Consuāles Ludi

, or Consuālia , festivals at Rome in honour of Consus, the god of counsel, whose altar Romulus discovered under the ground. This altar was always covered, except at the festival, when a mule was sacrificed, and games and horse-races exhibited in honour of Neptune. It was during these festivals that Romulus carried away the Sabine women who had a embled to be spectators of the games. They were first instituted by Romulus. Some say, however, that Romulus only regulated and reinstituted them after they had been before established by Evander. During the celebration, which happened about the middle of August, horses, mules, and a es were exempted from all labour, and were led through the streets adorned with garlands and flowers. A us on i us , bk. 69 , li. 9 .— Ovid , Fasti , bk. 3 , li. 199 .— Livy , bk. 1 , ch. 9 .— Dionysius of Halicarna us.