act of mine. I might speak of those eternal principles which make death for one's country a pleasure, not a pain. But, by great Jupiter! methinks I should debase myself to talk of such high things to you; to you, expert in womanly inventions; to you, well-skilled to drive a treacherous trade with simple Africans for ivory and gold! "If the bright blood that fills my veins, transmitted free from godlike ancestry, were like that slimy ooze which stagnates in your arteries, I had remaired at home, and broke my plighted oath to save my life. I am a Roman citizen; therefore have I returned, that ye might work your will upon this mass of flesh and bones, that I esteem no higher than the rags that cover them. "Here, in your capital, do I defy you. Have I not conquered your armies, fired your towns, and dragged your generals at my chariot wheels, since first my youthful arms could wield a spear? And do you think to see me crouch and cower before a tamed and shattered senate? The tearing of flesh and rending of sinews is but pasttime compared with the mental agony that heaves my frame. "The moon has scarce yet waned since the proudest of Rome's proud matrons, the mother upon whose breast I slept, and whose fair brow so oft had bent over me before the noise of battle had stirred my blood, or the fierce toil of war nerved my sinews, did, with fondest memory of bygone hours, entreat me to remain. I have seen her, who, when my country called me to the field, did buckle on my harness with trembling hands, while the tears fell thick and fast down the hard corselet scales—I have seen her tear her gray locks and beat her aged breast, as on her knees she begged me not to return to Carthage! and all the assembled senate of Rome, grave and reverend men, proffered the same request. The puny torments which ye have in store to welcome me withal, shall be, to what I have endured, even as the murmur of a summer's brook to the fierce roar of angry surges on a rocky beach. "Last night, as I lay fettered in my dungeon, I heard a strange, ominous sound; it seemed like the distant march of some vast army, their harness clanging as they marched, when suddenly there stood by me Xanthippus, the Spartan general, by whose aid you conquered me, and, with a voice as low as when the solemn wind moans through the lea.less forest, he thus addressed me: 66 6 'Roman, I come to bid thee curse, with thy dying breath, this fated city: know that in an evil moment, the Carthaginian generals, furious with rage that I had conquered thee, their conqueror, did basely murder me. And then they thought to stain my brightest honor. But, for this foul deed, the wrath of Jove shall rest upon them here and hereafter.' And then he vanished. And now, go bring your sharpest torments. The woes I see impending over this guilty realm shall be enough to sweeten death, though every nerve and artery were a shooting pang. I die! but my death shall prove a proud triumph; and, for every drop of blood ye from my veins do draw, your own shall flow in rivers. "Woe to thee, Carthage! Woe to the proud city of the waters! I see thy nobles wailing at the feet of Roman senators! thy citizens in terror! thy ships in flames! I hear the victorious shouts of Rome! I see her eagles glittering on thy ramparts. Proud city, thou art doomed! The curse of God is on thee-a clinging, wasting curse. It shall not leave thy gates till hungry flames shall lick the fretted gold from off thy proud palaces, and every brook runs crimson to the sea. NOTES 1. Locate Rome and Carthage. In any good ancient history, read the story of the Punic wars. 2. The great wars between Carthage and Rome were called Punic, or Phoenician wars because the city of Carthage was founded by the Phoenicians in 800 B. C. In this study, Punic therefore means Carthaginian. 3. Xanthippus. Pronounced Zn tip' pus. 4. Regulus. Pronounced Reg' ù lús. 5. Jupiter or Jove. The great guardian deity of Rome. 6. Give other instances from history in which men willingly died for their country's honor. 7. Be prepared to give the meanings of the following words and expressions as here used: frowning ramparts, verdant, triremes, artisan, tribunal, stern stoic, fetters, colossal, ambassadors, exterminating vengeance, vented, gleaming cohorts, manacles, brook, plighted oath, harness, corselet scales, ominous sound, impending, puny, guilty realm, fretted gold. SUGGESTIVE EXERCISES 1. Give a sketch of the history leading to the story of this selection. 2. Why had Regulus advised the Romans to refuse the terms of peace offered by the Carthaginians? 3. What is shown in the harbor scene in the first paragraph? 4. What effect did the report of Regulus' return have upon Carthage? Why? 5. What rumor now passed wildly from lip to lip? 6. What effect did the rumor have upon the multitude? 7. What was the effect of Regulus' commanding gesture? 8. What tells of the nature of the attention and respect shown him? 9. What did he say made the Carthaginians think he would break his plighted oath? 10. Why should his act seem foolish to the Carthaginians? 11. What was the proudest boast of Regulus, even though a captive in chains? 12. What proud boast emphasized his defiance? 13. Who had entreated him to break his oath and to remain in Rome? 14. What vision urged him to curse with dying breath the fated city? 15. How had the Carthaginians rewarded the conqueror of their enemy? 16. What to Regulus sweetens death? 17. What future does he predict for Carthage? 18. What connection is there between the treachery of the Carthaginians and "the curse of God"? 19. Give a summary of the noble traits of character shown in Regulus in this selection. REFERENCES KELLOGG: Spartacus to the Gladiators. PATTEN: The Seminole's Defiance. KNOWLES: William Tell Among the Mountains. MONTGOMERY: Arnold von Winkelried. HALLECK: Marco Bozzaris. BROWNING: Incident of a French Camp. BARRY: The Place to Die. MACAULAY: Horatius at the Bridge. CROLY: Death of Leonidas. I SHALL NOT PASS THIS WAY AGAIN The bread that giveth life I want to give, The water pure that bids the thirsty drink and live: I want to help the fainting day by day For I am sure I shall not pass again this way. I want to give to others joy for tears, The faith to conquer crowding doubts and fears, For I am sure I shall not pass again this way. I want to give good measure running o'er, I want to give to others hope and faith, Selected. THE CAPTAIN'S DAUGHTER THE JAMES T. FIELDS HE dim cabin-light fell on the blanched face of the storm-beaten old sea-captain, a face stamped with lines of grim despair. His lip trembles as he seems to shout some word of certain peril to the huddling, terrorstricken souls, some kneeling at prayers, some listening shudderingly to the fierce roar of the hungry sea. By his side, grasping his icy hand eagerly in both of hers, is his little daughter, with peaceful up-turned face aglow with simple childish faith, seeming to ask some sweet, simple question that should still the storms within and make the weakest heart take courage. Such a picture might an artist paint to reveal the message of child-like faith contained in this poem. Long hours the stout-hearted captain and his heroic crew had fought with Death till strength and courage failed. Even the iron nerves of the heroic old captain weakened, and he gave up in despair as he staggered, heart-sick, down the cabin stairs, shouting hopelessly, "We are lost." Above the angry roar of waves and wintry storm blast, above the agonizing prayers and cries of wild despair, his little daughter, seizing her father's icy hand and looking earnestly into his troubled face, asked fervently, "Is n't God upon the ocean just the same as on the land?" It was God's own "Peace, be still" which seemed to quiet the wrathful waves without as it settled the fears within and the sequel is re |