And darkly at the foe.
"Their van will be upon us
Before the bridge goes down;
And if they once may win the bridge, 215
What hope to save the town?"


XXVII

Then out spake brave Horatius,
The Captain of the Gate:
"To every man upon this earth
Death cometh soon or late, 220
And how can man die better
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And the temples of his Gods,


XXVIII

And for the tender mother 225
Who dandled him to rest,
And for the wife that nurses
His baby at her breast,
And for the holy maidens[40]
Who feed the eternal flame, 230
To save them from false Sextus
That wrought the deed of shame?"