COURAGE - Marcius Gaius And The Roman Virility Courageous ma | ViriliHyperborum
COURAGE - Marcius Gaius And The Roman Virility
Courageous manliness is personified in the story of Gaius Mucius, a noble Roman youth from the early Republic.
An Etruscan king named Porsenna had besieged Rome by garrisoning his soldiers around the city.
Gaius Mucius asked the Roman senators for permission to slip into the Etruscan camp and kill Porsenna. He killed Porsenna’s secretary by mistake, and he was captured by the king’s bodyguards. Gaius Mucius said to the king:
“I am Gaius Mucius, a citizen of Rome. I came here as an enemy to kill my enemy, and I am as ready to die as I am to kill. We Romans act bravely and, when adversity strikes, we suffer bravely. Nor am I the only one who feels this way; behind me stands a line of those who seek the same honour.”
Porsenna threatened to throw Gaius Mucius into the fire. Gaius Mucius responded by thrusting his own hand into the fire. As his hand burned, he said:
“Look upon me and realize what a paltry thing the body is for those who seek great glory.”
