achment to his person, but through fear and dislike
of the growing power of Rome. In the battle which ensued, in which
various turns of fortune took place, Marcius, while fighting bravely
under the eye of the dictator himself, saw a Roman fallen and helpless
near him. He at once made for this man, stood in front of him, and
killed his assailant. After the victory, Marcius was among the first who
received the oak-leaf crown. This crown is given to him who has saved
the life of a citizen in battle, and is composed of oak-leaves, either
out of compliment to the Arcadians, whom the oracle calls 'acorn
eaters,' or because in any campaign in any country it is easy to obtain
oak-boughs, or it may be that the oak, sacred to Jupiter the protector
of cities, forms a suitable crown for one who has saved the life of a
citizen. The oak is the most beautiful of all wild trees, and the
strongest of those which are artificially cultivated. It afforded men in
early times both food and drink, by its acorns and the honey found in
it, while by the bird-lime which it produces, it enables them to catch
most kinds of birds and other creatures, as additional dainties.

This was the battle in which they say that the Dioscuri, Castor and
Pollux, appeared, and immediately after the battle were soon in the
Forum at Rome announcing the victory, with their horses dripping with
sweat, at the spot where now there is a temple built in their honour
beside the fountain. In memory of this, the day of the victory, the 15th
of July, is kept sacred to the Dioscuri.

IV. To win distinction early in life is said to quench and satisfy the
eagerness of some men whose desire for glory is not keen; but for those
with whom it is the ruling passion of their lives, the gaining of
honours only urges them on, as a ship is urged by a gale, to fresh
achievements. They do not regard themselves as having received a reward,
but as having given a pledge for the future, and they feel it their duty
not to disgrace the reputation which they have acquired, but to eclipse
their former fame by some new deed of prowess. Marcius, feeling this,
was ever trying to surpass himself in valour, and gained such prizes and
trophies that the later generals under whom he served were always
striving to outdo the former ones in their expressions of esteem for
him, and their testimony to his merits. Many as were the wars in which
Rome was then engaged, Marcius never returned from any without a p