Tullia. Since you gain nothing by the popular love, Maintain by fear your princedom. Tarquin. Excellent; Thou art our oracle, and, save from thee, We will admit no counsel. We obtained Our state by cunning; it must be kept by strength; And such as cannot love we’ll teach to fear: To encourage which, upon our better judgment, And to strike greater terror to the world, I have forbid thy father’s funeral. Tullia. No matter. Tarquin. All capital causes are by us discussed, Traversed,[5.26] and executed without counsel: We challenge too, by our prerogative, The goods of such as strive against our state; The freest citizens, without attaint,[5.27] Arraign, or judgment, we to exile doom; The poorer are our drudges, rich our prey, And such as dare not strive our rule obey. Tullia. Kings are as gods, and divine sceptres bear; The gods command, for mortal tribute, fear; But, royal lord, we that despise their love, Must seek some means how to maintain this awe. Tarquin. By foreign leagues, and by our strength abroad. Shall we, that are degreed above our people, Whom Heaven hath made our vassals, reign with them? No; kings, above the rest tribunaled high, Should with no meaner than with kings ally: For this we to Mamilius Tusculan, The Latin king, ha’ given in marriage Our royal daughter; now his people’s ours: The neighbour princes are subdued by arms; And whom we could not conquer by constraint, Them we have sought to win by courtesy. Kings that are proud, yet would secure their own, By love abroad shall purchase fear at home. Tullia. We are secure, and yet our greatest strength Is in our children: how dare treason look Us in the face, having issue? Barren princes Breed danger in their singularity; Having none to succeed, their claim dies in them. But when, in topping[5.28] one, three Tarquins more, Like hydras’ heads, grow to revenge his death, It terrifies black treason. Tarquin. Tullia’s wise And apprehensive! Were our princely sons Sextus and Aruns back returnèd safe, With an applausive answer of the gods From the oracle, our state were able then, Being gods ourselves, to scorn the hate of men. _Enter_ Sextus, Aruns, _and_ Brutus. Sextus. Where’s Tullia? Aruns. Where’s our mother? Horatius. Yonder, princes, At council with the king. Tullia. Our sons returned! Sextus. Royal mother! Aruns. Renowned queen! Sextus. I love her best, Therefore will Sextus do his duty first. Aruns. Being eldest in my birth, I’ll not be youngest In zeal to Tullia. Brutus. To’t, lads! Aruns. Mother, a kiss. Sextus. Though last in birth, let me be first in love. A kiss, fair mother. Aruns. Shall I lose my right? Sextus. Aruns shall down, were Aruns twice my brother, If he presume ’fore me to kiss my mother. Aruns. Ay, Sextus, think this kiss to be a crown, thus would we tug for’t.