Through
toils and hardships we are making our way to Latium, where the gods
have promised us a peaceful home and a new and glorious Troy. Hold out
a little while, and wait for the happy days in store."

HOW HORATIUS HELD THE BRIDGE

ADAPTED BY ALFRED J. CHURCH

King Tarquin[1] and his son Lucius (for he only remained to him of the
three) fled to Lars Porsenna, King of Clusium, and besought him that
he would help them. "Suffer not," they said, "that we, who are Tuscans
by birth, should remain any more in poverty and exile. And take heed
also to thyself and thine own kingdom if thou permit this new fashion
of driving forth kings to go unpunished. For surely there is that in
freedom which men greatly desire, and if they that be kings defend not
their dignity as stoutly as others seek to overthrow it, then shall
the highest be made even as the lowest, and there shall be an end of
kingship, than which there is nothing more honorable under heaven."
With these words they persuaded King Porsenna, who judging it well for
the Etrurians that there should be a king at Rome, and that king an
Etrurian by birth, gathered together a great army and came up against
Rome. But when men heard of his coming, so mighty a city was Clusium
in those days, and so great the fame of King Porsenna, there was such
fear as had never been before. Nevertheless they were steadfastly
purposed to hold out. And first all that were in the country fled into
the city, and round about the city they set guards to keep it, part
thereof being defended by walls, and part, for so it seemed,
being made safe by the river. But here a great peril had well-nigh
over-taken the city; for there was a wooden bridge on the river by
which the enemy had crossed but for the courage of a certain Horatius
Cocles. The matter fell out in this wise.

[Footnote 1: King Tarquin had been driven from Rome because of his
tyranny.]

There was a certain hill which men called Janiculum on the side of the
river, and this hill King Porsenna took by a sudden attack. Which when
Horatius saw (for he chanced to have been set to guard the bridge, and
saw also how the enemy were running at full speed to the place, and
how the Romans were fleeing in confusion and threw away their arms
as they ran), he cried with a loud voice, "Men of Rome, it is to no
purpose that ye thus leave your post and flee, for if ye leave this
bridge behind you for men to pass over, ye shall soon find that ye