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banishment, the tears of Collatinus, attended with Valerius's silence,
gave some hopes of mercy. But Brutus, calling his two sons by their
names, "Canst not thou," said he, "O Titus, or thou, Tiberius, make
any defence against the indictment?" The question being thrice proposed,
and no reply made, he turned himself to the lictors and cried, "What
remains is your duty." They immediately seized the youths, and, stripping
them of their clothes, bound their hands behind them and scourged
their bodies with their rods; too tragical a scene for others to look
at; Brutus, however, is said not to have turned aside his face, nor
allowed the least glance of pity to soften and smooth his aspect of
rigour and austerity, but sternly watched his children suffer, even
till the lictors, extending them on the ground, cut off their heads
with an axe; then departed, committing the rest to the judgment of
his colleague. An action truly open alike to the highest commendation
and the strongest censure; for either the greatness of his virtue
raised him above the impressions of sorrow, or the extravagance of
his misery took away all sense of it; but neither seemed common, or
the result of humanity, but either divine or brutish. Yet it is more
reasonable that our judgment should yield to his reputation, than
that his merit should suffer detraction by the weakness of our judgment;
in the Roman's opinion, Brutus did a greater work in the establishment
of the government than Romulus in the foundation of the city.
Upon Brutus's departure out of the forum, consternation, horror, and
silence for some time possessed all that reflected on what was done;
the easiness and tardiness, however, of Collatinus gave confidence
to the Aquillii to request some time to answer their charge, and that
Vindicius, their servant, should be remitted into their hands, and
no longer harboured amongst their accusers. The consul seemed inclined
to their proposal, and was proceeding to dissolve the assembly; but
Valerius would not suffer Vindicius, who was surrounded by his people,
to be surrendered, nor the meeting to withdraw without punishing the
traitors; and at length laid violent hands upon the Aquillii, and,
calling Brutus to his assistance, exclaimed against the unreasonable
course of Collatinus, to impose upon his colleague the necessity of
taking away the lives of his own sons, and yet have thoughts of gratifying
some women with the lives of traitors and public enemies. Collatinus,
displeased at this, and commanding Vindicius to be taken away, the
lictors made their way through the crowd and seized their man, and
struck all who endeavoured a rescue. Valerius's friends headed the
resistance, and the people cried out for Brutus, who, returning, on
silence being made, told them he had been competent to pass sentence
by himself upon his own sons, but left the rest to the suffrages of
the free citizens: "Let every man speak that wishes, and persuade
whom he can." But there was no need of oratory, for, it being referred
to the vote, they were returned condemned by all the suffrages, and
were accordingly beheaded.
Collatinus's relationship to the kings had, indeed, already rendered
him suspicious, and his second name, too, had made him obnoxious to
the people, who were loth to hear the very sound of Tarquin; but after
this had happened, perceiving himself an offence to every one, he
relinquished his charge and departed from the city. At the new elections
in his room, Valerius obtained, with high honour, the consulship,
as a just reward of his zeal; of which he thought Vindicius deserved
a share, whom he made, first of all freedmen, a citizen of Rome, and
gave him the privilege of voting in what tribe soever he was pleased
to be enrolled; other freedmen received the right of suffrage a long
time after from Appius, who thus courted popularity; and from this
Vindicius, a perfect manumission is called to this day vindicta. This
done, the goods of the kings were exposed to plunder, and the palace
to ruin.
The pleasantest part of the field of Mars, which Tarquin had owned,
was devoted to the service of that god; but, it happening to be harvest
season, and the sheaves yet being on the ground, they thought it not
proper to commit them to the flail, or unsanctify them with any use;