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 [ 133 ] R O M
■Rome, put himfelf at the head of the Roman troops who efcort-
ed them, fuftained the attack of the Tarquins, though
fudden and unexpected, till his daughter Valeria rode
full fpeed to the Hetrurian camp, and gave notice of the
danger her father and companions were in ; and then
Arunx, the king’s fon, Hying with a great body of ca¬
valry to their relief, put the aggreffors to the rout.
This notorious piece of treachery in the Tarquins
gave Porfena itrong fufpicions of the badnefs of their
caufe. He therefore affembled the chief commanders
of the Hetrurians; and having heard in their prefence
the complaints of the Romans, and the juftifieation of
their proceedings againft the Tarquins, he was fo ftruck
Porfena with horror at the recital of the crimes the Tarquins
abandons were charged with, that he immediately ordered them
their caufe. to leave his camp *, declaring that he renounced his al¬
liance with them, and would no longer continue the
hofpitality he had Ihown them. He then commanded
the ten young virgins to be brought before him, and in¬
quired who was the firft author and chief manager of the
enterprife. They all kept filence, till Claelia herfelf,
with an air of intrepidity, confeffed that ihe alone was
guilty, and that fire had encouraged the others by her
advice. Upon this the king, extolling her refolution
above the bravery of Horatius and the intrepidity of
Mutius, made her a prefent of a fine horfe, with fump-
Concludes tuous furniture. After this he concluded a peace with
a peace the Romans, and reftored to them all their hoftages 5
with the declaring, that their bare word was to him a luflicient
anTrehevesfecurity for the performance of the articles,
them. And now Porfena being about to return to Clufium,
gave, before his departure, a further teftimony of his re-
fpedl and friendfhip 'for the Romans. He knew that
Rome w'as greatly diftreffed for want of provifions; but
being afraid to offend the inhabitants by relieving them
in a direfb manner, he ordered his foldiers to leave be¬
hind them their tents and provifions, and to carry no¬
thing with them but their arms. As his camp abound¬
ed with all forts of provifions, Rome was hereby much
relieved in her wants. The moveables and corn of the
Hetrurians were fold by auction to private perfons j
and on this occafion the Romans took up the cuftom
of making a proclamation by a herald, whenever any
effefls belonging to the public were to be fold, in the
following words, Thefe are Porfena's goods. The de-
fign of this was to preferve the memory of that prince’s
kindnefs. The fenate, not fatisfied with this, erected a
ftatue of the king near the comitium, and fcnt an em-
bafly to him with a prefent of a throne adorned with
ivory, a fceptre, a crown of gold, and a triumphal
robe.
Thus the Romans efcaped the greateft danger they
had hitherto been in. However, they did not yet enjoy
tranquillity. The Sabines revolted, and continued the
war for fome time with great obfiinacy : but being de¬
feated in feveral engagements, they were at lad obliged
to fubmit ; and fcarce was this war ended, when ano-
ther began with the Latins, who now declared for King
The Latins Tarquin. Before they began this war, however, an em-
declare for bafly was fent to Rome, the purport of which was, that
i arquin. tlie Romans Ihould raife the fiege of Fidense tvhich had
revolted, and receive the Tarquins j who, on their part,
Ihould grant a general amnefty. The ambafladors were
to allow the Romans a whole year to confider on thefe
overtures $ and to threaten them with a war in cafe
4
they' refufed to comply with them. The chief view' of Rome.
Tarquin and his partifans in promoting this embaffy v’™1**
was, to lay hold of that opportunity to raife a {edition
in the city. To the ambaffadors therefore, of the La¬
tins, he joined fome of his own emiffaries, who, on their
arrival in the city, found two forts of people difpofed to
enter into their meafures } to wit, the Haves, and the
meaner citizens. 77
The Haves had formed a confpiracy the year before A danger-
to feize the Capitol, and fet fire to the city in feveralous con^’"
quarters at the fame time. But the plot being difeo-
vered, thofe who were concerned in it had been all
crucified, and this execution had highly provoked the
whole body of Haves. As to the meaner citizens, who
were for the moft part overwhelmed with debt, and
cruelly ufed by their creditors, they were well appri-
fed that there could happen no change in the govern¬
ment but to their advantage. Thefe were the confpi-
rators pitched upon, and to them were given the fol¬
lowing parts to aiR : the citizens were to make them-
felves mafters of the ramparts and gates of the city, at
an appointed hour of the night 5 and then to raife a
great thout as a fignal to the Haves, who had engaged
to maflacre their matters at the fame inftant; the gates
of the city were then to be opened to the Tarquins,
who were to enter Rome while it was yet reeking with
the blood of the fenators. The confpiracy was ripe for
execution, when Tarquin’s principal agents, Publius and
Marcus, both of his own name and family, being terri¬
fied with frightful dreams, had not courage enough to
proceed in their defign till they had confulted a diviner.
However, they did not difeover to him the confpiracy j
but only afked him in general terms, what fuccefs they
might expert in a projeft they had formed ? The footh-
fayer, without the leatt hefitation, returned the follow- 78
ing anfwer : Your project will end in pour ruin ; dijbur- how <lifco-
den yourfelves of fo heavy a load. Hereupon the 'Far- vemh
quins, fearing left fome of the other confpirators Ihould
be beforehand with them in informing, went immediate¬
ly to S. Sulpitius, the only conful then at Rome, and
difeovered the whole matter to him. The conful great¬
ly commended them, and detained them in his houfe,
till, by private inquiries, he was aiTured of the truth of
their depofitions. Then he aflembled the fenate, and
gave the Latin ambafladors their audience of leave, with
an anfwer to their propofals j which was, that the Ro¬
mans would neither receive the Tarquins, nor raife the
fiege of Fidence, being all to a man ready to facrifice
their lives in defence of their liberties, and willing to
undergo any dangers rather than fubmit to the govern-,
rnent of a tyrant.
The ambafladors being difmiffed with this anfwer,
and conducted out of the city, Sulpitius laid open to the
fathers the dreadful confpiracy. It ftruck them with
horror : but they Avere all at a lofs in what manner thev
fliould apprehend and punifti the guilty ; fince, by the
law of Poplicola, there was an appeal to the people in
all capital cates ; and the two witneffes, who were
ftrangers, might be excepted againft by Roman citizens.
In this perplexity they left the whole conduct of this
critical affair to Sulpitius ; who took a method which
he thought would equally ferve to prove the guilt and
punifti the guilty. He engaged the two informers to
affemble the confpirators, and to appoint a rendezvous
at midnight in the forum, as if they defigned to take
the.