[4,50] Ὡς δὲ καὶ ταύταις ἐκρατύνατο τὴν ἀρχὴν ταῖς συμμαχίαις, στρατὸν ἐξάγειν ἐπὶ Σαβίνους ἔγνω Ῥωμαίων τ´ αὐτῶν ἐπιλέξας οὓς ἥκιστα ὑπώπτευεν, εἰ κύριοι τῶν ὅπλων γένοιντο, ἐλευθερίας μεταποιήσεσθαι, καὶ τὴν παρὰ τῶν συμμάχων ἀφιγμένην δύναμιν προσλαβὼν πολλῷ πλείονα τῆς πολιτικῆς ὑπάρχουσαν. δῃώσας δ´ αὐτῶν τοὺς ἀγροὺς καὶ τοὺς ὁμόσε χωρήσαντας μάχῃ νικήσας ἐπὶ τοὺς καλουμένους Πωμεντίνους ἦγε τὴν δύναμιν, οἳ πόλιν μὲν Σύεσσαν ᾤκουν, εὐδαιμονέστατοι δ´ ἐδόκουν ἁπάντων εἶναι τῶν πλησιοχώρων καὶ διὰ τὴν πολλὴν εὐτυχίαν ἅπασι λυπηροὶ καὶ βαρεῖς, ἐγκαλῶν αὐτοῖς ἁρπαγάς τινας καὶ λῃστείας, ὑπὲρ ὧν αἰτούμενοι δίκας αὐθάδεις ἔδωκαν ἀποκρίσεις. οἱ δ´ ἦσαν ἕτοιμοι προσδεχόμενοι τὸν πόλεμον καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις. συνάψας δ´ αὐτοῖς μάχην περὶ τὰ μεθόρια καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν ἀποκτείνας, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς τρεψάμενος καὶ κατακλείσας εἰς τὸ τεῖχος, ὡς οὐκέτι προῄεσαν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, παραστρατοπεδεύσας αὐτοῖς ἀπετάφρευέ τε καὶ περιεχαράκου καὶ προσβολὰς ἐποιεῖτο τοῖς τείχεσι συνεχεῖς. οἱ δ´ ἔνδον τέως μὲν ἀπεμάχοντο καὶ πολὺν ἀντέσχον τῇ ταλαιπωρίᾳ χρόνον· ὡς δ´ ὑπέλειπεν αὐτοὺς τἀπιτήδεια, ἐξασθενοῦντες τὰ σώματα καὶ οὔτ´ ἐπικουρίαν οὐδεμίαν προσλαβόντες οὐδ´ ἀναπαύσεως τυγχάνοντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ μεθ´ ἡμέραν καὶ νύκτωρ αὐτοὶ ταλαιπωροῦντες ἁλίσκονται κατὰ κράτος. γενόμενος δὲ τῆς πόλεως ἐγκρατὴς τοὺς μὲν ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις διέφθειρε, γυναῖκας δ´ αὐτῶν καὶ τέκνα καὶ τοὺς ὑπομείναντας αἰχμαλώτους γενέσθαι καὶ τὸ τῶν θεραπόντων πλῆθος οὐδ´ ἀριθμηθῆναι ῥᾴδιον τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐπέτρεψεν ἀπάγεσθαι τήν τ´ ἄλλην κτῆσιν τῆς πόλεως ἄγειν καὶ φέρειν, εἴ τις ἐπιτύχοι, τήν τ´ ἐντὸς τείχους καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγρῶν ἐφῆκεν· ἄργυρον δὲ καὶ χρυσόν, ὅσος εὑρέθη, συναγαγὼν εἰς ἓν χωρίον καὶ τὴν δεκάτην ἐξελόμενος εἰς κατασκευὴν ἱεροῦ τὰ λοιπὰ χρήματα τοῖς στρατιώταις διεῖλεν. οὕτω δ´ ἄρα πολὺς ὁ καταληφθεὶς ἄργυρός τε καὶ χρυσὸς ἦν, ὥστε τῶν μὲν στρατιωτῶν ἕκαστον πέντε μνᾶς ἀργυρίου λαβεῖν, τὸ δὲ τοῖς θεοῖς δεκατευθὲν ἀργύριον τετρακοσίων οὐ μεῖον γενέσθαι ταλάντων.

[4,50] When he had strengthened his power by (p433) these alliances also, he resolved to lead an army against the Sabines, choosing such of the Romans as he least suspected of being apt to assert their liberty if they became possessed of arms, and adding to them the auxiliary forces that had come from his allies, which were much more numerous than those of the Romans. And having laid waste the enemy's country and defeated in battle those who came to close quarters with him, he led his forces against the people called the Pometini, who lived in the city of Suessa and had the reputation of both more prosperous than any of their neighbours and, because of their great good fortune, of being troublesome and oppressive to them all. He accused them of certain acts of brigandage and robbery and of giving haughty answers when asked for satisfaction therefor. But they were expecting war and were ready and in arms. Tarquinius engaged them in battle upon the frontiers, and after killing many of them and putting the rest to flight, he shut them up within their walls; and when they no longer ventured out of the city, he encamped near by, and surrounding it with a ditch and palisades, made continuous assaults upon the walls. The inhabitants defended themselves and withstood the hardships of the siege for a considerable time; but when their provisions began to fail and their strength was spent, since they neither received any assistance nor even obtained any respite, but the same men had to toil both night and day, they were taken by storm. Tarquinius, being now master of the city, put to (p435) death all he found in arms and permitted the soldiers to carry off the women and children and such others as allowed themselves to be made prisoners, together with a multitude of slaves not easy to be numbered; and he also gave them leave to carry away all the plunder of the city that they found both inside the walls and in the country. As to the silver and gold that was found there, he ordered it all to be brought to one place, and having reserved a tenth part of it to build a temple, he distributed the rest among the soldiers. The quantity of silver and gold taken upon this occasion was so considerable that every one of the soldiers received for his share five minae of silver, and the tenth part reserved for the gods amounted to no less than four hundred talents.