Page:Dio's Roman History, tr. Cary - Volume 1.djvu/45

 It is impossible for mortal man either to foresee all that is to happen or to find a way of turning aside the inevitable: of this very maiden [Rhea Silvia] were to be born the avengers of his crime.

So much for Lavinium and the Albans. But the history of the Romans begins with Numitor and Amulius, who were grandsons of Aventinus and descendants of Aeneas.

So much regarding Alba and the Albans; the story of Rome now begins. Aventinus begat Numitor and Amulius, — or Procas, according to some; and this man's sons, they say, were the aforesaid Numitor and Amulius. Numitor while king was driven out by Amulius, who killed Numitor's son Aegestes on a hunting party and made Silvia, or Rhea Ilia, the sister of Aegestes, and daughter of the aforesaid Numitor, a priestess of Vesta, so that she might remain a virgin. For he stood in dread of an oracle which declared that he should be slain by the children of Numitor. It was for this reason that he killed Aegestes and made his sister priestess of Vesta, that she might continue a virgin and childless. But she while drawing water in Mars' grove conceived, and bore Romulus and Remus. The daughter of Amulius by her entreaties saved her from being put