[4,57] Ἠρεθισμένου δὲ τοῦ πλήθους καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς προθυμίας πυνθανομένου, τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ μέλλοντες αὐτὸν προδιδόναι, {τὸν ἐπιφανέστατον τῶν Γαβίων} Ἀντίστιον Πέτρωνα ὠνόμασεν, ὃς ἐν εἰρήνῃ τε πολλὰ καὶ σπουδαῖα πολιτευσάμενος καὶ στρατηγίας πολλὰς τετελεκὼς ἐπιφανέστατος ἁπάντων ἐγεγόνει· ἀπολογουμένου δὲ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ διὰ τὸ μηδὲν ἑαυτῷ συνειδέναι πᾶσαν ἐξέτασιν ὑπομένοντος ἔφη βούλεσθαι τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ διερευνῆσαι πέμψας ἑτέρους, αὐτὸς δ´ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας σὺν ἐκείνῳ, τέως ἂν οἱ πεμφθέντες ἔλθωσι, μένειν. ἔτυχε δὲ διεφθαρκὼς αὐτοῦ τῶν θεραπόντων τινὰς ἀργυρίῳ τὰς ἐπὶ τὸν ὄλεθρον τοῦ Πέτρωνος κατασκευασθείσας ἐπιστολὰς σεσημειωμένας τῇ τοῦ πατρὸς σφραγῖδι λαβόντας ἔνδον ἀποθέσθαι. ὡς δ´ οἱ πεμφθέντες ἐπὶ τὴν ἔρευναν· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀντεῖπεν ὁ Πέτρων, ἀλλ´ ἐφῆκε τὴν οἰκίαν ἐρευνᾶν· εὑρόντες, ἔνθα ἦν ἀποκεκρυμμένα τὰ γράμματα, παρῆσαν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἄλλας τε πολλὰς φέροντες ἐπιστολὰς ἐπισεσημασμένας καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Ἀντίστιον γραφεῖσαν, ἐπιγινώσκειν φήσας τὴν σφραγῖδα τοῦ πατρὸς ὁ Σέξτος ἔλυσε, καὶ τῷ γραμματεῖ δοὺς ἐκέλευσεν ἀναγινώσκειν. ἐγέγραπτο δ´ ἐν αὐτῇ, μάλιστα μὲν ζῶντα παραδοῦναι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῷ {καὶ κομίζεσθαι τοὺς διωμολογημένους μισθούς}, ἐὰν δ´ ἀδύνατος ᾖ τοῦτο τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτεμόντα πέμψαι. ταῦτα δὲ ποιήσαντι αὐτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς συλλαβομένοις τοῦ ἔργου χωρὶς τῶν ἄλλων μισθῶν, οὓς πρότερον ὑπέσχητο, πολιτείαν τε τὴν ἐν Ῥώμῃ δώσειν ἔφη καὶ εἰς τὸν τῶν πατρικίων ἀριθμὸν ἅπαντας ἐγγράψειν οἰκίας τε καὶ κλήρους καὶ ἄλλας δωρεὰς πολλὰς ἐπιθήσειν καὶ μεγάλας. ἐφ´ οἷς ἐρεθισθέντες οἱ Γάβιοι τὸν μὲν Ἀντίστιον ἐκπεπληγότα ἐπὶ τῇ παραδόξῳ συμφορᾷ καὶ οὐδὲ φωνὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ ῥῆξαι δυνάμενον ἀποκτείνουσι βάλλοντες λίθοις· τὴν δὲ κατὰ τῶν ἄλλων ζήτησίν τε καὶ τιμωρίαν τῶν ταὐτὰ τῷ Πέτρωνι βουλευσαμένων ἐπέτρεψαν τῷ Σέξτῳ ποιήσασθαι. ὁ δὲ τοῖς ἰδίοις ἑταίροις τὴν φυλακὴν ἐπιτρέψας τῶν πυλῶν, ἵνα μὴ διαφύγοιεν αὐτὸν οἱ ἐν ταῖς αἰτίαις, πέμπων ἐπὶ τὰς οἰκίας τῶν ἐπιφανεστάτων ἀνδρῶν ἀπέκτεινε πολλοὺς τῶν Γαβίων καὶ ἀγαθούς.

[4,57] When the people became incensed at this and were eagerly demanding to know who the men were who were intending to betray them, he named Antistius Petro, who not only had been the author of many excellent measures in time of peace but had also often commanded their armies and had thus become the most distinguished of all the citizens. And when this man endeavoured to clear himself and, from the consciousness of his innocence, offered to submit to any examination whatever, Sextus said he wished to send some others to search Petro's house, but that he himself would stay with him in the assembly till the persons sent should return. It seems that he had bribed some of the servants of Petro to take the letters prepared for Petro's destruction and sealed with the seal of Tarquinius and to hide them in their master's house. And when the men sent to make the search (for Petro made no objection but gave permission for his house to be searched), having discovered the letters in the place where they had been hidden, appeared in the assembly with many sealed letters, among them the one addressed to Antistius, (p453) Sextus declared he recognized his father's seal, and breaking open the letter, he gave it to the secretary and ordered him to read it. The purport of the letter was that Antistius should, if possible, deliver up his son to him alive, but if he could not do this, that he should cut off his head and send it. In return for this Tarquinius said that, besides the rewards he had already promised, he would grant Roman citizenship both to him and those who had assisted him in the business, and would admit them all into the number of the patricians, and furthermore bestow on them houses, allotments of land and many other fine gifts. Thereupon the Gabini became so incensed against Antistius, who was thunderstruck at this unexpected calamity and unable in his grief to utter a word, that they stoned him to death and appointed Sextus to inquire into and punish the crimes of his accomplices. Sextus committed the guarding of the gates to his own followers, lest any of the accused should escape him; and sending to the houses of the most prominent of the Gabini, he put many good men to death.