Internal History—the Terentilian Law-Appointment of the ten High Commissioners to frame a Code of written Laws.-A.U.C. 284-303 181 The second Decemvirate-Story of Virginia-Revolution of 305. 247 Internal History-Constitution of the year 306-Valerian Laws and Trials of the Decemvirs-Reaction in favour of the Patricians- Internal History from 312 to 350-the Censorship, and the limitation of it by Mamercus Æmilius-Sp. Mælius and C. Ahala-the The Gauls invade Central Italy-Battle of the Alia-Burning of HISTORY OF ROME. CHAPTER, I. EARLY LEGENDS OF ROME. "The old songs of every people, which bear the impress of their character, and of which the beauties whether few or many must be genuine, because they arise only from feeling, have always been valued by men of masculine and comprehensive taste.”—Sir J. MACKINTOSH, Hist. of England, Vol. I. p. 86. THE LEGEND OF ÆNEAS. I. How Æneas sea from the land of WHEN the fatal horse was going to be brought within CHAP. the walls of Troy', and when Laocoon had been devoured by the two serpents sent by the gods to went over punish him because he had tried to save his country Troy to against the will of fate, then Æneas and his father the Latins. Anchises, with their wives, and many who followed their fortune, fled from the coming of the evil day. But they remembered to carry their gods with them3, who were to receive their worship in a happier land. They were guided in their flight from the city by the god Hermes, and he built for them a ship to 1 Arctinus, 'IXíov réρois, quoted by Proclus, Chrestomathia, p. 483. See Fynes Clinton, Fasti Hellen. Vol. i. p. 356. 2 Nævius, Fragm. Bell. Pun. I. 15-20. 3 See the Tabula Iliensis, taken VOL. I. 4 from Stesichorus. [Annali dell' In- 4 Tabula Iliensis, and Nævius, B The legend CHAP. carry them over the sea. When they put to sea, the I. star of Venus, the mother of Æneas, stood over of Eneas. their heads, and it shone by day as well as by night, till they came to the shores of the land of the west. But when they landed, the star vanished and was seen no more; and by this sign Æneas knew that he was come to that country wherein fate had appointed him to dwell. Of the sign which he him where he should build his city. The Trojans, when they had brought their gods on saw.showing shore, began to sacrifice. But the victim, a milkwhite sow just ready to farrow, broke from the priest and his ministers and fled away. Æneas followed her for an oracle had told him, that a four-footed beast should guide him to the spot where he was to build his city. So the sow went forwards till she came to a certain hill, about two miles and a half from the shore where they had purposed to sacrifice, and there she lay down and farrowed, and her litter was of thirty young ones. But when Æneas saw that the place was sandy and barren', he doubted what he should do. Just at this time he heard a voice which said, "The thirty young of the sow are thirty years; when thirty years are passed, thy children shall remove to a better land; meantime do thou obey the gods, and build thy city in the place where they bid thee to build." So the Trojans built their city on the spot where the sow had farrowed. Of his wars with the Now the land belonged to a people who were the people of the children of the soil", and their king was called Latinus. He received the strangers kindly, and granted to them seven hundred jugera of land, seven jugera country. 5 Varro de Rebus divinis, II. quoted by Servius, Æn. I. 381. Dionysius, I. 56. 6 7 Q. Fabius, apud Servium, Virg. Æn. I. v. 3. 8 "Aborigines."-Cato, Origines, apud Servium, Æn. I. v. 6. 9 Cato, apud Servium, Æn. XI. v. 316. But it should be observed that the MSS. of Servius give the number of jugera variously. |