LEGENDS OF THE SEVEN KINGS OF ROME 3
new kind of cub , for she carried them to her den and nursed them there for some time. At length they were discovered by a shepherd named Faus'tu-lus . He frightened the wolf away and carried the babies home to his wife . When Rom' u - lus and Re'mus, as they were called , had grown up, Faus tulus told them that they were not his children, but the grandsons of Numi tor, and that Numitor was the rightful king. Then the young men and their shepherd friends overcame the wicked Amulius. He was put to death, and the kingdom was given back to Numi tor .
The two brothers de- THE FINDING OF ROMULUS AND REMUS termined to form a kingdom for themselves , and to build a city near the place where they had been thrown into the water . But now there was trouble , for it was fitting that the elder brother should give his name to the city , and they were twins ! Let the gods decide, they said . So Romulus climbed the Palatine Hill and Remus the Av'en-tine , and they watched all day and all night; but the gods gave them no sign . Just at sunrise, however, Remus saw six vultures fly across the sky. His followers shouted with delight and hailed him as king. While they were still shouting, the friends of Romulus cried out joyfully ; for , behold , Romulus had seen
a flight of twelve vultures! But who could say whether it was worth more to see six birds first or twelve birds second ?
The question seems to have been settled in some way in favor of Romulus, for he began to build on the Palatine Hill a wall for a town . Remus jumped over it and said scorn a fully, That is what your enemies will do . And this is the way they will fare ," retorted Romulus , and struck his brother angrily . Remus fell down dead , and all his life Romulus grieved for the brother whom he had slain in a moment of anger.
The walls were completed and the place was named Rome ; but it needed people . I will admit as citizens whoever choose to come, said Romulus ; and at this , there came crowds of men who had fled from their enemies or from jus tice. Romulus took them in and protected them.
Rome became strong , but the men of the neighboring states looked upon it scornfully and would not allow their daughters to marry Romans. If you want wives to match your men , they said to Romulus , you would better open an asylum for women slaves and thieves and outcasts."
Romulus kept his temper, and a little later he even invited his scornful neighbors to some games in honor of Nep'tune. All were curious to see the new city , and they did not wait for any urging. The Sa'bines especially came in full numbers and brought their wives and children also . The Romans enter tained them hospitably , and soon the guests were all eagerly watching the games . Suddenly the Romans rushed upon their visitors , seized the young maidens among them , and carried them away to become their wives.
LEGENDS OF THE SEVEN KINGS OF ROME 5
Then the Romans fought with one tribe after another , with the Sabines last of all , because these people waited till they were fully prepared to fight. The most important thing for the Sabines to do was to take the Roman citadel, that is , the strong fortress which Romulus had built on a hill to protect the city , and they secretly asked the young girl Tar -pe'i- a ,' daughter of the Roman commander, what reward she would demand to let them in . Give me what you wear on your left arms, she replied , pointing to their heavy golden bracelets . They agreed and she opened the gate . But they also carried their shields upon their left arms , and they felt such scorn for the disloyal maiden that they threw these upon her, and so crushed her to death . That is why the cliff on one side of the ledge on which the citadel stood is called the Tar peian Rock . For many years afterward , traitors were pun ished by being hurled from this very cliff . When the Sabines were once within the city , a savage fight followed between them and the Romans ; but now the stolen women had a word to say . Their husbands had treated them kindly and they had become fond of their new homes. They ran fearlessly into the battle, straight between the angry fighters, and begged on the one side their fathers , and on the other their husbands, not to murder one another . The men were so amazed that they stopped fighting, and after a parley they agreed to make peace and even to dwell together as one nation .
Many of the ideas and customs of Rome, which were
· Pronounce Tar -pe'ya . Note that i preceded by an accented vowel , and fol lowed by an unaccented one , has the sound of y in yes .