2. Publicola Potitus. But we think it more probable
that he was the son or grandson of L.Valerius Potitus [No. 1]; first, because we find that
Livy, Cicero, and Dionysius, invariably give him the surname of Potitus, and never that of
Publicola, and secondly because the great popularity of Potitus would naturally give origin to
the tradition that he was a lineal descendant of that member of the gens, who took such a
prominent part in the expulsion of the kings.
The annals of the Valeria gens recorded that L. Valerius Potitus was the first person who
offered opposition to the decemvirs; and whether this was the case or not, there can be no
doubt that he took a leading part in the abolition of the tyrannical power. He and M. Horatius
are represented as the leaders of the people against Ap. Claudius after the murder of Virginia
by her father; and when the plebeians had seceded to the Sacred Hill, he and Horatius were
sent to them by the senate, as the only acceptable members, to negotiate the terms of peace.
In this mission they succeeded; the decemvirate was abolished, and the two friends of the
plebs, Valerius and Horatius, were elected consuls, Valeriae et Horatiae leges, which secured the liberties of the plebs, and gave them
additional power in the state. 1. The first law is said to have made a plebiscitum binding on
the whole people, but Niebuhr supposes that the curiae were necessary to give a plebiscitum
the full force of a lex. [Comp. PHILO, p. 298a.] 2. The second law
enacted that whoever should procure the election of a magistrate without appeal should be
outlawed, and might be killed by any one with impunity. 3. The third law declared that,
whoever harmed the tribunes of the plebs, the aediles, the judices, or the decemvirs, should
be outlawed and accursed. It is doubtful who are meant by the judices and decemvirs : various
conjectures have been made on the point by modern writers (Niebuhr, Hist. of
Rome, vol. ii. p. 368; Arnold, list. of Rome, vol. i. p. 319).
After the enactmeat of these laws, the consuls proceeded to march against the foreign enemies
of the state. The people flocked to the standards of the popular consuls, and fought with
enthusiasm under their orders. They accordingly met with great success; Valerius defeated the
Aequi and the Volsci, Horatius the Sabines, and both armies returned to Rome covered with
glory. The senate, however, refused to grant a triumph to these traitors to their order;
whereupon the centuries conferred upon them this honour by their supreme authority, regardless
of the opposition of the senate. (de Rep. 2.31, Brut. 14; Niebuhr, Hist. of
Rome, vol. ii. pp. 345-376.) In Dict. of Antiq. s. v.
Quaestor).