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"Then out spake brave Horatius The captain of the gate To every man upon this earth death cometh soon or late And how can man die better Than facing fearful odds for the ashes of his fathers And the temples of his gods." Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay's classic collection of four lays describe heroic episodes from ancient Roman history. They are a delightful literary adventure which allow the reader to enjoy a high point in European culture while learning some incredible details of Roman history. The first two poems describe famous conflicts which led to the creation of the Republic: the story of Horatio's defense of the bridge over the Tiber, and the Battle of Lake Regillus (where the Etruscan King Tarquinius was defeated). The third lay tells the story of the Plebeian uprising against their near-slave conditions, and the fourth tells of the Pyrrhic and Punic Wars. These masterpieces of literary writing were so highly regarded that they were required reading in British public schools for more than a hundred years-until they were deliberately replaced by the current "dumbed-down" anti-European curricula found in Western schools today. This edition contains the author's original introduction and his overview of each lay.

The Lays of Ancient Rome consists of four narrative poems invoking historic episodes from Roman legends that were strongly moral in tone, exemplifying Roman virtue against Latine betrayal. They are a delightful literary adventure which allow the reader to enjoy a high point in European culture while learning some incredible details of Roman history. The first two poems describe famous conflicts which led to the creation of the Republic: the story of Horatio’s defense of the bridge over the Tiber, and the Battle of Lake Regillus. The third lay tells the story of the Plebeian uprising against their near-slave conditions, and the fourth tells of the Pyrrhic and Punic Wars. These masterpieces were so highly regarded that they were required reading in British public schools for more than a hundred years—until they were replaced by the “accessible” anti-European curricula.

"Lays of Ancient Rome" by Baron Thomas Babington Macaulay Macaulay. Published by Good Press. Good Press publishes a wide range of titles that encompasses every genre. From well-known classics & literary fiction and non-fiction to forgotten−or yet undiscovered gems−of world literature, we issue the books that need to be read. Each Good Press edition has been meticulously edited and formatted to boost readability for all e-readers and devices. Our goal is to produce eBooks that are user-friendly and accessible to everyone in a high-quality digital format.

That what is called the history of the Kings and early Consuls of Rome is to a great extent fabulous, few scholars have, since the time of Beaufort, ventured to deny. It is certain that, more than three hundred and sixty years after the date ordinarily assigned for the foundation of the city, the public records were, with scarcely an exception, destroyed by the Gauls. It is certain that the oldest annals of the commonwealth were compiled more than a century and a half after this destruction of the records. It is certain, therefore, that the great Latin writers of the Augustan age did not possess those materials, without which a trustworthy account of the infancy of the republic could not possibly be framed. Those writers own, indeed, that the chronicles to which they had access were filled with battles that were never fought, and Consuls that were never inaugurated; and we have abundant proof that, in these chronicles, events of the greatest importance, such as the issue of the war with Porsena and the issue of the war with Brennus, were grossly misrepresented. Under these circumstances a wise man will look with great suspicion on the legend which has come down to us. He will perhaps be inclined to regard the princes who are said to have founded the civil and religious institutions of Rome, the sons of Mars, and the husband of Egeria, as mere mythological personages, of the same class with Perseus and Ixion. As he draws nearer to the confines of authentic history, he will become less and less hard of belief. He will admit that the most important parts of the narrative have some foundation in truth. But he will distrust almost all the details, not only because they seldom rest on any solid evidence, but also because he will constantly detect in them, even when they are within the limits of physical possibility, that peculiar character, more easily understood than defined, which distinguishes the creations of the imagination from the realities of the world in which we live.

Lays of Ancient Rome is a collection of narrative poems, or lays, by Thomas Babington Macaulay. Four of these recount heroic episodes from early Roman history with strong dramatic and tragic themes, giving the collection its name. Macaulay also included two poems inspired by recent history: Ivry (1824) and The Armada (1832).The Lays were composed by Macaulay in his thirties, during his spare time while he was the "legal member" of the Governor-General of India's Supreme Council from 1834 to 1838. The Roman ballads are preceded by brief introductions, discussing the legends from a scholarly perspective. Macaulay explains that his intention was to write poems resembling those that might have been sung in ancient times.The Lays were first published by Longman in 1842, at the beginning of the Victorian Era. They became immensely popular, and were a regular subject of recitation, then a common pastime. The Lays were standard reading in British public schools for more than a century. Winston Churchill memorised them while at Harrow School, in order to show that he was capable of mental prodigies, notwithstanding his lacklustre academic performance.It's a very Victorian collection of poetry: there is more blood, honor, guts, and glory in a sterner, straighter telling than you would get from a modern author. At the same time, there are entire stanzas that just give you a view of the countryside -- nothing else. And the stories are unforgettable.

The desire of the reader of these poems should be to gain as lively a sense as possible of the civilization, the manners, the customs, and the ideals of Ancient Rome, and also to respond to the thrilling style in which Macaulay made the events dramatic. In The Lays of Ancient Rome the poet became an impassioned champion of patriotism and a revealer of the sturdy gifts of the orator who speaks, impromptu, on a subject near his heart. The lays should be read early in the pupils course in literature, for the fiery sweep of Macaulay spopular measure, the excitement of his narrative, and the brilliant picturesqueness of his allusions, win the loyal admiration of young readers, and teach them many truths of history and of literature. It will be a comparatively simple matter to lead students on from the metallic charm of Macaulay sverse to the more genuinely melodious and imaginative beauty ofT he Ancient Mariner-, or of VA llegro, or of the lyrics inT he Golden Treasury. The arrangement of notes in this volume will be clear at a glance. Geographical names are treated briefly in foot-notes, the aim being to suggest the district in which each town was, and thus to state whether it was, or was not, near Rome. Students can find the exact location by referring to the map. The notes explanatory of the text do not contain comment upon purely poetic values, for all suggestions in regard to the study and appreciation of Macaulay sart have been grouped together (page 106), in the belief that pupils will gain more literary insight if they are made to study the poetry in unified fashion, viewing the subject of poetics systematically.(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)About the Publisher Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.Forgotten Books' Classic Repri