And up the Sacred Street she turned, and, as she danced along She warbled gayly to herself lines of the good old song, How for a sport the princes came spurring from the camp, And found Lucrece, combing the fleece, under the midnight lamp. The maiden sang as sings the lark, when up he darts his flight, From his nest in the green April corn, to meet the morning light; 290 And Appius heard her sweet young voice, and saw her sweet young face, And loved her with the accursed love of his accursed race, And all along the Forum, and up the Sacred Street, His vulture eye pursued the trip of those small glancing feet. Over the Alban mountains the light of morning broke; From all the roofs of the Seven Hills curled the thin wreaths of smoke: The city-gates were opened; the Forum all alive, With buyers and with sellers was humming like a hive : Blithely on brass and timber the craftsman's stroke was ringing, And blithely o'er her panniers the market-girl was singing, 300 And blithely young Virginia came smiling from her home: Ah! woe for young Virginia, the sweetest maid in Rome! 310 With her small tablets in her hand, and her satchel on her arm, Forth she went bounding to the school, nor dreamed of shame of harm. She crossed the Forum shining with stalls in alleys gay, And strode across Virginia's path, and caught her by the wrist. 284. And up the Sacred Street.-The Via Sacra, leading into the Forum. 287. And found Lucrece.-See note to "Battle of the Lake Regillus," line 429. 292. And all along the Forum.-The Roman Forum was built on some marshy or swampy ground between the Palatine and Capitoline hills. Tradition assigned its erection to Romulus and the Sabine Titus Tatius. 295. From all the roofs of the Seven Hills.-See note to "Battle of the Lake Regilius," line 942. 307. He crouched behind his patron's heels.-See note 277. And at her scream from right and left the folk came running fast; And Hanno from the stately booth glittering with Punic wares, All came in wrath and wonder; for all knew that fair child; smiled; And the strong smith Muræna gave Marcus such a blow, The caitiff reeled three paces back, and let the maiden go. Yet glared he fiercely round him, and growled in harsh, fell 320 tone, "She's mine, and I will have her: I seek but for mine own: She is my slave, born in my house, and stolen away and sold, The year of the sore sickness, ere she was twelve 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 beware the patron's ire !" So spake the varlet Marcus; and dread and silence came 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 poor man's right. There was no brave Licinius, no honest Sextius then ; Who clung tight to Muræna's skirt, and sobbed, and shrieked for aid, 313. And Hanno from the stately booth.-Hanno, it is scarcely necessary to say, would not be a Roman citizen, but a Carthaginian or Tyrian alien resident in Rome. His name appears again in that of Hannibal, which is a compound of Hanno with Baal, Bel, a lord. 325. Two augurs were borne forth that morn.-A name given to seers who drew omens from the flight of birds or from examining their intestines after sacrifice. 330 For then there was no Tribune.-The reference is to the alleged suspension of the constitution and all its ordinary offices while the Decemvirs were engaged in the work of legal reformation. 332. No honest Sextius then.-Among the Tribunes of the people Livy mentions one Sextius, who proposed the sending of a colony to Bola. 330 Forth through the throng of gazers the young Icilius pressed, And stamped his foot, and rent his gown, and smote upon his breast, And sprang upon that column, by many a minstrel sung, Whereon three moldering helmets, three rusting swords, are hung. 340 And beckoned to the people, and in bold voice and clear Poured thick and fast the burning words which tyrants quake to hear. "Now, by your children's cradles, now by your father's graves, Be men to-day, Quirites, or be forever slaves! For this did Servius give us laws? For this did Lucrece bleed? For this did Scævola's right hand hiss in the Tuscan fire? 350 Oh for that ancient spirit which curbed the Senate's will! 336. The young Icilius pressed.-According to the story, Virginia was betrothed to Icilius, who had filled the office of Plebeian Tribune. 343. Be men to-day, Quirites.-The word Quirites may have some connection with the Patrician Curiæ; that it is closely connected with the name Quirinus is obvious. 344. For this did Servius give us laws.-Servius Tullius, the constitutional king, whose legislation associated all Roman citizens in their military capacity, came between Tarquinius Priscus and his son Tarquinius Superbus, to whom he owed his death. 346. For this did those false sons.-The two sons of Brutus, the citizen who was elected Consul with Tarquinius Collatinus immediately after the expulsion of Tarquin the Proud, were beheaded by their father's order for conspiring to restore the tyrant to his power. 347. For this did Scævola's right hand.-Q. Mucius Scævola having determined to murder Porsenna (see "Horatius," line 99), made his way into his camp, and there murdered his secretary by mistake. Learning his error, he thrust his hand into a brazier, to show how little he cared for torture, and then told the king that he had no less than 300 fellow-conspirators. Alarmed at the risks which he was running, the Etruscan chief proposed, it is said, to make peace with the Romans. 351. Whitened the Sacred Hill.-The scene of the secession of the Plebs, three miles from Rome. This secession preceded the recognition of the Tribunes as officers of the Roman state. They faced the Marcian fury; they tamed the Fabian pride; No Tribune breathes the word of might that guards the weak from wrong. Our very hearts, that were so high, sink down beneath your will. 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: won. Still, like a spreading ulcer, which leech-craft may not cure, 353. They faced the Marcian fury.-The story related by Livy tells us that Caius Marcius, a young Patrician, called Coriolanus from having conquered the town of Corioli, was banished for contempt of the magistrates, and taking service with the Volscians, reduced the Romans to extremities, from which they were delivered only by the intercession of his mother and the Roman matrons. His exclamation on yielding to their prayer was, it is said, "Mother, thou hast saved Rome, but ruined thy son!" 353. They tamed the Fabian pride.—A reference to the troops of Caso Fabius, who refused to storm the camp of the enemy, and so, by leaving the victory incomplete, deprived the general of his triumph. 354. They drove the fiercest Quinctius.-L. Quinctius Cincinnatus, according to the story of Livy, was a violent opponent of the Plebeians, and was banished in consequence. 355. They sent the haughtiest Claudius with shivered fasces home.-The reference is to a riot in which, about a hundred years before the time at which this lay is supposed to have been recited, the head of the Appian gens or clan had been roughly treated by the mob. 364. Still keep the holy fillets.-The fillet was worn by priests and priestesses; and priesthood was confined strictly to the Patrician class. 364. Still keep the purple gown.-The trabea, a toga of purple and white, was worn by the Consuls and knights in public solemnities. 365. The axes.-See note to "Battle of the Lake Regillus," line 352. 365. The curule chair, the car, and laurel crown.-The Sella Curulis, or chair of state, had been strictly an emblem of royalty. After the expulsion of the kings, the right of using it was conferred on the chief Patrician magistrates. The car was used by the Consuls when triumphing as Roman generals over their enemies. At the same time they wore a wreath or garland of laurel. 366. Still press us for your cohorts.-Every Roman legion was made up of ten cohorts; but as the number of men in a legion varied from time to time, that of the cohorts was also uncertain. 360 Let your foul usance eat away the substance of the poor. 370 Still let your haggard debtors bear all their fathers bore; Still let your dens of torment be noisome as of yore; No fire when Tiber freezes; no air in dog-star heat; And store of rods for free-born backs, and holes for free-born feet. Heap heavier still the fetters; bar closer still the grate; Patient as sheep we yield us up unto your cruel hate. But, by the Shades beneath us, and by the Gods above, Add not unto your cruel hate your yet more cruel love! Have ye not graceful ladies, whose spotless lineage springs From Consuls. and High Pontiffs, and ancient Alban kings? 380 Ladies, who deign not on our paths to set their tender feet, Who from their cars look down with scorn upon the wondering street, Who in Corinthian mirrors their own proud smiles behold, The sweet, sweet love of daughter, of sister, and of wife, 390 Spare us the inexpiable 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, 369. Let your foul usance.-One of the chief grievances against which the Plebeians struggled in their contests with the ruling class was the severity of the law of debt, which not only made repayment of loans difficult or impracticable, but left the person of the debtor at the mercy of the creditor, who might shut him up fettered in a private prison or dungeon, and even sell him into slavery. See note to page 81, line 277. 379. From Consuls.-See note to Horatius,' line 225. 379. And High Pontiffs.-See note to "Battle of the Lake Regillus," line 917. 379. And ancient Alban kings.-The Latin kings of Alba Longa, whose rule came to an end, according to the story, with the destructiou of the city by the orders of the third Roman king, Tullus Hostilius. See note to "Battle of the Lake Regillus." line 305. 382. Who in Corinthian mirrors.-The luxury of Corinth passed into proverbs, which spoke of it as beyond the reach of any except a favored few. 383. And breathe of Capuan odors.-Capua was the great city of the rich Campanian plain, the pleasures of which are supposed to have been fatal to the efficiency of the army of Hannibal. |