Exercises upon the Different Parts of Italian Speech, with References to Veneroni's Grammar / to which is added an abridgement of the Roman history, intended at once to make the learner acquainted with history, and the idiom of the Italian language

CHAP. III

(Of the World, 3545—Of Rome, 245.)

[1]King Tarquin, with his [2]family, being [3]banished, [4]L. Junius Brutus, and [5]L. Tarquinius Collatinus were [6]made [7]consuls. [8]The former was so [9]severe, that he [10]scourged and [11]beheaded his own sons for [12]favouring [13]the banished kings, being a [14]greater [15]friend to the [16]public [17]liberty than to his own family. A [18]field of the Tarquins, which [19]lay [20]between the city and [21]the Tiber, was [22]consecrated to [23]Mars, and [24]from thence [25]called [26]Campus Martius. [27]Brutus [28]died in the [29]war [30]against the Tarquins, who [31]prevailed upon some of the [32]neighbouring [33]nations to [34]assist them; [35]amongst the [36]rest, Porsena, king of Etruria, [37]made war upon the Romans, in [38]favour of the Tarquins: in which war the [39]bravery of [40]Horatius Coccles was very [41]remarkable, who [42]maintained the [43]fight [44]against the [45]victorious [46]enemy [47]till the [48]bridge on the Tiber was [49]cut down, [50]when he [51]swam and crossed the [52]river. Nor [53]must we [54]pass over in silence the [55]noble [56]attempt of [57]Mutius Scævola, who [58]secretly [59]entered the [60]enemy’s [61]camp with a [62]resolution to [63]kill the king; [64]but having by [65]mistake [66]slain one of his nobles, he [67]thrust his [68]hand into the [69]fire that was upon the [70]altar; which so [71]terrified the king, that he [72]made [73]peace with the Romans, and [74]returned [75]home. [76]After this, the [77]Latins made [78]war upon the Romans, [79]under the [80]conduct of [81]Octavius Mamilius, Tarquin’s [82]son-in-law; [83]against whom [84]Posthumius being made [85]dictator, [86]vanquished them in a [87]memorable [88]battle at the [89]lake Regillus.

[90]Afterwards a war was [91]proclaimed [92]against the [93]Volsci, who had [94]raised some [95]troops, to [96]send to the [97]assistance of the [98]Latins in the [99]former war. The [100]fortune of [101]Caius Marcius Coriolanus was [102]remarkable in that war, who being [103]condemned in his [104]absence, [105]retired amongst the Volsci, and [106]advised them to [107]renew the war; for the [108]management of which, being [109]chosen [110]general with [111]Tullius Accius, after he had [112]routed the Romans in [113]several [114]engagements, and [115]advanced up [116]to the very walls of the city, he was [117]moved by the [118]prayers of his [119]mother, and he [120]raised the [121]siege. After the [122]death of [123]Coriolanus, the Volsci [124]continued the war, and [125]were [126]together with the [127]Æqui, [128]and Hernici, [129]soundly [130]beaten by [131]Spurius Cassius, who had been [132]thrice [133]consul. [134]He being elevated by his [135]success, [136]aspired to the [137]throne, [138]but was [139]prevented in his [140]design, and [141]thrown headlong from the [142]Tarpeian rock.

In the year 261 from the [143]building of the city, the [144]common people being very [145]much in [146]debt, and [147]provoked by the [148]cruelty of their [149]creditors, [150]retired [151]beyond the [152]Anien into the [153]sacred mount, but were [154]reconciled by the [155]pacific [156]persuasions of [157]Menenius Agrippa; having [158]first [159]obtained from the [160]fathers, that [161]officers should be [162]appointed to [163]screen them from the [164]violence of the [165]patricii, who were [166] called [167]tribunes of the [168]people.

After this, the Romans had a war with the [169]Veientes, which the [170]family of the [171]Fabii [172]undertook to [173]carry on by themselves; and having [174]pitched their camp by the [175]river [176]Cremera, were [177]trepanned by the [178]enemy, and [179]cut off in one [180]day, to the [181]number of 306.

The war with the [182]Volsci [183]continued. They were [184]often [185]vanquished, [186]especially by T. [187]Quintius Cincinnatus, who took [188]Antium, the [189]metropolis of their [190]nation. Cincinnatus being [191]afterwards [192]taken from the [193]plough, and [194]made [195]dictator [196]against the [197]Æqui, he [198]delivered the [199]consul [200]Minucius, who was [201]besieged by them, and [202]obliged the [203]enemy to [204]pass under the [205]yoke.

In the year 303, [206]after the [207]foundation of the city, and 451 years [208]before [209]Christ, the [210]form of the [211]government was [212]changed. [213]For [214]instead of [215]consuls, the [216]decemviri were [217]set up, with [218]supreme [219]power to [220]make [221]laws for the Roman [222]people, [223]from those which their ambassadors had the year before [224]brought from [225]Greece. But [226]abusing their [227]power, they were [228]obliged to [229]lay down their [230]authority; and the [231]consuls and [232]tribunes were [233]restored.

In the 315th year of the city, Sp. Melius, in the [234]time of a [235]famine, [236]endeavouring to [237]make his way to a [238]throne, by [239]sharing [240]corn [241]amongst the [242]people, was [243]slain by [244]order of [245]Quintius Cincinnatus the [246]dictator, by [247]C. Servilius Ahala [248]master of the horse. In the [249]following year the [250]Fidenates [251]revolted to [252]Lars Tolumnius, king of the [253]Veientes, and [254]put the Roman ambassadors to [255]death, who had their [256]statues [257]erected in the [258]forum. The [259]Veientes [260]in the next year were [261]subdued by [262]Mamercus Æmilius, [263]dictator. [264]Tolumnius was [265]slain by [266]Cornelius Cossus, who was the [267]second from [268]Romulus that [269]dedicated the [270]spoils [271]called [272]Opima to Jupiter [273]Feretrius.

[274]Censors were [275]set up at Rome in the 311th year of the city, who [276]held their [277]office [278]at first for [279]five [280]years, [281]but were [282]afterwards, in the year 320, [283]reduced by [284]Mamercus Æmilius, [285]dictator, to a year and a [286]half. In the year 323, the [287]dictator [288]A. Posthumius was very [289]successful [290]against the [291]Æqui and the [292]Volsci; but [293]stained the [294]victory with the [295]blood of his own [296]son, whom he [297]beheaded for having [298]fought [299]contrary to his [300]orders.

In the year of the city 358, the [301]town of [302]Veii was [303]taken by [304]Camillus, dictator, [305]after a [306]siege of [307]ten years. He [308]likewise [309]reduced the [310]Falisci, [311]not so much by his [312]arms, as the [313]opinion they had of his [314]justice.

But after these [315]great [316]successes, the Romans were [317]nearly [318]ruined by the [319]Galli Senones, who having [320]laid [321]siege to [322]Clusium in Etruria, the Romans [323]sent three of the [324]Fabian family ambassadors to them. These, [325]contrary to the [326]law of [327]nations, [328]marched out into the [329]field with the [330]Clusini against the [331]Gauls, which proceeding so [332]incensed the latter, that [333]leaving [334]Clusium, they marched to Rome. The Romans were [335]routed, and [336]put to [337]flight in the very [338]first [339]attack at Allia. After which the city was [340]taken and [341]burnt; the [342]Capitol, [343]whither the [344]flower of the Roman [345]youth [346]retreated, was [347]besieged, and had it not been for Manlius, who was afterwards surnamed [348]Capitolinus, would have been [349]taken by the [350]barbarians in the [351]night time; but he, being [352]awakened by the [353]cackling of [354]geese, and [355]others [356]with him, [357]pushed the [358]Gauls [359]as they [360]came up, [361]headlong down the precipice. [362]In the mean time [363]Camillus, who was [364]then in [365]exile at Ardea, being [366]recalled and [367]made [368]dictator, [369]raised an [370]army, [371]came to Rome, [372]drove them out, and at [373]about [374]eight [375]miles [376]distance from the city [377]utterly [378]destroyed their [379]whole [380]army.

FOOTNOTES