The Story of Rome
Mary MacGregor
language
(Merkaba Press, Aug. 22, 2017)
LONG, long years ago, Troy, one of the great cities in Asia Minor, was taken by the Greeks. Many mighty Trojans had defended their city well, and among them all none had fought more bravely than the prince Æneas. But when Æneas saw that the Greeks had set fire to the city, he fled, carrying, it is said, his father on his shoulders, and grasping by the hand his son Ascanius. Moreover, so precious to him was the sacred image of the goddess Pallas, that he saved it from the burning city. The gods, pleased with his reverence, helped him in his flight by building a ship. So when Æneas reached the sea he at once embarked in it, with his followers and their wives, and sailed away to seek for a new land in which to build a new city. As the Trojans sailed they saw a bright star shining above them. Day and night the star was always to be seen, showing the seafarers the direction in which to steer. At length the Trojans reached the western shore of Italy, and here, at a town called Latium, they disembarked. The women were weary of the sea, and no sooner had they landed than they began to wonder how they could persuade their husbands to journey no farther, but to settle in the pleasant country which they had reached. Among these women was a lady of noble birth, who was wise as she was good. Roma, for that was the lady's name, proposed that they should burn the ship in which they had sailed. Then it would be impossible for their husbands to go any farther in search of a new home. The other women agreed to Roma's daring plan, and with mingled hope and fear the ship was set on fire. When the men saw the flames devouring the vessel they were troubled, but when they found out how it had been set on fire, they were angry. Yet, as anger could not give them back their ship, and as Italy was a pleasant land, the men did as the women wished. They settled near a hill called Mount Palatine, and there they built a city...