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V.
Jove rules in heaven, his thunder shows;
Henceforth Augustus earth shall own
Her present god, now Briton foes
And Persians bow before his throne.
Has Crassus' soldier ta'en to wife
A base barbarian, and grown grey
(Woe, for a nation's tainted life!)
Earning his foemen-kinsmen's pay,
His king, forsooth, a Mede, his sire
A Marsian? can he name forget,
Gown, sacred shield, undying fire,
And Jove and Rome are standing yet?
'Twas this that Regulus foresaw,
What time he spurn'd the foul disgrace
Of peace, whose precedent would draw
Destruction on an unborn race,
Should aught but death the prisoner's chain
Unrivet. "I have seen," he said,
"Rome's eagle in a Punic fane,
And armour, ne'er a blood-drop shed,
Stripp'd from the soldier; I have seen
Free sons of Rome with arms fast tied;
The fields we spoil'd with corn are green,
And Carthage opes her portals wide.
The warrior, sure, redeem'd by gold,
Will fight the bolder! Aye, you heap
On baseness loss. The hues of old
Revisit not the wool we steep;
And genuine worth, expell'd by fear,
Returns not to the worthless slave.
Break but her meshes, will the deer
Assail you? then will he be brave
Who once to faithless foes has knelt;
Yes, Carthage yet his spear will fly,
Who with bound arms the cord has felt,
The coward, and has fear'd to die.
He knows not, he, how life is won;
Thinks war, like peace, a thing of trade!
Great art thou, Carthage! mate the sun,
While Italy in dust is laid!"
His wife's pure kiss he waved aside,
And prattling boys, as one disgraced,
They tell us, and with manly pride
Stern on the ground his visage placed.
With counsel thus ne'er else aread
He nerved the fathers' weak intent,
And, girt by friends that mourn'd him, sped
Into illustrious banishment.
Well witting what the torturer's art
Design'd him, with like unconcern
The press of kin he push'd apart
And crowds encumbering his return,
As though, some tedious business o'er
Of clients' court, his journey lay
Towards Venafrum's grassy floor,
Or Sparta-built Tarentum's bay.
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Caelo Tonantem.
Caelo tonantem credidimus Iouem
regnare: praesens diuus habebitur
Augustus adiectis Britannis
imperio grauibusque Persis.
Milesne Crassi coniuge barbara 5
turpis maritus uixit et hostium,
pro curia inuersique mores!
consenuit socerorum in armis
sub rege Medo Marsus et Apulus
anciliorum et nominis et togae 10
oblitus aeternaeque Vestae,
incolumi Ioue et urbe Roma?
Hoc cauerat mens prouida Reguli
dissentientis condicionibus
foedis et exemplo trahenti 15
perniciem ueniens in aeuum,
si non periret inmiserabilis
captius pubes: 'Signa ego Punicis
adfixa delubris et arma
militibus sine caede' dixit 20
'derepta uidi; uidi ego ciuium
retorta tergo bracchia libero
portasque non clausas et arua
Marte coli populata nostro.
Auro repensus scilicet acrior 25
miles redibit. Flagitio additis
damnum. Neque amissos colores
lana refert medicata fuco,
nec uera uirtus, cum semel excidit,
curat reponi deterioribus. 30
Si pugnat extricata densis
cerua plagis, erit ille fortis,
qui perfidis se credidit hostibus,
et Marte Poenos proteret altero,
qui lora restrictis lacertis 35
sensit iners timuitque mortem.
Hic, unde uitam sumeret inscius,
pacem duello miscuit. O pudor!
o magna Carthago, probrosis
altior Italiae ruinis!' 40
Fertur pudicae coniugis osculum
paruosque natos ut capitis minor
ab se remouisse et uirilem
toruus humi posuisse uoltum,
donec labantis consilio patres 45
firmaret auctor nunquam alias dato
interque maerentis amicos
egregius properaret exul.
Atqui sciebat quae sibi barbarus
tortor pararet; non aliter tamen 50
dimouit obstantis propinquos
et populum reditus morantem
quam si clientum longa negotia
diiudicata lite relinqueret,
tendens Venafranos in agros 55
aut Lacedaemonium Tarentum.
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