu'v wvw (looiiit'd hy a lying priest ; 
 They wert' i-.ist on the raging Hood; 
 
 Tlu'y w»'i-,. tr uked hy th»' raging beast. 
 Imaging hi'ii.st an<i nigiiig Hood 
 
 Alike li.ive spared the pre}' ; 
 And to-diiv the dead are living ; 
 
 The lust are fonnd to-day. 
 
 40 
 
 The tronbled river knew them, 
 
 And .snuMitht'd his yeilmv foam, 
 And gently .-ucked the cradle 
 
 That Ix.re the late of Homo, 
 The ravening she-wuli knew them, 
 
 And lieked them e'er and o'er, 
 And gave tli.in ,.f her own tierce milk, 
 
 Rich with raw tlesii and gore. 
 Tweiity winters, twenty springs, 
 
 Since then have rolled away ; 
 And to-day the dead are living, 
 
 The lost are found to-day. 
 
 
 i 
 
 50 
 
 
 Blithe it was to see the twins, 
 
 Kight goodly youths and tall, 
 Marching from Alba Longa 
 
 To their idd grandsirc's hall. 
 Along their path fresh garlands 
 
 Are Jjung from tree to tree ; 
 Before them stride the pipers, 
 
 Piping a note of glee. 
 
 On tlu- right goes Romulus, 
 With arms to the elbows red, 
 
 And in his hand a broadswoid. 
 And on the blade a head. — 
 
LAYS OF AXriEXT ROME. 
 
 ■^ w*l'" an ircii Jielniet, 
 
 H ith horsehair lian^inp dovrn, 
 A shaggy hea.l. a snarthv hea,i. 
 
 Fixed in a «ha.st]v S.w,,.— 
 Ihe head-,/ Kin jr A.nniiu* 
 
 Of the irn at Sylvian line. 
 Uho reipnd in AH-.i Lnn^^a 
 
 On tile tl.",.ne..f Aveiitin^" 
 
 77 
 
 00 
 
 OnrheJeft .id- j:-... H,.„„,,. 
 
 U !th \v^:>f^ and rin«. ,s ml, 
 And in hi> hand a i.oa.-.j.e;ir. 
 
 And ..i; fh*. j,.,ii,r a ).,,jj,j __ 
 
 A wnnlil. d h-ad ;u.d a,L'.-d 
 
 ^^'fJ'>ilver fM-aidaniihair. 
 A1..I holy tiller, ;.,„„„J j^_ 
 
 Su.h as 1},. „..,„,ft\ w..;.r. — 
 
 Ihe lead-.f ai,i,M,r Ca-n.-rs. 
 
 , ,V"'f'.';'*^'^ '■''" "••"•'}>. d. I. .=nr: 
 J i.'chjl„n-r, t,, tin- TiinT; 
 ihe nj..tl,er t.. th. tuu.'u.'"' 
 
 Two and two I. hi,,. I ,}„. ,,,.-^_^ 
 
 iheir tiiistv r..ti,rad.'> ^r,, 
 Four-and-f..rty \.,],unr iv.-i.' 
 .^^^'^y^nh. a,..iax... and "j.-w 
 On ea<-i. si.ln .vcv i.anil.'t 
 
 i'.ursfortn i's j..vo„> -;rowd 
 bboutin;: lads and '-av,;;- d-.rs 
 Aiid .hiJdren l^u^inn- 1- .jrl, 
 Ana old nien we.-;. in;,- un^Uy 
 
 As l-;hf;,\ h.,v. <r,, },^ 
 
 A:jdn.a:-i..h;.hn..J.,',,,...^,,^j^^^^ 
 lev, v,rj.ki:ig. pre.s^ „i.,re j.i-h. 
 
 'S'.U.ey n.arehedulon^Mhelal,,,. 
 
 Jh.y n,ar,-h.d !y foid an-J Ma!] 
 i5.\ <-T,dield and hv vi.M-vard 
 Lntotheojd niun'% haJi. 
 
 HI I 
 
 1K» 
 
i 
 
 78 
 
 100 
 
 MACAULAY'S r.\YS. 
 
 11 
 
 In the hall-jfate sato Capjs, 
 
 Capys. tin* sij,'|ith'H.s Heer; 
 From head t.. f....t he truiiibled 
 
 A> ';..iiiulus tln'w near. 
 And u|. .sf,.ud stirthis thin white hair, 
 
 Aiiii liis lilind eves Hashed fire: 
 '• Hail ! f(.st.'r rhild of the wondrous nurse I 
 
 Hail ! son of the wondrous sire ! 
 
 "But th..u, — what dost thou here 
 
 In the old man's peaceful Iiall? 
 What doth the eajjle in tlic .oop, 
 
 The bison in the stall ? 
 Our corn tills many a jjarner; 
 
 Our vint's clasp many a tree; 
 Our flocks are white on many a hill- 
 
 !iut these are not for thee. 
 
 110 
 
 13 
 
 "For thee n.> treasure ripens 
 
 In the Tartessian mine: 
 For thee no ship hrinj^s precious bales 
 
 Across the Libyan brine; 
 Tliiiu shalt not drink from an/t.er; 
 
 Thou shalt not rest on down; 
 Arabia shall not steep thy locks, 
 
 Nor Sidon tinge thy gown. 
 
 120 
 
 14 
 
 " Leave gold and myrrh a»id jewels, 
 
 liich table ao'' s<ft bed. 
 To them who ( * -n's seed are born, 
 
 Whom W(.man s milk hath fed. 
 Thuu wast tiot ma<h' fur iucie, 
 
 For j)leasure, nor f.,r rest; 
 Thou that art sprung from the War-god's loins. 
 
 And hast tugged ;i' the she-wolf's breast. 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 15 
 
 "From sunrise unto sunset 
 
 All earth shall hear thv fame; 
 A glorious city thou shaft build, 
 
 And name it by thy name. 
 And there, uiicjuenehed through ages, 
 
 Like Vesta's sacred fin*, 
 Shall live the spirit oi thy nurse, 
 
 The spirit of thy sire. 
 
 79 
 
 130 
 
 16 
 
 " The ox toils through the furrow, 
 
 Obedient to the goad; 
 The j)arient a.-s. up flinty paths, 
 
 riodx with his weary load; 
 With whine aii<l bound the spaniel 
 
 His master's whistle hears; 
 And th.- .-.beep yields her j>atiently 
 
 To the loud clashing shears. 
 
 140 
 
 '•But thy nurse will hear no master; 
 
 Thy nurse will b.-ar no b.jid; 
 And woe to them that shear her, 
 
 And w<.e to them that goad! 
 When .ill the pack, loud having, 
 
 Her l>l<ii,dy lair surrounds. 
 She dies in silen«-e. biting hard, 
 
 Amidst the dying hounds. 
 
 IS 
 
 ''I'omoiia loves the orehanl; 
 
 And Liber lu\es the vi-ie; 
 And I'ales kves the straw-built shed 
 
 Warm with the breath of kino; 
 And Venus loves tlie whispers 
 
 f>f l>lighted youth and maid, 
 In April's ivory inooidight 
 
 Beneath" the chestnut shade. 
 
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 ■Hi 
 
iO 
 
 MACAULAYS LAYS. 
 
 160 
 
 19 
 
 "But thy father loves the clashing 
 
 Of broadsword and of shield ; 
 He loves to drink the stream that reeks 
 
 From the fresh battle-field. 
 He smiles a smile more dreadful 
 
 Than his own dreadful frown, 
 When he sees the thick black cloud of smoke 
 
 Go up from the conquered town. 
 
 
 170 
 
 20 
 
 "And such as is the War-god, 
 
 The author of thy line, 
 And such as she who suckled thee, 
 
 Even such be thou and thine. 
 Leave to the soft Campanian 
 
 His baths and his perfumes ; 
 Leave to the sordid race of Tyre 
 
 Their dyeing-vats and looms : 
 Leave to the sons of Carthage 
 
 The rudder and the oar: 
 Leave to the (ireek his marble Nymphs 
 
 And scrolls of wordy lore. 
 
 180 
 
 21 
 
 "Thine, Roman, is the pilum; 
 
 Roman, the sword is thine. 
 The even trench, the bristling mound, 
 
 The legion's ordered line; 
 An<I thine the wheels of triumph. 
 
 Which with their laurelled train 
 Move slowly up the shouting streets 
 
 To Jove's eternal fane. 
 
 oo 
 
 "Eeneatli thy yoke tlie V"olscian 
 Shall vail his lofty brow; 
 
 Soft Capua's curk'd revellers 
 Before thy chairs shall bowj 
 
 ^T^^mii^ 
 
LAYS OF AXriENT HOME. 
 
 The Lucumoes of Arnus 
 Shall quake thy rods to see; 
 
 And tlie proud Samnite's heart of steel 
 Shall yield to only thee. 
 
 23 
 
 "The Gaul shall come against thee 
 From the land of snow and night', 
 
 Thou shalt give his fair-haired armies 
 To the raven and the kite. 
 
 24 
 
 "The Greek shall come against thee, 
 
 The conqueror of the Pkst. 
 Beside him stalks to battle 
 
 The hugf earth-shaking beast, 
 The beast .a whom the castle 
 
 AVith all its guards doth stand, 
 The beast who hath between his eyes 
 
 The serpent for a hand. 
 Find march the bold J:pirotes, 
 
 Wedged close with shield and spear; 
 And the ranks of false Tarentum 
 
 Are glittering in the rear. 
 
 25 
 
 ' ' The ranks of false Tarentum 
 
 Like hunted sheep shall fly; 
 In vain the bold Epirotes 
 
 Shall round tlieir standards die. 
 And Apennine'sgray vultures 
 
 Shall have a noble feast 
 On the fat and the eyes 
 
 Of the huge earth-shaking beast. 
 
 26 
 
 "Hurrah ! for the good weapons 
 That keep the War-god's land. 
 
 Hurrah! for Rome's stout pilum 
 In a stout Roman hand. 
 6 
 
 81 
 
 190 
 
 200 
 
 210 
 
 220 
 
82 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 Hurrah ! for Rome's short broadsword, 
 That through the thick array 
 
 Of levelled sjieary and serried shields 
 Hews deep its gory way. 
 
 230 
 
 240 
 
 27 
 
 " Hurrah ! for the great triumph 
 
 That stretches many a mile. 
 Hurrah ! for the wan captives 
 
 That pass in endless file. 
 Ho ! bold Epirotes, whither 
 
 Hath the Red King ta'en flight? 
 Ho ! dogs of false Tarentum, 
 
 Is not the go.trn washed white? 
 
 28 
 
 "Hurrah! for the great triumph 
 
 That stretches many a mile. 
 Hurrah ! for the rich dye of Tyre, 
 
 And the fine web of Nile, 
 The helmets gay with plumage 
 
 Torn from the pheasant's wings, 
 The belts set thick with starry gems 
 
 That shone on Indian kings, 
 The urns of massy silver, 
 
 The gfiblets rough with gold, 
 The many-coloured tablets bright 
 
 With loves and wars of old, 
 The stone that breathes and struggles, 
 
 The brass that seems to speak; — 
 Such cunning they who dwell on high 
 
 Have given unto the Gi'eek. 
 
 S50 
 
 29 
 
 *' Hurrah ! for Manius Curius, 
 The bravest son of Rome, 
 
 Thrice in utmost need sent forth. 
 Thrice drawn in triumph home. 
 
 Weave, weave for Manius Curius 
 The third embroidered gown : 
 
LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 83 
 
 Make ready the third h>fty car, 
 And twine tlie tliird green crown; 
 
 And yck'i the steeds of Rosea 
 With necks like a bended bow, 
 
 And deck the bull, INIevania's bull, 
 The bull as white as snow. 
 
 260 
 
 30 
 
 "Blest and thrice blest the Roman 
 
 Who sees Rome's brightest day, 
 Who sees that long victorious pomp 
 
 Wind down the Sacred Way, 
 And through the bellowing Forum 
 
 And round the Suppliant's Grove, 
 Uj» to the everlasting gates 
 
 Of Capitolian Jove. 
 
 31 
 
 ** Then where, o'er two bright havens, 
 
 The towers of Corinth frown; 
 W^here the gigantic King (if Day 
 
 On his own Rhodes looks down; 
 Where soft Orontes murmurs 
 
 Beneath the laurel shades; 
 Wliere Nile reflects the endless length 
 
 Of dark-red colonnades, 
 Where in the still deep water. 
 
 Sheltered from waves and blasts, 
 Bristles the dusky forests 
 
 Of Byrsa's thousand masts; 
 Where fur-clad hunters wander 
 
 Amidst the northern ice; 
 Where through the sand of morning-land 
 
 The camel bears the spice: 
 Where Atlas flings his shadow 
 
 Far o'er the western foam. — 
 Shall be great fear on all who hear 
 
 The mighty name of Rome." 
 
 270 
 
 280 
 
84 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 NOTES ON THE LAYS OF ANCIENT ROME. 
 
 (//. stands for The Lay of Horatius, R. for The Battle of Lake Rcgilhis, 
 V. lor The Lay of Virginia, V. for The I'roiiheuy of Capys.) 
 
 HOr.ATIUS. 
 
 1. Lars : — In Lady Psyche's lecture on things in general, as reported 
 in Tennyson's Princess, she 
 
 " s| 'ke of those 
 That lay at wine with Lar and Lucuino." 
 
 These names were used by tlie Romans as honorary titles for the Etrus- 
 can chiefs. Porsena was the Lar or Lord at this time. Look through 
 the Lay for some of his Lucumoes. 
 
 2. He swore by his own Etruscan gods, of course. By wliom does 
 Macaulay make bis Romans swear ? 
 
 6. Trysting : — Wl-^n looking up the meaning, don't forget the 
 pronunciation. 
 
 18. Which of the places mentioned farther on would be likely to supply 
 the horsemen, which the footmen ? 
 
 24. This is the first simile in the Lays : pick out a dozen or so of the 
 best of them. 
 
 30-33. Take a map and look into this. Note the distance and direc- 
 tion and intervening objects. 
 
 37. For where the fair-haired slaves came from, v. C, stanza 23. 
 
 40-41. Lady Trevelyan (Macaulay's sister) : — " He readily tock in 
 the points of a landscape ; and I remember being much struck Vv his 
 description of the country before you reach Rome, which he give.- in 
 Horatius. When I followed him over that ground many years after, 
 1 iitn sure that I marked the very turn in the road where the lines 
 struck him : — 
 
 From where Cortona lifts to heaven 
 Her diadem of towers. 
 
 And so on through ' reedy Thrasymene,' and all the other localities of the 
 poem." 
 
 49. .^.EiiE : — Tennyson's Passing of Arthur : — 
 
 " Take Excalibur, 
 And fling him far into the middle mere." 
 
 V. the dictionary. The word is now used only in poetry, but we have it in 
 some English lake-names, such as Windermere. 
 
 L^ \ 
 
NOTES ON THE LAYS. 
 
 85 
 
 54-55. In Macaulay's Journal of his tour in Italy in 1838-39, he says 
 under date Tuesday, November 13th (1838) : — " Toward evening I began 
 to notice the white oxen of Clitumuus." 
 
 58-65. Old Men-, Boys, Uikls : — 
 
 Cf. Murinion, Canto 4, Stanza 12: — 
 
 "For none were in the castle then 
 But women, boys, or !><^ '. men." 
 
 72. Etruscan, like Hebrew and Arabic and Persian, was written from 
 right to l<-ft. 
 
 74-81. Cf. I. Kings xxii. 20 ff. 
 
 83. Tale : — Cf. Exodus v. 8, and Milton's L' .Allegro, line 67 : — 
 
 " And every shejjherd tells his tale 
 Under the hawtiiorn in the dale." 
 
 92-93. Memorise these two lines, and you won't be likely to mispro- 
 noil me Ally any more. 
 
 lot). Of six editions of the L.iys now before me, four say Foiks, and 
 two s:iy Folk. In V. 62, they all say Folk. 
 
 lOtJ-121. In this passage — and indeed all through his poe" - Mac- 
 aulay illustrates the iioetical creed which he preaches in his Essays. 
 
 " By poetry we mean the art of employing words in su h a manner a.s 
 to jtroduce an illusion on the imagination : the art of doiug by means of 
 words what the painter does by means of colours." Essay on Milton. 
 
 "... the advantage which, in ihetoric and poetry, the particular ha.s 
 over the general." Essay on Addison. 
 
 138. I wis: —Surely nobody is ever bothered abou' what this raeu , • 
 ■or I Tiiow, or I ween (line 518), or 1 wot, or I f;E.ssE (Chaucer). But 
 tlie jihilologers and the annotators wiU have it tliat I wls is a fiction 
 and :i fraud. It should be Iwrs or YwL'^, they say, an adverb meaning 
 •C'KUrAiNLY. Of course this is (piite ri;:;ht : but "were our poets and ballad- 
 writers thinking of "an adveib meaning Ceki-.mn'y " every time they 
 used I \vis ? ^ 
 
 160-202. Note overy point of this passage (of l „e you will get tlie 
 lines by heart), from the sight of tlie distant host iis a mere "swarthy 
 stonu of dust," untd it comes so i-ear that the verv face of Sextus can be 
 <listinguished. 
 
 Find some similar passages in Scott's jK>ems. 
 
 177. Collect the names of any of the twelve mentioned in the po.'m 
 
 1»2. Tiiuasymenk: — Look up Hannihul. Macaulay was at Tin -^v- 
 miMie in November, 18;58. He si.y; : — " Mv journey lay over th.' ti.'M nf 
 Tlin<symenus, ... I could see absolutely not'hiiig. I Wi.s exactly in t!ic 
 situation of the consul, Flaniinius — completely hid in the fog.' I did 
 nut discein the lake till the road .-aiiie (piite close tr) it, and then"mv view 
 exteiide.l only over a few yards of reedy mud and sluillow water, so that 1 
 ciiii truly say that I have seen j.recisely vhat the Roman army saw on 
 that daj'." " ' 
 
 "29. HiiLY Maidens : — Look up Yk.^tal. 
 
 212, 246. What was Ho-ati;:s? 
 
 257-272. How do 
 
 peoj •' nowadays contrast Thex and Now ? 
 
 274. Harness . — From Chaucer to T( 
 
 ^nnyson our poets use *hi3 word 
 
 for Armouk nearly as often as they use Weed or Weeds for Dress 
 
86 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 In the Knight's Tale, Chaucer siwaks of stripping the dead 
 "of harneys and of wpJe." 
 
 In Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida, Hi-ctor says to his younger 
 brother, " Dotfthy harness, youth." And Macbeth says, 
 
 '* At least we '11 die with harness on our back." 
 
 Of the " Nine-and-twenty knights of fame" who "hung their shielda 
 in Branksonie-Hall," Seott says, — 
 
 " Ten of them were sheathed in steel, 
 With belted sword, and spur on heel : 
 They (juitted not their harness bright. 
 Neither by day nor yet by night." 
 
 Tennyson makes Enid say, speaking of her husbaiul Geraint, — 
 
 " Far liefer had I gird his harness on him, 
 And ride with him to battle and stand by." 
 
 300. What did Horatius call " the narrow way " when he was speaking^ 
 to the Consul ? 
 
 311-381. In the hand-to-hand fighting in these lines, some use the edge 
 and some the point of their swords. Which use which ? 
 
 3t"0-361. 'n a letter to his friend Mr. Ellis, in 1842, ilacaulay says : — 
 " Your objection to the lines 
 
 " ' Hy heaven,' he said, 'yon rebels 
 Stand manfully at bay.' 
 is quite sound. I also think the word ' rebels ' objectionable, as raising 
 certain modern notions about allegiance, divine right, Tower Hill, and the 
 Irish croppies, which are not at all to the purpose. What do you say to 
 this couplet ? 
 
 Quoth he, ' The she-wolPs litter 
 Stand savagely at bay ' 
 
 ' Litter ' is used by our l)est writers as governing the plural number." 
 
 384-389. On a {lainting by Salvator IJosa. which Macaula}- saw after 
 writing this, he saj-s: — "There was a Salvator which I was pleased to 
 see, because the thought had occurred to me in Horatius — an oak struck 
 bv lightning, with the augurs looking at it in dismay." 
 
 "3!»2. Amain : — This word occurs often in these lays ; look it up and 
 note the ditlerent shades of meaning. 
 
 434. " There lies the road to Konie " is what the Mediterranean pirates 
 used to say to their Koman ]irisoners as they took them to the ship's side 
 and made them step overboard. 
 
 488-491. Macaulay put his home on Mt. Coelius at first. When at 
 Rome in 1838 he wrote:— "I went toward the river, to the spot where 
 the old Pons Siiblicius stood, and looked about to see how my Horatius 
 agreed with the tnpocraphv. Pretty well: but his house must h> on 
 Mount Palatine : for he would never see Mount Coelius from the spot 
 where he fought." 
 
 490-49.'). In connection with his first sight of the Phone (on his birth- 
 day in 1838), Macaulay wrote :—" I thought, as I wandered along the 
 quay, of the singular love and veneration which rivers excite in those who 
 
 IT.,- V 
 
NOTES OX TIIK LAYS. 
 
 87 
 
 live on their banks ; of the feeling of tJie Hindoos about the Oanges ; pf 
 the Hebrews about the Jordan ; of thi- Egyptians about the Nile ; of the 
 Konians, 
 
 Cuique fuit rerum promissa pcjtentia Tibrin ; 
 of the Germans about the Rhine. Is it that rivers have, in a greater 
 degree than almost any other innniniate object, the apjiearance of anima- 
 tion, and sonii'thing ri'sembling character ! They are sometimes slow and 
 dark-looking; sometimes tierce ah t impetuous ; sometimes bright, dancing, 
 and almost tlippant." 
 
 Some years later he said of the Thames : — "I wonder that no poet has 
 thought of writing a descriptive j'oeni on the Thames. Particular spots 
 have been celebrated ; but surely there is no finer subject of the sort than 
 the whole course of the river from Oxford downward. ... Is there any 
 river in the world which, in so short a space, affords such subjects for 
 poetry ? Not the Tiber, I am sure, nor the Seine." 
 
 510. What other wonl did he use before for CriiUENT ? And what does 
 he use afterwards ? 
 
 524-525. Macaulay quotes as follows to illustrate this : — 
 
 " Our ladve bare upp her chinne." 
 
 Ballad of Childe Waters. 
 
 " Never heavier man and horse 
 Stemmed a midnight torrent's force ; 
 
 Yet, through good heart and our Lady's grace. 
 At length he gained the landing place." 
 
 Lay of the Last Minstrel. 
 13. Cf. line 261. 
 ,y^;'.. Try an imitation of this suited to our time. 
 
 .■e 7C '".anzas in //., 57 are constructed on the same metrical plan, 
 ^tght lii long, and with two rimes, each occurring twice. The other 
 13 stanzas •» ary in length from nine to twelve lines ; and in the number 
 and the arrangement of the rimes there are seven iliflerent varieties. I'ick 
 out these odd stanza-s and note their ])eculiariti.-s, and try to find out why 
 their versification was made to differ from that of the major part of the 
 poem. Cf. H. in this respect with the other Lays, especially U. & C. 
 
 How do these poems compare with others that you know in regard to 
 what the text-books call ' imperfect rimes' ? 
 
 BATTLE OF LAKE REGILLUS. 
 
 13. T-. Homtius 9i9,, etc. 
 
 14. r. V. 102, and note. 
 
 15-20. Ron)an holidays, v. the title and lines 777 ff. for one ; and 
 look up Matronalia and Faunai.ia for the other two. 
 
 20. For what are red letters used on our calendars ? What is meant by 
 ' black Monday ' ? 
 
88 
 
 MACAULAYS LAYS. 
 
 33. For location of the Li!-- i>. rn-f^oe. 
 
 35. All in tiik : — a coiuiuoii expression in our old ballads. 
 
 45. Wliat rhythiiiicr or other advautajje has Angle over Fisa-HooK ? 
 
 63. C/. Milton's I.ycidarf, — 
 
 " Wliat time the grey-fly winds her sultry horn." 
 
 78. For this use of Of »•. I. Corinthians xv. 5, and Hamlet 1. 1. '>5 
 169-170. i;. note on V. 6. 
 174-176. Look uj) AhiLiA. 
 
 179. What sort of boasts were these buffaloes .' v. u' o 275, and C. 104. 
 21.5-216. Cy. Alarmion 6, 32, and .Macbeth 3, 4. 
 
 216. Bit hk: — Cf. II. 3:.5, and the famous passage in ' Ctisabianca' 
 which serves ever and anon as a battle-ground for the crammar-mon<'ers 
 217-2-20. V. V. 38. . 
 
 225. "Strangely har-b," saj* Mr. Cotter Morison, "a concourse 
 of sibilants which can nardly be siioktn, and would have shocked a 
 musical ear." 
 
 How does the line fit your mouth, and how does it afl'tct the ears of 
 your musical friends ? 
 
 226. Why did she leave then ? Look at Hamlet 1. 1, and 1. 5. 
 
 241. Ai)[)roaching Rome on Noveinher Mtli, 1838, Macaulay savs: — 
 " As the day wore on, I saw the Tiber for the Hrst time. I saw Mount 
 Soracte, and, unlike Lord Byron, I loved the sight for Horace's sake." 
 For the Byron allusion v. Childe Harold iv. 74-77 ; for Horace t^. 
 Odes 1. 9. 
 
 263. On January 1st, 1839, Macaulay writes : — " I shall not soon forget 
 the three days which I passed b.'tweeii Home and Naples. As I desceml-'d 
 the hill of Velletri, the huge Pontine marsh was spread out below like 
 sea. 1 soon got into it ; and, thank God, soon got out of it." 
 
 272. What do you say to this > 
 
 307-308. V. C. 106, and note. 
 
 325. V. V. for more about Iloman "clients." Cf. their use of the word 
 with ours. 
 
 375-376. V. 395-400. Look uj) l'i-ni,[(OLA. 
 
 408. Wist : — r. .Mark ix. 6. Not the past of Wis in H. 138. 
 
 466. I'. 433-434, 310, 195-196. 
 
 480. ('. riie Armada 35. 
 
 49.^-496. (Y. Macbeth, 5. 8. 33. 
 
 r,-.7. »'. 213-228, H. 199-200. V. 193. Lookup FfuiKs. 
 
 t>^4. \\ uiTK AS SNOW : — Look out .Mime other Whitk comnari.sons. 
 
 6O'.t-610. r. 29-32. 
 
 611. Collect the Battlk's, and note the different .shades of meunin" in 
 the woiJ. " 
 
 649-652. In "a piean of heartv, un(iualilied panegvric " in Blackwood's 
 .Maga/me, ('linstoph.r Xortli ( Profes.sor Wilson) quotes these lines, and 
 .say.s:— " That is the way of doing busiiie.ss I A cut-and-thrust stvie, 
 witly.iit any flouii:,!i. Sr„tt'.s .style wh< n i,i, l,l..„d was up, and the first 
 words came like a vanguard impatient for battle. " 
 
 And L.'slie Stephen quotes 649-656 as a contrast to some lines from 
 Aytoun s Lays of the Scottish Cavaliers, and adds : — " And -so on in verses 
 winch innumrrable schoolboys . . . know by heart. And in such cases 
 the verdict of the schoolboy is perhaps more valuable than that of the 
 
 t^sda'smimi^'MMm; 
 
NOTES ON TIIK LAYS. 
 
 89 
 
 literary connoisseur. Then- are, of course, numv living |H.«-t(i who can 
 do tolerably something of far higher <iuaiity wh'ieh Muoiiulay could not 
 do at all. But 1 don't iiov wLo, since Siott, could have clone this par- 
 ticular thing." 
 
 721. Asylum: — "The Asylum was a i>lace of refuge established by 
 K' Hindus as a means of attracting jioiiulation to his new city." 
 
 7J;J. I'. Vk.sta, and M.vruo.sAMA. 
 
 72J. I'. 623-624, 696. H. 81, and ,/ Acts xix. 3.',. 
 
 7»;i)-768. Look, up 'St. Klum's Fin-,' and cf. DiWii.'s lines about the 
 "sweet little dicruli that sits up aloft. 
 To keep watch for the life of \Mot Jack." 
 V. also Acts xxviii. 11. 
 
 VIRGINIA. 
 
 • Fragments ' only, observe, as stated in the title and a.s shown by the 
 breaks in the text. 
 
 1. Co.MM(iNs : — What uames are used in the Lays for (a) the citizens 
 at large, (b) the dominant class, (c) the memln-rs of" the senate, (<1) those 
 who had Ven coisuls ' Cite pas.suges. 
 
 5. A similar ' fable * occurs in tlie piny. King Henry VL, Part 2. One 
 of the so-ci> lied Homeric hymns tells how Kacchns "was once seized by 
 pirat'^- s.nd carried on boanl their ship, and how "(juickly to them np- 
 pa.. ondrous deeds. First indeed sweet-scented wine bubbled through 
 the s it black shii>, ""•! **" ambrosial savour arose, and dread seized all 
 the sailors as they beheld." 
 
 6. V. Gorge and Circe. Circe is the ' Witch ' of R. 169. 
 
 " Who knows not Circe, 
 The daughter of the Sun ? whose charmed cup 
 Whoever ta.sted, lost his uj>right shape. 
 And downward fell into a grovelling swine." 
 
 Com us, 50-53. 
 For the ' Grecian fable ' s\\m\t Circe, v. the tenth Odyssey. 
 In the version of the eleventh Odvssev which Broome maile for Pope-, 
 we have : — 
 
 " Les' Gorgon, rising from th' infernal lakes, 
 With norrors armed, .-ind curls of hissing snakes, 
 Shoidd fix me, stilfen'! at the monstrous sight, 
 A stony image, .n eternal night." 
 
 13-23. Make a drawing, with separate thumb-nail sketches for 16, and 
 for 20-22 and 58. 
 
 23-28. What do ve call them ? 
 
 30. Why "dewy?" 
 
 47. Which of the city -gates are named in these poems ? 
 
 58. In answer to a criticism on this lint;, Macaulay wrote : 
 
 " He is not, I think, in the right about ' the true client smile.' ' The- 
 true client, smile ' is not exactly in the style of our old ballads ; but it. 
 
90 
 
 MACAULAY'S .AYS. 
 
 would be (InnRproud to make tliesc old Iwllails tiiodfls, in nil points, for 
 Biitirical fKM'nis which are 8up^M>^t■d to have Im-cm |)nMlm'i'd in a gir-ul strife 
 Ix'twet'ii two partic.-*, iiowded toxi-tht-r within the walls of n repnbliran 
 city. And yet evi-n in an old Kiixlinh Imliail I should not U' surprist'd to 
 find a UHUitT dem-ril^d as having the * rightf Jt-w giinnc' " 
 
 61. Kight y<'ars aftor the Uiys were piildished .Macaulay 'mpiiined to Ik; 
 reading one of I'lautus's coniedies and canii' across the Funic name Hanno, 
 He wrote in his diary : - " The name of Hanno in the play rendnded me 
 of Hanno in my lay of Virginia, and I went tliroui^h it all during the rest 
 of my ramble, and was pretty wil! pleased with it. Those poems liave 
 now lieen eight years published. They still wll, and seem still to give 
 pleasure. 1 do not rate them hi;;li ; but 1 do not remember that any 
 better poetry has bi-en published sinee," 
 
 74. Mention any similar ways of marking time that you have read or 
 heard '^f. 
 
 7.>-. Why does he give these details ? 
 
 83. V. the title. 
 
 89-90. The eolunin commemorated the victory of the Horatii over the 
 Curiatii. v. your history of Rome. 
 
 97. I'. Brutus. 
 
 99. Who was the fox, ond who the lion ? Why ' fox-eaith ' ? 
 
 102. For the Mons Saeer story v. the history of Kume, and the first 
 scene of Shakespeare's Coriolanus. 
 
 1()4. V. Coriolanus. 
 
 \0f}, r. Cineinnatus. 
 
 106. Fascks : — f. 224. 
 
 107. What was it ? Look for the answer in a previou.s line, and in two 
 that follow. 
 
 115-116. r. 14, 244, C. 71-72, 2.1.'5-2.16, R. 9, 132, etc. 
 
 119-126. Macaulay : — " (The j)leb<ians) were ground down to the du.st 
 by partial and barbarous legislation touching jiecuniary contracts. . . . 
 The law of debt, framed by creditors, and for the protection of creditors, 
 was the most horrible that has ever been known among men. The liberty, 
 nnd even the life, of the insolvent were at the mercy of the Pntrician 
 money-li'iiders. Children often became slaves in consequence of the .nis- 
 fortunes uf their ))areiits. The debtor was imprisoned, not in a public 
 gaol under the care of im.;art''l public functionaries, but in a i)rivate 
 workhouse belonging to the < (>:. Frightful stories were told resjiecting 
 
 these dungeons. It w.is said that torture and brutal violation were 
 coninion ; that tiglit stocks, heavy chains, scanty measures of limd, were 
 Used to punish wretches guilty of nothing but jioverty." 
 
 148. That same sewer is in use to-day. 
 
 1 '9. Fi.icsiiKii : — V. 66. The word is still used in Scotland. 
 
 l.'>2-176. V. also H. 219-232. These passages are .said by some to be 
 weak and unsuccessful attempts at i)atlios. Christojiher North did not 
 think so. In reviewing the Lays in Blackwood's Magazine he said this 
 was " the only passage in which Mr. Macaulay has sought to .stir up 
 pathetic emotion. Has he succeeded ? We hesitate not to say that he has, 
 to our heart's desire. This effect has been wrought simply by letting the 
 course of the great natural afTections flow en, obedient to the promptings 
 of a sound, manly heart." 
 
NOTES OX TIL. LAYS. 
 
 91 
 
 Trpvelynn .luotfs thU iiihl K'h-s on :—•• Slight as it U, tliu bit of 
 criticism m.ows geiiiiim- iHT.spii.iicily. Fif.|n.iit iillusioiis jn Mdcauluy s 
 journals leave no .ioiibt tluit in tliesf lines lie int.Mi.l.-d to enibodv his h-fl- 
 ings towiinU liis littlf niece .Miirj{aret, now Li.ly Holland, to whom then, 
 as always, he was deeply and tenderly attuclied." 
 
 l»i(t. V. 36-:i8. 
 
 1S(J. Note the rime. 
 
 1st:! V. U. 557. 
 
 2;J2. What for ? , 
 
 'J3.S-'239. Look up all the ' thrice's.* guote any other instances you know. 
 
 249. I'. 104. ,, , , . , ^, 
 
 275-278. Whit other Adriatic similes does Macaulay put into the 
 mouths of his Koniaii minstrels / 
 
 THE PROPHECY OF CAPYS. 
 
 17-2-2. 
 23-24. 
 2.')-2f>. 
 86-87. 
 
 7, 8. CiiiLimF.N, MoTHF.n . — i-. 21-22, 25-8t], etc. 
 9-14. V. H. for indoor work. 
 
 (/. with our way of celebrating a holiday. 
 What tloes this remind you of? 
 
 Look back for names of king and priest ; and forward too. 
 Cf. Marmion, i. Introd. 304-.'». 
 99-100. V. 37-40, 133-34, 157-*55 ; .iml IL 360. 
 106, Perhaps this helps to explain 1. •<07-8. 
 108. What did the Romans live on, then I 
 110. r. I. Kings x. 22. 
 111-112. V. U. 20.3--204. 
 116. V. I!. 200-203. 
 
 125-126. Cf. Daniel Webster, a ''nited .Sta' - . peoch-maker, on the Brit- 
 ish Knipire (1834) : — '* Whose . ■. in;; ■Irum U at, following tlie sun, and 
 keeping comjiany with the houi , icles the eaith with one I'ontinuous 
 and unbroken strain of the martial airs of Kngiand." 
 
 Cf. also what Kipling's Tuinmy Atkins has to say on the sain' subject : — 
 
 "Take 'old o' the winj:s o' tlie mornin', 
 
 An' Hop round the earth till you're dead ; 
 But you won't git away from the tune that th'y l>lay 
 
 To the blooiuin' olil rag over "ead." 
 
 With the last line rf. Tlie Amiada, line 30. 
 
 152. Wiiat does Longfellow say alniut " the breath of the kino ? " 
 
 155. Why A]>ril I Quote from Tennyson. 
 
 Ivory: — What other images do {wets use for moonlight? Ls this 
 a good one ? 
 
 1(59 :76. Colleet other passaaes in these (X>en)!} reflpctinsj in a sneering 
 way on the unwarlike pursuits of Home's ancient rivals. 
 
 186. Some editions read Vkil, some Vail. Don't feel too sure at tiist 
 that you have got the right meaning. When you come to read Shakespeare 
 you will find this word sp«dled Veil and Vail and Vkvl aiul Vayl. 
 
 ^-C^;--?* ¥^^^ 
 
 
92 • 
 
 MACAULAY'S LAYS. 
 
 197. Now the old minstrel comes to the real subject of his lay. 
 201 and 203. What do you think of Whom and Who used thus f 
 201. The Roman poet Lucretius calls the elephant "serpent-handed." 
 206. The 'Pyrrhic phalanx' of Byron's hymn in Don Juan iii. 86. 
 
 '* You have the Pyrrhic dance as yet ; 
 Where is the Pyrrhic phalanx gone 1 " 
 
 230. The Red Kint. : — Pyrrhus has much the same meaning as RcFUS 
 in the name of our Norman king, and as the RoY in the name of the hero 
 of one of Scott's novels. 
 
 232. V. The Tarentuni story. 
 
 245-246. What does this mean ? 
 
 271. He might have said Colossal ; why do you suppose he didn't t 
 
 280. V. BozRAH in '';he Bible, and look up Carthage. 
 
 283. Why " Morning-land." CJ. Tennyson's Locksley Hall : — 
 
 •' there to wander far away, 
 On from island unto island at the gateways of the day." 
 
 With this so-called prophecy cf. that of the Druid priest in Cowper's 
 Boadicea, and that of the old Welsh bard in Gray's Ode, and that of 
 Cranmer in Shakespeare's Henry VIII. 5. 5. 
 
 Macaulay's diary shows that he intended at first to call this Lay 
 
 BOMULUS. 
 
JL 
 
 J