His temple was always open in time of war, and closed in time of peace.

Numa's reign was counted as the first out of only three times in Roman history that it was shut.
[Illustration: JANUS.] Numa was said to have reigned thirty-eight years, and then he gradually faded away, and was buried in a stone coffin outside the Janicular gate, all the books he had written being, by his desire, buried with him.
Egeria wept till she became a fountain in her own valley; and so ended what in Roman faith answered to the golden age of Greece.
The next king was of Roman birth, and was named Tullus Hostilius.

He was a great warrior, and had a war with the Albans until it was agreed that the two cities should join together in one, as the Romans and Sabines had done before; but there was a dispute which should be the greater city in the league and it was determined to settle it by a combat.

In each city there was a family where three sons had been born at a birth, and their mothers were sisters.

Both sets were of the same age--fine young men, skilled in weapons; and it was agreed that the six should fight together, the three whose family name was Horatius on the Roman side, the three called Curiatius on the Alban side, and whichever set gained the mastery was to give it to his city.
They fought in the plain between the camps, and very hard was the strife until two of the Horatii were killed and all the three Curiatii were wounded, but the last Horatius was entirely untouched.