UTALITY
TOWARD ALL ALIKE, AND HE AS WELL AS HIS CHILDREN ADOPTED A MORE
TYRANNICAL BEARING TOWARD ALL PERSONS. Hence he also cast eyes of
suspicion upon the members of his guard and secured a new body-guard
from the Latin nation, intermingling the Latins with Romans in the
ranks. He intended that the Latins by obtaining equal privileges with
the Romans should owe him gratitude therefor, and that the Romans
should cause him less terror, since they no longer had a place of
their own but bore arms only in association with the Latins.

He also joined battle with the people of Gabii and fared ill in the
conflict, but by treachery overcame them; for he suggested to his son
Sextus that he desert to their side. Sextus, in order to get some
plausible pretext for the desertion, [Sidenote: FRAG. 10^3] REVILED
HIS FATHER PUBLICLY AS A TYRANT AND FORESWORN, and the latter flogged
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 praetor 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 f