honor they had come, and they listened with suppressed threats of
vengeance to Romulus, as he boldly went about among them telling them
that it was owing to their pride that this calamity had fallen upon
them, but that all would now be well with their daughters. Each new
husband would, he said, be the better guardian of his bride, because he
would have to take the place with her of family and home as well as of
husband.

The brides were soon comforted, but their parents put on mourning for
them and went up and down through the neighborhood exciting the
inhabitants against the city of Romulus. Success crowned their efforts,
and it was not long before Titus Tatius, king of the Sabines, from
among whose people most of the stolen virgins had been taken, found
himself at the head of an army sufficient to attack the warlike
citizens of the Palatine. He was not so prompt, however, as his
neighbors, and two armies from Latin cities had been collected and sent
against Romulus, and had been met and overcome by him, before his
arrangements were completed; the people being admitted to Rome as
citizens, and thus adding to the already increasing power of the
community.

[Illustration: ROMAN GIRLS WITH A STYLUS AND WRITING TABLET. ]

The Romans had a citadel on the Capitoline Hill, and Tatius desired to
win it. The guardian was named Tarpeius, and he had a daughter,
Tarpeia, who was so much attracted by the golden ornaments worn by the
Sabines, that she promised to open the citadel to them if each soldier
would give his bracelet to her. This was promised, and as each entered
he threw his golden ornament upon the poor maiden, until she fell
beneath the weight and died, for they wished to show that they hated