was thought to be a proficient in the art; to him Varro propounded to
cast Romulus's nativity, even to the first day and hour, making his
deductions from the several events of the man's life which he should be
informed of, exactly as in working back a geometrical problem; for it
belonged, he said, to the same science both to foretell a man's life
by knowing the time of his birth, and also to find out his birth by the
knowledge of his life. This task Tarrutius undertook, and first looking
into the actions and casualties of the man, together with the time of
his life and manner of his death, and then comparing all these remarks
together, he very confidently and positively pronounced that Romulus was
born the twenty-first day of the month Thoth, about sun-rising; and
that the first stone of Rome was laid by him the ninth day of the month
Pharmuthi, between the second and third hour. For the fortunes of
cities as well as of men, they think, have their certain periods of time
prefixed, which may be collected and foreknown from the position of the
stars at their first foundation. But these and the like relations may
perhaps not so much take and delight the reader with their novelty and
curiosity as offend him by their extravagance.

The city now being built, Romulus enlisted all that were of age to bear
arms into military companies, each company consisting of three thousand
footmen and three hundred horse. These companies were called legions,
because they were the choicest and most select of the people for
fighting men. The rest of the multitude he called the people; an hundred
of the most eminent he chose for counselors; these he styled patricians,
and their assembly the senate, which signifies a council of elders.

In the fourth month after the city was built, as Fabius writes, the
adventure of stealing the women was attempted. It would seem that,
observing his city to be filled by a confluence of foreigners, few
of whom had wives, and that the multitude in general, consisting of a
mixture of mean and obscure men, fell under contempt, and seemed to be
of no long continuance together, and hoping farther, after the women
were appeased, to make this injury in some measure an occasion of
confederacy and mutual commerce with the Sabines, Romulus took in his
hand this exploit after this manner. First, he gave it out that he had
found an altar of a certain god hid under ground, perhaps the equestrian
Neptune, for the altar is kept