Demaratus was lord of Corinth in the land of Greece. This Demaratus had
a son who, having been driven from Corinth by strife among the citizens,
came to Tarquinii that is in the land of Etruria, and dwelt there. And
having married a wife, he had two sons born to him, Lucumo and Aruns.
(It was the custom of the princes of the Etrurians to call the eldest
son Lucumo and the younger Aruns.) This Lucumo, being very wealthy (for
his father had left to him all his riches, his brother Aruns having
died), took to wife a certain Tanaquil that was a noble lady in those
parts. Now Tanaquil could not endure that any should be preferred before
him, wherefore when the people of Tarquinii despised Lucumo, because he
was the son of a stranger, Tanaquil could not endure it, and caring
not for her country, if only she could see her husband held in honour,
purposed to depart thence and dwell elsewhere. And of all places Rome
seemed to her the best, being a new country wherein men were honoured
for their deservings rather than for their birth, and he that should
show himself brave and diligent would find occasion to win renown. So
Numa, coming from Cures that is in the land of the Sabines, had been
called to the kingdom. King Ancus also was born of a mother that was a
Sabine, nor was noble at all save for his kinship to Numa. With these
words she easily persuaded her husband, so that, gathering together all
his possessions, he departed from Tarquinii to Rome. And when he came
near to the city, at the hill that is called Janiculum, there happened
to him this marvel. As he sat in the chariot with his wife, an eagle,
having its wings stretched out, descended slowly upon him from the sky,
and carried off the hat that was upon his head. Then for a while it flew
over the chariot, making a great crying, and afterwards, as it had been
inspired to do this office, set it back upon his head, and so vanished
into the air. Now all the women of the Etrurians have great knowledge
of augury (for so they call the signs and tokens of birds), and Tanaquil
was of good courage when she saw what the eagle had done, and she
embraced her husband, and bade him hope for great honours in Rome; for
the bird, she said, had come from the sky, and the sign that it showed
concerned the crown of a man, for it had taken from his head the glory
that man's hand set upon it, that it might give it back to him from the
gods. So Lucumo and Tanaquil his wife came to Rome, hoping to do
great things; and the man dwelt there, giving out that his name was
Tarquinius. And because he was a new comer and wealthy, men took the
more note of him; also he would speak courteously to all men, and use
much hospitality, and do such service as he could to them that had need
of it And after a while King Ancus heard of him, and made acquaintance
with him, which acquaintance grew into friendship, till at the last,
having found him faithful and ready in all that was put into his charge,
whether at home or abroad, he appointed him to be guardian to his
children.
After this King Ancus died, having reigned twenty and four years, and
left two sons, not yet old enough to reign, yet nearly grown to manhood.
And some would have delayed the choosing of a king till these should
be come to full age, but Tarquinius counselled that he should be chosen
forthwith. And when the day for this choosing was appointed, having sent
out the lads to hunt, he spake to the people after this manner. "This
is no new thing that I seek the kingdom at your hands; for Tatius the
Sabine became your king, having been before not a stranger only but also
an enemy; and Numa also was called to this dignity, though he sought not
for it. As for me, I came hither so soon as I was master of myself; and
of the years of my manhood, I have lived in Rome more than in my own
country; nor have I been ill taught the ways of a King, ministering to
Ancus both at home and abroad."
With these words he persuaded the people that they chose him to be king.
Being so chosen he did many things that pleased the people; for having
waged war with the Latins, and taken one of their cities and with it
much booty, he built the great circus, and fetched horses and boxers
from the land of Etruria to make sport. This became a custom year by
year; and they called these games the Great Games of Rome.
Afterwards he would have compassed the city with a wall of stone; but
while he was busy with the building of it the Sabines came upon him. And
this they did with such speed that they had crossed the Anio before ever
the Romans were ready to meet them; and when they fought many were slain
on both sides, but neither had the victory. Now when the King, the enemy
having returned to their camp, had space to consider how he might best
make his army the stronger, it seemed that it would profit him most if
he should increase the number of his horsemen, of whom there were three
companies only. But when he was minded to add others to them, and
to call them after his own name, one Attus Navius, that was a famous
soothsayer in those days, withstood him. "For," said he, "King Romulus
made these companies in due form, and thou mayest not add to their
number, unless the gods permit, signifying their will by the voices
of birds." But the King was wroth to hear these words, and mocked the
soothsayers art, saying, "Come now, thou wise man, divine unto me, can
that which I think in my heart be done, or no?" Attus answered, having
first made trial of his art, "Of a surety it can be done." Then said the
King, "I thought this thing in my heart, that thou shouldest cut asunder
this whetstone with a razor. Take it, therefore, and cut it asunder; for
thy birds will have it that thou canst." And straightway Attus took the
whetstone and cut it asunder. So they made a statue of him, standing
with his head covered, in the place where the thing was done; even in
the place of assembly, on the right hand of the steps by which a man
goes up to the senate-house. And by his side they laid the stone to be a
memorial of this miracle to them that should come after. Certainly there
came such honour to the soothsayers that nothing thereafter was done at
home or abroad except they first allowed it; and if an assembly of the
people was called or the army gathered together, it must be dispersed
again unless the birds should signify that it was according to the
pleasure of the gods. King Tarquin, therefore, changed not the number or
the name of the companies. Only he added to each as many more horsemen
as it had at the first.
After this there was yet another battle with the Sabines; and these fled
before the Romans, the horsemen especially doing good service against
them. And the King sent them that were taken captive and the booty to
Rome; but the arms of those that were slain he made into a great heap,
and burned them with fire, for he had vowed thus to Vulcan, that is the
god of fire. And the King took Collatia, that is a town of the Sabines,
from them, and afterwards he subdued the whole nation of the Latins that
it became obedient to Rome.
They tell this story also of King Tarquin. There came to him one day
a woman bearing twelve books, which she said were books of prophecies,
wherein were written all things that should come to pass thereafter
concerning the city of Rome. These books she would have sold to him. But
because he knew not who she was, nor what she brought, and also because
the price of the books seemed great out of measure, he would have none
of them. Then the woman departed, and having burned three of the books
with fire, brought back the nine that remained, and would sell them. And
the price that she had demanded for the twelve, this she asked without
abatement for the nine. And when the King would not buy, she departed
and burned three more; and so returning would sell the six; but the
price was that which she demanded for the twelve. Then the King, being
greatly astonished, asked counsel of the priests and the soothsayers,
and so bought the books. These were kept with great care and honour at
Rome; and when in time to come there arose great need or peril in the
city, then there were appointed men of repute who should open the books
and learn what had best be done.
In those days there happened, in the palace of the King, a great marvel.
There was a certain slave boy whose name was Servius Tullius. The head
of this boy, as he slept, was seen to burn with fire; and when the King
and the Queen had been called to see this strange thing, and certain
of the servants would have fetched water wherewith to quench the fire,
Queen Tanaquil would not suffer them, but commanded that they should
leave the child as he lay. And when he woke from his sleep, lo! the
flame departed. Then said Queen Tanaquil to her husband, "Seest thou
this boy whom we rear in this humble fashion? Know that he will be in
time to come a light in our darkness, and a succour to our house in its
great trouble. Let us, therefore, use all favour and kindness to him."
Thereafter they dealt with the lad as though he were free-born and not
a slave, and gave him such teaching as befits them that are born to
high place. The lad also, on his part, showed such parts and temper as
befitted the house of a king; and when Tarquin would choose a husband
for his daughter there was not found one fitter for such honour than
Servius. So the King betrothed to him his daughter. Yet is it scarce
to be believed that he would have done this thing if Servius had been
indeed born of a bond-woman. Some say, therefore, and the story seems
worthy of belief, that he was the son of a great lady of Corniculum,
which was a town of the Latins; that this town being taken by King
Tarquin, Servius Tullius, that was its chief ruler, was slain, whose
wife, being with child, was carried to Rome; and that because she was of
noble birth she was not sold into slavery with the other women but taken
into the King's palace, and there bare this child, of whom, because his
mother had been taken captive in war, men said that he was the son of a
slave.
Now the sons of Ancus, since they had been grown to manhood, had taken
it ill that Tarquin had been preferred before them to the throne of
their father, and now they were the more angry, seeing how he had chosen
another than them to be king after him. "See, now," they said, "this
fellow that is not a Roman, nay, nor an Italian, but a stranger from
Greece, how being made tutor to us by the King our father, he filched
the throne from us by craft, and now handeth it over to one that is the
son of a bond-woman. Surely this is a shameful thing for this city and
people. For the kingdom of Romulus, that is now a god in heaven, will
pass within the space of a hundred years to one that is a slave."
And first they would avenge themselves on King Tarquin. This they did
after this fashion. They chose them two shepherds, the fiercest of their
company, and caused them to come, carrying crooks of iron, after their
custom, within the King's palace; who, so soon as they were come within
the porch, made as if they had a grievous quarrel the one against the
other, and cried out that the King should be the judge between them; for
in those days kings were wont to perform the office of a judge. So they
that kept order in the palace brought them before the King. At the first
they made both of them a great uproar, crying out against each other;
but afterwards, when the beadle bade them be quiet if they would be
heard of the King, bare themselves in more orderly fashion. Then the
first began to tell his story; but when the King turned to him, and was
wholly given up to hearing what the man might say, the other dealt him a
great blow upon the head with the iron which he carried. And when he
had done this he left the iron where it was, and hasted, he and his
companion with him, to escape by the door. Then some of the ministers of
the court caught the King as he fell ready to die upon the ground, and
others laid hold on the murderers and hindered them from escaping. At
the same time much people ran together to the place, wondering what new
thing had happened. But Queen Tanaquil gave command that they should
shut the doors of the palace, and would have none remain within but her
own folk. And first she prepared with all diligence such things as might
be serviceable in the dressing of the wound, making as if there were
some hope that the King might yet live; and next she devised how, this
hope failing her, things might nevertheless be ordered according to her
wish. Sending, therefore, for Servius in all haste, she pointed to the
King, as he lay now ready to die, and spake, saying, "Servius, my son,
this kingdom is thine if thou wilt only show thyself a man. Neither
shall it go to them who have done this wicked deed, albeit not by their
own hands. Rouse thyself, therefore, and follow the leading of the Gods,
who, in days past, showed that thy head should bear great honour by the
fire from heaven which they caused to shine round about it. Let that
fire stir thee this day. Nor do thou take account of thy birth. For
we also were strangers to this city and yet have borne rule therein.
Bethink thee, therefore, what manner of man thou art, rather than of
whom thou wast born. And if perchance thine own counsels are troubled at
so grievous a chance, be thou obedient unto mine."
After this, as the people without the palace cried aloud and would have
thrust in the doors, the Queen went to an upper chamber and spake to
the multitude through a window that looked upon the New Street (for the
palace of the King stood hard by the temple of Jupiter the Stayer).
"Be of good courage and hope," she said; "the King was stunned by the
suddenness of the blow, but the iron entered not deep into the flesh,
and he came speedily to himself. Now we have washed off the blood and
looked into the wound. All is well. Be of good cheer, therefore, and
believe that before many days be past ye shall see the King. Meanwhile,
render due obedience to Servius, who will do justice between man and
man in the room of the King and order all else that shall be needed." So
Servius came forth to the people, wearing the royal robe, with the men
that bare the axes after him; and sitting down on the throne of the
King, heard the causes of them that sought for justice, giving judgment
in some things, and in others making mention that he would consult King
Tarquin. This he did for many days, none knowing that the King was
dead, and established himself in power, while he made as if he were
administering the power of another. And when Queen Tanaquil thought
that the due time was come, she gave out that King Tarquin was dead, and
commanded that mourning should be made for him according to custom. And
Servius, coming forth with his guards about him, was proclaimed King;
only at the first the Senate alone, and not the people, consented. As
for the sons of An eus, when they heard that the murderers had been
taken, and that the King was yet alive, and that Servius also was so
well established in his power, they fled to the town of Suessa Pometia.