[4,58] Ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτ´ ἐπράττετο, θορύβου κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ὄντος ὡς ἐπὶ τοσούτῳ κακῷ μαθὼν τὰ γινόμενα διὰ γραμμάτων ὁ Ταρκύνιος παρῆν ἄγων τὴν δύναμιν καὶ περὶ μέσον νυκτὸς ἀγχοῦ τῆς πόλεως γενόμενος ἀνοιχθεισῶν τῶν πυλῶν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦτο παρεσκευασμένων εἰσελθὼν δίχα πόνου κύριος ἐγεγόνει τῆς πόλεως. ὡς δ´ ἐγνώσθη τὸ πάθος ἁπάντων κατοδυρομένων ἑαυτοὺς οἵα πείσονται, σφαγάς τε καὶ ἀνδραποδισμοὺς καὶ πάντα ὅσα καταλαμβάνει δεινὰ τοὺς ὑπὸ τυράννων ἁλόντας προσδοκώντων, εἰ δὲ τὰ κράτιστα πράξειαν, δουλείας τε καὶ χρημάτων ἀφαιρέσεις καὶ τὰ ὅμοια τούτοις κατεψηφικότων, οὐδὲν ὁ Ταρκύνιος ὧν προσεδόκων τε καὶ ἐδεδοίκεσαν καίτοι πικρὸς ὀργὴν καὶ περὶ τὰς τιμωρίας τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀπαραίτητος ὢν ἔδρασεν. οὔτε γὰρ ἀπέκτεινεν οὐδένα Γαβίων οὔτ´ ἐξήλασε τῆς πόλεως οὔτ´ εἰς ἀτιμίαν ἢ χρημάτων ἀφαίρεσιν ἐζημίωσε, συγκαλέσας δ´ εἰς ἐκκλησίαν τὸ πλῆθος καὶ βασιλικὸν ἐκ τυραννικοῦ τρόπου μεταλαβὼν τήν τε πόλιν αὐτοῖς ἔφη τὴν ἰδίαν ἀποδιδόναι καὶ τὰς οὐσίας, ἃς ἔχουσι, συγχωρεῖν καὶ σὺν τούτοις τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἰσοπολιτείαν ἅπασι χαρίζεσθαι, οὐ δι´ εὔνοιαν τὴν πρὸς τοὺς Γαβίους, ἀλλ´ ἵνα τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν ἐγκρατέστερον κατέχῃ ταῦτα πράττων· κρατίστην ἡγούμενος ἔσεσθαι φυλακὴν ἑαυτοῦ τε καὶ τῶν παίδων τὴν ἐκ τῶν παρ´ ἐλπίδας σεσωσμένων καὶ τὰ ἴδια πάντα κεκομισμένων πίστιν. καὶ ἵνα μηδὲν αὐτοῖς ἔτι δεῖμα περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος ὑπάρχῃ χρόνου μηδ´ ἐνδοιάζωσιν, εἰ βέβαια ταῦτα σφίσι διαμενεῖ, γράψας ἐφ´ οἷς ἔσονται δικαίοις φίλοι, τὰ περὶ τούτων ὅρκια συνετέλεσεν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας παραχρῆμα καὶ διωμόσατο κατὰ τῶν σφαγίων. τούτων ἐστὶ τῶν ὁρκίων μνημεῖον ἐν Ῥώμῃ κείμενον ἐν ἱερῷ Διὸς Πιστίου, ὃν Ῥωμαῖοι Σάγκον καλοῦσιν, ἀσπὶς ξυλίνη βύρσῃ βοείᾳ περίτονος τοῦ σφαγιασθέντος ἐπὶ τῶν ὁρκίων τότε βοός, γράμμασιν ἀρχαϊκοῖς ἐπιγεγραμμένη τὰς γενομένας αὐτοῖς ὁμολογίας. ταῦτα πράξας καὶ βασιλέα τῶν Γαβίων τὸν υἱὸν Σέξτον ἀποδείξας ἀπῆγε τὴν δύναμιν. ὁ μὲν δὴ πρὸς Γαβίους πόλεμος τοιούτου τέλους ἔτυχεν.

[4,58] While these things were going on and a the city was in an uproar, as was natural in consequence of so great a calamity, Tarquinius, having been informed by letter of all that was passing, marched thither with his army, approached the city about the middle of the night, and then, when the gates had been opened by those appointed for the purpose, entered with his forces and made himself master of the city without any trouble. When this disaster became known, all the citizens bewailed the fate awaiting (p455) them; for they expected slaughter, enslavement and all the horrors that usually befall those captured by tyrants, and, as the best that could happen to them, had already condemned themselves to slavery, the loss of their property and like calamities. However, Tarquinius did none of the things that they were expecting and dreading even though he was harsh of temper and inexorable in punishing his enemies. For he neither put any of the Gabini to death, nor banished any from the city, nor punished any of them with disfranchisement or the loss of their property; but calling an assembly of the people and changing to the part of a king from that of a tyrant, he told them that he not only restored their own city to them and allowed them to keep the property they possessed, but in addition granted to all of them the rights of Roman citizens. It was not, however, out of goodwill to the Gabini that he adopted this course, but in order to establish more securely his mastery over the Romans. For he believed that the strongest safeguard both for himself and for his family would be the loyalty of those who, contrary to their expectation, had been preserved and had recovered all their possessions. And, in order that they might no longer have any fear regarding the future or any doubt of the permanence of his concessions, he ordered the terms upon which they were to be friends to be set down in writing, and then ratified the treaty immediately in the assembly and took an oath over the victims to observe it. There is a memorial of this treaty at Rome in the temple of Jupiter Fidius, whom the Romans call Sancus; it is a wooden shield covered with (p457) the hide of the ox that was sacrificed at the time they confirmed the treaty by their oaths, and upon it are inscribed in ancient characters the terms of the treaty. After Tarquinius had thus settled matters and appointed his son Sextus king of the gabini, he led his army home. Such was the outcome of the war with the Gabini.