56 ' CORIOLANUS.

he added one exploit to another, and heaped up trophies upon trophies, so as to make it matter of contest also among his commanders, the later still v^-ing with the earlier, which should pay him the greatest honor and speak highest in his commendation. Of all the numerous wars and conflicts in those days, there was not one from which he returned without laurels and rewards. And, whereas others made glory the end of their daring, the end of his glory was his mother's gladness; the delight she took to hear him praised and to see him crowned, and her weeping for joy in his embraces, rendered him, in his own thoughts, the most honored and most happy per- son in the world. Epaminondas is similarly said to have acknowledged his feeling, that it was the greatest felicity of his whole life that his father and mother survived to hear of his successful generalship and his victory at Leuc- tra. And he had the advantage, indeed, to have both his parents partake with him, and enjoy the pleasure of his good fortune. But Marcius, belie"ing himself bound to pay his mother Volumnitt all that gratitude and duty which would have belouiied to his father, had he also been alive, could never satiate himself in his tenderness and respect to her. He took a wife, also, at her request and wish, and continued, even after he had children, to live still with his mother, without parting families. The repute of his integrity- and courage had, by this time, gained him a considerable influence and authority in Rome, when the senate, favoring the wealthier citizens, began to be at variance with the common people, who made sad complaints of the I'igorous and inhuman usage they receied from the money-lenders. For as many as were behind with them, and had any sort of property, they stripped of all the}'^ had, by the way of pledges and sales ; and such as through former exactions were reduced already' to extreme indigence, and had nothing more to