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Rh

And now the kings, their conflict o'er,

Stand up in arms Jove's shrine before,

From goblets pour the sacred wine,

And make their peace o'er bleeding swine."

The doom of Mettius the Alban, and the keeping of the Tiber bridge by Horatius against Lars Porsena, occupy the two next compartments. Next comes the defence of the Capitol against the Gauls by Manlius:—

A silver goose in gilded walls

With flapping wings announced the Gauls;

And through the wood the invaders crept,

And climbed the height while others slept.

Golden their hair on head and chin:

Gold collars deck their milk-white skin:

Short cloaks with colours checked

Shine on their backs: two spears each wields

Of Alpine make: and oblong shields

Their brawny limbs protect."

In the succeeding compartments are wrought the procession of the Salii with the sacred shields, and the regions of the world below, where Catiline lies in torment, while Cato has his portion with the just. And within the whole, round the umbo or boss of the shield, there runs a sea of molten gold in which sport silver dolphins, framing the centre design—the glories of Augustus:—

There in the midmost meet the sight

The embattled fleets, the Actian fight:

Leucate flames with warlike show,

And golden-red the billows glow.