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The City of God

Chapter 21.--Of the Kings of Latium, the First and Twelfth of Whom, Aeneas and Aventinus, Were Made Gods.

After Aeneas, whom they deified, Latium had eleven kings, none of whom was deified. But Aventinus, who was the twelfth after Aeneas, having been laid low in war, and buried in that hill still called by his name, was added to the number of such gods as they made for themselves. Some, indeed, were unwilling to write that he was slain in battle, but said he was nowhere to be found, and that it was not from his name, but from the alighting of birds, that hill was called Aventinus. ¹ After this no god was made in Latium except Romulus the founder of Rome. But two kings are found between these two, the first of whom I shall describe in the Virgilian verse:

"Next came that Procas, glory of the Trojan race." ²

That greatest of all kingdoms, the Assyrian, had its long duration brought to a close in his time, the time of Rome's birth drawing nigh. For the Assyrian empire was transferred to the Medes after nearly thirteen hundred and five years, if we include the reign of Belus, who begot Ninus, and, content with a small kingdom, was the first king there. Now Procas reigned before Amulius. And Amulius had made his brother Numitor's daughter, Rhea by name, who was also called Ilia, a vestal virgin, who conceived twin sons by Mars, as they will have it, in that way honoring or excusing her adultery, adding as a proof that a she-wolf nursed the infants when exposed. For they think this kind of beast belongs to Mars so that the she-wolf is believed to have given her teats to the infants, because she knew they were the sons of Mars her lord; although there are not wanting persons who say that when the crying babes lay exposed, they were first of all picked up by I know not what harlot, and sucked her breasts first (now harlots were called lupae, she-wolves, from which their vile abodes are even yet called lupanaria), and that afterwards they came into the hands of the shepherd Faustulus, and were nursed by Acca his wife. Yet what wonder is it, if, to rebuke the king who had cruelly ordered them to be thrown into the water, God was pleased, after divinely delivering them from the water, to succor, by means of a wild beast giving milk, these infants by whom so great a city was to be founded? Amulius was succeeded in the Latian kingdom by his brother Numitor, the grandfather of Romulus; and Rome was founded in the first year of this Numitor, who from that time reigned along with his grandson Romulus.

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De civitate Dei (CCSL)

Caput XXI: De regibus Latii, quorum primus Aeneas et duodecimus Auentinus di facti sunt.

Latium post Aenean, quem deum fecerunt, undecim reges habuit, quorum nullus deus factus est. Auentinus autem, qui duodecimo loco Aenean sequitur, cum esset prostratus in bello et sepultus in eo monte, qui etiamnunc eius nomine nuncupatur, deorum talium, quales sibi faciebant, numero est additus. alii sane noluerunt eum in proelio scribere occisum, sed non conparuisse dixerunt; nec ex eius uocabulo appellatum montem, sed ex aduentu auium dictum Auentinum. post hunc non est deus factus in Latio nisi Romulus conditor Romae. inter istum autem et illum reges reperiuntur duo, quorum primus est, ut eum Vergiliano uersu eloquar: proximus ille Procas, Troianae gloria gentis. cuius tempore quia iam quodammodo Roma parturiebatur, illud omnium regnorum maximum Assyrium finem tantae diuturnitatis accepit. ad Medos quippe translatum est post annos ferme mille trecentos quinque, ut etiam Beli, qui Ninum genuit et illic paruo contentus imperio primus rex fuit, tempora conputentur. Procas autem regnauit ante Amulium. porro Amulius fratris sui Numitoris filiam, Rheam nomine, quae etiam Ilia uocabatur, Romuli matrem, Vestalem uirginem fecerat, quam uolunt de Marte geminos concepisse, isto modo stuprum eius honorantes uel excusantes, et adhibentes argumentum, quod infantes expositos lupa nutriuerit. hoc enim genus bestiae ad Martem existimant pertinere, ut uidelicet ideo lupa credatur admouisse ubera paruulis, quia filios domini sui Martis agnouit; quamuis non desint qui dicant, cum expositi uagientes iacerent, a nescio qua primum meretrice fuisse collectos et primas eius suxisse mamillas - meretrices autem lupas uocabant, unde etiam nunc turpia loca earum lupanaria nuncupantur - , et eos postea ad Faustulum peruenisse pastorem atque ab eius Acca uxore nutritos. quamquam si ad arguendum hominem regem, qui eos in aquam proici crudeliter iusserat, eis infantibus, per quos tanta ciuitas condenda fuerat, de aqua diuinitus liberatis per lactantem feram deus uoluit subuenire, quid mirum est? Amulio successit in regnum Latiare frater eius Numitor, auus Romuli, cuius Numitoris primo anno condita est Roma; ac per hoc cum suo deinceps, id est Romulo, nepote regnauit.