CHAP. III

[195]Tevére

[196]edificáto

[197]quinto

[198]Tarquínio Prisco

[199]figlio

[200]Demaráto

[201]Corintéo

[202]veníre

[203]Tarquínio

[204]cíttà

[205]dal quale

[206]chiamáto

[207]Lúcio Tarquínio

[208]perveníre

[209]govérno

[210]aumentáre

[211]senáto

[212]soggiogáre

[213]dódici

[214]nazióne

[215]imprestáre

[216]insegnáre

[217]suprémo

[218]autorità

[219]fasce

[220]trabéa

[221]sédia curúle

[222]pretésta

[223]cosa

[224]sorta

[225]Anco

[226]genero Sérvio Túllio

[227]sesto

[228]órdine

[229]principiáre

[230]regno

[231]raro

[232]qualità

[233]preferíto

[234]sangue reale

[235]istituíre

[236]censo

[237]comando che fosse

[238]rifatto

[239]una volta ogni cinque anni

[240]divídere

[241]pópolo

[242]classe

[243]centúria

[244]estendere

[245]governáre

[246]regno

[247]appláuso

[248]assassináto

[249]orríbile

[250]scelleratézza

[251]figlia

[252]genero

[253]séttimo

[254]último

[255]cognomináto

[256]il supérbo

[257]la maggior parte

[258]antíco

[259]autóre

[260]affermáre

[261]Prísco

[262]ma

[263]Dionísio

[264]vuól che sia suo nipotíno

[265]governáre

[266]regno

[267]procuráre

[268]malvagità

[269]in un modo non migliore di quello con cui l’aveva ottenuto

[270]crudele

[271]senatóre

[272]altro

[273]suddito

[274]debelláre

[275]Volsci

[276]edificáre

[277]Campidóglio

[278]spóglie

[279]préndere

[280]alla fine

[281]scacciáre

[282]violenza

[283]commésso

[284]fíglio

[285]Lucrézia

(Of the World, 3545—Of Rome, 245.)

[1]King Tarquin, with his[2]family, being[3]banished,[4]L. Junius Brutus, and[5]L. Tarquinius Collatinus were[6]made[7]consuls.[8]The former was so[9]severe, that he[10]scourged and[11]beheaded his own sons for[12]favouring[13]the banished kings, being a[14]greater[15]friend to the[16]public[17]liberty than to his own family. A[18]field of the Tarquins, which[19]lay[20]between the city and[21]the Tiber, was[22]consecrated to[23]Mars, and[24]from thence[25]called[26]Campus Martius.[27]Brutus[28]died in the[29]war[30]against the Tarquins, who[31]prevailed upon some of the[32]neighbouring[33]nations to[34]assist them;[35]amongst the[36]rest, Porsena, king of Etruria,[37]made war upon the Romans, in[38]favour of the Tarquins: in which war the[39]bravery of[40]Horatius Coccles was very[41]remarkable, who[42]maintained the[43]fight[44]against the[45]victorious[46]enemy[47]till the[48]bridge on the Tiber was[49]cut down,[50]when he[51]swam and crossed the[52]river. Nor[53]must we[54]pass over in silence the[55]noble[56]attempt of[57]Mutius Scævola, who[58]secretly[59]entered the[60]enemy’s[61]camp with a[62]resolution to[63]killthe king;[64]but having by[65]mistake[66]slain one of his nobles, he[67]thrust his[68]hand into the[69]fire that was upon the[70]altar; which so[71]terrified the king, that he[72]made[73]peace with the Romans, and[74]returned[75]home.[76]After this, the[77]Latins made[78]war upon the Romans,[79]under the[80]conduct of[81]Octavius Mamilius, Tarquin’s[82]son-in-law;[83]against whom[84]Posthumius being made[85]dictator,[86]vanquished them in a[87]memorable[88]battle at the[89]lake Regillus.

[90]Afterwards a war was[91]proclaimed[92]against the[93]Volsci, who had[94]raised some[95]troops, to[96]send to the[97]assistance of the[98]Latins in the[99]former war. The[100]fortune of[101]Caius Marcius Coriolanus was[102]remarkable in that war, who being[103]condemned in his[104]absence,[105]retired amongst the Volsci, and[106]advised them to[107]renew the war; for the[108]management of which, being[109]chosen[110]general with[111]Tullius Accius, after he had[112]routed the Romans in[113]several[114]engagements, and[115]advanced up[116]to the very walls of the city, he was[117]moved by the[118]prayers of his[119]mother, and he[120]raised the[121]siege. After the[122]death of[123]Coriolanus, the Volsci[124]continued the war, and[125]were[126]together with the[127]Æqui,[128]and Hernici,[129]soundly[130]beaten by[131]Spurius Cassius, who had been[132]thrice[133]consul.[134]He being elevated by his[135]success,[136]aspired to the[137]throne,[138]but was[139]prevented in his[140]design, and[141]thrown headlong from the[142]Tarpeian rock.

In the year 261 from the[143]building of the city, the[144]common people being very[145]much in[146]debt, and[147]provoked by the[148]cruelty of their[149]creditors,[150]retired[151]beyond the[152]Anien into the[153]sacred mount, but were[154]reconciled by the[155]pacific[156]persuasions of[157]Menenius Agrippa; having[158]first[159]obtained from the[160]fathers, that[161]officers should be[162]appointed to[163]screen them from the[164]violence of the[165]patricii, who were[166]called[167]tribunes of the[168]people.

After this, the Romans had a war with the[169]Veientes, which the[170]family of the[171]Fabii[172]undertook to[173]carry on by themselves; and having[174]pitched their camp by the[175]river[176]Cremera, were[177]trepanned by the[178]enemy, and[179]cut off in one[180]day, to the[181]number of 306.

The war with the[182]Volsci[183]continued. They were[184]often[185]vanquished,[186]especially by T.[187]QuintiusCincinnatus, who took[188]Antium, the[189]metropolis of their[190]nation. Cincinnatus being[191]afterwards[192]taken from the[193]plough, and[194]made[195]dictator[196]against the[197]Æqui, he[198]delivered the[199]consul[200]Minucius, who was[201]besieged by them, and[202]obliged the[203]enemy to[204]pass under the[205]yoke.

In the year 303,[206]after the[207]foundation of the city, and 451 years[208]before[209]Christ, the[210]form of the[211]government was[212]changed.[213]For[214]instead of[215]consuls, the[216]decemviri were[217]set up, with[218]supreme[219]power to[220]make[221]laws for the Roman[222]people,[223]from those which their ambassadors had the year before[224]brought from[225]Greece. But[226]abusing their[227]power, they were[228]obliged to[229]lay down their[230]authority; and the[231]consuls and[232]tribunes were[233]restored.

In the 315th year of the city, Sp. Melius, in the[234]time of a[235]famine,[236]endeavouring to[237]make his way to a[238]throne, by[239]sharing[240]corn[241]amongst the[242]people, was[243]slain by[244]order of[245]Quintius Cincinnatus the[246]dictator, by[247]C. Servilius Ahala[248]master of the horse. In the[249]following year the[250]Fidenates[251]revolted to[252]Lars Tolumnius,king of the[253]Veientes, and[254]put the Roman ambassadors to[255]death, who had their[256]statues[257]erected in the[258]forum. The[259]Veientes[260]in the next year were[261]subdued by[262]Mamercus Æmilius,[263]dictator.[264]Tolumnius was[265]slain by[266]Cornelius Cossus, who was the[267]second from[268]Romulus that[269]dedicated the[270]spoils[271]called[272]Opima to Jupiter[273]Feretrius.

[274]Censors were[275]set up at Rome in the 311th year of the city, who[276]held their[277]office[278]at first for[279]five[280]years,[281]but were[282]afterwards, in the year 320,[283]reduced by[284]Mamercus Æmilius,[285]dictator, to a year and a[286]half. In the year 323, the[287]dictator[288]A. Posthumius was very[289]successful[290]against the[291]Æqui and the[292]Volsci; but[293]stained the[294]victory with the[295]blood of his own[296]son, whom he[297]beheaded for having[298]fought[299]contrary to his[300]orders.

In the year of the city 358, the[301]town of[302]Veii was[303]taken by[304]Camillus, dictator,[305]after a[306]siege of[307]ten years. He[308]likewise[309]reduced the[310]Falisci,[311]not so much by his[312]arms, as the[313]opinion they had of his[314]justice.

But after these[315]great[316]successes, the Romans were[317]nearly[318]ruined by the[319]Galli Senones,who having[320]laid[321]siege to[322]Clusium in Etruria, the Romans[323]sent three of the[324]Fabian family ambassadors to them. These,[325]contrary to the[326]law of[327]nations,[328]marched out into the[329]field with the[330]Clusini against the[331]Gauls, which proceeding so[332]incensed the latter, that[333]leaving[334]Clusium, they marched to Rome. The Romans were[335]routed, and[336]put to[337]flight in the very[338]first[339]attack at Allia. After which the city was[340]taken and[341]burnt; the[342]Capitol,[343]whither the[344]flower of the Roman[345]youth[346]retreated, was[347]besieged, and had it not been for Manlius, who was afterwards surnamed[348]Capitolinus, would have been[349]taken by the[350]barbarians in the[351]night time; but he, being[352]awakened by the[353]cackling of[354]geese, and[355]others[356]with him,[357]pushed the[358]Gauls[359]as they[360]came up,[361]headlong down the precipice.[362]In the mean time[363]Camillus, who was[364]then in[365]exile at Ardea, being[366]recalled and[367]made[368]dictator,[369]raised an[370]army,[371]came to Rome,[372]drove them out, and at[373]about[374]eight[375]miles[376]distance from the city[377]utterly[378]destroyed their[379]whole[380]army.

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