University of Virginia Library

SCENE III.

A Council of War in the Prætorium; the axe, fasces, and other ensigns of two Proconsuls.
APPIUS.
Who would have thought that Capua the dissolute,
Could thus withstand the effort of our arms?
Thrice thirty times the sun has flam'd in heaven,
Since by our troops that city was invested;
And yet the dawn has oft with blushes seen
Her sons perfum'd, in Coan silks attir'd,
Drunk with Falernian, on loose harlots doating;
Their ancient fires, instead of sage discourse,
Prate of amours, and pass their noons at dice;
Or at day-feasts, for which they ransack nature,
With myrtle crown'd, compose lewd Oscian odes,
Or die with raptures at a minstrel's screaming:
Yet now, as if their temper quite was chang'd,
They brave fatigue like us, like us they combat.—
Whence can this change proceed? Rome loudly murmurs;
The fathers, chiding, threat to send Marcellus.
Have I, or Fulvius, in our conduct fail'd?
Or have the legions been remiss in duty?

DUILLIUS.
And let Rome murmur, let the fathers chide,
You both have acted as became proconsuls;
Their lov'd Marcellus could not have done better.
And where's the Roman that has basely fled?
Would I could see these gownmen in the field,
Those chamber-generals, those forum heroes;
Who, with their tropes and metaphors, invest,
Assault, and sack an Ilium in a moment.
Is't such a joy to freeze with nightly damps,
To melt in arms beneath the burning noon,
Expos'd to hourly toils, to hourly perils,
To want, to thirst, to watching?

APPIUS.
Hold, Duillius:
And know, brave youth, we are our country's servants;
Those toils, those perils, are the soldier's triumph!—
Your sentiments, my Paulus.

PAULUS.
'Twould much afflict me, most renown'd proconsuls,
And ye, my hardy seniors of the war,
Could I your conduct, or your courage blame:
Too light the senate deems revolted Capua;
Too light her numerous sons.—Her sons
Were ne'er more wanton than they now are warlike.
But whence can spring this change? from desperation.
Soon as our troops have forc'd their gates, they fear
To see their fathers butcher'd, daughters ravish'd;
To see their sons enslav'd, and dragg'd in triumph:
Then let us offer milder terms of peace;
Rome, Appius Claudius, yet have friends in Capua.

FULVIUS.
The plan you hint at, is the very reason
That rebel Capua braves our every effort.
The terms we offer are by much too mild;
So very mild, they scoff'd at those who brought them.
Did not the Capuans barbarously murder
A Roman garrison, our kindred-soldiers?
Their, their revolt, made Cannæ fatal to us;
Their, their revolt, seduc'd our ancient allies.
Without their wealth, the Libyan, long ere now,
Must, with his venal bands, have fled to Carthage.
Then break we off all correspondence with them;
With vigour push the siege, all pris'ners kill,
Nor quarter take nor give: The Latian name,
Rome's injur'd genius, this revenge demands.

APPIUS.
Pedanius, speak.

PEDANIUS.
Let us attempt some other way to conquer:—
Think not I mean we should the siege abandon;
Fulvius will not suspect me for a coward.
He knows, when he had bid his troops retire,
I flung my standard into Hanno's camp,
O'erleap'd the rampart, and regain'd the battle,
With wounds regain'd. But more than all my wounds,
My adverse wounds, I prize this oaken garland;
It shows in battle that I sav'd a Roman.
My country prize it too, supremely prize it;
And why? most wisely have the laws ordain'd,
A warlike state's chief buckler is her numbers:
But if to save one citizen's such glory,
Thousands to save, and without bloodshed vanquish,
Must it not be transcendently more glorious?
But how can the proconsuls save, yet conquer?
Rome, that still weeps o'er Cannæ's murder'd myriads,
Our legions slain, since we that place invested,
Yet boasts, untouch'd, Hetruria's conquer'd spoils:
Buy friends with part, corrupt the Capuan senate;
They are luxurious, therefore must be venal.

ASSELLIUS.
Though young, already I have liv'd too long,
If Rome, predestin'd to command the world,
Must buy the conquest of one rebel city.
How would our sons indignant read the tale!
Two Roman armies, led by two proconsuls,
At arms unable to contend with Capua,
With gold and cunning purchas'd its reduction.
Quirinus shudders from his blest abodes,
And Mars half curses his degenerate offspring.
With gold and cunning let the dastard fight,
With gold and cunning purchase base advantage;
The truly valiant all success disclaim,
But what broad day-light, and their arms afford.

Enter an Augur.
AUGUR.
Health to our generals! Victory to Rome.

APPIUS.
All hail, divine interpreter of Heaven!

AUGUR.
As lately on the eastern mount I stood,
Clad in the holy vestments of my order,
And into quarters, with my rod, divided
The flecker'd hemisphere, a crow from Capua
Flew, cawing, east: I trembled at the omen;
When, lo! Jove's eagle, darting from the west,
Soon in his talons truss'd the bird obscene,
And in an instant dropp'd it at my feet.

Enter an Haruspex.
HARUSPEX.
Long live our generals! Soon may Capua fall!

FULVIUS.
All hail! you speak in doubt, and look confus'dly.

HARUSPEX.
As at the altar for success I pray'd,
And a fair victim, deck'd with sacred fillets,
Stood ready for the sacrificer's axe,
Just as his arm was heav'd to smite the ox,
The beast spurn'd sudden, from the altar burst,
The holy cup o'erturn'd, and fled to Capua.

ASSELLIUS.
Be not dismay'd; they should have bound him then.
Let us to arms; the soldiers need not know it.
From reason, not from signs, true courage springs;
His country's welfare is the soldier's omen!

[Exit Appius.