[3,14] Θεός τις ἔοικεν, ὦ Τύλλε, προνοούμενος τῶν πόλεων ἑκατέρας ἐν ἄλλοις τε πολλοῖς καὶ δὴ καὶ κατὰ τόνδε τὸν ἀγῶνα φανερὰν τὴν εὔνοιαν πεποιῆσθαι. τὸ γὰρ εὑρεθῆναι τοὺς ἀγωνιουμένους ὑπὲρ πάντων γένει τε μηδενὸς χείρονας καὶ τὰ πολέμια ἀγαθοὺς ὀφθῆναί τε καλλίστους, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἐξ ἑνὸς πεφυκότας πατρὸς καὶ ὑπὸ μιᾶς γεγεννημένους μητρὸς καὶ τὸ θαυμασιώτατον ἐν μιᾷ προελθόντας εἰς φῶς γενέσει, παρ´ ὑμῖν μὲν Ὁρατίους, παρ´ ἡμῖν δὲ Κορατίους, θαυμαστῇ τινι καὶ θείᾳ παντάπασιν ἔοικεν εὐεργεσίᾳ. τί οὖν οὐ δεχόμεθα τὴν τοσαύτην τοῦ δαιμονίου πρόνοιαν καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν ἐπὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡγεμονίας ἀγῶνα τοὺς τριδύμους ἀδελφοὺς ἑκάτεροι; τά τε γὰρ ἄλλ´, ὅσα ἐν τοῖς ἄριστα μαχησομένοις βουλοίμεθ´ ἂν εἶναι, κἀν τούτοις ἔνεστι τοῖς ἀνδράσι, καὶ τὸ μὴ προλιπεῖν τοὺς παρασπιστὰς κάμνοντας τούτοις μᾶλλον ὑπάρξει ἀδελφοῖς οὖσι παρ´ οὕστινας ἄλλους Ῥωμαίων τε καὶ Ἀλβανῶν, ἥ τε φιλοτιμία τῶν ἄλλων νέων χαλεπὴ λυθῆναι δι´ ἑτέρου τινὸς οὖσα τρόπου ταχεῖαν ἕξει τὴν κρίσιν. τεκμαίρομαι γάρ τινα καὶ παρ´ ὑμῖν χάριν ἐν πολλοῖς εἶναι τῶν ἀντιποιουμένων ἀρετῆς, ὥσπερ καὶ παρ´ Ἀλβανοῖς· οὓς εἰ διδάσκοιμεν ὅτι θεία τις ἔφθακε τύχη τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας σπουδὰς αὐτῆς παρασχούσης τοὺς ἐξ ἴσου τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν πόλεων ἀγῶνα ποιησομένους, οὐ χαλεπῶς πείσομεν. οὐ γὰρ ἀρετῇ λείπεσθαι δόξουσι τῶν τριδύμων ἀδελφῶν, ἀλλὰ φύσεως εὐκληρίᾳ καὶ τύχης ἰσορρόπου πρὸς τὸ ἀντίπαλον ἐπιτηδειότητι.

[3,14] "Tullius, some god who keeps watch over both our cities would seem, just as upon many other occasions, so especially in what relates to this combat to have made his goodwill manifest. For that the champions who are to fight on behalf of all their people should be found inferior to none in birth, brave in arms, most comely in appearance, and that they should furthermore have been born of one father and mother, and, most wonderful of all, that they should have come (p59) into the world on the same day, the Horatii with you and the Curiatii with us, all this, I say, has every appearance of a remarkable instance of divine favour. Why, therefore, do we not accept this great providence of the god and each of us invite the triplets on his side to engage in the combat for the supremacy? For not only all the other advantages which we could desire in the best-qualified champions are to be found in these men, but, as they are brothers, they will be more unwilling than any others among either the Romans or the Albans to forsake their companions when in distress; and furthermore, the emulation of the other youths, which cannot easily be appeased in any other way, will be promptly settled. For I surmise that among you also, as well as among the Albans, there is a kind of strife among many of those who lay claim to bravery; but if we inform them that some providential fortune has anticipated all human efforts and has itself furnished us with champions qualified to engage upon equal terms in the cause of the cities, we shall easily persuade them to desist. For they will then look upon themselves as inferior to the triplets, not in point of bravery, but only in respect of a special boon of Nature and of the favour of a Chance that is equally inclined toward both sides."