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14 - Stories from the History of Rome by Emily Beesly · Stories from the History of Rome

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  Speaker 1: Chapter thirteen of Stories from the History of Rome by
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  Speaker 1: Emily Beasley. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: Recording by Melissa Jane Melissa Jane Audio at gmail dot com.
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  Speaker 1: The Death of Decius. In the last story, I told
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  Speaker 1: you how Titus Manlius loved his country better than his son.
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  Speaker 1: Now I am going to tell you how Publius Decius Muse,
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  Speaker 1: who was consul at the same time as Manlius, loved
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  Speaker 1: his country better than himself. Some years before the time,
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  Speaker 1: when Manlius and Desius were consuls together, a war broke
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  Speaker 1: out between the Romans and the sam Knights. Valerius Corvus,
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  Speaker 1: who was then consul, gained a great victory over the
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  Speaker 1: sam Knights in Campania. The other consul, Cornelius Cassus, advanced
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  Speaker 1: towards Samnium, and in doing so led his army through
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  Speaker 1: a pass in which was a narrow valley. On one
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  Speaker 1: side of this valley, the sam Knight army was hidden
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  Speaker 1: among the rocks so that the Romans could not see them.
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  Speaker 1: The sam Knights intended as soon as all the Roman
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  Speaker 1: army were in the valley and trying to make their
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  Speaker 1: way through the narrowest part to rush upon them, and
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  Speaker 1: so when an easy victory, Fortunately, the Romans found out
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  Speaker 1: that the same knights were in ambush there before the
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  Speaker 1: whole army was in the valley, And while the Consul
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  Speaker 1: was planning how he could get his soldiers safely out
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  Speaker 1: of this dangerous place, Publius Deasius, one of his officers,
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  Speaker 1: came to him. Deacius had noticed that there was in
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  Speaker 1: the pass a hill from which all that was being
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  Speaker 1: done by the sam Knights could be seen, and that
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  Speaker 1: it would be easy for lightly armed men to seize
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  Speaker 1: it before the enemy could prevent them. See you not, Cornelius,
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  Speaker 1: He said to the Consul, the top of yonder hill
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  Speaker 1: above the same knights. If we can take that hill,
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  Speaker 1: we shall be safe. Give me a few soldiers and
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  Speaker 1: let me try to take it. And if I do so,
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  Speaker 1: then do you march your army out of the pass
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  Speaker 1: without fear, for the enemy, being just under the hill,
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  Speaker 1: will not dare to follow you for fear of our
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  Speaker 1: attacking them behind.
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  Speaker 2: As to us, the good fortune of Rome and our
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  Speaker 2: own courage will bring us safely back to you.
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  Speaker 1: The consul praised Deacius for his brave plan, and having
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  Speaker 1: got together the soldiers he had asked for. He marched
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  Speaker 1: quickly and silently through the rocks and got possession of
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  Speaker 1: the hill before the enemy noticed him. The same knights
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  Speaker 1: did not know what to do when they found that
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  Speaker 1: Decius had posted himself so well on the top of
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  Speaker 1: the hill. They did not dare to pursue the consul,
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  Speaker 1: who was now able to march the main body of
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  Speaker 1: the army safely out of the pass, and they were
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  Speaker 1: afraid to charge up the hill and attack Deseius. Before
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  Speaker 1: they can make up their minds what to do, night
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  Speaker 1: came on. Deaseius wondered that the sam Knights did not
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  Speaker 1: attack him, But when evening came he called some of
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  Speaker 1: his officers together and spoke to them.
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  Speaker 3: How idle or how ignorant these sam Knights are, said he.
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  Speaker 3: They might by this time have shut us up in
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  Speaker 3: ditches and walls, but not a man has begun to work.
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  Speaker 1: They do not seem to know what to do. But
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  Speaker 1: we shall be as stupid as they are if we
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  Speaker 1: stay here a minute longer than we need. Come on
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  Speaker 1: then with me, and before it grows too dark, let
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  Speaker 1: us see how they have placed their guards, and where
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  Speaker 1: we may get out.
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  Speaker 2: Most easily.
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  Speaker 1: Then he and some of the other officers dressed themselves
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  Speaker 1: like common soldiers, and so went and found out all
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  Speaker 1: that he wanted to know. Then he sent word to
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  Speaker 1: the soldiers that they should all come to him, quite
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  Speaker 1: silently and ready armed. Fellow soldiers, he said, keep silence
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  Speaker 1: while I speak to you, and if you agree to
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  Speaker 1: my plan, show me that you do so by going
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  Speaker 1: to my right hand. We are here surrounded by an enemy,
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  Speaker 1: but we are not like men who have been overtaken
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  Speaker 1: because they are lazy or cowardly. You won this place
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  Speaker 1: by your bravery, and the same bravery must help you
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  Speaker 1: to get out. You saved a Roman army by coming here.
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  Speaker 1: Now save yourselves, you who delivered so many, though you
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  Speaker 1: are so few. You need no help but your own.
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  Speaker 1: We have to do with an enemy so stupid that
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  Speaker 1: they never found out this important hill till we had
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  Speaker 1: taken it out witted them when they were awake. Surely
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  Speaker 1: it will not be difficult to do so again. Now
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  Speaker 1: that they are asleep. There is only one way of
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  Speaker 1: safety left us. We must sally out and make our
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  Speaker 1: way through the sam Knights who surround us. Now they
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  Speaker 1: are all sound asleep, and you shall try to pass
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  Speaker 1: through them in silence, without their knowing that you are there.
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  Speaker 1: But if they wake, then astonish them by setting up
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  Speaker 1: a sudden outcry and dreadful shouts, and cut your way
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  Speaker 1: through them with your good swords. And now let those
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  Speaker 1: of you who think my plan a good one, pass
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  Speaker 1: to my right hand. Every man of them went to
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  Speaker 1: his right hand, and Decius at once led them down
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  Speaker 1: the hill and into the enemy's camp. They had got
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  Speaker 1: safely to the middle of the camp when one of
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  Speaker 1: the Romans, as he stepped across the guard cards, who
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  Speaker 1: were lying fast asleep, happened to stumble against a shield,
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  Speaker 1: which gave such a clang that the sentinel to whom
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  Speaker 1: it belonged awoke.
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  Speaker 2: Starting up, he woke the man next him, who gave
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  Speaker 2: the alarm to others.
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  Speaker 1: At first, the same knights did not know whether these
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  Speaker 1: strangers were friends or enemies, whether they were the Romans
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  Speaker 1: on the hill, or whether they were some of the
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  Speaker 1: Console soldiers come back to attack them. But Decius now
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  Speaker 1: commanded his men to set up a shout, which they
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  Speaker 1: did and so startled and amaze the sam Knights that
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  Speaker 1: they were all confused and did not know what to
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  Speaker 1: do so. Deacius and his soldiers, striking down the guards
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  Speaker 1: who tried to stop them, broke through and got safely
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  Speaker 1: away from their foes. It was still dark, and when
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  Speaker 1: they had got quite out of danger, Ducius stopped and
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  Speaker 1: spoke to his followers. This noble deed of yours, my
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  Speaker 1: brave Romans, he said, we'll be praised and admired for
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  Speaker 1: many a hundred years, but now you deserve better than that.
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  Speaker 1: Darkness and silence should cover you when you return with
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  Speaker 1: so much glory to the camp here.
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  Speaker 2: Therefore, let us rest and wait for day.
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  Speaker 1: The soldiers obeyed him gladly, and as soon as it
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  Speaker 1: was light, he sent a messenger to the consul to
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  Speaker 1: tell him of their coming. As soon as the soldiers
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  Speaker 1: in the Roman camp heard that the brave men who
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  Speaker 1: had risked their lives to save the army were coming
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  Speaker 1: back safe, they ran out to meet them with thanks
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  Speaker 1: and praises, calling them deliverers and giving thanks to the gods.
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  Speaker 1: When Decius and his followers came to the consul's tent,
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  Speaker 1: Cornelius called all the army together by sound of trumpet,
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  Speaker 1: and began to make a speech to them in praise
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  Speaker 1: of Deacius, but Deaseius interrupted him.
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  Speaker 4: General.
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  Speaker 1: He said, do not waste the time in praising me,
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  Speaker 1: but take the chance and attack the sam Knights while
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  Speaker 1: they are still in fear and wonder. The consul took
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  Speaker 1: his advice, and the army at once marched back and
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  Speaker 1: charged the enemy, who did not expect them and were
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  Speaker 1: quite unprepared. Many of the sam Knights were unarmed and
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  Speaker 1: strackling about the pass. The Romans easily drove them back
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  Speaker 1: into their camp, and then followed them there, took and
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  Speaker 1: plundered it, and killed a great many of the same knights.
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  Speaker 1: Next day, the consul called the Roman army together and
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  Speaker 1: finished making the speech in praise of Decius which had
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  Speaker 1: been interrupted the day before. Many rich presents were given
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  Speaker 1: to Deacius, and among them was a crown of gold.
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  Speaker 1: His brave soldiers, too, were well rewarded.
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  Speaker 2: I must now go on to that war against the Latins,
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  Speaker 2: in which young Titus Manlius was put to death by
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  Speaker 2: his father's order.
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  Speaker 1: The elder Manlius and Decius were consuls at that time,
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  Speaker 1: as I told you. After the death of the young man,
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  Speaker 1: the two consuls resolved to fight a battle with the
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  Speaker 1: Latins and they drew up their army in proper order,
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  Speaker 1: Manlius leading the right and Deacius the left wing. At
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  Speaker 1: first they fought on both sides with the same bravery.
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  Speaker 1: But after a while the Romans on the left wing,
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  Speaker 1: who were commanded by Deaseius, found the Latins too strong
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  Speaker 1: for them and began to give way. When Decius saw this,
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  Speaker 1: he called to him Marcus Valerius, the high priests of
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  Speaker 1: the Romans, and said, I see Valerius, that we are
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  Speaker 1: now in want of the help of the gods. Do
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  Speaker 1: you now therefore, say they the solemn words with which
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  Speaker 1: I may devote myself for our army, and I will
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  Speaker 1: repeat them after you. The Romans believed that a general
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  Speaker 1: could certainly win victory for his army by devoting himself.
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  Speaker 1: As they called it, the general must say some very
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  Speaker 1: solemn words, standing in one particular way and wearing a
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  Speaker 1: certain dress. Then if he let himself be killed directly afterwards,
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  Speaker 1: they believed that the army against which he was fighting
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  Speaker 1: would certainly be destroyed. Valerius told Desseius to put on
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  Speaker 1: a long embroidered purple mantle and to cover his head
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  Speaker 1: with it. Then to stand with both his feet on
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  Speaker 1: a spear, while he said after him these words, O Jupiter, Mars,
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  Speaker 1: and all ye heavenly and infernal gods, I ask your pardon,
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  Speaker 1: and I pray for your favor.
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  Speaker 4: I pray that you will give victory and power to
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  Speaker 4: the people of Rome, and strike their enemies with fear
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  Speaker 4: and death. And for the good of the people of Rome,
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  Speaker 4: I here devote the army of the enemy, and myself
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  Speaker 4: to the infernal gods.
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  Speaker 1: When he had said this prayer, he sent a messenger
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  Speaker 1: to the other consul, Manlius, to tell him what he
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  Speaker 1: had done. Then, girding his purple mantle round him and
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  Speaker 1: taking his arms, he mounted his horse and spurred into
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  Speaker 1: the midst of the enemy. To both armies, he seemed wonderful,
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  Speaker 1: more like a god than a man. Wherever he came,
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  Speaker 1: he terrified the Latins. He rode right through their front ranks,
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  Speaker 1: and then charged into their main body, while they stood trembling,
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  Speaker 1: struck with fear and awe. And when at last he fell,
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  Speaker 1: beaten down by numbers, the Latins began to give back
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  Speaker 1: in their terror, while the Romans fell upon them with
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  Speaker 1: redoubled courage. When Manlius heard of what Decius had done.
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  Speaker 1: He wept for him and praised him for daring to
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  Speaker 1: die for Rome. Then he led on some of the
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  Speaker 1: Roman troops who had not yet fought forward. He said,
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  Speaker 1: remember your country, and your parents, your wives and children,
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  Speaker 1: and more than all, remember your noble consol, who gave
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  Speaker 1: himself to die that you might win the victory. The soldiers,
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  Speaker 1: full of hope and courage, charged the Latins with such
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  Speaker 1: fury that they defeated them, killed a great number, and
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  Speaker 1: put the rest to flight. The body of the brave
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  Speaker 1: Decius could not be found that day, for it was
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  Speaker 1: late when the battle was over an evening was coming on.
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  Speaker 1: But next morning it was found lying covered with darts
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  Speaker 1: and spears, among a heap of Latins whom he had killed.
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  Speaker 1: Manlius made a splendid funeral for him, as his great
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  Speaker 1: courage well deserved. End of Chapter thirteen.