Ab urbe condita

Meantime it was arranged that Sextus, the youngest of his three sons, should go as a refugee to Gabii, complaining loudly of his father's insupportable cruelty and declaring that he had shifted his tyranny from others on to his own family and even regarded the presence of his children as a burden and was preparing to devastate his own family as he had devastated the senate so that not a single descendant, not a single heir to the crown might be left.

He had, he said, himself escaped from the murderous violence of his father, and felt that no place was safe for him except amongst Lucius Tarquin's enemies.

Let them not deceive themselves, the war which apparently was abandoned was hanging over them, and at the first chance he would attack them when they least expected it. If amongst them there was no place for suppliants, he would wander through Latium, he would petition the Volsci, the Aequi, the Hernici, until he came to men who know how to protect children against the cruel and unnatural persecutions of parents.

Perhaps he would find people with sufficient spirit to take up arms against a remorseless tyrant backed by a warlike people.

As it seemed probable that if they paid no attention to him he would, in his angry mood, take his departure, the people of Gabii gave him a kind reception.