54 CORIOLANUS.

for any to disengage himself; so that his competitoi-s at home in displays of bravery, loath to owu themselves inferior in that respect, were wont to ascribe their defi- ciencies to his strength of body, which they said no resistance and no fatigue could exhaust. The first time he went out to the wars, being yet a stripling, was when Tarquinius Superbus, who had been king of Kome and was afterwards expelled, after many unsuccessful attempts, now entered upon his last effort, and proceeded to hazard all as it were upon a smgle throw. A great number of the Latins and other people of Italy joined their forces, and were marching with him toward the city, to procure his -estoration ; not, however, so much out of a desire to serve and oblige Tarquin, as to gratify their own fear and envy at the increase of the Roman greatness, which they were anxious to check and reduce. The armies met and engaged in a decisive bat- tie, in the vicissitudes of which, Marcius, while fighting bravely in the dictator's presence, saw a Roman soldier struck down at a little distance, and immediatelj' stepped in and stood before him, and slew his assailant. The general, after having gained the victory, crowned him for this act, one of the first, with a garland of oaken branch- es ; it being the Roman custom thus to adorn those who had saved the life of a citizen ; whether that the law intended some special honor to the oak, in memory of the Arcadians, a people the oracle had made famous by the name of acorn-eaters ; * or whether the reason of it was because they might easily", and in all places where they fought, have plenty of oak for that purpose ; or, finally.

• " You ask me for Arcadia." Arcadia many acom-eaters ready

said the oracle to the Spartans, to prevent you. I, however, grudge when designing their early inva- you nothing. I grant you to dancfl sion. " You ask a great thing. I about Tegea, and measure out the will not grant it. There are in fair plain b}- the line."