They had the royal ornaments, as the golden crown, sceptre,
purple robes, lictors, and the ivory and curule chairs. The crowns and
sceptres were, however, used only on extraordinary days of
triumph.--See Introduction.
[2] For this heroic act, Hora'tius was crowned on his return; his
status was erected in the temple of Vulcan; as much land was given him
as a plough could surround with a furrow in one day, and a tax was
voluntarily imposed to make him a present in some degree suitable to
the service he had performed.
[3] From this time he obtained the additional name of Scaevola, or
left-handed, from his having lost the use of his right hand by the
fire.
[4] National pride induced the Romans to conceal the fact that the
city was surrendered to Porsenna; Tacitus, however, expressly declares
that it was, and Pliny informs us of the severe conditions imposed by
the conqueror; one of the articles prohibited them from using iron
except for the purposes of agriculture. Plutarch, in his Roman
Questions, declares that there was a time when the Romans paid a tenth
of their produce to the Etrurians, but that they were freed from the
disgraceful tribute by Hercules; this tradition appears to refer to
the conquest of the city by Porsenna.
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