Page:The Children's Plutarch, Romans.djvu/40

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TALES OF THE ROMANS

now useful, and making new ones. We should respect the names of good statesmen, such as Pericles, the Greek; Cæsar, the Roman; William the Silent, the Dutchman; Oliver Cromwell, the Englishman; George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

WHY THE ROMANS BORE PAIN

A ROMAN slave went into a dark room in search of something that was needed by his master. The room was a place for lumber. Pieces of old furniture stood here and there.

The slave was about to leave the chamber when he heard soft footsteps and voices that whispered. A group of young men, whom he could only just see in the dim light, entered the room, looking behind them as if to make sure that no eye saw them.

“No one will see us here,” said one of the young men.

The slave hid himself at the back of a large chest. He held his breath as he peeped at the men and watched their deeds.

“Have you brought the blood?” asked one voice.

“It is here in a cup,” replied another.

“Are we all here?”

“We are—Titus, the son of Brutus; Tiberius, his brother; and the rest.”

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