The Story of Rome
The Story of Rome
by
Mary Macgregor
Yesterday's Classics
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Cover and Arrangement © 2010 Yesterday's Classics, LLC
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or retransmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher.
This edition, first published in 2010 by Yesterday's Classics, an imprint of Yesterday's Classics, LLC, is an unabridged republication of the work originally published by Frederick A. Stokes Company, in 1912. This title is available in a print edition (ISBN 978-1-59915-034-5).
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Yesterday's Classics
Yesterday's Classics republishes classic books for children from the golden age of children's literature, the era from 1880 to 1920. Many of our titles are offered in high-quality paperback editions, with text cast in modern easy-to-read type for today's readers. The illustrations from the original volumes are included except in those few cases where the quality of the original images is too low to make their reproduction feasible. Unless specified otherwise, color illustrations in the original volumes are rendered in black and white in our print editions.
Preface
D
EAR
I
AN AND
W
ILLIE,—
The Story of Rome has been written, as you know, in your beautiful, quiet old garden.
And as the story grew, the short cold days of winter passed and the long warm days of summer were here.
In the garden a miracle had been wrought. It had become alive.
After slow, persistent struggle with storm and frost, the delicate bare branches were no longer bare, but clothed in living green. The hard black earth too had stirred, and shoots and blades appeared, until at length the garden was ablaze with gold, purple, crimson.
Sometimes I dreamed that, in its own different way, the Story of Rome too was a miracle, wrought out of the tears and throes of a brave and ambitious people.
For the story tells of the birth of a city and of its growth through storm and struggle, until it became a great world empire.
The city which Romulus founded was built upon a single hill; soon seven hills were not great enough to contain her. And when Augustus, the first Emperor of Rome, began to reign, part of Europe, Asia Minor, Egypt, Syria, and a large portion of Africa formed his kingdom.
Although the story was written in the quiet of your garden, little of its peace has stolen into the tale, and for that you boys may care for it the more.
As you read, fierce battle-cries will ring in your ears, and the clash of arms will startle you. You will hear the tramp of armies marching to new lands to conquer them and their treasures for Rome, the city of their love.
Sometimes you will catch your breath in horror as you read of terrible and cruel deeds, for the Romans were often pitiless, showing little mercy to those they conquered.
But at other times your breath will come quick with wonder as you read of the dauntless courage, the rare endurance of these mighty men of old.
And if there are many things which you do not admire in the people of Rome, yet they possess one virtue which you and every British boy and girl may not only admire, but gladly imitate.
What that virtue is I will leave you to find out for yourselves as you read
The Story of Rome
.—Yours affectionately,
MARY MACGREGOR
Contents
Preface
Chapter I. The Lady Roma
Chapter II. The She-Wolf
Chapter III. The Twin Boys
Chapter IV. Numitor Recognises His Grandsons
Chapter V. The Sacred Birds
Chapter VI. The Founding of Rome
Chapter VII. The Sabine Maidens
Chapter VIII. The Tarpeian Rock
Chapter IX. The Mysterious Gate
Chapter X. The King Disappears
Chapter XI. The Peace-Loving King
Chapter XII. Horatius Slays His Sister
Chapter XIII. The Pride of Tullus Hostilius
Chapter XIV. The King Who Fought and Prayed
Chapter XV. The Faithless Friend
Chapter XVI. A Slave Becomes a King
Chapter XVII. The Cruel Deed of Tullia
Chapter XVIII. The Fate of the Town of Gabii
Chapter XIX. The Books of the Sibyl
Chapter XX. The Industry of Lucretia
Chapter XXI. The Death of Lucretia
Chapter XXII. The Sons of Brutus
Chapter XXIII. Horatius Cocles, or the One-Eyed
Chapter XXIV. Gaius Mucius Burns His Right Hand
Chapter XXV. The Divine Twins
Chapter XXVI. The Tribunes
Chapter XXVII. Coriolanus and His Mother Veturia
Chapter XXVIII. The Roman Army in a Trap
Chapter XXIX. The Hated Decemvirs
Chapter XXX. The Death of Verginia
Chapter XXXI. The Friend of the People
Chapter XXXII. Camillus Captures the City of Veii
Chapter XXXIII. The Statue of the Goddess
Chapter XXXIV. The Schoolmaster Who Proved a Traitor
Chapter XXXV. The Battle of Allia
Chapter XXXVI. The Sacred Geese
Chapter XXXVII. The City Is Rebuilt
Chapter XXXVIII. Camillus Sets the Camp of the Volscians on Fire
Chapter XXXIX. The Battle on the Banks of the Anio
Chapter XL. The Curtian Lake
Chapter XLI. The Dream of the Two Consuls
Chapter XLII. The Caudine Forks
Chapter XLIII. The Disgrace of the Caudine Forks Avenged
Chapter XLIV. Fabius among the Ciminian Hills
Chapter XLV. The Battle of Sentinum
Chapter XLVI. The Son of Fabius Loses a Battle
Chapter XLVII. Pyrrhus, King of the Epirots
Chapter XLVIII. The Elephants at the Battle of Heraclea
Chapter XLIX. Pyrrthus Tries to Frighten Fabricius
Chapter L. Pyrrhus Is Defeated
Chapter LI. The Romans Build a Fleet
Chapter LII. The Battle of Ecnomus
Chapter LIII. The Roman Legions in Africa
Chapter LIV. Regulus Is Taken Prisoner
Chapter LV. The Romans Conquer the Gauls
Chapter LVI. The Boy Hannibal
Chapter LVII. Hannibal Prepares to Invade Italy
Chapter LVIII. Hannibal Crosses the Alps
Chapter LIX. The Battle of Trebia
Chapter LX. The Battle of Lake Trasimenus
Chapter LXI. Hannibal Outwits Fabius
Chapter LXII. Fabius Wins Two Victories
Chapter LXIII. The Battle of Cannae
Chapter LXIV. The Despair of Rome
Chapter LXV. The Defeat of Hasdrubal
Chapter LXVI. Livius and Claudius Enjoy a Triumph
Chapter LXVII. The Capture of New Carthage
Chapter LXVIII. Scipio Sails to Africa
Chapter LXIX. The Romans Set Fire to the Camp of the Numidians
Chapter LXX. Hannibal Leaves Italy
Chapter LXXI. The Battle of Zama
Chapter LXXII. Scipio Receives a Triumph
Chapter LXXIII. Flamininus Is Covered with Garlands
Chapter LXXIV. The Death of Hannibal
Chapter LXXV. The Hatred of Cato for Carthage
Chapter LXXVI. The Stern Decree
Chapter LXXVII. The Carthaginians Defend Their City
Chapter LXXVIII. The Destruction of Carthage
Chapter LXXIX. Cornelia, the Mother of the Gracchi
Chapter LXXX. Tiberius and His Friend Octavius
Chapter LXXXI. The Death of Tiberius Gracchus
Chapter LXXXII. The Death of Gaius Gracchus
Chapter LXXXIII. The Gold of Jugurtha
Chapter LXXXIV. Gaius Marius Wins the Notice of Scipio Africanus
Chapter LXXXV. Gaius Marius Becomes Commander of the Army
Chapter LXXXVI. The Capture of Jugurtha's Treasure Towns
Chapter LXXXVII. The Capture of Jugurtha
Chapter LXXXVIII. Jugurtha Is Brought to Rome in Chains
Chapter LXXXIX. Marius Conquers the Teutones
Chapter XC. Marius Mocks the Ambassadors of the Cimbri
Chapter XCI. Metellus Is Driven from Rome
Chapter XCII. Sulla Enters Rome with His Troops
Chapter XCIII. The Flight of Marius