of the city (753 B.C.), and often the names of the
Consuls of that year were added.

RELIGION.

The Romans were religious, and had numerous gods and goddesses: JUPITER
and JUNO, the god and goddess of light; SATURN, the god of seed-sowing;
TELLUS, the goddess of the nourishing earth; CERES, the goddess of
growth; CONSUS and OPS, who presided over the harvest; PALES, the god of
the flocks; and LUPERCUS, the god of fertility. Various festivals
were celebrated in honor of these, as the Saturnalia, in December; the
Tellilia (Tellus), Cerialia (Ceres), and Palilia (Pales), in April; and
the Lupercalia, in February.

VESTA was the goddess of the house, and as every family had an altar
erected for her worship, so the state, as a combination of families, had
a common altar to her in the temple of Vesta. In this temple were also
worshipped the Penates and Lares.

The LARES were special guardians of private houses. Some protected
fields and cities. Images of Lares of diminutive size, clad often in
dog-skins, were ranged along the hearth. The people honored them on the
Kalends of May and other festival days by decking them with flowers, and
by offering them wine, incense, flour, and portions of their meals upon
plates.

The PENATES were kept and worshipped only in the inmost chambers of
houses and temples. Their statues, made of wax, wood, or ivory, were
also kept in the inner hall.

The priestesses of Vesta were six in number, and were called VESTAL
VIRGINS. When a vestal was to be elected, the Pontifex Maximus chose
twenty young girls from high families. Of these one was chosen by lot
to fill the vacancy, and she was bound to serve for thirty years. The
Vestals were preceded by a lictor when in public. They had private seats
in the public shows, and had the power of delivering from punishment
any condemned person they happened to meet. They wore white dresses and
white fillets. Their chief duty was to keep the fire always burning on
the hearth (_focus publicus_) in the temple. They could not marry.

FLAMINES.

The FLAMINES were priests devoted to the service of some particular god.
There were fifteen, and they were chosen first in the Comitia Curiata,
and afterwards probably in the Tributa. The most distinguished of all
the Flamines was the FLAMEN DIALIS (Jupiter). He had the right to a
lictor, to the _sella curulis_, and to a seat in the Senate. If one in
bonds took refuge in his house, the chains were at once rem