[4,36] Ὑμῶν δὲ τεθαύμακα, εἴ τινές εἰσιν, ὦ βουλή, τῆς ἀρχῆς με ἀπαλλάξαι βουλόμενοι, καὶ μετὰ τούτου συνεστηκότες ἐπ´ ἐμοί· ἡδέως δ´ ἂν πυθοίμην παρ´ αὐτῶν, τίνος ἀδικήματος ἕνεκα πολεμοῦσί μοι καὶ ἐπὶ τίνι τῶν ἐμῶν ἔργων ἀχθόμενοι· πότερον ὅτι πολλοὺς ἴσασιν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀρχῆς ἀκρίτους ἀπολωλότας ἢ τῆς πατρίδος στερομένους ἢ τὰς οὐσίας ἀπολωλεκότας ἢ ἄλλῃ τινὶ συμφορᾷ κεχρημένους ἀδίκως; ἢ τούτων μὲν τῶν τυραννικῶν ἀδικημάτων οὐδὲν ἔχουσιν εἰπεῖν ὑπ´ ἐμοῦ γεγονός, ὕβρεις δέ μοί τινας συνοίδασιν εἰς γυναῖκας γαμετὰς ἢ προπηλακισμοὺς εἰς θυγατέρας παρθένους ἢ ἄλλην τινὰ περὶ σῶμα ἐλεύθερον ἀκολασίαν; δικαίως μέντ´ ἄν, εἴ τί μοι τοιοῦτον ἡμάρτηται, τῆς ἀρχῆς θ´ ἅμα καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀποστερηθείην. φέρε ἀλλ´ ὑπερήφανός εἰμι καὶ διὰ βαρύτητα ἐπαχθὴς καὶ τὴν αὐθάδειαν, ᾗ κέχρημαι περὶ τὴν ἀρχήν, οὐδεὶς φέρειν δύναταί μου; τίς μέντοι τῶν πρὸ ἐμοῦ βασιλέων οὕτω μέτριος ὢν ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ διετέλεσε καὶ φιλάνθρωπος ἅπασι τοῖς πολίταις ὡς πατὴρ πρᾷος υἱοῖς αὐτοῦ χρώμενος; ὅς γε καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν, ἣν ὑμεῖς ἐδώκατέ μοι πατέρων φυλάττοντες παραδοχάς, οὐχ ἅπασαν ἐβουλήθην ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ νόμους θ´ ὑπὲρ τῶν κυριωτάτων καταστησάμενος, οὓς ἅπαντες ἐπεκυρώσατε, κατὰ τούτους ὑμῖν ἀπέδωκα διδόναι τὰ δίκαια καὶ λαμβάνειν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξηταζόμην πρῶτος οἷς ὥρισα κατὰ τῶν ἄλλων δικαίοις ὥσπερ ἰδιώτης πειθόμενος· τῶν τ´ ἀδικημάτων οὐχ ἁπάντων αὐτὸς ἐγινόμην δικαστής, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἰδιωτικὰς δίκας ὑμῖν ἀπέδωκα διαγινώσκειν, ὃ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν οὐδεὶς ἐποίησε βασιλέων. ἀλλ´ ἔοικεν ἀδίκημα μὲν οὐδὲν εἶναι, δι´ ὃ δυσχεραίνουσί μοί τινες, αἱ δ´ εἰς τὸ δημοτικὸν πλῆθος εὐεργεσίαι λυπεῖν ὑμᾶς δοκοῦσι, περὶ ὧν πολλάκις ἀπολελόγημαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς. ἀλλ´ οὐδὲν δεῖ τούτων νυνὶ τῶν λόγων· εἰ δὲ δοκεῖ κρεῖττον ἐπιμελήσεσθαι τῶν κοινῶν Ταρκύνιος οὑτοσὶ τὰ πράγματα παραλαβών, οὐ φθονῶ τῇ πόλει βελτίονος ἡγεμόνος· ἀποδοὺς δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῷ δεδωκότι μοι δήμῳ καὶ γενόμενος ἰδιώτης πειράσομαι ποιῆσαι πᾶσι φανερόν, ὅτι καὶ ἄρχειν ἐπίσταμαι καλῶς καὶ ἄρχεσθαι δύναμαι σωφρόνως.

[4,36] "But I have been surprised, senators, that any of you wish to remove me from power and have conspired with this man against me. I should like to learn from them what injury provokes them to attack me and at what action of mine they are offended. Is it because they know that great numbers during my reign have been put to death without a trial, banished from their country, deprived of their possessions, or have met with any other misfortune which they have not merited? Or, though they can accuse most of none of these tyrannical misdeeds, are they acquainted with any outrages I have been guilty of toward married women, or insults to their maiden daughters, or any other wanton attempt upon a person of free condition? If I have been guilty of any such crime I should deserve to be deprived at the same time both of the kingship and of my life. Well then, am I haughty, am I burdensome by my severity, and can no one bear the arrogance of my administration? And yet which of my predecessors constantly used his power with such moderation and kindliness, treating all the citizens as an indulgent father treats (p391) his own children? What, I did not even desire to retain all the power which you, following the traditions of your fathers, gave to me, but after establishing laws, which you all confirmed, relating to the most essential matters, I then granted to you the privilege of giving and receiving justice in accordance with these laws; and to these rules of justice which I prescribed for others I showed myself the first to yield obedience, like any private citizen. Nor did I make myself the judge of all sorts of crimes, but causes of a private nature I restored to your jurisdiction — a thing which none of the former kings ever did. But it appears that it is no wrongdoing on my part that has drawn upon me the ill-will of certain persons, but it is rather the benefits I have conferred on the plebeians that grieve you unjustly — concerning which I have often given you my reasons. But there is no need for such explanations now. If you believe that Tarquinius here by taking over the government will administer affairs better than I, I shall not envy the commonwealth a better ruler; and after I have surrendered the sovereignty to the people, from whom I received it, and have become a private citizen, I shall endeavour to make it plain to all that I not only know how to rule well, but can also obey with equanimity."