How Servius Tullius became a Roman noble:
Tarquinius Priscus met such an end after reigning for thirty-eight years. Thereupon, Tullius became the king of the Romans with the assistance of Tarquinius’ wife, Tanaquil. His mother, a woman named Ocrisia, was the bedmate of a man named Servius Tullius. She was taken in war and brought to Tarquinius. She gave birth, either already being pregnant when still in her home city, or conceiving after its capture – both stories are told. Tullius, as he was nearing the end of childhood, fell asleep upon a seat during the day, and fire seemed to project forth from his head. When Tarquinius saw this, he took the boy up with eagerness, and when he had reached the proper age, enlisted him among the patricians and the senate.
῾Ο μὲν οὖν Ταρκύνιος τοιοῦτον ἔσχε τέλος, τριάκοντα καὶ ὀκτὼ βασιλεύσας ἐνιαυτούς, τὴν δὲ τῆς ῾Ρώμης βασιλείαν ὁ Τούλλιος διεδέξατο, συνεργίᾳ τῆς τοῦ Ταρκυνίου γυναικὸς Τανακυιλίδος. τοῦτον δὲ γυνή τις ᾿Οκρισία καλουμένη, Σερουίου Τουλλίου ἀνδρὸς Λατίνου εὐνέτειρα ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ ἁλοῦσα καὶ τῷ Ταρκυνίῳ ἐξαιρεθεῖσα, τέτοκεν, ἢ ἐγκύμων οἴκοθεν οὖσα ἢ συλλαβοῦσα μετὰ τὴν ἅλωσιν· λέγεται γὰρ ἀμφότερα. οὗτος ἐς παῖδας ἤδη τελῶν ἐπὶ δίφρου μεθ’ ἡμέραν κατέδαρθε, καὶ πῦρ ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτοῦ κεφαλῆς πολὺ ἐδόκει ἐξάλλεσθαι. ὅπερ ἰδὼν ὁ Ταρκύνιος διὰ σπουδῆς ἦγε τὸν παῖδα, καὶ εἰς ἡλικίαν ἀφιγμένον τοῖς εὐπατρίδαις καὶ τῇ γερουσίᾳ συνέταξε.
