BOOK XXII. III. 5-iv. 8 



and in emba.ssies. At any rate both names mean 

 the same thing, that is, a turf from the citadel pulled 

 up with its own earth ; and on every occasion when 

 envoys were sent to the enemy to perform clarigatio,'^ 

 that is to demand in loud tones the restitution of 

 plundered property, one in particular was called 

 vervain bearer. 



IV. No crown indeed has been a higher honour crotpns, 

 than the crown of grass among the rewards for ^l',*^""'/'' 

 glorious deeds given by the sovereign people, lords gTass. 

 of the earth. Jewelled crowns, golden crowns, 

 crowns for scaling enemy ramparts or walls, or for 

 boardinff men of-war, the civic crown for savinff the 

 life of a citizen, the triumph crown — these were 

 instituted later than this grass crown, and all differ 

 from it greatly, in distinction as in character. All 

 the others have been given by individuals and 

 personally by generals and commanders to their 

 soldiers, or occasionally to their coUeagues, or have 

 been decreed in triumphs by a Senate freed from 

 the anxiety of war and by a people enjoying peace ; 

 the grass crown has never been conferred except 

 upon the leader of a forlorn hope, being voted only 

 by the whole army and only to him who rescued it. 

 The other crowns have been conferred by com- 

 manders, this alone on a commander by his soldiers. 

 The same crown is called the siege crown when a 

 whole camp has been relieved and saved from awful 

 destruction. But if the civic crown is deemed a 

 glorious and hallowed distinction because the life 

 has been saved of only one and even maybe the 

 lowliest citizen, what, pray, ought to be thought of 

 the preservation of a whole army by the courage of 

 one man ? This crown used to be made from green 



299 



