his son and took measures of defence. Then, according to arrangement,
the son made his treacherous desertion to the people of Gabii, taking
along with him money and companions. The enemy believed the trick on
account of the cruelty of Tarquin and because at this time the son
spoke many words of truth in abusing his father and by his conduct
seemed to have become thoroughly estranged from him. So they were very
glad to receive him, and in his company made many incursions into
Roman territory and did it no slight damage. For this reason and
because he privately furnished some persons with money and spent it
lavishly for public purposes he was chosen prætor by them and was
entrusted with the management of the government among them. At that he
secretly sent a man and acquainted his father with what had occurred,
asking him for his intentions with regard to the future. The king made
no answer to the emissary, in order that he might not, being equally
informed, either willingly or unwillingly reveal something; but
leading him into a garden where there were poppies he struck off with
a rod the heads that were prominent and strewed the ground with them;
hereupon he dismissed the message-bearer. The latter, without
comprehending the affair, repeated the king's actions to Sextus, and
he understood the sense of the suggestion. Therefore he destroyed the
more eminent men of Gabii, some secretly by poison, others by robbers
(supposedly), and still others he put to death after judicial trial by
contriving against them false accusations of traitorous dealings with
his father.

Thus did Sextus visit sorrow upon the men of Gabii and destroyed their
superior citizens, distributing their money among the crowd. Later,
when some had already perished and the rest had been cozened and
thoroughly believed in him, assisted by the Roman captives and the
deserters (many of whom he had gathered for his projects), he seized