[3,27] Τετταράκοντα δ´ ὄντων σταδίων τῶν μεταξὺ Φιδήνης τε καὶ Ῥώμης ἐλάσας τὸν ἵππον ἀνὰ κράτος παρῆν ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα καὶ πρὶν ἡμέραν λαμπρὰν γενέσθαι καλέσας Μάρκον Ὁράτιον τὸν περιλειφθέντα ἐκ τῶν τριδύμων καὶ δοὺς αὐτῷ τῶν ἱππέων καὶ τῶν πεζῶν τοὺς ἀκμαιοτάτους ἐκέλευσεν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἀλβανῶν πόλιν ἄγειν, παρελθόντα δ´ ἐντὸς τείχους ὡς φίλον ὄντα, ὅταν ὑποχειρίους λάβῃ τοὺς ἔνδον, καθελεῖν τὴν πόλιν ἄχρι θεμελίων μηθενὸς μήτε ἰδίου μήτε κοινοῦ κατασκευάσματος φειδόμενον ἔξω τῶν ἱερῶν, ἀνθρώπων δὲ μηθένα μήτε κτείνειν μήτε ἀδικεῖν, ἀλλὰ πάντας ἐᾶν ἔχειν τὰ ἑαυτῶν. ἐκπέμψας δὲ τοῦτον ἐκάλει τοὺς ταξιάρχους καὶ τοὺς λοχαγοὺς καὶ τὰ δόξαντα τῇ βουλῇ διασαφήσας φυλακὴν ἐκ τούτων καθίσταται περὶ τὸ σῶμα· καὶ μετ´ οὐ πολὺ παρῆν ὁ Ἀλβανὸς ὡς ἐπὶ νικήματι κοινῷ γεγηθὼς καὶ τῷ Τύλλῳ συνηδόμενος. ὁ δὲ Τύλλος ἀπόρρητον τὴν γνώμην ἔτι φυλάσσων ἐπῄνει τε αὐτὸν καὶ μεγάλων ἄξιον ἀπέφαινε δωρεῶν παρεκάλει τε γράψαντα καὶ τὰ τῶν ἄλλων Ἀλβανῶν ὀνόματα τῶν ἐπιφανές τι κατὰ τὴν μάχην διαπραξαμένων φέρειν ὡς αὐτόν, ἵνα κἀκεῖνοι τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἐπινικίων ἀπενέγκωνται μοῖραν. ὁ μὲν δὴ περιχαρὴς γενόμενος τοὺς πιστοτάτους τῶν φίλων, οἷς ἐχρήσατο τῶν ἀπορρήτων βουλευμάτων συνεργοῖς, εἰσγράψας εἰς δέλτον ἐπιδίδωσιν. ὁ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων βασιλεὺς εἰς ἐκκλησίαν ἅπαντας ἀποθεμένους τὰ ὅπλα ἐκάλει· συνιόντων δὲ αὐτῶν τὸν μὲν ἡγεμόνα τῶν Ἀλβανῶν ἅμα τοῖς ταξιάρχοις τε καὶ λοχαγοῖς παρ´ αὐτὸ τὸ βῆμα ἐκέλευσεν ἑστάναι, ἐχομένους δὲ τούτων τοὺς ἄλλους Ἀλβανοὺς ταχθέντας ἐκκλησιάζειν, μετὰ δὲ τοὺς Ἀλβανοὺς τὸ λοιπὸν τῶν συμμάχων πλῆθος· ἔξωθεν δὲ πάντων περιέστησε Ῥωμαίους, ἐν οἷς ἦσαν οἱ γενναιότατοι, ξίφη κρύπτοντας ὑπὸ ταῖς περιβολαῖς. ὡς δ´ ἐν καλῷ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἔχειν ὑπέλαβεν ἀναστὰς ἔλεξε τοιάδε·

[3,27](p119) The distance between Fidenae and Rome being forty stades, Tullus rode full speed to the camp, and sending for Marcus Horatius, the survivor of the triplets, before it was quite day, he commanded him to take the flower of the cavalry and infantry, and proceeding to Alba, to enter the city as a friend, and then, as soon as he had secured the submission of the inhabitants, to raze the city to the foundations without sparing a single building, whether private or public, except the temples; but as for the citizens, he was neither to kill nor injure any of them, but to permit them to retain their possessions. After sending him on his way he assembled the tribunes and centurions, and having acquainted them with the resolutions of the senate, he placed them as a guard about his person. Soon after, the Alban came, pretending to express his joy over their common victory and to congratulate Tullus upon it. The latter, still concealing his intention, commended him and declared he was deserving of great rewards; at the same time he asked him to write down the names of such of the other Albans also as had performed any notable exploit in the battle and to bring the list to him, in order that they also might get their share of the fruits of victory. Mettius, accordingly, greatly pleased at this, entered upon a tablet and gave to him a list of his most intimate friends who had been the accomplices in his secret designs. Then the Roman king ordered all the troops to come to an assembly after first laying aside their arms. And when they assembled he ordered the Alban general together with his tribunes and centurions to stand directly beside the tribunal; next to these the rest of (p121) the Albans were to take their place in the assembly, drawn up in their ranks, and behind the Albans the remainder of the allied forces, while outside of them all he stationed Romans, including the most resolute, with swords concealed under their garments. When he thought he had his foes where he wanted them, he rose up and spoke as follows: