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On the appearance of the enemy the country people fled into the City as best they could. The weak places in the defenses were occupied by military posts; elsewhere the walls and the Tiber were deemed sufficient protection. The enemy would have forced their way over the Sublician bridge had it not been for one man, Horatio Cocles. The good fortune of Rome provided him as her bulwark on that memorable day. He happened to be on guard at the bridge when he saw the Janiculum taken by a sudden assault and the enemy rushing down from it to the river, whilst his own men, a panic-struck mob, were deserting their posts and throwing away their arms. He reproached them one after another for their cowardice, tried to stop them, appealed to them in heaven's name to stand, declared that it was in vain for them to seek safety in flight whilst leaving the bridge open behind them, there would very soon be more of the enemy on the Palatine and the Capitol than there were on the Janiculum.
So he shouted to them to break down the bridge by sword or fire, or by whatever means they could, he would meet the enemies' attack so far as one man could keep them at bay. He advanced to the head of the bridge. Amongst the fugitives, whose backs alone were visible to the enemy, he was conspicuous as he fronted them armed for fight at close quarters. The enemy were astounded at his preternatural courage. Two men were kept by a sense of shame from deserting him, Spurius Lartius and Titus Herminius, both of them men of high birth and renowned courage.
With them he sustained the first tempestuous shock and wild confused onset, for a brief interval. Then, whilst only a small portion of the bridge remained and those who were cutting it down called upon them to retire, he insisted upon these, too, retreating. Looking round with eyes dark with menace upon the Etruscan chiefs, he challenged them to single combat, and reproached them all with being the slaves of tyrant kings, and whilst unmindful of their own liberty coming to attack that of others.
For some time they hesitated, each looking round upon the others to begin. At length shame roused them to action, and raising a shout they hurled their javelins from all sides on their solitary foe. He caught them on his outstretched shield, and with unshaken resolution kept his place on the bridge with firmly planted foot. They were just attempting to dislodge him by a charge when the crash of the broken bridge and the shout which the Romans raised at seeing the work completed stayed the attack by filling them with sudden panic.
Then Cocles said, "Tiberinus, holy father, I pray thee to receive into thy propitious stream these arms and this thy warrior." So, fully armed, he leaped into the Tiber, and though many missiles fell over him he swam across in safety to his friends: an act of daring more famous than credible with posterity.
The State showed its gratitude for such courage; his statue was set up in the Comitium and as much land given to him as he could drive the plough round in one day. Besides this public honor, the citizens individually showed their feeling; for, in spite of the great scarcity, each, in proportion to his means, sacrificed what he could from his own store as a gift to Cocles.
Livy’s account of Horatio Cocles tells the tale of a heroic stand against tremendous odds. It is like the story of the three-hundred Spartans at Thermopylae, where a small number of heroes fended off a numerically-superior enemy.
Horatio is part of a larger story. Rome becomes a democracy, and its consuls unseat the King. He goes to the Etruscans and plots with their leader, Lars Porsena. It is during Porsena’s attack that Horatio comes into the story. To protect Rome, the army must prevent the Etruscans from crossing the bridge over the Tiber River.
The army takes to its heels, leaving Horatio to fight, he is joined by only two other men. The heroic soldier tells the other troops to destroy the bridge. As things worsen, he tells the two men standing with him to flee. The Horatio holds off the Etruscans until the bridge has been destroyed. He calls of the God of the River and jumps in.
Horatio is a tale of honor and duty. He is the hero who puts the greater good above his own safety. When others flee in terror, he stands. His bravery frightens his enemies and inspires the heroes among his own troops.
Why does this simple story evoke such a strong feeling? Horatio is every hero. He comes, he stands, he holds until the city is safe. He is every fireman who has ever rushed into a burning building, He is the policeman going to stop a robbery. He is the soldier fending off an enemy assault. Perhaps there should be a statue of Horatio in every firehouse, police station and barracks.
There is a divine quality to Horatio. In the midst of a retreat, he emerges from nowhere. He is one man with a sense of purpose. Single-handedly he comes to the fore with a single mission: hold that bridge. The safety of thousands rests on the heroic stand of this one man. In that moment, Horatio is more than human.
When the trouble is ended and the city is safe, Horatio calls on the God of the River. He disappears in the Waters. What comes to mind immediately is Excalibur returning to the lake. Having served his purpose, Horatio returns to that mysterious place to await his next mission.
The Roman write Livy says that Horatio survived his swim. Polybius’ version claims he disappeared. Did he ever exist, or was he invented? That is hard to say. What we have is a simple tale of bravery that continues to inspire.
Horatio is the soldier of the Tyr Rune, the hero of the Sig Rune and the dweller in the water as in Lagu. His is a simple story of personal greatness at a time of danger.
(By the way, "Cocles" refers to one eye. It is etymologically related to "cyclops." Perhaps it is just part of Horatio's legend, but the "one eyed" reference is sure to pique curiosity due to its similarity to Odin.)
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