The treachery of the Fidenates in the late war, and their unwillingness to atone for it, called forth the hostility of Tullus. Aided by the Veientes they drew out their forces, and Tullus, availing himself of the Alban army under Fuffetius, made preparations for a general engagement. The Alban general, however, resolving to side with the conqueror, withdrew his army to an eminence; but no sooner did Tullus per ceive this than he pretended that this post was occu pied by his allies, so that his own army, unacquainted with the defection of their allies, obtained a victory over the Fidenates. After consulting the senate re specting this act of treachery, he sent Horatius to de molish Alba, and commanded the Roman and Alban armies to attend him unarmed. The Romans, how ever, had their swords concealed, and when the treachery of Fuffetius was explained to the assembld troops, he was ordered to be torn in pieces by horses, his accomplices were put to the sword, and the inha bitants of Alba transported to Rome. After reducing the Fidenates, Tullus sunk into indolence and super stition. Having reigned 33 years, he and his whole family were either killed by lightning, or by the hands of Ancus Martins, the grandson of Numa, who suc ceeded him on the throne.
The peaceful pursuits with which Ancus Martins began his reign induced the Latins to invade Rome. This attempt, however, was crushed by the activity of the king; and defeating the Latins in a pitched battle, he vanquished the Fidenates, Vcientes, and Sa bines. After building the port of Ostia, and adding Mount Janiculum to the city, he died in the 24th year of his reign.
The two children of Ancus Martins having been put under the care of one Tarquin, an opulent merchant from Corinth, who had risen to the rank of patrician and senator, he venturod to assume the sovereignty. After conquering the Latins and the Hetrurians, he devoted himself to the arts of peace. He built the walls of Rome with hewn stone; he constructed the cloaca, those immense common sewers which have been the wonder of succeeding ages; and he erected the circus and the capitol. The sons of Ancus Mar tins assassinated him in his palace, in the 80th year of his age; but his wife Tanaquil, having spread the report that the king was only stunned, the sons of Ancus fled, and Servius Tullius, the son-in-law of Tanaquil, pretended to supply the place of the sove reign. When the royal deputy had acquired the respect of the people, the death of Tarquin was pro mulgated, and Tullius was chosen his successor. After vanquishing the Iletrurians, the new sovereign began to enlarge and beautify the city. He added to it the Esquiline and Viminallls, and built a palace on the former. He divided the Roman state into dis tinct tribes, with a pages or village in each. He re lieved the poor from public burthens, and increased the power of the rich. He divided the population into six classes. He gave freedom to the slaves; and finally abridged the regal power.
The age and services of Tullius did not protect him from the ambitious views of his son-in-law Tarquin, to whom he had given his daughter Tullia in marriage. The younger Tullia, who had married Arunx the brother of Tarquin, formed the scheme of murdering her husband and her sister, and of thus acquiring the hand of Tarquin. After paving the way to this in
cestuous marriage by the help of poison, their union was effected with the consent of the king; but their ambition did not stop here. Tarquin laid claim to the crown itself, and after several unsuccessful at tempts to attain it through the medium of the people, he tried to take it by storm, and appropriate the name and the functions of royalty. He entered the temple and the senate, and seated himself upon the throne. Servius having arrived at this conjuncture, ascended the steps, but was immediately precipitated by his son-in-law into the forum. Assassins were sent to complete the murder, and the unnatural Tullia, in her eagerness to salute her husband as king, is said to have driven the wheels of her chariot over the mangled body of her father.
The means by which Tarquin obtained the throne held out no favourable prospects of his future conduct. He abolished the salutary regulations of Servius. lie banished the nobles who were most distinguished by their virtues, and he seized the estates of those who were more wealthy. The tyranny which he exercised at home, was equalled only by the treachery and bad faith with which he treated his enemies. He subdued the Volsci and the Gabii by the most dishonourable expedients; and he appointed his son Sextus king of the Gabii. The power thus acquired by oppression and dishonour could not last long. Among the in jured parties was one Marcus Junius, who had married the daughter of Tarquinius Priscus. His son Lucius Junius Brutus had assumed idiotcy, to evade the cruel ty of the tyrant. Titus and Arunx the sons of Tar quin, were sent to consult the oracle at Delphos re specting the plagues which had broken out at Rome; and they took along with them the supposed idiot for the purposes of amusement.
Sextus Tarquinius, having conceived a passion for Lucretia, the wife of Collatinus, the nephew of Tar quin, paid a visit to her house in her husband's ab sence. In the dead of night lie entered her apartment, and demanded her person at the risk of her life. The virtuous Lucretia resisted his entreaties, but when the monster threatened to kill one of her male slaves and lay him naked by her body, he extorted from her dread of shame what she would have prevented at the risk of her own life. Next morning she sent for her husband and her father, and after entreating them to revenge her wrongs, she stabbed herself with a dagger which she had concealed beneath her robes. Brutus, who was present at this tragical event, drew the dag ger from its wound, and swore by the blood which stained it, that he would be revenged on the tyrant and his hated offspring. The assembly took the same vow. They shut the gates of the city of which Lu cretius was governor. They exposed the body of Lu cretia to public view; and Brutus explaining the reason why he had counterfeited mental imbecility, exhorted the people to aid him in expelling the tyrant. The senate decreed his expulsion. Tarquin was deposed, and the government of Rome was vested in two con suls.