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SCENES FROM THE SEVEN YEARS' WAR ............................................ 121 Permission to use Heritage History documents or images for commercial THE PATRIOTS OF THE TYROL ............................................................ 126 purposes, or more information about our collection of traditional history resources THE OLD EMPIRE AND THE NEW ........................................................ 132 can be obtained by contacting us at [email protected] Original Copyright 1904 by Charles Morris 2 Distributed by Heritage History 2009 CHAPTER I arts, and taking their sons into the imperial army. All went ill when he sought to hasten his work by acts of oppression, leading his forces across the Weser into the land of the Cherusci, HERMAN THE HERO OF GERMANY enforcing there the rigid Roman laws, and chastising and executing free-born Germans for deeds which in their creed were In the days of Augustus, the emperor of Rome in its not crimes. Varus, who had at first made himself loved by his golden age of prosperity, an earnest effort was made to subdue kindness, now made himself hated by his severity. The Germans and civilize barbarian Germany. Drusus, the step-son of the brooded over their wrongs, awed by the Roman army, which emperor, led the first army of invasion into this forest-clad land consisted of thirty thousand picked men, strongly intrenched, of the north, penetrating deeply into the country and building their camps being impregnable to their undisciplined foes. Yet numerous forts to guard his conquests. His last invasion took the high-spirited barbarians felt that this army was but an him as far as the Elbe. Here, as we are told, he found himself entering wedge, and that, if not driven out, their whole country confronted by a supernatural figure, in the form of a woman, would gradually be subdued. who waved him back with lofty and threatening air, saying, "How much farther wilt thou advance, insatiable Drusus? It is A patriot at length arose among the Cherusci, determined not thy lot to behold all these countries. Depart hence! the term to free his country from the intolerable Roman yoke. He was a of thy deeds and of thy life is at hand." Drusus retreated, and handsome and athletic youth, Arminius, or Hermann as the died on his return. Germans prefer to name him, of noble descent, and skilled alike in the arts of war and of oratory, his eloquence being equal to his Tiberius, his brother, succeeded him, and went far to courage. He was one of the sons of the Germans who had served complete the conquest he had begun. Germany seemed destined in the Roman armies, and had won there such distinction as to to become a Roman province. The work of conquest was gain the honors of knighthood and citizenship. Now, perceiving followed by efforts to civilize the free-spirited barbarians, clearly the subjection that threatened his countrymen, and filled which, had they been conducted wisely, might have led to with an ardent love of liberty, he appeared among them, and success. One of the Roman governors, Sentius, prefect of the quickly filled their dispirited souls with much of his own Rhine, treated the people so humanely that many of them courage and enthusiasm. At midnight meetings in the depths of adopted the arts and customs of Rome, and the work of the forests a conspiracy against Varus and his legions was overcoming their barbarism was well begun. He was succeeded planned, Hermann being the chosen leader of the perilous in this office by Varus, a friend and confidant of the emperor, enterprise. but a man of very different character, and one who not only lacked military experience and mental ability, but utterly It was not long before this conspiracy was revealed. The misunderstood the character of the people he was dealing with. German control over the Cherusci had been aided by Segestus, a They might be led, they could not be driven into civilization, as treacherous chief, whose beautiful and patriotic daughter, the new prefect was to learn. Thusnelda, had given her hand in marriage to Hermann, against her father's will. Filled with revengeful anger at this action, and All went well as long as Varus remained peacefully in hoping to increase his power, Segestus told the story of the his head-quarters, erecting markets, making the natives familiar secret meetings, which he had discovered, to Varus, and bade with the attractive wares of Rome, instructing them in civilized him beware, as a revolt against him might at any moment break Original Copyright 1904 by Charles Morris 3 Distributed by Heritage History 2009 out. He spoke to the wrong man. Pride in the Roman power and A frightful storm was raging. The mountain torrents, scorn of that of the Germans had deeply infected the mind of swollen by the downpour of rain, over—flowed their banks and Varus, and he heard with incredulous contempt this story that the invaded the passes, along which the Romans, encumbered with barbarians contemplated rising against the best trained legions of baggage, were wearily dragging onward in broken columns. Rome. Suddenly, to the roar of winds and waters, was added the