Of the ORIGIN of the ROMANS.
_(Year of the World, 2800--Before Christ, 1184.)_
All [1]nations [2]seem [3]willing to [4]derive [5]merit from the
[6]splendor of their [7]origin, and [8]where [9]history [10]is silent,
they [11]generally [12]supply the [13]defect with [14]fable. The
[15]Romans were [16]particularly [17]desirous of being [18]thought
[19]descended from the [20]Gods, [21]as if they would [22]hide the
[23]meanness of their [24]real [25]ancestry. [26]Æneas, the [27]son of
[28]Venus and [29]Anchises, having [30]escaped from the [31]destruction
of [32]Troy, [33]after [34]many [35]adventures and [36]dangers
[37]arrived in [38]Italy, [39]where he was [40]kindly [41]received
by [42]Latinus, [43]king of the [44]Latins, who [45]gave him his
[46]daughter [47]Lavinia in [48]marriage. Italy was [49]then [50]as
it is [51]now, [52]divided into a [53]number of [54]small [55]states,
[56]independent of [57]each other, and, [58]consequently, [59]subject
to [60]frequent [61]contentions [62]among themselves. [63]Turnus,
[64]king of the [65]Rutuli, was the [66]first who [67]opposed Æneas,
he having [68]long [69]made pretensions to Lavinia himself. A [70]war
[71]ensued, in which the [72]Trojan [73]hero was [74]victorious, and
[75]Turnus [76]slain. In [77]consequence of this, Æneas [78]built a
[79]city, which was [80]called [81]Lavinium, in [82]honour of his
[83]wife; and [84]some time after [85]engaging in another [86]war
[87]against [88]Mezentius, one of the [89]petty kings of the
[90]country, he was [91]conquered in his [92]turn, and [93]died in
[94]battle, after a [95]reign of four [96]years.
[97]Ascanius, his [98]son, [99]succeeded to the [100]kingdom, and to
him, Silvius, a [101]second son, [102]whom he had by Lavinia. It would
be [103]tedious to [104]recite a [105]dry [106]catalogue of the kings
that [107]followed, and of whom we [108]know [109]little more than
their [110]names; it will be [111]sufficient to [112]say, that the
[113]succession [114]continued for [115]near [116]four [117]hundred
[118]years in the [119]family, and that [120]Numitor was the [121]last
king of Alba.