[4,60] Τούτοις τοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἀφικομένοις εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ τερατοσκόπου περιτυγχάνει τι μειράκιον ἐξιόν, ᾧ φράσαντες, ὅτι Ῥωμαίων εἰσὶ πρέσβεις τῷ μάντει βουλόμενοι συντυχεῖν, παρεκάλουν ἀπαγγεῖλαι πρὸς αὐτόν. καὶ ὁ νεανίας, Πατὴρ ἐμός ἐστιν, ἔφησεν, ᾧ χρῄζετε συντυχεῖν· ἀσχολεῖται δὲ κατὰ τὸ παρόν· ἔσται δ´ ὑμῖν ὀλίγου χρόνου παρελθεῖν πρὸς αὐτόν. ἐν ᾧ δ´ ἐκεῖνον ἐκδέχεσθε, πρὸς ἐμὲ δηλώσατε, περὶ τίνος ἥκετε. περιέσται γὰρ ὑμῖν, εἴ τι μέλλετε διὰ τὴν ἀπειρίαν σφάλλεσθαι κατὰ τὴν ἐρώτησιν, ὑπ´ ἐμοῦ διδαχθεῖσι μηδὲν ἐξαμαρτεῖν· μοῖρα δ´ οὐκ ἐλαχίστη τῶν ἐν μαντικῇ θεωρημάτων ἐρώτησις ὀρθή. ἐδόκει τοῖς ἀνδράσιν οὕτω ποιεῖν, καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ τὸ τέρας. ὁ δ´ ὡς ἤκουσε μικρὸν ἐπισχὼν χρόνον, Ἀκούσατ´, ἔφησεν, ἄνδρες Ῥωμαῖοι· τὸ μὲν τέρας ὑμῖν ὁ πατὴρ διελεῖται καὶ οὐδὲν ψεύσεται· μάντει γὰρ οὐ θέμις· ἃ δὲ λέγοντες ὑμεῖς καὶ ἀποκρινόμενοι πρὸς τὰς ἐρωτήσεις ἀναμάρτητοί τε καὶ ἀψευδεῖς ἔσεσθε· διαφέρει γὰρ ὑμῖν προεγνωκέναι ταῦτα· παρ´ ἐμοῦ μάθετε. ὅταν ἀφηγήσησθε αὐτῷ τὸ τέρας, οὐκ ἀκριβῶς μανθάνειν φήσας ὅ τι λέγετε περιγράψει τῷ σκήπωνι τῆς γῆς μέρος ὅσον δή τι· ἔπειθ´ ὑμῖν ἐρεῖ, Τουτὶ μέν ἐστιν ὁ Ταρπήιος λόφος, μέρος δ´ αὐτοῦ τουτὶ μὲν τὸ πρὸς τὰς ἀνατολὰς βλέπον, τουτὶ δὲ τὸ πρὸς τὰς δύσεις, βόρειον δ´ αὐτοῦ τόδε καὶ τοὐναντίον νότιον. ταῦτα τῷ σκήπωνι δεικνὺς πεύσεται παρ´ ὑμῶν, ἐπὶ ποίῳ τῶν μερῶν τούτων εὑρέθη ἡ κεφαλή. τί οὖν ὑμῖν ἀποκρίνασθαι παραινῶ; μὴ συγχωρεῖν ἐν μηδενὶ τῶν τόπων τούτων, οὓς ἂν ἐκεῖνος τῷ σκήπωνι δεικνὺς πυνθάνηται, τὸ τέρας εὑρεθῆναι, ἀλλ´ ἐν Ῥώμῃ φάναι παρ´ ἡμῖν ἐν Ταρπηίῳ λόφῳ. ταύτας ἐὰν φυλάττητε τὰς ἀποκρίσεις καὶ μηδὲν παράγησθε ὑπ´ αὐτοῦ, συγγνούς, ὅτι τὸ χρεὼν οὐκ ἔνεστι μετατεθῆναι, διελεῖται τὸ τέρας ὑμῖν ὅ τι βούλεται σημαίνειν καὶ οὐκ ἀποκρύψεται.

[4,60] When these men came to the house of the soothsayer they met by chance a youth who was just coming out, and informing him that they were ambassadors sent from Rome who wanted to speak with the soothsayer, they asked him to announce them to him. The youth replied: "The man you wish to speak with is my father. He is busy at present, but in a short time you may be admitted to him. And while you are waiting for him, acquaint me with the reason of your coming. For if, through inexperience, you are in danger of committing an error in phrasing your question, when you have been informed by me you will be able to avoid any mistake; for the correct for of question is not the least important part of the art of divination." The ambassadors resolved to follow his advice and related the prodigy to him. And when the youth had heard it, after a short pause he said: "Hear me, Romans. My father will interpret this prodigy to you and will tell you no untruth, since it is not right for a soothsayer to speak falsely; but, in order that you may be guilty of no error or falsehood in what you say or in the answers you give to his questions (for it is of importance to you to know these things beforehand), be instructed by me. After you have related the prodigy to him he will tell you that he does not fully understand what (p461) you say and will circumscribe with his staff some piece of ground or other; then he will say to you: 'This is the Tarpeian Hill, and this is part of it that faces the east, this the part that faces the west, this point is north and the opposite is south.' These parts he will point out to you with his staff and then ask you in which of these parts the head was found. What answer, therefore, do I advise you to make? Do not admit that the prodigy was found in any of these places he shall inquire about when he points them out with his staff, but say that it appeared among you at Rome on the Tarpeian Hill. If you stick to these answers and do not allow yourselves to be misled by him, he, well knowing that fate cannot be changed, will interpret to you without concealment what the prodigy means."