A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

978 TARQUINIUS.'TARQUINIUS.
seizing the person of a debtor. He also compelled him with the command of their troops, and when
the poor to work at miserable wages upon his mag- he had obtained the unlimited confidence of the
nificent buildings, and the hardships which they citizens, he sent a messenger to his father to insuffered were so great that many put an end to their quire how he should deliver the city into his hands.
lives. But he did not confine his oppressions to The king, who was walking in his garden when
the poor. All the senators and patricians whom the messenger arrived, made no reply, but kept
he mistrusted, or whose wealth he coveted, were striking off the heads of the tallest poppies with
put to death or driven into exile. The vacant his stick. Sextus took the hint. He put to death
places in the senate were not filled up, and this or banished, on false charges, all the leading men
body was scarcely ever consulted by him. He of the place, and then had no difficulty in compelsurrounded himself by a body-guard, by means of ling it to submit to his father.
which he was enabled to do what he liked. But, In the midst of his prosperity, Tarquinius was
although a tyrant at home, he raised the state to troubled by a strange portent. A serpent crawled
great influence and power among the surrounding out from the altar in the royal palace, and seized
nations, partly by his alliances and partly by his on the entrails of the victim. The king, in fear,
conquests. He gave his daughter in marriage to sent his two sons, Titus and Aruns, to consult the
Octavius Mamilius of Tusculum, the most power- oracle at Delphi. They were accompanied by
ful of the Latin chiefs, and by his means he ac- their cousin, L. Junius Brutus. One of the sisters
quired great influence in Latium. Under his sway of Tarquinius' had been married to M. Brutus, a
Rome became eventually the acknowledged head man of great wealth, who died, leaving two sons
of the Latin confederacy. According to Cicero (de under age. Of these the elder was killed by
Rep. ii. 24) he subdued the whole of Latium by Tarquinius, who coveted their possessions; the
force of arms; but Livy and Dionysius represent younger escaped his brother's fate only by feigning
his supreumacy as due to his alliances and intrigues. idiotcy. On arriving at Delphi, Brutus propitiated
Ally Latin chiefs, like Turnus Herdonius, who at- the priestess with the gift of a golden stick elltempted to resist him, were treated as traitors and closed in a hollow staff. After executing the king's
punished with death. At the solemn meeting of commission, Titus and Aruns asked the priestess
the Latins at the Alban Mount, Tarquinius sacri- who was to reign at Rome after their father. The
ficed the bull on behalf of all the allies, and distri- priestess replied, whichsoever should first kiss his
buited the flesh to the people of the league. So mother. The princes agreed to keep the matter
complete was the union of the Romans and the secret from Sextus, who was at Rome, and to cast
Latins that the soldiers of the two nations were lots between themselves. Brutus, who better unnot kept separate, but each maniple in the army derstood the meaning of the oracle, fell, as if by
was composed of both Romans and Latins. The chance, when they quitted the temple, and kissed
Hernici also became members of the league, but the earth, mother of them all. The fall of the
their troops were kept apart from the Roman le- king was also foreshadowed by other prodigies, and
gions. it came to pass in the following way: —
Strengthened by this Latin alliance, and at the Tarquinius was besieging Ardea, a city of the
head of a formidable army, TarquinIius turned his Rutulians. The place could not be taken by force,
arms against the Volscians. He took the wealthy and the Roman army lay encamped beneath the
town of Suessa Pometia, with the spoils of which walls. Here as the king's sons, and their cousin,
he commenced the erection of the Capitol which Tarquinius Collatinus, the son of Egerius, were
his father had vowed; but great as these were; feasting together, a dispute arose about the virtue
they were scarcely sufficient even for the founda- of their wives. As nothing was doing in the field,
tions of this magnificent edifice, and the people were they mounted their horses to visit their homes by
heavily taxed to complete the building. In digging surprize. They first went to Rome, where they siurfor the foundations, a human head was discovered prized the king's daughters at a splendid banquet.
beneath the earth, undecayed and trickling with They then hastened to Collatia, and there, though
blood; and Etruscan soothsayers expounded the it was late in the night, they found Lucretia, the
prodigy as a sign that Rome was destined to be- wife of Collatinus, spinning amid her handmaids.
come the head of the world. In the vaults of this The beauty and virtue of Lucretia had fired the
temple he deposited the Sibylline books, which the evil passions of Sextus. A few days he returned
king purchased from a sibyl or prophetess. She to Collatia, where he was hospitably received by
had offered to sell him nine books for three hundred Lucretia as her husband's kinsman. In the dead
pieces of gold. The king refused the offer with of night he entered the chamber with a drawn
scorn. Thereupon she went away, and burned sword; by threatening to lay a slave with his
three, and then demanded the same price for the throat cut beside her, whom he would pretend
six. The king still refused. She again went to have killed in order to avenge her husband's
away and burnt three more, and still demanded the honour, he forced her to yield to his wishes. As
same price for the remaining three. The king now soon as Sextus had departed, Lucretia sent for her
purchased the three books, and the sibyl disap-'husband and father. Collatinus came, accompanied
peared. by L. Brutus; Lucretius, with P. Valerius, who
In order to secure his Volscian conquests, Tar. afterwards gained the surname of Publicola. They
quinius founded the colonies of Signia and Circeii. found her in an agony of sorrow. She told them
He was next engaged in a war with Gabii, one of what had happened, enjoined them to avenge her
the Latin cities, which refused to enter into the dishonour, and then stabbed herself to death.
league. Unable. to take the city by force of arms, They all swore to avenge her. Brutus threw off
Tarquinius had recourse to stratagem. His son, his assumed stupidity, and placed himself at their
Sextus, pretending to be ill-treated by his father, head. They carried the corpse into the marketand covered with the bloody marks of stripes, fled place of Collatia. There the people took up arms,
to Gabii. The infaltuated inhabitants intrusted and resolved to renounce the'rarcluins. A number