§3.35.1ταῦτα διαπραξάμενος ἐπὶ τῆς ἰδίας ἀρχῆς βασιλεὺς Τύλλος Ὁστίλιος, ἀνὴρ ἐν ὀλίγοις ἄξιος εὐλογεῖσθαι τῆς τε εὐτολμίας ἕνεκα τῆς πρὸς τὰ πολέμια καὶ τῆς φρονήσεως τῆς περὶ τὰ δεινά, ὑπὲρ ἄμφω δὲ ταῦτα, ὅτι οὐ ταχὺς ὢν εἰς πόλεμον ἰέναι βέβαιος ἦν καταστὰς εἰς αὐτὸν ἐν ἅπασι τῶν ἀντιπάλων προέχειν, ἔτη δὲ κατασχὼν τὴν ἀρχὴν δύο καὶ τριάκοντα τελευτᾷ τὸν βίον ἐμπρησθείσης τῆς οἰκίας, καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ γυνή τε ἀπόλλυται καὶ τέκνα καὶ ὁ ἄλλος οἰκετικὸς ἅπας ὄχλος καταληφθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρός.
Having accomplished these things during his own reign, King Tullus Hostilius—a man worthy to be praised among few, both for his courage in military affairs and for his wisdom in times of danger, and above both of these, because, though he was not quick to enter into war, once he was engaged in it, he was steadfast in excelling his rivals in all things—after holding the sovereignty for thirty-two years, ended his life when his house was set on fire; and with him perished both his wife and his children, and all the rest of the crowd of household servants, being caught by the fire.
§3.35.2καταπρησθῆναι δὲ τὴν οἰκίαν οἱ μὲν ὑπὸ κεραυνοῦ λέγουσι μηνίσαντος τοῦ θεοῦ διʼ ὀλιγωρίαν ἱερῶν τινων ʽἐκλιπεῖν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς ἐκείνου πατρίους τινὰς θυσίας, ἑτέρας δʼ οὐχ ὑπαρχούσας ἐπιχωρίους Ῥωμαίοις παραγαγεῖνʼ, οἱ δὲ πλείους ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνης φασὶν ἐπιβουλῆς τὸ πάθος γενέσθαι ἀνατιθέντες τὸ ἔργον Μαρκίῳ τῷ μετʼ ἐκεῖνον ἄρξαντι τῆς πόλεως.
As for the burning of the house, some say it was caused by a thunderbolt, because the god was angered by the neglect of certain sacred rites (for they say that during his reign some ancestral sacrifices were neglected, and others, which were not indigenous to the Romans, were introduced); but the majority say that the disaster arose from human conspiracy, attributing the deed to Marcius, who ruled the city after him.
§3.35.3τοῦτον γὰρ ἐκ τῆς Νόμα Πομπιλίου θυγατρὸς γενόμενον ἄχθεσθαί τε, ὅτι ἐκ βασιλείου γένους πεφυκὼς αὐτὸς ἰδιώτης ἦν, καὶ γένος ἐπιτρεφόμενον ὁρῶντα τῷ Τύλλῳ παντὸς μάλιστα ὑποπτεύειν, εἴ τι πάθοι Τύλλος εἰς τοὺς ἐκείνου παῖδας ἥξειν τὴν ἀρχήν.
For they say that this man, being born of the daughter of Numa Pompilius, was resentful that, although born of royal descent, he was himself a private citizen, and seeing a family growing up under Tullus, he suspected above all things that, if anything should happen to Tullus, the sovereignty would go to his children.
ταῦτα δὴ διανοούμενον ἐκ πολλοῦ στήσασθαι κατὰ τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπιβουλὴν πολλοὺς ἔχοντα Ῥωμαίων τοὺς συγκατασκευάζοντας αὐτῷ τὴν δυναστείαν, φίλον δὲ ὄντα τοῦ Τύλλου καὶ ἐν τοῖς μάλιστα πιστευόμενον φυλάττειν ὅτε καιρὸς ἐπιτήδειος φανείη τῆς ἐπιθέσεως.
Thinking on these things, he had long since formed a conspiracy against the king, having many of the Romans to assist him in establishing his power; and being a friend of Tullus and trusted among the most, he watched for when a favorable opportunity for the attack should appear.
§3.35.4μέλλοντος δὲ τοῦ Τύλλου θυσίαν τινὰ κατʼ οἶκον ἐπιτελεῖν, ἣν αὐτοὺς μόνον ἐβούλετο τοὺς ἀναγκαίους εἰδέναι, καὶ κατὰ δαίμονα τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης χειμερίου σφόδρα γενομένης κατά τε ὄμβρον καὶ ζάλην καὶ σκότος, ὥστʼ ἔρημον ἀπολειφθῆναι τὸν πρὸ τῆς οἰκίας τόπον τῶν φυλαττόντων, ἐπιτήδειον ὑπολαμβάνοντα τὸν καιρὸν ἅμα τοῖς ἑταίροις ἔχουσιν ὑπὸ ταῖς περιβολαῖς τὰ ξίφη παρελθεῖν εἴσω τῶν θυρῶν, ἀποκτείναντα δὲ τὸν βασιλέα καὶ τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὅσοις ἐνέτυχεν ἐνεῖναι πῦρ εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν κατὰ πολλοὺς τόπους, ταῦτα δὲ πράξαντα τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς κεραυνώσεως διασπεῖραι λόγον.
And when Tullus was about to perform some sacrifice at home, which he wished only his nearest relations to know of, and by chance that day turned out very wintry with rain and tempest and darkness, so that the place in front of the house was left deserted by the guards, Marcius, conceiving the opportunity to be favorable, entered within the doors together with his associates, who had their swords under their cloaks; and having killed the king, his children, and as many of the others as he met with, he set fire to the house in many places, and after doing this, he spread the report about the thunderbolt.
§3.35.5ἐγὼ δὲ τοῦτον μὲν οὐ δέχομαι τὸν λόγον οὔτʼ ἀληθῆ νομίζων οὔτε πιθανόν, τῷ δὲ προτέρῳ μᾶλλον προστιθέμενος κατὰ δαίμονα νομίζω τὸν ἄνδρα ταύτης τῆς τελευτῆς τυχεῖν.
For my part, I do not accept this account, believing it to be neither true nor probable, but rather incline to the former, and believe that the man met with this end by divine providence.
οὔτε γὰρ ἀπόρρητον φυλαχθῆναι τὴν πρᾶξιν ὑπὸ πολλῶν συσκευαζομένην. εἰκὸς ἦν, οὔτε τῷ συστήσαντι αὐτὴν βέβαιον ἦν ὅτι μετὰ τὴν Ὁστιλίου τελευτὴν ἐκεῖνον ἀποδείξουσι Ῥωμαῖοι βασιλέα τῆς πόλεως, οὔτʼ εἰ τὰ παρʼ ἀνθρώπων αὐτῷ πιστὰ καὶ βέβαια ἦν, τά γέ τοι παρὰ τῶν θεῶν ὅμοια ἔμελλε ταῖς ἀνθρωπίναις ἀγνοίαις ἔσεσθαι.
For it was not likely that an action planned by so many could be kept secret, nor was it certain for the one who devised it that after the death of Hostilius the Romans would declare him king of the city, nor, even if human matters were trustworthy and secure for him, were the designs of the gods likely to be in conformity with human ignorance.
§3.35.6μετὰ γὰρ τὴν ὑπὸ τῶν φυλῶν γενησομένην ψηφηφορίαν τοὺς θεοὺς ἔδει τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτῷ διʼ οἰωνῶν αἰσίων ἐπιθεσπίσαι· ἄνδρα δὲ μιαρὸν καὶ τοσούτοις ᾑμαγμένον φόνοις ἀδίκοις τίς ἔμελλε θεῶν ἢ δαιμόνων παρήσειν βωμοῖς τε προσιόντα καὶ θυμάτων καταρχόμενον καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ἐπιτελοῦντα θεραπείας;
For after the voting to be held by the tribes, the gods had to sanction his kingship through favorable omens; and who among the gods or spirits was likely to permit a defiled man, stained with so many unjust murders, to approach the altars, to begin the sacrifices, and to perform the other rites of worship?
ἐγὼ μὲν δὴ διὰ ταῦτα οὐκ εἰς ἀνθρωπίνην ἐπιβουλὴν ἀλλʼ εἰς θεοῦ βούλησιν τὸ ἔργον ἀναφέρω, κρινέτω δʼ ἕκαστος ὡς βούλεται.
For these reasons, therefore, I attribute the event not to human conspiracy but to the will of God; however, let everyone judge as he pleases.