[5,34] Ἐφ´ οἷς ἀγανακτῶν ὁ Πορσίνας εἰς ἐκκλησίαν τοὺς Τυρρηνοὺς συνεκάλει καὶ διεξελθών, ὡς ἐπιτρεψάντων αὐτῷ {δίκας} Ῥωμαίων δικάσαι περὶ ὧν ἐνεκαλοῦντο ὑπὸ Ταρκυνίου, πρὶν ἐπιτελεσθῆναι τὴν δίκην εἰς ἱερὰ σώματα πρέσβεών τε καὶ ὁμήρων παρανομεῖν ἐν σπονδαῖς ἐπεχείρησαν οἱ δικαίως ὑπ´ αὐτῶν ἐξελασθέντες· ὅθεν Τυρρηνοὶ Ῥωμαίους μὲν ἀπολύουσι τῶν ἐγκλημάτων, Ταρκυνίῳ δὲ καὶ Μαμιλίῳ διαλύονται τὴν ξενίαν· {καὶ} προεῖπεν αὐθημερὸν ἐκ τοῦ χάρακος ἀπιέναι. Ταρκύνιοι μὲν οὖν ἐν ἐλπίσι χρησταῖς γενόμενοι κατ´ ἀρχάς, ὡς ἢ τυραννήσοντες αὖθις τῆς πόλεως Τυρρηνῶν σφίσι βοηθούντων ἢ τὰ χρήματα κομιούμενοι, διὰ τὴν εἰς τοὺς πρέσβεις καὶ τὰ ὅμηρα παρανομίαν ἀμφοτέρων διαμαρτόντες ἀπῆλθον ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου σὺν αἰσχύνῃ τε καὶ μίσει. ὁ δὲ τῶν Τυρρηνῶν βασιλεὺς τὰ ὅμηρα τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐπὶ τὸ βῆμα προαχθῆναι κελεύσας ἀποδίδωσι τῷ ὑπάτῳ εἰπών, ὅτι πάσης ὁμηρείας κρείττονα ἡγεῖται τὴν πίστιν τῆς πόλεως. μίαν δὲ παρθένον ἐκ τῶν ὁμήρων, ὑφ´ ἧς ἐπείσθησαν αἱ λοιπαὶ διανήξασθαι τὸν ποταμόν, ἐπαινέσας ὡς κρεῖττον ἔχουσαν φρόνημα τῆς τε φύσεως καὶ τῆς ἡλικίας, καὶ τὴν πόλιν μακαρίσας ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ μόνον ἄνδρας ἀγαθοὺς ἐκτρέφειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρθένους ἀνδράσιν ὁμοίας, δωρεῖται τὴν κόρην ἵππῳ πολεμιστῇ φαλάροις κεκοσμημένῳ διαπρεπέσι. μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τὰ περὶ τῆς εἰρήνης καὶ φιλίας ὅρκια πρὸς τοὺς πρέσβεις τῶν Ῥωμαίων ποιησάμενος καὶ ξενίσας αὐτοὺς δῶρα τῇ πόλει φέρεσθαι δίδωσι τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἅπαντας ἄνευ λύτρων συχνοὺς πάνυ ὄντας, καὶ τὸ χωρίον, ἐν ᾧ κατεστρατοπεδευκὼς ἦν, κατεσκευασμένον οὐχ ὡς στρατόπεδον ἐν ξένῃ γῇ πρὸς ὀλίγον καιρόν, ἀλλ´ ὡς πόλιν ἰδίαις τε καὶ δημοσίαις οἰκοδομαῖς ἀποχρώντως, οὐκ ὄντος τοῖς Τυρρηνοῖς ἔθους, ὁπότε ἀναστρατοπεδεύοιεν ἐκ πολεμίας, ὀρθὰς καταλείπειν τὰς κατασκευάς, ἀλλὰ καίειν, οὐ μικρὰν τῇ πόλει χαρισάμενος εἰς χρημάτων λόγον δωρεάν. ἐδήλωσε δ´ ἡ πράσις, ἣν ἐποιήσαντο μετὰ τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν τοῦ βασιλέως οἱ ταμίαι. ὁ μὲν δὴ πόλεμος ὁ συστὰς Ῥωμαίοις πρὸς Ταρκυνίους τε καὶ βασιλέα Κλουσίνων Λάρον Πορσίναν, εἰς κινδύνους μεγάλους ἀγαγὼν τὴν πόλιν τοιούτου τέλους ἔτυχεν.

[5,34] Porsena, resenting this attempt, assembled the Tyrrhenians and informed them that after the Romans had appointed him judge of the accusations brought against them by Tarquinius, but before the cause was determined, the exiles justly expelled by the Romans had during a truce been guilty of a lawless attempt upon the inviolable persons both of ambassadors and of hostages; for which reason, he said, the Tyrrhenians now acquitted the Romans of those charges and at the same time (p99) renounced all friendly relations with the Tarquinii and Mamilius; and he ordered them to depart that very day from the camp. Thus the Tarquinii, who at first had entertained excellent hopes either of exercising their tyranny again in the city with the assistance of the Tyrrhenians or of getting their property back, were disappointed in both respects in consequence of their lawless attempt against the ambassadors and hostages, and departed from the camp with shame and the detestation of all. Then the king of the Tyrrhenians, ordering the Roman hostages to be brought up to the tribunal, returned them to the consul, saying that he considered the good faith of the commonwealth as worth more than any hostages. And praising one maiden among them, by whom the others had been persuaded to swim across the river, as possessing a spirit superior both to her sex and age, and congratulating the commonwealth for producing not only brave men but also maidens the equals of men, he made her a present of a war-horse adorned with magnificent trappings. After the assembly he made a treaty of peace and friendship with the Roman ambassadors, and having entertained them, he returned to them without ransom all the prisoners, who were very numerous, as a present to take to the commonwealth. He also gave them the place where he was encamped, which was not laid out, like a camp, for a short stay in a foreign country, but, like a city, was adequately equipped with buildings both private and public,— though it is not the custom of the Tyrrhenians, when (p101) they break camp and quit the enemy's country, to leave these buildings standing, but to burn them. Thereby he made a present to the commonwealth of no small value in money, as appeared from the sale made by the quaestors after the king's departure. Such, then, was the outcome of the Romans' war with the Tarquinii and Lars Porsena, king of the Clusians, a war which brought the commonwealth into great dangers.