Passed down from an Oracle named the Sibyl of Cumae, the Sibylline Books are a collection of oracular utterances. The myth says the Sibyl came to Tarquin, the last Roman king, and offered nine books for an immense price. Tarquin simply sent her away and continued doing his work. The Sybil burned three of the books and offered them for the same price, which was promptly rejected. She burned three more and did the same thing with the same reaction. She burned two more and offered the last one for the same price. The king was very curious and he could not believe someone would offer him one book for such a huge price and finally decided to buy it. All of the prophecies effecting the Roman Empire were said to have been in these books, but they have been lost for centuries.