[5,3] Ταρκύνιος ἐπειδὴ τῆς βασιλείας ἐξέπεσε, χρόνον μέν τινα οὐ πολὺν ἐν πόλει Γαβίοις διέτριβε τούς τε συνιόντας πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ὑποδεχόμενος, οἷς ἦν τυραννὶς ἀσπαστότερον χρῆμα ἐλευθερίας, καὶ ταῖς Λατίνων ἐλπίσιν ἐπέχων ὡς δι´ ἐκείνων καταχθησόμενος ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχήν. ὡς δ´ οὐ προσεῖχον αὐτῷ τὸν νοῦν αἱ πόλεις οὐδ´ ἐβούλοντο πόλεμον ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων πόλιν ἐκφέρειν, ἀπογνοὺς τὰς παρὰ τούτων ἐπικουρίας, εἰς Τυρρηνικὴν καταφεύγει πόλιν Ταρκυνίους, ἐξ ἧς τὸ πρὸς μητρὸς αὐτῷ γένος ἦν. πείσας δὲ τὰ τέλη τῶν Ταρκυνιητῶν δωρεαῖς καὶ δι´ ἐκείνων ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν παραχθεὶς τήν τε συγγένειαν ἀνενεώσατο τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὰς εὐεργεσίας διεξῆλθεν, ἃς ὁ πάππος αὐτοῦ πάσαις ἐχαρίσατο ταῖς ἐν Τυρρηνίᾳ πόλεσι, καὶ τὰς συνθήκας ὑπεμίμνησκεν, ἃς ἦσαν πεποιημένοι πρὸς αὐτόν· ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις ἅπασι τῆς κατειληφυίας αὐτὸν ὠδύρετο τύχας, ὡς ἐκ μεγάλης ἐκπεσὼν εὐδαιμονίας ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ πλάνης καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐνδεὴς σὺν υἱοῖς τρισὶν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐφ´ ἑαυτῷ ποτε γενομένους ἠναγκάσθη καταφυγεῖν. διεξελθὼν δ´ ὧδε ταῦτα μετὰ πολλῶν οἴκτων τε καὶ δακρύων ἔπεισε τὸν δῆμον πρέσβεις ἀποστεῖλαι πρῶτον εἰς Ῥώμην συμβατηρίους φέροντας ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ λόγους, ὡς δὴ συμπραττόντων αὐτῷ τῶν δυνατῶν ἐκεῖθεν καὶ συλληψομένων τῆς καθόδου. ἀποδειχθέντων δὲ πρεσβευτῶν, οὓς αὐτὸς προείλετο, διδάξας τοὺς ἄνδρας ἃ χρὴ λέγειν τε καὶ πράττειν, καὶ παρὰ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ φυγάδων γράμματα δοὺς δεήσεις ἔχοντα πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους αὐτῶν καὶ φίλους, ἀπέστειλε φέροντάς τι καὶ χρυσίον.

[5,3] Tarquinius, after being driven from the throne, remained a short time in the city of Gabii, both to receive such as came to him from Rome, to whom tyranny was a more desirable thing than liberty, and to await the event of the hopes he placed in the Latins of being restored to the sovereignty by their aid. But when their cities paid no heed to him and were unwilling to make war upon the Roman state on his account, he despaired of any assistance from them and took refuge in Tarquinii, a Tyrrhenian city, from whence his family on his mother's side had originally come. And having bribed the magistrates of the Tarquinienses with gifts and been brought by them before the assembly of the people, he renewed the ties of kinship which existed between him and their city, recounted the favours his grandfather had conferred on all the Tyrrhenian cities, and reminded them of the treaties they had made with him. After all this, he lamented the calamities which had overtaken him, showing how, after having fallen in one day from the height of felicity, he had been compelled, as a wanderer in want (p11) of the necessaries of life, to fly for refuge, together with his three sons, to those who had once been his subjects. Having thus recounted his misfortunes with many lamentations and tears, he prevailed upon the people, first of all to send ambassadors to Rome to possess terms of accommodation on his behalf, assuring them that the men in power there were working in his interest and would aid in his restoration. Ambassadors, of his own selection, having then been appointed, he instructed them in everything they were to say and do; and giving them letters from the exiles who were with him, containing entreaties to their relations and friends, he gave them some gold also and sent them on their way.