(_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]kill
the 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]Quintius Cincinnatus,
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.