Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 18, RHI-SCR

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help of money, many of the poorer citizens were alfo
J brought over to his intereft. The king, being informed
of their treafonable practices, endeavoured to difl'uade his
daughter and fon-in-law from fuch proceedings, which
might end in their ruin ; and exhorted them to wait for
the kingdom till his death. But they, defpifing his coun-
fels and paternal admonitions, refolved to lay their claim
before the fenate 5 which Servius was obliged to fummon:
fo that the affair came to a formal procefs. Tarquin
reproached his father-in-law with having afcended the
throne without a previous interregnum $ and with hav¬
ing bought the votes of the people, and defpifed the
fuffrages of the fenate. He then urged his own right
of inheritance to the crown, and injuftice of Servius,
who, being only his guardian, had kept poffeflion of it,
when he himfelf was of an age to govern. Servius an-
fwered, that he had been lawfully defied by the people j
and that, if there could be a hereditary right to the
kingdom, the fons of Ancus had a much better one
than the grandfons of the late king, who muff himfelf
have been an ufurper. He then referred the whole to
an affembly of the people j which being immediately
proclaimed all over the city, the forum was foon filled j
and Servius harangued the multitude in fuch a manner
as gained all their affeftions. They all cried out with
one voice, Let Servius reign ; let him continue to make
the Romans happy. Amidfl their confufed clamours,
thefe words were likewife heard : I.et Tarquin perijh ;
let him die ; let us kill him. This language frightened
him fo, that he retired to his houfe in great hafte j
while the king was conducted back to his palace with
the acclamations of the people.
The ill fuccefs of this attempt cooled Tarquin’s ar¬
dent defire of reigning j but his ambition made him aft
a new part. He undertook to regain the favour of his
father-in-law by careffes, fubmiflions, and proteflations
of a fincere regard and affeflion for him j infomuch
that the king, who judged of the policy of others from
his own, wras fincerely reconciled to him, and tranquil¬
lity re-eftablifhed in the royal family. But it W'as not
long ere Tarquin, roufed by the continual reproaches
of his wife, began to renew his intrigues among the
fenators ; of whom he had no fooner gained a confider-
able party, than he clothed himfelf in the royal robes,
and caufing the fafces to be carried before him by fome
of his domeftics, croffed the Roman forum, entered the
temple where the fenate ufed to meet, and feated him¬
felf on the throne. Such of the fenators as were in
the faction he found already in their places (for he had
given them private notice to be there early) ; and the
reft, being fummoned to aflemble in Tarquin’s name,
made what hafte they could to the appointed place,
thinking that Servius was dead, fince Tarquin aflumed
the title and funftions of king. When they were all
afiembled, Tarquin made a long fpeech, reviling his
father-in-law, and repeating the inveftives againft him,
which he had fo often uttered, calling him a Have, an
ufurper, a favourer of the populace, and an enemy to
the fenate and patricians. When he was yet fpeaking,
Servius arrived ; and, raftily giving way to the motions
of his courage, without confidering his ftrength, drew
near the throne, to pull Tarquin down from it. This
raifed a great noife in the aifembly, which drew the
people into the temple •, but nobody ventured to part
the two rivals. Tarquin, therefore, being more ftrong
Rome,
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and vigorous, feized the old man by the waift, and
hurrying him through the temple, threw him down from
the top of the fteps into the forum. The king, who
was grievoufly wounded, raifed hmfelf up with fome
difficulty : but all his friends had abandoned him ; only
two or three of the people, touched with compaflion,
lent him their arms to conduft him to his palace.
As they were leading him on flowly, the cruel
Tullia appeared in the forum, whither file had haften-
ed in her chariot on the firft report of what had pafled
in the fenate. She found her hufband on the top of
the fteps of the temple ; and, tranfported with joy, was
the firft who faluted him king. The example Avas im¬
mediately folloAved by the fenators of Tarquin’s party.
Nor was this enough for the unnatural daughter : ftie
took afide her hufband, and fuggefted to him, that he
would never be fafe fo long as the ufurper of his crown
Avas alive. Hereupon Tarquin inftantly difpatched fome Servius
of his domeftics to take away the remains of the un- Tullius
fortunate king’s life. The orders for the Avicked par- mur^eJ:etL
ricide Avere no fooner given than Tullia mounted her
chariot again, Avith an air of triumph, to return home.
The Avay to her houfe Avas through a narrorv ftreet,
called vicus cyprius, or the goodJlreet. There the affaf-
fins had left the king’s body, Avhich Avas ftill panting.
At this fight, the charioteer, ftruck Avith horror, check¬
ed his horfes, and made a flop : but Tullia forced him
to go on } and the blood of the father is faid to have
dyed the Avheels of the chariot, and even the clothes of
the inhuman daughter, Avhence the ftreet Avas called
ever after vicus fceleratus. ^ .
The neAv king proved a moft defpotic and cruel ty- Tarquin IT
rant ; receiving, in the very beginning of his reign, the a cruel ty-
furname of proud, on account of his capricious humourrant’
and haughty behaviour. All controverfies Avhatever
Avere decided by himfelf and his friends ; and he ba-
nilhed, fined, and even executed, whom he pleafed.
The cenfus and luftrum, the divifion of citizens into
clalfes and centuries, Avere abolifhed 5 and all kinds of
alfemblies, even thofe for amufement and recreation,
Avere prohibited, both in town and country. Nay, to
fuch a height did Tarquin carry his infolence and ty¬
ranny, that the moft virtuous of the fenators Avent into
voluntary banilhment j while many of thofe who remain¬
ed Avere cut off on various pretences, that the king
might enjoy their eftates.
Tarquin could not but be fenfible of the extreme dan¬
ger in Avhich he flood by lofing the affe&ions of his
people in fuch a manner. He therefore provided a fuf-
ficient number of foldiers, by Avay of guard, to prevent
attempts upon his perfon ; and gave his daughter to
Oftavius Mamilius, one of the moft confiderable men
among the Latins, in order to ftrengthen his intereft
by this foreign alliance, in cafe of a revolt among his
fubje&s. Mamilius accordingly procured many friends
to his father-in-larv, but he had like to have loft them
again by his haughty behaviour. He had defired the
Latins to call a national council at Ferentinum, Avhere
he Avould meet them on a day appointed by himfelf.
The Latins accordingly met; but after Availing for fe-
veral hours, Tarquin did not appear. On this, one
Turnus Herdonius, an enterprifing and eloquent man,
Avho hated Tarquin, and Avas jealous of Mamilius, made
a fpeech, in Avhich he inveighed againft the haughty
behaviour of Tarquin, fet forth the contempt which he’
hack