 He learned and recited all 1,200 lines of the English poem Horatius about the ancient Roman hero who defended the Republic from the invasion. And the most famous stanza of Horatius is, Then out spake brave Horatius to the captain of the gate. To every man upon this earth, death cometh soon or late. And how can man die better than facing fearful odds for the ashes of his fathers and the temples of his gods?