Lays of Ancient Rome - 16

Horatius at the Bridge
by Thomas B. Macaulay

XXXI

"Horatius," quoth the Consul,
       
"As thou sayest, so let it be."
And straight against that great array
       
Forth went the 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.

XXXII

Then none was for a party;
       
Then all were for the state;
Then the great man helped the poor,
       
And the poor man loved the great:
Then lands were fairly portioned;
       
Then spoils were fairly sold:
The Romans were like brothers
       
In the brave days of old.

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Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from the great Arab book Thousand and One Nights.

More About This Book

This poem celebrates one of the great heroic legends of history. Horatius saves Rome from the Etruscan invaders in 642 BC. Scottish poet Macaulay published this in 1842.

Illustration: Horatio at the Bridge from the first edition.

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