[4,5] Ταῦτ´ εἰποῦσα καὶ τῶν παιδίων ἑκάτερον εἰς τὰς ἀγκάλας ἐμβαλοῦσα τοῦ τε γαμβροῦ καὶ τῆς θυγατρὸς καὶ πολὺν ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων κινήσασα οἶκτον, ἐπειδὴ καιρὸς ἦν, ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ δωματίου καὶ παρήγγειλε τοῖς ἔνδον εὐτρεπῆ τὰ πρὸς τὴν θεραπείαν ἐπιτήδεια ποιεῖν καὶ τοὺς ἰατροὺς συγκαλεῖν. διαλιποῦσα δὲ τὴν μεταξὺ νύκτα τῇ κατόπιν ἡμέρᾳ πολλοῦ πρὸς τὰ βασίλεια συνδραμόντος ὄχλου προῆλθεν εἰς τοὐμφανὲς ταῖς θυρίσιν ἐπιστᾶσα ταῖς φερούσαις εἰς τὸν πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν στενωπόν, καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἐδήλωσε τοῖς παροῦσι τοὺς βουλεύσαντας ἐπὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ τὸν φόνον, καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ τοὖργον ἀποσταλέντας ὑπ´ αὐτῶν δεδεμένους παρήγαγεν· ἔπειθ´ ὡς εἶδε πολλοὺς ὀλοφυρομένους τε τὸ πάθος καὶ τοῖς δεδρακόσιν ἀπεχθομένους, τελευτῶσα εἶπεν οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς ἐκ τῶν ἀνοσίων ἐπιβουλευμάτων γεγονέναι οὐ δυνηθεῖσιν ἀποκτεῖναι Ταρκύνιον. ἀγαπητῶς δὲ τὸν λόγον ἁπάντων δεξαμένων τότε τὸν Τύλλιον αὐτοῖς συνίστησιν ὡς ὑπὸ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπίτροπον ἁπάντων τῶν τ´ ἰδίων καὶ τῶν κοινῶν ἀποδεικνύμενον, ἕως αὐτὸς ῥαΐσῃ. ὁ μὲν οὖν δῆμος ἀπῄει περιχαρὴς γενόμενος, εἰ μηδὲν πέπονθεν ὁ βασιλεὺς δεινόν, καὶ μέχρι πολλοῦ τὴν δόξαν ἔχων ταύτην διετέλει. ὁ δὲ Τύλλιος ἰσχυρὰν χεῖρα περὶ αὑτὸν ἔχων καὶ τοὺς ῥαβδούχους ἐπαγόμενος τοὺς βασιλικοὺς προῆλθεν εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν καὶ τοὺς Μαρκίους ἐκήρυττεν ἥκειν ὑφέξοντας δίκην· ὡς δ´ οὐχ ὑπήκουον, ἐπικηρύξας αὐτοῖς ἀϊδίους φυγὰς καὶ τὰς οὐσίας ἀναλαβὼν εἰς τὸ δημόσιον ἀσφαλῶς ἤδη τὴν Ταρκυνίου κατεῖχεν ἀρχήν.

[4,5] With these words she thrust each of the children in turn into the arms of both her son-in-law and her daughter and roused great compassion in them both; then, when it was the proper time, she went out of the room and ordered the servants to get everything ready for dressing the king's wounds and to call the (p281) physicians. And letting that night pass, the next day, when the people flocked in great numbers to the palace, she appeared at the windows that gave upon the narrow street before the gates and first informed them who the persons were who had plotted the murder of the king, and produced in chains those whom they had sent to commit the deed. Then, finding that many lamented the calamity and were angry at the authors of it, she at last told them that these men had gained naught from their wicked designs, since they had not been able to kill Tarquinius. This statement being received with universal joy, she then commended Tullius to them as the person appointed by the king to be the guardian of all his interests, both private and public, till he himself recovered. The people, therefore, went away greatly rejoicing, in the belief that the king had suffered no fatal injury, and continued for a long time in that opinion. Afterwards Tullius, attended by a strong body of men and taking along the king's lictors, went to the Forum and caused proclamation to be made for the Marcii to appear and stand trial; and upon their failure to obey, he pronounced sentence of perpetual banishment against them, and having confiscated their property, he was now in secure possession of the sovereignty of Tarquinius.