LIVY (TITUS LIVIUS, surnamed PATAVINUS, from the place of his birth), a Roman historian, born at Patavium, the modern Padua, 59 B.C.; died there, A.D. 17. His family, originally of Rome, was one of the most important in his native city. He went to Rome, where he became prominent as a rhetorician, which in his case was equivalent to a lecturer on belles-lettres, and was one of the brilliant circle, of which Virgil and Horace, somewhat his seniors, were members, that adorned the Court of the Emperor Augustus, at whose suggestion, we are told, Livy set about his great history, called by himself the Annals of Rome.

The Annals, when entire, consisted of one hundred and forty-two "Books;" but of these only thirty-five are now extant, so that more than three-fourths have been lost. It was at an early period divided into "decades," or series of ten Books. The decades which we have are the 1st, the 3d, the 4th, a portion of the 5th, and a few fragments of others. The lost decades are those which-apart from their quantity-would have been far more valuable than those which remain, since they relate to the later history of Rome, for which more trustworthy materials existed than for the earlier centuries. This deficiency is, however, partially supplied by a very early abstract of the contents of the lost portions; and these ab

stracts are our only means of acquaintance with some of the most important periods of Roman history. The quarter which remains makes four stout volumes; so that the Annals was one of the most comprehensive historical works ever written by a single person.

The question of the authenticity of the Annals of Livy has been much debated. It is admitted that much is purely legendary. Livy himself affirms this of at least the earlier Books. But our purpose is not to set forth the verity of Roman history; but to show Livy's manner of telling it. Our extracts are from the very literal and somewhat bald translation by Spillan and Edmonds, and the more spirited rendering of certain passages by the Rev. W. Lucas Collins, embodied in his little work on Livy.

THE LEGEND OF ROMULUS AND REMUS.

In my opinion the origin of so great a city, and the establishment of an empire next in power to that of the gods, was due to the Fates. The vestal Rhea, being deflowered by force, when she had brought forth twins, declares Mars to be the father of her illegitimate offspring-either because she believed it to be so, or because a god was a more creditable author of her offence. But neither gods nor man protect her or her children from the king's cruelty. The priestess is bound and thrown into prison; the children he commands to be thrown into the current of the river.

By some interposition of Providence, the Tiber, having overflowed its banks in stagnant pools, did not admit of any access to the regular bed of the river; and the bearers supposed that the infants could be drowned in waters however still. Then, as if they had effectually executed the king's orders, they exposed the boys in the nearest land-flood, where now stands the

Ficus Ruminalis (they say that it was anciently called the Ficus Romulanus," the Fig-tree of Romulus "). The country thereabout was then a vast wilderness.

The tradition is, that when the subsiding water had left on the dry ground the floating trough, in which the children had been exposed, a thirsty she-wolf coming from the neighboring mountains directed her course to the cries of the infants, and that she held down her dugs to them with so much gentleness that the keeper of the king's flocks found her licking the boys with her tongue. It is said that his name was Faustulus; and that they were carried by him to his homestead to be nursed by his wife Laurentia. Some are of the opinion that she was called Lupa-She-wolf-among the shepherds, from her being a common prostitute, and that this gave rise to the surprising story.-Annals, Book I; translation of SPILLAN and EDMONDS.

HANNIBAL'S PASSAGE OF THE ALPS.

On the ninth day they came to a summit of the Alps, chiefly through places trackless; and after many mistakes of their way, which were caused either by the treachery of the guides; or, when they were not trusted, by entering valleys at random, on their own conjectures of the route. For two days they remained encamped on the summit; and rest was given to the soldiers, exhausted with toil and fighting; and several beasts of burden, which had fallen down among the rocks, by following the track of the army, arrived at the camp. A fall of snow-it being now the season of the setting of the constellation of the Pleiades-caused great fear to the soldiers, already worn out with weariness of so many hardships.

On the standards being moved forward at daybreak, when the army proceeded slowly over all places entirely blocked up with snow, and languor and despair strongly appeared in the countenances of all, Hannibal, having advanced before the standards, and ordered the soldiers to halt on a certain eminence, whence there was a prospect far and wide, points out to them Italy and the plains of the Po, extending themselves beneath the