[11,40] Τὰ μὲν δὴ κατὰ πόλιν ἐν τοιαύταις ἦν ταραχαῖς. Οὐεργίνιος δ´, ὃν ἔφην αὐτόχειρα γενέσθαι τῆς ἑαυτοῦ θυγατρός, ἀπὸ ῥυτῆρος ἐλαύνων τὸν ἵππον ἀφικνεῖται περὶ λύχνων ἁφὰς ἐπὶ τὸν πρὸς Ἀλγιδῷ χάρακα, τοιοῦτος οἷος ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐξέδραμεν, αἵματι πεφυρμένος ἅπας καὶ τὴν μαγειρικὴν σφαγίδα διὰ χειρὸς ἔχων. ἰδόντες δ´ αὐτὸν οἱ πρὸ τοῦ στρατοπέδου τὰς φυλακὰς φυλάττοντες ἐν ἀπόρῳ τ´ ἦσαν ὅ τι πέπονθεν εἰκάσαι, καὶ παρηκολούθουν ὡς ἀκουσόμενοι μέγα πρᾶγμα καὶ δεινόν. ὁ δὲ τέως μὲν ἐπορεύετο κλαίων καὶ διασημαίνων τοῖς ὁμόσε χωροῦσιν ἀκολουθεῖν· ἐξέτρεχον δ´ ἐκ τῶν σκηνῶν ἃς διεπορεύετο μεταξὺ δειπνοῦντες ἅπαντες ἀθρόοι φανοὺς ἔχοντες καὶ λαμπάδας, ἀγωνίας πλήρεις καὶ θορύβου περιεχόμενοι περὶ αὐτὸν ἠκολούθουν. ἐπεὶ δ´ εἰς τὸν ἀναπεπταμένον τοῦ στρατοπέδου τόπον ἦλθεν, ἐπὶ μετεώρου τινὸς στάς, ὥσθ´ ὑπὸ πάντων ὁρᾶσθαι, διηγεῖτο τὰς καταλαβούσας αὐτὸν συμφοράς, μάρτυρας τῶν λόγων παρεχόμενος τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ παρόντας ἐκ τῆς πόλεως. ὡς δὲ κατέμαθεν ὀλοφυρομένους τε πολλοὺς καὶ δακρύοντας, εἰς ἱκεσίας καὶ δεήσεις αὐτῶν ἐτράπετο, μὴ περιιδεῖν μήτ´ αὐτὸν ἀτιμώρητον γενόμενον μήτε τὴν πατρίδα προπηλακιζομένην. λέγοντι δ´ αὐτῷ ταῦτα πολὺ τὸ βουλόμενον ἐξ ἁπάντων ἀκούειν καὶ ἐπικελευόμενον λέγειν ἐγίνετο. τοιγάρτοι καὶ θρασύτερον ἤδη καθήπτετο τῆς ὀλιγαρχίας διεξιών, ὡς πολλῶν μὲν ἀφείλοντο τὰς οὐσίας οἱ δέκα, πολλῶν δὲ πληγαῖς ᾐκίσαντο τὰ σώματα, παμπόλλους δὲ φυγεῖν ἠνάγκασαν ἐκ τῆς πατρίδος οὐδὲν ἀδικήσαντας, γυναικῶν τε ὕβρεις καὶ παρθένων ἐπιγάμων ἁρπαγὰς καὶ παίδων ἐλευθέρων προπηλακισμοὺς καὶ τὰς ἄλλας αὐτῶν παρανομίας τε καὶ ὠμότητας ἐκλογιζόμενος· Καὶ ταῦτ´, ἔφη, προπηλακίζουσιν ἡμᾶς οἱ μήτε νόμῳ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔχοντες μήτε ψηφίσματι βουλῆς ἢ δήμου συγχωρήματι λαβόντες, - ὁ γὰρ ἐνιαύσιος αὐτοῖς τῆς ἀρχῆς χρόνος, ὃν ἐχρῆν αὐτοὺς ἄρξαντας ἑτέροις παραδοῦναι τὰ κοινά, παρελήλυθεν, - ἀλλ´ ἐκ τοῦ βιαιοτάτου τῶν τρόπων, πολλὴν δειλίαν καὶ μαλακίαν καταγνόντες ἡμῶν ὥσπερ γυναικῶν. εἰσελθέτω δὴ λογισμὸς ἕκαστον ὑμῶν ὧν τ´ αὐτὸς πέπονθε καὶ ὧν οἶδεν ἑτέρους παθόντας· καὶ εἴ τις ὑμῶν δελεαζόμενος ὑπ´ αὐτῶν ἡδοναῖς τισιν ἢ χάρισιν οὐ πεφόβηται τὴν ὀλιγαρχίαν οὐδὲ δέδοικε, μὴ καὶ ἐπ´ αὐτὸν ἔλθοι ποτὲ σὺν χρόνῳ τὰ δεινά, μαθὼν ὅτι τυράννοις οὐδέν ἐστι πιστόν, οὐδ´ ἀπ´ εὐνοίας αἱ τῶν κρατούντων δίδονταί τισι χάριτες, καὶ πάντα τὰ ὅμοια τούτοις, μεταγνώτω· καὶ μιᾷ διανοίᾳ χρησάμενοι πάντες ἐλευθεροῦτε ἀπὸ τῶν τυράννων τὴν πατρίδα, ἐν ᾗ θεῶν τε ὑμῖν ἱερὰ ἵδρυται καὶ θῆκαι προγόνων εἰσίν, οὓς ὑμεῖς τιμᾶτε μετὰ θεούς, καὶ γηραιοὶ πατέρες τροφεῖα πολλὰ καὶ ἄξια τῶν πόνων ἀπαιτοῦντες, γυναῖκές τε κατὰ νόμους ἐγγυηθεῖσαι καὶ θυγατέρες ἐπίγαμοι φροντίδος οὐ μικρᾶς δεόμεναι τοῖς ἔχουσι καὶ γοναὶ παίδων ἀρρένων, οἷς ὀφείλεται τὰ δίκαια φύσεως προγόνων. οἰκίας γὰρ δὴ καὶ κλήρους καὶ χρήματα σὺν πολλοῖς κτηθέντα πόνοις ὑπὸ πατέρων καὶ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν σιωπῶ· ὧν οὐδὲν ὑμῖν ἔξεστι βεβαίως ἔχειν, ἕως ἂν ὑπὸ τῶν δέκα τυραννῆσθε.

[11,40] Affairs in the city, then, were in this state of turmoil. In the meantime Verginius, who, as I have related, had slain his daughter with his own hand, rode with loose rein and at lamp-lighting time came to the camp at Algidum, still in the same condition in which he had rushed out of the city, all covered with blood and holding the butcher's knife in his hand.When those who were keeping guard before the camp saw him, they could not imagine what had happened to him, and they followed along in the expectation of hearing of some great and dreadful occurrence. Verginius for the time continued on his way, weeping and making signs to those he met to follow him; and from the tents which he passed the soldiers, who were then at supper, all ran out in a body, full of anxious suspense and consternation, carrying torches and lamps; and pouring round him, they accompanied him.But when he came to the open space in the camp, he took his stand upon an elevated spot, so as to be seen by all, and related the calamities that had befallen him, offering as witnesses to the truth of his statements those who had come with him from the city. When he saw many of them lamenting and shedding tears, he turned to supplications and entreaties, (p133) begging them neither to permit him to go unavenged nor to let the fatherland be foully abused. While he was speaking thus, great eagerness was shown by them all to hear him and great encouragement for him to speak on. Accordingly, he now assailed the oligarchy with greater boldness, recounting how the decemvirs had deprived many of their fortunes, caused many to be scourged, forced ever so many to flee from the country though guilty of no crime, and enumerating their insults offered to matrons, their seizing of marriageable maidens, their abuse of boys of free condition, and all their other excesses and cruelties." And these abuses," he said, "we suffer at the hands of men who hold their power neither by law nor by a decree of the senate nor by the consent of the people (for the year's term of their magistracy, after serving which they should have handed over the administration of affairs to others, has expired), but by the most violent of all means, since they have adjudged us great cowards and weaklings, like women. Let every one of you consider both what he has suffered himself and what he knows others to have suffered; and if any one of you, lured by them with pleasures or gratifications, does not stand in dread of the oligarchy or fear that the calamities will eventually come upon him too some day, let him learn that tyrants know no loyalty, that it is not out of goodwill that the favours of the powerful are bestowed, and all the other truths of like purport; then let him change his opinion. And becoming of one mind, all of you, free from these tyrants your country, in which stand both the temples of your gods and the sepulchres of your ancestors, whom you honour next to the gods, in which also are your aged (p135) fathers, who demand of you many acknowledgements such as the pains they have bestowed upon your rearing deserve, and also your lawfully betrothed wives, your marriageable daughters, who require much solicitous care on the part of their parents, and your sons, to whom are owed the rights deriving from Nature and from your forefathers. I say nothing indeed of your houses, your estates and your goods, which have been acquired with great pains both by your fathers and by yourselves, none of which things you can possess in security so long as you live under the tyranny of the decemvirs.