Page:A General Sketch of Political History from the Earlist Times.djvu/85

 THE RISE OF ROME 73 a dynasty. It appears then that the Romans and Sabines were still in the stage in which we find the Teutons when they make their first appearance. They appointed their chief, who was primarily a war-lord, for life ; but his office had not yet become hereditary. But in the sixth century, the era when Tyrants were seizing the government in so many of the Greek states, including those in Sicily, an Etruscan family follows their example in Rome. Again, as in so many of the Greek states, the nobles combine to eject the despots. It is curious to find that in order to avoid the danger of a despotism, the Romans hit upon the device of the double consulship, which has some resemblance to the double kingship of Sparta. Since the Romans loathed the memory of the kings, we can trust the tradition which pays them the compliment of declaring that Rome was particularly powerful under their The Etruscan sway, and lost much of her power when they were Ascendency. expelled. It was as much as she could do to maintain her independence. For the Etruscans were now at the height of their power; they had a considerable navy, and were in alliance with Carthage. But thirty years after the date given for the expulsion of the kings from Rome, the Carthaginians were checked by the Sicilian Greeks at Himera, when the Persians met with their great overthrow at Salamis ; and six years later the Etruscans themselves met with a disaster at the hands of the Sicilian Greeks, which marks the decline of their power. Meanwhile Rome had recovered in the Latin League the ascendency which she had lost in the first years after the expul- sion of the kings. Etruscan aggression was Revival of checked for many years, during which Romans Rome's Power, and Latins were engaged in perpetual contests with the Oscan tribes of the Aequi and Volsci on the east and south of Latium, whose power was broken, though not destroyed, at the moment when the Etruscans were again becoming active. To these wars belongs the legend of Coriolanus, the victorious captain who, being banished from Rome, joined the Volscians, and led them to the destruction of the ungrateful city, which he nevertheless spared at the prayer of his wife and mother. The events of the years at the close of the fifth century and