THE SECOND PERIOD ROME AS A REPUBLIC I
THE ATTEMPTS OF TARQUINIUS TO REGAIN HIS KINGDOM
The Romans had refused to be under a king, and they were afraid that if any one man were made chief ruler, he would become too powerful . They decided , therefore , to elect two rulers instead of one , and for a term of one year only. These two were called consuls. They wore robes with borders of deep violet and sat in seats of honor known as curule chairs. These chairs were either made of ivory or richly ornamented with it, but , however handsome and honorable they may have been , they must have seemed rather uncomfortable , for they had neither arms nor back . According to law , neither consul could give a command if the other objected . This was all very well when matters were going on smoothly , but in time of danger, if an enemy were at the gate , for instance, the two consuls might have quite different schemes for defense, and while they were trying to convince each other , the enemy might force his way into the city . The Romans were too keen not to provide for this , and they decreed that if great public danger arose, a dictator should be appointed . He was
26 STORY OF THE ROMAN PEOPLE
to hold power for six months only , but during that time even the consuls were to obey his commands.
Brutus was one of the first consuls ; but it was not long before he must have wished he was only a private citizen , for his two sons were brought before him to be punished . They
had conspired to bring back King Tarquinius . Brutus must have been heartbroken , but he gave sentence according to law , and sat by sternly while his own sons , together with the other conspirators , were flogged and then beheaded .
Tarquinius still hoped to regain his crown, and he induced one tribe after another to take up his cause and fight for him . In one of the battles Brutus was slain . His fellow consul,
1
Lethière
BRUTUS CONDEMNING HIS SONS TO DEATH
( From a Painting in the Louvre )
THE ATTEMPTS OF TARQUINIUS 27
Pub'li-us Va - le'ri -us, was now left sole ruler; and the people began to be afraid that he would try to make himself king . It was dangerous even to be suspected of such a desire , and he did all in his power to show that he never thought of such a thing. He built his house at the foot of a hill instead of on top, as he had begun ; he had the axes removed from the bun dles of rods that were borne before him by the lictors ; and , far more important than these acts , he had a law passed that a Roman citizen who was sentenced by any one except a dic tator to be put to death , or to be flogged , might appeal to the assembly of the centuries . This was named the Va -le'ri -an Law .
Tarquinius had not given up hope of the throne, and now he per suaded Lars Por'se-na of Clu'si- um to become his ally . Then there was dis may in Rome , for Porsena was a powerful king and could call out many thou sands of men . His great army came marching to ward the city. From the Tarpeian Rock, men could see one little village after another burst into flames. The countryfolk seized whatever was
THE CLIFFS OF THE CAPITOLINE HILL ( Known as the Tarpeian Rock )
