Texte grec :
| [4,67] Ταχείᾳ δὲ καὶ κατεσπουδασμένῃ παρακλήσει
τῶν ἐπιφανεστάτων ἀνδρῶν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν συνελθόντων
ὥσπερ ἠξίου, λέγει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἅπαν τὸ πρᾶγμα
ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀναλαβοῦσα. καὶ μετὰ τοῦτ´ ἀσπασαμένη τὸν
πατέρα καὶ πολλὰς λιτανείας ἐκείνου τε καὶ τῶν σὺν
αὐτῷ παρόντων ποιησαμένη θεοῖς τε καὶ δαίμοσιν
εὐξαμένη ταχεῖαν αὐτῇ δοῦναι τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν τοῦ βίου
σπᾶται τὸ ξιφίδιον, ὃ κατέκρυπτεν ὑπὸ τοῖς πέπλοις,
καὶ μίαν ἐνέγκασα διὰ τῶν στέρνων πληγὴν ἕως τῆς
καρδίας ὠθεῖ {τὸ ξίφος.} κραυγῆς δὲ καὶ θρήνου καὶ
τυπετοῦ γυναικείου τὴν οἰκίαν ὅλην κατασχόντος ὁ
μὲν πατὴρ περιχυθεὶς τῷ σώματι περιέβαλλε καὶ ἀνεκαλεῖτο
καὶ ὡς ἀνοίσουσαν ἐκ τοῦ τραύματος ἐτημελεῖτο,
ἡ δ´ ἐν ταῖς ἀγκάλαις αὐτοῦ σπαίρουσα καὶ
ψυχορραγοῦσα ἀποθνήσκει. τοῖς δὲ παροῦσι Ῥωμαίων
οὕτω δεινὸν ἔδοξεν εἶναι καὶ ἐλεεινὸν τὸ πάθος, ὥστε
μίαν ἁπάντων γενέσθαι φωνήν, ὡς μυριάκις αὐτοῖς
κρεῖττον εἴη τεθνάναι περὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἢ τοιαύτας
ὕβρεις ὑπὸ τῶν τυράννων γενομένας περιορᾶν. ἦν δέ
τις ἐν αὐτοῖς Πόπλιος Οὐαλέριος ἑνὸς τῶν ἅμα Τατίῳ
παραγενομένων εἰς Ῥώμην Σαβίνων ἀπόγονος, δραστήριος
ἀνὴρ καὶ φρόνιμος. οὗτος ἐπὶ στρατόπεδον
ὑπ´ αὐτῶν πέμπεται τῷ τ´ ἀνδρὶ τῆς Λουκρητίας τὰ
συμβεβηκότα φράσων καὶ σὺν ἐκείνῳ πράξων ἀπόστασιν
τοῦ στρατιωτικοῦ πλήθους ἀπὸ τῶν τυράννων. ἄρτι
δ´ αὐτῷ τὰς πύλας ἐξεληλυθότι συναντᾷ κατὰ δαίμονα
παραγινόμενος εἰς τὴν πόλιν ὁ Κολλατῖνος ἀπὸ στρατοπέδου,
τῶν κατεσχηκότων τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ κακῶν
οὐδὲν εἰδὼς καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ Λεύκιος Ἰούνιος, ᾧ Βροῦτος
ἐπωνύμιον ἦν· εἴη δ´ ἂν ἐξερμηνευόμενος ὁ Βροῦτος
εἰς τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν διάλεκτον ἠλίθιος· ὑπὲρ οὗ
μικρὰ προειπεῖν ἀναγκαῖον, ἐπειδὴ τοῦτον ἀποφαίνουσι
Ῥωμαῖοι τῆς καταλύσεως τῶν τυράννων αἰτιώτατον γενέσθαι,
τίς τ´ ἦν καὶ ἀπὸ τίνων καὶ διὰ τί τῆς ἐπωνυμίας
ταύτης ἔτυχεν οὐδὲν αὐτῷ προσηκούσης.
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Traduction française :
| [4,67] When, in response to his hasty and urgent summons, the most prominent men
had come to his house as she desired, she began at the beginning and told them all
that had happened. Then, after embracing her father and addressing many entreaties
both to him and to all present and praying to the gods and other divinities to grant
her a speedy departure from life, she drew the dagger she was keeping concealed
under her robes, and plunging it into her breast, with a single stroke pierced her
heart. Upon this the women beat their breasts and filled the house with their shrieks
and lamentations, but her father, enfolding her body in his arms, embraced incident,
and calling her by name again and again, ministered to her, as though she might
recover from her wound, until in his arms, gasping and breathing out her life, she
expired. This dreadful scene struck the Romans who were present with so much
horror and compassion that they all cried out with one voice that they would rather
die a thousand deaths in defence of their (p481) liberty than suffer such outrages to be
committed by the tyrants. There was among them a certain man, named Publius
Valerius, a descendant of one of those Sabines who came to Rome with Tatius, and a
man of action and prudence. This man was sent by them to the camp both to acquaint
the husband of Lucretia with what had happened and with his aid to bring about a
revolt of the army from the tyrants. He was no sooner outside the gates than he
chance to meet Collatinus, who was coming to the city from the camp and knew
nothing of the misfortunes that had befallen his household. And with him came
Lucius Junius, surnamed Brutus, which, translated into the Greek language, would be
êlithios or "dullard." Concerning this man, since the Romans says that he was the
prime mover in the expulsion of the tyrants, I must say a few words before continuing
my account, to explain who he was and of what descent and for what reason he got
his surname, which did not at all describe him.
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