ROME. 



and Etrurian territories. Afcanius was the fon of JEneas 

 by his firit wife, and of him Lavinia, who was left pregnant 

 by JEneas, began to be jealous, and retired to the woods, 

 where (he was delivered of a fon, which, from the place of 

 his birth, fhe named Silvias. Afcanius after a time dif- 

 covered the place of Lavinia's retreat, and perfuaded her 

 to return ; from this time he treated Silvius not only as a 

 brother, but refigned to him the kingdom as his rightful 

 inheritance, and built for himfelf a capital to a new ftate, 

 which he called Alba Longa. After he had reigned twelve 

 years in his new kingdom, Afcanius died, leaving a fon, 

 named lulus, between whom and Silvius the right of fuc- 

 ceffion lay, the latter being the fon, aud the former the 

 grandfon of jEneas. At length the two kingdoms were 

 united under Silvius ; and as a compenfation to lulus, he 

 was appointed to fovereign power in matters relating to 

 religion, a power which thenceforward continued in his 

 family. Silvius was fucceeded by thirteen kings of the 

 fame race, who reigned, it is faid, though with no great 

 probability, during a fpace of 400 years. Of thefe little 

 certain can be known ; one of them, it appears, was named 

 Tiberinus, who engaged in a war which proved fatal to him ; 

 for, in a battle which was fought on the banks of the Al- 

 bula, he was forced into that river and drowned, whence 

 the river was afterwards named the Tiber, which appellation it 

 has borne ever fince. Agrippa fucceeded Tiberinus, and 

 after him Alladius reigned, who was followed by Aventinus, 

 who left his name to a certain hill, in which he was in- 

 terred. Procas, the fucceffor of Aventinus, was father of 

 Numitor and Amulius, and at his death he bequeathed the 

 throne to Numitor. This prince was driven from the go- 

 vernment by Amulius, who, to fecure it lor himfelf, mur- 

 dered iEgeitus, Numitor's only fon, and forced his daughter, 

 Rhea Sylvia, to devote herfelf to the worfhip of Vella, by 

 which me was obliged to perpetual virginity. Her virtue, 

 it was feigned, was violated by the god Mars ; the con- 

 fequence of which was, that fhe was delivered of two 

 fons, who were placed in a wooden trough, and fent 

 floating down the Tiber. From this dangerous fituation 

 they were refcued by Faudulus, the king's fhepherd, and 

 fuckled by his wife Acca Laurentia, who, for her want of 

 good conduit, was named Lupa, a circumftance that gave 

 rife to the fable of the twins having been fuckled by a fhe- 

 wolf. 



Great care was taken of their education, and as they 

 grew up they exhibited fomething in their appearance and 

 behaviour, that denoted them to be above the common race 

 of (hepherds : and at length Fauitulus difclofed to them 

 their real defcent, which mfpired them with the ambition of 

 doing fomething worthy of their high birth. They had 

 already obtained the names of Romulus and Remus, and 

 before they had arrived at the age of manhood they had 

 taken part in a quarrel between Amulius and Numkor, in 

 which the former was depofed and killed, and the latter 

 placed on the throne of Alba. Numitor, in gratitude for 

 their fervice, advifed them to undertake the founding of 

 a new colony ; and to afiift them in the projeft, he be- 

 llowed upon them thofe lands near the Tiber where they 

 had been brought up, fupplied them with all kinds of in- 

 plements for breaking up the ground, and with flaves and 

 cattle, and granted full liberty to his fubjefts to join 

 them. 



For the more fpeedily carrying on their work, it was 

 thought proper to divide thofe who wer« employed in it 

 into two companies, one under each brother ; a circumftance 

 which, however well intended, gave birth to two rival fac- 

 tione, which openly manifefted themfelves when the choice 



12 



was to be made of a place for the building of their new city , 

 the one being for the mount Aventine, and the other for 

 the Palatine mountain : difputes on the fubjedl came at 

 kill to open hoflilities, and Remus was killed. By what 

 means his death happened is not certain ; but according 

 to Livy he was killed by the hand of his brother. 



Regal Slate of Rome. — Remulus, being now at the head 

 of the colony, applied all his talents to the rearing of the 

 new city, which he propofed to call after his own name. 

 He lixed upon mount Palatine for its fituation, and per- 

 formed all thofe ceremonies which were connected with the 

 fuperltition of the Etrurians. As to the exadt year of the 

 foundation of Rome, there is a confiderable difagreement 

 among chronologers, but it is generally referred to 753 

 before the birth of Chrifl. When the city was finifhed, 

 which probably confided of about a thoutand houfes, or 

 rude huts, the people, being allembled to make choice of a 

 government moll agreeable to their wiflies, determined upon 

 a monarchy, and refolved to take Romulus as their king. 

 Being, unquellionably, a man of a vigorous mind, he imme- 

 diately applied himfelf to the eltablifhment of good order, 

 and to the formation of certain rules or laws by which his 

 fubjedls were to be bound. He afl'umed a habit of diftin&ion 

 for himfelf, appointed twelve lidlors to attend him as guards, 

 and divided his fubjetts into different ranks. The lands he 

 diltributed into three portions, one for the fupport of go- 

 vernment ; another for the maintenance of religion ; and the 

 third he divided into equal portions of two acres to each 

 Roman citizen. After this he formed a fenate, confiding 

 of a hundred perions, afterwards increafed to 200, chofen 

 from among the fuperior clafs of the people, and from 

 whom the Patrician families were defcended. Thisaffembly 

 were not only to be judges in matters of fmall importance, 

 but to debate and refolve upon fuch public affairs as the king 

 propofed, and to determine them by a plurality of voices. 

 The people at large were allowed to create magiftrates, 

 enadl laws, and refolve upon any war in which the king 

 fhould propofe to engage. Romulus next proceeded to fettle 

 the religious affairs of his people, and he added many of the 

 Trojan deities to thofe whom the aborigines, or Italian 

 natives, already worfhipped. He chofe priells, inftituted 

 feltivals, and laid the foundation of a regular fyftem of 

 religion. 



After all that has been attributed to the political fagacity 

 and talents of Romulus, it is probable that the great out- 

 lines of the firfl conflitution had a natural foundation in the 

 ufages of barbarous nations ; though many of his infti- 

 tutions, it will be readily admitted, bear the traces of a 

 dilccrning and adlive mind. 



The Sabines were the mod formidable enemies of the 

 early Romans ; but after the death of Romulus, who reigned 

 37 years, Numa, a Sabine, was elefled king. He was, in 

 his own nature, formed for pacific meafures, and a wor- 

 fhipper of the gods ; he endeavoured to give his people the 

 fame eharatler. To increafe his influence, and render his 

 government more powerful, he pretended to divine infpira- 

 tion. As we have feen in fome preceding articles, fee 

 Calendar, Numa, &c. he reformed the calendar, divided 

 the year into twelve months, following the courfe of the 

 moon ; and diftinguifhed the days into thofe in which civil 

 occupations might be carried on, and thofe that were to be 

 devoted to religious purpoles. The bufinefs of agriculture 

 was lawful on the latter, as a religious duty. This wife 

 prince reigned forty-three years ; and was fucceeded by 



Tulhus Hollilius, whofe reign commenced in the year 

 670 B.C. His difpofition was the reverfe of that of Numa. 

 He made frequent wars upon his neighbours ; and alienated 



the 



