The Comparison of Romulus with Theseus   

thought servants and the sons of swine-herds, before becoming freemen
themselves, gave liberty to almost all the Latins, obtaining at once
all the most honourable titles, as destroyers of their country's enemies,
preservers of their friends and kindred, princes of the people, founders
of cities, not removers, like Theseus, who raised and compiled only
one house out of many, demolishing many cities bearing the names of
ancient kings and heroes. Romulus, indeed, did the same afterwards,
forcing his enemies to deface and ruin their own dwellings, and to
sojourn with their conquerors; but at first, not by removal, or increase
of an existing city, but by foundation of a new one, he obtained himself
lands, a country, a kingdom, wives, children, and relations. And,
in so doing, he killed or destroyed nobody, but benefited those that
wanted houses and homes and were willing to be of a society and become
citizens. Robbers and malefactors he slew not; but he subdued nations,
he overthrew cities, he triumphed over kings and commanders. As to
Remus, it is doubtful by whose hand he fell; it is generally imputed
to others. His mother he clearly retrieved from death, and placed
his grandfather, who was brought under base and dishonourable vassalage,
on the ancient throne of Aeneas, to whom he did voluntarily many good
offices, but never did him harm even inadvertently. But Theseus, in
his forgetfulness and neglect of the command concerning the flag,
can scarcely, methinks, by any excuses, or before the most indulgent
judges, avoid the imputation of parricide. And, indeed, one of the
Attic writers, perceiving it to be very hard to make an excuse for
this, feigns that Aegeus, at the approach of the ship, running hastily
to the Acropolis to see what news, slipped and fell down, as if he
had no servants, or none would attend him on his way to the shore.
And, indeed, the faults committed in the rapes of women admit of no
plausible excuse in Theseus. First, because of the often repetition
of the crime; for he stole Ariadne, Antiope, Anaxo the Troezenian,
at last Helen, when he was an old man, and she not marriageable; she
a child, and he at an age past even lawful wedlock. Then, on account
of the cause; for the Troezenian, Lacedaemonian, and Amazonian virgins,
beside that they were not betrothed to him, were not worthier to raise
children by then the Athenian women, derived from Erechtheus and Cecrops;
but it is to be suspected these things were done out of wantonness
and lust. Romulus, when he had taken near eight hundred women, chose
not all, but only Hersilia, as they say, for himself; the rest he
divided among the chief of the city; and afterwards, by the respect
and tenderness and justice shown towards them, he made it clear that
this violence and injury was a commendable and politic exploit to
establish a society; by which he intermixed and united both nations,
and made it the foundation of after friendship and public stability.
And to the reverence and love and constancy he established in matrimony,
time can witness, for in two hundred and thirty years, neither any
husband deserted his wife, nor any wife her husband; but, as the curious
among the Greeks can name the first case of parricide or matricide,
so the Romans all well know that Spurius Carvilius was the first who
put away his wife, accusing her of barrenness. The immediate results
were similar; for upon those marriages the two princes shared in the
dominion, and both nations fell under the same government. But from
the marriages of Theseus proceeded nothing of friendship or correspondence
for the advantage of commerce, but enmities and wars and the slaughter
of citizens, and, at last, the loss of the city Aphidnae, when only
out of the compassion of the enemy, whom they entreated and caressed
like gods, they escaped suffering what Troy did by Paris. Theseus's
mother, however, was not only in danger, but suffered actually what
Hecuba did, deserted and neglected by her son, unless her captivity
be not a fiction, as I could wish both that and other things were.
The circumstances of the divine intervention, said to have preceded
or accompanied their births, are also in contrast; for Romulus was
preserved by the special favour of the gods; but the oracle given
to Aegeus commanding him to abstain, seems to demonstrate that the
birth of Theseus was not agreeable to the will of the gods.