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believed to have it because of the violence against his wife. And from Tarquinius, ambassadors came to Rome to discuss his return; but as they accomplished nothing, others arrived again, saying that Tarquinius would abdicate the kingship and cease the war, if his possessions were given to him and his friends and his relatives, from which they might live in exile. And when many were swayed, including Collatinus himself, who was co-ruler with Brutus, Brutus ran out from the senate-house into the forum, calling Collatinus a traitor for granting pretexts for war and tyranny. The ambassadors, however, lingering in Rome on the pretext of the property, were able to corrupt some of the notable men, among whom they also persuaded two of Brutus’s sons to take part in the treason. So when they had persuaded the youths, it seemed good also for an oath to be taken, and for this purpose they gathered in a house. The house was very deserted and dark. A slave named Vindicius, therefore, being inside not by design but by chance, went unnoticed, and hiding there he was both a spectator of what was being done 2.120 and an overhearer of what was being plotted; which were to kill the consuls and betray the city; and these things they had communicated to Tarquinius through the ambassadors. And when the conspirators had left the house, the slave came out and reported everything. And those who had planned the treason were arrested, and the letters were brought forth; and when they were brought forth into the forum, they also presented Vindicius. The letters were read out; and the others were in dejection and silence, but Brutus, addressing each of his sons by name, said, "Do you not make a defense against the charge?" When they were silent, he turned to the attendants and said, "The task is now yours." And they, seizing the young men, beat them with rods. And while the others were moved with compassion for the sufferers, their father neither averted his gaze elsewhere nor indeed showed any pity, until they cut off the heads of his sons with an axe. And this is not easy to either praise or blame; for either the height of virtue drove his soul to impassivity, or the greatness of suffering to insensibility; and neither is small or human, but either divine or beast-like. And when these had thus been put to death, Brutus was demanded to cast a vote concerning the other conspirators. But he said, "For my sons I myself am a sufficient judge, but concerning the others I yield the vote to the citizens, since they are free." Therefore, when a vote was given, they were all beheaded by axe. And some of these were relatives of Collatinus; on account of whom he was also angry. Wherefore Brutus so incited the people against him that they nearly killed him with their own hands. But they did not do this, but forced him to renounce his office. 2.121 And in his place they elected as co-ruler Publius Valerius, who was surnamed Poplicola; and the name, when Hellenized, means caring for the people or most popular. And Tarquinius, despairing of regaining the kingship by treason, went to the Tuscans. And they brought him back with a heavy force. And the consuls also led out the Romans against them. And at the beginning of the battle, Arruns, the son of Tarquinius, and Brutus, the Roman consul, encountering each other, fought, and in their wrath, sparing not themselves, died together. And since a great battle occurred and many fell on both sides, the victory was undecided. But when night came on, it is said that the grove near which they were encamped was shaken, and a great voice came forth from it, stating that one more of the Tuscans than the Romans had died. At the voice, the Romans raised a great and bold shout, but panic fell upon the Tuscans; and being thrown into confusion, they rushed out of their camp; and the Romans captured and plundered it. And when the dead who had fallen in the battle were counted, it was found that the Tuscans were eleven thousand three hundred, and the Romans that many less one. And Valerius Poplicola celebrated a triumph, being the first consul to do so. And Tarquinius, after the great battle in which he also lost his son who had fought with Brutus, fleeing to Clusium, became a suppliant

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πιστευόμενον εχειν διὰ τὴν βίαν τῆς γυναικός. ἐκ δέ γε Ταρκυνίου πρέσβεις εἰς ̔Ρώμην ηκον περὶ καθόδου διαλεγόμενοι· ὡς δ' οὐδὲν ηνυον, ετεροι αυθις ἐπέστησαν, ἀφίστασθαι τῆς βασιλείας καὶ παύειν τὸν πόλεμον λέγοντες τὸν Ταρκύνιον, εἰ τὰ χρήματα δοθεῖεν αὐτῷ καὶ τοῖς φίλοις καὶ τοῖς οἰκείοις, ἀφ' ων διαβιώσονται φεύγοντες. ἐπικλωμένων δὲ πολλῶν καὶ αὐτοῦ Κολλατίνου τοῦ τῷ Βρούτῳ συνάρχοντος, εἰς ἀγορὰν ὁ Βροῦτος ἐκ τοῦ βουλευτηρίου ἐξέδραμε, προδότην τὸν Κολλατῖνον ἀποκαλῶν, πολέμου καὶ τυραννίδος ἀφορμὰς χαριζόμενον. Οἱ πρέσβεις δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν χρημάτων προφάσει τῇ ̔Ρώμῃ ἐνδιατρίβοντες ισχυσαν διαφθεῖραι τῶν ἐπισήμων τινάς, μεθ' ων καὶ δύο τοῦ Βρούτου παῖδας επεισαν ἐν τῇ προδοσίᾳ γενέσθαι. ὡς ουν συνέπεισαν τὰ μειράκια, εδοξε καὶ ορκον προβῆναι, καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις εἰς οἰκίαν συνῆλθον. ην δὲ ὁ οικος ὑπέρημος καὶ σκοτώδης. ελαθεν ουν ενδον ων οὐκ ἐκ προνοίας, ἀλλὰ τυχαίως οἰκέτης ονομα Οὐινδίκιος, καὶ κατακρυφθεὶς ἐκεῖ θεατής τε τῶν δρωμένων ην 2.120 καὶ τῶν βεβουλευμένων ἐπήκοος· απερ ησαν τοὺς ὑπάτους ἀνελεῖν καὶ τὴν πόλιν προδοῦναι· καὶ ταῦτα τῷ Ταρκυνίῳ διὰ τῶν πρέσβεων ἐπεστάλκασιν. ἀπελθόντων δὲ τοῦ οἰκήματος τῶν συνωμοτῶν, ἐξελθὼν ὁ οἰκέτης απαντα κατεμήνυσε. καὶ οι τε τὴν προδοσίαν μελετήσαντες συνελήφθησαν, καὶ τὰ γράμματα ἐκομίσθησαν· καὶ εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν προαχθέντων αὐτῶν καὶ τὸν Οὐίνδικα παρεστήσαντο. τά τε γράμματα ἀνεγνώσθησαν· καὶ οἱ μὲν αλλοι ἐν κατηφείᾳ ησαν καὶ σιωπῇ, ὁ δὲ Βροῦτος ὀνομαστὶ τῶν υἱέων ἑκάτερον προσειπών "οὐκ ἀπολογεῖσθε" εφη "πρὸς τὴν κατηγορίαν;" τῶν δὲ σιωπώντων στραφεὶς πρὸς τοὺς ὑπηρέτας "ὑμέτερον" ειπεν "ηδη λοιπὸν τὸ εργον." οἱ δὲ συλλαβόντες τοὺς νεανίσκους ῥάβδοις κατέξαινον. καὶ τῶν αλλων ἐπικλωμένων τοῖς πάσχουσιν ὁ πατὴρ ουτ' ἀλλαχόσε τὰς οψεις ἀπήγαγεν ουτε μὴν οικτου τι ἐνεδείξατο μέχρι πελέκει τὰς κεφαλὰς τῶν παίδων ἀπέκοψαν. τοῦτο δὲ ουτ' ἐπαινεῖν ουτε ψέγειν ἐστὶ ῥᾴδιον· η γὰρ ἀρετῆς υψος εἰς ἀπάθειαν ἐξέστησεν αὐτοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν η πάθους μέγεθος εἰς ἀναλγησίαν· οὐδέτερον δὲ μικρὸν οὐδ' ἀνθρώπινον, ἀλλ' η θεῖον η θηριῶδες. Ουτω δὲ τούτων θανόντων καὶ περὶ τῶν αλλων συνωμοτῶν ψῆφον ἐνεγκεῖν ὁ Βροῦτος ἀπῄτητο. ὁ δέ "τοῖς μὲν υἱέσιν" ειπεν "αὐτὸς ἀποχρῶν εἰμι δικαστής, περὶ δὲ τῶν αλλων τοῖς πολίταις ἐλευθέροις ουσι τῆς ψήφου παραχωρῶ." ψήφου τοίνυν δοθείσης πάντες ἐπελεκίσθησαν. ησαν δὲ τούτων τινὲς τῷ Κολλατίνῳ προσήκοντες· δι' ους καὶ ὠργίζετο. οθεν ὁ Βροῦτος ουτω κατ' αὐτοῦ τὸν δῆμον παρώξυνεν ὡς μικροῦ καὶ αὐτοχειρίᾳ αὐτὸν ἀνελεῖν. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν οὐκ ἐποίησαν, τὴν δ' ἀρχὴν ἠνάγκασαν 2.121 αὐτὸν ἀπειπεῖν. ειλοντο δὲ ἀντ' ἐκείνου συνάρχοντα Πόπλιον Οὐαλέριον, ος Ποπλικόλας προσωνομάσθη· δηλοῖ δ' ἡ κλῆσις ἐξελληνιζομένη δημοκηδῆ η δημοτικώτατον. Ταρκύνιος δὲ ἀπογνοὺς τὴν ἐκ προδοσίας τῆς βασιλείας ἀνάληψιν, προσῄει τοῖς Τυρσηνοῖς. οἱ δὲ δυνάμει βαρείᾳ κατῆγον αὐτόν. ἀντεξῆγον δὲ καὶ τοὺς ̔Ρωμαίους οἱ υπατοι. ἀρχομένης δὲ τῆς μάχης Αρρων ὁ Ταρκυνίου παῖς καὶ Βροῦτος ὁ ̔Ρωμαίων υπατος ἀλλήλοις περιπεσόντες ἐμάχοντο, καὶ ἀφειδήσαντες ὑπὸ θυμοῦ ἑαυτῶν συναπέθανον. μεγάλης δὲ τῆς μάχης γενομένης καὶ πολλῶν ἑκατέρωθεν πεσόντων ακριτος ην ἡ νίκη. νυκτὸς δ' ἐπελθούσης λέγεται σεισθῆναι τὸ αλσος παρ' ῳ ἐστρατοπεδεύοντο, καὶ φωνὴν ἐκπεσεῖν ἐκεῖθεν μεγάλην φράζουσαν ἑνὶ πλείους τεθνάναι Τυρρηνῶν η ̔Ρωμαίων. αμα δὲ τῇ φωνῇ ̔Ρωμαῖοι μὲν μέγα καὶ θαρσαλέον ἠλάλαξαν, πτοία δ' ἐνέπεσε Τυρρηνοῖς· καὶ θορυβηθέντες τοῦ στρατοπέδου ἐξέπεσον· ειλον δ' οἱ ̔Ρωμαῖοι τοῦτο καὶ διηρπάκασιν. ἀριθμηθέντες δὲ οἱ νεκροὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ μάχῃ θανόντων εὑρέθησαν οἱ μὲν τῶν Τυρρηνῶν ἐπὶ μυρίοις χίλιοι τριακόσιοι, οἱ δὲ ̔Ρωμαῖοι παρ' ενα τοσοῦτοι. ἐθριάμβευσε δὲ Οὐαλέριος Ποπλικόλας πρῶτος ὑπατεύων. ̔Ο δὲ Ταρκύνιος μετὰ τὴν μεγάλην μάχην, ἐν ῃ καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ἀπέβαλε μαχεσάμενον Βρούτῳ, καταφυγὼν εἰς τὸ Κλούσιον ἱκέτευε