[3,29] Ταῦτα δ´ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος οἰμωγαί τε τῶν Ἀλβανῶν ἐγίνοντο καὶ παντοδαπαὶ δεήσεις τοῦ μὲν δήμου μηδὲν ἐγνωκέναι λέγοντος ὧν ὁ Μέττιος ἐμηχανᾶτο, τῶν δὲ τὰς ἡγεμονίας ἐχόντων οὐ πρότερον πεπύσθαι τὰς ἀπορρήτους βουλὰς σκηπτομένων ἢ ἐν αὐτῷ γενέσθαι τῷ ἀγῶνι, ἡνίκα οὔτε κωλύειν οὔτε μὴ πράττειν τὰ κελευόμενα ἐν δυνατῷ σφίσιν ἦν, ἤδη δέ τινων καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀκούσιον ἀνάγκην ἀναφερόντων τὸ πρᾶγμα διὰ κηδείαν ἢ διὰ συγγένειαν· οἷς ὁ βασιλεὺς σιωπῆσαι κελεύσας ἔλεξεν· Οὐδ´ ἐμὲ λέληθεν, ἄνδρες Ἀλβανοί, τούτων ὧν ἀπολογεῖσθε οὐθέν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν πλῆθος ὑμῶν ἀγνοεῖν τὴν προδοσίαν οἴομαι τεκμαιρόμενος ὅτι πολλῶν συνειδότων οὐδὲ τὸν ἐλάχιστον πέφυκε τἀπόρρητα σιωπᾶσθαι χρόνον, τῶν δὲ ταξιαρχῶν τε καὶ λοχαγῶν βραχύ τι μέρος ἡγοῦμαι τὸ συνεπιβουλεῦσαν ἡμῖν γενέσθαι, τὸ δὲ πλεῖστον ἐξηπατῆσθαι καὶ εἰς ἀκουσίους ἀνάγκας ἀφῖχθαι. εἰ δέ γε τούτων μηδὲν ἀληθὲς ἦν, ἀλλὰ πάντας εἰσῆλθεν Ἀλβανοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἐνθάδε ὄντας ὑμᾶς καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει καταλειπομένους ἡ τοῦ κακῶς ποιεῖν ἡμᾶς ἐπιθυμία, καὶ τοῦτο οὐ νῦν πρῶτον, ἀλλ´ ἐκ πολλοῦ πάνυ χρόνου δεδογμένον ὑμῖν ἦν, τῆς συγγενείας ἕνεκα πολλὴ Ῥωμαίοις ἀνάγκη καὶ ταῦθ´ ὑμῶν τἀδικήματα φέρειν. ἵνα δὲ μηθὲν βουλεύσητε ἔτι καθ´ ἡμῶν ἄδικον μήτε δὴ βιασθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν ἡγουμένων τῆς πόλεως μήτε παρακρουσθέντες μία φυλακὴ καὶ πρόνοιά ἐστιν, εἰ τῆς αὐτῆς πόλεως πολῖται γενοίμεθα πάντες καὶ μίαν ἡγοίμεθα πατρίδα, ἧς εὖ τε καὶ χεῖρον φερομένης τὸ ἐπιβάλλον μέρος ἕκαστος οἴσεται τῆς τύχης· ἕως δ´ ἂν ἐκ διαφόρου γνώμης, ὥσπερ νῦν ἔχει, τό τε πλεῖον καὶ τοὔλαττον ἐπικρίνωμεν ἑκάτεροι, οὐκ ἔσται βέβαιος ἡμῖν ἡ πρὸς ἀλλήλους φιλία, ἄλλως τε καὶ εἰ μέλλοιεν οἱ μὲν πρότεροι ἐπιβουλεύσαντες τοῖς ἑτέροις ἢ κατορθώσαντες πλεῖον ἕξειν ἢ σφαλέντες ἐν μηδενὶ δεινῷ ἔσεσθαι διὰ τὸ συγγενές, καθ´ ὧν δ´ ἂν αἱ ἐπιχειρήσεις γένωνται ὑποχείριοι καταστάντες τὰ ἔσχατα παθεῖν καὶ διαφυγόντες μηθὲν ὥσπερ ἐχθροὶ μνησικακεῖν, ὅπερ καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι γέγονεν. ἴστε δὴ ταῦτα δεδογμένα Ῥωμαίοις τῇ παρελθούσῃ νυκτὶ συναγαγόντος ἐμοῦ τὴν βουλὴν καὶ τὰ δόξαντα τοῖς συνέδροις γραψαμένου, τὴν μὲν πόλιν ὑμῶν καθαιρεθῆναι καὶ μήτε τῶν δημοσίων μήτε τῶν ἰδιωτικῶν κατασκευασμάτων ὀρθόν τι ἐᾶσαι διαμένειν μηθὲν ἔξω τῶν ἱερῶν· τοὺς δ´ ἐν αὐτῇ πάντας ἔχοντας οὓς καὶ νῦν ἔχουσι κλήρους ἀνδραπόδων τε καὶ βοσκημάτων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων χρημάτων μηθὲν ἀφαιρεθέντας ἐν Ῥώμῃ τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦδε χρόνον οἰκεῖν· ὅσην τε τὸ κοινὸν ὑμῶν ἐκέκτητο γῆν τοῖς μηθένα κλῆρον ἔχουσιν Ἀλβανῶν διαμερισθῆναι χωρὶς τῶν ἱερῶν κτημάτων, ἐξ ὧν αἱ θυσίαι τοῖς θεοῖς ἐγίνοντο. οἴκων δὲ κατασκευῆς, ἐν οἷς τοὺς βίους ἱδρύσεσθε οἱ μετανιστάμενοι, καθ´ οὓς ἔσονται τῆς πόλεως τόπους, ἐμὲ ποιήσασθαι πρόνοιαν συλλαμβάνοντα τοῖς ἀπορωτάτοις ὑμῶν τῆς εἰς τὰ ἔργα δαπάνης. καὶ τὸ μὲν ἄλλο πλῆθος ὑμῶν μετὰ τῶν παρ´ ἡμῖν δημοτικῶν συντελεῖν εἰς φυλὰς καὶ φράτρας καταμερισθέν, βουλῆς δὲ μετέχειν καὶ ἀρχὰς λαμβάνειν καὶ τοῖς πατρικίοις προσνεμηθῆναι τούςδε τοὺς οἴκους· Ἰουλίους, Σερουϊλίους, Κορατίους, Κοϊντιλίους, Κλοιλίους, Γεγανίους, Μετιλίους· Μέττιον δὲ καὶ τοὺς σὺν τούτῳ βουλεύσαντας τὴν προδοσίαν δίκας ὑποσχεῖν, ἃς ἂν ἡμεῖς τάξωμεν δικασταὶ περὶ ἑκάστου τῶν ὑπαιτίων καθεζόμενοι· οὐθένα γὰρ ἀποστερήσομεν κρίσεως οὐδὲ λόγου.

[3,29] While he was thus speaking the Albans had recourse to lamentations and entreaties of every kind, the common people declaring that they had no knowledge of the intrigues of Mettius, and their commanders alleging that they had not learned of his secret plans till they were in the midst of the battle itself, when it was not in their power either to prevent his orders or to refuse obedience to them; and some even ascribed their action to the necessity imposed against their will by their affinity or kinship to the man. But the king, having commanded them to be silent,addressed them thus: "I, too, Albans, am not unaware of any of these things that you urge in your defence, but am of the opinion that the generality of you had no knowledge of this treachery, since secrets are not apt to be kept even for a moment when many share in the knowledge of them; and I also believe that only a small number of the tribunes and centurions were accomplices in (p129) the conspiracy formed against us, but that the greater part of them were deceived and forced into a position where they were compelled to act against their will. Nevertheless, even if nothing of all this were true, but if all the Albans, as well you who are here present as those who are left in your city, had felt a desire to hurt us, and if you had not now for the first time, but long since, taken this resolution, yet on account of their kinship to you the Romans would feel under every necessity to bear even this injustice at your hands. But against the possibility of your forming some wicked plot against us hereafter, as the result either of compulsion or deception on the part of the leaders of your state, there is but one precaution and provision, and that is for us all to become citizens of the same city and to regard one only as our fatherland, in whose prosperity and adversity everyone will have that share which Fortune allots to him. For so long as each of our two peoples decides what is advantageous and disadvantageous on the basis of a different judgment, as is now the case, the friendship between us will not be enduring, particularly when those who are the first to plot against the others are either to gain an advantage if they succeed, or, if they fail, are to be secured by their kinship from any serious retribution, while those against whom the attempt is made, if they are subdued, are to suffer the extreme penalties, and if they escape, are not, like enemies, to remember their wrongs — as has happened in the present instance. 5"Know, then, that the Romans last night came to the following resolutions, I myself having assembled the senate and proposed the decree: it is ordered (p131) that your city be demolished and that no buildings, either public or private, be left standing except the temples;that all the inhabitants, while continuing in the possession of the allotments of land they now enjoy and being deprived of none of their slaves, cattle and other effects, reside henceforth at Rome; that such of your lands as belong to the public be divided among those of the Albans who have none, except the sacred possessions from which the sacrifices to the gods were provided; that I take charge of the construction of the houses in which you newcomers are to establish your homes, determining in what parts of the city they shall be, and assist the poorest among you in the expense of building;that the mass of your population be incorporated with our plebeians and be distributed among the tribes and curiae, but that the following families be admitted to the senate, hold magistracies and be numbered with the patricians, to wit, the Julii, the Servilii, the Curiatii, the Quintilii, the Cloelii, the Geganii, and the Metilii;31 and that Mettius and his accomplices in the treachery suffer such punishments as we shall ordain when we come to sit in judgment upon each of the accused. For we shall deprive none of them either of a trial or of the privilege of making a defence."