[3,62] Ταύταις ταῖς τιμαῖς ὁ Ταρκύνιος οὐκ εὐθὺς ἐχρήσατο λαβών, ὡς οἱ πλεῖστοι γράφουσι τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν συγγραφέων, ἀλλ´ ἀποδοὺς τῇ τε βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ τὴν διάγνωσιν εἰ ληπτέον αὐτά, ἐπειδὴ πᾶσι βουλομένοις ἦν, τότε προσεδέξατο καὶ πάντα τὸν ἐξ ἐκείνου χρόνον ἕως εἰς τὸ χρεὼν μετέστη στέφανόν τε χρύσεον ἐφόρει καὶ πορφυρᾶν ἐσθῆτα ποικίλην ἠμπίσχετο καὶ σκῆπτρον ἐλεφάντινον ἔχων ἐπὶ θρόνου ἐκαθέζετο ἐλεφαντίνου, καὶ οἱ δώδεκα ῥαβδοῦχοι τοὺς πελέκεις φέροντες ἅμα ταῖς ῥάβδοις δικάζοντί τε αὐτῷ παρίσταντο καὶ πορευομένου προηγοῦντο. οὗτος ὁ κόσμος ἅπας καὶ τοῖς μετ´ ἐκεῖνον τὴν βασιλικὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχουσι παρέμεινε καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐκβολὴν τῶν βασιλέων τοῖς κατ´ ἐνιαυτὸν ὑπάτοις ἔξω τοῦ στεφάνου καὶ τῆς ποικίλης ἐσθῆτος· ταῦτα δ´ αὐτῶν ἀφῃρέθη μόνα φορτικὰ δόξαντα εἶναι καὶ ἐπίφθονα. πλὴν ὅταν ἐκ πολέμου νίκην κατάγοντες θριάμβου παρὰ τῆς βουλῆς ἀξιωθῶσι, τότε καὶ χρυσοφοροῦσι καὶ ποικίλαις ἁλουργίσιν ἀμφιέννυνται. ὁ μὲν οὖν πρὸς τοὺς Τυρρηνοὺς συστὰς Ταρκυνίῳ πόλεμος ἔτη κατασχὼν ἐννέα τοιαύτην ἔσχε τὴν συντέλειαν.

[3,62] Tarquinius, however, did not avail himself of these honours as soon as he received them, according to most of the Roman historians, but left it to the senate and people to decide whether he should accept them or not; and when they unanimously approved, he then accepted them and from that time till he died always wore a crown of gold and an embroidered purple robe and sat on a throne of ivory holding an ivory sceptre in his hand, and the twelve lictors, bearing the axes and rods, attended him when he sat in judgment and preceded him when he went abroad. All these ornaments were retained by the kings who succeeded him, and, after the expulsion of the kings, by the annual consuls — all except the crown and the embroidered robe; these alone were (p227) taken from them, being looked upon as vulgar and invidious. Yet whenever they return victorious from a war and are honoured with a triumph by the senate, they then not only wear gold but are also clad in embroidered purple robes. This, then, was the outcome of the war between Tarquinius and the Tyrrhenians after it had lasted nine years.