then
carried. It is probable that these officers now called _lictors_ by the
insertion of the _c_, were originally called _litors_, that is, in
Greek, _leitourgoi_ (public officials). For to this day the Greeks call
a town-hall _leitus_, and the people _laos_.

[Footnote A: The Romans termed these bundles of rods _fasces_. The
derivation of _lictor_ from the Greek shows the utter ignorance of
etymology prevailing among the ancients.]

XXVII. When Romulus' grandfather Numitor died in Alba, although he was
evidently his heir, yet through a desire for popularity he left his
claim unsettled, and contented himself with appointing a chief
magistrate for the people of Alba every year; thus teaching the Roman
nobles to desire a freer constitution, which should not be so much
encroached upon by the king. For at Rome now even the so-called Fathers
took no part in public affairs, but had merely their name and dignity,
and were called into the Senate House more for form's sake than to
express their opinions. When there, they listened in silence to
Romulus's orders, and the only advantage which they possessed over the
commons was that they knew the king's mind sooner than they. Worst of
all was, that he of his own authority divided the land which was
obtained in war amongst the soldiers, and restored the hostages to the
Veientines, against the will of the Senate and without consulting it, by
which he seemed purposely to insult it. On this account the Senate was
suspected, when shortly after this he miraculously disappeared. His
disappearance took place on the Nones of the month now called July, but
then Quintilis, leaving nothing certain or agreed on about his end
except the date. Even now things happen in the same fashion as then; and
we need not wonder at the uncertainty about the death of Romulus, when
that of Scipio Africanus, in his own house after supper, proved so
inexplicable, some saying that it arose from an evil habit of body, some
that he had poisoned himself, some that his enemies had suffocated him
during the night. And yet the corpse of Scipio lay openly exposed for
all to see, and gave all who saw it some ground for their conjectures;
whereas Romulus suddenly disappeared, and no morsel of his body or shred
of his garments were ever seen again. Some supposed that the Senators
fell upon him in the Temple of Vulcan, and, after killing him cut his
body in pieces and each of them carried off one in the folds of his
robe