9.  But, while he was engaged in wars abroad, he took care not to suffer the people to continue in idleness at home.  He undertook to build the Capitol, the foundation of which had been laid in a former reign; and an extraordinary event contributed to hasten the execution of his design.  A woman, in strange attire, made her appearance at Rome, and came to the king, offering to sell nine books, which, she said, were of her own composing. 10.  Not knowing the abilities of the seller, or that she was, in fact, one of the celebrated Sybils, whose prophecies were never found to fail, Tarquin refused to buy them.  Upon this she departed, and burning three of her books, returned again, demanding the same price for the six remaining. 11.  Being once more despised as an impostor, she again departed, and burning three more, she returned with the remaining three, still asking the same price as at first.  Tarquin, surprised at the inconsistency of her behaviour, consulted the augurs, to be advised what to do.  These much blamed him for not buying the nine, and commanded him to take the three remaining, at whatsoever price they were to be had. 12.  The woman, says the historian, after thus selling and delivering the three prophetic volumes, and advising him to have a special attention to what they contained, vanished from before him, and was never seen after.  A trick this, invented probably by Tarquin himself, to impose upon the people; and to find in the Sybil’s leaves whatever the government might require.  However this was, he chose proper persons to keep them, who, though but two at first, were afterwards increased to fifteen, under the name of Quindecemviri.  The important volumes were put into a stone chest, and a vault in the newly designed building was thought the properest place to secure them.[2]

13.  The people, having been now for four years together employed in building the Capitol, began, at last, to wish for something new to engage them; Tarquin, therefore, to satisfy their wishes, proclaimed war against the Ru’tuli, upon a frivolous pretence of their having entertained some malefactors, whom he had banished; and invested their chief city, Ar’dea, which lay about sixteen miles from Rome. 14.  While the army was encamped before this place, the king’s son Sextus Tarquinius, Collati’nus a noble Roman, and some others, sitting in a tent drinking together, the discourse turned upon wives, each man preferring the beauty and virtue of his own.  Collati’nus offered to decide the dispute by putting it to an immediate trial, whose wife should be found possessed of the greatest beauty, and most sedulously employed at that very hour:  being heated with wine, the proposal was relished by the whole company; and, taking horse without delay, they posted to Rome, though the night was already pretty far advanced.