Liv. 2.3.1Cum haud cuiquam in dubiō esset bellum ab Tarquiniīs inminēre, id quidem spē omnium sērius fuit;Though no one doubted that war from the Tarquins was hanging over them, it came later than everyone expected; Liv. 2.3.1cēterum, id quod nōn timēbant, per dolum ac prōditiōnem prope lībertās āmissa est.but liberty was almost lost through treachery and betrayal, a thing they did not fear. Liv. 2.3.1Erant in Rōmānā iuventūte adulēscentēs aliquot, nec iī tenuī locō ortī, quōrum in regnō libīdō solūtior fuerat, aequālēs sodālēsque adulēscentium Tarquiniōrum, adsuētī mōre rēgiō vīvere.There were among the Roman youth several young men, and of no humble birth, whose pleasures had been less restrained under the monarchy, companions in age and friends of the young Tarquins, accustomed to living in royal style. Liv. 2.3.3Eam tum aequātō iūre omnium licentiam quaerentēs lībertātem aliōrum in suam vertisse servitūtem inter sē conquerēbantur: rēgem hominem esse, ā quō inpetrēs, ubi iūs, ubi iniūria opus sit;Missing that licence now that rights were equal for all, they complained among themselves that the liberty of others had turned into slavery for themselves: a king was a man, from whom you could obtain what you needed, whether it was right or wrong; Liv. 2.3.3esse grātiae locum, esse beneficiō, et īrāscī et ignōscere posse, inter amīcum atque inimīcum discrīmen nōsse;there was room for favour and for kindness; he could be angry and could pardon, and knew the difference between friend and enemy; Liv. 2.3.4lēgēs rem surdam, inexōrābilem esse, salūbriōrem meliōremque inopī quam potentī, nihil laxāmentī nec veniae habēre, sī modum excesseris;the laws were a deaf thing, inexorable, more wholesome and better for the poor than for the powerful, with no leniency or pardon if you overstepped the mark; Liv. 2.3.4perīculōsum esse in tot hūmānīs errōribus sōlā innocentiā vīvere.it was dangerous, amid so many human failings, to live by innocence alone.
Liv. 2.3.5Ita iam suā sponte aegrīs animīs lēgātī ab rēgibus superveniunt sine mentiōne reditūs bona tantum repetentēs.While their minds were already unsettled of their own accord, envoys from the royal family arrive, saying nothing of a return and asking back only their property. Liv. 2.3.5Eōrum verba postquam in senātū audīta sunt, per aliquot diēs ea cōnsultātiō tenuit, nē nōn reddita bellī causa, reddita bellī māteria et adiūmentum essent.After their words had been heard in the senate, the debate went on for several days, for fear that the property, if not returned, would be a cause for war, and if returned, the means and support for war. Liv. 2.3.6Interim lēgātī alia mōlīrī, apertē bona repetentēs clam recuperandī regnī cōnsilia struere et tamquam ad id, quod agī vidēbātur, ambientēs nōbilium adulēscentium animōs pertemptant.Meanwhile the envoys were scheming other things: openly asking back the property, they secretly laid plans for recovering the kingdom, and, as if canvassing for what seemed to be the business in hand, they sound out the feelings of the young nobles. Liv. 2.3.7Ā quibus placidē ōrātiō accepta est, iīs litterās ab Tarquiniīs reddunt et dē accipiendīs clam nocte in urbem rēgibus conloquuntur.To those who received their proposal favourably they deliver letters from the Tarquins and discuss admitting the royal family secretly into the city by night.