Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1867-08-08
MARTHUR, ,

By request, we copy from "Pen-
nock's Improved Edition of Gold
smiths Abridgment Of the History of
Rome" portion Of Section Il, Chap
ter XII--[see pages Ill, l12, and 1911
-as follows sli
APPIUs, sitting ono d,ty on-fis tribu-
nal to dispense justice, saw maidenl
Of exquisite beauty, aged about fifteen,
passing to one Of the public schools,
attended by a matron, her nurse. The
charms of the damsel, heighted by all
the innocence of Virgin modesty,
caught his attention, and fred his
heart The day following, as she
passed, he found her still more beauti-
| full, and his breast still more inhamed.
He now, therefore, resolved to obtain
the qualification of his passion, what
ever should be the consequence, and
found means to inform himself Of the
maiden S name and family. Her name
was Virginia; she was the daughter
of Virginius, a centurion, then with the
army in the field, and had been CON
tracted to Icilius, formerly a tribune
of the people, who had agreed to mar
ry her at the end Of the present cam
paign. fa
Appius at first resolved to break off
this match, and to espouse her him
self; but the laws of the Twelve Tables
had forbidden the patriciaps to inter
mrrry with the plebeians, and he could
not infringe these, as he was the en-
actor of them, He determined, there
fore, to make her his slave. After
having yainly tried to corrupt the fl
deity of her nurse, he had recourse
to another expedient still more wick
ed. He fixed upon one Claudius, who
had long been the minister of his
crimes, to assert that the beautiful
maid was his slave, and to refer the
cause to Appiuss tribunal for decision.
Claudius behaved exactly according to
his Instructions; for, taking with him
q band of ruflans like himself, he en-
tered into the public school, where
Virginia was found among her female
companions, and selling upon her un-
der pretence that she was the daugh-
\ ter Of one Of his slaves, was dragging
her away, when he was prevented by
the people, drawn together by her
cries. AT length, after the first heat
Of opposition was over, he led the
weeping virgin to the tribunal of Ap-
plus, and there plausibly exposed his
pretensions. Claudius asserted that
she was bornin his house, Of a female
slave, who sold her to the wife of Yir-
ginius, who had been childless. That
Ihe. had credible evidences to prove the
truth Of what he had advanced; but
that, until they could come together,
lit was but reasonable the slave should
be delivered into his custody, he being
her proper master, Appius pretend
ed to be struck with the justice of his
claim; he observed, that if the reputed
father himself were present, he might
indeed be willing to delay the deliv-
cry of the maid; but that it was not
lawful for him, in the present case, to
detain her from her master, He, there
fore, adjudged her to Claudius, as his
slave, to be kept by him till Virginius
should arrive, and be able to prove his
paternity. This sentence was receiv-
ed with loud clamours and reproaches
by the multitude, particularly the wo-
men, who came around the innocent
! Virginia, desirous to protect her from
the judges fury; while Icilius, her
lover, boldly opposed the decree, and
obliged Claudius to take refuge under
the tribunal of the decemvir. All
things now threatened an open insur-
rection, when Appius, fearing the
event, thought proper to suspend his
Judgment, under pretence of waiting
the arrival of Virginius, who was then
about eleven miles from Rome, with
the army. The day following was
fixed for the trial. In the mean time
IAppius privately sent letters to the
general to confne Virginius, as his ar
rival in town might only serve to kin
die sedition among the people. These
letters, however, being intercepted by
the centdrion's friends, they sent him
a full relation of the design laid against
his liberty and the honor Of his only
daughter. Virginius, upon this, pre-
tending the death of near relation,
got permission to leave the camp, and
hastened to Rome, inspired with in
dignation and revenge. Accordingly,
the next day, to the astonishment of
Appius, he appeared before the tribu-
nal, leading his weeping daughter by
the hand, both Of them lhabited in
deep mourning. Claudius, theaccuser,
began by making his demand Yir-
ginius next spoke in turn. he repre-
sented, that, if he had had intentions
of adopting a suppositious child, he
would have fixed upon a boy rather
than girl; that it was notorious to
all, that his wife had herself nrrsed
this daughter; and that it was sur
lprising such claim should be made
aften fifteen years silence; and not