Livy's History of Rome - Table of Contents

[2.12]The blockade, however, continued, and with it a growing scarcity of corn at famine prices. Porsena still cherished
hopes of capturing the City by keeping up the investment. There was a young noble, C. Mucius, who regarded it as a
disgrace that whilst Rome in the days of servitude under her kings had never been blockaded in any war or by any foe, she
should now, in the day of her freedom, be besieged by those very Etruscans whose armies she had often routed. Thinking
that this disgrace ought to be avenged by some great deed of daring, he determined in the first instance to penetrate into the
enemy's camp on his own responsibility. On second thoughts, however, he became apprehensive that if he went without
orders from the consuls, or unknown to any one, and happened to be arrested by the Roman outposts, he might be brought
back as a deserter, a charge which the condition of the City at the time would make only too probable. So he went to the
senate. "I wish," he said, "Fathers, to swim the Tiber, and, if I can, enter the enemy's camp, not as a pillager nor to inflict
retaliation for their pillagings. I am purposing, with heaven's help, a greater deed." The senate gave their approval.
Concealing a sword in his robe, he started. When he reached the camp he took his stand in the densest part of the crowd
near the royal tribunal. It happened to be the soldiers' pay-day, and a secretary, sitting by the king and dressed almost
exactly like him, was busily engaged, as the soldiers kept coming to him incessantly. Afraid to ask which of the two was
the king, lest his ignorance should betray him, Mucius struck as fortune directed the blow and killed the secretary instead
of the king. He tried to force his way back with his blood-stained dagger through the dismayed crowd, but the shouting
caused a rush to be made to the spot; he was seized and dragged back by the king's bodyguard to the royal tribunal. Here,
alone and helpless, and in the utmost peril, he was still able to inspire more fear than he felt. "I am a citizen of Rome," he
said, "men call me C. Mucius. As an enemy I wished to kill an enemy, and I have as much courage to meet death as I had
to inflict it. It is the Roman nature to act bravely and to suffer bravely. I am not alone in having made this resolve against
you, behind me there is a long list of those who aspire to the same distinction. If then it is your pleasure, make up your
mind for a struggle in which you will every hour have to fight for your life and find an armed foe on the threshold of your
royal tent. This is the war which we the youth of Rome, declare against you. You have no serried ranks, no pitched battle
to fear, the matter will be settled between you alone and each one of us singly." The king, furious with anger, and at the
same time terrified at the unknown danger, threatened that if he did not promptly explain the nature of the plot which he
was darkly hinting at he should be roasted alive. "Look," Mucius cried, "and learn how lightly those regard their bodies
who have some great glory in view." Then he plunged his right hand into a fire burning on the altar. Whilst he kept it
roasting there as if he were devoid of all sensation, the king, astounded at his preternatural conduct, sprang from his seat
and ordered the youth to be removed from the altar. "Go," he said, "you have been a worse enemy to yourself than to me. I
would invoke blessings on your courage if it were displayed on behalf of my country; as it is, I send you away exempt
from all rights of war, unhurt, and safe." Then Mucius, reciprocating, as it were, this generous treatment, said, "Since you
honour courage, know that what you could not gain by threats you have obtained by kindness. Three hundred of us, the
foremost amongst the Roman youth, have sworn to attack you in this way. The lot fell to me first, the rest, in the order of
their lot, will come each in his turn, till fortune shall give us a favourable chance against you."
[2.13]Mucius was accordingly dismissed; afterwards he received the soubriquet of Scaevola, from the loss of his right
hand. Envoys from Porsena followed him to Rome. The king's narrow escape from the first of many attempts; which was
owing solely to the mistake of his assailant, and the prospect of having to meet as many attacks as there were conspirators,
so unnerved him that he made proposals of peace to Rome. One for the restoration of the Tarquins was put forward, more
because he could not well refuse their request than because he had any hope of its being granted. The demand for the
restitution of their territory to the Veientines, and that for the surrender of hostages as a condition of the withdrawal of the
detachment from the Janiculum, were felt by the Romans to be inevitable, and on their being accepted and peace
concluded, Porsena moved his troops from the Janiculum and evacuated the Roman territory. As a recognition of his
courage the senate gave C. Mucius a piece of land across the river, which was afterwards known as the Mucian Meadows.
The honour thus paid to courage incited even women to do glorious things for the State. The Etruscan camp was situated
not far from the river, and the maiden Cloelia, one of the hostages, escaped, unobserved, through the guards and at the
head of her sister hostages swam across the river amidst a shower of javelins and restored them all safe to their relatives.
When the news of this incident reached him, the king was at first exceedingly angry and sent to demand the surrender of
Cloelia; the others he did not care about. Afterwards his feelings changed to admiration; he said that the exploit surpassed
those of Cocles and Mucius, and announced that whilst on the one hand he should consider the treaty broken if she were
not surrendered, he would on the other hand, if she were surrendered, send her back to her people unhurt. Both sides
behaved honourably; the Romans surrendered her as a pledge of loyalty to the terms of the treaty; the Etruscan king
showed that with him courage was not only safe but honoured, and after eulogising the girl's conduct, told her that he
would make her a present of half the remaining hostages, she was to choose whom she would. It is said that after all had
been brought before her, she chose the boys of tender age; a choice in keeping with maidenly modesty, and one approved