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；　we　may　suppose　that　under　the　Republic　the　ceremony　was　either　performed　over　images　of　the　divine　pair　or　acted　by　the　Flamen　Dialis　and　his　wife　the　Flaminica。　For　the　Flamen　Dialis　was　the　priest　of　Jove；　indeed；　ancient　and　modern　writers　have　regarded　him；　with　much　probability；　as　a　living　image　of　Jupiter；　a　human　embodiment　of　the　sky…god。　In　earlier　times　the　Roman　king；　as　representative　of　Jupiter；　would　naturally　play　the　part　of　the　heavenly　bridegroom　at　the　sacred　marriage；　while　his　queen　would　figure　as　the　heavenly　bride；　just　as　in　Egypt　the　king　and　queen　masqueraded　in　the　character　of　deities；　and　as　at　Athens　the　queen　annually　wedded　the　vine…god　Dionysus。　That　the　Roman　king　and　queen　should　act　the　parts　of　Jupiter　and　Juno　would　seem　all　the　more　natural　because　these　deities　themselves　bore　the　title　of　King　and　Queen。

Whether　that　was　so　or　not；　the　legend　of　Numa　and　Egeria　appears　to　embody　a　reminiscence　of　a　time　when　the　priestly　king　himself　played　the　part　of　the　divine　bridegroom；　and　as　we　have　seen　reason　to　suppose　that　the　Roman　kings　personated　the　oak…god；　while　Egeria　is　expressly　said　to　have　been　an　oak…nymph；　the　story　of　their　union　in　the　sacred　grove　raises　a　presumption　that　at　Rome　in　the　regal　period　a　ceremony　was　periodically　performed　exactly　analogous　to　that　which　was　annually　celebrated　at　Athens　down　to　the　time　of　Aristotle。　The　marriage　of　the　King　of　Rome　to　the　oak…goddess；　like　the　wedding　of　the　vine…god　to　the　Queen　of　Athens；　must　have　been　intended　to　quicken　the　growth　of　vegetation　by　homoeopathic　magic。　Of　the　two　forms　of　the　rite　we　can　hardly　doubt　that　the　Roman　was　the　older；　and　that　long　before　the　northern　invaders　met　with　the　vine　on　the　shores　of　the　Mediterranean　their　forefathers　had　married　the　tree…god　to　the　tree…goddess　in　the　vast　oak　forests　of　Central　and　Northern　Europe。　In　the　England　of　our　day　the　forests　have　mostly　disappeared；　yet　still　on　many　a　village　green　and　in　many　a　country　lane　a　faded　image　of　the　sacred　marriage　lingers　in　the　rustic　pageantry　of　May　Day。

Chapter　14。　The　Succession　to　the　Kingdom　in　Ancient　Latium

IN　REGARD　to　the　Roman　king；　whose　priestly　functions　were　inherited　by　his　successor　the　king　of　the　Sacred　Rites；　the　foregoing　discussion　has　led　us　to　the　following　conclusions。　He　represented　and　indeed　personated　Jupiter；　the　great　god　of　the　sky；　the　thunder；　and　the　oak；　and　in　that　character　made　rain；　thunder；　and　lightning　for　the　good　of　his　subjects；　like　many　more　kings　of　the　weather　in　other　parts　of　the　world。　Further；　he　not　only　mimicked　the　oak…god　by　wearing　an　oak　wreath　and　other　insignia　of　divinity；　but　he　was　married　to　an　oak…nymph　Egeria；　who　appears　to　have　been　merely　a　local　form　of　Diana　in　her　character　of　a　goddess　of　woods；　of　waters；　and　of　child…birth。　All　these　conclusions；　which　we　have　reached　mainly　by　a　consideration　of　the　Roman　evidence；　may　with　great　probability　be　applied　to　the　other　Latin　communities。　They　too　probably　had　of　old　their　divine　or　priestly　kings；　who　transmitted　their　religious　functions；　without　their　civil　powers；　to　their　successors　the　Kings　of　the　Sacred　Rites。

But　we　have　still　to　ask；　What　was　the　rule　of　succession　to　the　kingdom　among　the　old　Latin　tribes？　According　to　tradition；　there　were　in　all　eight　kings　of　Rome；　and　with　regard　to　the　five　last　of　them；　at　all　events；　we　can　hardly　doubt　that　they　actually　sat　on　the　throne；　and　that　the　traditional　history　of　their　reigns　is；　in　its　main　outlines；　correct。　Now　it　is　very　remarkable　that　though　the　first　king　of　Rome；　Romulus；　is　said　to　have　been　descended　from　the　royal　house　of　Alba；　in　which　the　kingship　is　represented　as　hereditary　in　the　male　line；　not　one　of　the　Roman　kings　was　immediately　succeeded　by　his　son　on　the　throne。　Yet　several　left　sons　or　grandsons　behind　them。　On　the　other　hand；　one　of　them　was　descended　from　a　former　king　through　his　mother；　not　through　his　father；　and　three　of　the　kings；　namely　Tatius；　the　elder　Tarquin；　and　Servius　Tullius；　were　succeeded　by　their　sons…in…law；　who　were　all　either　foreigners　or　of　foreign　descent。　This　suggests　that　the　right　to　the　kingship　was　transmitted　in　the　female　line；　and　was　actually　exercised　by　foreigners　who　married　the　royal　princesses。　To　put　it　in　technical　language；　the　succession　to　the　kingship　at　Rome　and　probably　in　Latium　generally　would　seem　to　have　been　determined　by　certain　rules　which　have　moulded　early　society　in　many　parts　of　the　world；　namely　exogamy；　beena　marriage；　and　female　kinship　or　mother…kin。　Exogamy　is　the　rule　which　obliges　a　man　to　marry　a　woman　of　a　different　clan　from　his　own：　beena　marriage　is　the　rule　that　he　must　leave　the　home　of　his　birth　and　live　with　his　wife's　people；　and　female　kinship　or　mother…kin　is　the　system　of　tracing　relationship　and　transmitting　the　family　name　through　women　instead　of　through　men。　If　these　principles　regulated　descent　of　the　kingship　among　the　ancient　Latins；　the　state　of　things　in　this　respect　would　be　somewhat　as　follows。　The　political　and　religious　centre　of　each　community　would　be　the　perpetual　fire　on　the　king's　hearth　tended　by　Vestal　Virgins　of　the　royal　clan。　The　king　would　be　a　man　of　another　clan；　perhaps　of　another　town　or　even　of　another　race；　who　had　married　a　daughter　of　his　predecessor　and　received　the　kingdom　with　her。　The　children　whom　he　had　by　her　would　inherit　their　mother's　name；　not　his；　the　daughters　would　remain　at　home；　the　sons；　when　they　grew　up；　would　go　away　into　the　world；　marry；　and　settle　in　their　wives'　country；　whether　as　kings　or　commoners。　Of　the　daughters　who　stayed　at　home；　some　or　all　would　be　dedicated　as　Vestal　Virgins　for　a　longer　or　shorter　time　to　the　service　of　the　fire　on　the　hearth；　and　one　of　them　would　in　time　become　the　consort　of　her　father's　successor。

This　hypothesis　has　the　advantage　of　explaining　in　a　simple　and　natural　way　some　obscure　features　in　the　traditional　history　of　the　Latin　kingship。　Thus　the　legends　which　tell　how　Latin　kings　were　born　of　virgin　mothers　and　divine　fathers　become　at　least　more　intelligible。　For；　stripped　of　their　fabulous　element；　tales　of　this　sort　mean　no　more　than　that　a　woman　has　been　gotten　with　child　by　a　man　unknown；　and　this　uncertainty　as　to　fatherhood　is　more　easily　compatible　with　a　system　of　kinship　which　ignores　paternity　than　with　one　which　makes　it　all…important。　If　at　the　birth　of　the　Latin　kings　their　fathers　were　really　unknown；　the　fact　points　either　to　a　general　looseness　of　life　in　the　royal　family　or　to　a　special　relaxation　of　moral　rules　on　certain　occasions；　when　men　and　women　reverted　for　a　season　to　the　licence　of　an　earlier　age。　Such　Saturnalias　are　not　uncommon　at　some　stages　of　social　evolution。　In　our　own　country　traces　of　them　long　survived　in　the　practices　of　May　Day　and　Whitsuntide；　if　not　of　Christmas。　Children　born　of　more　or　less　promiscuous　intercourse　which　characterises　festivals　of　this　kind　would　naturally　be　fathered　on　the　god　to　whom　the　particular　festival　was　dedicated。

In　this　connexion　it　may　be　significant　that　a　festival　of　jollity　and　drunkenness　was　celebrated　by　the　plebeians　and　slaves　at　Rome　on　Midsummer　Day；　and　that　the　festival　was　specially　associated　with　the　fireborn　King　Servius　Tullius；　being　held　in　honour　of　Fortuna；　the　goddess　who　loved　Servius　as　Egeria　loved　Numa。　The　popular　merrymakings　at　this　season　included　foot…races　and　boat…races；　the　Tiber　was　gay　with　flower…wreathed　boats；　in　which　young　folk　sat　quaffing　wine。　The　festival　appears　to　have　been　a　sort　of　Midsummer　Saturnalia　answering　to　the　real　Saturnalia　which　fell　at　Midwinter。　In　modern　Europe；　as　we　shall　learn　later　on；　the　great　Midsummer　festival　has　been　above　all　a　festival　of　lovers　and　of　fire；　one　of　its　principal　features　is　the　pairing　of　sweethearts；　who　leap　over　the　bonfires　hand　in　hand　or　throw　flowers　across　the　flames　to　each　other。　And　many　omens　of　love　and　marriage　are　drawn　from　the　flowers　which　bloom　at　this　mystic　season。　It　is　the　time　of　the　roses　and　of　love。　Yet　the　innocence　and　beauty　of　such　festivals　in　modern　times　ought　not　to　blind　us　to　the　likelihood　that　in　earlier　days　they　were　marked　by　coarser　features；　which　were　probably　of　the　essence　of　the　rites。　Indeed；　among　the　rude　Esthonian　peasantry　these　features　seem　to　have　lingered　down　to　our　own　generation；　if　not　to　the　present　day。　One　other　feature　in　the　Roman　celebration　of　Midsummer　deserves　to　be　specially　noticed。　The　custom　of　rowing　in　flower…decked　boats　on　the　river　on　this　day　proves　that　it　was　to　some　extent　a　water　festival；　and　water　has　always；　down　to　modern　times；　played　a　conspicuous　part　in　the　rites　of　Midsummer　Day；　which　explains　why　the　Church；　in　throwing　its　cloak　over　the　old　heathen　festival；　chose　to　dedicate　it　to　St。　John　the　Baptist。

The　hypothesis　that　the　Latin　kings　may　have　been　begotten　at　an　annual　festival　of　love　is　necessarily　a　mere　conjecture；　though　the　traditional　birth　of　Numa　at　the　festival　of　the　Parilia；　when　shepherds　leaped　across　the　spring　bonfires；　as　lovers　leap　across　the　Midsummer　fires；　may　perhaps　be　thought　to　lend　it　a　faint　colour　of　probability。　But　it　is　quite　possible　that　the　uncertainty　as　to　their　fathers　may　not　have　arisen　till　long　after　the　death　of　the　kings；　when　their　figures　began　to　melt　away　into　the　cloudland　of　fable；　assuming　fantastic　shapes　and　gorgeous　colouring　as　they　passed　from　earth　to　heaven。　If　they　were　alien　immigrants；　strangers　and　pilgrims　in　the　land　they　ruled　over；　it　would　be　natural　enough　that　the　people　should　forget　their　lineage；　and　forgetting　it　should　provide　them　with　another；　which　made　up　in　lustre　what　it　lacked　in　truth。　The　final　apotheosis；　which　represented　the　kings　not　merely　as　sprung　from　gods　but　as　themselves　deities　incarnate；　would　be　much　facilitated　if　in　their　lifetime；　as　we　have　seen　reason　to　think；　they　had　actually　laid　claim　to　divinity。

If　among　the　Latins　the　women　of　royal　blood　always　stayed　at　home　and　received　as　their　consorts　men　of　another　stock；　and　often　of　another　country；　who　reigned　as　kings　in　virtue　of　their　marriage　with　a　native　princess；　we　can　understand　not　only　why　foreigners　wor