44 Servius Tullius the sixt K. of the Romans reigned foure and fortie yeeres.
AFter Priscus Tarquinius was slain, pre∣sently Servius Tullius was the first that (without any election of the people, yet with the general consent of the Nobles) tooke upon him the Romane kingdom, in the yeere from the foundation of the citie 176. Concerning whose conception, wee must not let passe that which Plinie writeth in the 36 booke after this manner. During the reigne of Tarquinius Priscus, there appeared sodainly the genital member of the masculine sex upon the herth where the fire was kept, and thereupon presently a captive woman & bond∣servant of Tanaquil the queen, named Ocrisia, sitting there by the fire side, conceived & was with child; and so was Servius Tullius borne, who succeeded in the kingdome. Afterwards as the boy lay asleep within the kings pallace, his head was seene on a light fire, and supposed he was the son of the familiar Lar of that house. In which regard, he instituted first the Compi∣talia and plaies to the Lares. Concerning his birth, Plutarch hath written more in his booke of the Romans fortune. By the crastie and sub∣till devise of his wives mother Tanaquil, he at∣tained to the crowne in the fourth yeere of the fifth Olympias, and reigned 44 yeeres: but by the vilanous complot of Tarquinius his sonne in law, and Tullia his owne daughter and Tar∣quins wife, hee was most impiously slaine in the verie street; which thereupon was called Sceleratus. As touching the yeeres of this kings reigne, some controversie there is among wri∣ters: for Livie, Dionysius, and Solinus (whom wee have followed) write, that hee reigned 44 yeeres: but Messala Corvinus, Sex. Ruffus, Eu∣tropius, Eusebius, Cassiodorus, and Bedas, 34, and not above. Howbeit, in adding those ten to the reigne of Tarquine afterwards, they hin∣der not this grosse summe and computation of the yeeres: for they set them downe 35, which Livie, Dionysius, and Solinus, make but 25. This K. tooke the name of Servius, by occasion of his owne fortune, for that his mother Ocri∣sia a captive (but a most beautifull and wise wo∣man of Corniculum) bare him during her bondage: but Tullius hee was called, by the name of his fathers kindred, as Dionysius wri∣teth in his fourth booke, reckoning up many acts by him atchieved.