{"id":63235,"date":"2017-04-02T20:47:21","date_gmt":"2017-04-03T01:47:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?page_id=63235"},"modified":"2017-06-12T11:14:14","modified_gmt":"2017-06-12T16:14:14","slug":"horatius-thomas-babington","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/horatius-thomas-babington\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Horatius&#8221; by Thomas Babington"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I<\/p>\n<p>LARS Porsena of Clusium<br \/>\nBy the Nine Gods he swore<br \/>\nThat the great house of Tarquin<br \/>\nShould suffer wrong no more.<br \/>\nBy the Nine Gods he swore it,<br \/>\nAnd named a trysting day,<br \/>\nAnd bade his messengers ride forth,<br \/>\nEast and west and south and north,<br \/>\nTo summon his array.<\/p>\n<p>II<\/p>\n<p>East and west and south and north<br \/>\nThe messengers ride fast,<br \/>\nAnd tower and town and cottage<br \/>\nHave heard the trumpet\u2019s blast.<br \/>\nShame on the false Etruscan<br \/>\nWho lingers in his home,<br \/>\nWhen Porsena of Clusium<br \/>\nIs on the march for Rome.<\/p>\n<p>III<\/p>\n<p>The horsemen and the footmen<br \/>\nAre pouring in amain<br \/>\nFrom many a stately market-place;<br \/>\nFrom many a fruitful plain;<br \/>\nFrom many a lonely hamlet,<br \/>\nWhich, hid by beech and pine,<br \/>\nLike an eagle\u2019s nest, hangs on the crest<br \/>\nOf purple Apennine;<\/p>\n<p>IV<\/p>\n<p>From lordly Volaterr\u00e6,<br \/>\nWhere scowls the far-famed hold<br \/>\nPiled by the hands of giants<br \/>\nFor godlike kings of old;<br \/>\nFrom seagirt Populonia,<br \/>\nWhose sentinels descry<br \/>\nSardinia\u2019s snowy mountain-tops<br \/>\nFringing the southern sky;<\/p>\n<p>V<\/p>\n<p>From the proud mart of Pis\u00e6,<br \/>\nQueen of the western waves,<br \/>\nWhere ride Massilia\u2019s triremes<br \/>\nHeavy with fair-haired slaves;<br \/>\nFrom where sweet Clanis wanders<br \/>\nThrough corn and vines and flowers;<br \/>\nFrom where Cortona lifts to heaven<br \/>\nHer diadem of towers.<\/p>\n<p>VI<\/p>\n<p>Tall are the oaks whose acorns<br \/>\nDrop in dark Auser\u2019s rill;<br \/>\nFat are the stags that champ the boughs<br \/>\nOf the Ciminian hill;<br \/>\nBeyond all streams Clitumnus<br \/>\nIs to the herdsman dear;<br \/>\nBest of all pools the fowler loves<br \/>\nThe great Volsinian mere.<\/p>\n<p>VII<\/p>\n<p>But now no stroke of woodman<br \/>\nIs heard by Auser\u2019s rill;<br \/>\nNo hunter tracks the stag\u2019s green path<br \/>\nUp the Ciminian hill;<br \/>\nUnwatched along Clitumnus<br \/>\nGrazes the milk-white steer;<br \/>\nUnharmed the water fowl may dip<br \/>\nIn the Volsinian mere.<\/p>\n<p>VIII<\/p>\n<p>The harvests of Arretium,<br \/>\nThis year, old men shall reap;<br \/>\nThis year, young boys in Umbro<br \/>\nShall plunge the struggling sheep;<br \/>\nAnd in the vats of Luna,<br \/>\nThis year, the must shall foam<br \/>\nRound the white feet of laughing girls<br \/>\nWhose sires have marched to Rome.<\/p>\n<p>IX<\/p>\n<p>There be thirty chosen prophets,<br \/>\nThe wisest of the land,<br \/>\nWho always by Lars Porsena<br \/>\nBoth morn and evening stand:<br \/>\nEvening and morn the Thirty<br \/>\nHave turned the verse o\u2019er,<br \/>\nTraced from the right on linen white<br \/>\nBy mighty seers of yore.<\/p>\n<p>X<\/p>\n<p>And with one voice the Thirty<br \/>\nHave their glad answer given:<br \/>\n\u2018Go forth, go forth, Lars Porsena;<br \/>\nGo forth, beloved of Heaven;<br \/>\nGo, and return in glory<br \/>\nTo Clusium\u2019s royal dome;<br \/>\nAnd hang round Nurscia\u2019s altars<br \/>\nThe golden shields of Rome.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>XI<\/p>\n<p>And now hath every city<br \/>\nSent up her tale of men;<br \/>\nThe foot are fourscore thousand,<br \/>\nThe horse are thousands ten.<br \/>\nBefore the gates of Sutrium<br \/>\nIs met the great array.<br \/>\nA proud man was Lars Porsena<br \/>\nUpon the trysting day.<\/p>\n<p>XII<\/p>\n<p>For all the Etruscan armies<br \/>\nWere ranged beneath his eye,<br \/>\nAnd many a banished Roman,<br \/>\nAnd many a stout ally;<br \/>\nAnd with a mighty following<br \/>\nTo join the muster came<br \/>\nThe Tusculan Mamilius,<br \/>\nPrince of the Latian name.<\/p>\n<p>XIII<\/p>\n<p>But by the yellow Tiber<br \/>\nWas tumult and affright:<br \/>\nFrom all the spacious champaign<br \/>\nTo Rome men took their flight.<br \/>\nA mile around the city,<br \/>\nThe throng stopped up the ways;<br \/>\nA fearful sight it was to see<br \/>\nThrough two long nights and days.<\/p>\n<p>XIV<\/p>\n<p>For aged folks on crutches,<br \/>\nAnd women great with child,<br \/>\nAnd mothers sobbing over babes<br \/>\nThat clung to them and smiled,<br \/>\nAnd sick men borne in litters<br \/>\nHigh on the necks of slaves,<br \/>\nAnd troops of sun-burned husbandmen<br \/>\nWith reaping-hooks and staves,<\/p>\n<p>XV<\/p>\n<p>And droves of mules and asses<br \/>\nLaden with skins of wine,<br \/>\nAnd endless flocks of goats and sheep,<br \/>\nAnd endless herds of kine,<br \/>\nAnd endless trains of waggons<br \/>\nThat creaked beneath the weight<br \/>\nOf corn-sacks and of household goods,<br \/>\nChoked every roaring gate.<\/p>\n<p>XVI<\/p>\n<p>Now, from the rock Tarpeian,<br \/>\nCould the wan burghers spy<br \/>\nThe line of blazing villages<br \/>\nRed in the midnight sky.<br \/>\nThe Fathers of the City,<br \/>\nThey sat all night and day,<br \/>\nFor every hour some horseman came<br \/>\nWith tidings of dismay.<\/p>\n<p>XVII<\/p>\n<p>To eastward and to westward<br \/>\nHave spread the Tuscan bands;<br \/>\nNor house, nor fence, nor dovecote<br \/>\nIn Crustumerium stands.<br \/>\nVerbenna down to Ostia<br \/>\nHath wasted all the plain;<br \/>\nAstur hath stormed Janiculum,<br \/>\nAnd the stout guards are slain.<\/p>\n<p>XVIII<\/p>\n<p>I wis, in all the Senate,<br \/>\nThere was no heart so bold,<br \/>\nBut sore it ached, and fast it beat,<br \/>\nWhen that ill news was told.<br \/>\nForthwith up rose the Consul,<br \/>\nUp rose the Fathers all;<br \/>\nIn haste they girded up their gowns,<br \/>\nAnd hied them to the wall.<\/p>\n<p>XIX<\/p>\n<p>They held a council standing,<br \/>\nBefore the River-Gate;<br \/>\nShort time was there, ye well may guess,<br \/>\nFor musing or debate.<br \/>\nOut spake the Consul roundly:<br \/>\n\u2018The bridge must straight go down;<br \/>\nFor, since Janiculum is lost,<br \/>\nNought else can save the town.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>XX<\/p>\n<p>Just then a scout came flying,<br \/>\nAll wild with haste and fear:<br \/>\n\u2018To arms! to arms! Sir Consul:<br \/>\nLars Porsena is here.\u2019<br \/>\nOn the lows hills to westward<br \/>\nThe Consul fixed his eye,<br \/>\nAnd saw the swarthy storm of dust<br \/>\nRise fast along the sky.<\/p>\n<p>XXI<\/p>\n<p>And nearer fast and nearer<br \/>\nDoth the red whirlwind come;<br \/>\nAnd louder still and still more loud,<br \/>\nFrom underneath that rolling cloud,<br \/>\nIs heard the trumpet\u2019s war-note proud,<br \/>\nThe trampling, and the hum.<br \/>\nAnd plainly and more plainly<br \/>\nNow through the gloom appears,<br \/>\nFar to left and far to right,<br \/>\nIn broken gleams of dark-blue light,<br \/>\nThe long array of helmets bright,<br \/>\nThe long array of spears.<\/p>\n<p>XXII<\/p>\n<p>And plainly and more plainly,<br \/>\nAbove that glimmering line,<br \/>\nNow might ye see the banners<br \/>\nOf twelve fair cities shine;<br \/>\nBut the banner of proud Clusium<br \/>\nWas highest of them all,<br \/>\nThe terror of the Umbrian,<br \/>\nThe terror of the Gaul.<\/p>\n<p>XXIII<\/p>\n<p>And plainly and more plainly<br \/>\nNow might the burghers know,<br \/>\nBy port and vest, by horse and crest,<br \/>\nEach warlike Lucumo.<br \/>\nThere Cilnius of Arretium<br \/>\nOn his fleet roan was seen;<br \/>\nAnd Astur of the four-fold shield,<br \/>\nGirt with the brand none else may wield,<br \/>\nTolumnius with the belt of gold,<br \/>\nAnd dark Verbenna from the hold<br \/>\nBy reedy Thrasymene.<\/p>\n<p>XXIV<\/p>\n<p>Fast by the royal standard,<br \/>\nO\u2019erlooking all the war,<br \/>\nLars Porsena of Clusium<br \/>\nSat in his ivory car.<br \/>\nBy the right wheel rode Mamilius,<br \/>\nPrince of the Latian name;<br \/>\nAnd by the left false Sextus,<br \/>\nThat wrought the deed of shame.<\/p>\n<p>XXV<\/p>\n<p>But when the face of Sextus<br \/>\nWas seen among the foes,<br \/>\nA yell that rent the firmament<br \/>\nFrom all the town arose.<br \/>\nOn the house-tops was no woman<br \/>\nBut spat towards him and hissed,<br \/>\nNo child but screamed out curses,<br \/>\nAnd shook its little fist.<\/p>\n<p>XXVI<\/p>\n<p>But the Consul\u2019s brow was sad,<br \/>\nAnd the Consul\u2019s speech was low,<br \/>\nAnd darkly looked he at the wall,<br \/>\nAnd darkly at the foe.<br \/>\n\u2018Their van will be upon us<br \/>\nBefore the bridge goes down;<br \/>\nAnd if they once may win the bridge,<br \/>\nWhat hope to save the town?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>XXVII<\/p>\n<p>Then out spake brave Horatius,<br \/>\nThe Captain of the gate:<br \/>\n\u2018To every man upon this earth<br \/>\nDeath cometh soon or late.<br \/>\nAnd how can man die better<br \/>\nThan facing fearful odds,<br \/>\nFor the ashes of his fathers,<br \/>\nAnd the temples of his Gods,<\/p>\n<p>XXVIII<\/p>\n<p>\u2018And for the tender mother<br \/>\nWho dandled him to rest,<br \/>\nAnd for the wife who nurses<br \/>\nHis baby at her breast,<br \/>\nAnd for the holy maidens<br \/>\nWho feed the eternal flame,<br \/>\nTo save them from false Sextus<br \/>\nThat wrought the deed of shame?<\/p>\n<p>XXIX<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Hew down the bridge, Sir Consul,<br \/>\nWith all the speed ye may;<br \/>\nI, with two more to help me,<br \/>\nWill hold the foe in play.<br \/>\nIn yon strait path a thousand<br \/>\nMay well be stopped by three.<br \/>\nNow who will stand on either hand,<br \/>\nAnd keep the bridge with me?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>XXX<\/p>\n<p>Then out spake Spurius Lartius;<br \/>\nA Ramnian proud was he:<br \/>\n\u2018Lo, I will stand at thy right hand,<br \/>\nAnd keep the bridge with thee.\u2019<br \/>\nAnd out spake strong Herminius;<br \/>\nOf Titian blood was he:<br \/>\n\u2018I will abide on thy left side,<br \/>\nAnd keep the bridge with thee.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>XXXI<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Horatius,\u2019 quoth the Consul,<br \/>\n\u2018As thou sayest, so let it be.\u2019<br \/>\nAnd straight against that great array<br \/>\nForth went the dauntless Three.<br \/>\nFor Romans in Rome\u2019s quarrel<br \/>\nSpared neither land nor gold,<br \/>\nNor son nor wife, nor limb nor life,<br \/>\nIn the brave days of old.<\/p>\n<p>XXXII<\/p>\n<p>Then none was for a party;<br \/>\nThen all were for the state;<br \/>\nThen the great man helped the poor,<br \/>\nAnd the poor man loved the great:<br \/>\nThen lands were fairly portioned;<br \/>\nThen spoils were fairly sold:<br \/>\nThe Romans were like brothers<br \/>\nIn the brave days of old.<\/p>\n<p>XXXIII<\/p>\n<p>Now Roman is to Roman<br \/>\nMore hateful than a foe,<br \/>\nAnd the Tribunes beard the high,<br \/>\nAnd the Fathers grind the low.<br \/>\nAs we wax hot in faction,<br \/>\nIn battle we wax cold:<br \/>\nWherefore men fight not as they fought<br \/>\nIn the brave days of old.<\/p>\n<p>XXXIV<\/p>\n<p>Now while the Three were tightening<br \/>\nTheir harnesses on their backs,<br \/>\nThe Consul was the foremost man<br \/>\nTo take in hand an axe:<br \/>\nAnd Fathers mixed with Commons<br \/>\nSeized hatchet, bar, and crow,<br \/>\nAnd smote upon the planks above,<br \/>\nAnd loosed the props below.<\/p>\n<p>XXXV<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile the Tuscan army,<br \/>\nRight glorious to behold,<br \/>\nCome flashing back the noonday light,<br \/>\nRank behind rank, like surges bright<br \/>\nOf a broad sea of gold.<br \/>\nFour hundred trumpets sounded<br \/>\nA peal of warlike glee,<br \/>\nAs that great host, with measured tread,<br \/>\nAnd spears advanced, and ensigns spread,<br \/>\nRolled slowly towards the bridge\u2019s head,<br \/>\nWhere stood the dauntless Three.<\/p>\n<p>XXXVI<\/p>\n<p>The Three stood calm and silent,<br \/>\nAnd looked upon the foes,<br \/>\nAnd a great shout of laughter<br \/>\nFrom all the vanguard rose:<br \/>\nAnd forth three chiefs came spurring<br \/>\nBefore that deep array;<br \/>\nTo earth they sprang, their swords they drew,<br \/>\nAnd lifted high their shields, and flew<br \/>\nTo win the narrow way;<\/p>\n<p>XXXVII<\/p>\n<p>Aunus from green Tifernum,<br \/>\nLord of the Hill of Vines;<br \/>\nAnd Seius, whose eight hundred slaves<br \/>\nSicken in Ilva\u2019s mines;<br \/>\nAnd Picus, long to Clusium<br \/>\nVassal in peace and war,<br \/>\nWho led to fight his Umbrian powers<br \/>\nFrom that grey crag where, girt with towers,<br \/>\nThe fortress of Nequinum lowers<br \/>\nO\u2019er the pale waves of Nar.<\/p>\n<p>XXXVIII<\/p>\n<p>Stout Lartius hurled down Aunus<br \/>\nInto the stream beneath;<br \/>\nHerminius struck at Seius,<br \/>\nAnd clove him to the teeth;<br \/>\nAt Picus brave Horatius<br \/>\nDarted one fiery thrust;<br \/>\nAnd the proud Umbrian\u2019s gilded arms<br \/>\nClashed in the bloody dust.<\/p>\n<p>XXXIX<\/p>\n<p>Then Ocnus of Falerii<br \/>\nRushed on the Roman Three;<br \/>\nAnd Lausulus of Urgo,<br \/>\nThe rover of the sea;<br \/>\nAnd Aruns of Volsinium,<br \/>\nWho slew the great wild boar,<br \/>\nThe great wild boar that had his den<br \/>\nAmidst the reeds of Cosa\u2019s fen,<br \/>\nAnd wasted fields, and slaughtered men,<br \/>\nAlong Albinia\u2019s shore.<\/p>\n<p>XL<\/p>\n<p>Herminius smote down Aruns:<br \/>\nLartius laid Ocnus low:<br \/>\nRight to the heart of Lausulus<br \/>\nHoratius sent a blow.<br \/>\n\u2018Lie there,\u2019 he cried, \u2018fell pirate!<br \/>\nNo more, aghast and pale,<br \/>\nFrom Ostia\u2019s walls the crowd shall mark<br \/>\nThe track of thy destroying bark.<br \/>\nNo more Campania\u2019s hinds shall fly<br \/>\nTo woods and caverns when they spy<br \/>\nThy thrice accursed sail.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>XLI<\/p>\n<p>But now no sound of laughter<br \/>\nWas heard among the foes.<br \/>\nA wild and wrathful clamour<br \/>\nFrom all the vanguard rose.<br \/>\nSix spears\u2019 lengths from the entrance<br \/>\nHalted that deep array,<br \/>\nAnd for a space no man came forth<br \/>\nTo win the narrow way.<\/p>\n<p>XLII<\/p>\n<p>But hark! the cry is Astur:<br \/>\nAnd lo! the ranks divide;<br \/>\nAnd the great Lord of Luna<br \/>\nComes with his stately stride.<br \/>\nUpon his ample shoulders<br \/>\nClangs loud the four-fold shield,<br \/>\nAnd in his hand he shakes the brand<br \/>\nWhich none but he can wield.<\/p>\n<p>XLIII<\/p>\n<p>He smiled on those bold Romans<br \/>\nA smile serene and high;<br \/>\nHe eyed the flinching Tuscans,<br \/>\nAnd scorn was in his eye.<br \/>\nQuoth he, \u2018The she-wolf\u2019s litter<br \/>\nStand savagely at bay:<br \/>\nBut will ye dare to follow,<br \/>\nIf Astur clears the way?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>XLIV<\/p>\n<p>Then, whirling up his broadsword<br \/>\nWith both hands to the heights<br \/>\nHe rushed against Horatius,<br \/>\nAnd smote with all his might,<br \/>\nWith shield and blade Horatius<br \/>\nRight deftly turned the blow.<br \/>\nThe blow, though turned, came yet too nigh;<br \/>\nIt missed his helm, but gashed his thigh:<br \/>\nThe Tuscans raised a joyful cry<br \/>\nTo see the red blood flow.<\/p>\n<p>XLV<\/p>\n<p>He reeled, and on Herminius<br \/>\nHe leaned one breathing-space;<br \/>\nThen, like a wild cat mad with wounds<br \/>\nSprang right at Astur\u2019s face.<br \/>\nThrough teeth, and skull, and helmet<br \/>\nSo fierce a thrust he sped,<br \/>\nThe good sword stood a hand-breadth out<br \/>\nBehind the Tuscan\u2019s head.<\/p>\n<p>XLVI<\/p>\n<p>And the great Lord of Luna<br \/>\nFell at that deadly stroke,<br \/>\nAs falls on Mount Alvernus<br \/>\nA thunder smitten oak.<br \/>\nFar o\u2019er the crashing forest<br \/>\nThe giant\u2019s arms lie spread;<br \/>\nAnd the pale augurs, muttering low,<br \/>\nGaze on the blasted head.<\/p>\n<p>XLVII<\/p>\n<p>On Astur\u2019s throat Horatius<br \/>\nRight firmly pressed his heel,<br \/>\nAnd thrice and four times tugged amain,<br \/>\nEre he wrenched out the steel.<br \/>\n\u2018And see,\u2019 he cried, \u2018the welcome,<br \/>\nFair guests, that waits you here!<br \/>\nWhat noble Lucumo comes next<br \/>\nTo taste our Roman cheer?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>XLVIII<\/p>\n<p>But at his haughty challenge<br \/>\nA sullen murmur ran,<br \/>\nMingled of wrath, and shame, and dread,<br \/>\nAlong that glittering van.<br \/>\nThere lacked not men of prowess,<br \/>\nNor men of lordly race;<br \/>\nFor all Etruria\u2019s noblest<br \/>\nWere round the fatal place.<\/p>\n<p>XLIX<\/p>\n<p>But all Etruria\u2019s noblest<br \/>\nFelt their hearts sink to see<br \/>\nOn the earth the bloody corpses,<br \/>\nIn the path the dauntless Three:<br \/>\nAnd, from the ghastly entrance<br \/>\nWhere those bold Romans stood,<br \/>\nAll shrank, like boys who unaware,<br \/>\nRanging the woods to start a hare,<br \/>\nCome to the mouth of the dark lair<br \/>\nWhere, growling low, a fierce old bear<br \/>\nLies amidst bones and blood.<\/p>\n<p>L<\/p>\n<p>Was none who would be foremost<br \/>\nTo lead such dire attack:<br \/>\nBut those behind cried \u2018Forward!\u2019<br \/>\nAnd those before cried \u2018Back!\u2019<br \/>\nAnd backward now and forward<br \/>\nWavers the deep array;<br \/>\nAnd on the tossing sea of steel,<br \/>\nTo and fro the standards reel;<br \/>\nAnd the victorious trumpet-peal<br \/>\nDies fitfully away.<\/p>\n<p>LI<\/p>\n<p>Yet one man for one moment<br \/>\nStrode out before the croud;<br \/>\nWell known was he to all the Three,<br \/>\nAnd they gave gim greeting loud.<br \/>\n\u2018Now welcome, welcome, Sextus!<br \/>\nNow welcome to thy home!<br \/>\nWhy dost thou stay, and turn away?<br \/>\nHere lies the road to Rome.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>LII<\/p>\n<p>Thrice looked he at the city;<br \/>\nThrice looked he at the dead;<br \/>\nAnd thrice came on in fury,<br \/>\nAnd thrice turned back in dread:<br \/>\nAnd, white with fear and hatred,<br \/>\nScowled at the narrow way<br \/>\nWhere, wallowing in a pool of blood,<br \/>\nThe bravest Tuscans lay.<\/p>\n<p>LIII<\/p>\n<p>But meanwhile axe and lever<br \/>\nHave manfully been plied;<br \/>\nAnd now the bridge hangs tottering<br \/>\nAbove the boiling tide.<br \/>\n\u2018Come back, come back, Horatius!\u2019<br \/>\nLoud cried the Fathers all.<br \/>\n\u2018Back, Lartius! back, Herminius!<br \/>\nBack, ere the ruin fall!\u2019<\/p>\n<p>LIV<\/p>\n<p>Back darted Spurius Lartius;<br \/>\nHerminius darted back:<br \/>\nAnd, as they passed, beneath their feet<br \/>\nThey felt the timbers crack.<br \/>\nBut when they turned their faces,<br \/>\nAnd on the farther shore<br \/>\nSaw brave Horatius stand alone,<br \/>\nThey would have crossed once more.<\/p>\n<p>LV<\/p>\n<p>But with a crash like thunder<br \/>\nFell every loosened beam,<br \/>\nAnd, like a dam, the mighty wreck<br \/>\nLay right athwart the stream:<br \/>\nAnd a long shout of triumph<br \/>\nRose from the walls of Rome,<br \/>\nAs to the highest turret-tops<br \/>\nWas splashed the yellow foam.<\/p>\n<p>LVI<\/p>\n<p>And, like a horse unbroken<br \/>\nWhen first he feels the rein,<br \/>\nThe furious river struggled hard,<br \/>\nAnd tossed his tawny mane,<br \/>\nAnd burst the curb and bounded,<br \/>\nRejoicing to be free,<br \/>\nAnd whirling down, in fierce career,<br \/>\nBattlement, and plank, and pier,<br \/>\nRushed headlong to the sea.<\/p>\n<p>LVII<\/p>\n<p>Alone stood brave Horatius,<br \/>\nBut constant still in mind;<br \/>\nThrice thirty thousand foes before,<br \/>\nAnd the broad flood behind.<br \/>\n\u2018Down with him!\u2019 cried false Sextus,<br \/>\nWith a smile on his pale face.<br \/>\n\u2018Now yield thee,\u2019 cried Lars Porsena,<br \/>\n\u2018Now yield thee to our grace!\u2019<\/p>\n<p>LVIII<\/p>\n<p>Round turned he, as not deigning<br \/>\nThose craven ranks to see;<br \/>\nNought spake he to Lars Porsena,<br \/>\nTo Sextus nought spake he;<br \/>\nBut he saw on Palatins<br \/>\nThe white porch of his home;<br \/>\nAnd he spake to the noble river<br \/>\nThat rolls by the towers of Rome.<\/p>\n<p>LIX<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Oh, Tiber! father Tiber!<br \/>\nTo whom the Romans pray,<br \/>\nA Roman\u2019s life, a Roman\u2019s arms,<br \/>\nTake thou in charge this day!\u2019<br \/>\nSo he spake, and speaking sheathed<br \/>\nThe good sword by his side,<br \/>\nAnd with his harness on his back,<br \/>\nPlunged headlong in the tide.<\/p>\n<p>LX<\/p>\n<p>No sound of joy or sorrow<br \/>\nWas heard from either bank;<br \/>\nBut friends and foes in dumb surprise,<br \/>\nWith parted lips and straining eyes,<br \/>\nStood gazing where he sank;<br \/>\nAnd when above the surges<br \/>\nThey saw his crest appear,<br \/>\nAll Rome sent forth a rapturous cry,<br \/>\nAnd even the ranks of Tuscany<br \/>\nCould scarce forbear to cheer.<\/p>\n<p>LXI<\/p>\n<p>But fiercely ran the current,<br \/>\nSwollen high by months of rain:<br \/>\nAnd fast his blood was flowing;<br \/>\nAnd he was sore in pain,<br \/>\nAnd heavy with his armour,<br \/>\nAnd spent with changing blows:<br \/>\nAnd oft they thought him sinking,<br \/>\nBut still again he rose.<\/p>\n<p>LXII<\/p>\n<p>Never, I ween, did swimmer,<br \/>\nIn such an evil case,<br \/>\nStruggle through such a raging flood<br \/>\nSafe to the landing place.<br \/>\nBut his limbs were borne up bravely<br \/>\nBy the brave heart within,<br \/>\nAnd our good father Tiber<br \/>\nBare bravely up his chin.<\/p>\n<p>LXIII<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Curse on him!\u2019 quoth false Sextus;<br \/>\n\u2018Will not the villain drown?<br \/>\nBut for this stay, ere close of day<br \/>\nWe should have sacked the town!\u2019<br \/>\n\u2018Heaven help him!\u2019 quoth Lars Porsena,<br \/>\n\u2018And bring him safe to shore;<br \/>\nFor such a gallant feat of arms<br \/>\nWas never seen before.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>LXIV<\/p>\n<p>And now he feels the bottom;<br \/>\nNow on dry earth he stands;<br \/>\nNow round him throng the Fathers;<br \/>\nTo press his gory hands;<br \/>\nAnd now, with shouts and clapping,<br \/>\nAnd noise of weeping loud,<br \/>\nHe enters through the River-Gate,<br \/>\nBorne by the joyous crowd.<\/p>\n<p>LXV<\/p>\n<p>They gave him of the corn-land,<br \/>\nThat was of public right,<br \/>\nAs much as two strong oxen<br \/>\nCould plough from morn till night;<br \/>\nAnd they made a molten image,<br \/>\nAnd set it up on high,<br \/>\nAnd there it stands unto this day<br \/>\nTo witness if I lie.<\/p>\n<p>LXVI<\/p>\n<p>It stands in the Comitium,<br \/>\nPlain for all folk to see;<br \/>\nHoratius in his harness,<br \/>\nhalting upon one knee:<br \/>\nAnd underneath is written,<br \/>\nIn letters all of gold,<br \/>\nHow valiantly he kept the bridge<br \/>\nIn the brave days of old.<\/p>\n<p>LXVII<\/p>\n<p>And still his name sounds stirring<br \/>\nUnto the men of Rome,<br \/>\nAs the trumpet-blast that cries to them<br \/>\nTo charge the Volscian home;<br \/>\nAnd wives still pray to Juno<br \/>\nFor boys with hearts as bold<br \/>\nAs his who kept the bridge so well<br \/>\nIn the brave days of old.<\/p>\n<p>LXVIII<\/p>\n<p>And in the nights of winter,<br \/>\nWhen the cold north winds blow,<br \/>\nAnd the long howling of the wolves<br \/>\nIs heard amidst the snow;<br \/>\nWhen round the lonely cottage<br \/>\nRoars loud the tempest\u2019s din,<br \/>\nAnd the good logs of Algidus<br \/>\nRoar louder yet within;<\/p>\n<p>LXIX<\/p>\n<p>When the oldest cask is opened,<br \/>\nAnd the largest lamp is lit;<br \/>\nWhen the chestnuts glow in the embers,<br \/>\nAnd the kid turns on the spit;<br \/>\nWhen young and old in circle<br \/>\nAround the firebrands close;<br \/>\nWhen the girls are weaving baskets,<br \/>\nAnd the lads are shaping bows;<\/p>\n<p>LXX<\/p>\n<p>When the goodman mends his armour,<br \/>\nAnd trims his helmet\u2019s plume;<br \/>\nWhen the goodwife\u2019s shuttle merrily<br \/>\nGoes flashing through the loom;<br \/>\nWith weeping and with laughter<br \/>\nStill is the story told,<br \/>\nHow well Horatius kept the bridge<br \/>\nIn the brave days of old.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I LARS Porsena of Clusium By the Nine Gods he swore That the great house of Tarquin Should suffer wrong no more. By the Nine Gods he swore it, And named a trysting day, And bade his messengers ride forth, East and west and south and north, To summon his array. II East and west [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-63235","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"featured_image_urls":{},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.5 (Yoast SEO v27.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>&quot;Horatius&quot; by Thomas Babington | The Art of Manliness<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/horatius-thomas-babington\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&quot;Horatius&quot; by Thomas Babington\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I LARS Porsena of Clusium By the Nine Gods he swore That the great house of Tarquin Should suffer wrong no more. 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