is beautifully defcribed by Ovid, Faft. ii. 741. Thus the difpute about female virtue was determined in favour of Lucre-' tia, and the princes returned from their nocturnal frolic to the camp.

SEXTUS TARQUINIUS had conceived a criminal paffion for Lucretia. Her beauty and celebrated chastity incited him. A few days after he went fecretly to Collatia, without the knowledge of Collatinus, and by the bafeft artifice accomplished his purpose. Lucretia, overwhelmed with grief at her misfortune, difpatched a meffenger to Rome for her father, and to Ardea for her husband, to come inftantly, each with a faithful friend; for that a shocking affair had happened. SPURIUS LUCRETIUS came with P. VALERIUS, and COLLATINUS with L. JUNIUS BRUTUS, with whom he happened to be returning to Rome, when he was met by his wife's meffenger. They found Lucretia fitting difconfolate in her bed-chamber. At the fight of her friends the burst into tears. When her husband asked her, If all was well? No, the fays; for what can be well with her who has loft her honour. The traces of a stranger are in your bed, Collatinus. But my body only is violated; my min! is guiltlefs. Death fball atteft it. Give me your right hands and your promife, that the adulterer fhall not escape with impunity. It is Sextus Tarquinius who, laft night, coming as an enemy in the guife of a friend, has, by violence and arms, carried from hence a conqueft fatal to me, and to himself, if you are men." They all gave her their promife, and tried to confole her by laying the blame upon the author of the crime, and by representing to her, that there could be no fault where there was no intention. Do you, fays the, confider avhat is due to him: I, although I acquit myfelf of guilt, will not free myself from punishment, nor shall any immodeft woman hereafter live by the example of Lucretia." With thefe words fhe plunged a knife, which the had concealed under her robe, to her heart, and fell down expiring. Her hufband and father exclaimed. Brutus, while they were engaged in grief, pulling the knife from the wound of Lucretia, and holding it up before him as it dropped with blood, " By this blood, fays he, moft pure, before it was polluted by royal villany, by this blood I fear, and I call heaven to witness my oath, that I fball henceforth purfue Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, his wicked wife, and all their race, with fire, fword, and all other means in my power; nor shall I fuffer them, nor any other, to reign at Rome.” He then delivers the knife to Collatinus, Lucretius, and Valerius, who were astonished at this wonderful change of character.

They

They all take the oath required; and turning their grief inte refentment, concert measures with Brutus for exterminating the regal government. The body of Lucretia being exposed in the forum, inflamed the people of Collatia with indignation. The braveft of the youth fly to arms. Brutus, having placed a fufficient guard at the gates, to prevent any intelligence from being carried to Tarquin, haftens to Rome. There having fummoned an affembly of the people, which he had a right to do, as being commander of the Celeres, or king's body guards, he made a fpeech, that indicated a very fuperior degree of understanding to what he was, till then, thought to poffefs. By a pathetic representation o: the fate of Lucretia, and by enumerating the various acts of tyranny committed by Tarquin, he fo inflamed the multitude, that they deposed Lucius Tarquinius from being king, and decreed banishment against himfelf, his wife, and family. Brutus having armed a body of young men, who voluntarily offered themselves, marched to the camp at Ardea, to incite the army there against the King; leaving the command of the city to Lucretius, who had already been appointed præfect of it by Tarquin. During this commotion Tullia fled from the palace, loaded with execrations

wherever he went.

The King, alarmed with the news of what had happened, was advancing to Rome with a chofen band to quell the fedition. Brutus, informed of his coming, turned out of the way, that he might not meet him. They both arrived much about the fame time, by different routes, Brutus at Ardea, and Tarquin at Rome. The gates were fhut against Tarquin, and exile denounced against him. Brutus was joyfully received in the camp as the deliverer of his country, and the King's fons expelled. Two of them, Titus and Aruns, followed their father, and went into exile to Care, a city of Etruria. Sextus having gone to Gabii, of which his father had made him king, Dionyf. iv. 58. was flain on account of his former cruelties, Liv. i. 60. Tarquin reigned 25 years. The regal government continued

244 years.

The account given of this memorable event is taken chiefly from Livy. Dionyfius differs in fome particulars, but agrees in all the important facts.

HISTORY

HISTORY of the ROMAN REPUBLIC.

AFTER the expulfion of Tarquin two fupreme magiftrates, called CONSULS, were chofen from among the patricians, in an affembly of the people by centuries. The firft confuls were, L. JUNIUS BRUTUS, and L. TARQUINIUS COLLATINUS.

Their office was made annual, that they might not grow infolent by the length of their command; and their authority equal, that they might counteract each other, if either of them fhould form defigns dangerous to liberty. The confuls at first poffeffed the fame power that the kings had enjoyed, and alfo the fame enfigns of authority, except the crown; only within the city the lictors, with the fafces and fecures, went before one of them alternately, ufually for a month at a time. A fingle officer, called accenfus, attended the other.

Brutus had the fafces first by the confent of his colleague. He obliged all the citizens to fwear, "that they would never "fuffer any one to reign at Rome." He filled He filled up the senate, diminished by the murders of Tarquin, to its ufual complement, 300, by chufing into it the chief men of equestrian

rank *.

As certain facred rites used to be performed by the kings, a priest was created, called REX SACRORUM, to perform them, but devoid of authority, and subject to the High Priest. Even the name of Tarquin became odious; and on that account Collatinus, the colleague of Brutus, was obliged to leave the city. Valerius was chofen conful in his room.

Tarquin fent ambaffadors to Rome to demand only his effects, without mentioning his return. A majority of the fenate was for granting his request. But in the mean time fome young noblemen, accustomed to the luxuries of a court, and therefore displeased with the late change, formed a confpiracy to restore the royal family. Among thefe were the fons of Brutus. The confpiracy being difcovered by a flave, called VINDICIUS, the confpirators were apprehended and punished. Brutus faw the fentence of death executed on his own fons.

The new chofen fenators were called confcripti, the old, patres. When addressed, they were called Patres et confcripti; hence, the et being dropt, the name PATRES CONSCRIPTI, often marked by these two letters P. C. was afterwards applied to all the fenators.

The

The King's effects, which had been before ordered to be reftored, were reduced into the public treasury; and a field along the Tiber, belonging to the Tarquins, was confecrated to Mars, hence called CAMPUS MARTIUS, or the plain of Mars.

Tarquin having prevailed on the Tarquinienfes, Vejentes, and other Tuscan states, to efpouse his caufe, led an army against Rome. An obftinate battle was fought, in which Brutus and Aruns Tarquinius fell by mutual wounds. Night put an end to the combat. The Tufcans giving up all for loft, went away in the night to their homes. Valerius returned to Rome in triumph. He celebrated the funeral of his colleague with all the magnificence which the fimplicity of that age would admit, Dionyf. v. 17. The matrons mourned for Brutus a whole year, (i. e. ten months, according to the inftitution of. Romulus,) as for a parent. Valerius, because he did not immediately fubftitute a colleague in place of Brutus, and happened to be building a house in an elevated fituation, was fufpected of aiming at the fovereignty. But he foon removed thefe fufpicions. He paffed feveral popular laws, allowing an appeal to the people from the fentence of a magiftrate, and granting leave to any one to kill the person who should attempt making himself king. He likewife appointed that the lictors fhould not carry an ax among their rods within the city; and introduced the cuftom, that, when the confuls came into an affembly of the people, their lictors, in token of submission, fhould lower the fafces; whence he got the firname of POPLICOLA, (a populum colendo.) The capitol was dedicated this year by Horatius, the conful, who had been substituted in place of Brutus. That honour fell to him by lot.

The Tarquins now had recourse to Lar PORSENA or Porfenna, king of Clufium, the most powerful prince at that time in Italy. He having marched with a great army to Rome, took the Janiculum by a sudden affault; and would have alfo taken the city, had it not been for P. HORATIUS, called CoCLES, from the lofs of an eye, Dionyf. v 23.; Plaut. Curc. iii. 22.; Plin. xi. 37.. 55. who being ftationed on the Sublician bridge, with two others, withstood the attack of the enemy, and fo prevented their paffage, till the bridge was cut down from behind. Then, having firft forced his companions to retire, he leapt into the river, and swam over fafe to his friends, amidst the darts of the enemy, Polyb. vi. 53. A ftatue of Cocles was placed in the Comitium*, and as much A part of the Forum, where affemblies of the people used sometimes to be

held.

land

land given him as he could plough round in one day, Liv. ii. 10.

Porsěna now turned the fiege into a blockade, and the city began to be diftreffed with famine; when C. MUCIUS, a young nobleman, formed the design of delivering his country. Having got admiffion into the enemy's camp, in the guife of a Tuscan peafant, with a dagger concealed under his cloak, he took his station among the thickeft of the crowd near the king's tribunal, who happened then to be diftributing pay to his foldiers, together with his fecretary, who had almoft the fame drefs with the king. Mucius, afraid to enquire which of them was Porfena, left by his ignorance he should discover himself, flew the fecretary by mistake, instead of the king. Being interrogated about the deed, and threatened with torture unless he made an open discovery, he thruft his right hand into a fire which was burning on an altar before him, and let it broil without any apparent emotion. The king, aftonifhed, leapt from his throne, and ordered the young man to be removed from the altar. Having applauded his intrepidity, he difmiffed him in fafety. Mucius, as if to compenfate fuch generofity, told the king, that 300 of the Roman youth had confpired to attack him in the fame manner. Porfena, ftruck with this intelligence, voluntarily made proposals of peace to the Romans The reftoration of the Tarquins was mentioned among the articles, but in vain: Every other demand was complied with, and hostages given, upon condition that the garrifon in the Janiculum fhould be withdrawn.

CLŒLIA, a virgin, one of the hoftages, having deceived her keepers, fwam over the Tiber at the head of her companions, amidst the darts of the enemy, and restored them all fafe to their relations. Porfena, incenfed at this, fent to demand Cloelia back, making no account of the rest. After the came, he, in admiration of her virtue, not only let her go in fafety, but also promifed to release, on her account, half of the hoftages of the other fex, and permitted her to chufe whom the pleased. She is faid to have chofen fuch as were below the age of fourteen.

Peace being thus renewed, Porfena withdrew his army from the Roman territory.

Mucius, who got the firname of SCEVOLA, from the lofs of his right hand, was rewarded with lands on the north of the Tiber, afterwards called Prata Mucia, the Mucian meadows. In honour of Cloelia, a ftatue of a virgin on horse