thirty-eighth year of Tarquin's reign, Servius Tullius
enjoyed the highest esteem, not only of the king, but also of the
senate and people. At this time the two sons of Ancus, though they had
before that always considered it the highest indignity that they
had been deprived of their father's crown by the treachery of their
guardian, that a stranger should be King of Rome, who not only did not
belong to a neighbouring, but not even to an Italian family, now felt
their indignation roused to a still higher pitch at the idea that
the crown would not only not revert to them after Tarquin, but would
descend even lower to slaves, so that in the same state, about the
hundredth year after Romulus, descended from a deity, and a deity
himself, had occupied the throne as long as he lived, Servius, one
born of a slave, would possess it: that it would be the common
disgrace both of the Roman name, and more especially of their family,
if, while there was male issue of King Ancus still living, the
sovereignty of Rome should be accessible not only to strangers, but
even to slaves. They determined therefore to prevent that disgrace by
the sword. But since resentment for the injury done to them incensed
them more against Tarquin himself, than against Servius, and the
consideration that a king was likely to prove a more severe avenger of
the murder, if he should survive, than a private person; and moreover,
even if Servius were put to death, it seemed likely that he would
adopt as his successor on the throne whomsoever else he might have
selected as his son-in-law. For these reasons the plot was laid
against the king himself. Two of the most brutal of the shepherds,
chosen for the deed, each carrying with him the iron tools of
husbandmen to the use of which he had been accustomed, by creating as
great a disturbance as they could in the porch of the palace, under
pretence of a quarrel, attracted the attention of all the king's
attendants to themselves; then, when both appealed to the king, and
their clamour had reached even the interior of the palace, they were
summoned and proceeded before him. At first both shouted aloud, and
vied in clamouring against each other, until, being restrained by
the lictor, and commanded to speak in turns, they at length ceased
railing: as agreed upon, one began to state his case. While the king's
attention, eagerly directed toward the speaker, was diverted from the
second shepherd, the latter, raising up his a