Publius Valerius Poplicola

And the people submitted to him with pleasure, and bore his yoke willingly.

They therefore called him Publicola, a name which signifies people-cherisher.

This name prevailed over the older names which he had borne, and it is the name which I shall use for him in the remainder of this life.

For he permitted any who wished to enter the lists and sue for the consulship.

Any door.

The right support.

End of Publicola, Volume 1 Part 19 of Volume 1 of Plutarch's Parallel Lives This is the LibriVox recording.

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He afterwards asked the king in these words, Dost thou, O king, constitute me the royal delegate of the royal people, the Quirites, including in my privileges my attendants and implements? The king replied, Be it without detriment to me, and to the Roman people, the Quirites, I do constitute thee.

The herald was Marcus Valerius, and he made Spurius Fusius pater patrotus, by touching his head and hair with the vervain.

The pater patrotus is appointed ad ius iurandum patrondum, that is, to ratify the league.

And this he does in a great many words, which being expressed in a long set form, I may be excused from repeating.

The shocking apprehensions conveyed by this menace overpowering her resolution in defending her chastity, his lust became victorious, and Tarquinius departed, applauding himself for this triumph over a lady's honor.

But Lucretia, plunged by such a disaster into the deepest distress, dispatched a messenger to Rome to her father, with orders to proceed to Ardea to her husband, and to desire them to come to her, each with one faithful friend, to tell them that there was a necessity for their doing so, and speedily, for that a dreadful affair had happened.

Spurius Lucretius came with Publius Valerius, the son of Volesus, Colatinus with Lucius Junius Brutus, in company with whom he chanced to be returning to Rome, when he was met by his wife's messenger.

They found Lucretia sitting in her chamber, melancholy and dejected.

But Lucretia, plunged by such a disaster into the deepest distress, dispatched a messenger to Rome to her father, with orders to proceed to Ardea to her husband, and to desire them to come to her, each with one faithful friend, to tell them that there was a necessity for their doing so, and speedily, for that a dreadful affair had happened.

Spurius Lucretius came with Publius Valerius, the son of Ulysses, Collatinus with Lucius Junius Brutus, in company with whom he chanced to be returning to Rome, when he was met by his wife's messenger.

They found Lucretia sitting in her chamber, melancholy and dejected.

On the arrival of her friends she burst into tears, and on her husband's asking, Is all well? Far from it, said she, for how can it be well with a woman who has lost her chastity? Collatinus, the impression of another man is in your bed.

Others affected him less, but when Spurius Lucretius, his superior in age and dignity of character, and his father-in-law besides, began to try every method of persuasion, using by turns arguments and entreaties, that he would suffer himself to be overcome by the general sense of his countrymen.

The consul, fearing lest hereafter, when he should have returned to a private station, the same measures might be used against him, with the additional, perhaps, of the confiscation of his property and other marks of ignominy, resigned the office of consul, and removing all his effects to Lavinium, withdrew from the territories of the state.

Brutus, in pursuance of a decree of the Senate, proposed to the people that all who were of the Tarquinian family should be banished, and in an assembly of the centuries, he elected for his colleague Publius Valerius, who had been his assistant in expelling the royal family.

No person now doubted but war would be immediately commenced by the Tarquinii.

But Lucretia, plunged by such a disaster into the deepest distress, despatched a messenger to Rome to her father, with orders to proceed to Ardea to her husband, and to desire them to come to her, each with one faithful friend; to tell them that there was a necessity for their doing so, and speedily, for that a dreadful affair had happened.

Spurius Lucretius came with Publius Valerius, the son of Volesus; Colatinus with Lucius Junius Brutus, in company with whom he chanced to be returning to Rome, when he was met by his wife's messenger.

They found Lucretia sitting in her chamber, melancholy and dejected.

On the arrival of her friends she burst into tears; and on her husband's asking, "Is all well?" "Far from it," said she; "for how can it be well with a woman who has lost her chastity? Colatinus, the impression of another man is in your bed.

Others affected him less, but when Spurius Lucretius, his superior in age and dignity of character, and his father-in-law besides, began to try every method of persuasion, using by turns arguments and entreaties, that he would suffer himself to be overcome by the general sense of his countrymen.

The consul, fearing lest hereafter, when he should have returned to a private station, the same measures might be used against him, with the additional, perhaps, of the confiscation of his property and other marks of ignominy, resigned the office of consul, and removing all his effects to Lavinium, withdrew from the territories of the state.

Brutus, in pursuance of a decree of the Senate, proposed to the people that all who were of the Tarquinian family should be banished, and in an assembly of the centuries, he elected for his colleague Publius Valerius, who had been his assistant in expelling the royal family.

No person now doubted but war would be immediately commenced by the Tarquinii.

And I had not advanced very far before I was driven back by a foul wind to the very place which I had just quitted.

And as the night was stormy, and as I had lodged that night in the villa of Publius Valerius, my companion and intimate friend, and as I remained all the next day at his house waiting for a fair wind, many of the citizens of the municipality of Regium came to me.

And of them there were some who had lately arrived from Rome.

From them I first heard of the harangue of Marcus Antonius, with which I was so much pleased that, after I read it, I began for the very first time to think of returning.

He must not be begged in words to do so.

He must be compelled by arms.

For we are not sending to Hannibal to desire him to retire before Saguntum, to whom the Senate formerly sent Publius Valerius Flaccus and Quintus Baebius Tampilius, who, if Hannibal did not comply, were ordered to proceed to Carthage.

Whither do we order our ambassadors to proceed if Antonius does not comply? Are we sending an embassy to our own citizen to beg him not to attack a general and colony of the Roman people? Is it so? Is it becoming to us to beg this by means of ambassadors? What is the difference, in the name of the immortal gods, whether he attacks this city himself, or whether he attacks an outpost of this city, a colony of the Roman people, established for the sake of its being a bulwark and a protection to us? The siege of Saguntum was the cause of the Second Punic War, which Hannibal carried on against our ancestors.

But Lucretia, plunged by such a disaster into the deepest distress, dispatched a messenger to Rome to her father, with orders to proceed to Ardea to her husband, and to desire them to come to her, each with one faithful friend, to tell them that there was a necessity for their doing so, and speedily, for that a dreadful affair had happened.

Spurius Lucretius came with Publius Valerius, the son of Ulysses, Collatinus with Lucius Junius Brutus, in company with whom he chanced to be returning to Rome, when he was met by his wife's messenger.

They found Lucretia sitting in her chamber, melancholy and dejected.

On the arrival of her friends she burst into tears, and on her husband's asking, Is all well? Far from it, said she, for how can it be well with a woman who has lost her chastity? Collatinus, the impression of another man is in your bed.

Others affected him less, but when Spurius Lucretius, his superior in age and dignity of character, and his father-in-law besides, began to try every method of persuasion, using by turns arguments and entreaties, that he would suffer himself to be overcome by the general sense of his countrymen.

The consul, fearing lest hereafter, when he should have returned to a private station, the same measures might be used against him, with the additional, perhaps, of the confiscation of his property and other marks of ignominy, resigned the office of consul, and removing all his effects to Lavinium, withdrew from the territories of the state.

Brutus, in pursuance of a decree of the Senate, proposed to the people that all who were of the Tarquinian family should be banished, and in an assembly of the centuries, he elected for his colleague Publius Valerius, who had been his assistant in expelling the royal family.

No person now doubted but war would be immediately commenced by the Tarquinii.

Immediately all the material were brought down from the Whalian mount, and the house was built at the foot of the hill, where the temple of Victory now stands.

Some laws were then proposed by the consul, which not only cleared him from all suspicion of a design to possess himself of regal power, but whose tendency was so contrary thereto, that they even rendered him popular, and from thence he inquired the surname of Publicola.

Such particularly was that concerning an appeal to the people against the decrees of the magistrates, and that which devoted both the persons and the goods of any who should form a design of assuming regal power.

These laws were highly acceptable to the populace, and having effected the ratification of them, while alone in office, in order that the credit of them might be entirely his own, he then held an assembly for the election of a new colleague.

The temple of Jupiter in the capital had not yet been dedicated.

The consuls Valerius and Horatius cast lots which should perform the dedication, and it fell to Horatius.

Publicola set out to conduct the war against the Winantians.

The friends of Valerius showed more displeasure than the occasion merited at the dedication of a temple so celebrated being given to Horatius.

But after the winds had driven me, on my departure from Sicily, to Leucopetra, which is a promontory on the Regian district, I went up the gulf from that point with the view of crossing over, and I had not advanced very far before I was driven back by a foul wind to the very place which I had just quitted.

And as the night was stormy, and as I had lodged that night in the villa of Publius Valerius, my companion and intimate friend, and as I remained all the next day at his house waiting for a fair wind, many of the citizens of the municipality of Regium came to me, and of them there were some who had lately arrived from Rome.

From them I first heard of the harangue of Marcus Antonius, with which I was so much pleased that, after I read it, I began for the very first time to think of returning.

And not long afterwards the edict of Brutus and Cassius is brought to me, which, perhaps because I love those men even more for the sake of the republic than my own friendship for them, appeared to me, indeed, to be full of equity.

Let him depart from Mutina, let him cease to attack Brutus, let him retire from Gaul.

He must not be begged in words to do so, he must be compelled by arms.

For we are not sending to Hannibal to desire him to retire before Saguntum, to whom the Senate formerly sent Publius Valerius Flaccus and Quintus Baebius Tampilius, who, if Hannibal did not comply, were ordered to proceed to Carthage.

Whither do we order our ambassadors to proceed if Antonius does not comply? Are we sending an embassy to our own citizen to beg him not to attack a general and colony of the Roman people? Is it so? Is it becoming to us to beg this by means of ambassadors? What is the difference, in the name of the immortal gods, whether he attacks this city himself, or whether he attacks an outpost of this city, a colony of the Roman people, established for the sake of its being a bulwark and a protection to us? The siege of Saguntum was the cause of the Second Punic War, which Hannibal carried on against our ancestors.