The king of the people among whom Æneas landed was one Latinus, who
became a friend of his noble visitor, giving him his daughter Lavinia
to wife, though he had previously promised her to Turnus. Æneas named
the town in which he lived Lavinium, in honor of his wife. Turnus was
naturally enraged at the loss of his expected bride, and made war upon
both Æneas and Latinus. The Trojan came off victorious, both the other
warriors being killed in the struggle. Thus for a short time, Æneas was
left sole king of all those regions, with no one to dispute his title
to the throne or his right to his wife; but the pleasure of ruling was
not long to be his, for a short time after his accession to power, he
was killed in battle on the banks of the Numicius, as has already been
related. His son Ascanius left the low and unhealthy site of Lavinium,
and founded a city on higher ground, which was called Alba Longa (the
long, white city), and the mountain on the side of which it was, the
Alban mountain. The new capital of Ascanius became the centre and
principal one of thirty cities that arose in the plain, over all of
which it seemed to have authority. Among these were Tusculum, Præneste,
Lavinium, and Ardea, places of which subsequent history has much to
say.

Ascanius was successful in founding a long line of sovereigns, who
reigned in Alba for three hundred years, until there arose one Numitor
who was dispossessed of his throne by a younger brother named Amulius.
One bad act usually leads to another, and this case was no exception to
the rule, for when Amulius had taken his brother's throne, he still
feared that the rightful children might interfere with the enjoyment of
his power. Though he supported Numitor in comfort, he cruelly killed
his son and shut his daughter up in a temple. This daughter was called
Silvia, or, sometimes, Rhea Silvia. Wicked men are not able generally