204 Gleanings from the 



foon deified under the title of Luperca, while the 

 Lycean Pan's feftival (fo called becaufe he kept 

 off wolves) was entitled Lupercalia, and was one 

 of the mod popular of the old Roman feftivities. 

 From the ftory connected with the birth of the 

 founder of the city, the wolf was deemed facred to 

 Mars. A clufter of Roman proverbs attached 

 itfelf to this animal. " Lupus in fermone " was 

 applied to any fudden appearance of the perfon 

 who was being fpoken of at the time. " To have 

 a wolf by the ears," meant to be in a fituation of 

 great difficulty, from which advance or retreat was 

 dangerous. " To fnatch the lamb from the wolf," 

 " to fet the wolf over the flock," and the like, are 

 famples of thefe proverbs. The reprefentation of 

 the wolf, fometimes with, fometimes without the 

 twin children, was a favourite device on Roman 

 coins. It appears alfo on one of Ilerda. Art and 

 poetry drew Romulus as rejoicing 



" Lupae fulvo nutricis tegmine." 



Among the magnificent imagery of the fhield 

 worked by Vulcan and given by Venus to JEneas, 

 we may be fure that thefe infant glories of the 

 State were not forgotten : 



" Fecerat et viridi foetam Mavortis in antro 

 Procubuiffe lupam ; geminos huic ubera circum, 

 Ludere pendentes pueros, et lambere matrem 

 Impavidos ; illam tereti cervice reflexam 

 Mulcere alternos et corpora fingere lingua." 1 



Dryden has caught much of the beauty of thefe 



lines : 



1 " ./En.," viii. 630. 



