220 The Kingdom. R 0 
revenge the wicked attempt upon his life, he summoned the 
sons of Ancus to appear before his tribunal; and on their 
non-appearance, caused them to be declared infamous, and 
their estates to be confiscated. After he had thus managed mat¬ 
ters for some time in such a manner as to engage the affec¬ 
tions of the people, the death of Tarquin was published as a 
thing that had newly happened, and Servius Tullius assumed 
the ensigns of royalty, having none to dispute the honour 
with him. 
The new king showed himself every way worthy of the 
throne. No sooner were the Etrurians informed of Tar- 
quin’s death, than they shook off the yoke; but Servius 
quickly reduced them to obedience, depriving them of their 
lands, which he shared among the poor Roman citizens who 
had none. For this he was decreed a triumph by the 
people, in spite of the opposition of the senate, who 
could never be brought to approve of his election to the king¬ 
dom, though he was soon after legally chosen by the tribes. 
Alter Servius had obtained the sanction of the popular 
voice, he marched a second time against the revolted Etru¬ 
rians; and having again vanquished them, was decreed 
another triumph. He then applied himself to the enlarging 
and adorning the city. To the hills Palatinus, Tarpeius, 
Quirinalis, Ccelius, and Aventinus, he added the Esquilinus 
and Viminalis, fixing his own palace on the Esquilinus, in 
order to draw inhabitants thither. He likewise added a 
fourth tribe, whom he called Tribus Esquilina, to those 
instituted by Romulus. He divided also the whole Roman 
territory into distinct tribes, commanding that there should 
be at least one place of refuge in each tribe, situated on a 
rising ground, and strong enough to secure the effects of the 
peasants in case of a sudden alarm. These strong holds he 
called pagi, that is, “villages;" and commanded that 
each of them should have their peculiar temple, tutelary 
god, and magistrates. Each of them had likewise their 
peculiar festival, called pagancilia; when every person was 
to pay into the hands of those who presided at the sacrifices 
a piece of money, the men of one kind, the women of 
another, and the children of a third. By this means an 
exact computation was made of the men, women, and 
children, in each tribe. 
In the mean time, his two wards, Lucius Tarquinius and 
Arunx, the grandchildren of Tarquin, being grown up, 
in order to secure their fidelity, he married them to his two 
daughters. 
During the public rejoicing for this double marriage, the 
twelve lucumonies of Etruria uniting their forces, attempted 
to shake off the Roman yoke; but were in several battles 
defeated by Servius, and obliged to submit to him on the 
same conditions on which they had submitted to his pre¬ 
decessor. For this success Servius was honoured with a 
third triumph. 
The king being thus disengaged from a troublesome war, 
returned to the pursuit of liis political schemes; and put in 
execution that masterpiece of policy which Rome made 
use of ever after, and which established a perpetual order 
and regularity in all the members of the state, with respect 
to wars, to the public revenues, and the suffrages of the 
comitia. A method of taxation, of all others the most just, 
simple, and effectual, that could be devised. The public 
supplies had. hitherto been raised upon the people at so 
much a head, without any distinction of rich and poor; 
whence it followed, that when levies were made for the war, 
the rich and poor w r ere equally obliged to take the field, 
according to the order of their tribe; and as they all served 
at their own expence, the poorer sort could hardly bear the 
charges of a campaign. Besides, as the most indigent of 
the people saw themselves burdened with the same taxes as 
the rich, they pretended to an equal authority in the comitia: 
so that the election of kings and magistrates, the making of 
peace or war, and the judging of criminals, were given up 
into the hands of a populace who were easily corrupted, and 
had nothing to lose. Servius formed a project to remedy 
these .evils, and put it in execution, by enacting a law’, 
enjoining all the Roman citizens to^ bring in an account 
M E. The Kingdom. 
in writing of their own names and ages, and of those of 
their fathers, wives and children. By the same law, al 
heads of families were commanded to deliver in upon oath a 
just estimate of their effects, and'to add to it the place of 
their abode, whether in town or country. Whoever did 
not bring in an account of his effects, was to be deprived of 
his estate, to be beat with rods, and publicly sold for a 
slave. Servius, from these particular accounts, which might 
be pretty well relied on, undertook to ease the poor by 
burdening the rich, and at the same time to please the latter 
by increasing their power. 
To this end, he divided the Roman people into six 
classes: the first class consisted of those whose estates and 
effects amounted to the value of 10,000 drachmae, or 100,000 
ases of brass; the first way of computing being used by the 
Greeks; and the latter by the Latins. This class was sub¬ 
divided into 80 centuries, or companies of foot. To these 
Servius joined 18 centuries of Roman knights, who fought 
on horseback ; and appointed this considerable body of 
horsemen to be at the head of the first class, because the 
estates of these knights, without all doubt, exceeded the sum 
necessary to be admitted into it. However, the public sup¬ 
plied them with horses; for which a tax was laid upon 
widows, who were exempt from all other tributes. This 
first class, including infantry and cavalry, consisted of 98 
centuries. The second class comprehended those w'hose 
estates were valued at 5700 drachmae, or 75,000 ases of 
of brass. It was subdivided into 20 centuries, all foot. 
To these were added two centuries of carpenters, smiths, 
and other artificers. In the third class were those who w’ere 
esteemed worth 5000 drachmae, or 50,000 ases. This 
class was subdivided into 20 centuries. The fourth class 
was of those whose effects were rated at the value of 
500 drachmae, or 25,000 ases, and was divided into 
20 centuries; to which were added two other centuries 
of trumpets and blowers of the horn, who supplied the 
whole army with this martial music. The fifth class included 
those only whose whole substance did not amount to more 
than 1250 drachmae, or 12,500 ases’; and this class was 
divided into 30 centuries. The sixth class comprehended all 
those who were not worth so much as those of the fifth 
class: they exceeded in number any other class, but never¬ 
theless were reckoned but as one century. 
The king drew from these regulations all the advantages he 
had expected. Levies for the army were no longer raised 
by tribes, nor were taxes laid at so much a head as formerly, 
but all was levied by centuries. When, for instance, an 
army of 20,000 men, or a large supply of money, was 
wanted for the war, each century furnished its quota both of 
men and money: so that the first class, which contained 
more centuries, though fewer men, than all the others 
together, furnished more men and more money for the 
public service than the whole Roman state besides. And by 
this means the Roman armies consisted for the most part of 
the rich citizens of Rome; who, as they had lands and 
effects to defend, fought with more resolution, while their 
riches enabled them to bear the expence of a campaign. As 
it was but just the king should make the first class amends 
for the w’eight laid on it, he gave it almost the whole authority 
in public affairs; changing the comitia by curia, in which 
every man gave his vote, into comitia by centuries, in which 
the majority was not reckoned by single persons, but by 
centuries, how few soever there might be in a century. Hence 
the first class, which contained more centuries than the other 
five taken together, had every thing at its disposal. The 
votes of this class were first taken; and if the 98 centuries 
happened to agree, or only 97 of them, the affair was de¬ 
termined; because these made the majority of the 193 
centuries which composed the six classes. If they disagreed, 
then the second, the third, and the other classes in their order, 
w’ere called to vote, though there was very seldom any oc- : 
casion to go so low as the fourth class for a majority of votes; 
so that by this good order Servius brought the affairs of the 
state to be determined by the judgment of the most con¬ 
siderable citizens, and thus saved it from the uncertainty and 
violence 
