The historians' history of the world in twenty-five volumes, volume 05 : $b the Roman Republic
History
The historians' history of the world in twenty-five volumes, volume 05 : $b the Roman Republic
World history
Meanwhile King Tarquinius set out with speed to Rome to put down the
tumult. But Lucius turned aside from the road, that he might not meet
him, and came to the camp; and the soldiers joyfully received him, and
they drove out the sons of Tarquinius. King Tarquinius came to Rome,
but the gates were shut, and they declared to him, from the walls, the
sentence of banishment which had been passed against him and his family.
So he yielded to his fortune, and went to live at Cære with his sons
Titus and Aruns. His other son, Sextus, went to Gabii, and the people
there, remembering how he had betrayed them to his father, slew him. Then
the army left the camp before Ardea, and went back to Rome. And all men
said, “Let us follow the good laws of the good king Servius; and let us
meet in our centuries, according as he directed, and let us choose two
men year by year to govern us, instead of a king.” Then the people met in
their centuries in the field of Mars, and they chose two men to rule over
them, Lucius Junius, whom men called Brutus, and Lucius Tarquinius of
Collatia.
But the people were afraid of Lucius Tarquinius for his name’s sake,
for it seemed as though a Tarquinius were still king over them. So they
prayed him to depart from Rome, and he went and took all his goods with
him, and settled himself at Lavinium. Then the senate and the people
decreed that all the house of the Tarquinii should be banished, even
though they were not of the king’s family. And the people met again in
their centuries, and chose Publius Valerius to rule over them together
with Brutus, in the room of Lucius Tarquinius of Collatia.
Now at this time many of the laws of the good king Servius were restored,
which Tarquinius the tyrant had overthrown. For the commons again chose
their own judges, to try all causes between a man and his neighbour; and
they had again their meetings and their sacrifices in the city and in the
country, every man in his own tribe and in his own district. And lest
there should seem to be two kings instead of one, it was ordered that one
only of the two should bear rule at one time, and that the lictors with
their rods and axes should walk before him alone. And the two were to
bear rule month by month.
Then King Tarquinius sent to Rome, to ask for all the goods that had
belonged to him; and the senate after a while decreed that the goods
should be given back. But those whom he had sent to Rome to ask for his
goods, had meetings with many young men of noble birth, and a plot was
laid to bring back King Tarquinius. So the young men wrote letters to
Tarquinius, pledging to him their faith, and among them were Titus and
Tiberius, the sons of Brutus. But a slave happened to overhear them
talking together, and when he knew that the letters were to be given to
the messengers of Tarquinius, he went and told all that he had heard to
Brutus and to Publius Valerius. Then they came and seized the young men
and their letters, and so the plot was broken up.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account