distinguished in all the battles that have taken place? Has he ever returned to Rome without <hr>
bringing back trophies from his enemies or without being covered in their blood or his own? This, <hr>
Volumnia, this, Romans, was my dear Coriolan. In all the warfare he led, he was never defeated, except <hr>
by myself. Even the Volscians deemed him worthy <hr>
to be their commander thanks to and because he was the one who forced them to give up their victory <hr>
at Corioles when they were on the verge of winning despite the resistance of Lartius. He- <hr>
himself, when he attacked the city of Corioles, was valiantly pushed back by the besieged, which <hr>
forced all our troops to flee and spread chaos in our army. It was in this battle <hr>
where his passion for the glory of the Roman Empire drove him to push beyond his own strength, and <hr>
through his encouragement and combativeness, he forced some of our soldiers to stand against <hr>
the enemy. His will was so victorious that he pushed the enemy back to the foot of the city walls <hr>
And not yet satisfied with this remarkable action, he convinced those who followed him <hr>
to take advantage of the fact that the gates of Corioles were open to welcome the fleeing soldiers to <hr>
boldly enter. <hr>
        However, seeing that their fear was stronger than his words and that they were thinking <hr>
more about withdrawing than fighting, the poor man I mourn did not give up on his <hr>
strategy and returned to Corioles. That's where he found himself almost alone fighting all <hr>
the inhabitants of a city who were desperately fighting. There, his bravery sowed <hr>
terror among the enemies, his example reinstated courage in our troops and through the <hr>
force of his arm, he led them into this fortified city and finally made them victorious <hr>
over those who had recently pushed them back. Therefore, it was solely due to the bravery of <hr>
Coriolan that Lartius had time to gather his troops to reap the victory's trophies, <hr>
by finishing what he had so boldly started. But aware that Consul Cominius, who commanded the other half of the Roman army, might face <hr>
enemies coming to defend the city he captured, he reproached his troops for not wanting to share the danger with him and indulging themselves in the <hr>
spoils he had acquired instead of aiding Cominius. After witnessing the cowardice of the <hr>
looters, he left them behind. He was followed only by those who wished to accompany him, although <hr>
they were not numerous. He then hurried in search of a new opportunity to <hr>
demonstrate his valor. He arrived at the camp just when Cominius was about to <hr>
engage the enemy. His appearance, covered in dust and blood, caused alarm in Consul Cominius. But hardly had he recounted the feat he had just accomplished when the <hr>
news of this first victory presaged the second. All the soldiers regained their <hr>
battle courage, hope and joy were visible on their faces, and just looking at them, you could see <hr>
that the fear that had seized them had dissipated from their hearts. As for my son, he would have <hr>
been pained to see someone else serve the Republic better that day. After asking <hr>
the consul which were the hardest enemy troops, and learning that those <hr>
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                                                      85<hr>