Horatius, << hoh RAY shuhs or hoh RAH tee uhs >> , was a legendary Roman hero. In 509 B.C., Rome overthrew its foreign king and founded the Roman Republic. The Etruscan army, seeking to reestablish the monarchy, advanced to the bank of the Tiber River. Horatius and two companions, Lartius and Herminius, defended the bridge that led across the river to Rome. As they fought the invaders, other Romans chopped down the bridge behind them. His friends ran back just in time, but Horatius held off the Etruscans until the bridge fell. He then jumped into the Tiber and swam to safety. Horatius is sometimes known as Horatius Cocles (one-eyed). His story appears in Thomas Macaulay’s Lays of Ancient Rome, a collection of poems about ancient Roman heroes.
