people with great unanimity elected him king. The same spirit of
ambition which had prompted Tarquin, in other respects an excellent
man, to aspire to the crown, attended him also on the throne. And
being no less mindful of strengthening his own power, than of
increasing the commonwealth, he elected a hundred new members into the
senate, who from that time were called minorum gentium, a party who
stanchly supported the king, by whose favour they had been admitted
into the senate. The first war he waged was with the Latins, in whose
territory he took the town of Apiolae by storm, and having brought
back thence more booty than might have been expected from the reported
importance of the war, he celebrated games with more magnificence and
display than former kings. The place for the circus, which is now
called Maximus, was then first marked out, and spaces were apportioned
to the senators and knights, where they might each erect seats for
themselves: these were called fori (benches). They viewed the games
from scaffolding which supported seats twelve feet in height from the
ground. The show consisted of horses and boxers that were summoned,
chiefly from Etruria. These solemn games, afterward celebrated
annually, continued an institution, being afterward variously called
the Roman and Great games. By the same king also spaces round the
forum were assigned to private individuals for building on; covered
walks and shops were erected.

He was also preparing to surround the city with a stone wall, when a
war with the Sabines interrupted his plans. The whole thing was so
sudden, that the enemy passed the Anio before the Roman army could
meet and prevent them: great alarm therefore was felt at Rome. At
first they fought with doubtful success, and with great slaughter on
both sides. After this, the enemy's forces were led back into camp,
and the Romans having thus gained time to make preparations for the