Texte grec :
| [4,38] Ὡς δὲ καὶ ταύτης διήμαρτε τῆς πείρας
ὁ Ταρκύνιος, ἀδημονῶν ἐπὶ τῷ μηδεμίαν αὐτῷ βοήθειαν
παρὰ τῆς βουλῆς, ᾗ μάλιστα ἐπεποίθει, γενέσθαι,
χρόνον μέν τινα διέτριβε κατ´ οἰκίαν τοῖς ἑταίροις
μόνοις διαλεγόμενος· ἔπειτα γνώμην ἀποδειξαμένης
τῆς γυναικὸς μηδὲν ἔτι μαλακίζεσθαι μηδὲ κατοκνεῖν,
ἀλλὰ καταβαλόντα τοὺς λόγους ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα χωρεῖν
διαλλαγὰς πρῶτον εὑρόμενον διὰ φίλων πρὸς τὸν Τύλλιον,
ἵνα πιστεύσας ὡς φίλῳ γεγονότι ἧττον αὐτὸν
φυλάττοιτο, δόξας δ´ αὐτὴν τὰ κράτιστα ὑποθέσθαι
μετανοεῖν τε περὶ τῶν γεγονότων ἐσκήπτετο καὶ πολλὰ
διὰ φίλων λιπαρῶν τὸν Τύλλιον ἠξίου συγγνώμονα
γενέσθαι. ῥᾷστα δὲ πείσας τὸν ἄνδρα φύσει τ´ εὐδιάλλακτον
ὄντα καὶ οὐκ ἀξιοῦντα πόλεμον ἄσπειστον
θυγατρὶ καὶ γαμβρῷ πολεμεῖν, ἐπειδὴ τὸν οἰκεῖον καιρὸν
ἔλαβε διεσκεδασμένου τοῦ δήμου κατὰ τοὺς ἀγροὺς
ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν καρπῶν συγκομιδήν, ἐξῆλθε μετὰ τῶν
ἑταίρων ἐχόντων ὑπὸ ταῖς περιβολαῖς ξίφη, τούς τε
πελέκεις ὑπηρέταις τισὶν ἀναδοὺς καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν βασιλικὴν
ἐσθῆτα λαβὼν καὶ τἆλλα παράσημα τῆς ἀρχῆς
ἐπαγόμενος· ἐλθὼν δ´ εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν καὶ πρὸ τοῦ
βουλευτηρίου στὰς ἐκέλευσε τῷ κήρυκι τοὺς βουλευτὰς
καλεῖν εἰς τὸ συνέδριον. ἦσαν δ´ ἐκ παρασκευῆς ἕτοιμοι
περὶ τὴν ἀγορὰν οἱ συνειδότες αὐτῷ τὴν πρᾶξιν
καὶ παρορμῶντες ἐκ τῶν πατρικίων συχνοί. οἱ μὲν δὴ
συνῄεσαν· τῷ δὲ Τυλλίῳ λέγει τις ἐλθὼν ὄντι κατ´
οἰκίαν, ὅτι Ταρκύνιος ἐν ἐσθῆτι βασιλικῇ προελήλυθε
καὶ καλεῖ τοὺς βουλευτὰς εἰς τὸ συνέδριον. ὁ δὲ θαυμάσας
τὴν τόλμαν αὐτοῦ τάχιον ἢ φρονιμώτερον προῆλθεν
ἐκ τῆς οἰκίας οὐ πολλοὺς περὶ ἑαυτὸν ἔχων.
ἐλθὼν δ´ εἰς τὸ συνέδριον καὶ τὸν Ταρκύνιον ἰδὼν
ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς καθήμενον ἕδρας καὶ τὸν ἄλλον
βασίλειον ἔχοντα κόσμον· Τίς, εἶπεν, ὦ μιαρώτατε
ἀνθρώπων, τοῦτό σοι τὸ σχῆμα συνεχώρησε λαβεῖν;
καὶ ὃς ὑπολαβών· Ἡ σὴ τόλμα καὶ ἀναίδεια, εἶπεν,
ὦ Τύλλιε, ὃς οὐδ´ ἐλεύθερος ὤν, ἀλλὰ δοῦλος ἐκ δούλης,
ἣν οὑμὸς ἐκτήσατο πάππος ἐκ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων,
ἐτόλμησας βασιλέα Ῥωμαίων σεαυτὸν ἀναδεῖξαι. ὡς δὲ
ταῦτ´ ἤκουσεν ὁ Τύλλιος, ἐκπικρανθεὶς ἐπὶ τῷ λόγῳ
παρὰ τὸ συμφέρον ὥρμησεν ἐπ´ αὐτὸν ὡς ἐξαναστήσων
τῆς ἕδρας. καὶ ὁ Ταρκύνιος ἄσμενος τοῦτ´ ἰδὼν ἀναπηδᾷ
τ´ ἀπὸ τοῦ δίφρου, καὶ συναρπάσας τὸν γέροντα
κεκραγότα καὶ τοὺς ὑπηρέτας ἐπικαλούμενον ἔφερε.
γενόμενος δ´ ἔξω τοῦ βουλευτηρίου μετέωρον ἐξαρπάσας
αὐτὸν ἀκμάζων τὸ σῶμα καὶ ῥωμαλέος ἀνὴρ
ῥιπτεῖ κατὰ τῶν κρηπίδων τοῦ βουλευτηρίου τῶν εἰς
τὸ ἐκκλησιαστήριον φερουσῶν. μόγις δ´ ἐκ τοῦ πτώματος
ἀναστὰς ὁ πρεσβύτης ὡς εἶδε μεστὰ τὰ πέριξ
ἅπαντα τῆς περὶ τὸν Ταρκύνιον ἑταιρείας, τῶν δ´ αὐτοῦ
φίλων πολλὴν ἐρημίαν, ἀπῄει στένων κρατούντων καὶ
παραπεμπόντων αὐτὸν ὀλίγων, αἵματι πολλῷ ῥεόμενος
καὶ κακῶς ὅλον ἑαυτὸν ἐκ τοῦ πτώματας ἔχων.
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Traduction française :
| [4,38] When Tarquinius failed in this attempt also, he was dismayed that from the
senate, upon which he had chiefly relied, no assistance had come to him, and
remaining at home for some time, he conversed only with his friends. Afterwards,
when his wife advised him no longer to play the weakling or hesitate, but to have
done with words and proceed to deeds, after he should first have obtain a
reconciliation with Tullius by the intercession of friends — to the end that the king,
trusting him as having become his friend, might be the less upon his guard against
him — believing that her advice was most excellent, he began to pretend to repent of
his past behaviour and through friends besought Tullius with many entreaties to
forgive him. And he very easily persuaded the man, who was not only by his nature
inclined to reconciliation but was also averse to waging an implacable contest with his
daughter and his son-in-law; then, as soon as he saw a favourable opportunity, when
the people were dispersed about the country for the gathering of the harvest, he
appeared in public with his friends, all having swords under their garments, and
giving the axes to some of his servants, he himself assumed the royal apparel and all
the other insignia of royalty. Then, going to the Forum, he took his stand before the
(p397) senate-house and ordered the herald to summon the senators thither; indeed,
many of the patricians who were privy to his design and were urging him on were by
prearrangement ready in the Forum. And so the senators assembled. In the
meantime someone went and informed Tullius, who was at home, that Tarquinius
had appeared in public in royal apparel and was calling a meeting of the senate. And
he, astonished at the other's rashness, set out from his house with more haste than
prudence, attended by but a few. And going into the senate-house and seeing
Tarquinius seated on the throne with all the other insignia of royalty, he exclaim:
"Who, most wicked of men, gave you authority to assume this attire?" To which the
other replied: "Your boldness and impudence, Tullius; for, though you were not even
a free man, but a slave and the son of slave mother, whom my grandfather got from
among the captives, you nevertheless have dared to proclaim yourself king of the
Romans." When Tullius heard this, he was so exasperated at the reproach that,
heedless of his own safety, he rushed at him with the intent of forcing him to quit the
throne. Tarquinius was pleased to see this, and leaping from his seat, seized and
bore off the old man, who cried out and called upon his servants to assist him. When
he got outside the senate-house, being a man of great vigour and in his prime, he
raised him aloft and hurled him down the steps that lead from the senate-house to
the comitium. The old man got up from his fall with great difficulty, and seeing the
whole (p399) neighbourhood crowded with the followers of Tarquinius and noting a
great dearth of his own friends, he set out for home lamenting, only a few persons
supporting and escorting him, and as he went he dripped much blood and his entire
body was in a wretched plight from his fall.
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