were made of wood or wicker, which was covered with ox-hides of several folds, and finally bound around the edge with metal. See Homer, Iliad, xii. 294 fol.: αὐτίκα δ ̓ ἀσπίδα μὲν προσθ ̓ ἔσχετο πάντοσ ̓ ἐίσην, The arms of the Etruscans closely resembled those of the Greeks. 190. Tolumnius. Probably king of Veii. In 438 B.C. a king of Veii of the same name was slain in single combat by Cornelius Cossus, who, following the example of Romulus, consecrated the spoils to Jupiter Feretrius; the second case in which the spolia opima were won. 192. Thrasymene. The most approved spellings in the Latin are Trasumenus and Trasymenus. There is no authority for the Th. It is the largest lake in Etruria, situated in the eastern part between Cortona and Perusia (Perugia), from the latter of which it is now sometimes called Lago di Perugia. It is about thirty miles in circumference, but of small depth, nowhere exceeding thirty feet, and its banks are low, flat, and covered with reeds. It is famous for the crushing defeat of the Roman consul C. Flamininus by Hannibal (217 B.C.) in "the defiles fatal to Roman rashness." Livy relates a story that the fury of the combatants was such that they were unconscious of an earthquake shock which occurred during the battle. See Byron, Childe Harold, iv. 73: 193. Fast by. Fixed, or made fast, by; like hard (firm) by and close by. Cf. Winter's Tale, iv. 4. 512: "A vessel rides fast by," etc. 196. His ivory car. The ancients used ivory on a more extensive scale than is known in modern times. The statue of the Olympian Zeus by Phidias was made of it or covered with it. The Romans, who obtained large quantities from Africa, also used it in works of art and ornament of considerable size. 199. False Sextus. Sextus Tarquinius, the second son of Tarquinius Superbus. 200. The deed of shame. the expulsion of Tarquin. book ii. The rape of Lucrece, the immediate cause of The first reading of this line was "That brought Lucrece to shame." Macaulay altered it here and elsewhere at the suggestion of his friend, Mr. Thomas Flower Ellis. See Trevelyan's Life (Harper's ed. vol. ii. p. 108). 217. Horatius. The Horatian gens was a patrician family belonging to the tribe of Luceres. The burghers or patricians consisted originally of three distinct tribes: the Ramnes, a Latin colony on the Palatine hill, said to have been founded by Romulus; the Tities, or Sabine settlers on the Quirinal and Viminal hills, under King Tatius; and the Luceres, mostly Etruscans, who had settled on the Calian. As mentioned in the introduction, the three defenders of the bridge were representatives of these three tribes. Horatius bore the surname Cocles, or "the oneeyed." 218. The Captain of the Gate. Apparently not a permanent office, but an appointment for this special occasion. Livy (ii. 10) says: “qui positus forte in statione pontis," etc. 229. The holy maidens. The virgin priestesses of Vesta, six in number, two from each of the original three tribes. It was their chief duty to watch by turns, night and day, the "eternal flame on the altar of Vesta, the extinction of which was considered to portend the destruction of the state. They were held in high honor and were granted certain immunities and privileges. 237. Strait. Narrow (Latin strictus); misprinted "straight" in some editions. 241. Spurius Lartius. The Lartia gens was a patrician family of Etruscan origin. The name is probably derived from Lar. The family disappears early from history, the only other famous member being T. Lartius, the first dictator, in 501 B.C. See on Lake Regillus, 123 below. 242. A Ramnian. See on 217 above. 245. Herminius. The Herminia gens was a very ancient patrician family at Rome, which also vanishes early from history. The syllable Her is common in Sabellian names, but one of the family bore the prænomen Lar, Larius, or Larcius, which is undoubtedly of Etruscan origin, and the Roman antiquaries regarded the family as Etruscan. It is remarkable that Herminius and Lartius are coupled in their first consulship, at the bridge, and in the battle of Lake Regillus. 246. A Titian. See on 217 above. 261. Then lands were fairly portioned. A standing grievance of the plebeians was that the ager publicus (see on 542 below), or land which was the property of the state, acquired by conquest, was occupied almost entirely by the patricians, until the passing of the Licinian laws. 262. Then spoils were fairly sold. As stated in the introduction, this line places the date of the composition of this poem after the capture of Veii in 396 B.C. An immense amount of booty was taken at Veii, which was distributed among the citizens. In 391 B.C. Camillus, who had commanded the Romans at Veii, was accused by L. Appuleius, tribune of the people, of having made an unfair division of the spoils and of having appropriated the great bronze gates of Veii. Seeing that he would certainly be condemned, he went into exile, whence he was recalled the next year and made dictator against the Gauls. 267. The Tribunes. The tribunes of the people (tribuni plebis) were first appointed in 494 B.C. after the first Secession to the Sacred Mount. At first there were two tribunes; afterwards the number was increased to five, and finally to ten. They were originally appointed to afford protection to the common people against any abuse on the part of the patrician magistrates; and that they might be able to afford such protection, their persons were declared sacred and inviolable. They gradually acquired the right of vetoing any act which a magistrate might undertake during his term of office, and that, too, without giving any reason. Moreover, they might seize and imprison a senator or consul, or even hurl him from the Tarpeian rock (see on 122 above). They convoked the assembly of the tribes (comitia tribula), and usually presided over it. They finally became the most powerful magistrates in the state, and in the latter days of the republic were veritable tyrants. But in spite of the many abuses of power by individual tribunes, the best historians and statesmen agree that the greatness of Rome and its long duration were largely attributable to the institution of this office. 274. Harness. An old use of the word (which is cognate with iron) in the sense of armor for the body. See Shakespeare, T. and C. v. 3. 31: "Doff thy harness." 277. Commons. The plebeians or common people of Rome. The time when they began to form part of the Roman population is uncertain, but their number was greatly increased by the transfer to Rome of the popu lation of Alba Longa, after that city was destroyed by Tullus Hostilius. At first the plebeians were grievously oppressed by the patricians; they were denied all political rights, could not intermarry with the patricians, and were subject to severe and unjust laws concerning debt. For about two centuries the internal history of Rome is a record of the struggle between the two orders. Finally, after several secessions to the Sacred Mount (see on Lake Regillus, 14 below) the Hortensian law in 286 B.C. gave the plebeians equal rights with the patricians. 278. Crow. A bar with a strong beak like a crow's, a crow-bar. 290. Rolled. The verb (which somebody has criticised) is suggested by the sea above. 301. Aunus. This name does not occur anywhere in Roman literature. Tifernum. There were two towns in Umbria by this name. The most important, and the one probably referred to here, was Tifernum Tiberinum, situated on the Tiber near the Tuscan frontier. The Tuscan villa of the younger Pliny was situated near Tifernum, whose citizens chose him at a very early age to be their patron; in return for which honor he built a temple there. 303. Seius. There were several Romans of this name. Of one Gellius relates (iii. 9) that he had the finest horse of his age, which was fated to bring destruction to whosoever possessed it. Seius was put to death by M. Antonius, afterwards triumvir, during the civil war between Cæsar and Pompey. The horse then passed into the hands of Dolabella, and afterwards into those of Crassus, both of whom died a violent death. Hence the proverb concerning an unlucky man: "Ille homo habet equum Seianum." 304. Ilva. An island (now Elba) in the Tyrrhenian sea, situated off the coast of Etruria opposite Populonia (see on 30 above). It is about eighteen miles in length and twelve in breadth. It is still celebrated, as it was in ancient times, for its iron mines, the ore from which was very abundant and easily extracted. 305. Picus. The first king of Italy is said to have had this name. 309. Nequinum. The name applied before the Roman conquest to Narnia, one of the most important cities of Umbria, situated on the Nar. eight miles above its junction with the Tiber. It was on the Via Flaminia, fifty-six miles from Rome. Narnia was occupied by the generals of Vitellus in his civil war with Vespasian, and was an important fortress in the Gothic wars of Belisarius and Narses. The position of the town on a lofty hill, precipitous on several sides, and half surrounded by the Nar, is alluded to by many Latin writers; and the bridge by which the Flaminian Way was carried across the Nar and a neighboring ravine at this point has been much admired in ancient and in modern times. 310. Nar. A river of central Italy, one of the principal tributaries of the Tiber, rising on the boundaries of Umbria and Picenum. It is remarkable for its white and sulphurous waters, which several ancient writers allude to. See Virgil, Æneid, vii. 517: "Audiit amnis Sulfurea Nar albus aqua." 314. Clove. The form cleft is now more common for the past tense than clove. Shakespeare uses the former twice, the latter only once. He also has the participle cleft oftener than cloven, the latter being always joined to a noun; as in Tempest, i. 2. 277: "A cloven pine," etc. 319. Ocnus. The reputed founder of Mantua bore this name. Falerii. A powerful city in the southern part of Etruria, a few miles north of Mt. Soracte. It was probably one of the twelve cities of the Etruscan League. It supported Veii in many of its wars with Rome; and it is in connection with Falerii that the well-known story is told of the treacherous schoolmaster and the generous conduct of the Roman general. 321. Lausulus. There was a Lausus who was the son of Numitor, and another who was the son of Mezentius, slain by Æneas. Urgo. A small island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, also called Gorgon (in modern times, Gorgona). It was between Etruria and Corsica, about twenty miles from the mainland. It is only eight miles in circumference, but elevated and rocky, so that it is conspicuous from a distance. 323. Aruns. An Etruscan designation of the younger son (in pure Etruscan, Arnth), while the elder was called Lar. Volsinium (more properly Volsinii) was a city of Etruria on a steep height above the Volsinian lake (see on 49 above), and belonged to the Confederation. It was destroyed by the Romans, who compelled the inhabitants to migrate to the plain. This Roman Volsinii (the modern Bolsena) was the birthplace of Sejanus, the minister and favorite of Tibe rius. 324. Who slew the great wild boar. Pliny (ii. 54) says that during the |