Plot by the Sons of Ancus to Assassinate Tarquin — Livy, History of Rome Book 1 (1.40.1–1.40.7), Latin & English

§1.40.1

duodequadragesimo ferme anno, ex quo regnare coeperat Tarquinius, non apud regem modo sed apud patres plebemque longe maximo honore Servius Tullius erat.

In about the thirty-eighth year from the time Tarquin had begun to reign, Servius Tullius was in by far the highest esteem, not only with the king but also with the patricians and the plebeians.

§1.40.2

tum Anci filii duo, etsi antea semper pro indignissimo habuerant se patrio regno tutoris fraude pulsos, regnare Romae advenam non modo vicinae sed ne Italicae quidem stirpis, tum inpensius iis indignitas crescere,¹ si ne ab Tarquinio quidem ad se rediret regnum, sed praeceps inde porro ad servitia caderet, ut in eadem civitate post centesimum fere annum quod Romulus, deo prognatus, deus ipse, tenuerit regnum, donec in terris fuerit, id servus serva natus possideat. cum commune Romani nominis tum praecipue id domus suae dedecus fore, si Anci regis virili stirpe salva² non modo advenis sed servis etiam regnum Romae pateret.

At that time, the two sons of Ancus, although they had always before regarded it as a most shameful thing that they had been driven from their father’s kingdom by the fraud of their guardian, and that a stranger, not only not of a neighboring race but not even of Italian stock, should reign at Rome, now felt their indignation increase even more intensely, if the kingdom should not return to them even from Tarquin, but should fall precipitately from there further down to slaves, so that in the same state, nearly a hundred years after Romulus, sprung from a god and himself a god, had held the kingdom as long as he was on earth, a slave and one born of a slave woman should possess it. It would be a disgrace not only to the Roman name in general but especially to their own house, if, while the male issue of King Ancus was still living, the kingdom of Rome should be open not only to strangers but even to slaves.

§1.40.4

ferro igitur eam arcere contumeliam statuunt. sed et iniuriae dolor in Tarquinium ipsum magis quam in Servium eos stimulabat, et quia gravior ultor caedis, si superesset, rex futurus erat quam privatus, tum Servio occiso quemcumque alium generum delegisset, eundem regni heredem facturus videbatur, ob haec ipsi regi insidiae parantur. ex pastoribus duo ferocissimi delecti ad facinus, quibus consueti erant uterque agrestibus ferramentis,³ in vestibulo regiae quam potuere tumultuosissime specie rixae in se omnes apparitores regios convertunt; inde, cum ambo regem appellarent clamorque eorum penitus in regiam pervenisset, vocati ad regem pergunt.

They determined, therefore, to ward off this insult with the sword. But resentment for the injury spurred them on against Tarquin himself rather than against Servius, both because the king, if he survived, would be a more formidable avenger of the murder than a private citizen, and because, if Servius were killed, whichever other son-in-law Tarquin should choose, he seemed likely to make him the heir to the kingdom. For these reasons, a plot was laid against the king himself. Two of the most ferocious shepherds were chosen for the deed, each armed with the rustic iron tools to which they were accustomed; in the vestibule of the palace, as violently as they could under the pretense of a quarrel, they drew the attention of all the royal attendants to themselves. Then, since both appealed to the king and their shout had penetrated deep into the palace, they were summoned and went before the king.

§1.40.6

primo uterque vociferari et certatim alter alteri obstrepere; coerciti ab lictore et iussi in vicem dicere tandem obloqui desistunt;

At first, both began to shout and eagerly clamored against each other; but having been restrained by the lictor and ordered to speak in turn, they finally desisted from interrupting each other.

§1.40.7

unus rem ex conposito orditur. dum intentus in eum se rex totus averteret,⁴ alter elatam securim in caput deiecit, relictoque in vulnere telo ambo se foras eiciunt.

One began to state his case according to their plan. While the king, intent upon him, turned entirely toward him, the other raised his axe and brought it down upon the king’s head, and leaving the weapon in the wound, they both rushed out of doors.

Syntax notes4 items

1.40.2Anci filii duo... crescere
There is no finite main verb corresponding to the nominative subject 'Anci filii duo'; instead, the historical infinitive 'crescere' functions as the main verb. Within the 'etsi' clause, 'se pulsos [esse]' and 'regnare advenam' are accusative with infinitive constructions standing as objects of 'habuerant pro indignissimo'.
1.40.3Anci regis virili stirpe salva
An ablative absolute construction consisting of the noun 'stirpe' and the adjective 'salva' (with the participle of the copula omitted), expressing a concessive or conditional force: 'although the male issue of King Ancus was still living'.
1.40.5quibus consueti erant uterque agrestibus ferramentis
The relative pronoun 'quibus' agrees in case with its antecedent 'agrestibus ferramentis' and stands in the ablative as the complement of the adjective 'consueti' (from consuesco + ablative, 'accustomed to'). The pronoun 'uterque' (each) is placed in apposition as a singular nominative modifying the preceding dual subject 'duo'.
1.40.7dum intentus in eum se rex totus averteret
Although the conjunction 'dum' meaning 'while' typically takes the indicative, the imperfect subjunctive 'averteret' is used here to describe the background situation with a nuance of intention or anticipation (a usage characteristic of Livy).

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:1.40.1-1.40.7