the city and surrendered it to his father. The king bestowed it upon
his son, but himself made war upon other nations.

VII, 11.--The oracles of the Sibyl to the Romans he obtained even
against his will. A woman whom they called Sibyl, gifted with divine
inspiration, came to Rome bringing [Sidenote: FRAG. 10^4] THREE OR
NINE books, offered these to Tarquin for purchase, and stated the
value of the books. As he paid no attention to her, she burned one or
three of the books. When again Tarquin scorned her, she destroyed part
of the rest in a similar way. And she was about to burn up also those
still left when the augurs compelled him to purchase the few that were
intact. He bought these for the price for which he might have secured
them all, and delivered them to two senators to keep. As they did not
entirely understand the contents, they sent to Greece and hired two
men to come from there to read and interpret these things. The
dwellers in the vicinity, desiring to learn what was revealed by the
books, [Sidenote: FRAG. 10^4] MANAGED TO BRIBE MARCUS ACILIUS,[6] ONE
OF THE CUSTODIANS, AND HAD SOME STATEMENTS COPIED OUT. THE AFFAIR
BECAME PUBLIC AND MARCUS AFTER BEING THROWN INTO TWO HIDES SEWN
TOGETHER was drowned (and beginning with him this punishment has ever
since prevailed in the case of parricides), in order that earth nor
water nor sun might be defiled by his death.

[Footnote 6: Zonaras spells _Acillius_.]

The temple on the Tarpeian rock he constructed according to the vow of
his father. And the earth having yawned even to the substructure of
the foundations there appeared the head of a man freshly slain, still
with blood in it. Accordingly the Romans sent to a soothsayer of
Etruria to ask what was signified by the phenomenon. And he, desiring