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to Clarus Porsena, a man having the greatest power among the Italian kings; and he promised to help him. And first he sent to Rome, ordering them to receive Tarquin, but when they did not obey, he arrived with a heavy force. But Publicola Valerius, having been elected to of2.122 fice for the second time, and having joined battle and been wounded, was carried out of the battle on a litter. And with Porsena pressing upon the city, famine took hold of the Romans. But from some occurrence, or rather something that happened by providence, Porsena ended the war against the Romans. For a certain man, Mucius Cordus, good in every virtue, but in matters of war the best, Scaevola by surname, which means the one-handed or not whole-handed, having planned to kill Porsena, went to his camp, wearing Tyrrhenian clothing and using a similar accent. And not knowing Porsena clearly, but being afraid to ask, he drew his sword and killed his secretary who was sitting with him and had similar attire, and having been seized, he was interrogated; and as a certain brazier had been prepared for Porsena who was about to sacrifice at that time, he held his hand over it as the flesh burned, and stood looking at Porsena with an unchanging face, whence, his hand having been destroyed, he got his surname, until that man, amazed, released him. But Scaevola outwitted the enemy in another way, and said "Having conquered your fear, Porsena, I am defeated by your virtue, and as a favor I reveal what under compulsion I would not have declared. Three hundred Romans having the same mind as me are staying in your camp, of whom I, having undertaken the task first by lot, am not vexed by my fortune, having missed a man who is good and more suited to be a friend than an enemy to the Romans." From this, Porsena became more eager for a treaty. And Publicola, then being consul for the third time, continuously challenged Tarquin to a trial, so as to convict him 2.123 as most wicked and most justly fallen from power, with Porsena judging. But when Tarquin answered that he would not choose Porsena as an arbitrator, if he, being an ally, was changing sides, Porsena, condemning him, brought the war to an end. And after this, the Tarquins often attempted to take back the kingdom, allying themselves with the nations bordering the Romans, but they were all destroyed in the battles, except for the old man, who was also called Superbus; a Greek man might say, arrogant. And he afterwards came to Cumae in Opicia and died. So indeed the affairs of the Tarquins were brought to an end; and when they were driven out of the kingdom, consuls, as has been said, were chosen by the Romans. One of whom was also Publius Valerius, who was consul four times, also surnamed Publicola. This man, therefore, ruling alone and not having taken a co-ruler, offended the Romans, who said that he was not the heir to the consulship of Brutus, but the successor to the tyranny of Tarquin, proceeding with all the rods and axes together from a house of such size and beauty. For he had a more magnificent house overlooking the forum. When Publicola learned this, he gathered many artisans and by night took down the house and razed it, so that by day the Romans, seeing what had been done, admired the magnanimity of the man, but were vexed about the house because of its size and beauty. And he removed the axes from the rods, and when entering the assembly he lowered the rods themselves to the people. And the 2.124 administration of the finances he assigned to others, so that the consuls, not being in control of these, would not have great power. at which time the treasurers first began to exist; and they called them quaestors. They at first judged capital cases, whence they also got this name because of the investigations and because of the search for the truth from the investigations; but later they also received by lot the administration of the public finances, and were surnamed treasurers. After this, the law-courts were entrusted to others, while they were the administrators of the finances. And he appointed

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Κλάραν Πορσίναν, ανδρα μεγίστην εχοντα δύναμιν τῶν ̓Ιταλικῶν βασιλέων· καὶ ος αὐτῷ βοηθήσειν ὑπέσχετο. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν επεμψεν εἰς ̔Ρώμην κελεύων δέχεσθαι τὸν Ταρκύνιον, ὡς δὲ οὐχ ὑπήκουσαν, ἀφίκετο μετὰ βαρείας δυνάμεως. Ποπλικόλας δὲ Οὐαλέριος εἰς ἀρ2.122 χὴν τὸ δεύτερον αἱρεθεὶς καὶ μάχην συνάψας καὶ τραυματισθεὶς φοράδην τῆς μάχης ἐξεκομίσθη. ἐπικειμένου δὲ τοῦ Πορσίνα τῇ πόλει λιμὸς ηπτετο τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων. εκ τινος δὲ συμβεβηκότος η μᾶλλον ἐκ προνοίας γενομένου ὁ Πορσίνας τὸν πρὸς ̔Ρωμαίους κατέλυσε πόλεμον. ἀνὴρ γάρ τις Μούκιος Κόρδος, εἰς πᾶσαν ἀρετὴν ἀγαθός, ἐν δὲ τοῖς πολεμικοῖς αριστος, Σκαιόλας τὴν ἐπίκλησιν, ο δηλοῖ τὸν μονόχειρα η μὴ ἀρτιόχειρα, τὸν Πορσίναν ἀνελεῖν βουλευσάμενος παρῆλθεν εἰς τὸ ἐκείνου στρατόπεδον, Τυρσηνίδα φορῶν ἐσθῆτα καὶ ὁμοίᾳ κεχρημένος φωνῇ. καὶ σαφῶς μὲν τὸν Πορσίναν οὐκ εἰδώς, ἐρέσθαι δὲ δεδιώς, τὸν γραμματέα αὐτοῦ συγκαθήμενον αὐτῷ καὶ ὁμοίως εχοντα τῆς στολῆς σπασάμενος τὸ ξίφος ἀπέκτεινε, καὶ συλληφθεὶς ἀνεκρίνετο· ἐσχαρίδος δέ τινος τῷ Πορσίνᾳ μέλλοντι θύειν τότε κεκοσμημένης, ὑπερσχὼν τὴν χεῖρα καιομένης τῆς σαρκὸς εἱστήκει πρὸς τὸν Πορσίναν ἀποβλέπων ἀτρέπτῳ προσώπῳ, οθεν αὐτῷ τῆς χειρὸς φθαρείσης ἐγένετο ἡ ἐπίκλησις, μέχρι θαυμάσας ἐκεῖνος ἀφῆκεν αὐτόν. ὁ δὲ Σκαιόλας ετερον τρόπον ἐσοφίσατο τὸν ἐχθρόν, καὶ ειπε "τὸν φόβον σου, Πορσίνα, νενικηκὼς ηττημαί σου τῆς ἀρετῆς, καὶ χάριτι μηνύω α πρὸς ἀνάγκην οὐκ αν ἐξηγόρευσα. τριακόσιοι ̔Ρωμαίων τὴν αὐτὴν ἐμοὶ γνώμην εχοντες ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ σου διατρίβουσιν, ων ἐγὼ προεπιχειρήσας κλήρῳ λαχὼν οὐκ αχθομαι τῇ τύχῃ, διαμαρτὼν ἀνδρὸς ἀγαθοῦ καὶ φίλου μᾶλλον η πολεμίου ̔Ρωμαίοις ειναι προσήκοντος." ἐντεῦθεν ὁ Πορσίνας πρὸς τὰς συμβάσεις ἐγένετο προθυμότερος. ̔Ο δὲ Ποπλικόλας τὸ τρίτον ὑπατεύων τότε προυκαλεῖτο συνεχῶς τὸν Ταρκύνιον ἐπὶ δίκῃ, ὡς ἐξε2.123 λέγξων κάκιστον καὶ ἐκπεπτωκότα τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐνδικώτατα, τοῦ Πορσίνου δικάζοντος. ἀποκριναμένου δὲ Ταρκυνίου μὴ αἱρεῖσθαι Πορσίναν διαιτητήν, εἰ σύμμαχος ων μεταβάλλεται, καταγνοὺς ὁ Πορσίνας τὸν πόλεμον κατελύσατο. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ πολλάκις μὲν ἐπεχείρησαν οἱ Ταρκύνιοι τὴν βασιλείαν ἀναλαβεῖν, τοῖς ὁμοροῦσι ̔Ρωμαίοις εθνεσι συμμαχούμενοι, πάντες δὲ ἐν ταῖς μάχαις ἐφθάρησαν, πλὴν τοῦ γέροντος, ος καὶ Σούπερβος ἐκαλεῖτο· ειποι αν τις Ελλην ἀνήρ, ὑπερήφανος. κἀκεῖνος δὲ μετέπειτα εἰς Κύμην τὴν ἐν ̓Οπικίᾳ γενόμενος ἐτελεύτησεν. Ουτω μὲν ουν τοῖς Ταρκυνίοις τὰ πράγματα ἐπεράνθησαν· ἐκείνων δ' ἐξωσθέντων τῆς βασιλείας υπατοι, ὡς ειρηται, παρὰ τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων ᾑρέθησαν. ων εις ην καὶ Πόπλιος Οὐαλέριος, ος τετράκις ὑπάτευσεν, ὁ καὶ Ποπλικόλας ἐπικληθείς. ουτος ουν μόνος αρχων καὶ μὴ συνάρχοντα εἰληφὼς ̔Ρωμαίοις προσέκρουσε, λέγουσι μὴ τῆς τοῦ Βρούτου κληρονόμον ὑπατείας ειναι, τῆς δὲ τοῦ Ταρκυνίου τυραννίδος διάδοχον, ὑπὸ ῥάβδοις ὁμοῦ πάσαις καὶ πελέκεσι προϊόντα ἐξ οἰκίας τοσαύτης τὸ μέγεθος καὶ τὸ κάλλος. καὶ γὰρ πολυτελεστέραν ειχεν οἰκίαν ἐπικειμένην τῇ ἀγορᾷ. ταῦτα ὁ Ποπλικόλας μαθών, τεχνίτας πλείστους συναγαγὼν νυκτὸς κατέβαλε τὴν οἰκίαν καὶ ταύτην κατέσκαψεν, ωστε μεθ' ἡμέραν τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους βλέποντας τὸ γενόμενον τὴν μὲν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς μεγαλοφροσύνην θαυμάζειν, αχθεσθαι δ' ὑπὲρ τῆς οἰκίας διὰ τὸ μέγεθος καὶ τὸ κάλλος. καὶ τοὺς πελέκεις δὲ τῶν ῥάβδων ἀπέλυσεν, αὐτάς τε τὰς ῥάβδους εἰς ἐκκλησίαν παριὼν ἀφῆκε τῷ δήμῳ. καὶ τὴν τῶν 2.124 χρημάτων διοίκησιν αλλοις ἀπένειμεν, ινα μὴ τούτων ἐγκρατεῖς οντες οἱ ὑπατεύοντες μέγα δύνωνται. οτε πρῶτον οἱ ταμίαι ηρξαντο γίνεσθαι· κοιαίστωρας δ' ἐκάλουν αὐτούς. οι πρῶτον μὲν τὰς θανασίμους δίκας ἐδίκαζον, οθεν καὶ τὴν προσηγορίαν ταύτην διὰ τὰς ἀνακρίσεις ἐσχήκασι καὶ διὰ τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐκ τῶν ἀνακρίσεων ζήτησιν· υστερον δὲ καὶ τὴν τῶν κοινῶν χρημάτων διοίκησιν ελαχον, καὶ ταμίαι προσωνομάσθησαν. μετὰ ταῦτα δ' ἑτέροις μὲν ἐπετράπη τὰ δικαστήρια, ἐκεῖνοι δὲ τῶν χρημάτων ησαν διοικηταί. ἀπέδειξε δὲ