Nothing of note in Etruria; the Romans subdue the Latins with trickery:

Tullius thus won the plebeians over to his side, yet fearing the chance of a rebellion, he entrusted the greatest and strongest parts of the commonwealth to the most powerful. They worked in mutual concord, and managed public affairs as well as possible. They waged a few wars against the Veii and the Etruscans more generally, but this involved nothing worth writing down. Tullius also wanted even more to reconcile the rest of the Latins to the Romans, so he persuaded them to construct a shrine at the public expense in Rome, which they dedicated to Artemis. Yet, disagreement arose as to who should tend the shrine. A Sabine man led a rather beautiful cow to the altar, as if to sacrifice it to Artemis because of a certain oracle. The oracle stated that the one who sacrificed the cow would increase the greatness of his country. When one of the Romans heard this, he came to the man, and told him that it was first necessary to purify the cow in the river. Thus he persuaded the Sabine man, and taking the cow as if to guard it, he sacrificed it himself. When the Sabine man revealed the oracle, the Latins yielded the erection of the shrine to the Romans, and in other respects honored the Romans as their superiors.

Τὸν μὲν οὖν ὅμιλον οὕτως ὁ Τούλλιος ᾠκειώσατο, δείσας δὲ μή τις στάσις συμβῇ, τὰ πλεῖστα καὶ ἰσχυρότατα τῶν κοινῶν τοῖς δυνατωτέροις ἐπέτρεψε· καὶ οὕτω σφίσιν αὐτοῖς συνεφρόνησαν καὶ τὸ δημόσιον διήγαγον ἄριστα. καὶ πολέμους δέ τινας πρός τε τοὺς Οὐιέντας καὶ πρὸς ἅπαντας τοὺς Τυρσηνοὺς ἐπολέμησεν, ἐν οἷς οὐδὲν ἐπράχθη συγγράμματος ἄξιον. τοὺς Λατίνους δ’ ἐπὶ μᾶλλον ῾Ρωμαίοις βουληθεὶς οἰκειώσασθαι, νεών τινα ἐκ χρημάτων κοινῶν ἐν τῇ ῾Ρώμῃ κατασκευάσαι πέπεικε. καὶ τοῦτον ἀνέθεσαν τῇ ᾿Αρτέμιδι. περὶ δὲ τῆς νεωκορίας αὐτοῦ διεφέροντο. κἀν τούτῳ Σαβῖνος ἀνὴρ βοῦν ἦγε περικαλλῆ πρὸς τὴν ῾Ρώμην, ὡς ἔκ τινος χρησμοῦ θύσων αὐτὴν τῇ ᾿Αρτέμιδι. ὁ δὲ χρησμὸς τὸν ἐκείνην θύσαντα ἔλεγε τὴν πατρίδα ἐπαυξήσειν. τοῦτο δέ τις τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων μαθὼν προσῆλθεν αὐτῷ καὶ πρότερον εἶπε δεῖν ἐν τῷ ποταμῷ ἁγνισθῆναι, καὶ εἰπὼν ἔπεισε, καὶ πείσας ἔλαβε τὴν βοῦν ὡς φυλάξων, καὶ λαβὼν ἔθυσεν. ἐκφήναντος δὲ τοῦ Σαβίνου τὸ λόγιον οἱ Λατῖνοι καὶ τῆς τοῦ ἱεροῦ προστασίας τοῖς ῾Ρωμαίοις ἐξέστησαν καὶ ἐς τἄλλα ὡς κρείττονας σφῶν ἐτίμων αὐτούς.

Servius Tullius is the object of political intrigue, and the patricians wear fancy shoes:

When Tullius then took up the management of public affairs, he followed, for the most part, the injunctions of Tarquinius. When he saw among the multitude the men who had murdered Tarquinius, he employed a strategem to lead them to the senate house: he pretended that Tarquinius was still alive. Some of them were condemned and executed, but the sons of Marcus had fled to the Volsci in fear. Tullius then revealed the death of Tarquinius and openly took up the kingship. First, he exiled the sons of Tarquinius so as to entrust the sole rule to himself, and he then subsequently turned his attention to public service; with the aim of easily winning over the rabble rather than the nobles, he gave them property and land, while also preparing to free the slaves and enroll them in the tribes. When the powerful men of the state felt grieved by this, he ordered that those who were being freed should perform some service in turn for those who freed them. The nobles then spread the report that he held the kingship without receiving it from anyone, but had mustered the people together through demagoguery. Having said so many enticing things to them, he caused the entire state to be voted over to him. Tullius, however, responded that he had other ambitions, and enlisted some of them in the senate. The ancient plebeians had less power than the patricians, but as time went on (and except in the case of an interregnum or religious occasion) they had an equal share with the patricians, and differed from them in no way but their shoes. For, the patricians wore shoes with a fashionable interweaving of the straps and stylish inscription, so that they could easily be noticed as descending from the original hundred men who sat in the senate. They say that the inscription was the Greek letter Rho, either as the clear mark of the number 100, or as the first letter of the Roman name.

᾿Εγχειρισθεὶς οὖν ἐκεῖνος τὴν τῶν κοινῶν οἰκονομίαν, τὰ πλείω κατ’ ἐντολὰς δῆθεν διῴκει τοῦ Ταρκυνίου. ὡς δ’ ἐν πᾶσιν ἑώρα πειθαρχοῦντας αὐτῷ, τοὺς αὐτόχειρας τοῦ Ταρκυνίου πρὸς τὴν γερουσίαν παρήγαγε, διὰ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν τάχα· ἔτι γὰρ ζῆν ἐκεῖνον προσεποιεῖτο. καὶ οἱ μὲν καταψηφισθέντες ἀπέθανον, οἱ δὲ τοῦ Μαρκίου υἱοὶ φοβηθέντες εἰς Οὐολούσκους κατέφυγον. κἀκεῖνος τότε τόν τε θάνατον τοῦ Ταρκυνίου ἐξέφηνε καὶ φανερῶς τῆς βασιλείας ἐπείληπτο. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τοὺς τοῦ Ταρκυνίου παῖδας προυβάλλετο ὡς αὐτὸς τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἐπιτροπεύων, εἶτα πρὸς θεραπείαν τοῦ δήμου ἐτράπετο, ὡς ῥᾷστα μᾶλλον τὸν ὅμιλον ἢ τοὺς εὐπατρίδας ὑποποιησόμενος, χρήματά τε αὐτοῖς ἐδίδου καὶ γῆν ἑκάστῳ προσένειμε καὶ τοὺς δούλους ἐλευθεροῦσθαι καὶ φυλετεύεσθαι παρεσκεύασεν. ἀχθομένων δ’ ἐπὶ τούτοις τῶν δυνατῶν, ἔταξέ τινα τοὺς ἐλευθερωθέντας τοῖς ἐλευθερώσασι σφᾶς ἀνθυπουργεῖν. ὡς δὲ χαλεπῶς εἶχον οἱ εὐπατρίδαι αὐτῷ, καὶ διεθρόουν ἄλλα τε καὶ ὅτι μηδενὸς αὐτὸν ἑλομένου τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχει, συναγαγὼν τὸν δῆμον ἐδημηγόρησε· καὶ πολλὰ ἐπαγωγὰ διαλεχθεὶς αὐτῷ οὕτω διέθετο ὡς αὐτίκα πᾶσαν αὐτῷ τὴν βασιλείαν ἐπιψηφίσασθαι. ὁ δὲ αὐτοὺς ἀμειβόμενος ἄλλα τε ἐφιλοτιμήσατο καὶ ἐς τὸ συνέδριόν τινας αὐτῶν ἐνέγραψεν· οἳ πάλαι μὲν ἐν πλείστοις ἧττον ἔφερον τῶν εὐπατριδῶν, τοῦ χρόνου δὲ προϊόντος, πλὴν τῆς μεσοβασιλείας καὶ τῶν ἱερωσυνῶν, τῶν ἴσων μετεῖχον τοῖς εὐπατρίδαις, καὶ διέφερον ἄνευ τῶν ὑποδημάτων οὐδέν. τοῖς γὰρ εὐπατρίδαις τὰ ὑποδήματα ἀστικὰ τῇ τε ἐπαλλαγῇ τῶν ἱμάντων καὶ τῷ τύπῳ τοῦ γράμματος ἐκεκόσμηντο, ἵν’ ἐκ τούτων δοκοῖεν ἀπὸ τῶν ἑκατὸν ἀνδρῶν τῶν κατ’ ἀρχὰς βουλευσάντων κατιέναι. τὸ γράμμα δὲ ῥῶ φασιν εἶναι, ἢ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ τῶν ἑκατὸν ἐκείνων ἀνδρῶν δηλωτικὸν ὂν ἢ ὡς τοῦ τῶν ῾Ρωμαίων κατάρχον ὀνόματος.

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.

Attus Navius gets the better of the impious Tarquinius.

Indeed, Tarquinius Priscus would have accomplished many other startling reforms, if a certain Attus Navius (who was a finer augur than any who had ever lived) had not prevented him from altering the arrangement of the tribes. Tarquinius was enraged by his opposition, and sought to entirely discredit Attus’ craft. He therefore put a razor and a whetstone in his cloak, and went among the people with the intention of cutting the whetstone with the razor – a clearly impossible task. When he began to lay out his plans and Attus began to speak out against him most violently, he did not cave in but rather said, ‘If you are not speaking against me simply from your love of argument, but are indeed telling the truth, tell me whether what I now have in mind will occur.’ Attus, divining immediately what was meant, said, ‘Indeed, my king – what you wish will come to pass.’ Tarquinius then responded, ‘Then take that whetstone, and cut it with that blade. This is what I had in mind.’ Attus then took the whetstone immediately and cut it asunder. Tarquinius was amazed, and offered to Attus various honors, including the honor of a bronze statue; he also ceased to reform civic institutions, but began to employ Attus as his advisor in all things.

Πάντως δὲ καὶ ἄλλα πλείω ἐκαινοτόμησεν ἄν, εἰ μή τις ῎Αττος Ναούιος τὰς φυλὰς αὐτὸν βουληθέντα μετακοσμῆσαι κεκώλυκεν, ὃς οἰωνιστὴς ἦν οἷος οὐχ ἕτερος γέγονε. τοῦτον ὑβρίσαι, διὰ τὴν ἐναντίωσιν ὀργισθείς, καὶ τὴν τέχνην ἐξουθενῆσαι διεμελέτησεν ὁ Ταρκύνιος. λαβὼν οὖν ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ ἀκόνην τε καὶ ξυρὸν ἐς τὸν δῆμον παρῆλθεν, ἔχων ἐν νῷ τμηθῆναι τῷ ξυρῷ τὴν ἀκόνην, πρᾶγμα τῶν ἀδυνάτων· εἰπών τε ὅσα ἐβούλετο, ἐπεὶ ῎Αττος ἀντέλεγεν ἐντονώτατα, μηδὲν ὑφιέμενος “εἰ μὴ φιλονείκως ἀντιλέγεις” ἔφη “ἀλλ’ ἀληθῆ λέγεις, ἐπὶ πάντων τούτων ἀπόκριναί μοι εἰ ὃ κατὰ νοῦν ἔχω ποιῆσαι γενήσεται.” ὁ δὲ ῎Αττος αὐτοῦ που οἰωνισάμενος παραυτίκα “καὶ πάνυ γε” εἶπεν “ὦ βασιλεῦ, ὃ διανοῇ ἔσται ἐπιτελές.” “οὐκοῦν” ἔφη “τὴν ἀκόνην ταύτην λαβὼν τῷ ξυρῷ τούτῳ διάτεμε· τοῦτο γὰρ γενέσθαι διανενόημαι.” ὁ δὲ ἔλαβέ τε αὐτὴν εὐθὺς καὶ διέκοψε. θαυμάσας δὲ ὁ Ταρκύνιος ἄλλας τε τιμὰς ἐκείνῳ παρέσχε καὶ χαλκῆς εἰκόνος ἠξίωσε, καὶ οὐδὲν ἔτι τῆς πολιτείας ἠλλοίωσε, πρὸς πάντα τε συμβούλῳ τῷ ῎Αττῳ ἐκέχρητο.

Lucius Tarquinius consolidates his power among the senate and people:

This opinion however, did not last. When Ancus Marcius died, Lucius Tarquinius did wrong by Marcius’ sons, and made the throne his own. When the senate and people were on the verge of selecting the sons of Marcius as their rulers, Tarquinius went to hold an interview with the most powerful of the senators, and sent the two orphan boys off to a hunt; and by what he did and said he contrived to have the throne voted to himself. Having thus made himself the master of Roman political affairs, he managed the Romans in such a way as to prevent the two boys from ever being chosen as kings. As he made the sons of Ancus more accustomed to luxury he charmed their souls and bodies into destruction. He lived in fear because he operated this way, and so he girded himself about with force in assembly meetings. He enlisted into the senate and patrician order about two-hundred men who were favorablly disposed toward him. In this way, he placed the senate and many of the common people under his own influence. He also transformed his clothing into something more befitting his greatness. This took the form of a toga and a tunic which were entirely purple, inlaid with gold, as well as a crown set with gold stones and an ivory chair. After all of this, other people holding the the imperial throne enjoyed absolute political supremacy. He also paraded in triumphs on a four-horse chariot, and had twelve lictors through his life.

᾿Αλλ’ οὐ προσέμεινε μέχρι τέλους αὐτῷ ἡ ὑπόληψις. τοῦ Μαρκίου γὰρ τελευτήσαντος κακῶς περὶ τοὺς ἐκείνου διετέθη δύο υἱεῖς, καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν ἐσφετερίσατο. τῆς τε γὰρ βουλῆς καὶ τοῦ δήμου τοὺς τοῦ Μαρκίου παῖδας χειροτονεῖν μελλόντων, ἐκεῖνος τῶν βουλευτῶν τε τοὺς δυνατωτάτους μετῆλθε, καὶ τοὺς ὀρφανοὺς πόρρω ποι πέμψας εἰς θήραν, οἷς τε εἶπε καὶ οἷς ἔπραξεν αὐτῷ τὴν βασιλείαν ψηφίσασθαι παρεσκεύασεν, ὡς ἀνδρωθεῖσιν αὐτὴν δῆθεν τοῖς παισὶν ἀποδώσοντι. ἐγκρατὴς δὲ καταστὰς τῶν πραγμάτων οὕτω τοὺς ῾Ρωμαίους διέθετο ὥστε μηδέποτε ἐθελήσειν ἀνθελέσθαι τοὺς παῖδας ἐκείνου· καὶ τὰ μειράκια δὲ πρὸς ῥᾳστώνην ἐθίζων τάς τε ψυχὰς αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ σώματα σὺν χάριτι δή τινι ἔφθειρε. δεδιὼς δὲ καὶ οὕτως ἔχων, ἰσχὺν ἑαυτῷ ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ περιεποιήσατο. τοὺς γὰρ φιλίως αὐτῷ ἐκ τοῦ δήμου διακειμένους περὶ διακοσίους ἐς τοὺς εὐπατρίδας ἐνέγραψε καὶ τοὺς βουλευτάς, καὶ οὕτω τήν τε γερουσίαν ὑφ’ ἑαυτὸν καὶ τοὺς πολλοὺς ἐποιήσατο. καὶ τὴν στολὴν πρὸς τὸ μεγαλοπρεπέστερον ἤμειψεν· ἡ δὲ ἦν ἱμάτιον καὶ χιτὼν ὁλοπόρφυρα καὶ χρυσόπαστα, στέφανός τε λίθων χρυσοδέτων καὶ σκῆπτρον δίφρος τε ἐλεφάντινα, οἷς καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα οἵ τε ἄλλοι καὶ οἱ τὴν αὐτοκράτορα ἔχοντες ἡγεμονίαν ἐχρήσαντο. καὶ τεθρίππῳ ἐν τοῖς ἐπινικίοις ἐπόμπευσε, καὶ ῥαβδούχους διὰ βίου δώδεκα ἔσχε.