Tanaquil and Tullius form an alliance:
The murderers of Tarquinius were caught, while his wife and Tullius – once they learned of the plot – did not make his death known to all. They took his body away and made a pretence of tending to it as though he were still alive, and they added further assurance to others that Tullius, taking up the throne, would abdicate it when her own sons came to manhood. When the people arrived, they clamored, and Tanaquil, emerging from the upper chambers, told them ‘Do not fear. My husband is alive, and you will soon see him. But, so that he may take some rest to recover himself, and lest his lack of strength stand in the way of public affairs, he has entrusted the management of the state to Tullius for the present moment.’ Thus she spoke; the people accepted Tullius not unwillingly, for he seemed to be a good man.
Συλληφθέντων οὖν τῶν τοῦ Ταρκυνίου φονέων, μαθοῦσα ἡ ἐκείνου γυνὴ καὶ ὁ Τούλλιος τὴν παρασκευὴν τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς οὐ φανερὸν αὐτίκα τὸν τοῦ Ταρκυνίου θάνατον ἔθεντο, ἀλλ’ ἀνελόμενοι αὐτὸν ὡς ἔτι ἐμπνέοντα ἐθεράπευον δῆθεν, κἀν τούτῳ πίστεις ἀλλήλοις ἔδοσαν ὥστε τὸν Τούλλιον τὴν ἀρχὴν εἰληφότα τοῖς παισὶν αὐτῆς ἀνδρωθεῖσιν ἐκστῆναι
ταύτης. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ πλῆθος συνδραμὸν ἐθορύβει, προκύψασα ἐκ τῶν ὑπερῴων ἡ Τανακυιλὶς “μὴ φοβεῖσθε” ἔφη· “ὁ γὰρ ἀνήρ μου καὶ ζῇ καὶ ὑμῖν μετ’ ὀλίγον ὀφθήσεται. ἵνα δὲ αὐτός τε σχολάζων ὑγιασθῇ καὶ μή τι τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐκ τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀσθενείας εἴη ἐμπόδιον, Τουλλίῳ κατά γε τὸ παρὸν τὴν τῶν κοινῶν ἐπιτρέπει διοίκησιν.” εἶπεν ἐκείνη ταῦτα· οἱ δὲ τὸν Τούλλιον οὐκ ἀκουσίως ἐδέξαντο· ἀγαθὸς γὰρ ἀνὴρ ἐδόκει.
