[601] “Hesperia” being an ancient name for Italy, “Hesperius” will be equivalent to ancient or primitive. Connect ‘protions coluere sacrum,’ kept up the observance of it; ‘protinus’ denoting that the custom passed without a break from the ancient Latins to the Albans, like “porro” 5. 600. Here as elsewhere (1. 6. 265 foll., 12. 826) Virg. makes Alba succeed to Latium, Rome to Alba. Bearing this in mind, we need hardly inquire whether he had any definite meaning in “urbes Albanae,” such as the Alban colonies. Livy 1. 19 assigns this institution, like other parts of Roman religion, to Numa.
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