[3,46] Μετὰ δὲ τὸν Ἄγκου Μαρκίου θάνατον ἡ βουλὴ πάλιν ἐπιτρέψαντος αὐτῇ τοῦ δήμου πολιτείαν ἣν ἐβούλετο καταστήσασθαι μένειν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἔγνω καὶ ἀποδείκνυσι μεσοβασιλεῖς. οἱ δὲ συναγαγόντες εἰς ἀρχαιρεσίας τὸ πλῆθος αἱροῦνται βασιλέα Λεύκιον Ταρκύνιον. βεβαιωσάντων δὲ καὶ τῶν παρὰ τοῦ δαιμονίου σημείων τὰ κριθέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους παραλαμβάνει τὴν βασιλείαν ἐνιαυτῷ δευτέρῳ μάλιστα τῆς μιᾶς καὶ τετταρακοστῆς ὀλυμπιάδος, ἣν ἐνίκα στάδιον Κλεώνδας Θηβαῖος, ἄρχοντος Ἀθήνησιν Ἡνιοχίδου. γονέων δ´ ὁποίων τινῶν οὗτος ὁ Ταρκύνιος ἦν καὶ πατρίδος ἐξ ἧς ἔφυ καὶ δι´ ἅςτινας αἰτίας εἰς Ῥώμην ἀφίκετο καὶ δι´ οἵων ἐπιτηδευμάτων ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλείαν παρῆλθεν, ὡς ἐν ταῖς ἐπιχωρίοις συγγραφαῖς εὗρον ἐρῶ. Κορίνθιός τις ἀνὴρ ὄνομα Δημάρατος ἐκ τῆς Βακχιαδῶν συγγενείας ἐμπορεύεσθαι προελόμενος ἐπέπλευσεν εἰς τὴν Ἰταλίαν ὁλκάδα τε οἰκείαν ἀνάγων καὶ φόρτον ἴδιον. ἐξεμπολήσας δὲ τὸν φόρτον ἐν ταῖς Τυρρηνῶν πόλεσιν εὐδαιμονούσαις μάλιστα τῶν ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ τότε καὶ μεγάλα κέρδη περιβαλόμενος ἐκεῖθεν οὐκέτι εἰς ἄλλους ἐβούλετο κατάγεσθαι λιμένας, ἀλλὰ τὴν αὐτὴν εἰργάζετο συνεχῶς θάλατταν Ἑλληνικόν τε φόρτον εἰς Τυρρηνοὺς κομίζων καὶ Τυρρηνικὸν εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα φέρων καὶ γίνεται πάνυ πολλῶν χρημάτων κύριος. ἐπικαταλαβούσης δὲ στάσεως τὴν Κόρινθον καὶ τῆς Κυψέλου τυραννίδος ἐπανισταμένης τοῖς Βακχιάδαις οὐκ ἀσφαλὲς εἶναι δοκῶν ἐν τυραννίδι ζῆν πολλὰ κεκτημένος ἄλλως τε καὶ τῆς ὀλιγαρχικῆς οἰκίας ὑπάρχων, συνεσκευασμένος τὴν οὐσίαν ὅσην οἷός τ´ ἦν ᾤχετο πλέων ἐκ τῆς Κορίνθου. ἔχων δὲ φίλους πολλοὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς Τυρρηνῶν διὰ τὰς συνεχεῖς ἐπιμιξίας, μάλιστα δ´ ἐν Ταρκυνίοις πόλει μεγάλῃ τε καὶ εὐδαίμονι τότε οὔσῃ, οἶκόν τε αὐτόθι κατασκευάζεται καὶ γυναῖκα ἐπιφανῆ κατὰ γένος ἄγεται. γενομένων δ´ αὐτῷ δυεῖν παίδων Τυρρηνικὰ θέμενος αὐτοῖς ὀνόματα, τῷ μὲν Ἄρροντα, τῷ δὲ Λοκόμωνα καὶ παιδεύσας ἀμφοτέρους Ἑλληνικήν τε καὶ Τυρρηνικὴν παιδείαν, εἰς ἄνδρας ἐλθοῦσιν αὐτοῖς γυναῖκας ἐκ τῶν ἐπιφανεστάτων οἴκων λαμβάνει.

[3,46] After the death of Ancus Marcius the senate, being empowered by the people to establish whatever form of government they thought fit, again resolved to abide by the same form and appointed interreges. These, having assembled the people for the election, chosen Lucius Tarquinius as king; and the omens from Heaven having confirmed the decision of the people, Tarquinius took over the sovereignty about the second year of the forty-first Olympiad (the one in which Cleondas, a Theban, gained the prize), Heniochides being archon at Athens. I shall now relate, following the account I have found in the Roman annals, from what sort of ancestors this Tarquinius was sprung, from what country he came, the reasons for his removing to Rome, and by what course of conduct he came to be king. There was a certain Corinthian, Demaratus by name, of the family of the Bacchiadae, who, having chosen to engage in commerce, sailed to Italy in a ship of his own with his own cargo; and having sold the cargo in the Tyrrhenian cities, which were at the time the most flourishing in all Italy, and gained great profit thereby, he (p183) no longer desired to put into any other ports, but continued to ply the same sea, carrying a Greek cargo to the Tyrrhenians and a Tyrrhenian cargo to Greece, by which means he became possessed of great wealth. But when Corinth fell a prey to sedition and the tyranny of Cypselus was rising in revolt against the Bacchiadae, Demaratus thought it was not safe for him to live under a tyranny with his great riches, particularly as he was of the oligarchic family; and accordingly, getting together all of his substance that he could, he sailed away from Corinth. And having from his continual intercourse with the Tyrrhenians many good friends among them, particularly at Tarquinii, which was a large and flourishing city at that time, he built a house there and married a woman of illustrious birth. By her he had two sons, to whom he gave Tyrrhenian names, calling one Arruns and the other Lucumo; and having instructed them in both the Greek and Tyrrhenian learning, he married them, when they were grown, to two women of the most distinguished families.