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tyranny, should have any occasion offered them, or any temptations to new designs. Afterwards other ambassa- dors arrived, who declared their king would recede from his crown, and lay down his arms, only capitulating for a restitution to himself, his friends, and allies, of their moneys and estates to support them in their banishment. Now, several inclining to the request, and Collatinus in par- ticular favoring it, Brutus, a man of vehement and unbend- ing nature, rushed into the forum, there proclaiming his fellow-consul to be a traitor, in granting subsidies to ty- ranny, and supplies for a war to those to whom it was monstrous to allow so much as subsistence in exile. This caused an assembly of the citizens, amongst whom the first that spake was Caius Minucius, a private man, who advised Brutus, and urged the Romans, to keep the pro- perty, and employ it against the tyrants, rather than to remit it to the tyrants, to be used against themselves. The Romans, however, decided that whilst they enjoyed the liberty they had fought for, they should not sacrifice peace for the sake of money, but send out the tyrants' property after them. This question, however, of his pro- perty, was the least part of Tarquin's design ; the demand sounded the feelings of the people, and was preparatory to a conspiracy which the ambassadors endeavored to excite, delaying their return, under pretence of selling some of the goods and reserving others to be sent away, till, in fine, they corrupted two of the most eminent fam- ilies in Rome, the Aquillian, which had three, and the Vitellian, which had two senators. These all were, by the mother's side, nephews to Collatinus ; besides which Brutus had a special alliance to the Vitellii from his mar- riage with their sister, by whom he had several children ; two of whom, of their own age, their near relations and daily companions, the Vitellii seduced to join in the plot,

to ally themselves to the great house and royal hopes of