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

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  Speaker 1: Chapter seven of Stories from the History of Rome by
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  Speaker 1: Emily Beasley. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Cincinnatus,
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  Speaker 1: there was a people near Rome named the Aequi, who
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  Speaker 1: were at one time friends and allies of the Romans.
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  Speaker 1: But they broke the treaty of peace they had made
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  Speaker 1: with Rome and marched an army towards Tousculum. They burnt
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  Speaker 1: the villages and plundered the people, and then pitched their
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  Speaker 1: camp on Mount Algadus. The Romans sent ambassadors to the
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  Speaker 1: camp of the Aqui to complain of their having broken
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  Speaker 1: the treaty, and to ask that all the plunder should
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  Speaker 1: be given back to the people to whom it belonged.
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  Speaker 1: The general of the Aqui only laughed at the Roman
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  Speaker 1: ambassadors and bade them tell the message of the Senate
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  Speaker 1: to a great oak tree which grew near the camp,
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  Speaker 1: and not to him. The ambassadors were very angry at this,
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  Speaker 1: and called upon the gods to punish the Aequi, who
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  Speaker 1: had so broken their promises of friendship. When the Senate
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  Speaker 1: heard of the way in which their messengers had been treated,
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  Speaker 1: they collected an army and sent it against the Aequi
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  Speaker 1: under the command of one of the consuls, Menusius. Unfortunately,
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  Speaker 1: Menusius was a timid man, and though he marched towards
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  Speaker 1: Augadas and pitched his camp not far from that of
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  Speaker 1: the Aequi, he was afraid to fight a battle with them.
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  Speaker 1: The Aqui soon found out that the Roman general was
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  Speaker 1: afraid of them, and they grew bold and attacked the
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  Speaker 1: Roman camp. Although they could not take it by storm,
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  Speaker 1: they dug ditches and built mauld all round it, so
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  Speaker 1: that the Roman army was closely shut up and could
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  Speaker 1: not get out. But before he was quite shut up,
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  Speaker 1: Menusius sent five soldiers out of his camp. These men
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  Speaker 1: managed to get through the enemy's guards and made all
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  Speaker 1: the haste they could to Rome. They went at once
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  Speaker 1: to the Senate and told them that the consul and
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  Speaker 1: his army were besieged in their camp by the Aqui.
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  Speaker 1: Great was the sorrow in Rome when this bad news
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  Speaker 1: was heard.
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  Speaker 2: The Senate resolved to choose a dictator, and no man
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  Speaker 2: seemed to them so fit for their chief as Lucius
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  Speaker 2: Quintius Cincinnatus.
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  Speaker 1: A dictator of Rome, was like a king in most ways.
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  Speaker 1: He could do what he pleased, and all men were
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  Speaker 1: bound to obey him, but this only lasted for six months.
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  Speaker 1: After that time, he was no longer dictator, and he
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  Speaker 1: could be punished if he had done any wrong in
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  Speaker 1: his time of power. Messengers were sent at once to
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  Speaker 1: tell Cincinnatis what was fixed. He did not live in Rome,
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  Speaker 1: but in a little cottage outside the walls, where he
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  Speaker 1: had a small piece of land, For though he was
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  Speaker 1: of noble family, he was a very poor man. The
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  Speaker 1: messengers found him hard at work plowing his little field.
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  Speaker 1: When they had greeted him, they bade him put on
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  Speaker 1: his gown and hear what message the senate sent him.
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  Speaker 1: Cincinnatus was greatly surprised and asked if all were well
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  Speaker 1: at Rome. Then he called to his wife Racilia, to
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  Speaker 1: fetch him his gown out of the cottage, and having
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  Speaker 1: washed himself and put it on, he stood for the messengers.
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  Speaker 1: They told him that he was chosen to be dictator
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  Speaker 1: and wished him joy. You must come at once to Rome,
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  Speaker 1: they said, you are much wanted there, for the Consulmenusius
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  Speaker 1: and his troops are besieged in the camp by the aqui,
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  Speaker 1: and you must lead an army to set them free.
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  Speaker 1: So Cincinnatus went to Rome, his relations and friends, and
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  Speaker 1: most of the senators came to the gates to meet
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  Speaker 1: him and led him into the town. Next day, he
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  Speaker 1: came into the forum or market place, before it was light.
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  Speaker 1: He chose for his master of the knights, Lucius Tarqueitius,
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  Speaker 1: who was said to be the bravest of all the
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  Speaker 1: young men in Rome. Then he commanded that the shop
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  Speaker 1: should be shut and that no work should be done
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  Speaker 1: in the town, but that all men who were of
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  Speaker 1: fit age to fight should come together before sunset in
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  Speaker 1: a field close to the walls, called the Campus Marcius
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  Speaker 1: or field of Mars. Each man was to bring with
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  Speaker 1: him his arms, food for five days and twelve wooden stakes.
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  Speaker 1: The men who were too old are not strong enough
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  Speaker 1: to fight were to collect the food for the soldiers.
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  Speaker 1: All was done as the dictator ordered, and when the
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  Speaker 1: soldiers were met together, he came to them and spoke
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  Speaker 1: to them in these words, soldiers.
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  Speaker 3: We must make all the haste we can, that we
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  Speaker 3: may attack the enemy this very night.
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  Speaker 1: For the consul and his army have been.
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  Speaker 3: Besieged for three days, and we know not what may happen.
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  Speaker 3: Make haste, standed, beara mar john soldiers.
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  Speaker 1: The troops were eager to obey and shout as their
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  Speaker 1: general had done. Make haste standard bearer march on soldiers.
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  Speaker 1: So they departed from Rome, and in the middle of
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  Speaker 1: the night they got to Mount Algados, where the consul
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  Speaker 1: was still surrounded by the army of the Aqui. Then
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  Speaker 1: Cincinnatus rode all round the enemy's camp to see as
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  Speaker 1: well as he could in the night time how it
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  Speaker 1: was placed. Next, he drew all his army in a
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  Speaker 1: long train quite round the camp, and commanded that when
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  Speaker 1: he gave a signal, each man should shout as loud
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  Speaker 1: as he could, and then set to work to make
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  Speaker 1: a ditch in front of himself and set up his
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  Speaker 1: twelve stakes as a paling to defend it. When all
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  Speaker 1: was ready, the dictator gave the signal, and the Romans
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  Speaker 1: shouted so loud that the noise they made was heard
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  Speaker 1: not only in the enemy's camp, but by the consul,
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  Speaker 1: Menusius and his soldiers. Glad enough for the imprisoned army
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  Speaker 1: to hear the shouts of their countrymen, and to find
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  Speaker 1: that help was so near, Menusius called his men together.
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  Speaker 1: Let us lose no time, He cried. These shouts not
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  Speaker 1: only tell us that our friends have come to help us.
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  Speaker 1: They show that the Romans have already begun the battle.
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  Speaker 1: Stand to your arms, then, and follow me. By this
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  Speaker 1: time the Aqui were doing their best to stop the
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  Speaker 1: soldiers of Cincinnatus from fencing them in. But while they
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  Speaker 1: were fighting the dictator's men on one side, they were
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  Speaker 1: attacked on the other by Menusius and his followers, who
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  Speaker 1: now rushed out of their camp eager to set themselves free.
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  Speaker 1: So the Aqui were between two Roman armies. They fought well,
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  Speaker 1: and the battle went on all night, but when day
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  Speaker 1: came they were forced to yield and to beg for
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  Speaker 1: peace from Cincinnatus. The camp of the Aqui was full
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  Speaker 1: of provisions and spoil, and the Romans took possession of
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  Speaker 1: it when the battle was over, But Cincinnatus gave all
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  Speaker 1: the plunder to the soldiers of his own army, for
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  Speaker 1: he was still angry with the consul and his troops.
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  Speaker 3: You soldiers, he said to them, were very nearly made
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  Speaker 3: prisoners yourselves, and the spoils of the enemy are not
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  Speaker 3: for you, and you, Menusius, shall only command your army
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  Speaker 3: under my orders till you have learned to be as
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  Speaker 3: brave as a consulot to be.
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  Speaker 1: So, Menusius had to give up being consul, but stayed
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  Speaker 1: with the army as the dictator had commanded. Although Cincinnatus
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  Speaker 1: was a severe general, he was so brave a man
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  Speaker 1: and so good a soldier that the army loved and
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  Speaker 1: admired him, and to show their gratitude for his having
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  Speaker 1: saved them, they presented him with a golden crown. When
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  Speaker 1: he came back to Rome, he was met with great
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  Speaker 1: joy by the people and entered the city in triumph.
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  Speaker 1: He then gave up his power after having been dictator
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  Speaker 1: for only sixteen days. End of Chapter seven.