23　罗马废除国王

公元前509年，古罗马发生了一件大事。像雅典社会一样，罗马社会也分成了两大阶层，即被称为贵族的富人和被称为平民百姓的穷人。如今我们仍然沿用了这两种称呼，将有钱人和名门世族称为贵族，而将那些贫困且未受过教育的人称为平民。古罗马的贵族拥有选举权，平民则没有选举权。

然而，平民最终还是获得了选举权。但在公元前，罗马有一个叫作塔克文的国王。他认为平民不应当拥有选举权，所以剥夺了平民的此种权利。平民无法容忍这种做法，便团结起来，将塔克文逐出了罗马城，就像雅典人将国王逐出雅典那样。这件事情发生在公元前509年，所以塔克文便成了古罗马的最后一任国王。

塔克文国王被驱逐之后，罗马建立了一个所谓的“共和国”，有点儿与我们美国相似；可罗马人很害怕只由一个人来担任总统，因为他们担心这个人会自立为王，而他们已经受够国王的统治了。

于是，罗马人便每年选举两个人出来统治国家，并将这两人称为“执政官”。每位执政官都配有一支由十二个人所组成的卫队。这些侍卫被称为“执束杆侍从”；每位执束杆侍从手中都持着一把捆插着斧头的木棒。这束木棍上，斧头从其

the name lictors,and each lictor carried an ax tied up in a bundle of sticks. This bundle of sticks with the ax-head sticking out in the middle or at the end was known as fasces and signified that the consuls had power to punish by whipping with the sticks or by chopping off one's head with the ax.Some modern coins and postage stamps have fasces pictured on them.

Perhaps you have seen fasces used as ornaments or decoration around monuments or public buildings.

One of the first two consuls was named Brutus the Elder,and he had two sons. The king,Tarquin,who had been driven out of the city,plotted to get back to Rome and become king once more.He was able to persuade some Romans to help him.Among those whom he persuaded were,strange to say,the two sons of Brutus—the new consul of Rome.

Brutus found out this plot and learned that his own children had helped Tarquin. Then Brutus had his sons tried.They were found guilty,and in spite of the fact that they were his own children,he had the lictors put both of them to death as well as the other traitors to Rome.

Tarquin did not succeed in getting back the rule of Rome in this way.The next year he tried again.This time he got

中部伸出或者插在棍束的一端；它被称为“束杆”，表示执政官有权用木棍责打一个人，或者是用斧头砍下一个人的脑袋，以此来实施惩罚。如今有些国家的硬币和邮票上，仍然还印有“束杆”的图案呢。

你们或许在一些纪念碑或者公共建筑物上看到过用于装饰和点缀的束杆吧。

在古罗马的两位首任执政官中，有一位叫作老布鲁特斯，他有两个儿子。那个被逐出城去的国王塔克文密谋回到罗马，想再次登上王位。他很有本事，说服了一些罗马人来协助他。说来也怪，罗马新任执政官老布鲁特斯的两个儿子竟然也被他说服了。

老布鲁特斯发现了这个阴谋，并且得知了自己的两个儿子竟然也是塔克文同谋的消息。于是，老布鲁特斯便将两个儿子全都送上了审判台。他们被判有罪；尽管他们是自己的亲生儿子，但老布鲁特斯还是命令执束杆侍从将两人处死，就像对待其他背叛罗马的人一样。

塔克文用这种方法回到罗马的阴谋没有得逞。第二年，他又故伎重施。这一次，

together an army of his neighbors,the Etruscans,and with this army he attacked Rome.

Now,there was a wooden bridge across the Tiber River,which separated the Etruscans from the city of Rome. In order to keep the Etruscans from crossing into the city,a Roman named Horatius,who had already lost one eye in fighting for Rome,gave orders to have this bridge broken down.

While the bridge was being chopped down,Horatius,with two of his friends,stood on the far side of the bridge and fought back the whole Etruscan army. When the bridge was cracking under the blows of the Roman soldiers,Horatius ordered his two friends to run quickly to the other side before the bridge fell.

Then Horatius,all by himself,kept the enemy back until at last the bridge crashed into the river. Horatius then jumped into the water with all his armor on and swam toward the Roman shore.Though arrows the Etruscans shot were falling all around him,and though his armor weighed him down,he reached the other side safely.Even the Etruscans were thrilled at his bravery,and,enemies though they were,they cheered him loudly.

There is a very famous poem called Horatius at the Bridge,which describes this brave deed.

A few years after Horatius,there lived another Roman named Cincinnatus. He was only a simple farmer with a little farm on the bank of the Tiber,but he was very wise and good,and the people of Rome honored and trusted him.

One day when an enemy was about to attack the city—for in those days there always

他从邻国伊特鲁里亚人那里招募了一支军队，并率领着这支军队开始攻打罗马。

当时，在隔开伊特鲁里亚人和罗马城的台伯河上，有一座木桥。为了不让伊特鲁里亚人过河攻进城来，一位叫作贺雷修斯、曾经在为罗马而战斗的过程中失去了一只眼睛的罗马人，便下令将这座桥毁掉。

就在罗马人砍倒木桥的过程中，贺雷修斯和他的两个朋友站在木桥的那一端，与整支伊特鲁里亚大军战斗。当木桥在罗马士兵的全力猛击下开始破裂后，贺雷修斯便命令他的那两位朋友赶紧趁着桥还没垮的时候跑过桥去。

然后，贺雷修斯便孤身一人阻挡敌军，直到木桥最终垮塌，掉进河里。接下来，贺雷修斯纵身一跃，带着全副铠甲跳进河里，游向罗马城那边的河岸。尽管伊特鲁里亚军队射出的乱箭如雨点般地落在他的四周，尽管身上沉重的铠甲让他的身子不住地往下沉，但他最终还是安全地游到了对岸。虽然彼此是敌人，但伊特鲁里亚人也叹服他的勇猛，都大声为他欢呼。

后来，有人还写了一首非常著名的诗歌，叫作《桥头的贺雷修斯》，描述了他的这一英勇事迹。

贺雷修斯去世几年之后，罗马又出了一个名叫辛辛纳图斯的人物。他原本只是一个农民，在台伯河岸边有一个小小的农庄；可他非常聪明、善良，罗马城里的人都尊重他、信任他。

有一天，当一支敌军正准备攻打罗马时，罗马人必须选出一位领袖和将军来；在那个时候，似乎到处都有敌人，而敌人也似乎总有各种各样的借口来攻打罗马。

seemed to be enemies everywhere ready to attack Rome on any excuse—the people had to have a leader and a general. They thought of Cincinnatus and went and asked him to be dictator.

Now,a dictator was the name they gave to a man who in a case of sudden danger was called upon to command the army and in fact all the people during the time of the danger. Cincinnatus left his plow,went with the people to the city,got together an army,went out and defeated the enemy,and returned to Rome,all in twenty-four hours！

The people were so much pleased with the quick and decisive way in which Cincinnatus had saved Rome that they wanted him to keep right on being their general in time of peace. Even though they hated kings so much,they would have made him king if he would have accepted.

But Cincinnatus did not want any such thing. His duty done,he wanted to return to his wife and humble home and his little farm.In spite of what many would have thought a wonderful chance,he did go back to his plow,choosing to be just a simple farmer instead of being king.

The city of Cincinnati in Ohio is named after a society which was founded in honor of this old Roman,who lived nearly five hundred years before Christ.

罗马人想到了辛辛纳图斯，便请他来担任独裁官。

注意，“独裁官”是罗马人在紧急情况下推举一个人出来，并且要求这个人指挥军队，实际上是在这一危险时期内指挥罗马全国民众时，给这个人所加的头衔。于是，辛辛纳图斯放下了自己的铧犁，跟着人们进入罗马城，召集起了一支军队，出城打败了敌人，然后又返回了罗马；这一切，全都是在24个小时里做到的呢！

对于辛辛纳图斯如此迅捷、如此果断地挽救了罗马，古罗马的民众都非常满意，于是他们希望辛辛纳图斯在和平时期能够继续担任他们的将军。尽管罗马人都非常憎恶国王，但要是辛辛纳图斯答应的话，他们也情愿拥立他为国王。

可辛辛纳图斯根本不想要这些东西。完成了自己的使命之后，他便想要回到妻子身边，回到他那个简陋的家和小小的农庄里去。尽管许多人会觉得这是一个千载难逢的机会，可他却决定做一位普通的农民，而不去做国王，因而解甲归田了。

美国俄亥俄州的辛辛纳提市，就是根据一个社团的名称而命名的；而那个社团，则为了纪念辛辛纳图斯这位生活在公元前500年左右的古罗马人而成立的。