for the purpose. Upon this Remus was delivered to Numitor to be
punished. Now, from the very first, Faustulus had entertained hopes that
the boys whom he was bringing up were of the blood royal; for he both
knew that the children had been exposed by the king's orders, and that
the time at which he had taken them up agreed exactly with that period:
but he had been unwilling that the matter, as not being yet ripe for
discovery, should be disclosed, till either a fit opportunity or
necessity should arise. Necessity came first; accordingly, compelled by
fear, he discovers the whole affair to Romulus. By accident also, whilst
he had Remus in custody, and had heard that the brothers were twins, on
comparing their age, and _observing_ their turn of mind entirely free
from servility, the recollection of his grand-children struck Numitor;
and on making inquiries[11] he arrived at the same conclusion, so that
he was well nigh recognising Remus. Thus a plot is concerted for the
king on all sides. Romulus, not accompanied by a body of young men, (for
he was unequal to open force,) but having commanded the shepherds to
come to the palace by different roads at a fixed time, forces his way to
the king; and Remus, with another party from Numitor's house, assists
his brother, and so they kill the king.
[Footnote 10: Scil. "The Pallantean."]
[Footnote 11: By all his inquiries he arrived at the same conclusion as
before, viz. that they were his grand-children.]
6. Numitor, at the beginning of the fray, having given out that enemies
had invaded the city, and assaulted the palace, after he had drawn off
the Alban youth to secure the citadel with a garrison and arms, when he
saw the young men, after they had killed the king, advancing to
congratulate him, immediately called an assembly of the people, and
represented to them the unnatural behaviour of his brother towards him,
the extraction of his grand-children, the manner of their birth and
education, and how they came to be discovered; then he informed them of
the king's death, and that he was killed by his orders. When the young
princes, coming up with their band through the middle of the assembly,
saluted their grandfather king, an approving shout, following from all
the people present, ratified to him both that title and the sovereignty.
Thus the government of Alba being committed to Numitor, a desire seized
Romulus and Remus to build a city on the spot where they had been
expose
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