ch. 61.6At the beginning of the fray, Numitor gave out that an enemy had entered the City
and was attacking the palace, in order to draw off the Alban soldiery to the citadel, to
defend it. When he saw the young men coming to congratulate him after the assassination,
he at once called a council of his people and explained his brother's infamous conduct
towards him, the story of his grandsons, their parentage and bringing up, and how he
recognised them. Then he proceeded to inform them of the tyrant's death and his
responsibility for it. The young men marched in order through the midst of the assembly
and saluted their grandfather as king; their action was approved by the whole population,
who with one voice ratified the title and sovereignty of the king.
[Note] After the government of Alba was thus transferred to
Numitor, Romulus and Remus were seized with the desire of building a city in the locality
where they had been exposed. There was the superfluous population of the Alban and Latin
towns, to these were added the shepherds: it was natural to hope that with all these Alba
would be small and Lavinium small in comparison with the city which was to be founded.
These pleasant anticipations were disturbed by the ancestral curse—ambition—which
led to a deplorable quarrel over what was at first a trivial matter. As they were twins and no
claim to precedence could be based on seniority, they decided to consult the tutelary deities
of the place by means of augury
as to who was to give his name to the new city, and who was to rule it after it had
been founded. Romulus accordingly selected the Palatine as his station for observation,
Remus the Aventine.
