Lays of Ancient Rome

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Longmans, Green, Reader, & Dyer, 1867 - 210 pages

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Page 56 - Then out spake brave Horatius, The Captain of the gate : 'To every man upon this earth Death cometh soon or late; And how can man die better Than facing fearful odds, For the ashes of his fathers And the temples of his Gods...
Page 59 - 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.
Page 43 - 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.
Page 73 - No sound of joy or sorrow Was heard from either bank; But friends and foes, in dumb surprise, With parted lips and straining eyes, Stood gazing where he sank; And when above the surges They saw his crest appear. All Rome sent forth a rapturous cry, And even the ranks of Tuscany Could scarce forbear to cheer.
Page 72 - Tiber! father Tiber! To whom the Romans pray, A Roman's life, a Roman's arms Take thou in charge this day!" So he spake, and speaking, sheathed The good sword by his side, And with his harness on his back Plunged headlong in the tide.
Page 47 - There be thirty chosen prophets, The wisest of the land, Who alway by Lars Porsena Both morn and evening stand. Evening and morn the thirty Have turned the verses o'er, Traced from the right on linen white By mighty seers of yore...
Page 54 - Above that glimmering line Now might ye see the banners Of twelve fair cities shine; But the banner of proud Clusium Was highest of them all, The terror of the Umbrian, The terror of the Gaul.
Page 77 - And in the nights of winter, When the cold north winds blow, And the long howling of the wolves Is heard amidst the snow; When round the lonely cottage Roars loud the tempest's din, And the good logs of Algidus Roar louder yet within...
Page 68 - But all Etruria's noblest Felt their hearts sink to see On the earth the bloody corpses. In the path the dauntless Three: And from the ghastly entrance Where those bold Romans stood.
Page 71 - Back darted Spurius Lartius, Herminius darted back, And, as they passed, beneath their feet They felt the timbers crack. But when they turned their faces, And on the farther shore Saw brave Horatius stand alone, They would have crossed once more...

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