Scævola.

Scævola. CAIUS MUCIUS, a patriotic Roman who, during the siege by Porsena, tried to stab the Etrurian prince, but by mistake killed his secretary. Porsena ordered his would-be assassin to be burned alive; but when the Roman showed his contempt for pain by thrusting his right hand into a blazing fire and holding it there without flinching, Porsena ordered him to go free. By return courtesy Mucius told Porsena he was but the first of a band of 300 who had sworn to slay their country's enemy; and Porsena, startled by the prospect of having to face in succession a band of such reckless men, was, according to the legend, moved to make peace and depart. Mucius received the name of Scævola ('left-handed') in reference to his loss of the right, and proudly handed this cognomen down to his posterity.