Patron, that leads Virgil to speak of Ancus as "too much rejoicing in popular favour.” e

§ 12. Other works of utility are attributed to Ancus Martius. He is said to have made the first bridge over the Tiber. It was built of wooden piles (sublica), and hence was called the Pons Sublicius. In order to prevent it being broken down by the Etruscans who lived on the other side of the Tiber, he fortified Janiculum, where his grandsire Numa lay buried. He also built the town of Ostia at the mouth of the river, which long continued to be the principal haven of the Roman people. § 13. He died in peace after a prosperous reign of four-andtwenty years.

"Quem juxta sequitur jactantior Ancus, Nunc quoque jam nimium gaudens popularibus auris."

VIRG., En. vi. 816.

CHAPTER III.

TARQUINIUS PRISCUS AND SERVIUS TULLIUS, THE FIFTH AND

SIXTH KINGS.

§ 1. Sons of Ancus set aside. § 2. Early history of TARQUINIUS PRISCUS. § 3. How he came to be chosen King. § 4. Addition to numbers of Senate. § 5. Social state before reforms of Tarquin. Patricians or Patrons, Clients, Plebeians. § 6. Origin of Plebs. § 7. Tarquin's plan of reform. § 8. Opposition of Patricians. Legend of Attus Navius. § 9. Plan modified. Augmentation of Patrician Gentes and of Knights. § 10. Wars of Tarquin. § 11. Public works: Cloaca Maxima, etc. § 12. Legend of death of Tarquin. § 13. SERVIUS TULLIUS. § 14. Wish to give political power to all Plebeians. § 15. Plan of reform. Comitia Centuriata. § 16. Census. Preponderating influence of property. § 17. Plebs made part of Populus, or Body Politic. § 18. Roman territory divided into Tribes. § 19. Four of City. § 20. Sixteen of Country. § 21. Only Plebeians originally members of Tribes. § 22. Assembly of Curiæ finally superseded by that of Tribes. § 23. Walls of Rome built by Servius. § 24. Principal places in early Rome. § 25. Alliance with Latins. § 26. Legend of death of

Servius.

§ 1. THE first trace of hereditary succession in the Roman monarchy appears with Ancus. He was grandson to Numa, and according to one legend conspired to take away the life of his predecessor Tullus. But, after the death of Ancus, the legends make the notion of hereditary right an essential element in the succession. Ancus had left two sons, as yet boys. But when they grew up, and found the throne occupied by a stranger, they took measures for asserting their right. It is of this stranger that we must now speak. He is known to all by the name of TARQUINIUS PRISCUS.

§ 2. Tarquinius had been a citizen of Tarquinii, a city of Etruria. But it was said that his father was a Greek nobleman of Corinth, Demaratus by name, who had fled from his native land, because the power had fallen into the hands of a tyrannical oligarchy. The son had become a Lucumo or Chief at TarIdentified by the Romans with the Bacchiadæ mentioned by Herodotus,

v. 92.

b

quinii, had gained great wealth, and married a noble Etruscan lady, Tanaquil by name. Both himself and his wife were eager for power and honour; and, as they could not satisfy their desires at home, they determined to try their fortune in the new city on the Tiber, where their countryman Cæles Vibenna and his followers had already settled. Therefore they set out for Rome; and when they had reached the Mount Janiculum, in full view of the city, an eagle came down with gentle swoop and took the cap from off the head of Tarquin, and then, wheeling round him, replaced it. His wife Tanaquil, skilled in augury, like all the Etruscans, interpreted this to be an omen of good. "The eagle," she said, "was a messenger from heaven; it had restored the cap as a gift of the gods; her husband would surely rise to honour and power." Thus it was that he came to settle in Rome, probably among his countrymen on the Cælian Hill. He took the Latin name of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus; and by his riches and his cleverness and goodwill he gained the favour of King Ancus, and was made guardian of his children. But he used the power so gotten in his own favour; and the people chose him to be their king.

C

§ 3. It needs some explanation to show how Tarquin, being an Etruscan stranger, came to be chosen king of Rome; for in all likelihood he belonged to the Tribe of the Luceres ; and this Tribe had hitherto been held subordinate. The Ramnians of the Palatine and Titians of the Quirinal had kept power in their own hands; and the Kings had been chosen by turns from these two Tribes. Romulus and Tullus were Ramnians; Numa and Ancus were Titians. Also, Romulus had chosen only 200 elders into the Senate; of whom 100 were first chosen from the Romans or Ramnians of the Palatine, and 100 afterwards from the Sabines or Titians of the Quirinal; and there were no Lucerians in the Senate, except perhaps some few that King Tullus had added from the Alban families, which he settled on the Cælian Hill. Moreover, Numa did not admit the Burgesses of the Lucerian Tribe into the sacred offices which he made. For, under the

b Chapt. i. § 11. Another legend makes Cæles younger than Tarquin. Compare § 12, and Chapt. v. § 11.

Another form of the legend takes no notice of his Etruscan origin, and gives him to wife a person bearing the undeniably Latin name of Caia Cæcilia.

Chief Pontifex, there were but four other Pontifices, two for the Ramnians and two for the Titians. So, under the Chief Flamen of Jove, there were but two Flamens, one belonging to the Roman or Ramnian god Mars, the other to him who had become a god by the Sabine name of Quirinus. Likewise, he had made but four Augurs, and four Vestal Virgins,-two for the Ramnians and two for the Titians; and Tullus Hostilius had appointed but two Judges to represent him in deciding cases of life and death. The Luceres, therefore, were held in small account; and no doubt in the Comitia Curiata they were always outvoted by the other two Tribes; for they had but 10 Curiæ to the 20 of the other two.

But of late the Luceres had been waxing in power. The Albans had been added to their ranks; and no doubt this addition had made them more Latin, more like the other Romans, and less like the Etruscans. It might well be, therefore, that Tarquin was able by their means to raise himself to the kingly power. At all events, we may be sure that the four first Kings appear as representatives of the two elder Tribes; and that the three last belonged to the Luceres.

§ 4. Tarquin soon began to use his power to raise those by whom he had risen: for he made the Luceres almost equal in dignity to the two old Tribes. First he chose 100 fresh members into the Senate, who (we cannot doubt) were all of the Lucerian Tribe; so that now the Senate consisted of 300. Then, he increased the number of Vestal Virgins to six; the two new ones being (it is presumed) Lucerian. But the influence of the old Tribes in the colleges of Pontifices, Augurs, and Flamens appears to have been too strong to allow him to make similar alterations here. These remained without change according to the numbers fixed by Numa for many years.

§ 5. Tarquin, however, was not satisfied with simply raising his Lucerian friends to an equality with the Burgesses of the old Tribes. He designed to make other alterations in the state,

It has been already noticed that the number 3 frequently recurs in the early history of Rome (Chapt. i. § 6 and § 13). But this number is suddenly interrupted, and (as appears from the text) 2 became the ruling unit of combination. The latter number seems to have been the favourite of the Latins: see Chapt. i. § 15, Note. Probably this change must be attributed to the dominant influence of the two elder tribes.

larger and more important. To explain these we must go back to the institutions attributed to Romulus. The whole body of the People had been divided (as we saw) into two great classes, Patrons and Clients. The Clients or vassals being wholly dependent upon their Patrons, had no part in the Body Politic, nor had they the right of connubium (as it was called), that is, the right of intermarrying with their Patrons. The Patrons alone, therefore (we repeat), made up the Populus or Body Politic of Rome: these only were members of the Three Tribes ; these only voted in the Comitium by their Curiæ, when they chose their Kings or made laws. At first, then, there were only two classes of free men at Rome, Patrons and Clients; and all the power was in the hands of the Patrons.

These Patrons or Lords also took the name of Patres or Patricii, Fathers or Patricians. In after times the name of Patres was confined to the Senators, and the descendants of the old Patrons or Patres were called Patricians. The Patricians were at this time the same as the Burgesses.

The Patricians were divided into certain private associations, called Gentes, which we may translate Houses or Clans. All the members of each Gens were called gentiles; and they bore the same name, which always ended in -ius; as for instance, every member of the Julian Gens was a Julius; every member of the Cornelian Gens was a Cornelius, and so on. Now in every Gens there were a number of Families, which were distinguished by a name added to the name of the Gens. Thus the Scipios, Sullas, Cinnas, Cethegi, Lentuli were all Families of the Cornelian Gens. Lastly, every person of every Family was denoted by a name prefixed to the name of the Gens. The name of the person was, in Latin, prænomen; that of the Gens or House, nomen ; that of the Family, cognomen. Thus Caius Julius Cæsar was a person of the Cæsar Family in the Julian Gens; Lucius Cornelius Scipio was a person of the Scipio Family in the Cornelian Gens; and so forth. Their prænomen or fore-name was Caius or Lucius, etc.; their nomen or name Julius, Cornelius, etc.; their cognomen or surname Cæsar, Scipio, etc. These Gentes may be compared to the Scottish Clans, in which there are many Families, as in the Clan Campbell there are the great Families of Argyle and Breadalbane and others.