70 OF THE ORIGIN OF 



treating her with the respect due to her quality. 

 Lavinia considered her as a rival, and sought her 

 destruction; but Anna being admonished of this 

 in a dream, fled to the river Numichis, whereof she 

 was made a Nymph, as she told those who sought 

 for her, and ordered them to call her in future 

 Anna Perenna, because she should for ever re^ 

 main under those waters. 



placidi sum Nyinpha Numici : 



Amne pereune latens Anna Perenna vocor. 



Ovid, Fast. Lib. 3d, Vers. 653. 



The Albans instituted rejoicings on the banks of 

 the river, with dancing and feasting; and the Ro- 

 mans, in imitation of them, did the same on the 

 banks of the Tibe7\ The dances and sports were 

 very indecent and lascivious. Ovid has described 

 these festivals, which were celebrated on the 15th 

 March: they sacrificed to her for long life; amiare 

 et perennare. 



It is probable that this legend was a popular tra- 

 dition, merely local, peculiar to the Romans and 

 Albans; but it was not the sole conjecture, for, ac- 

 cording to Ovid, some supposed her to be the 

 Moon, some Themis, and others lo; some ima- 

 gined she was the daughter of Atlas, and some 

 took her for Amalthea, who nursed Jupiter in 

 his infancy; while others conceived her to be an 

 old woman of Bovilla, who was supposed to have 

 fed the people of Rome, in very ancient times, when 

 oppressed by famine, in a miraculous manner, and 

 to have then fled and disappeared in the holy Aven-f 

 tine Mount, and in gratitude for this relief this fes» 

 tival had been instituted by the Romans. 



Amidst so many conjectures, perhaps we may at 

 this distance of time discover the mystery at Be-r 



