[4,29] καὶ ἐπειδὴ παρεγένετο, μεταστῆναι κελεύσασα τοὺς ἔνδον, ἵνα μόνη διαλεχθείη πρὸς μόνον, Ἆρ´, ἔφησεν, ὦ Ταρκύνιε, μετὰ παρρησίας ἔξεστί μοι καὶ ἀκινδύνως ἅπαντα εἰπεῖν, ὅσα φρονῶ περὶ τῶν κοινῇ συμφερόντων, καὶ καθέξεις οὓς ἂν ἀκούσῃς λόγους; ἢ σιωπᾶν ἄμεινόν ἐστί μοι καὶ μὴ φέρειν εἰς μέσον βουλὰς ἀπορρήτους; κελεύσαντος δὲ τοῦ Ταρκυνίου λέγειν, ὅ τι βούλεται, καὶ περὶ τοῦ καθέξειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ τοὺς λόγους πίστεις ἐπιθέντος δι´ ὅρκων, οὓς ἐκείνη προῃρεῖτο, οὐδὲν ἔτι αἰσχυνθεῖσα λέγει πρὸς αὐτόν· Μέχρι τίνος, ὦ Ταρκύνιε, τῆς βασιλείας ἀποστερούμενος ἀνέχεσθαι διανοῇ; πότερον ἐκ ταπεινῶν καὶ ἀσήμων ἔφυς προγόνων καὶ διὰ τοῦτ´ οὐκ ἀξιοῖς ἐπὶ σεαυτῷ μέγα φρονεῖν; ἀλλὰ πάντες ἴσασιν, ὅτι τοῖς μὲν ἀρχαίοις ὑμῶν προγόνοις Ἕλλησιν οὖσι καὶ ἀφ´ Ἡρακλέους γεγονόσι τῆς εὐδαίμονος ἄρξαι Κορίνθου τὴν αὐτοκράτορα ὑπῆρξεν ἀρχὴν ἐπὶ πολλάς, ὡς ἀκούω, γενεάς· τῷ δὲ πάππῳ σου Ταρκυνίῳ μεταθεμένῳ τὴν οἴκησιν ἐκ Τυρρηνῶν ταύτης βασιλεῦσαι τῆς πόλεως ἐξεγένετο δι´ ἀρετήν· οὗ σὺ κληρονομεῖν οὐ μόνον τῶν χρημάτων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς βασιλείας ὀφείλεις πρεσβύτερος υἱωνὸς ὤν. ἢ σώματος οὐκ ἔτυχες ἱκανοῦ πράττειν, ὅσα βασιλεῖ προσῆκε, δι´ ἀσθένειάν τε καὶ ἀμορφίαν; ἀλλὰ σοί γε καὶ ῥώμη πάρεστιν, οἵα τοῖς κράτιστα πεφυκόσι, καὶ μορφὴ τοῦ βασιλείου γένους ἀξία. ἢ τούτων μὲν οὐδέτερον, ἡ δ´ ἀσθενὴς ἔτι καὶ πολὺ ἀπέχουσα τοῦ φρονεῖν τὰ προσήκοντα νεότης μεθέλκει σε, δι´ ἣν οὐκ ἀξιοῖς τὰ πολιτικὰ πράττειν, ὃς οὐ πολλοῖς ἀποδεῖς ἔτεσι πεντηκονταέτης εἶναι; κράτιστα δ´ ἄνθρωποι πεφύκασι φρονεῖν οἱ περὶ ταύτην μάλιστα γενόμενοι τὴν ἡλικίαν. φέρε, ἀλλ´ ἡ τοῦ κατέχοντος τὰ πράγματα εὐγένεια καὶ ἡ πρὸς τοὺς κρατίστους τῶν πολιτῶν ἐπιτηδειότης, δι´ ἣν οὐκ εὐεπιχείρητός ἐστιν, ἀνέχεσθαί σε ἀναγκάζει; ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῦτ´ ἀμφότερα κακῶς ἔχοντα αὐτῷ τυγχάνει καὶ οὐδὲ αὐτὸς αὐτά γε ἀγνοεῖς. καὶ μὴν ἥ γε τόλμα καὶ τὸ φιλοκίνδυνον ἔνεστί σου τοῖς τρόποις, ὧν μάλιστα τῷ βασιλεύειν μέλλοντι δεῖ. ὑπάρχει δέ σοι καὶ πλοῦτος ἱκανὸς καὶ φίλοι πολλοὶ καὶ ἄλλαι πρὸς τὰ πράγματ´ ἀφορμαὶ πολλαὶ καὶ μεγάλαι. τί οὖν ἔτι μέλλεις καὶ τὸν αὐτόματον ἐκδέχῃ καιρόν, ὃς ἥξει σοι φέρων τὴν βασιλείαν μηδὲν εἰς τοῦτο πραγματευσαμένῳ, μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Τυλλίου δήπου τελευτήν; ὥσπερ ἀναμενούσης τῆς τύχης τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας μελλήσεις, ἢ τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν τὰς καθ´ ἡλικίαν ἑκάστῳ τελευτὰς φερούσης, ἀλλ´ οὐκ ἐν ἀδήλῳ καὶ δυστεκμάρτῳ τέλει πάντων τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων κειμένων. ἐρῶ δὴ μετὰ παρρησίας, καὶ εἴ με φήσεις θρασεῖαν, τὸ δοκοῦν αἴτιον εἶναί μοι τοῦ μηδεμιᾶς ὀρέγεσθαί σε μήτε φιλοτιμίας μήτε δόξης. γυνή σοι σύνεστι μηδὲν ἐοικυῖα τοῖς σοῖς τρόποις, ἥ σε κηλοῦσα καὶ κατᾴδουσα μαλθακὸν ἀποδέδωκε, καὶ λήσεις ὑπ´ αὐτῆς γενόμενος ἐξ ἀνδρὸς τὸ μηδέν· ὥσπερ γε κἀμοὶ ψοφοδεὴς καὶ οὐδὲν ἔχων ἀνδρὸς ἀνήρ, ὅς με ταπεινὴν ποιεῖ μεγάλων οὖσαν ἀξίαν καὶ καλὴν τὸ σῶμα, μαρανθεῖσαν δ´ ὑπ´ αὐτοῦ. εἰ δ´ ἐξεγένετο σοί τε λαβεῖν ἐμὲ γυναῖκα κἀμὲ σοῦ τυχεῖν ἀνδρός, οὐκ ἂν ἐν ἰδιώτῃ βίῳ τοσοῦτον διεζήσαμεν χρόνον. τί οὖν οὐκ ἐπανορθούμεθα τὸ τῆς τύχης ἐλάττωμα ἡμεῖς μεταθέμενοι τοὺς γάμους, καὶ σὺ μὲν ἀπαλλάττεις τοῦ βίου τὴν σαυτοῦ γυναῖκα, ἐγὼ δὲ ταὐτὸ διαθήσομαι τὸν ἐμὸν ἄνδρα; ὅταν δὲ τούτων διαχειρισθέντων συνέλθωμεν εἰς ταὐτό, ἀσφαλῶς ἤδη τὰ λοιπὰ βουλεύσομεν, ἐκποδῶν πεποιημένοι τὰ λυποῦντα ἡμᾶς. καὶ γὰρ ἐὰν τἆλλα τις ἀδικεῖν ὀκνῇ, βασιλείας γε χάριν οὐ νέμεσις ἅπαντα τολμᾶν.

[4,29] And when he came, after first ordering those who were in the room to withdraw, that she might talk with him in private, she said: "May I, Tarquinius, speak freely and without risk all my thoughts concerning our common interests? And (p367) will you keep to yourself what you shall hear? Or is it better for me to remain silent and not to communicate plans that require secrecy?" And when Tarquinius bade her say what she wished, and gave her assurances, by such oaths as she herself proposed, that he would keep everything to himself, Tullia, laying aside all shame from that moment, said to him: "How long, Tarquinius, do you intend to permit yourself to be deprived of the kingship? Are you descended from mean and obscure ancestors, that you refuse to entertain high thoughts of yourself? But everyone knows that your early ancestors, who were Greeks and descended from Hercules, exercised the sovereign power in the flourishing city of Corinth for many generations, as I am informed, and that your grandfather, Tarquinius, after removing from Tyrrhenia, was able by his merits to become king of this state; and not only his possessions, but his kingdom as well, ought to descend to you who are the elder of his grandsons. Or have you been given a body incapable of performing the duties of a king because of some weakness and deformity? But surely you are endowed both with strength equal to those most highly favoured by Nature and with a presence worthy of your royal birth. Or is it neither of these, but your youth, as yet weak and far from being capable of forming sound judgments, that holds you back and causes you to decline the government of the state — you who want not many years from being fifty? Yet at about this age a man's judgment is naturally at its best. (p369) Well, then, is it the high birth of the man who is now in control of affairs and his popularity with the best citizens — which makes him difficult to attack — that forces you to submit? But in both these respects too he happens to be unfortunate, as not even he himself is unaware. Moreover, boldness and willingness to undergo danger are inherent in your character, qualities most necessary to one who is going to reign. You have sufficient wealth also, numerous friends, and many other important qualifications for public life. Why, then, do you still hesitate and wait for an occasion to be provided by chance, an occasion that will come bringing to you the kingship without your having made any effort to obtain it? And that, I presume, will be after the death of Tullius! As if Fate waited on men's delays or Nature dispensed death to each man according to his age, and the outcome of all human affairs were not, on the contrary, obscure and difficult to be foreseen! But I will declare frankly, even though you may call me bold for it, what seems to me to be the reason why you reach out for no coveted honour or glory. You have a wife whose disposition is in no respect like your own and who by her allurements and enchantments has softened you; and by her you will insensibly be transformed from a man into a nonentity. Just so have I a husband who is timorous and has nothing of a man in him, who makes me humble though I am worthy of great things, and though I am fair of body, yet because of him I have withered away. But if it had been possible for you to take me as your wife and for me to get you as my (p371) husband, we had not lived so long in a private station. Why, therefore, do we not ourselves correct this error of fate by exchanging our marital ties, you removing your wife from life and I making this disposition of my husband? And when we have put them out of the way and are joined together, we will then consider in secure what remains to be done, having rid ourselves of what now causes our distress. For though one may hesitate to commit all the other crimes, yet for the sake of a throne one cannot be blamed for daring anything."