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PLUTARCH'S LIVES.

which malefactors used to be flung. When the Sabines held the citadel, Romulus in fury challenged them to come down and fight. Tatius accepted his challenge with confidence, as he saw that if overpowered his men would have a strong place of refuge to retreat to. All the intermediate space, in which they were about to engage, was surrounded by hills, and so seemed to make a desperato battle necessary, as there were but narrow outlets for flight or pursuit. It chanced, also, that the river had been in flood a few days before, and had left a deep muddy pool of water upon the level ground where the Forum now stands; so that men's footing was not certain, but difficult and treacherous.

Sabines as they heedlessly pressed forward. Curtius, ono of their chiefs, a man with a reputation for dashing courage, rode on horseback far before the rest. His horso Plunged into this morass, and he, after trying to extricato him, at last finding it impossible, left him there and

Here a piece of good fortune befel the

Warned of their danger, the

saved himself. This place, in memory of him, is still called the Gulf of Curtius. Sabines fought a stout and indecisive battle, in which many fell, amongst them Hostilius. IIe is said to have Hostilius, who became king after the reign of Numa.

been

the husband of Hersilia and the grandfather of

Suppose; and especial mention is made of one, which proved the last, in which Romulus was struck on the head by a Palatine hill, abandoning the level ground. Romulus, The Romans now gave way to the Sabines, and fled to tho fugitives, and with loud shouts called upon them to stand · firm and fight. But as the stream of fugitives poured on,

stone and like to fall, and unable to fight longer.

now

and

hands

recovered from the blow, endeavoured to stay tho

o one had the courage to face round, he lifted his to heaven and prayed to Jupiter to stay the army

help it. After his prayer many were held back from flight and not to allow the tottering stato of Rome to fall, but to

by

resumed their confidenco. They made their first stand

reverence for the king, and the fugitives suddenly

whero

translate "He who makes to stand firm;" and then forming

now is the temple of Jupiter Stator, which one may

their ranks once more they drove back the Sabines as far as what is now called the Palace, and the Temple of Vesta.

XIX. While they were preparing to fight as though the battle was only now just begun, they were restrained by a strange spectacle, beyond the power of words to express. The daughters of the Sabines who had been carried off were seen rushing from all quarters, with loud shricks and wailings, through the ranks and among the dead bodies, as though possessed by some god. Some of them carried infant children in their arms, and others wore their hair loose and dishevelled. All of them kept addressing the Romans and the Sabines alternately by the most endearing names. The hearts of both armies were melted, and they fell back so as to leave a space for the women between them. A murmur of sorrow ran through all the ranks, and a strong feeling of pity was excited by the sight of the women, and by their words, which began with arguments and upbraidings, but ended in entreaties and tears."What wrong have we done to you," said they, "that we should have suffered and should even now suffer such cruel treatment at your hands? We were violently and wrongfully torn away from our friends, and after we had been carried off we were neglected by our brothers, fathers, and relatives for so long a time, that now, bound by the closest of ties to our enemies, we tremble for our ravishers and wrongers when they fight, and weep when they fall. Ye would not come and tear us from our ravishers while we were yet maidens, but now yo would separate wives from their husbands, and mothers from their children, a worse piece of service to us than your former neglect. Even if it was not about us that you began to fight, you ought to cease now that you have become fathers-in-law, and grandfathers, and relatives one of another. But if the war is about us, then carry us off with your sons-in-law and our children, and give us our fathers and relatives, but do not take our husbands and children from us. We beseech you not to allow us to be carried off captive a second time." Hersilia spoke at length in this fashion, and as the other women added their entreaties to hers, a truce was agreed upon, and the chiefs met in conferonco. Hereupon the women made their

PLUTARCH'S LIVES.

husbands and children known to their fathers and brothers, fetched food and drink for such as needed it, and took the wounded into their own houses to be attended to there. Thus they let their friends sco that they were mistresses of their own houses, and that their husbands attended to their wishes and treated them with every respect.

Buch women as chose to do so should continue to live with their husbands, free, as we have already related, from all work and duties except that of spinning wool (talasia); that the Romans and the Sabines should dwell together in the city, and that the city should be called Rome, after Romulus, but the Romans be called Quirites after the native city of Tatius; and that they should both reign and command the army together. The place where this Compact was made is even to this day called the Comitium,

for the Romans call meeting coire.

XX. Now that the city was doubled in numbers, a hundred more senators were elected from among the Sabines, and the legions were composed of six thousand three tribes, of which they named one Rhamnenses, from Romulus, another Titienses from Tatius, and the third Lucerenses, after the name of a grove to which many had

and six hundred cavalry. They also established

infantry

tribe and tribune show that there were three tribes. Each as citizens. They call a grove lucus. The very name of tribe was divided into ten centuries, which some say were named after the women who were carried off; but this seems to be untrue, as many of them are named after places. However, many privileges were conferred upon the women, amongst which were that men should make disgraceful in their presence, or appear naked before them, pain of being tried before the criminal court; and also their children should wear the bulla, which is so

way

on

that

for them when they walked out, to say nothing

called from its shape, which is like a bubble, and was

worn

their robe (prætexta).

round the neck, and also the

broad purple border of

bat each first took counsel with his own hundred senators The kings did not conduct their deliberations together,

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and then they all met together. Tatius dwelt where now is the temple of Juno Moneta, and Romulus by the steps of the Fair Shore, as it is called, which are at the descent from the Palatino hill into the great Circus. Iero they say the sacred cornel-treo grew, the legend being that Romulus, to try his strength, threw a spear, with cornelwood shaft, from Mount Aventine, and when the spear-head Bunk into the ground, though many tried, no one was able to pull it out. The soil, which was fertile, suited the wood, and it budded, and became the stem of a goodsized cornel-tree. After the death of Romulus this was preserved and reverenced as one of the holiest objects in the city. A wall was built round it, and whenever any one thought that it looked inclined to droop and wither he at once raised a shout to tell the bystanders, and they, just as if they were assisting to put out a fire, called for water, and came from all quarters carrying pots of water to the place. It is said that when Caius Caesar repaired the steps, and the workmen were digging near it, they unintentionally damaged the roots, and the tree died.

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XXI. The Sabines adopted the Roman system of months, and all that is remarkable about them will be found in the Life of Numa.' But Romulus adopted the large oblong Sabine shield, and gave up the round Argolic shields which he and the Romans had formerly carried. The two nations shared cach other's festivals, not abolishing any which either had been wont to celebrate, but introducing several new ones, among which are the Matronalia, instituted in honour of the women at the end of the war, and that of the Carmentalia. It is thought by some that Carmenta is the ruling destiny which presides over a man's birth, wherefore she is worshipped by mothers. Others say that she was tho wife of Evander the Arcadian, a prophetess who used to chant oracles in verse, and hence surnamed Carmenta (for the Romans call verses carmina); whereas it is generally admitted that her right name was Nicostrate. Some explain the name of Carmenta more plausibly as meaning that during her prophetic frenzy she was bereft of intellect; for the Romans call to lack, carere; and mind, mentem. We have spoken before of the feast of the Palilia. That

PLUTARCHI'S LIVES.

of the Lupercalia would seem, from tho timo of its cele bration, to be a ceremony of purification; for it is held during the ominous days of February, a month whose namo one might translato by Purification; and that particular day was originally called Febrató. The name of this feast account, to be very ancient, and derived from the Arcadians in Greek significs that of wolves, and it is thought, on this who came to Italy with Evander. Still this is an open question, for the name may have arisen from the she-wolf, the place where Romulus is said to have been exposed. th we see that the Luperci start to run their course from hard to conjecture their meaning. They slaughter goats, The circumstances of the ritual arc such as to make it and then two youths of good family are brought to them. Then some with a bloody knife mark the foreheads of tho dipped in milk. The youths are expected to laugh when youths, and others at once wipe the blood away with wool it is wiped away. After this they cut the skins of the goats into strips and run about naked, except a girdle round the middle, striking with the thongs all whom they

meet.

Wo

struck, as

Omen in the prime of life do not avoid being they believe that it assists them in childbirth

and promotes fertility. It is also a peculiarity of this festival that the Luperci sacrifico a dog. One Bontes,

who wrote an

myths, says

elegiac poem on the origin of the Roman that when Romulus and his party had killed

Amulius, they ran back in their joy to the place where the she-wolf suckled them when little, and that the feast is typical of this, and that the young nobles run,

"As, smiting all they met, that day

From Alba Romulus and Remus ran.”

Caius

The bloody sword is placed upon their foreheads in token with the milk is in remembrance of their nurse. of the danger and slaughter of that day, and the wiping Acilius tells us that, before the foundation of Romo, the invoking Faunus, 1 cattle of Romulus and Remus were missing, and they, after is the reason that the Luperci ran about naked. As for tho they might not be inconvenienced by sweat; and that this dog, one would say that if the sacrifice is purificatory, it is

ran out to search for them, naked, that

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