In the third book of his compendium of historical exempla, Memorable Words and Deeds, the first-century author Valerius Maximus offers the story of Sempronia, sister to the Gracchi and daughter of the famous Cornelia, who appeared before a public meeting in the Forum around 100 BCE. Sempronia was brought forward to identify a certain Lucius Equitius, who, by claiming to be the illegitimate son of the great Roman demagogue Tiberius Gracchus, was seeking to establish himself and his allies as heirs to the Gracchan legacy of political power and popular influence. By refusing to give Equitius the symbolic kiss which would have recognized him as a member of her family, however, Sempronia effectively disabled the faction which was using him as its figurehead and quelled the threat of renewed civil strife.