Spartacus Page #6

you're seeing it now...

would you continue to fiight?

- Yes.

- Knowing that you must lose?

Knowing we can.

All men lose when they die

and all men die.

But a slave and a free man

lose different things.

They both lose life.

When a free man dies,

he loses the pleasure of life.

A slave loses his pain.

Death is the only freedom

a slave knows.

That's why he's not afraid of it.

That's why we'll win.

Spartacus,

that pirate was right.

The garrison of Rome,

they're setting up camp.

- How many are there?

- About six cohorts.

- Where?

- At the mouth of the valley...

against the cliffs.

- Strong camp?

- They have no stockade.

No stockade? Are you sure?

- I'm very sure.

- This campaign is great sport for them.

The Romans are having a picnic.

- Did they see you?

- No! We were hidden.

Maybe we ought to join

this Roman picnic.

Form your men.

Six cohorts.

A lot of arms and weapons...

to build our army with.

Crixus always wanted

to march on Rome.

Now he doesn't have to.

Rome's come to us.

Half this way!

The rest over there.

Stand up, the way

a noble Roman should!

That's Roman pride for you!

That's better.

What's your name?

Marcus Glabrus.

Commander of the garrison

of Rome!

Commander?

He was commanding it on his belly

when we found him, playing dead!

You disappoint me,

Marcus Glabrus.

Playing dead.

You afraid to die?

It's easy to die.

Haven't you seen

enough gladiators in the arena...

to see how easy it is to die?

Of course you have.

What are you going

to do to me?

I don't know.

- What should we do with him?

- Let's have a matched pair, him and me.

I'll not fiight like a gladiator!

You keep staring at this.

Do you recognize this baton?

- Yes!

- You should! It was in your tent.

The symbol of the senate.

All the power of Rome!

That's the power of Rome!

Take that back to your senate.

Tell them you and that broken stick is

all that's left of the garrison of Rome!

Tell them we want nothing

from Rome.

Nothing except our freedom!

All we want is to get out

of this damn country!

We're marching south

to the sea.

And we'll smash every army

they send against us.

Put him on a horse!

Their leader said

their hatred of Rome was such...

that all they wished

was to escape from her rule.

If unopposed, he promised

a peaceful march to the sea.

If opposed, he threatens

to ravage the countryside...

and destroy every legion

sent against him.

And once they get to the sea?

They plan to take ship with Cilician

pirates and return to their homes.

From which port do they

propose to embark?

I don't know.

But city garrisons

can't stand up to them.

If they are to be intercepted,

it's work for the legions!

What sort of a man is

this leader of the slaves?

I don't know.

I think they called him

Spartacus.

Is that name familiar to you?

Yes, it does seem to be.

I can't place it.

After he talked to you,

what happened then?

I was tied to a horse

and lashed out of camp.

How many of your company

escaped?

Fourteen have reported

thus far.

I myself was taken prisoner

in my own command tent.

The camp was thoroughly infiiltrated

before an alarm could be sounded.

Did you surround your camp

with moat and stockade?

No.

We arrived after sunset.

Sentries were posted every ten paces.

There was no reason to expect

an attack by night.

Then again, well, they--

Continue.

They were only slaves.

I see.

I submit that Publius Marcus Glabrus

has disgraced the arms of Rome.

Let the punishment

of the senate be pronounced.

If we punished every commander

who made a fool of himself...

we wouldn't have anyone left

above the rank of centurion.

But this is a case

of criminal carelessness!

Six cohorts have been slaughtered.

Crassus sponsored this young man.

Let him pronounce sentence.

The punishment is well-known!

Let Publius Marcus Glabrus

be denied...

fiire, water,

food and shelter...

for a distance of 400 miles

in all directions from the city of Rome.

One thing more.

Glabrus is my friend, and I will not

dissociate myself from his disgrace.

I now lay down the command

of my legions...

and retire to private life.

Good-bye, Crassus.

This is no time for a man of honour

to withdraw from public affairs!

- Shame, shame!

- Sit down.

This sort of heroic

public behaviour is nothing new!

I've seen it before-- we all have--

and I know the meaning of it!

- Crassus acted on a point of honour!

- Patrician honour!

No matter how noble

this looks from the outside...

I don't like the colour of it.

Crassus is

the only man in Rome...

who hasn't yielded to

republican corruption, and never will!

I'll take some republican corruption

along with some republican freedom...

but I won't take...

the dictatorship of Crassus

and no freedom at all!

That's what he's out for...

and that's why he'll be back.

To the mother that bore me...

to the father that taught me...

to the god--

To the blue woods

and the purple shadows, l--

To blue shadows

and purple woods.

- Spartacus, you frightened me!

- I'm sorry.

- How long have you been there?

- A little while.

Why didn't you say something?

You seemed so happy.

I didn't want to bother you.

I am happy.

Spartacus, I've been trying to remember

the song that Antoninus sang.

Is it blue shadows

and purple woods?

Or is it purple woods

and blue shadows, or what is it?

I want to make love

to my wife!

Spartacus, put me down. I'm--

I don't care.

- You've got, you've--

- Yes?

- You have to be gentle with me.

- Why?

Why, darling?

I'm going to have a baby.

Now put me down.

What?

A baby.

A baby? When?

In the spring.

- How? I mean, how do you know?

- I know.

A baby in the spring.

- I'm gonna have a son.

- But it might be a daughter.

- Why didn't you tell me?

- I just did.

You're cold.

Here, get underneath this.

- Did I hurt you?

- No, you didn't.

- I didn't mean to be so rough.

- Why don't you kiss me?

This is the fiirst time

I was ever going to have a baby.

A baby.

I'm just the same

as I ever was, Spartacus.

I won't break.

These slaves have already cost us

a thousand million sesterces.

If now they want to relieve us

of their unwelcome presence...

in the name of all the gods,

let them go!

Impossible! They've already infected

half of ltaly with this uprising.

If we permit them

to escape now...

this condition will spread

throughout the entire empire.

The Republic...

is still weak

from 20 years of civil strife.

We're engaged in two wars:

one in Spain

and the other in Asia.

Pirates have cut off

our Egyptian grain supply...

and Spartacus raids the commerce

of all south ltaly.

Half the precincts of Rome

are without bread!

The city is close to panic.

There are two things

we must do immediately!

Confiirm Caesar as permanent

commander of the garrison...

and assign two legions...

to intercept and destroy Spartacus

at the city of Metapontum!

If we could only have had

Batiatus in the other pot!

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