[2] ἔτη δὲ γεγονὼς εἴκοσι μάλιστα τῆς συμμαχικῆς στρατηγὸς ἀπεδείχθη [p. 5] δυνάμεως, ἣν Λατῖνοι ἔπεμψαν, καὶ συγκατεκτήσατο βασιλεῖ Ταρκυνίῳ τὴν τῶν Τυρρηνῶν ἀρχήν: ἔν τε τῷ πρὸς Σαβίνους πολέμῳ τῷ πρώτῳ συστάντι τῶν ἱππέων ἀποδειχθεὶς ἡγεμὼν ἐτρέψατο τοὺς τῶν πολεμίων ἱππεῖς καὶ μέχρι πόλεως Ἀντέμνης ἐλάσας τἀριστεῖα καὶ ἐκ ταύτης τῆς μάχης ἔλαβεν: ἑτέρας τε πολλὰς πρὸς τὸ αὐτὸ ἔθνος ἀγωνισάμενος μάχας τοτὲ μὲν ἱππέων ἡγούμενος, τοτὲ δὲ πεζῶν ἐν ἁπάσαις ἐφάνη ψυχὴν ἄριστος καὶ πρῶτος ἐστεφανοῦτο τῶν ἄλλων.
[2] And when he was about twenty years old he was appointed to command the auxiliary forces sent by the Latins, and assisted King Tarquinius in obtaining the sovereignty over the Tyrrhenians. In the first war that arose against the Sabines, being general of the horse, he put to flight that of the enemy, pursuing them as far as the city of Antemnae, and again received the prize of valour because of this battle. He also took part in many other engagements against the same nation, sometimes commanding the horse and sometimes the foot, in all of which he showed himself a man of the greatest courage and was always the first to be crowned ahead of the others.
[3] καὶ ἐπειδὴ παρέστη Ῥωμαίοις εἰς ὑπόταξίν τε καὶ παράδοσιν τῶν πόλεων τὸ ἔθνος, αἰτιώτατος εἶναι δόξας Ταρκυνίῳ καὶ ταύτης τῆς δυναστείας τοῖς ἐπινικίοις στεφάνοις ἀνεδεῖτο ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ. ἦν δὲ καὶ φρονῆσαι τὰ πολιτικὰ συνετώτατος καὶ λόγῳ τὰ βουλευθέντα ἐξενεγκεῖν οὐδενὸς χείρων ἁπάσαις θ᾽ ἁρμόσαι ταῖς τύχαις καὶ παντὶ συνεξομοιωθῆναι προσώπῳ δυνατώτατος.
[3] And when that nation came to surrender themselves and deliver up their cities to the Romans, he was regarded by Tarquinius as the chief cause of his gaining this dominion also, and was crowned by him with the victor’s crown. Moreover, he not only had the shrewdest understanding of public affairs, but was inferior to none in his ability to express his plans; and he possessed in an eminent degree the power of accommodating himself to every circumstance of fortune and to every kind of person.
[4] καὶ διὰ ταῦτα Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν αὐτὸν ἐκ τοῦ δήμου μεταγαγεῖν ἠξίωσαν εἰς τοὺς πατρικίους ψῆφον ἐπενέγκαντες, ὥσπερ Ταρκύνιόν τε πρότερον καὶ ἔτι πρὸ τούτου Νόμαν Πομπίλιον: ὁ δὲ βασιλεὺς κηδεστὴν ἐποιήσατο τὴν ἑτέραν τῶν θυγατέρων ἐγγυήσας, καὶ πάνθ᾽ ὅσα διὰ νόσους ἢ διὰ γῆρας ἀδύνατος ἦν ἐπιτελεῖν, δι᾽ ἑαυτοῦ τούτῳ πράττειν ἐπέσκηπτεν, οὐ μόνον τὸν ἴδιον οἶκον ἐπιτρέπων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ κοινὰ τῆς πόλεως διοικεῖν ἀξιῶν. ἐν οἷς ἅπασιν ἐξητάσθη πιστὸς καὶ δίκαιος, καὶ οὐδὲν ᾤοντο διαφέρειν οἱ δημόται [p. 6] Ταρκύνιον ἐπιμελεῖσθαι τῶν κοινῶν ἢ Τύλλιον: οὕτως ἐξεθεραπεύθησαν ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ ταῖς εὐεργεσίαις.
[4] Because of these accomplishments the Romans thought proper to transfer him by their votes from the plebeian to the patrician order, an honour they had previously conferred on Tarquinius, and, still earlier, on Numa Pompilius. The king also made him his son-in-law, giving him one of his two daughters in marriage, and whatever business his infirmities or his age rendered him incapable of performing by himself, he ordered Tullius to transact, not only entrusting to him the private interests of his own family, but also asking him to manage the public business of the commonwealth. In all these employments he was found faithful and just, and the people felt that it made no difference whether it was Tarquinius or Tullius who looked after the public affairs, so effectually had he won them to himself by the services he had rendered to them.
[1] φύσεώς τε δὴ μετειληφὼς ἀποχρώντως κατεσκευασμένης πρὸς ἡγεμονίαν οὗτος ὁ ἀνὴρ καὶ τὰς παρὰ τῆς τύχης πολλὰς καὶ μεγάλας ἐσχηκὼς ἀφορμάς, ἐπειδὴ τελευτῆσαι συνέβη Ταρκύνιον ἐπιβουλευθέντα ὑπὸ τῶν Ἄγκου Μαρκίου παίδων ἀνασώσασθαι τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς ἀρχὴν βουλομένων, ὡς ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου δεδήλωκα λόγῳ, δόξας ὑπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλείαν καλεῖσθαι, δραστήριος ἀνὴρ οὐκ ἀφῆκεν ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν τὸν καιρόν.
[4.1] This man, therefore, being endowed with a nature adequately equipped for command and also supplied by Fortune with many great opportunities for attaining it, believed, when Tarquinius died by the treachery of the sons of Ancus Marcius, who desired to recover their father’s kingdom, as I have related in the preceding book, that he was called to the kingship by the very course of events and so, being a man of action, he did not let the opportunity slip from his grasp.
[2] ἡ δὲ συγκατασκευάσασα τὴν ἡγεμονίαν αὐτῷ καὶ πάντων αἰτία γενομένη τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἡ τοῦ τετελευτηκότος βασιλέως ἦν γυνὴ γαμβρῷ τε συλλαμβάνουσα ἰδίῳ καὶ ἐκ πολλῶν συνεγνωκυῖα θεσφάτων, ὅτι βασιλεῦσαι Ῥωμαίων ἐκεῖνον τὸν ἄνδρα εἵμαρτο. ἔτυχε δ᾽ αὐτῇ νεανίας μὲν υἱὸς οὐ πρὸ πολλοῦ τετελευτηκὼς χρόνου, παιδία δ᾽ ἐξ ἐκείνου δύο νήπια καταλειπόμενα.
[2] The person who helped him to seize possession of the supreme power and the author of all his good fortune was the wife of the deceased conflict, who aided him both because he was her son-in-law and also because she knew from many oracles that it was ordained by fate that this man should be king of the Romans. It chanced that her son, a youth, had died shortly before and that two infant sons were left by him.
[3] ἐνθυμουμένη δὲ τὴν περὶ τὸν οἶκον ἐρημίαν καὶ περιδεὴς οὖσα, μὴ κατασχόντες οἱ Μάρκιοι τὴν ἀρχὴν ἄρωνται τὰ παιδία καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν βασιλικὴν συγγένειαν ἀφανίσωσι, πρῶτον μὲν ἐπέταξε τὰς τῶν βασιλείων θύρας κλεῖσαι καὶ φύλακας ἐπ᾽ αὐταῖς ἐπέστησε διακελευσαμένη μηδένα παριέναι μήτ᾽ ἔσω μήτ᾽ ἔξω: ἔπειτ᾽ ἐκ τοῦ δωματίου πάντας ἐξελθεῖν κελεύσασα τοὺς ἄλλους, ἐν ᾧ τὸν [p. 7] Ταρκύνιον ἡμιθνῆτα ἔθεσαν, τὴν δ᾽ Ὀκρισίαν καὶ τὸν Τύλλιον καὶ τὴν θυγατέρα τὴν συνοικοῦσαν τῷ Τυλλίῳ κατασχοῦσα καὶ τὰ παιδία ὑπὸ τῶν τροφῶν ἐνεχθῆναι κελεύσασα λέγει πρὸς αὐτούς:
[3] She, therefore, reflecting on the desolation of her house and being under the greatest apprehension lest, if the sons of Marcius possessed themselves of the sovereignty, they should destroy these infants and extirpate all the royal family, first commanded that the gates of the palace should be shut and guards stationed there with orders to allow no one to pass either in or out. Then, ordering all the rest
to leave the room in which they had laid Tarquinius when he was at the point of death, she detained Ocrisia, Tullius and her daughter who married to Tullius, and after ordering the children to be brought by their nurses, she spoke to them as follows:
[4] Ταρκύνιος μὲν ἡμῖν ὁ βασιλεύς, ὦ Τύλλιε, παρ᾽ ᾧ τροφῆς καὶ παιδείας ἔτυχες, ἁπάντων μάλιστα σὲ τιμήσας φίλων καὶ συγγενῶν ἀνόσια παθὼν ἐκπεπλήρωκε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ μοῖραν οὔτε περὶ τῶν ἰδίων πραγμάτων διαθέμενος οὐδὲν οὔτε περὶ τῶν κοινῶν καὶ πολιτικῶν ἐπισκήψας, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ἀσπάσασθαί τινα ἡμῶν καὶ προσαγορεῦσαι τοὺς ἐσχάτους ἀσπασμοὺς δυνηθείς. ἔρημα δὲ καὶ ὀρφανὰ τὰ δύστηνα ταυτὶ παιδία καταλείπεται κίνδυνον οὐ τὸν ἐλάχιστον ὑπὲρ τῆς ψυχῆς τρέχοντα: εἰ γὰρ ἐπὶ Μαρκίοις τοῖς ἀνελοῦσι τὸν πάππον αὐτῶν τὰ τῆς πόλεως ἔσται πράγματα, τὸν οἴκτιστον ἀπολοῦνται τρόπον ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν: ἔσται γ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ὑμῖν ἀσφαλὴς ὁ βίος, οἷς ἐνεγγύησε Ταρκύνιος τὰς ἑαυτοῦ θυγατέρας ἐκείνους ὑπεριδών, ἐὰν οἱ φονεύσαντες αὐτὸν τὴν ἀρχὴν κατάσχωσιν, οὐδὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις αὐτοῦ φίλοις καὶ συγγενέσιν οὐδ᾽ ἡμῖν ταῖς ἀθλίαις γυναιξίν: ἀλλὰ πάντας ἡμᾶς φανερῶς τε καὶ κρύφα πειράσονται διολέσαι.
[4] “Our king Tarquinius, in whose home you received your nurture and training, Tullius, and who honoured you above all his friends and relations, has finished his destined course, the victim of an impious crime, without having either made any disposition by will of his private interests or left injunctions concerning the public business of the commonwealth, and without having had it in his power even to embrace any of us and utter his last farewells. And these unhappy children here are left destitute and orphaned and in imminent danger of their lives. For if the power falls into the hands of the Marcii, the murderers of their grandfather, they will be put to death by them in the most piteous manner. Even the lives of you men, to whom Tarquinius gave his daughters in preference to them, will not be safe, should his murderers obtain the sovereignty, any more than the lives of the rest of his friends and relations or of us miserable women; but they will endeavour to destroy us all both openly and secretly.
[5] ταῦτ᾽ οὖν ἐνθυμουμένους ἡμᾶς δεῖ μὴ περιορᾶν τοὺς ἐκεῖνον ἀποκτείναντας ἄνδρας ἀνοσίους καὶ πᾶσιν ἡμῖν ἐχθροὺς τοσαύτην ἀρχὴν κτησαμένους, ἀλλ᾽ ἐναντιοῦσθαι καὶ κωλύειν νῦν μὲν ἀπάτῃ καὶ δόλῳ χρησαμένους: τούτων [p. 8] γὰρ ἐν τῷ παρόντι δεῖ: ὅταν δὲ τὰ πρῶτα ἡμῖν χωρήσῃ κατὰ νοῦν, τότε καὶ ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ πάσῃ δυνάμει καὶ μεθ᾽ ὅπλων αὐτοῖς ὁμόσε χωροῦντας, ἐὰν ἄρα καὶ τούτων δέῃ. ἀλλ᾽ οὐ δεήσει βουληθέντων 1 ἡμῶν πράττειν νῦν ἃ δεῖ.
[5] Bearing all this in mind, then, we must not permit the wicked murderers of Tarquinius and the enemies of us all to obtain so great power, but must oppose and prevent them, now by craft and deceit, since these means are necessary at present, but when our first attempt has succeeded, then coming to grips with them openly with all our might and with arms, if those too shall be necessary. But they will not be necessary if we are willing to take the proper measures now.
[6] τίνα δὲ ταῦτ᾽ ἐστί; πρῶτον μὲν κρυπτώμεθα τὸν τοῦ βασιλέως θάνατον καὶ πρὸς ἅπαντας ἐξενεχθῆναι παρασκευάσωμεν, ὅτι πληγὴν οὐδεμίαν ἔχει καίριον, οἵ τ᾽ ἰατροὶ λεγέτωσαν ἐν ὀλίγαις ἡμέραις αὐτὸν ἀποδείξειν ὑγιῆ: ἔπειτ᾽ ἐγὼ προελθοῦσα εἰς τοὐμφανὲς ἐρῶν πρὸς τὸν ὄχλον, ὡς δὴ Ταρκυνίου μοι ταῦτ᾽ εἰπεῖν ἐπισκήψαντος, ὅτι πάντων ἀποδείκνυσιν ἐπιμελητὴν καὶ φύλακα τῶν τ᾽ ἰδίων καὶ τῶν κοινῶν, ἕως αὐτὸς ἐκ τῶν τραυμάτων ὑγιὴς γένηται, τὸν ἕτερον τῶν ἑαυτοῦ γαμβρῶν, τὸ σὸν εἰποῦσα, ὦ Τύλλιε, ὄνομα ἔσται δ᾽ οὐκ ἄκουσι Ῥωμαίοις, ἀλλὰ βουλομένοις ὑπὸ σοῦ τὴν πόλιν ἐπιτροπεύεσθαι, ὑφ᾽ οὗ
[6] And what are these measures? Let us, in the first place, conceal the king’s death and cause a report to be spread among the people that he has received no mortal wound, and let the physicians state that in a few days they will show him safe and sound. Then I will appear in public and will announce to the people, as if Tarquinius had so enjoined, that he has committed to one of his two sons-in-law (naming you, Tullius) the care and guardianship both of his private interests and of the public business till he is recovered of his wounds; and the Romans, far from being displeased, will be glad to see the state administered by you, who often have administered it already in the past.
[7] πολλάκις ἤδη καὶ πρότερον ἐπετροπεύθη. ὅταν δὲ τὸν παρόντα κίνδυνον διασκεδάσωμεν, οὐδὲν γὰρ ἔτι τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἰσχυρόν ἐστι ζῆν τοῦ βασιλέως ἀγγελλομένου, παραλαβὼν σὺ τάς τε ῥάβδους καὶ τὴν τῶν ὅπλων ἐξουσίαν κάλει τοὺς βουλεύσαντας ἀποκτεῖναι Ταρκύνιον ἐπὶ τὸν δῆμον ἀπὸ τῶν Μαρκίου παίδων ἀρξάμενος καὶ πρόθες αὐτοῖς δίκας: τιμωρησάμενος δὲ τούτους ἅπαντας, ἐὰν μὲν ὑπομείνωσι τὰς κρίσεις, θανάτοις, ἐὰν δ᾽ ἐρήμους ἀφῶσιν, ὃ μᾶλλον αὐτοὺς οἶμαι ποιήσειν, ἀειφυγίᾳ καὶ δημεύσει τῶν ὑπαρχόντων, [p. 9] καθίστασ᾽ ἤδη τὰ περὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ὁμιλίαις τε φιλανθρώποις τὸ πλῆθος ἀναλαμβάνων καὶ τοῦ μηδὲν ἀδίκημα γενέσθαι πολλὴν ἔχων φροντίδα καὶ τοὺς ἀπόρους τῶν πολιτῶν εὐεργεσίαις τισὶ καὶ δωρεαῖς ὑπαγόμενος: ἔπειθ᾽ ὅταν ἡμῖν καιρὸς εἶναι δοκῇ, τότε λέγωμεν ἀποτεθνηκέναι
[7] Then, when we have averted the present danger — for the power of our enemies will be at an end the moment the king is reported to be alive — do you assume the rods and the military power and summon before the people those who formed the plot to assassinate Tarquinius, beginning with the sons of Marcius, and cause them to stand trial. After you have punished all these, with death, if they submit to be tried, or with perpetual banishment and the confiscation of their estates, if they let their case go by default, which I think they will be more apt to do, then at last set about establishing your government. Win the affections of the people by kindly affability, take great care that no injustice be committed, and gain the favour of the poorer citizens by sundry benefactions and gifts. Afterwards, when we see a proper time, let us announce that Tarquinius is dead and hold a public funeral for him.
[8] Ταρκύνιον καὶ ταφὰς αὐτοῦ ποιῶμεν ἀπὸ τοῦ φανεροῦ. δίκαιος δ᾽ εἶ, Τύλλιε, τραφείς θ᾽ ὑφ᾽ ἡμῶν καὶ παιδευθεὶς καὶ πάντων μετεσχ
ηκὼς ἀγαθῶν, ὅσων παρὰ μητρός τε καὶ πατρὸς υἱοὶ μεταλαμβάνουσι, καὶ θυγατρὶ συνοικῶν ἡμετέρᾳ, ἐὰν δὴ καὶ βασιλεὺς ἔτι γένῃ Ῥωμαίων ἐμοῦ καὶ εἰς τοῦτό σοι συναγωνισαμένης, πατρὸς εὔνοιαν τοῖς παιδίοις τοῖς2δε παρασχέσθαι: ὅταν δ᾽ εἰς ἄνδρας ἔλθωσι καὶ τὰ κοινὰ πράττειν ἱκανοὶ γένωνται, τὸν πρεσβύτερον αὐτῶν ἀποδεῖξαι Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμόνα.
[8] And as for you, Tullius, if you, who have been brought up and educated by us, have partaken of every advantage that sons receive from their mother and father, and are married to our daughter, shall in addition actually become king of the Romans, it is but just, since I helped to win this also for you, that you should show all the kindness of a father to these little children, and when they come to manhood and are capable of handling public affairs, that you should appoint the elder to be leader of the Romans.”
[1] ταῦτ᾽ εἰποῦσα καὶ τῶν παιδίων ἑκάτερον εἰς τὰς ἀγκάλας ἐμβαλοῦσα τοῦ τε γαμβροῦ καὶ τῆς θυγατρὸς καὶ πολὺν ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων κινήσασα οἶκτον, ἐπειδὴ καιρὸς ἦν, ἐξῆλθεν ἐκ τοῦ δωματίου καὶ παρήγγειλε τοῖς ἔνδον εὐτρεπῆ τὰ πρὸς τὴν θεραπείαν ἐπιτήδεια ποιεῖν καὶ τοὺς ἰατροὺς συγκαλεῖν. διαλιποῦσα δὲ τὴν μεταξὺ νύκτα τῇ κατόπιν ἡμέρᾳ πολλοῦ πρὸς τὰ βασίλεια συνδραμόντος ὄχλου προῆλθεν εἰς τοὐμφανὲς ταῖς θυρίσιν ἐπιστᾶσα ταῖς φερούσαις εἰς τὸν πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν στενωπόν, καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἐδήλωσε [p. 10] τοῖς παροῦσι τοὺς βουλεύσαντας ἐπὶ τῷ βασιλεῖ τὸν φόνον, καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ τοὖργον ἀποσταλέντας ὑπ᾽
Delphi Complete Works of Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Illustrated) (Delphi Ancient Classics Book 79) Page 498