[4,37] Τοιαῦτα διαλεχθεὶς καὶ εἰς πολλὴν αἰδῶ καταστήσας τοὺς συνισταμένους ἐπ´ αὐτῷ διέλυσε τὸν σύλλογον καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο τοὺς κήρυκας ἀνακαλεσάμενος ἐκέλευσε διὰ πάντων τῶν στενωπῶν διεξιόντας τὸν δῆμον εἰς ἐκκλησίαν συγκαλεῖν. συνδραμόντος δ´ εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν τοῦ κατὰ {τὴν} πόλιν ὄχλου προελθὼν ἐπὶ τὸ βῆμα μακρὰν καὶ συμπαθῆ διεξῆλθε δημηγορίαν τάς τε πολεμικὰς ἑαυτοῦ πράξεις ἐξαριθμούμενος, ἃς Ταρκυνίου τε ζῶντος διεπράξατο καὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτὴν καὶ τῶν πολιτευμάτων καθ´ ἓν ἕκαστον ἐπιλεγόμενος, ἐξ ὧν πολλὰς καὶ μεγάλας ἔδοξεν ἐσχηκέναι τὸ κοινὸν ὠφελείας. πολλοῦ δ´ ἐφ´ ἑκάστῳ τῶν λεγομένων ἀπαντῶντος ἐπαίνου καὶ πάντων σπουδὴν ἐχόντων μαθεῖν, τίνων ἕνεκα ταῦτα λέγει, τελευτῶν ἔφησεν, ὅτι Ταρκύνιος αὐτὸν αἰτιᾶται τὴν βασιλείαν οὐ δικαίως κατέχειν ἑαυτῷ προσήκουσαν· καταλιπεῖν γὰρ αὐτῷ τὸν πάππον ἀποθνήσκοντα σὺν τοῖς χρήμασι καὶ τὴν ἀρχήν, τὸν δὲ δῆμον οὐκ εἶναι κύριον τἀλλότρια ἑτέρῳ διδόναι. κραυγῆς δὲ καὶ ἀγανακτήσεως ἐξ ἁπάντων ἐπὶ τούτῳ γενομένης σιωπῆσαι κελεύσας αὐτοὺς ἠξίου μηδὲν ἄχθεσθαι μηδὲ ἀγανακτεῖν πρὸς τὸν λόγον, ἀλλ´ εἴ τι δίκαιον εἰπεῖν ἔχει Ταρκύνιος, καλεῖν αὐτὸν καὶ διδαχθέντας, ἐάν τ´ ἀδικούμενον εὕρωσιν ἐάν τ´ ἐπιτηδειότερον ἄρχειν, ἐκείνῳ παραδοῦναι τὴν τῆς πόλεως προστασίαν· αὐτὸς δὲ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἔφησεν ἀφίστασθαι καὶ ἀποδιδόναι τοῖς κυρίοις, παρ´ ὧν αὐτὴν ἔλαβεν. ταῦτα λέξαντος αὐτοῦ καταβαίνειν τ´ ἀπὸ τοῦ βήματος βουλομένου κραυγή τ´ ἐξ ἁπάντων ἐγίνετο καὶ δεήσεις πολλαὶ σὺν οἰμωγαῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ μηδενὶ παραχωρεῖν τῆς ἀρχῆς· τινὲς δ´ ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ βάλλειν τὸν Ταρκύνιον ἐβόων. ἐκεῖνος μὲν οὖν δείσας τὴν ἐκ χειρὸς δίκην ὁρμῆς ἤδη γινομένης τῶν ὄχλων ἐπ´ αὐτὸν ᾤχετο φεύγων ἅμα τοῖς ἑταίροις· τὸν δὲ Τύλλιον ἡ πληθὺς ἅπασα μετὰ χαρᾶς καὶ κρότου καὶ πολλῆς εὐφημίας παραπέμπουσα μέχρι τῆς οἰκίας κατέστησεν.

[4,37] After this speech, which covered the conspirators with shame, Tullius dismissed the meeting and then, summoning the heralds he ordered them to go through all the streets and call the people together to an assembly. And when the whole populace of the city had flocked to the Forum, he came forward to the tribunal and made a long and moving harangue, enumerating all military achievements he had performed, both during the lifetime of Tarquinius and after his death, and recounting in addition one by one all his administrative measures from which the commonwealth appeared to have reaped many great advantages. And when everything he said met with great applause and all the people earnestly desired to know for what reasons he mentioned these things, at last he said that Tarquinius accused him of retaining the kingship unjustly, since it belonged to himself; for Tarquinius claimed that his grandfather at his death had left him the sovereignty together with his property, and that the people did not have it in their power to bestow on another what was not their own to give. This raising a general clamour and indignation among the people, he ordered them to be silent and asked them to feel no displeasure or resentment at his words, but in case Tarquinius had any just claim to advance in support of his pretensions, to summon him and if, after learning what he had to say, they should find that he was being wronged and was the more suitable man to rule, to entrust him with the leadership of the commonwealth. As for himself, he said, he now resigned the sovereignty and restored it to those to whom it belonged and from whom he had received it. After he had said this and was on the point of descending from the tribunal, there was a general outcry and many begged of him with groans not to surrender the sovereignty to anyone; and some of them even called out to stone Tarquinius. He, however, fearing (p395) summary punishment, since the crowds were already making a rush against him, fled, and his companions with him, while the entire populace with joy, applause, and many acclamations conducted Tullius as far as his house and saw him safely established there.