The wicked Tarquin, in
order to get possession of his estate, caused both him and his son to be
assassinated. His youngest son escaped the same fate, by pretending to
be an idiot, from whom he supposed he had nothing to fear.
_Ferdinand_. He was mistaken, however; was he not, Emily?
_Edward_. Stop, stop, Ferdinand; you must not forestal our history.
Let Louisa give some account of Tarquin's government first.
_Louisa_. Emily has already told you it was very tyrannical. To avoid
the effects of his cruelty and avarice, the most worthy men in the
senate went into voluntary banishment. The people at first rejoiced to
see the great thus humbled; but they were soon treated quite as ill as
the patricians, and all the laws which had been made in their favour,
were unmade again.
_Mr. B._ You have not expressed yourself well, my dear Louisa. When a
law is unmade again, as you call it, we say it is annulled.
_Louisa_. Thank you, papa. Well then, all the laws made in favour of
the people, which had pleased them so much, were annulled. The poor
were obliged to pay the same taxes as the rich. Nor would they allow
any meetings, even for amusement, either in the town or country.
_Mrs. B._ It is astonishing that the people bore such oppressions
without revolt.
_Edward._ Indeed, mamma, Tarquin was justly afraid they would not; on
which account, he gave his daughter in marriage to a man of considerable
interest among the Latins, in hopes he should strengthen himself by this
foreign alliance.
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