Ab urbe condita

When all else failed, they tried to alarm the consul, whilst he was actually holding the door-post[*](The dedication of temples was usually conducted by the supreme magistrate. He laid his hand on the doorpost, thus symbolically handing over the building to the god, whilst he recited after the Pontifex the dedicatory prayer. This touching with the hand was a symbolical act in all transfers of property, manumission of slaves, and consecration of sacrificial victims.) during the dedicatory prayer; by a wicked message that his son was dead, and he could not dedicate a temple while death was in his house. As to whether he disbelieved the message, or whether his conduct simply showed extraordinary self-control, there is no definite tradition, and it is not easy to decide from the records.

He only allowed the message to interrupt him so far that he gave orders for the body to be burnt; then, with his hand still on the door-post, he finished the prayer and dedicated the temple. These were the principal incidents at home and in the field during the first year after the expulsion of the royal family.

The consuls elected for the next year were P. Valerius, for the second time, and T. Lucretius.

The[*](Porsena's Attempt to Restore the Tarquins.) Tarquins had now taken refuge with Porsena, the king of Clusium, whom they sought to influence by entreaty mixed with warnings. At one time they entreated him not to allow men of Etruscan race, of the same blood as himself, to wander as penniless exiles; at another they would warn him not to let the new fashion of expelling kings go unpunished.

Liberty, they urged, possessed fascination enough in itself;

unless kings defend their authority with as much energy as their subjects show in quest of liberty, all things come to a dead level, there will be no one thing preeminent or superior to all else in the State; there will soon be an end of kingly power, which is the most beautiful thing, whether amongst gods or amongst mortal men.

Porsena considered that the presence of an Etruscan upon the Roman throne would be an honour to his nation; accordingly he advanced with an army against Rome.