bright flames played about his head, and Tanaquil knew he would be
great, so she caused her son Tarquin to give him his daughter in
marriage when he grew up. This greatly offended the two sons of Ancus
Martius, and they hired two young men to come before him as
wood-cutters, with axes over their shoulders, pretending to have a
quarrel about some goats, and while he was listening to their cause they
cut him down and mortally wounded him. He had lost his sons, and had
only two baby grandsons, Aruns and Tarquin, who could not reign as yet;
but while he was dying, Tanaquil stood at the window and declared that
he was only stunned and would soon be well. This, as she intended, so
frightened the sons of Ancus that they fled from Rome; and Servius
Tullus, coming forth in the royal robes, was at once hailed as king by
all the people of Rome, being thus made king that he might protect his
wife's two young nephews, the two little Tarquins.




CHAPTER V.

THE DRIVING OUT OF THE TARQUINS.

B.C. 578--309.


Servius Tullus was looked on by the Romans as having begun making their
laws, as Romulus had put their warlike affairs in order, and Numa had
settled their religion. The Romans were all in great clans or families,
all with one name, and these were classed in tribes. The nobler ones,
who could count up from old Trojan, Latin, or Sabine families, were