Rutulians made him their leader, and he soon advanced at
the head of a great army across the frontier, toward the new city of
Lavinium. Thus AEneas found himself threatened with a very formidable
danger.

Nor was this all. For just before the commencement of the war with
Turnus, an extraordinary train of circumstances occurred which
resulted in alienating the Latins themselves from their new ally, and
in leaving AEneas consequently to sustain the shock of the contest with
Turnus and his Rutulians alone. It would naturally be supposed that
the alliance between Latinus and AEneas would not be very favorably
regarded by the common people of Latium. They would, on the other
hand, naturally look with much jealousy and distrust on a company of
foreign intruders, admitted by what they would be very likely to
consider the capricious partiality of their king, to a share of their
country. This jealousy and distrust was, for a time, suppressed and
concealed; but the animosity only acquired strength and concentration
by being restrained, and at length an event occurred which caused it
to break forth with uncontrollable fury. The circumstances were these:

There was a man in Latium named Tyrrheus, who held the office of royal
herdsman. He lived in his hut on some of the domains of Latinus, and
had charge of the flocks and herds belonging to the king. He had two
sons, and likewise a daughter. The daughter's name was Sylvia. The two
boys had one day succeeded in making prisoner of a young stag, which
they found in the woods with its mother. It was extremely young when
they captured it, and they brought it home as a great prize. They fed
it with milk until it was old enough to take other food, and as it
grew up accustomed to their hands, it was very tame and docile, and
became a great favorite with all the family. Sylvia loved and played
with it continually. She kept it always in trim by washing it in a
fountain, and combing and smoothing its hair, and she amused herself
by adorning it with wreaths, and garlands, and such other decorations
as her sylvan resources could command.

[Illustration: SILVIA'S STAG.]

One day when Ascanius, AEneas's son, who had now grown to be a young
man, and who seems to have been characterized by a full share of the
ardent and impulsive energy belonging to his years, was returning from
the chase, he happened to pass by the place where the herdsman lived.
Ascanius was followed by his dogs, and he had hi