218 The Kingdom. R 0 
storm of hail and thunder dispersed the army; and the 
senators taking this opportunity, when they were left alone 
with the king, instantly killed him, and conveyed his body 
out of sight. Some writers tell us, that the better to conceal 
the fact, they cut his body in pieces, each of them carrying 
away a part under his robe; after which they told the 
multitude, that their king was on a sudden surrounded 
by flame, and snatched up into heaven. This stratagem, 
however, did not satisfy the soldiery, and violent disturbances 
were about to ensue, when Julius Proculus, a senator of 
great distinction, having assembled the curiae, told them that 
Romulus had appeared to him, and enjoined him to acquaint 
the people, that their king was returned to the gods from 
whom he originally came, but that he would continue to be 
propitious to them under the name of Quirinus; and to the 
truth of this story Julius swore. 
Romulus reigned,’ according to the common computa¬ 
tion, 37 years; but some historians reduce the length of his 
reign to little more than 17. Be this as it will, the death of 
Romulus was followed by an interregnum, during which the 
senators, to prevent anarchy and confusion, took the govern¬ 
ment into their own hands. Tatius had added another hundred 
to their body; and* these 200 senators divided themselves 
into decuries, or tens. These decuries drew lots which 
should govern first; and the decury to whose lot it fell 
enjoyed the supreme authority for five days; yet in such a 
manner, that one person only of the governing decury had 
the ensigns of sovereignty at a time. To these another 
decury succeeded, each of them sitting on the throne in his 
turn, &c. But the people soon growing weary of such fre¬ 
quent change of masters, obliged the senate to resolve on the 
election of a king. The senate referred the election to the 
people, and the people to the senate, who at last undertook 
the task. Some difficulties, however, occurred ; the Romans 
did not choose to be subject to a Sabine ; and the Sabines, 
as they had been subject to Romulusafter the death of Tatius, 
insisted that the king should be chosen out of their nation. 
At last it was agreed, that the king should be a Sabine, but 
that the Romans should make the choice. 
In consequence of this determination, the Romans elected 
Numa Pompilius, an austere philosopher, who had married 
Tatia, the daughter of Tatius the late king. After the death 
of his wife, he gave himself entirely up to philosophy and 
superstition, wandering from solitude to solitude, in search 
of sacred woods and fountains, which gave the people a 
great opinion of his sancity. The philosopher at first rejected 
the offer of the kingdom; but being at last prevailed upon, 
he set out for Rome, where he was received with loud accla¬ 
mations, and had his election unanimously confirmed by the 
senate. . 
The reign of Numa is by no means memorable for battles 
or conquests. He was averse to war; and made it his study 
to soften the manners of the Romans, rather than to exalt 
them to superiority over their neighbours. He dismissed the 
celeres, encouraged agriculture, and divided the citizens into 
distinct bodies of tradesmen. This last measure he took on 
purpose to abolish the distinction between Romans and 
Sabines, or Tatians and Romulists, which had hitherto rent 
the city into two factions; and this effectually answered his 
end: for now all of each particular profession, whether 
Romans or Sabines, were obliged to associate together, and 
had each their respective courts and privileges. In this 
division the musicians held the first rank, because they were 
employed in the offices of religion. The goldsmiths, car¬ 
penters, curriers, dyers, tailors, &c. formed also distinct 
communities; and were allowed to make bye-laws among 
themselves, to have their own festivals, particular sacri¬ 
fices, &c. 
Though Numa himself is said by Plutarch to have had 
pretty just notions of the Supreme Being, he neverthe¬ 
less added several superstilions to those he found in 
Rome. He divided the ministers of religion into eight 
classes, appointing to each their office with the. greatest 
precision; he erected a temple to Janus, the symbol of 
prudence, which was to remain open in time of war, and to 
M E. The Kingdom, 
be shut in time of peace. Another temple was erected to. 
Bona Tides ; and he invented a new kind of deities ealled- 
Dii Termini, or Gods of boundaries, which he caused to be 
placed on the borders of the Roman state, and of each man’s 
particular lands.—The last reformation which Numa under¬ 
took, was that of the kalendar. Romulus had divided his 
year into ten months, which, according to Plutarch, had no 
certain or equal number of days ; some consisting of 20, 
some of 35, &e. However, by other historians, we are in¬ 
formed that he allotted to March, May, Quintilis, and 
October, 31 days; to April, June, Sextilis, November, and 
December 30; making in all 304 days. But Numa being 
better acquainted with the celestial motions, added to these 
the two months of January and February. To compose 
these two months he added 50 days to the 304; and thus- 
made the year answer to the course of the moon. He then 
took six more from the months that had even days; and 
added one day merely out of superstition, that the year might 
prove fortunate ; for the pagans looked upon even numbers 
as unlucky, but imagined odd numbers to be fortunate. 
However, he could make out no more than 28 for February, 
and therefore that month was always reckoned unlucky 
among the Romans. Besides this, he observed the difference 
between the solar and lunar year to be 11 days; and to 
remedy the inequality, he added an intercalary month named 
Mercedinus or Mercedonius, of 22 days every two years: 
but as he knew also that the solar year consisted of 365 days 
6 hours, he ordered that every fourth year the month Mer- 
cedinus should consist of 23 days. The care of these.inter-, 
calations was left to the priests, who left out or put in the 
intercalary day or month as they imagined it to be lucky or 
unlucky ; and by that means created such confusion, that the 
festivals came in process of time to be kept at a season quite 
opposite to what they had been formerly. 
These are all the remarkable transactions of the reign of 
Numa, which is said to have continued 43 years; though 
some think that its duration could not be above 15 or 16. 
His death was followed by a short interregnum; after which 
Tullus IIostilius, the son or grandson of the famous Hersi- 
lia, was unanimously chosen king. Soon after his accession 
Ccelius, or, as he is called by Livy, Cluilius, who was at the 
head of the A1 ban republic, privately commissioned some of 
the most indigent of his subjects to waste the Roman territory; 
in consequence of which, a Roman army entered the ter¬ 
ritories of Alba, engaged the robbers, killed many, and took 
a great number, prisoners. A war soon commenced, in 
consequence of this, between the two nations; but when the 
armies came in sight of each other, their ardour cooled, 
neither of them seeming inclined to come to an engagement. 
This inaction raised a great discontent in the Alban army 
against Cluilius; insomuch that he came to a resolution of 
giving battle to the Romans next, morning, or of storming 
their trenches if they should decline it. Next morning, 
however, he was found dead in his bed ; after which the 
Albans chose in his stead one Mettus Fuffetius, a man re-, 
markable for his hatred to the Roman name, as Cluilius had 
been before him. Fuffetius, however, continued in the same 
state of inactivity as his predecessor, until he received certain 
intelligence that the Veientes and Fidenates had resolved to 
destroy both Romans and Albans when they should be 
weakened by a battle. Fuffetius then resolved to cometo an 
accommodation with the Romans; and, having obtained a 
conference with Tullus, both seemed equally desirous of 
avoiding the calamities of war. But, in order to establish 
the peace on the most perfect foundation, Tullus proposed 
that all, or at least the chief families in Alba, should remove 
to Rome; or, in case they were unwilling to leave their native 
city, that one common council should be established to 
govern both cities, under the direction of one of the two 
sovereigns. Fuffetius took aside those who,attended him, 
to consult with them about this proposal; but they, though 
willing to cometo an accommodation with Rome, absolutely 
refused to leave Alba. The only difficulty remaining, then, 
was to settle, which city should have the superiority; and as 
this could not be determined by argument, Tullus proposed 
