r power-For thirty years with all their turning months; Then shall he move
his capital from Lavinium To Alba Longa, which he shall fortify To the
uttermost; and there a line of kings... Shall reign and reign till Ilia [Rhea
Silvia], a priestess Of royal blood, bear twins begotten by Mars; And one of
these, Romulus, fostered by a she-wolf, And joyfully wearing her tawny hide,
shall rule And found a city for Mars, a new city, And call his people Romans,
after his name. For them I see no measure nor date, I grant themDominion without
end. Yes, even Juno...Even she will mend her ways and vie with me In cherishing
the Romans, the master-race, The wearers of the Toga. So it is willed."(Nardo
13) Finally, he wound up at the mouth of the Tiber River in Italy. He went
inland up the river, which was a miracle in itself, because the river is very
swift. He found Latium, ruled by King Latinus, and married his daughter,
Lavinia. With King Latinus' permission, Aeneas and Lavinia founded a city called
Lavinium, where they ruled side by side for many years. When Aeneas died, his
son Ascanius took over. Ascanius founded a new city, which he called Alba Longa,
and made it his capital. Now we advance four centuries. The king of Alba Longa
is Numitor. He had a jealous brother named Amulius, who seized the throne and
drove out Numitor. To prevent Numitor's daughter, Rhea Silvia, from having
children who could claim the throne, Amulius made her a celibate priestess.
While she was a priestess, Mars, the god of war, came and visited her and she
had twin boys named Remus and Romulus (Burrell 7). When Amulius found out about
the twins, he was furious. He ordered Rhea imprisoned and the boys drowned on
the Tiber. The slave who was ordered to drown them felt pity for them, and
instead sent them down the river in a basket. When they landed, a she-wolf found
them and nursed them because her cubs...