The Roman history of Lucius J. Florus made English beginning with the life and reign of Romulus, the first King of the Romans : and divided into four books.

CHAP. XXVI.

The fourth discord occasion'd by the people's desire to be admitted to dignities; the jealousy and vigilancy of the Romans in what concernes their liberty; upon which account Spurius Cassius, Melius, and Manlius are put to death.

AMbition of honour occasion'd the fourth discord, that the Plebeians might be ad∣mitted [ 385] into the Magistracy. Fabius Ambustus, Father of two daughters, bestow'd one on Sul∣picius, a person of Patrician extraction, the other, on Stolo, a plebeian, who took it as an affront, that his wife frightned at the noise of

the Lictor's rod (a thing not known at her own house) had been scornfully laugh'd at by her sister. Being therefore advanc'd to the Tri∣bune-ship, he extorted from the Senate, though against their wills, a communication of Ho∣nours and Magistracy. But in these very se∣ditions, a man may find sufficient reason to admire the people of the world; in as much as one while they vindicate liberty, another, chastity, then the nobility of extraction, and then the marks and distinctions of honours. And among all these, they were not more vigilant in the assertion of any, than in that of Liberty, which they could never by cor∣ruption be induc'd to betray, though in a people already great and growing dayly grea∣ter, there must needs be some turbulent mem∣bers. They put to present death Sp. Cassius, suspected of affecting soveraignty, by his pu∣blishing of the Agrarian Law; and Maelius, [charg'd with the same ambition grounding their jealousie] upon his liberality [towards the people.] Of Spurius indeed, his own [ 314] Father had ordered the punishment: but Ser∣vilius Ahala, Master of the Horse, run the other [ 360] through, in the midst of the Forum, by order from the Dictator Quinctius. Nay that Man∣••ius, who had preserv'd the Capitol, de∣meaning himself more insolently and uncivilly [than he should have done] upon this ac∣ccount,

that he had freed most of the debtors, they cast him down headlong from the For∣tresse which he had defended. Such was the people of Rome at home and abroad, such were they in peace and war. Thus did they passe through the streight of their Adolescency, that is, the second age of their Empire, during which they by their arms subdu'd all Italy, from the Alps to the Sea-side.