With the favor of the gods on your side, even the tyrant's kin will tear the crown from<hr>
his head. Yes, I see Brutus listening to me, intent on avenging my outrage. He will follow you<hr>
without a doubt in this imminent uprising. I already envision the arrogant Tarquin driven out of<hr>
Rome, his infamous son cut down by an unknown hand, and falling bloodied in the dust.<hr>
For I fear the gods would not allow him to die by a hand as deserving as yours.<hr>
Yes, Collatin, victory is yours. I already see all the soldiers revolting and all the citizens mutinying. Hatred for the tyrant and the desire for freedom will drive them all in the same way.<hr>
And may the gods decide that I be the victim that secures our homeland's freedom through their<hr>
kindness. Yes, Collatin, all the soldiers who are in his camp and who currently fight under his banners will become fiercer enemies than the inhabitants of Ardea who he is besieging.<hr>
        So, go forth and spread the tale of my misfortune, and trust me, no one can accuse me, and only Tarquin will be condemned. But I know that I will not hear what the people will say.<hr>
After being my own accuser, witness, and defense, it is now necessary for me to be both my judge and executioner. Yes, Collatin, I must die, and do not tell me<hr>
that since my heart is innocent, I must live to enjoy seeing how you will avenge me. It is enough for you to assure me of your vengeance for me to die in peace. But I could never live in joy. There is a Lucretia within me that I cannot endure. I must<hr>
part ways with her; she is infernal to me. I cannot see her; I cannot tolerate her. I must shed<hr>
her blood to justify the other and to back the retaliation you will undertake. When the people of Rome see Lucretia stabbed by her own hand to not succumb to her misery, they will more readily believe that a woman who loved her honor more than her life could not<hr>
have lied. This final act will justify every action of yours. It will be born from the blood<hr>
that I will spill to assist you in punishing the tyrant, thus, I will contribute to my own revenge myself. Of course my tears would have less effect than my blood, but my death will touch<hr>
the people as much as it touches you. Yes, Collatin, yes, my father, my loss will affect you<hr>
deeply. You will feel compelled to avenge both the honor and life of your wife and daughter, which will inflame even more your fury against the oppressor. Do not then tell me that my death is unnecessary or misinterpreted. No, those who judge rightly will not<hr>
consider it as a result of this crime. Remorse usually prompts more<hr>
tears than blood, but death is the remedy of the brave or despairing. Guilt is to me always a sign of weakness, and he who can feel it can always live even after failure. History reveals that nearly all those who have taken their own lives did so to evade the cruelty of fate, to avoid dishonourable deaths, or to preserve themselves from slavery, not because they felt guilty.<hr>
When we are at fault, we are always lenient to ourselves, and few people have sentenced themselves to death. Therefore, let it not be said that the blood I am to shed is misjudged. 

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                                                      79<hr>