THE MYSTERIOUS BOOKS

IN the mean while, Tullia was anxiously awaiting news of her father's murder. She wondered if anything had happened to spoil the plans. She couldn’t wait any longer so she finally ordered her servants to get her chariot ready, and then drove off to find Tarquin. When the chariot had turned into the narrow street which led to the senate, the driver suddenly stopped.When Tullia asked why he had stopped he said that he could not pass because the king's body lay across the street. She told him to run over it the street where the murder took place was known as Wicked Street, and was always considered unlucky. When the people came to ask his permission to bury the dead king, he said, "Romulus, the founder of Rome, did without a funeral; Servius needs none." Tarquin soon became extremely cruel in the way he governed the people of Rome. The poor were obliged to work day and night on the buildings which he wished to erect. One of the principle edifices built by Tarquin, at the cost of so much suffering to the poor, was a temple for the service of the god Jupiter. It seems that as the builders were digging for the foundations, they suddenly came across a very well-preserved skull. As the Romans were very superstitious, they immediately sent for the augurs to tell them the hidden meaning of the discovery. After some thought, the augurs said it was a sign that the gods were going to make this place the head of the world. Now the Latin word for head is caput, and the Romans in later times thought that this is was what gave its name to Capitol, as the Temple of Jupiter was always called. Tarquinius Superbus had partly finished the Capitol, when he received a very strange visit. The Sibyl, or prophetess, who dwelt in a cave at Cumae, came to see him. She carried nine rolls, or books, which she offered to sell them for three hundred pieces of gold. Not long after, the Sibyl again visited Tarquin. This time, she brought only six books but she still asked the same price. Tarquin, surprised, asked her what had become of the other volumes; and she answered shortly that they were burned. Tarquin again wanted to see the books, and was again refused. Then he found fault with the price, and again sibyl grew angry, and went away with her six volumes. she soon returned with only three volumes. She said that all the others were burned, and asked him three hundred pieces of gold for those that were left. The king, awed by her manner, bought them without further ado. When the priests opened the mysterious volumes, they said that the prophecies concerning Rome were too wonderful for any one but themselves to see. The books were therefore placed in a stone chest in the Capitol, where the priests guarded them night and day. From time to time, whenever any great trouble occurred, and the people did not know what to do, the augurs peeped into these volumes. Here they said they always found some good advice; but we now think that they pretended to read from the volume whatever they wished the Romans to do.