Mucius Scævola - Dumont the Roman

The action takes place in the early days of the Republic, during the wars with the Etruscans, to whom the Tarquins driven out of Rome by Brutus have taken refuge. Gaius Mucius, a young patrician, enters Porsenna's camp, which is besieging Rome, and seeks to kill the king. But he makes a mistake and murders his secretary, shown here in the left foreground lying on the steps. Undaunted, Mucius declares to Porsenna that all Roman youth is behind him, ready to murder him, and to prove his bravery he places his hand on a lit stove for a sacrifice. Upset, Porsenna lets him go and soon makes peace with the Romans. Mucius was then nicknamed Scaevola, the Left-Handed Man.