The bridge toppled over to one side, and then fell with a great splash into the water. But the Consul's brow was sad, and the Consul's speech was low, And darkly looked he at the wall, and darkly at the foe. And still his name sounds stirring Unto the men of Rome, As the trumpet-blast that cries to them To charge the Volscian home; And wives still pray to Juno For boys with hearts as bold As his who kept the bridge so well In the brave days of old. At length shame roused them to action, and raising a shout they hurled their javelins from all sides on their solitary foe. They would not have to swim the Tiber to reach Rome. The blockade began to hit home, and starvation became the norm, yet for all their toil, each man ensured that one among them would not die for want of food. And out spake strong Herminius, Of Titian blood was he: I will abide on thy left side, And keep the bridge with thee.
The Lays carry messages about values, patriotism, courage, and sacrifice that Macaulay considered relevant to his own time. This page was created in 2004; last modified on 22 November 2018. East and west and south and north The messengers ride fast, And tower and town and cottage Have heard the trumpet's blast. They gave him of the corn-land, That was of public right, As much as two strong oxen Could plough from morn till night; And they made a molten image, And set it up on high, And there it stands unto this day To witness if I lie. Horatius, quoth the Consul, As thou sayest so let it be, And straight against that great array Went forth the dauntless three.
To eastward and to westward Have spread the Tuscan bands; Nor house, nor fence, nor dovecot, In Crustumerium stands. On the lows hills to westward The Consul fixed his eye, And saw the swarthy storm of dust Rise fast along the sky. Verbenna down to Ostia hath wasted all the plain; Astur hath stormed Janiculum, and the stout guards are slain. Now is the time to join him fighting on the bridge, and to cut down the bridge to prevent the enemy from sacking America. Upon his ample shoulders clangs loud the four-fold shield, And in his hand he shakes the brand which none but he can wield. They were too few to stop the Etruscan army, yet all knew if they didn't stop the Etruscans and knock down the bridge, the city of Rome was doomed. An esteemed army officer in the ancient Roman Republic, Horatius Cocles lived in a legendary period of Rome during the late sixth century.
But they were some distance away, and the bridge itself gave Horatius protection. Horatius at the Bridge is the most famous of five ballads written by the Englishman Thomas Babington Macaulay. Ballads are narratives that are composed and sung orally. They held a council standing before the River-Gate; Short time was there, ye well may guess, for musing or debate. The State showed its gratitude for such courage; his statue was set up in the Comitium, and as much land given to him as he could drive the plough round in one day. 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; When the oldest cask is opened, and the largest lamp is lit; When the chestnuts glow in the embers, and the kid turns on the spit; When young and old in circle around the firebrands close; When the girls are weaving baskets and the lads are shaping bows When the goodman mends his armour, and trims his helmet's plume, And the goodwife's shuttle merrily goes flashing through the loom; With weeping and with laughter still is the story told, How well Horatius kept the bridge in the brave days of old. Through teeth, and skull, and helmet So fierce a thrust he sped, The good sword stood a hand-breadth out Behind the Tuscans head.
The people who lived in the surrounding countryside fled towards Rome as fast as they could. quoth Lars Porsena, And bring him safe to shore; For such a gallant feat of arms Was never seen before. He smiled on those bold Romans, A smile serene and high; He eyed the flinching Tuscans, And scorn was in his eye. Porsena sent a message to Rome saying they should receive Tarquin as their king, and when the Romans refused, he declared war on them. Why dost thou stay, and turn away? There Cilnius of Arretium On his fleet roan was seen; And Astur of the four-fold shield, Girt with the brand none else may wield, Tolumnius with the belt of gold, And dark Verbenna from the hold By reedy Thrasymene. On Astur's throat Horatius Right firmly pressed his heel, And thrice and four times tugged amain Ere he wrenched out the steel.
His trifle was a publishing phenomenon and since its first release has never been out of print. Shame on the false Etruscan Who lingers in his home, When Porsena of Clusium Is on the march for Rome! Six spears' length from the entrance Halted that deep array, And for a space no man came forth To win the narrow way. To whom the Romans pray, A Roman's life, a Roman's arms, Take thou in charge to-day. Their van will be upon us Before the bridge goes down; And if they once may win the bridge, What hope to save the town? Horatius was known as a courageous and brave leader of the Roman army. Forthwith up rose the Consul, Up rose the Fathers all; In haste they girded up their gowns, And hied them to the wall. Horatius was known for defending one of Rome's most famous bridges, the Pons Sublicius, during the war between Rome and Clusium.
Whether the story is true or not, it is important because it enhanced the reputation of Rome and the Roman Legions. And like a horse unbroken, When first he feels the rein, The furious river struggled hard, And tossed his tawny mane, And burst the curb, and bounded, Rejoicing to be free; And whirling down, in fierce career, Battlement and plank and pier, Rushed headlong to the sea. For all the Etruscan armies Were ranged beneath his eye, And many a banished Roman, And many a stout ally; And with a mighty following, To join the muster, came The Tusculan Mamilius, Prince of the Latian name. Two of his friends rushed out to help him. But with a crash like thunder Fell every loosened beam, And, like a dam, the mighty wreck Lay right athwart the stream; And a long shout of triumph Rose from the walls of Rome, As to the highest turret tops Was splashed the yellow foam.
Here lies the road to Rome. As much as two strong oxen Could plow from morn till night: And they made a molten image, And set it up on high, And there it stands unto this day To witness if I lie. As we wax hot in faction, In battle we wax cold: Wherefore men fight not as they fought In the brave days of old. The Fathers of the City, they sat all night and day, For every hour some horseman came with tidings of dismay. Here lies the road to Rome. But when they turned their faces, And on the farther shore Saw brave Horatius stand alone, They would have crossed once more.
And sick men borne in litters high on the necks of slaves, And troops of sun-burned husbandmen with reaping-hooks and staves, And droves of mules and asses laden with skins of wine, And endless flocks of goats and sheep, and endless herds of kine, And endless trains of wagons that creaked beneath the weight Of corn-sacks and of household goods choked every roaring gate. Once upon a time in days of long ago when kids in school were actually educated, they all knew the story of Horatio at the Bridge. The Roman commanding general had forgotten about the bridges while he was getting his army ready to fight the Etruscans. About the poet By the same poet Related books , Lord Macaulay, Josiah Bunting Introduction · · · · © 2018 EnglishVerse. This text includes the full ballad, Horatious at the Bridge, plus a complete student guide with exercises, maps, history, and test. I wis, in all the Senate, There was no heart so bold, But sore it ached, and fast it beat, When that ill news was told.
There lacked not men of prowess, nor men of lordly race; For all Etruria's noblest were round the fatal place. Now who will stand on either hand, And keep the bridge with me? Inside the city, the Romans were in such a panic and so disorganized that, once their people were safely inside, they forgot to destroy the bridge, or perhaps it never occurred to them to do so. On their own, Romans knocked down most of the bridges over the Tiber. Forthwith up rose the Consul, Up rose the Fathers all; In haste they girded up their gowns, And hied them to the wall. And so Macaulay wrote The Lays of Ancient Rome, ballads that celebrate famous events in Roman history, written in a style and meter that would be appropriate for the ancient Romans. Imagine their delight when they discovered that the Romans had left the bridge for them to cross. The action against the Porsena raid, ipso facto, was a police action.