object in view, they sounded the minds of the young nobles; to those
by whom their proposals were favourably received they gave letters
from the Tarquins, and conferred with them about admitting the royal
family into the city secretly by night.

The matter was first intrusted to the brothers Vitellii and Aquilii. A
sister of the Vitellii was married to Brutus the consul, and the issue
of that marriage was the grown-up sons, Titus and Tiberius; they also
were admitted by their uncles to share the plot; several young nobles
also were taken into their confidence, recollection of whose names has
been lost from lapse of time. In the meantime, as that opinion had
prevailed in the Senate, which was in favour of the property being
restored, the ambassadors made use of this as a pretext for lingering
in the city, and the time which they had obtained from the consuls
to procure conveyances, in which to remove the effects of the royal
family, they spent entirely in consultations with the conspirators,
and by persistent entreaties succeeded in getting letters given to
them for the Tarquins. Otherwise how could they feel sure that the
representations made by the ambassadors on matters of such importance
were not false? The letters, given as an intended pledge of their
sincerity, caused the plot to be discovered: for when, the day before
the ambassadors set out to the Tarquins, they had supped by chance at
the house of the Vitellii, and the conspirators had there discoursed
much together in private, as was natural, concerning their
revolutionary design, one of the slaves, who had already observed what
was on foot, overheard their conversation; he waited, however, for the
opportunity when the letters should be given to the ambassadors, the
detection of which would put the matter beyond a doubt. When he found
that they had been given, he laid the whole affair before the consuls.
The consuls left their home to seize the ambassadors and conspirators,
and quashed the whole affair without any disturbance, particular care
being taken of the letters, to prevent their being lost or stolen.
The traitors were immediately thrown into prison: some doubt was
entertained concerning the treatment of the ambassadors, and though
their conduct seemed to justify their being considered as enemies, the
law of nations nevertheless prevailed.

The consideration of the restoration of the king's effects, for which
the senate had formerly voted, was laid anew