[4,64] Τὴν Ἀρδεατῶν πόλιν ὁ Ταρκύνιος ἐπολιόρκει πρόφασιν μὲν ποιούμενος, ὅτι τοὺς ἐκ Ῥώμης φυγάδας ὑπεδέχετο καὶ συνέπραττεν αὐτοῖς περὶ καθόδου· ὡς δὲ τἀληθὲς εἶχεν ἐπιβουλεύων αὐτῇ διὰ τὸν πλοῦτον εὐδαιμονούσῃ μάλιστα τῶν ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ πόλεων. γενναίως δὲ τῶν Ἀρδεατῶν ἀπομαχομένων καὶ πολυχρονίου τῆς πολιορκίας γινομένης οἵ τ´ ἐπὶ τοῦ στρατοπέδου κάμνοντες ἐπὶ τῇ τριβῇ τοῦ πολέμου καὶ οἱ κατὰ πόλιν ἀπειρηκότες ταῖς εἰσφοραῖς ἕτοιμοι πρὸς ἀπόστασιν ἦσαν, εἴ τις ἀρχὴ γένοιτο. ἐν τούτῳ δὴ τῷ καιρῷ Σέξτος ὁ πρεσβύτατος τῶν Ταρκυνίου παίδων ἀποσταλεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς εἰς πόλιν, ἣ ἐκαλεῖτο Κολλάτεια, χρείας τινὰς ὑπηρετήσων στρατιωτικὰς παρ´ ἀνδρὶ κατήχθη συγγενεῖ Λευκίῳ Ταρκυνίῳ τῷ Κολλατίνῳ προσαγορευομένῳ. τοῦτον τὸν ἄνδρα Φάβιος μὲν υἱὸν εἶναί φησιν Ἠγερίου, περὶ οὗ δεδήλωκα πρότερον, ὅτι Ταρκυνίῳ τῷ προτέρῳ βασιλεύσαντι Ῥωμαίων ἀδελφόπαις ἦν καὶ Κολλατείας ἡγεμὼν ἀποδειχθεὶς ἀπὸ τῆς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ πόλει διατριβῆς αὐτός τε Κολλατῖνος ἐκλήθη καὶ τοῖς ἐγγόνοις ἀφ´ ἑαυτοῦ τὴν αὐτὴν κατέλιπεν ἐπίκλησιν· ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ τοῦτον υἱωνὸν εἶναι τοῦ Ἠγερίου πείθομαι, εἴ γε τὴν αὐτὴν εἶχε τοῖς Ταρκυνίου παισὶν ἡλικίαν, ὡς Φάβιός τε καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ συγγραφεῖς παραδεδώκασιν· ὁ γὰρ χρόνος ταύτην μοι τὴν ὑπόληψιν βεβαιοῖ. ὁ μὲν οὖν Κολλατῖνος ἐπὶ στρατοπέδου τότε ὢν ἐτύγχανεν, ἡ δὲ συνοικοῦσα αὐτῷ γυνὴ Ῥωμαία, Λουκρητίου θυγάτηρ ἀνδρὸς ἐπιφανοῦς, ἐξένιζεν αὐτὸν ὡς συγγενῆ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς πολλῇ προθυμίᾳ τε καὶ φιλοφροσύνῃ. ταύτην τὴν γυναῖκα καλλίστην οὖσαν τῶν ἐν Ῥώμῃ γυναικῶν καὶ σωφρονεστάτην ἐπεχείρησεν ὁ Σέξτος διαφθεῖραι, παλαίτερον μὲν ἔτι εἰργόμενος, ὁπότε κατάγοιτο παρὰ τῷ συγγενεῖ, τότε δὲ καιρὸν ἁρμόττοντα οἰόμενος ἔχειν. ὡς δὲ μετὰ τὸ δεῖπνον ἀπῆλθε κοιμησόμενος ἐπισχὼν τῆς νυκτὸς πολὺ μέρος, ἐπειδὴ καθεύδειν ἅπαντας ἐνόμιζεν, ἀναστὰς ἧκεν ἐπὶ τὸ δωμάτιον, ἐν ᾧ τὴν Λουκρητίαν ᾔδει καθεύδουσαν, καὶ λαθὼν τοὺς παρὰ ταῖς θύραις τοῦ δωματίου κοιμωμένους εἰσέρχεται ξίφος ἔχων.

[4,64] Tarquinius was then laying siege to Ardea, alleging as his reason that it was receiving the Roman fugitives and assisting them in their endeavours to (p473) return home. The truth was, however, that he had designs against this city on account of its wealth, since it was the most flourishing of all the cities in Italy. But as the Ardeates bravely defended themselves and the siege was proving a lengthy one, both the Romans who were in the camp, being fatigued by the length of the war, and those at Rome, who had become exhausted by the war taxes, were ready to revolt if any occasion offered for making a beginning. At this time Sextus, the eldest son of Tarquinius, being sent by his father to a city called Collatia to perform certain military services, lodged at the house of his kinsman, Lucius Tarquinius, surnamed Collatinus. This man is said by Fabius to have been the son of Egerius, who, as I have shown earlier, was the nephew of Tarquinius the first Roman king of that name, and having been appointed governor of Collatia, was not only himself called Collatinus from his living there, but also left the same surname to his posterity. But, for my part, I am persuaded that he too was a grandson of Egerius, inasmuch as he was of the same age as the sons of Tarquinius, as Fabius and the other historians have recorded; for the chronology confirms me in this opinion. Now it happened that Collatinus was then at the camp, but his wife, who was a Roman woman, the daughter of Lucretius, a man of distinction, entertained him, as a kinsman of her husband, with great cordiality and friendliness. This (p475) matron, who excelled all the Roman women in beauty as well as in virtue, Sextus tried to seduce; he had already long entertained this desire, whenever he visited his kinsman, and he thought he now had a favourable opportunity. Going, therefore, to bed after supper, he waited a great part of the night, and then, when he thought all were asleep, he got up and came to the room where he knew Lucretia slept, and without being discovered by her slaves, who lay asleep at the door, he went into the room sword in hand.