[7,11] Οἱ δ´ ἀποστάται τε καὶ φυγάδες ἐν τῷ περὶ τὸν Ἄορνον ὄρει πλησίον ὄντι τῆς πόλεως λοχῶντες, ὡς ἔμαθον ἐξεληλυθυῖαν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως τὴν τοῦ τυράννου στρατιὰν συνθήμασι μηνυθεῖσαν ὑπὸ τῶν σκοπῶν, πέμπουσιν ἐξ αὐτῶν περὶ ἑξήκοντα μάλιστα τοὺς εὐτολμοτάτους διφθέρας ἔχοντας καὶ φακέλλους φρυγάνων κομίζοντας. οὗτοι περὶ λύχνων ἁφὰς ἄλλοι κατ´ ἄλλας πύλας ὡς χερνῆται παρεισπεσόντες ἔλαθον· ὡς δ´ ἔνδον ἐγένοντο τοῦ τείχους ἐξελκύσαντες ἐκ τῶν φακέλλων ἃ κατέκρυπτον ξίφη, καὶ συνελθόντες εἰς τὸν αὐτὸν ἅπαντες τόπον ἔπειτ´ ἐκεῖθεν ὁρμήσαντες ἀθρόοι πρὸς τὰς ἐπὶ τὸν Ἄορνον φερούσας πύλας τούς τε φύλακας αὐτῶν ἀποκτείνουσι κοιμωμένους καὶ τοὺς σφετέρους ἅπαντας ἤδη τοῦ τείχους πλησίον ὄντας ἀναπεπταμέναις ταῖς πύλαις ὑποδέχονται, καὶ τοῦτο πράξαντες ἔλαθον. ἔτυχε γὰρ ἐκείνῃ τῇ νυκτὶ ἑορτή τις οὖσα δημοτελής, καὶ δι´ αὐτὴν ἅπας ὁ κατὰ πόλιν ὄχλος ἐν πότοις ὢν καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις εὐπαθείαις. τοῦτο παρέσχεν αὐτοῖς κατὰ πολλὴν ἄδειαν ἁπάσας διελθεῖν τὰς ἐπὶ τὴν τυραννικὴν οἰκίαν φερούσας ὁδούς· καὶ οὐδὲ παρὰ ταῖς θύραις πολλήν τινα καὶ ἐγρηγορυῖαν εὗρον φυλακήν, ἀλλὰ κἀνταῦθα τοὺς μὲν ἤδη καθεύδοντας, τοὺς δὲ μεθύοντας ἀποσφάξαντες δίχα πόνου καὶ κατὰ πλῆθος εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν ὠσάμενοι, τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους ἅπαντας οὔτε τῶν σωμάτων ἔτι κρατοῦντας οὔτε τῶν φρενῶν διὰ τὸν οἶνον προβάτων δίκην κατέσφαξαν· τὸν δ´ Ἀριστόδημον καὶ τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην συγγένειαν συλλαβόντες ἄχρι πολλῆς νυκτὸς αἰκιζόμενοί τε καὶ στρεβλοῦντες καὶ πᾶσιν ὡς εἰπεῖν λυμαινόμενοι κακοῖς ἀπέκτειναν. ἀνελόντες δὲ τὴν τυραννικὴν οἰκίαν πρόρριζον, ὡς μήτε παιδία μήτε γυναῖκας μήτε συγγένειαν μηθενὸς αὐτῶν καταλιπεῖν καὶ δι´ ὅλης νυκτὸς ἅπαντας ἐξερευνησάμενοι τοὺς συνεργοὺς τῆς τυραννίδος ἡμέρας γενομένης προῆλθον εἰς τὴν ἀγοράν. ἔπειτα συγκαλέσαντες τὸν δῆμον εἰς ἐκκλησίαν ἀποτίθενται τὰ ὅπλα καὶ τὴν πάτριον καθίστανται πολιτείαν.

[7,11] In the meantime the rebels and fugitives, who lay in ambush on the mountain which lies near Lake Avernus and not far from Cumae, when they learned from the signals made by their scouts that the tyrant's army had marched out of the city, sent thither about sixty of the most resolute of their number, clad in goatskins and carrying faggots of brushwood. These men contrived to steal into the city by various gates about the time for lighting the lamps, being taken for labourers and thus escaping detection. Once inside the walls, they drew out the swords they had concealed in the faggots and all met in one place. and proceeding thence in a body to the gate that led to Lake Avernus, they killed the guards while they were asleep, and, all their own force, having by this time arrived near the walls, they opened the gates and received them into the city. (p179) All this they did without being discovered. For that night there happened to be a public festival; hence the whole population of the city was occupied in drinking and other pleasures. This afforded the fugitives an opportunity of marching through all the streets that led to the tyrant's palace without meeting any opposition; and even at the palace doors they did not find any considerable number of guards on the alert, but here also some were already asleep and others drunk, and these they killed without any difficulty. Then, rushing into the palace in a body, they found all the rest no longer masters of either their bodies or their wits because of wine, and they cut their throats as if they were so many sheep. And having seized Aristodemus himself with his children and the rest of his relations, they tore their bodies with whips and tortures until late in the night, and after inflicting on them almost every kind of punishment they put them to death. Having wiped out the whole family of the tyrant, so as to leave neither children, wives, nor anyone related to them, and having spent the whole night in hunting down all the abetters of the tyranny, as soon as it was day, they proceeded to the forum. Then, calling the people together, they laid down their arms and restored the traditional government.