As Lucretius died shortly afterwards, a new election took
place, and Marcus Horatius was elected, and acted as Poplicola's
colleague for the remainder of his year of office.
XIII. As Tarquin was stirring up the Etruscans to a second war with
Rome, a great portent is said to have taken place. While he was yet
king, and had all but finished the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, he,
either in accordance with some prophecy or otherwise, ordered certain
Etruscan workmen at Veii to make an earthenware four-horse chariot to be
placed on the top of the temple. Shortly afterwards he was driven from
the throne, and the chariot, which had been modelled in clay, was placed
in the furnace. Here it did not, as clay generally does, shrink and
become smaller in the fire, as the wet dries out of it, but swelled to
so great a size, and became so hard and strong that it could only be got
out of the furnace by taking off the roof and sides. As this was decided
by the prophets to be a sign from Heaven that those who possessed the
chariot would be prosperous and fortunate, the Veientines determined not
to give it up to the Romans, arguing that it belonged to Tarquin, not to
those who had cast him out.
A few days afterwards there were horse-races there; everything
proceeded as usual, but as the driver of the winning chariot, after
receiving his crown as victor, was driving slowly out of the circus, the
horses suddenly became excited for no apparent cause, and, either guided
by Heaven or by chance, rushed towards Rome, their driver with them, for
he finding it impossible to stop them was forced to let them whirl him
along until they reached the Capitol, where they threw him down near
what is called the Ratumenan Gate.
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