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

ROM
[
Rome.
.52
His infa¬
mous ftra-
tagjem to
deftroy
Herdonius.
53
Inftitutes
the, Ferite
Latinse.
54
Reduces
Cabii by
Ireaehery.
liad put upon the Latins, and concluded with defiring
the council to break up and return home without ta¬
king any further notice of him. Mamilius, however,
prevailed upon them to return the day following ; when
Tarquin made his appearance, and told the aflembly
that his defign in calling them together was to claim
his right of commanding the Latin armies, which he
faid was derived from his grandfather, but which he
defired to be confirmed to him by them. Thefe words
were fcarce out of his mouth, when Herdonius, rifing
up, entered into a detail of Tarquin’s tyranny and ar¬
bitrary behaviour at Rome, which, he faid, the Latins
would foon feel in an equal degree, if they complied
with Tarquin’s demand. To this fpeech the king-
made no reply at that time, but promifed toanfwer him
next day. In the mean time, however, he bribed the
domellics of Herdonius to admit among his baggage a
large quantity of arms : and then, telling the Latins
that Herdonius’s oppofition proceeded only from Tar¬
quin’s having refufed him his daughter in marriage, ac-
citfed him of having laid a plot to cut off all the depu¬
ties there prefent, and to ufurp a jurifdiftion over the
Latin cities 5 as a proof of which he appealed to the
arms hid among the baggage of Herdonius. The ac-
cufed, confcious of his innocence, defired that his bag¬
gage might be fearched ; which being accordingly done,
and the arms found, he was hurried away without be¬
ing allow'ed to make any defence, and thrown into a
bafon at the head of the fpring of Ferentinum, where a
hurdle being laid upon him, and flones laid upon the
hurdle, he w7as prefled down into the water and drown¬
ed.
In confequence of this monflrous treachery, Tarquin
-was looked upon by the Latins as their deliverer, and
declared general of the Latin armies *, foon after which,
the Hernici and two tribes of the Volfci entered into
an alliance with him on the fame terms. In order to
keep thefe confederates together, Tarquin, with their
confent, erefted a temple to Jupiter Latialis on a hill
near the ruins of Alba, where he appointed certain
feafts called Ferice Latince to be held on the 27th of
April, where the feveral nations were to facrifice toge¬
ther, and on no account to commit any hoflilities againft
each other during their continuance. The king then
proceeded to make wTar on the reft of the Volfci w ho
had refufed to enter into an alliance with him. Some
depredations which they had committed in the territo¬
ries of the Latins ferved for a pretence to begin the
war •, but as Tarquin had no confidence in the Romans,
his army was compofed only of a fmall body of them
who were incorporated among the Latin auxiliaries.
However, he defeated the enemy, took one of their ci¬
ties by ftorm, and gave the booty to his foldiers. He
next turned his arms againft the Sabines, whom he en¬
tirely defeated in two engagements, and made the
whole nation tributary; for which exploits he decreed
himfelf two triumphs, and on his return to Rome he
employed the populace in finiftiing the fewers and
circus which had been begun by his grandfather Tar¬
quin I.
In the mean time, the perfecutions of Tarquin a-
gainft his own fubjefts daily drove feme of the moft
confiderable into baniftiment. A great number of pa¬
tricians took refuge in Gabii, a city of Latium about 13
miles from Rome j where the inhabitants, touched with
128 3 ROM
eompaflion for their misfortunes, not only received them Rome;
with kindnefs, but began a war with Tarquin on their »
account. The Gabini feem to have been the moft for¬
midable enemies whom the Romans had hitherto met
with 3 fince Tarquin was obliged to raife a prodigious
bulwark to cover the city on the fide of Gabii. The
war lafted feven years } during which time, by the mu¬
tual devaftations committed by the two armies, a great
fcarcity of provifions took place in Rome. The people
foon grew clamorous j and Tarquin being unable either
to quiet them, or to reduce the Gabini, fell upon the
following diflronourable find treacherous expedient. His
fon Sextus Tarquinius pretended to be on very bad
terms with his father, and openly inveighed againft him
as a tyrant 5 on which he was proclaimed a rebel, and
publicly beaten in the forum. This being reported at
Gabii, by perfons fent thither on purpofe, the inhabi¬
tants became very defirous of having Sextus among
them ; and accordingly he foon went thither, having
previoufiy obtained a folemn promife from the inhabi¬
tants never to deliver him up to his father. Here he
made frequent inroads into the Roman territories, and
always efime back laden with fpoil, his father fending
againft him only fuch weak parties as muft infallibly be
worfted. By this means he foon came to have fuch a
high degree of credit among the Gabini, that he was
chofen general of their army, and was as much mafter
at Gabii as Tarquin was at Rome. Finding then that
his authority was fufficiently eftablithed, he difpatched
a flave to his father for inftructions 3 but the king, un¬
willing to return an explicit anfwer, only took the mef-
fenger into the garden, where he ftruck off the heads
of the talleft poppies. Sextus underftood that by this
hint the king defired him to put to death the leading
men in the city of Gabii, which he immediately put in
execution 3 and w hile the city wras in confufion on ac¬
count of this maffacre, he opened the gates to his fa¬
ther, who took poffeffion of the city with all the pride
of a conqueror. The inhabitants dreaded every thing
from the haughty tyranny of the Roman monarch :
howrever, on this occafion he confulted his policy rather
than his revenge 3 granted them their life, liberty, and
eftates, and even entered into a treaty of alliance with
them. The articles were written on the hide of an ox,
which was ftill to be feen in the time of Auguftus, in
the temple of Jupiter Fidius. After this, however, he
made his fon Sextus king of Gabii 3 fending off alfo
his other two fons, Titus and Arunx, the one to build
a city at Signia, the other at Circaeum, a promontory
of the Tyrrhene fea, and both thefe to keep the Volfci
in awe.
For fome time Tarquin now enjoyed a profound
peace \ the Romans, being accuftomed to opprtflion
and the yoke of an imperious mafter, making no op¬
pofition to his will. During this interval Tarquin
met with the celebrated adventure of the Sibyl * 5 * SecSM
whofe books were ever afterwards held in high eftima- 55
tion at Rome, and Tarquin appointed two perfons
diftimftion to take care of them. Thefe were called " ie
Duumviri: but their number was afterwards increafed
to 10, when they were called Decemviri; and then to
13, when they were termed ^uindecemviri. At this
time alfo the written civil law had its origin among the
Romans •, all the ftatutes enafted by the kings being
collefted into one body j which, from Papirius the name
of