Lucius Florus, and other Roman writers of good credit, give a different account of these brothers, and fay, that they were brought up by a fhe-wolf, who gave them fuck, and defended them from the other wild beafts. This circumstance of their nurture has been fo ftrongly established, that it has been always expreffed on the moft ancient medals and fculpture of the Romans.

However fabulous this account may be, it is with greater certainty related, that the two brothers, fome time after, became acquainted with their birth, depofed Amulius, and reftored Numitor, their grandfather, to the throne of Alba. They, at the fame time, determined to lay the foundation of a new town for themselves; but firft, according to the custom of the times, they applied to Augury for a declaration of the Gods where it fhould be built. Remus feated himself on the Aventine hill, where he faw fix vultures, and Romulus placed himself on the Palatine hill, where he faw twelve. Upon this, Romulus caufed the city to be built on that spot where the Gods had declared themselves in his favour, in the year before Chrift 735. A jealoufy, however, arifing from this incident, or from a difagreement upon the building or government of this new city, the brothers quarrelled, and Remus, in jumping over the city wall, in ridicule of its lownefs, was killed. Upon this event, the whole power rested in Romulus, who gave his own name to the infant city, and confecrated it to the god Mars. The city wanted inhabitants. To increase their number Romulus opened an afylum at Rome to fugitives, vagabonds, and flaves. He chofe an hundred fenators, who, from their age, were called Fathers, and their children Patricians.

The neighbouring nations refufing to ally themselves by marriages to this infant community, games were prepared in honour of Neptune; and, while people of both fexes flocked from all quarters to the fhew, the Roman youth entered in arms, and carried off the virgins.

Enraged at this injury and affront, the neighbouring tribes declared war. Conducting themfelves with more refentment than wisdom, they armed without concert, took the field one after another, and were fucceffively defeated.

The Sabines, the moft formidable of these foes, had made themselves mafters of the Tarpeian fortrefs, and Rome was on the point of yielding to their arms, when the Sabine women, who had been the cause of the war, threw themselves between the armies, and peace was made. The two people were

joined

joined in one, and Tatius reigned at Rome conjunctly with Romulus.

After the death of Tatius, Romulus reigned alone. Having fubjected feveral people of Latium, and difpofed of their lands by his fole authority; whilft he was reviewing his troops, at afmall diftance from the city, he disappeared.

The Senators were fufpected of having taken this opportunity of freeing themfelves of a prince, who had broke the original contract of government. They, indeed, imputed this difappearance of Romulus to the Gods; a great tempeft and eclipfe happening at the fame time, they gave out that in the midit of the tempeft, he was fuddenly caught up by the Gods, and carried into the heavens. The people were eafily perfuaded of the truth of this incident, and Julius Proculus, one of the Senators, declared that Romulus had appeared to him, and affured him, that the Gods had admitted him into their order, and charged the people to invoke him by the name of Quirinus. He was accordingly reckoned one of the Roman Deities, and divine honours were paid to him.

After an interregnum of a year, Numa Pompilius fucceeded Romulus in the government. This prince did not poffefs the military abilities of his predeceffor, but was in high reputation for his probity and civil virtues. He gave a proper check to the warlike ardour of this new state, by infpiring the people with a refpect for the laws, and a reverence for the Gods. He regulated the year, and gave the months January and February the firft place in the Romani calendar. He encouraged agriculture by dividing the lands among the poorer fort of his fubjects. Thus by wife regulations, and a mild government, it may be faid that Numa contributed more to the happiness, than Romulus did to the greatnefs of the Roman State. After a reign of forty-three years he died greatly lamented, not only by his own fubjects, but by all the neighbouring nations.

Tullus Hoftilius was chofen the third king of Rome. He was a bold and enterprifing Prince, and made great improvement in the art of war and military difcipline. He endeavoured to gain the love of the people by his liberality; for having a large patrimony of his own, fufficient to maintain the royal dignity, he beftowed upon his poorer fubjects the demefnes of the crown. He engaged in a war with the people of Alba, from whom the Romans were defcended.

The Albans, having committed fome depredations on the Roman Territory, Tullus declared war against them, but when both parties took the field, it was agreed to decide the

conteft by three combatants on each fide. The Albans named the Curiatii, three brothers, for their champions. The three fons of Horatius were chofen for the Romans.

The treaty being concluded, the three brothers on each fide, arrayed themfelves in armour, according to agreement, Each fide exhorts their respective champions, reprefenting to them, that their gods, their country, their parents, every individual in the city and army, now fixed their eyes on their arms and valour. The generous combatants, intrepid in themselves, and animated by fuch exhortations, marched forth, and ftood between the two armies. The armies placed themselves before their refpective camps, and were lefs folicitous for any prefent danger than for the confequence of this action. They therefore gave their whole attention to a fight, which could not but alarm them. The fignal is given. The combatants engage with hoftile weapons, and fhew themselves infpired with the intrepidity of two mighty armies. Both fides equally infenfible of their own danger, had nothing in view but the flavery or liberty of their country, whofe deftiny depended upon their conduct.

At the firft onfet, the clafhing of their armour, and the terrific gleam of their fwords, filled the fpectators with such trepidation, fear, and horror, that the faculty of fpeech and breath seemed totally fufpended, even while the hope of fuccefs inclined to neither fide, But, when it came to a clofer engagement, not only the motion of their bodies, and the furious agitation of their weapons arrefted the eyes of the fpectators, but their opening wounds and the ftreaming blood. Two of the Romans fell, and expired at the feet of the Albani, who were all three wounded. Upon their fall, the Alban army fhouted for joy, while the Roman legions remained without hope, but not without concern, being eagerly anxious for the furviving Roman, then furrounded by three adverfaries. Happily he was not wounded; but, not being a match for three, though fuperior to any of them fingly, he had recourfe to a ftratagem for dividing them, He betook himfelf to flight, rightly fuppofing that they would follow him at unequal diftances, as their ftrength, after fo much lofs of blood, would permit.

Having fled a confiderable way from the spot where they fought, he looked back, and saw the Curiatii pursuing at a confiderable diftance from one another, and one of them very near upon him. He turned with all his fury; and, while the Alban army were crying out to his brothers to fuccour

him,

him, Horatius, who had already flain the first enemy, rushed forward to a fecond victory.

The Romans encourage their champion by fuch acclamations as generally proceed from unexpected fuccefs. He, on the other hand, haftens to put an end to the fecond combat, and flew another, before the third, who was not far off, could come up to his affiftance.

There now remained only one combatant on each fide, but neither equal in ftrength, expectations, nor hopes. The Roman, who had received no hurt, and who was fired by gaining a double victory, advances with great confidence to his third combat. His antagonist, on the other hand, being weakened by lofs of blood and spent with running fo far, could scarce draw his legs after him, and, being already difpirited by the death of his brothers, prefents his throat to the victor; for, it could not be called a conteft. "Two," fays the exuiting Roman, "I have already facrificed to the manes of my brothers; the third I will offer up to my << country, that henceforth Rome may give laws to Alba." Upon which he transfixed him with his fword, who was fcarce able any longer to wield his weapons, and, as he lay gafping on the ground, ftripped him of his armour. The Romans received Horatius into their camp with an exultation great as their former fear. After this, each party buried their refpective dead, but with very different fentiments, the one refletung on the fovereignty they had acquired, and the other on their fubjection to the power of the Romans*.

When young Horatius, named Marcus, approached the gates of Rome, loaded with the fpoils of his vanquished antagonifts, he was met by his fifter, who had been promised in marriage to one of the Curiatii; and who forgetting the delicacy of her fex, and her condition as a bride, had anxioufly mingled with the crowd of applauding fpectators. On feeing her brother cloathed in an embroidered robe, which he had wrought for her lover, and in which he was to have been dreffed on their nuptial day, fhe burst into tears; the wildly tore her hair; and in the anguifh of her heart, keenly reproached the exulting conqueror with the murder of his near kinfman, and her bridegroom.

"Thy bridegroom!" exclaimed Marcus Horatius; O, "fifter, loft at once to virtue and to fhame! haft thou no "regard for the blood of thy brothers, or the glory of thy #country?-Go, then," faid he, in the heat of his patriotic

Livy,

indignation

indignation, "go to thy bridegroom!" drawing his fword and fheathing it in her breaft; "go! and carry with thee a "degenerate paffion, which has led thee to difgrace thy "family, and fully the fplendour of this illuftrious day. Be"gone, and fo perifh all, who weep at the death of an enemy "of Rome."

Old Horatius, their venerable father, though deeply ftung with grief, entered into the feelings of his heroic fon; and was fo far from refenting the death of his daughter, that he would not permit her body to be buried in the fepulchre of her ancestors, or her funeral to be honoured with the ufual folemnities. Tullus Hoftilius, however, found himself under the neceffity of bringing the victorious champion to trial, for the violence he had committed. Marcus Horatius was accordingly cited before the tribunal of the Duumviri, the proper judges of fuch crimes; and they condemned him to lofe his life, and ordered the lictors to bind his hands. But he, by the advice of the king, appealed to the affembly of the Roman people; and they repealed the fence the Duumviri, in confideration of the circumfline of the criminal, rather than out of lenity to his crime; laothing, by that precedent, their right of judging ultimately in capital

causes.

In a fhort time, the Albans again rebelled, and were defeated by Tullus, who razed the city of Alba to the ground, after it had flourished 487 years. He, at the fame time, transplanted the inhabitants into Rome, fettled them on Mount Cælius, and granted them all the Roman privileges. This prince died of a lingering diforder, after a reign of thirty-one years; or, as fome relate, he and his whole family perifhed by lightning.

Ancus Martius, who fucceeded on the death of Tullus, opened a door for farther conquefts, and the increafe of commerce, by establishing a port at Oftia, ten miles diftant from Rome, at the mouth of the river Tiber. He afterwards overcame the Volfci, Veientes, and other people who had revolted from their obedience to Rome; and spent the remainder of his reign in enriching his fubjects, and improving the city.

After the death of Ancus Martius, Lucumen, the fon of a Corinthian merchant, who had fettled at Tarquinium, by addrefs and intrigue, paved his way to the throne. He affumed the name of Tarquin.

As he was a stranger, in order to strengthen his authority in the fenate, and attach the people to his intereft, he created

a hundred