[4,2] Φέρεται δέ τις ἐν ταῖς ἐπιχωρίοις ἀναγραφαῖς καὶ ἕτερος ὑπὲρ τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῦ λόγος ἐπὶ τὸ μυθῶδες ἐξαίρων τὰ περὶ αὐτόν, ὃν ἐν πολλαῖς Ῥωμαϊκαῖς ἱστορίαις εὕρομεν, εἰ θεοῖς τε καὶ δαίμοσι λέγεσθαι φίλος τοιοῦτος· αἵτινες ἀπὸ τῆς ἑστίας τῶν βασιλείων, ἐφ´ ἧς ἄλλας τε Ῥωμαῖοι συντελοῦσιν ἱερουργίας καὶ τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν δείπνων ἀπαρχὰς ἁγίζουσιν, ὑπὲρ τοῦ πυρὸς ἀνασχεῖν λέγουσιν αἰδοῖον ἀνδρός. τοῦτο δὲ θεάσασθαι τὴν Ὀκρισίαν πρώτην φέρουσαν τοὺς εἰωθότας πελάνους ἐπὶ τὸ πῦρ καὶ αὐτίκα πρὸς τοὺς βασιλεῖς ἐλθοῦσαν εἰπεῖν. τὸν μὲν οὖν Ταρκύνιον ἀκούσαντά τε καὶ μετὰ ταῦτ´ ἰδόντα τὸ τέρας ἐν θαύματι γενέσθαι, τὴν δὲ Τανακυλίδα τά τ´ ἄλλα σοφὴν οὖσαν καὶ δὴ καὶ τὰ μαντικὰ οὐδενὸς χεῖρον Τυρρηνῶν ἐπισταμένην εἰπεῖν πρὸς αὐτόν, ὅτι γένος ἀπὸ τῆς ἑστίας τῆς βασιλείου πέπρωται γενέσθαι κρεῖττον ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπείαν φύσιν ἐκ τῆς μιχθείσης τῷ φάσματι γυναικός. τὰ δ´ αὐτὰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τερατοσκόπων ἀποφηναμένων δόξαι τῷ βασιλεῖ τὴν Ὀκρισίαν, ᾗ πρώτῃ ἐφάνη τὸ τέρας, εἰς ὁμιλίαν αὐτῷ συνελθεῖν· καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο τὴν γυναῖκα κοσμησαμένην, οἷς ἔθος ἐστὶ κοσμεῖσθαι τὰς γαμουμένας, κατακλεισθῆναι μόνην εἰς τὸν οἶκον, ἐν ᾧ τὸ τέρας ὤφθη. μιχθέντος δή τινος αὐτῇ θεῶν ἢ δαιμόνων καὶ μετὰ τὴν μίξιν ἀφανισθέντος εἴθ´ Ἡφαίστου καθάπερ οἴονταί τινες εἴτε τοῦ κατ´ οἰκίαν ἥρωος, ἐγκύμονα γενέσθαι καὶ τεκεῖν τὸν Τύλλιον ἐν τοῖς καθήκουσι χρόνοις. τοῦτο τὸ μύθευμα οὐ πάνυ τι πιστὸν εἶναι δοκοῦν ἑτέρα τις ἐπιφάνεια θεία γενομένη περὶ τὸν ἄνδρα θαυμαστὴ καὶ παράδοξος ἧττον ἀπιστεῖσθαι ποιεῖ. καθημένου γάρ ποτ´ αὐτοῦ μεσούσης μάλισθ´ ἡμέρας ἐν τῇ παστάδι τῶν βασιλείων καὶ κατενεχθέντος ἐφ´ ὕπνον, πῦρ ἀπέλαμψεν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ, ἥ τε μήτηρ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως γυνὴ πορευόμεναι διὰ τῆς παστάδος ἐθεάσαντο καὶ πάντες ὅσοι σὺν ταῖς γυναιξὶν ἐτύγχανον τότε παρόντες, καὶ μέχρι τούτου διέμενεν ἡ φλὸξ ὅλην αὐτοῦ καταλάμπουσα τὴν κεφαλήν, ἕως ἡ μήτηρ προσδραμοῦσα διανέστησεν αὐτὸν καὶ ἡ φλὸξ ἅμα τῷ ὕπνῳ διασκεδασθεῖσα ἠφανίσθη. τὰ μὲν δὴ περὶ τοῦ γένους αὐτοῦ λεγόμενα τοιαῦτ´ ἐστίν.

[4,2] There is also current in the local records another story relating to his birth which raises the circumstances attending to the realm of the fabulous, and we have found it in many Roman histories. This account — if it be pleasing to the gods and the lesser divinities that it be related — is somewhat as follows: They say that from the hearth in the palace, on which the Romans offer various other sacrifices and also consecrate the first portion of their meals, there rose up above the fire a man's privy member, and that Ocrisia was the first to see it as she was carrying the customary cakes to the fire, and immediately (p269) informed the king and queen of it. Tarquinius, they add, upon hearing this and left beholding the prodigy, was astonished; but Tanaquil, who was not only wise in other matters but also inferior to none of the Tyrrhenians in her knowledge of divination, told him it was ordained by fate that from the royal hearth should issue a scion superior to the race of mortals, to be born of the woman who should conceive by that phantom. And the other soothsayers affirming the same thing, the king thought it fitting that Ocrisia, to whom the prodigy had first appeared, should have intercourse with it. Thereupon this woman, having adorned herself as brides are usually adorned, was shut up alone in the room in which the prodigy had been seen. And one of the gods or lesser divinities, whether Vulcan, as some think, or the tutelary deity of the house,4 having had intercourse with her and afterwards disappearing, she conceived and was delivered of Tullius at the proper time. This fabulous account, although it seems not altogether credible, is rendered less incredible by reason of another manifestation of the gods relating to Tullius which was wonderful and extraordinary. For when he had fallen asleep one day while sitting in the portico of the palace about noon, a fire shone forth from his head. This was seen by his mother and by the king's wife, as they were walking through the portico, as well as by all who happened to be present with them at the time. The flame continued to illumine his whole head till his mother ran to him (p271) and wakened him; and with the ending of his sleep the flame was dispersed and vanished. Such are the accounts that are given of his birth.