to the city. The Temple of Diana at Ephesus was even then in high
renown; it was reported that it had been built by all the states of
Asia in common. When Servius, in the company of some Latin nobles with
whom he had purposely formed ties of hospitality and friendship,
both in public and private, extolled in high terms such harmony
and association of their gods, by frequently harping upon the same
subject, he at length prevailed so far that the Latin states agreed
to build a temple of Diana at Rome[45] in conjunction with the Roman
people. This was an acknowledgment that the headship of affairs,
concerning which they had so often disputed in arms, was centred in
Rome. An accidental opportunity of recovering power by a scheme of his
own seemed to present itself to one of the Sabines, though that object
appears to have been left out of consideration by all the Latins,
in consequence of the matter having been so often attempted
unsuccessfully by arms. A cow of surprising size and beauty is said to
have been calved to a certain Sabine, the head of a family: her horns,
which were hung up in the porch of the Temple of Diana, remained for
many ages, to bear record to this marvel. The thing was regarded in
the light of a prodigy, as indeed it was, and the soothsayers declared
that sovereignty should reside in that state, a citizen of which had
sacrificed this heifer to Diana. This prediction had also reached the
ears of the high priest of the Temple of Diana. The Sabine, as soon as
a suitable day for the sacrifice seemed to have arrived, drove the cow
to Rome, led her to the Temple of Diana, and set her before the
altar. There the Roman priest, struck with the size of the victim, so
celebrated by fame, mindful of the response of the soothsayers, thus
accosted the Sabine: "What dost thou intend to do, stranger?" said
he; "with impure hands to offer sacrifice to Diana? Why dost not thou
first wash thyself in running water? The Tiber runs past at the bottom
of the valley." The stranger, seized with religious awe, since he was