PLUTARCHI'S LIVES. to sce, and gave all who saw it some ground for their him in the Temple of Vulcan, and, after killing, him cut folds of his robe. Others think that his disappearanco took place neither in the Temple of Vulcan, nor yet in the presence of the Senators alone, but say that Romulus was holding called the Goat's Marsh, when suddenly strange and an assembly without the city, near a placo wonderful things took place in the heavens, and marvellous changes; for the sun's light was extinguished, and night fell, not calm and quiet, but with terrible thunderings, gusts of wind, and driving spray from all quarters. nobles collected together by themselves. When the storm Hereupon the people took to flight in confusion, but the was over, and the light returned, the people returned to the place again, and searched in vain for Romulus, but were told by the nobles not to trouble themselves to look for him, but to pray to Romulus and reverence him, for propitious god for them instead of a good king. The People believed this story, and went their way re and unfriendly spirit and blamed the nobles for encouragwere some who discussed the whole question in a harsh ing the were the murderers of the king. people to such acts of fully when they themselves patricians, and of good reputation, being one of tho XXVIII. Now Julius Proculus, one of the noblest original colonists from Alba, and a friend and companion all men that as he was walking along the road Romulus of Romulus, came into the Forum, and thero upon his oath, and touching the most sacred things, stated before appeared, meeting him, more beautiful and taller than he Astonished at the vision he had spoken thus: "O king, for what reason or with what object have you left us exposed to an unjust and hateful suspicion, and left the er city desolato and plunged in the deepest grief?" Пo answered, "It pleased the gods, Proculus, that I should spend thus much time among mankind, and after founding a city of the greatest power and glory should return to heaven whence I came. Fare thee well; and tell the Romans that by courago and self-control they will attain to the highest pitch of human power. I will ever be for you the kindly deity Quirinus.' This tale was believed by the Romans from the manner of Proculus in relating it and from his oath: indeed a religious feeling almost amounting to ecstasy seems to have taken hold of all present; for no one contradicted him, but all dismissed their suspicions entirely from their minds and prayed to Quirinus, worshipping him as a god. This account resembles the Greek legends of Aristeas of Proconnesus, and that of Klcomedes of Astypalea. Tho story goes that Aristeas died in a fuller's shop, and that when his friends came to fetch his body it had disappeared; then some persons who had just returned from travel said that they had met Aristeas walking along the road to Kroton. Klcomedes, we are told, was a man of unusual size and strength, but stupid and half-crazy, who did many deeds of violence, and at last in a boy's school struck and broke in two the column that supported the roof, and brought it down. As the boys were killed, Kleomedes, pursued by the people, got into a wooden chest, and shut down the lid, holding in inside so that many men together were not able to force it open. They broke open the chest, and found no man in it, dead or alive. Astonished at this, they sent an embassy to the oracle at Delphi, to whom the Pythia answered, "Last of the heroes is Kleomedes of Astypalea.” And it also related that the corpse of Alkmena when it was being carried out for burial, disappeared, and a stone was found lying on the bier in its placo. And many such stories are told, in which, contrary to reason, the earthly parts of our bodies are described as being deified together with the spiritual parts. It is wicked and base to deny that virtue is a spiritual quality, but again it is foolish to mix earthly with heavenly things. We must admit, speaking with due caution, that, as Pindar has it, the bodies of all men follow over. powering Death, but thero romains a living spirit, the imago of eternity, for it alone comes from heaven. Thence it comes, and thither it returns again, not accompanied by the body, but only when it is most thoroughly Beparated and cleansed from it, and become pure and calls the best, which darts through the body like lightning incorporeal. This is the pure spirit which Herakleitus through body is like a dull, cloudy exhalation, hard to loose and free from the bonds of the body. Thero is no reason, cloud, whereas that which is clogged by tho up into heaven, which is contrary to nature; but we must believe that men's virtues and their spirits most certainly, naturally and rightly proceed from mankind to the heroes, and from them to the genii, and from thence, if they bo raised above and purified from all mortal and earthly taint, even as is done in the holy mysteries, then, not by likelihood they are received among the gods, and meet with the most blessed and glorious end. any empty vote of the senate, but in very truth and XXIX. Some say that the name Quirinus, which his people were called Quirites. Others, again, say that tho Romulus received, means Mars; others that it was because or spear was called by the ancients Quiris, and Statue of Juno leaning on a spear is called Juno spear-head that the Quirites, and that the dart which is placed in the Regia with a spear those who have distinguished themselves in is addressed as Mars, and that it is customary to present war, and therefore that it was as a warrior, or god of war, to him is built on the Quirinal Hill which bears his name, that Romulus was called Quirinus. A temple dedicated and the day of his translation is called the People's Flight, and the Nona Caprotina, because they go out of the city to the Goat's Marsh on that day to sacrifice, for in Latin a Called Capra. And as they go to the sacrifice they many of the names of the country, as Marcus, goat is call out on that Lucius, Caius, with loud shouts, in imitation of their panio and confusion. But some say that this is not an imitation after the Gauls had captured Rome and been driven out of terror, but of cagerness, and that this is the reason of it: by Camillus, and the city through weakness did not casily Occasion, and their calling to each other in fear recover itself, an army of Latins, under one Livius Postumius, marched upon it. IIo halted his army not far from Rome, and sent a herald to say that the Latins were willing to enw their old domestic ties, which had fallen into disuse, and to unite the races by new intermarriage. If, therefore, the Romans would send out to them all their maidens and unmarried women, they would live with them on terms of peace and friendship, as the Romans had long before done with the Sabines. The Romans, when they heard this, were afraid of going to war, yet thought that the surrender of their women was no better than captivity. While they were in perplexity, a female slave named Philotis, or according to some Tutola, advised them to do neither, but by a stratagem to avoid both war and surrender of the women. This stratagem was that they should dress Philotis and the best looking of the other female slaves like free women, and send them to the enemy; then at night Philotis said she would raise a torch, and the Romans should come under arms and fall upon the sleeping enemy. This was done, and terms were inade with the Latins. Philotis raised the torch upon a certain fig-treo with leaves which spread all round and behind, in such a manner that the light could not be seen by the enemy, but was clearly seen by the Romans. When they saw it, they immediately rushed out, calling frequently for cach other at the various gates in their eagerness. As they fell unexpectedly upon the enemy, they routed them, and keep the day as a feast. Therefore the Nones uro calle Caprotina because of the fig-tree, which the Romans call caprificus, and the women are feasted out of doors, under the shade of fig-tree boughs. And the female slaves assemble and play, and afterwards beat and throw stones at each other, as they did then, when they helped the Romans to fight. These accounts are admitted by but few historians, and indeed the calling out one another's names in the daytime, and walking down to the Goats' Marsh seems more applicable to the former story, unless, indeed, both of these events happened on the samo day. Romulus is said to have been fifty-four years old and to be in the thirty-eighth year of his reign when he disappeared from the world. PLUTARCH'S LIVES. COMPARISON OF THESEUS AND ROMULUS. I. THE above are all the noteworthy particulars which we have been able to collect about Theseus and Romulus. It scems, in the first place, that Theseus of his own freewill, and without any compulsion, when he might have reigned peacefully in Trozen, where he was heir to the kingdom, Romulus was an exile, and in the position of a slave; the Ro mean one, longed to accomplish heroic deeds: whereas fear of death was hanging over him if unsuccessful, and 80, as Plato says, he was made brave by sheer terror, and through fear of suffering death and torture was forced Alba, whereas Skeiron, Sinis, Prokrustes, and Korynetes achievement was the slaying of one man, the despot of Greece from terrible scourges, before those whom he saved greater actions of Theseus, and by slaying them he freed brigands, whereas Romulus could not be free from trouble fully over the sea to Athens, and had no trouble with thoso merely the accompaniments and prelude to the wero even kn while favour the ew who he was. He also might have sailed peace Amulius lived. And it is a great argument in of Theseus that he attacked those wicked men for at their hands; whereas the twins were unconcerned at sake of others, having himself suffered no wrong Amulius's tyranny so long as it did not affect themselves. And although it may have been a great exploit to receivo & Wound in fighting the Sabines, and to slay Acron, and to these, on Theseus's behalf, his battle with the Centaurs and many enemics in battle, yet we may compare with his campaign against the Amazons. As for the courage which Theecus showed in the matter of the Cretan tribute, when he voluntarily sailed to Crete with the youths and kill muidons, whether the penalty was to bo given to the |