let the primus exit the fort alone, silently and with dignity. HONOR AND SHAME Farewell speeches were a common genre within Roman society. Appius’s speech is a composite of other ancient speeches given during this period. Notice how often he refers to honor. Within Roman society (and other societies at this time) the loss, preservation and accumulation of honor were foremost on the mind of most people. Personal honor was important, but how one contributed to corporate honor (the family, the clan—
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