The History of Rome, Books I to VIII | Page 6

the beginning of the fray, having given out that enemies
had invaded the city, and assaulted the palace, after he had drawn off
the Alban youth to secure the citadel with a garrison and arms, when he
saw the young men, after they had killed the king, advancing to
congratulate him, immediately called an assembly of the people, and
represented to them the unnatural behaviour of his brother towards him,
the extraction of his grand-children, the manner of their birth and
education, and how they came to be discovered; then he informed them
of the king's death, and that he was killed by his orders. When the
young princes, coming up with their band through the middle of the
assembly, saluted their grandfather king, an approving shout, following
from all the people present, ratified to him both that title and the
sovereignty. Thus the government of Alba being committed to Numitor,
a desire seized Romulus and Remus to build a city on the spot where
they had been exposed and brought up. And there was an overflowing
population of Albans and of Latins. The shepherds too had come into
that design, and all these readily inspired hopes, that Alba and
Lavinium would be but petty places in comparison with the city which
they intended to build. But ambition of the sovereignty, the bane of
their grandfather, interrupted these designs, and thence arose a
shameful quarrel from a beginning sufficiently amicable. For as they
were twins, and the respect due to seniority could not determine the
point, they agreed to leave to the tutelary gods of the place to choose,

by augury, which should give a name to the new city, which govern it
when built.
7. Romulus chose the Palatine and Remus the Aventine hill as their
stands to make their observations. It is said, that to Remus an omen
came first, six vultures; and now, the omen having been declared, when
double the number presented itself to Romulus, his own party saluted
each king; the former claimed the kingdom on the ground of priority of
time, the latter on account of the number of birds. Upon this, having
met in an altercation, from the contest of angry feelings they turn to
bloodshed; there Remus fell from a blow received in the crowd. A more
common account is, that Remus, in derision of his brother, leaped over
his new-built wall, and was, for that reason, slain by Romulus in a
passion; who, after sharply chiding him, added words to this effect: "So
shall every one fare, who shall dare to leap over my fortifications."[12]
Thus Romulus got the sovereignty to himself; the city, when built, was
called after the name of its founder. His first work was to fortify the
Palatine hill where he had been educated. To the other gods he offers
sacrifices according to the Alban rite; to Hercules, according to the
Grecian rite, as they had been instituted by Evander. There is a tradition,
that Hercules, having killed Geryon, drove his oxen, which were
extremely beautiful, into those places; and that, after swimming over
the Tiber, and driving the cattle before him, being fatigued with
travelling, he laid himself down on the banks of the river, in a grassy
place, to refresh them with rest and rich pasture. When sleep had
overpowered him, satiated with food and wine, a shepherd of the place,
named Cacus, presuming on his strength, and charmed with the beauty
of the oxen, wished to purloin that booty, but because, if he had driven
them forward into the cave, their footsteps would have guided the
search of their owner thither, he therefore drew the most beautiful of
them, one by one, by the tails, backwards into a cave. Hercules,
awaking at day-break, when he had surveyed his herd, and observed
that some of them were missing, goes directly to the nearest cave, to
see if by chance their footsteps would lead him thither. But when he
observed that they were all turned from it, and directed him no other
way, confounded, and not knowing what to do, he began to drive his
cattle out of that unlucky place. Upon this, some of the cows, as they

usually do, lowed on missing those that were left; and the lowings of
those that were confined being returned from the cave, made Hercules
turn that way. And when Cacus attempted to prevent him by force, as
he was proceeding to the cave, being struck with a club, he was slain,
vainly imploring the assistance of the shepherds. At that time Evander,
who had fled from the Peloponnesus, ruled this country more by his
credit and reputation than absolute sway. He was a person highly
revered for his wondrous knowledge of letters,[13] a discovery that was
entirely new and