us we fought with
you till ye were weary, so here also we will give you such entertainment
as ye shall little like." Then said Metius, "Art thou willing, then, in
the meanwhile, while the day on which ye will make so mighty a stir is
yet coming, to fight here with me, that from the issue of our meeting
all men may know by how much a Latin horseman is better than a horseman
of the Romans?" Thereupon anger, or shame that he should seem to shrink
from such combat, or, it may be, the will of fate, that none may escape,
stirred the young man's haughty spirit, so that, taking no account of
his father's commands or of the decree of the Consuls, he thrust himself
headlong into a combat in which it mattered but little whether he was
vanquished or no. The other horsemen removed themselves far off to look
at the combat, leaving a space of clear ground for the two, who,
driving their horses over the plain, met in the midst with their spears
levelled. The spear of Metius crossed the horse's neck of Manlius, and
the spear of Manlius passed above the head of the Latin. After this they
wheeled their horses about, and Manlius, rising first to deal a second
blow, smote the horse of the Latin between the ears; and when the horse
felt the wound he reared himself upon his hind legs and shook off his
rider; and when the man, sorely shaken by so grievous a fall, would have
raised himself by help of his shield and spear, the Roman smote him with
his spear in the throat, so that the point came out through his ribs,
making him fast to the earth. Then Manlius gathered the spoils from the
dead man, and rode back to the camp, his squadron following him with
great joy. Being come to the camp, he went to the general's tent,
knowing not what fate awaited him or whether he had earned praise or
punishment. Then he said to his father, "I desired that all men should
know that I am truly thy son; and therefore, having been challenged to
combat, I fought, and now bring back these spoils from the enemy whom I
slew." But the Consul, so soon as he heard these words, turning his
face from his son, commanded that the bugle should be sounded and the
soldiers called to an assembly. And when the men had come together in
great numbers, he said, "Titus Manlius, thou hast had no respect to
the authority of the Consuls or to the dignity of thy father, and,
disobeying our decree, hast fought with the enemy elsewhere than in
thy place, loosening thereby, so far as in thee