ABSTRACT
Plutarch's Lives of Noble Grecians and Romalles 507 that never yelded to any payne or toyle he tooke apon him. The first time he went to the warres, being but a strippling,l was when Tarquine surnamed the prowde (that had bene king of Rome, and was driven out for his pride, after many attemptes made by sundrie battells to come in againe, wherein he was ever overcome) dyd come to Rome with all the ayde of the Latines, and many other people of Italie: even as it were to set up his whole rest apon a battell by them, who with a gl'eat and mightie armie had undertaken to put him into his Kingdome againe, not so much to pleasure him, as to overthrowe the power of the Romaines, whose greatnes they both feared and envied. In this battell, wherein were many hotte and sharpe encounters of either partie, Martius valliantly fought in the sight of the Dictator 2: and a Romaine souldier being throwen to the ground even hard by him, Martius straight bestrid him, and slue the enemie with his owne handes that had before overthrowen the Romaine.3 Hereupon, after the battell was wonne, the Dictator dyd not forget so noble an acte, and therefore first of all he crowned Martius with a garland of oken boughs. For whosoever saveth the life a Romaine, it is a manner among them, to honour him with such a garland.4 This was, either bicause the lawe dyd this honour to the oke, in favour of the Arcadians, who by the oracle of Apollo were in very olde time called eaters of akornes; 01' els bicause the souldiers might easely in every place come by oken boughes: or lastely, bicause they thought it very necessarie to geve him that had saved a cittizens life, a crowne of this tree to honoUl' him, being properly dedicated unto Jupiter, the patron and protectour of their citties, and thought amongest other wilde trees to bring forth a profitable fmite, and of plantes to be the stongest,6 Moreover, men at the first beginning dyd use akornes for their bread, and honie for their drincke: and further, the oke dyd feede their beastes, and geve them birdes, by taking glue from the okes, with the which they made birdlime to catche seely birdes. They saye that Castor, and Pollux, appeared in this battell, and how incontinently after the battell, men sawe them in the market place at Rome, all their horses being on a white fome: and they were the first that brought newes of the victorie, even in the same place, where remaineth at this present a temple built in the honour of them neere unto the fountaine. And this is the cause, why the daye of this victorie (which was the fiftenth of Julye) is consecrated yet to this daye unto Castor and Pollux. Moreover, it is daylie seene, that honour and reputation
