Sextus Tarquinus, the eldest son of Tarquinus Superbus, after receiving the command of the army from the Gabini, sends a messenger with a letter to ask his father what he should do; Tarquinius Superbus, not trusting the honesty of the messenger, walks into the garden and strikes with his stick at the heads of the tallest flowers; when the messenger tells Sextus Tarquinius about his father's behaviour, Sextus understands the meaning of his father's message and executes the most important inhabitants of Gabium