(1) Secundō quoque annō iterum Tarquinius, ut recipēretur in rēgnum, bellum Rōmānīs intulit, auxilium eī ferente Porsennā Tusciae rēge, et Rōmam paene cēpit. Vērum tum quoque victus est.
(2) Tertiō annō post rēgēs exāctōs Tarquinius, cum suscipī nōn posset in rēgnum neque eī Porsenna, quī pācem cum Rōmānīs fēcerat, praestāret auxilium, Tusculum sē contulit, quae cīvitās nōn longē ab urbe est, atque ibi per quattuordecim annōs prīvātus cum uxōre cōnsenuit.
(3) Quārtō annō post rēgēs exāctōs, cum Sabīnī Rōmānīs bellum intulissent, victī sunt, et dē hīs triumphātum est.
(4) Quīntō annō L. Valerius ille, Brūtī collēga et quater cōnsul, fātāliter mortuus est adeō pauper, ut collātīs ā populō nummīs sūmptum habuerit sepultūrae. Quem mātrōnae sīcutī Brūtum per annum lūxērunt.
notes
War with Porsenna, 508 BCE
Tarquinius: for the expulsion of Tarquinius Superbus, the seventh king of Rome, see Brev. 1.8
ut recipēretur in regnum: purpose clause signaled by ut (AG 531)
Rōmānīs: dative object of intulit (see LS infero I.β)
auxilium eī ferente Porsennā: ablative absolute using a present active participle (AG 419). Lars Porsenna of Clusium, though repelled accorded to tradition, actually captured Rome. It seems unlikely that he was assisting Tarquinius since he did not restore him. His stay in Rome was brief and his forces were defeated in ca. 506 BCE by the Latins and Aristodemus of Cumae (Bird). It is during the struggle against Porsenna that numerous heroes of early Rome rose to fame. As Florus explains,
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The Roman Republic’s first experience in warfare was in defense of their liberty. For the Etruscan king Porsenna arrived at their gates with a huge army, intent on reinstating the Tarquinii. Despite the fact that he blockaded their city with violence and famine, even capturing the Janiculum and barricading the gates of the city, the Romans nevertheless persevered against him in such a novel and admirable way that Porsenna struck a peace treaty with them when he could have easily defeated them. At that time there were three miraculous heroes—Horatius, Mucius, and Cloelia,—who would seem utterly fabulous legends today if they weren’t included in historical records. For when Horatius Cocles was surrounded by the enemy, he destroyed the bridge he was protecting and swam across the Tiber without casting off his armor. Mucius Scaevola snuck into Porsenna’s camp in order to assassinate the king, but when he was caught for killing one of the king’s entourage instead, he thrust his hand into the blazing brazier and doubled the king’s alarm. He told them, "Look, and see the kind of man you’re hiding from. There are three hundred others out there who have sworn to do the same thing!" Seeing that the man was so unafraid, Porsenna feared as if it was his own hand that the Roman was burning. But enough about men! Lest any gender lack praise, even a young woman revealed her courage. For Cloelia, one of the hostages given to the king, escaped her guard and crossed the Tiber on horseback to return home. Because of these heroes, Porsenna had enough with the Romans and left them to their own devices (Florus 1.4.1–23).
(2) Tertiō annō post rēgēs exāctōs: 507 BCE
cum suscipī nōn posset in regnum: cum here is causal (AG 549), and suscipī is a present passive complimentary infinitive guided by posset
praestāret auxilium: "offer aid" (LS praestō II.C.2.c)
Tusculum: Tusculum is said to have been founded by Telegonus, the son of Ulysses (Odysseus to the Greeks). It was always one of the most important of the Latin towns and was a favorite resort of the Roman aristocracy (Hazzard).
prīvātus: Tarquinius found refuge with his son-in-law, Mamilius Octavus of Tusculum who, according to tradition, persuaded the Latins to fight the Romans at Lake Regillus in 496 BCE (Bird).
cum uxōre: see Tullia Minor
(3) Quārtō annō post rēgēs exāctōs: 506 BCE
cum Sabīnī Rōmānīs bellum intulisset: cum here is causal (AG 549), and Rōmānīs is the dative object of intulisset (AG 370)
dē hīs: "over these (people)," the regular expression used for a triumph celebrated for a victory over an enemy (Hazzard)
(4) Quīntō annō: 505 BCE
L. Valerius ille: according to Livy (2.16.7), Publius Valerius died in the consulship of Menenius Agrippa and Publius Postumius (503 BCE), i.e., in the seventh year after the expulsion of the kings. The other details are the same as those in Eutropius (Bird).
Brūtī collēga: for the importance of L. Junius Brutus, see Brev. 1.8–10
fātāliter: lit., "by fate" = "a natural death" (Hazzard)
adeō pauper ut: "so poor that..." adeō signals the following result clause beginning with ut (AG 537).
collātīs ā populō nummīs: ablative absolute using a perfect passive participle (AG 419)
sūmptum habuerit sepultūrae: "had the cost of a burial," i.e. was buried at public expense (Hazzard)
Quem: connecting relative referring to Valerius Publicola
vocabulary
Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates
| Tarquinius, ī, m. |
the name of a gens in early Rome, said to have come from Etruria; (1) (L.) Tarquinius Priscus, the fifth king of Rome, 616—578 B.C.; (2) L. Tarquinius Superbus, the son of Priscus, the last king of Rome, 534—510 B.C.; (3) (Sextus) Tarquinius, son of (2); (2) (L.) Tarquinius Collātīnus, cousin of (3) and husband of Lucretia, consul 509 B.C. |
| Porsenna, ae, m. |
Lars Porsenna, king of Clusium in Etruria |
| Tuscia, ae, f. | Etruria, a division of central Italy |
| vērum, adv. | but |
| Tusculum, ī, n. |
an old town in Latium, about ten miles southeast of Rome 2 |
| cōnsenēscō, ere, senuī, —— | to grow old |
| Sabīnī, ōrum, pl. m. |
the Sabines, a race in central Italy, adjoining Latium on the east 3 |
| triumphō, āre, āvī, ātus | to celebrate a triumph |
| Valerius, ī, m. | the name of a Roman gens. 4 |
| Brūtus, ī, m. |
a family name at Rome, D. Iūnius Brūtus. He conquered the Callaeci and Lusitani, and won the name of Callaecus in consequence. Consul 138 B.C., L. Iūnius Brūtus, nephew of Tarquinius Superbus, consul with Collatinus 509 B.C., (M. Iūnius) Brūtus, one of the murderers of Caesar |
| collega -ae m. | colleague, fellow, associate |
| quater [quattuor], num. adv. | four times |
| fātāliter [fātālis, fatal], adv. | fatally, according to fate |
| nummus, ī, m. | money; coin |
| sūmptus, ūs [sūmō], m. | outlay, expense |
| sepultūra, ae [sepeliō], f. | burial, funeral |
| mātrōna, ae [māter], f. | a matron, woman |
| lūgeō, ēre, lūxī, lūctus | to mourn, bewail |