could not tolerate a violation of the public agreement, and therefore sent them back to the king so that he could<hr>
punish them if he so desired. When they presented themselves to him, he asked which one of<hr>
them had proposed such a audacious escape. Believing that he was doing this in order to<hr>
punish them, none of them wanted to reply. That's when Cloelia, daring, spoke up and addressed him<hr>
with approximately these words.<hr>
<hr>
<hr>
                                         Cloelia to Porsenna<hr>
       The action I have undertaken is so heroic that it deserves glory. The silence of my<hr>
companions hurts me, even if their intention is good. I would have hoped,<hr>
Porsenna, that they would be proud to recognize me as their liberator and that they would<hr>
openly manifest before you, that it was me who guided them and that it’s thanks to<hr>
my advices that they left your camp. But since they have forced me to glory myself<hr> 
because they fear that you would mistreat me, I will tell you frankly, it was me<hr>
who liberated them from your clutches. Don't think that their silence is a sign of remorse for what they've done.<hr> 
       No, they don't doubt the justice of our action, but they doubt your<hr>
ability to respect the ethics, even among your enemies. As for me, who is unable to<hr>
fear anything besides the loss of my honor, I tell you once again : it was through my advice, my care and under my guidance, these Roman women decided to liberate themselves from<hr>
your influence, bravely throw themselves into the water to follow me, and risk their lives to<hr>
escape the disgrace of undergoing treatment unbefitting their purity. “My Romans, I told them to encourage them to jump into the river, how could you compare your<hr>
life and your honor? Would you struggle to choose for fear of losing one or the other? No,<hr>
no, you are Romans and my companions, and therefore too worthy to not<hr>
prefer risking death with honor rather than living in shame. Who has ever heard of<hr>
respectable maidens in a camp where insolence reigns among the soldiers and where<hr>
decency and modesty are unknown? We are captives of an army whose<hr>
general is protector of the Tarquins. For them, does King Porsenna wage war. So, how can you expect to find a safe refuge with a prince where Lucretia's violator found sanctuary and his defender? No, my companions, be not deluded.<hr>
The blood of this unfortunate woman did not deter the prince from opposing the revolt that the<hr>
Romans have brought about. Our tears would not urge him to protect us from those who wish to<hr>
offend us. You might tell me that we have been given to him as hostages and which we have his word. But know, my companions, that any action taken for honor can only be glorious. We don't want to break the peace, we don't want to defeat King Porsenna. We just want to evade the disgrace and offense and thus die with the same honor we lived. Come on then, Romans, while we have the chance.<hr>
<hr>
                                                        127<hr>