The Republic. R O 
Veientes. The latter of these demands was cheerfully com¬ 
plied wjth; hut the former was still refused, until Porsena 
should hear the strong reasons they had to urge against it. 
A truce being agreed on, deputies were sent to the Etrurian 
camp to plead the Roman cause against the Tarquins; and 
the result of this negotiation was, according to the majority 
of the Roman historians, that Porsena withdrew from his 
camp, and even supplied the Romans with provisions. 
Pliny, however, quotes the terms of the treaty dictated by 
the Etrurian king; and the truth is, that the Romans bought 
peace by the cession of so large a portion of their territory, 
that the Roman tribes were soon after reduced from thirty to 
twenty. 
The story of Porsena’s retreat is told very circumstantially. 
It is said, that Porsena wished to relieve the distresses of the 
Romans delicately, and, therefore, instead of giving them 
corn, he left his camp well stocked behind him at their dis¬ 
posal. The moveables and corn were sold by auction to 
private persons; and on this occasion the Romans took up 
the custom of making a proclamation by an herald, when¬ 
ever any effects belonging to the public were to be sold, in 
the following words. These are Porsena's goods. The de¬ 
sign of this was to preserve the memory of that prince’s 
kindness. The senate, not satisfied with this, erected a 
statue of the king near the Comitium, and sent an embassy 
to him with a present of a throne adorned with ivory, a 
sceptre, a crown of gold, and a triumphal robe. 
No sooner had the Romans escaped this danger, than the 
Sabines revolted, and continued the war for some time with 
great obstinacy: but being defeated in several engagements, 
they were at last obliged to submit; and scarce was this war 
ended, when another began with the Latins, who now de¬ 
clared for King Tarquin. Before they began this war, how¬ 
ever, an embassy was sent to Rome, the purport of which 
was, that the .Romans should raise the siege of Fidenae which 
had revolted, and receive the Tarquins; who, on their part, 
should grant a general amnesty. The ambassadors were to 
allow the Romans a whole year to consider on these over¬ 
tures; and to threaten them with a war in case they refused 
to comply with them. The chief view of Tarquin and his 
partisans in promoting this embassy was, to lay hold of that 
opportunity to raise a sedition in the city. To the ambas¬ 
sadors, therefore, of the Latins, he joined some of his own 
emissaries, who, on their arrival in the city, found two sorts 
of people disposed to enter into their measures; to wit, the 
slaves and the meaner citizens. 
A conspiracy was accordingly formed to overthrow the 
republic; but it was discovered: and, by the decision of 
Sulpitius and the senate, several of the conspirators were 
punished with death. 
But at length Rome was threatened with a far more dan¬ 
gerous attack than any that had been effected by the machi¬ 
nations of the Tarquins. The Latins, who possessed a very 
extensive and contiguous country, were engaged to espouse 
the cause of despotism; and Rome, after applying in vain to 
all the neighbouring countries for assistance, found herself 
reduced to the necessity of opposing, unaided, a force far 
greater than her own in numbers and more powerful from 
its unity; while her people were divided in various and dis¬ 
tracted parties, some of whom were warmly attached to the 
dominion of the Tarquins. In this emergency, with the con¬ 
sent of the people, the senate decided on committing the 
state to one individual, and accordingly one of the consuls 
resigned, and left the other, T. Lartius, as Dictator. 
Government thus entrusted to one hand, soon exhibited 
marks of promptitude and decision; a census was taken, 
and four armies formed from the common people. The 
Latins, more tardy in their endeavours, were, at first, 
worsted, and then suffered a suspension of hostilities for 
a year, in which time, Lartius resigned his dictator¬ 
ship, and the consulship was occupied by Atratinus and 
Angurinus, during whose government, as well as while 
Rome was under the command of Lartius, the force of the 
Latins was weakened by the desertion of many of their 
Vol. XXII. No. 1496. 
M E. The Republic. 225 
citizens, who, ill treated by their nobles, found an hospitable 
reception with the Romans, and by the incorporation of 
nearly all the prisoners of war into the Roman armies. The 
Latin historians likewise boast, that this period was me¬ 
morable by the proof it gave of the domestic virtues of the 
Romans; for a decree having been passed, with the consent 
of both nations, that women, intermarried with either 
country, might, if they would, return to their respective 
homes, nearly all the Roman women left their husbands to 
return home; while nearly all the Latin women remained 
with their Roman lords. 
At the expiration of the truce [A. U. C. 257.] Posthu- 
mius and Virginius were consuls. The latter resigned, 
the former was created Dictator, and vigorous preparations 
of war were made both by Latins and Romans. Without 
detaining our readers with the particulars of the war, we shall 
state in general terms, that the skill and enthusiasm of the 
Romans triumphed over all disadvantages; and that, after 
several well-contested battles, they reduced the Latins to 
make peace, and to drive the royal family from Latium. 
Tarquin, thus deprived of all his allies, retired to Cumae, 
and there died in the 95th year of his age. 
Freed from the attacks of Tarquin, the Roman people 
now began that memorable struggle between the plebeians 
and patricians, which lasted with occasional intermissions 
until the end of the republic. Previous to the last great 
struggle with the Latins, the common people had refused to 
serve in the army until the senate had repealed a law which 
made-debtors the slaves of their creditors; a law which 
pressed exceedingly hard on the common people, most of 
whom were indebted to the patricians. The decision of 
Lartius, the Dictator, had, however, triumphed over these 
malcontents; and they were incorporated in the army. 
Conscious of their power now that peace had returned, they 
pressed the senate boldly for a repeal of the obnoxious law. 
This was resisted. Of the consuls, one Appius Claudius, 
was against any concessions of the kind : while the other, 
Servilius, was devoted to the cause of the people. 
During this divided state of the republic, the Volsci and 
Hernici, joined with the Sabines, appeared in arms and 
threatened Rome on either side. The first attack was made 
by the Volsci. Servilius induced the people to serve by a 
promise, that their debts should be remitted. The Romans 
were victorious; but the senate refused to fulfil the promise 
of Servilius, or to grant him a triumph. 
Servilius usurped a triumph by force with the consent of 
the people; and this irregular proceeding is said to have 
been used afterwards as a precedent by Julius Caesar, when 
he usurped the same honour after it had been refused to him 
by the republic. When the people found that Servilius 
could not obtain the remission of debts he had promised, 
they loaded him with indignities. He accordingly deserted 
them, and united himself with the party of Appius Clau¬ 
dius. 
The people had no regard to the severe sentences of the 
two consuls. Whenever any plebeian was prosecuted for 
debt, the populace came in crowds into the court, and made 
so great a noise, that no one could hear the sentence pro¬ 
nounced. They no longer endeavoured to appease the cre¬ 
ditors, and mollify the senate by intreaties; they insulted 
both, and, instead of the plebeians, the danger of imprison¬ 
ment and slavery now fell on the patricians. Nothing now 
prevailed in Rome but force and violence. The people got 
together without being summoned, and the most mutinous 
held private assemblies among themselves. 
In this state of affairs the date of the consulship expired, 
and the people chose two of the weakest of the senators, 
Auoius ViRGmius and T. Vet6rius, for their new con¬ 
suls. To these men the task devolved of executing the 
severe edicts of the senate; but they, ; affrighted by the 
people, suffered nocturnal meetings on me hills Esquilinus 
and Aventinus, to take place with impunity. The senators 
accused them of cowardice; the consuls retorted by demand¬ 
ing, that those who spoke so bravely, should, themselves, 
3 M come 
