ive you to us in marriage. But now ye shall be held in all honour as
our wives, and shall have your portion of all that we possess. Put away
therefore your anger, for ye shall find us so much the better husbands
than other men, as we must be to you not for husbands only but parents
also and native country."

In the meanwhile the parents of them that had been carried off put on
sackcloth, and went about through the cities crying out for vengeance
upon the Romans. And chiefly they sought for help from Titus Tatius,
that was king of the Sabines in those days, and of great power and
renown. But when the Sabines seemed to be tardy in the matter, the men
of Caere first gathered together their army and marched into the country
of the Romans. Against these King Romulus led forth his men and put them
to flight without much ado, having first slain their king with his own
hand. After then returning to Rome he carried the arms which he had
taken from the body of the king to the hill of the Capitol, and laid
them down at the shepherds' oak that stood thereon in those days. And
when he had measured out the length and breadth of a temple that he
would build to Jupiter upon the hill, he said, "O Jupiter, I, King
Romulus, offer to thee these arms of a King, and dedicate therewith
a temple in this place, in which temple they that come after me shall
offer to thee like spoils in like manner, when it shall chance that the
leader of our host shall himself slay with his own hands the leader of
the host of the enemy." And this was the first temple that was dedicated
in Rome. And in all the time to come two only offered in this manner,
to wit, Cornelius Cossus that slew Lars Tolumnius, king of Veii, and
Claudius Marcellus that slew Britomarus, king of the Gauls.

After this, King Tatius and the Sabines came up against Rome with a
great army. And first of all they gained the citadel by treachery in
this manner. One Tarpeius was governor of the citadel, whose daughter,
Tarpeia by name, going forth from the walls to fetch water for a
sacrifice, took money from the King that she should receive certain of
the soldiers within the citadel; but when they had been so received, the
men cast their shields upon her, slaying her with the weight of them.
This they did either that they might be thought to have taken the place
by force, or that they judged it to be well that no faith should be kept
with traitors.

[Illustration: The Death of Tarpeia 038]