Infaelix, vtcun{que} ferent ea fact a minores Haplesse, how ere succeeding times shall ringe.
Howsoeuer his posterity shall ring of the praise of such an act, yet haplesse is he, that giues deathes summons to his owne sonnes: But to giue some solace to his sorrowes, he addeth after all.
Vi•…•…t amor patriae laudum{que} immensa cupido, Conquer'd by countries loue, and lawds high thirst.
Now in Brutus his killing of his owne sonnes, and (c) in beeing killed by Tarquins sonne, whome hee had hurt, and Tarquin himselfe suruiuing him, is not (d) Collatines wrong well reuenged, who beeing so good a cittizen was banished (onely because his name was but Tarq•…•…n) as well as Tarquin the tyrant: (e) It was the name (you say) that was the cause of this: well, hee should haue beene made to change his name then and not to abandon his country. Againe (f) this word would haue beene but little missed in his name, if hee had beene called L. Collatine onely: This therefore was no sufficient cause, why hee, beeing one of the first Consulls, should bee forced to abiure both his honours and his Citie. But is this vniustice being so detestable, and so vse-lesse to the state fit to bee the foundation of Brutus his glory? Did he these things, being Conqu•…•…r'a by our coun∣tries loues, and laudes high thirst? Tarquin beeing expelled, L. •…•…arquin Collatine, Lucraetia's-husband was ioyned Consull with Iunius Brutus: how iustly did the people respect the conditions of the man a•…•…d not the name? But how vniust∣ly did Brutus (hauing powre to depriue him onely of the cause of the offence, his name) in depriuing him both of his country, and place of honour? Thus these euills, thus these thwart effects fell out euen then when things were said to be carried so modestly and so iustly. And (g) Lucraetius, that had Br•…•…tus his place, died ere this yeare ended: So that P. Valerius that succeeded Collatine, and M. Horatius that had Lucraetius his place, ended that Hellish and murderous yeare, which saw it selfe passe by fiue Consulls. This was the yeare, where∣in Rome deuised her platforme of new gouernment, their feares now be∣ginning to surcease, not because they had no warres, but because those they had were but light ones: But the time beeing expired wherein things were mo∣destly and iustly carried, then followed those which Salust doth thus breeflie deliniate. Then b•…•…ganne the Patriots to oppresse the p•…•…ople with seruile conditions, to iudge of life and death as Imperiously as the Kings had done before, to thrust men from their possessions, to put by all others, and to s•…•…are all themselues; with which outrages, and chiefly with their extorted taxes, the people beeing to much vexed, (beeing bound both to maintaine an armie and also to par contributions besid•…•…s) they rusht vppe to armes, and entrenched themselues vpon Mount Sacer, and Auentine: and there they made them Tribunes, and diuers lawes; but these discords and tumultuous contentions ended not till the second African warre.
L. VIVES.
HAuing (a) ent•…•…rchanged] With Arnus, King Tarquinius sonne•…•… beeing slaine, the matrons mourned a whole yeare for him, and his Coll•…•…ague, Valerius made an oration in his praise, the first of that kinde in Rome. (b) Hauing first slaine] The Vite•…•…, Brutus his wiues brethren, conspired with certaine secret messengers of Tarquin, to bring him secret∣ly in againe, and made Titus and Tiberius, Brutus the Consull sons, priuy and pertakers in this affaire. Brutus discouering the plot, put them all to death (c) In beeing killed] The manuscripts haue this diuersly: wee haue it the best. (d) Collatines wrong] I noted before, That those that