At this dreadful prospect her resolute modesty was overcome, as if with force, by his victorious lust and Tarquinius departed, exulting in his conquest of a woman’s honour. When he found her obdurate and not to be moved even by fear of death, he went farther and threatened her with disgrace, saying that when she was dead he would kill his slave and lay him naked by her side, that she might be said to have been put to death in adultery with a man of base condition. Then Tarquinius began to declare his love, to plead, to mingle threats with prayers, to bring every resource to bear upon her woman’s heart. No help was in sight, but only imminent death. Utter a sound, and you die!” In affright the woman started out of her sleep. Holding the woman down with his left hand on her breast, he said, “Be still, Lucretia! I am Sextus Tarquinius. Burning with passion, he waited till it seemed to him that all about him was secure and everybody fast asleep then, drawing his sword, he came to the sleeping Lucretia. Being kindly welcomed, for no one suspected his purpose, he was brought after dinner to a guest-chamber. When a few days had gone by, Sextus Tarquinius, without letting Collatinus know, took a single attendant and went to Collatia. However, for the present they ended the boyish prank of the night and returned to the camp. It was there that Sextus Tarquinius was seized with a wicked desire to debauch Lucretia by force not only her beauty, but her proved chastity as well, provoked him. As Collatinus and the Tarquinii approached, they were graciously received, and the victorious husband courteously invited the young princes to his table. 1 The prize of this contest in womanly virtues fell to Lucretia. These they had seen at a luxurious banquet, whiling away the time with their young friends but Lucretia, though it was late at night, was busily engaged upon her wool, while her maidens toiled about her in the lamplight as she sat in the hall of her house. Arriving there at early dusk, they thence proceeded to Collatia, where Lucretia was discovered very differently employed from the daughters-in-law of the king. “Agreed!” they all cried, and clapping spurs to their horses were off for Rome. Let every man regard as the surest test what meets his eyes when the woman’s husband enters unexpected.” They were heated with wine. “Come! If the vigour of youth is in us let us mount our horses and see for ourselves the disposition of our wives. Every man fell to praising his own wife with enthusiasm, and, as their rivalry grew hot, Collatinus said that there was no need to talk about it, for it was in their power to know, in a few hours’ time, how far the rest were excelled by his own Lucretia. It chanced, as they were drinking in the quarters of Sextus Tarquinius, where Tarquinius Collatinus, son of Egerius, was also a guest, that the subject of wives came up. Here in their permanent camp, as is usual with a war not sharp but long drawn out, furlough was rather freely granted, more freely however to the leaders than to the soldiers the young princes for their part passed their idle hours together at dinners and drinking bouts. Having failed in this, the Romans invested the place with intrenchments, and began to beleaguer the enemy. An attempt was made to capture Ardea by assault. This very fact was the cause of the war, since the Roman king was eager not only to enrich himself, impoverished as he was by the splendour of his public works, but also to appease with booty the feeling of the common people who, besides the enmity they bore the monarch for other acts of pride, were especially resentful that the king should have kept them employed so long as artisans and doing the work of slaves. Ardea belonged to the Rutuli, who were a nation of commanding wealth, for that place and period.
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