rtant city of the Volscian nation, with
which Rome then was at war. The consul Cominius was besieging it, and
the Volscians, fearing it might be taken, gathered from all quarters,
meaning to fight a battle under the city walls, and so place the Romans
between two fires. Cominius divided his army, and led one part of it to
fight the relieving force, leaving Titus Lartius, a man of the noblest
birth in Rome, to continue the siege with the rest of his troops. The
garrison of Corioli, despising the small numbers of their besiegers,
attacked them and forced them to take shelter within their camp. But
there Marcius with a few followers checked their onset, slew the
foremost, and with a loud voice called on the Romans to rally. He was,
as Cato said a soldier should be, not merely able to deal weighty blows,
but struck terror into his enemies by the loud tones of his voice and
his martial appearance, so that few dared to stand their ground before
him. Many soldiers rallied round him and forced the enemy to retreat;
but he, not satisfied with this, followed them close and drove them in
headlong flight back to the city. On arriving there, although he saw
that the Romans were slackening their pursuit as many missiles were
aimed at them from the city walls, and none of them thought of daring to
enter together with the fugitives into a city full of armed men, yet he
stood and cheered them on, loudly telling them that fortune had opened
the city gates as much to the pursuers as to the pursued. Few cared to
follow him, but he, forcing his way through the crowd of fugitives,
entered the city with them, none daring at first to withstand him. Soon,
when the enemy saw how few of the Romans were within the gates, they
rallied and attacked them. Marcius, in the confused mass of friends and
foes, fought with incredible strength, swiftness, and courage,
overthrowing all whom he attacked, driving some to the further parts of
the town, and forcing others to lay down their arms, so that Lartius was
able to march the rest of the Roman army into the gates unmolested.

IX. When the city was taken, the greater part of the soldiers fell to
plundering it, which greatly vexed Marcius. He loudly exclaimed that it
was a disgraceful thing, when the consul was on the point of engaging
with the enemy, that they should be plundering, or, on the pretext of
plunder, keeping themselves safe out of harm's way. Few paid any
attention to him, but with those few he