_(Of the World, 3301--Before Christ, 753.)_
The [1]twelfth [2]king of the [3]Latins after [4]Æneas, was [5]Amulius,
who [6]circumvented his [7]brother [8]Numitor, to whom the [9]right of
[10]succession [11]appertained, upon the [12]account of his [13]age.
Numitor had an [14]only [15]daughter [16]called Sylvia, and [17]Romulus
and [18]Remus, [19]twin brothers, and founders of Rome, were, as it
is said in fable and history, the [20]sons of [21]Mars and Sylvia.
The children being [22]exposed by the [23]king’s [24]order, were
[25]privately [26]educated by one [27]Faustulus, a [28]shepherd. When
they were [29]grown up, they [30]slew Amulius, [31]restored their
[32]grandfather, to his [33]kingdom, and [34]built [35]Rome 753 years
before [36]Christ was [37]born.
Romulus, having [38]put his [39]rival brother to [40]death, [41]was
[42]proclaimed king by his [43]followers; and having [44]settled the
[45]state [46]affairs, and [47]being in want of females, he [48]seized
upon all the [49]young women that [50]came to [51]see the [52]public
[53]games at Rome; upon which a [54]terrible and long [55]war with the
[56]Sabines [57]ensued.
The [58]Cæninenses, [59]Antemnates, and [60]Crustumini were
[61]conquered; and [62]at last the [63]Sabines, under the
[64]conduct of [65]Tatius, [66]bearing hard upon the Romans, by the
[67]interposition of the [68]Sabine women who had been [69]detained at
Rome, it was [70]agreed upon [71]betwixt both [72]parties, [73]that
they should [74]jointly [75]inhabit Rome, and Romulus and Tatius should
[76]reign [77]together. Tatius being [78]slain six [79]years after,
Romulus reigned [80]alone, and [81]completed the [82]term of 38 years,
having conquered the [83]neighbouring cities. At last, [84]a great
[85]tempest [86]arising as he [87]held an [88]assembly at the [89]lake
of Caprea, [90]he was no where to be found, being [91]torn in pieces
by the [92]senators (as it was [93]generally [94]thought) to whom he
was [95]now [96]grown [97]odious on [98]account of his [99]cruelty.
He [100]first [101]divided the city into [102]thirty [103]curiæ, and
[104]three [105]tribes. The [106]poor he [107]put [108]under the
[109]protection of the [110]great, whom he [111]named [112]patricii.
He [113]triumphed [114]three times [115]over his [116]vanquished
[117]enemies; [118]first, over the Cæninenses, and Antemnates, in which
[119]war having [120]killed their [121]king [122]Acron [123]with his
own hand, he [124]consecrated his first [125]spoils to [126]Jupiter
Feretrius; [127]secondly, over the [128]Camerini; [129]thirdly, over
the [130]Fidenates, and [131]Veientes.
[132]After an [133]interregnum of a [134]year’s continuance, [135]Numa
Pompilius, a Sabine, [136]born at [137]Cures, was [138]chosen king
by the Romans, 714 years before [139]Christ was [140]born; [141]who
[142]applying himself to the [143]preservation of the public
[144]quiet, [145]instituted all the [146]religious [147]rites of
the Romans. He [148]made an [149]addition of two [150]months to the
year, which [151]till that time had [152]consisted of [153]ten, and
[154]reigned forty-three years.
[155]The third king of the Romans was [156]Tullus Hostilius, a [157]man
of a [158]restless temper, and [159]fit for nothing but war. He
[160]conquered the Albans, and [161]destroyed their city, after he had
first [162]removed the [163]inhabitants, and all their [164]substance
to Rome; and [165]torn to pieces, [166]tied [167]betwixt two
[168]chariots, [169]Metius Fusetius, [170]dictator of the [171]Albans,
[172]convicted of [173]treachery. He [174]triumphed [175]three times
over the Albans, the [176]Fidenates, and the Sabines. He [177]reigned
[178]thirty-two years, and [179]perished with his [180]wife, and
[181]whole family, by [182]a thunderbolt [183]from heaven.
The [184]fourth king that reigned at Rome was [185]Ancus Martius,
[186]grandson to Numa Pompilius, by whom the [187]Latins were
[188]subdued, and most of them [189]taken into the city, and
[190]settled in the [191]Aventine mount; [192]the Janiculum was
[193]fortified by him, a [194]bridge made over the [195]Tiber, and
Ostia [196]built. He reigned 24 years.
The [197]fifth king of Rome was [198]Tarquinius Priscus, the
[199]son of [200]Demaratus, a [201]Corinthian. He [202]came to Rome
from [203]Tarquinii, a [204]town of Etruria, [205]from whence he
was [206]called [207]Lucius Tarquinius. After he [208]came to the
[209]government, he [210]augmented the [211]senate, [212]subdued the
[213]twelve [214]nations of Etruria, and [215]borrowed from them
the [216]ensigns of [217]supreme [218]power, the [219]fasces; the
[220]trabea; the [221]curule chair; the [222]prætexta; and other
[223]things of that [224]kind. He was slain by the sons of [225]Ancus,
after he had reigned 38 years.
His [226]son-in-law Servius Tullius, the [227]sixth in [228]order,
[229]began his [230]reign in the year 577 before Christ. He was for
his [231]rare [232]endowments [233]preferred before those of the royal
[234]blood. He first [235]instituted the [236]census, and [237]ordered
it to be [238]kept [239]every five years; [240]divided the [241]people
into [242]classes, and [243]centuries, and [244]enlarged the city: and
after he had [245]governed the [246]kingdom with great [247]applause 44
years, he was [248]murdered through the [249]horrid [250]wickedness of
his own [251]daughter, and Tarquin his [252]son-in-law.
The [253]seventh and [254]last king that reigned at Rome was Tarquin,
[255]surnamed [256]the Proud, whom [257]most of the [258]old Roman
[259]authors [260]affirm to be the son of [261]Priscus; [262]but
[263]Dionysius [264]will have him to be his grandson. He [265]governed
the [266]kingdom he had [267]procured by his [268]wickedness [269]no
better than he got it, being [270]cruel to the [271]senators, and
his [272]other [273]subjects. He [274]conquered the [275]Volsci, the
Sabines, and Gabii; and having [276]built the [277]Capitol with the
[278]spoils of the cities he had [279]taken, he was [280]at last
[281]turned out of the city, and of his kingdom, for a [282]violence
[283]committed by his [284]son upon [285]Lucretia.