ule of Lucretius, the prefect of the city. In this tumult, the wicked
Tullia fled from her house, pursued by the curses of all men, who prayed
that the avengers of her father's blood might be upon her.

When the king heard what had passed, he set off in all haste for the
city. Brutus also set off for the camp at Ardea; and he turned aside
that he might not meet his uncle the king. So he came to the camp at
Ardea, and the king came to Rome. And all the Romans at Ardea welcomed
Brutus, and joined their arms to his, and thrust out all the king's sons
from the camp. But the people of Rome shut the gates against the king,
so that he could not enter. And King Tarquin, with his sons Titus and
Aruns, went into exile and lived at Caere in Etruria. But Sextus fled to
Gabii, where he had before held rule, and the people of Gabii slew him
in memory of his former cruelty.

So L. Tarquinius Superbus was expelled from Rome, after he had been king
five-and-twenty years. And in memory of this event was instituted a
festival called the "Regifugium" or "Fugalia," which was celebrated
every year on the 24th day of February.

To gratify the plebeians, the patricians consented to restore, in some
measure at least, the popular institutions of King Servius; and it was
resolved to follow his supposed intention with regard to the supreme
government--that is, to have two magistrates elected every year, who
were to have the same power as the king during the time of their rule.
These were in after days known by the name of Consuls; but in ancient
times they were called "Praetors" or Judges. They were elected at the
great Assembly of Centuries; and they had sovereign power conferred upon
them by the assembly of the Curies. They wore a robe edged with violet
color, sat in their chairs of state called curule chairs, and were
attended by twelve lictors each. These lictors carried fasces, or
bundles of rods, out of which arose an axe, in token of the power of
life and death possessed by the consuls as successors of the kings. But
only one of them at a time had a right to this power; and, in token
thereof, his colleague's fasces had no axes in them. Each retained this
mark of sovereign power (_Imperium_) for a month at a time.

The first consuls were L. Junius Brutus and L. Tarquinius Collatinus.

The new consuls filled up the senate to the proper number of three
hundred; and the new senators were called "Conscripti," while the old
members retained t