§6.74.1ἡμῖν τὸ ἀρχαῖον πολίτευμα ἦν μοναρχία, καὶ μέχρι γενεᾶς ἑβδόμης ταύτῃ χρώμενοι διετελέσαμεν τῇ πολιτείᾳ, καὶ παρὰ πάσας τὰς ἡγεμονίας ταύτας οὐδὲν ὁ δῆμος ἠλαττώθη πώποτε ὑπὸ τῶν βασιλέων καὶ πάντων ἥκιστα ὑπὸ τῶν τελευταίων· ἐῶ γὰρ λέγειν, ὅτι πολλὰ καὶ μεγάλα ἀγαθὰ ἐκ τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτῶν ἐκαρπώσατο.
Our ancient form of government was a monarchy, and we continued to use this constitution down to the seventh generation; and during all those reigns, the plebeians were never in any way wronged by the kings, and least of all by the last ones; for I refrain from mentioning that the plebeians reaped many great benefits from their rule.
§6.74.2χωρὶς γὰρ τῆς ἄλλης αὐτῶν θεραπείας, ᾗ κολακεύοντας αὐτὸν οἰκεῖον μὲν σφίσιν, ἐχθρὸν δʼ ὑμῖν ἐβούλοντο εἶναι, ὃ ποιοῦσιν ἅπαντες οἱ τυραννικῶς ἐξάγοντες τὰς δυναστείας, κρατήσαντες πολέμῳ μακρῷ Συέσσης, πόλεως πάνυ εὐδαίμονος, ἐξὸν αὐτοῖς μηδενὶ κοινωνῆσαι τῶν λαφύρων, ἀλλʼ αὐτοὶ κατασχεῖν καὶ πάντας ὑπερβαλέσθαι πλούτῳ βασιλεῖς, οὐκ ἠξίωσαν, ἀλλὰ φέροντες εἰς μέσον ἔθηκαν ἅπασαν τὴν ὠφέλειαν· ὥσθʼ ἡμᾶς χωρὶς ἀνδραπόδων καὶ βοσκημάτων καὶ τῆς ἄλλης κτήσεως πολλῆς οὔσης καὶ καλῆς ἀργυρίου πέντε μνᾶς κατʼ ἄνδρα διανείμασθαι.
For apart from their other attention, by which, by flattering the people, they wished to make them their own and an enemy to you—as all do who conduct their dynasties in a tyrannical manner—when they had conquered in a long war Suessa, a very wealthy city, though they might have shared the booty with no one, but kept it themselves and surpassed all kings in wealth, they did not deign to do so, but brought all the gain into the midst and made it public, so that we, apart from slaves and cattle and other abundant and fine property, distributed five minae of silver per man.
§6.74.3ὧν ἡμεῖς ἀμελήσαντες, ἐπειδὴ τυραννικώτερον ἐχρῶντο ταῖς ἐξουσίαις οὐκ εἰς τὸν δῆμον πλημμελοῦντες, ἀλλʼ εἰς ὑμᾶς, δυσανασχετοῦντες ἐπὶ τοῖς γινομένοις τῆς μὲν τῶν βασιλέων εὐνοίας ἀπέστημεν, ὑμῖν δὲ προσεθέμεθα· καὶ συνεπαναστάντες αὐτοῖς μεθʼ ὑμῶν οἵ τʼ ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ οἱ ἐπὶ στρατοπέδου τοὺς μὲν ἐξηλάσαμεν, ὑμῖν δὲ φέροντες ἀνεθήκαμεν τὴν ἐκείνων ἀρχήν.
Neglecting these things, when they used their powers in a more tyrannical manner—not offending against the plebeians, but against you—discontented with what was happening, we withdrew from the goodwill of the kings and joined ourselves to you; and rising up with you against them, both those in the city and those in the camp expelled them, and bringing their authority, we dedicated it to you.
πολλάκις τε γενόμενον ἐφʼ ἡμῖν μεταθέσθαι πρὸς τοὺς ἐξελασθέντας τὰς μεγάλας δωρεάς, ἃς ὑπέτεινον ἡμῖν, ἵνα δὴ τὸ πρὸς ὑμᾶς πιστὸν ἐγκαταλίπωμεν, οὐχ ὑπεμείναμεν, ἀλλὰ πολλοὺς καὶ μεγάλους καὶ συνεχεῖς πολέμους καὶ κινδύνους διʼ ὑμᾶς ἀνηντλήσαμεν· καὶ μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος ἔτος ἑπτακαιδέκατον ἤδη τριβόμεθα πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις μαχόμενοι περὶ τῆς κοινῆς ἐλευθερίας.
And though it was often in our power to go over to the exiled kings for the great gifts they held out to us, on condition that we should abandon our loyalty to you, we did not submit to it, but endured many great and continuous wars and dangers for your sake; and up to the present, already for the seventeenth year, we are being worn down, fighting with all men for our common liberty.
§6.74.4ἀκαταστάτου μὲν γὰρ ἔτι τῆς πολιτείας οὔσης· οἷα γίγνεσθαι φιλεῖ περὶ τὰς μεταβολὰς τὰς αἰφνιδίως γιγνομένας· δυσὶ ταῖς ἐπιφανεστάταις πόλεσι Τυρρηνῶν, Ταρκυνιήταις τε καὶ Οὐιεντανοῖς κατάγειν βουλομένοις τοὺς βασιλεῖς μεγάλῃ στρατιᾷ, παρακινδυνεύσαντες ὀλίγοι πρὸς πολλοὺς διηγωνίσμεθα, καὶ μεγίστην ἀποδειξάμενοι προθυμίαν τούς τʼ ἀντιταχθέντας μάχῃ νικήσαντες ἀπεωσάμεθα, καὶ τῷ περιόντι τῶν ὑπάτων διεσώσαμεν τὴν ἀρχήν.
For while the constitution was still unsettled, as is wont to happen in sudden changes, when the two most prominent cities of the Etruscans, Tarquinii and Veii, wished to restore the kings with a large army, we, risking ourselves, few against many, fought to the end, and displaying the greatest zeal, we defeated and repulsed our opponents in battle, and saved the authority for the surviving consul.
§6.74.5οὐ πολλοῖς δὲ χρόνοις ὕστερον Πορσίναν Τυρρηνῶν βασιλέα κατάγειν καὶ αὐτὸν ἀξιοῦντα τοὺς φυγάδας τῇ τʼ ἐξ ἁπάσης Τυρρηνίας, ἣν αὐτὸς ἐπήγετο, δυνάμει καὶ ταῖς ὑπʼ ἐκείνων ἐκ πολλοῦ συναχθείσαις, οὐκ ἔχοντες ἀξιόμαχον χεῖρα καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κατακλεισθέντες εἰς πολιορκίαν τε καὶ ἀμηχανίαν καὶ παντὸς πράγματος ἀπορίαν, τῷ πάντα ὑπομεῖναι τὰ δεινὰ φίλον γενόμενον ἠναγκάσαμεν ἀπελθεῖν.
And not many years later, when Porsena, the king of the Etruscans, who also thought it right to restore the exiles, came with the force from all Etruria which he led and those forces which had been gathered by the exiles long before, since we did not have a force capable of fighting them and were therefore shut up in a siege and helplessness and lack of everything, by enduring all terrors we forced him to become our friend and depart.
§6.74.6τὰ δὲ τελευταῖα τρίτον κάθοδον τῶν βασιλέων παρασκευασαμένων διὰ τοῦ Λατίνων ἔθνους καὶ τριάκοντα πόλεις ἐπαγομένων, ἀντιβολοῦντας ὑμᾶς ὁρῶντες καὶ ὀλοφυρομένους καὶ ἕνα ἕκαστον ἐπιβοώμενον ἑταιρίας τε καὶ συντροφίας καὶ ὁμαιχμίας ἀναμιμνήσκοντας οὐχ ὑπεμείναμεν ἐγκαταλιπεῖν· ἡγησάμενοι δὲ κάλλιστον εἶναι καὶ λαμπρότατον ἀγῶνα τὸν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ὁμόσε τοῖς δεινοῖς ἐχωρήσαμεν, μέγιστον δὴ κινδύνων ἀναρρίψαντες ἐκεῖνον, ἐν ᾧ πολλὰ μὲν τραύματα λαβόντες, πολλὰ δὲ σώματα συγγενῶν τε καὶ ἑταίρων καὶ ὁμοσκήνων ἀποβαλόντες, ἐνικήσαμεν τοὺς πολεμίους καὶ τοὺς ἡγεμόνας αὐτῶν ἀπεκτείναμεν καὶ τὴν βασιλικὴν συγγένειαν ἅπασαν διεφθείραμεν.
And finally, when the kings prepared a third return through the Latin nation and brought thirty cities with them, seeing you entreating and lamenting and calling upon each one of us, reminding us of our friendship, common upbringing, and companionship in arms, we did not bear to abandon you; but thinking that the contest on your behalf was the most honorable and glorious, we went face to face with the dangers, running that greatest of risks in which, though we received many wounds and lost many bodies of our kinsmen, friends, and tentmates, we defeated the enemy, killed their leaders, and destroyed the entire royal family.