The Junior Classics, Volume 3: Tales from Greece and Rome
General
The Junior Classics, Volume 3: Tales from Greece and Rome
Children's literature; Mythology, Classical -- Juvenile literature
Æneas of Troy, coming to the land of Italy, took to wife Lavinia,
daughter of King Latinus, and built him a city, which he called Lavinium,
after the name of his wife. And, after thirty years, his son Ascanius
went forth from Lavinium with much people, and built him a new city,
which he called Alba. In this city reigned kings of the house and lineage
of Æneas for twelve generations. Of these kings the eleventh in descent
was one Procas, who, having two sons, Numitor and Amulius, left his
kingdom, according to the custom, to Numitor, the elder. But Amulius
drave out his brother, and reigned in his stead. Nor was he content with
this wickedness, but slew all the male children of his brother. And the
daughter of his brother, that was named Rhea Silvia, he chose to be a
priestess of Vesta, making as though he would do the maiden honor, but
his thought was that the name of his brother should perish, for they that
serve Vesta are vowed to perpetual virginity.
But it came to pass that Rhea bare twin sons, whose father, it was said,
was the god Mars. Very wroth was Amulius when he heard this thing; Rhea
he made fast in prison, and the children he gave to certain of his
servants that they should cast them into the river. Now it chanced that
at this season Tiber had overflowed his banks, neither could the servants
come near to the stream of the river; nevertheless they did not doubt
that the children would perish, for all that the overflowing of the water
was neither deep nor of a swift current. Thinking then that they had
duly performed the commandment of the king, they set down the babes in
the flood and departed. But after a while the flood abated, and left the
basket wherein the children had been laid on dry ground. And a she-wolf,
coming down from the hill to drink at the river (for the country in those
days was desert and abounding in wild beasts), heard the crying of the
children and ran to them. Nor did she devour them, but gave them suck;
nay, so gentle was she that Faustulus, the king’s shepherd, chancing to
go by, saw that she licked them with her tongue. This Faustulus took the
children and gave them to his wife to rear; and these, when they were
of age to go by themselves, were not willing to abide with the flocks
and herds, but were hunters, wandering through the forests that were in
those parts. And afterward, being now come to full strength, they were
not content to slay wild beasts only, but would assail troops of robbers,
as these were returning laden with their booty, and would divide the
spoils among the shepherds. Now there was held in those days, on the
hill that is now called the Palatine, a yearly festival to the god Pan.
This festival King Evander first ordained, having come from Arcadia, in
which land, being a land of shepherds, Pan that is the god of shepherds
is greatly honored. And when the young men and their company (for they
had gathered a great company of shepherds about them, and led them in
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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