§5.7.1ἐκ πολλῶν μὲν οὖν καὶ ἄλλων ἔδοξέ μοι τὰ Ῥωμαίων πράγματα προνοίᾳ θεῶν εἰς τοσαύτην προελθεῖν εὐδαιμονίαν, οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ καὶ ἐκ τῶν τότε γενομένων.
Therefore, from many other things as well, it seemed to me that the Roman state, by the providence of the gods, had advanced to such great prosperity, and not least from the events that occurred at that time.
τοσαύτη γὰρ ἄνοια καὶ θεοβλάβεια τοὺς δυστήνους ἐκείνους κατέσχεν, ὥσθʼ ὑπέμειναν ἐπιστολὰς γράψαι πρὸς τὸν τύραννον αὐτογράφους δηλοῦντες αὐτῷ τὸ πλῆθός τε τῶν μετεχόντων τῆς συνωμοσίας καὶ χρόνον, ἐν ᾧ τὴν κατὰ τῶν ὑπάτων ἐπίθεσιν ἔμελλον ποιήσεσθαι, πεισθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν ἀφικομένων ὡς αὐτοὺς παρὰ τοῦ τυράννου γραμμάτων, ὅτι βούλεται προειδέναι, τίνας αὐτῷ προσήκει Ῥωμαίων εὖ §5.7.2ποιεῖν κατασχόντι τὴν ἀρχήν.
For such great folly and divine madness possessed those wretched men that they consented to write letters to the tyrant in their own hands, disclosing to him both the number of those participating in the conspiracy and the time at which they were going to make the attack upon the consuls, having been persuaded by the letters that reached them from the tyrant that he wished to know in advance whom of the Romans it was fitting for him to treat well when he had regained the power.
τούτων δʼ ἐγένοντο τῶν ἐπιστολῶν ἐγκρατεῖς οἱ ὕπατοι κατὰ τοιάνδε τινὰ συντυχίαν.
The consuls got possession of these letters through some such coincidence as this.
παρʼ Ἀκυλλίοις τοῖς ἐκ τῆς Κολλατίνου γεγονόσιν ἀδελφῆς οἱ κορυφαιότατοι τῶν ἐν τῇ συνωμοσίᾳ κατήγοντο παρακληθέντες ὡς ἐφʼ ἱερὰ καὶ θυσίαν·
At the house of the Aquillii, who were born of Collatinus's sister, the chief leaders of the conspiracy had gathered, having been invited as if for sacred rites and a sacrifice.
μετὰ δὲ τὴν ἑστίασιν ἐξελθεῖν ἐκ τοῦ συμποσίου κελεύσαντες τοὺς διακόνους καὶ πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν τοῦ ἀνδρῶνος ἀπελθεῖν διεφέροντό τε πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὑπὲρ τῆς καταγωγῆς τῶν τυράννων καὶ τὰ δόξαντα εἰς ἐπιστολὰς κατεχώριζον αὐτογράφους, ἃς ἔδει τοὺς Ἀκυλλίους λαβόντας ἀποδοῦναι τοῖς ἐκ Τυρρηνίας πρέσβεσιν, §5.7.3ἐκείνους δὲ Ταρκυνίῳ.
After the banquet, having ordered the servants to withdraw from the dining room and depart from before the doors of the men's apartment, they began to debate with one another concerning the return of the tyrants and committed the resolutions to letters in their own hands, which the Aquillii were to take and deliver to the ambassadors from Etruria, and they in turn to Tarquinius.
ἐν τούτῳ δὴ τῷ χρόνῳ τῶν θεραπόντων τις οἰνοχόος ἐκ πόλεως Καινίνης αἰχμάλωτος ὄνομα Οὐινδίκιος ὑποπτεύσας τοὺς ἄνδρας βουλεύειν πονηρὰ τῇ μεταστάσει τῶν διακόνων ἔμεινε μόνος ἔξω παρὰ ταῖς θύραις καὶ τούς τε λόγους παρʼ αὐτῶν ἠκροάσατο καὶ τὰς ἐπιστολὰς εἶδεν ὑπὸ πάντων γραφομένας, ἁρμῷ τινι τῆς θύρας διαφανεῖ τὴν ὄψιν προσβαλών.
At this very time, one of the servants, a cup-bearer, a prisoner of war from the city of Caenina, named Vindicius, suspecting that the men were plotting mischief from the removal of the attendants, remained alone outside by the doors, and both overheard their words and saw the letters being written by all of them, by placing his eye to a clear crack in the door.
§5.7.4ἐξελθὼν δὲ πολλῆς ἔτι νυκτὸς οὔσης ὡς ἀπεσταλμένος ὑπὸ τῶν δεσποτῶν ἐπὶ χρείαν τινά, πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ὑπάτους ὤκνησεν ἐλθεῖν δεδιώς, μὴ συγκρύψαι τὸ πρᾶγμα βουλόμενοι διὰ τὴν εὔνοιαν τῶν συγγενῶν τὸν μηνύσαντα τὴν συνωμοσίαν ἀφανίσωσιν, ἀφικόμενος δʼ ὡς Πόπλιον Οὐαλέριον, ὃς ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις τέτταρσιν ἦν τῶν τὴν τυραννίδα καταλυσάντων, δεξιώσει καὶ διʼ ὅρκων τὸ πιστὸν παρʼ αὐτοῦ λαβὼν ὑπὲρ ἀσφαλείας τῆς ἑαυτοῦ μηνυτὴς ὧν τʼ ἤκουσε καὶ §5.7.5ὧν εἶδε γίνεται.
Going out while it was still deep night, as if sent by his masters on some business, he hesitated to go to the consuls, fearing that they, wishing to conceal the matter because of their goodwill toward their kinsmen, might make away with the informant of the conspiracy. But having come to Publius Valerius, who was among the first four who had overthrown the tyranny, and having received from him assurances for his own safety by handshakes and oaths, he became the informant of what he had heard and seen.
ὁ δʼ ὡς ἔμαθεν οὐδεμίαν ἀναβολὴν ποιησάμενος ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν τῶν Ἀκυλλίων σὺν χειρὶ πολλῇ πελατῶν τε καὶ φίλων παραγίνεται περὶ τὸν ὄρθρον καὶ παρελθὼν εἴσω τῶν θυρῶν ὡς ἐπʼ ἄλλην τινὰ χρείαν παρὼν ἀκωλύτως κατʼ οἶκον ἔτι τῶν μειρακίων ὄντων ἐγκρατὴς γίνεται τῶν ἐπιστολῶν καὶ τοὺς νεανίσκους συλλαβὼν καθίστησιν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὑπάτους.
And he, upon learning this, made no delay, but arrived at the house of the Aquillii about dawn with a large body of clients and friends; and having entered inside the doors as if present for some other business, he gained possession of the letters without hindrance while the youths were still at home, and having arrested the young men, brought them before the consuls.