PLINY: NATURAL HISTORY 



27 Columnarum ratio erat attolli super ceteros mor- 

 tales, quod et arcus significant novicio invento. 

 primus tamen honos coepit a Graecis, nullique 

 arbitror plures statuas dicatas quam Phalerco 

 Demetrio Athenis, siquidem ccclx statuere, nondum 

 anno hunc numerum dierum excedente, quas mox 

 laceravere. statuerunt et Romae in omnibus vicis 

 tribus Mario Gratidiano, ut diximus, easdemque 

 subvertere Sullae introitu. 



28 XIII. Pedestres sine dubio Romae fuere in 

 auctoritate longo tempore ; et equestrium tamen 

 origo perquam vetus est, cum feminis etiam honore 

 communicato Cloeliae statua equestri, ceu parum 

 esset toga eam cingi, cum Lucretiae ac Bruto, qui 

 expulerant reges, propter quos Cloelia inter obsides 



29 fuerat, non decernerentur. hanc primam cum 

 Cochtis publice dicatam crediderim — Atto enim ac 

 Sibyllae Tarquinium, ac reges sibi ipsos posuisse 

 verisimile est — , nisi Cloeliae quoque Piso traderet 

 ab iis positam, qui una opsides fuissent, redditis a 

 Porsina ^ in honorem eius. e diverso Annius Fetialis 



^ porsina B^ : porsena cd. Par. 6801 : porsenna rell. 



" An Attic orator and statesman who lived c. 345-282 B.c, 

 and was exiled in 307 b.c. after a ten years' tyranny. 



* The last king of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus, was supported 

 against his republican enemies at Rome by Lars Porsena, the 

 Tuscan king of Clusium, who invaded Rome and seized the 

 Capitol, but withdrew after receiving twenty hostages. 

 Among them was a maiden Cloelia, who escaped, swam across 

 the Tiber and reached Rome, She was sent back to Porsena, 

 but he was so struck with her gallantry that he set her free 

 and allowed her to take back with her some of the other 

 hostages. The rape of Lucretia by Sextus Tarquinius led to 



148 



