§2.39.1μέχρι μὲν δὴ τούτων συμφέρονται πάντες οἱ Ῥωμαίων συγγραφεῖς, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ὕστερον λεγομένοις οὐχ ὁμολογοῦσι.
Up to this point, indeed, all the Roman historians agree, but in the accounts that follow they differ.
Πείσων γὰρ ὁ τιμητικός, οὗ καὶ πρότερον ἐμνήσθην, ἄγγελόν φησιν ὑπὸ τῆς Ταρπείας ἀποσταλῆναι νύκτωρ ἐκ τοῦ χωρίου δηλώσοντα τῷ Ῥωμύλῳ τὰς γενομένας τῇ κόρῃ πρὸς τοὺς Σαβίνους ὁμολογίας, ὅτι μέλλοι τὰ σκεπαστήρια παρʼ αὐτῶν αἰτεῖν ὅπλα διὰ τῆς κοινότητος τῶν ὁμολογιῶν παρακρουσαμένη, δύναμίν τε ἀξιώσοντα πέμπειν ἐπὶ τὸ φρούριον ἑτέραν νυκτός, ὡς αὐτῷ στρατηλάτῃ παραληψόμενον τοὺς πολεμίους γυμνοὺς τῶν ὅπλων· τὸν δὲ ἄγγελον αὐτομολήσαντα πρὸς τὸν ἡγεμόνα τῶν Σαβίνων κατήγορον γενέσθαι τῶν τῆς Ταρπείας βουλευμάτων.
For Piso the censor, whom I mentioned before, says that a messenger was sent by Tarpeia by night from the fortress to inform Romulus of the agreements made by the maiden with the Sabines, namely, that she intended to demand from them their defensive weapons, having deceived them by means of the ambiguity of the agreement, and to request him to send another force to the fortress by night, in order that he himself as commander might capture the enemy stripped of their weapons; but that the messenger deserted to the leader of the Sabines and became the betrayer of Tarpeia's plans.
§2.39.2οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Φάβιόν τε καὶ Κίγκιον οὐδὲν τοιοῦτο γεγονέναι λέγουσιν, ἀλλὰ φυλάξαι τὴν κόρην διαβεβαιοῦνται τὰς περὶ τῆς προδοσίας συνθήκας.
But Fabius and Cincius and their followers say that no such thing happened, but they maintain that the maiden kept the contract concerning the treachery.
τὰ δʼ ἑξῆς ἅπαντες πάλιν ὁμοίως γράφουσι.
As for the subsequent events, however, all write in the same way again.
φασὶ γὰρ ὅτι παραγενομένου σὺν τῷ κρατίστῳ τῆς στρατιᾶς μέρει τοῦ βασιλέως τῶν Σαβίνων φυλάττουσα τὰς ὑποσχέσεις ἡ Τάρπεια τοῖς μὲν πολεμίοις ἀνέῳξε τὴν συγκειμένην πυλίδα, τοὺς δʼ ἐν τῷ χωρίῳ φύλακας ἀναστήσασα διαταχέων σώζειν ἑαυτοὺς ἠξίου καθʼ ἑτέρας ἐξόδους τοῖς πολεμίοις ἀφανεῖς, ὡς κατεχόντων ἤδη τῶν Σαβίνων τὸ φρούριον· §2.39.3διαφυγόντων δὲ τούτων τοὺς μὲν Σαβίνους ἀνεῳγμένας εὑρόντας τὰς πύλας κατασχεῖν τὸ φρούριον ἔρημον τῶν φυλάκων, τὴν δὲ Τάρπειαν ὡς τὰ παρʼ ἑαυτῆς ὅσα συνέθετο παρεσχημένην ἀξιοῦν τοὺς μισθοὺς τῆς προδοσίας κατὰ τοὺς ὅρκους ἀπολαβεῖν.
For they say that when the king of the Sabines arrived with the best part of his army, Tarpeia, keeping her promises, opened the agreed postern gate to the enemy, and having aroused the guards in the fortress, urged them to save themselves as quickly as possible by other exits unseen by the enemy, on the ground that the Sabines were already occupying the stronghold; and that when these had escaped, the Sabines, finding the gates open, took possession of the fortress, which was empty of guards, while Tarpeia, on the ground that she had performed all her part of the agreement, demanded to receive the rewards of her treachery according to the oaths.