I am still the same Lucretia who so loved glory, for it is certain that mine<hr>
is utterly innocent. The tears I shed are not bred of remorse. I do not<hr>
apologize for the deed I have committed but only for not dying before his.<hr>
We were two in this sin, but one alone is guilty, and my conscience reproves me<hr>
not, save for having preferred my reputation and an honorable death. What brought my<hr>
misfortune is that I believed my glorious death would not be known. I doubted the justice<hr>
of the gods, forgetting that they can perform miracles when they wish it so and that they are<hr>
the protectors of innocence. I have lived longer than I should have, for I have survived my<hr>
chastity. Do not think, Collatinus, that I diminish this crime to appease your anger. I see<hr>
in your eyes more wrath towards Sextus Tarquin than hatred towards me. No doubt,<hr>
you pity me more than you accuse me, and all the deeds of my life serve to justify me<hr>
in your soul. Even as a victim, I accept that Collatinus no longer loves me. Thus, I do not speak to soften you but simply to incite you more to revenge. It<hr>
seems to me that in justifying myself, I amplify the guilt of the tyrant. The more innocent I appear,<hr>
the more guilty he appears, the more miserable I am, the more he deserves to be so, and the more tears I shed, the more blood you will make him shed.<hr>
        This, Collatinus, is the reason for my words, my tears, and my survival. Ensure<hr>
that I have not lived in vain. Think of revenge, Collatinus, consider who you<hr>
are and who your enemy is, or rather, the enemy of the people. You are Roman, you are honorable, you are<hr>
noble, and the husband of Lucretia. But he is of foreign lineage, son and grandson of tyrants. The<hr>
proud Tarquin ascended the throne only after eliminating a deserving prince whose daughter he had<hr>
married. The scepter he holds took the life of the one who bore it before him, and to secure his<hr>
dominion, he has committed more crimes than he has subjects. This, Collatinus, is the father of<hr>
my ravisher. As for his mother, she does not render him any more respectable. After all, I cannot<hr>
believe that the son of the shameless Tullia, who dared tread on her father's body to gain the<hr>
throne she coveted, does not have as many enemies in Rome as there are honest men. The<hr>
behavior of Sextus Tarquin has not wiped out his parents' crimes. His finest act<hr>
has been to betray a whole people who trusted him. This, Collatinus, is your enemy. So go,<hr>
attack him forcefully. As soon as you reveal the offense he has done me, you will have<hr>
all of Rome on your side. It will be both a common and personal cause. They will fear<hr>
for their wives, their daughters, and their sisters. All will consider the traitorous Tarquin as<hr>
their enemy. And if there are still some who support him, these will surely be<hr>
cowards and weaklings who will not be hard to vanquish. The Senate awaits only a pretext to<hr>
assert itself. The people are weary of the chains they bear and will revere the hand that delivers them. And with<hr>
the backing of the gods in your favor, you will even see the tyrant's kinsmen rip the crown from<hr>
his head. Yes, I see that Brutus listens to me with the intention of avenging my outrage.<hr>
<hr>
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                                                       80<hr>