Selections from Viri Romae Part 6

7.1: #regnum . . . sociavit#: i.e. henceforth there were two kings.

7.2: By the inhabitants of Laurentum, whose amba.s.sadors he had insulted.

7.3: Note the force of the prefix: the sovereignty 'came _back_,'

or 'devolved _again_' upon Romulus, precisely as before he shared it with Tatius.

7.4: abl. of means.

7.5: Cf. p. 5, n. 3.

7.6: See Vocab., _eques_.

7.7: 'When': H 600, II (521, II): M 858: A 325: G 585: B 288.

7.8: #ad . . . l.u.s.trandum# = _ut . . . l.u.s.traret_. What does the gerundive construction express?

7.9: Sc. _Martio_. See Vocab., _campus_, and map, p. xxviii.

7.10: #Caprae paludem#: 'Goat Swamp.'

7.11: _aufero_.

7.12: #creditus est#: we would say: 'it was believed that he,'

etc.; Latin prefers the personal construction, and says: 'he was believed to have,' etc.

7.13: #cui . . . fecit#: literally 'for which thing he made (i.e.

secured) belief (i.e. general acceptance).'

7.14: What does the abl. abs. here express? See p. xxiii, K 6.

7.15: _procedo_.

7.16: Sc. _esse_. #visum esse# and #praecipere# depend on #adfirmans#: see H 642 (523, I): M 1023: A 336, 2: G 650: B 314: and p. xxv, M 4.

7.17: #augustiore forma#: 'of more imposing presence' (than he was while on earth); abl. of characteristic, H 473, 2 (419, II): M 643: A 251: G 400: B 224.

7.18: i.e. _Romulum_.

7.19: Note the change of tense from that in _visum_ (_esse_) above. Proculus actually said: (_Romulus_) _praecipit_, i.e. he used the historical present. Above _visum_ (_esse_) represents _visus est_ of the direct discourse.

7.20: substantive clause of purpose; H 565 (498, I): M 892: A 331: G 546: B 295, 4.

7.21: #futurum ut . . . exsisterent# gives the statement, not of Proculus, but of Romulus himself. The inf. #futurum# (_esse_) depends on a verb of saying implied in #praecipere#. Romulus said _exsistetis_. Since, however, _exsisto_ has no supine and so no future participle, no direct future infinitive can be formed from it. Hence the phrase _futurum ut_ with subjunctive becomes necessary: 'it would happen that they would become,' etc.

8.1: 'in honor of Romulus'; dat. of advantage.

8.2: With #const.i.tuta# and #cultus# (_colo_) sc. _est_.

8.3: For the omission of the conjunction before #ipse#, cf. p. 5, n. 13.]

#III. Numa Pompilius, Romanorum rex secundus# [[stripped text]]

716-673 B.C.

Successit Romulo Numa Pompilius, vir inc.l.i.ta iust.i.tia et religione. Is Curibus, ex oppido Sabinorum, accitus est. Qui c.u.m Romam venisset, ut populum ferum religione mitigaret, sacra plurima inst.i.tuit. Aram Vestae consecravit, et ignem in ara perpetuo alendum virginibus dedit. Flaminem Iovis sacerdotem creavit eumque insigni veste et curuli sella adornavit.

Dicitur quondam ipsum Iovem e caelo elicuisse. Hic, ingentibus fulminibus in urbem demissis, descendit in nemus Aventinum, ubi Numam docuit quibus sacris fulmina essent procuranda, et praeterea imperii certa pignora populo Romano daturum se esse promisit. Numa laetus rem populo nuntiavit. Postridie omnes ad aedes regias convenerunt silentesque exspectabant quid futurum esset. Atque sole orto delabitur e caelo scisso scutum, quod ancile appellavit Numa. Id ne furto auferri posset, Mamurium fabrum undecim scuta eadem forma fabricare iussit.

Duodecim autem Salios Martis sacerdotes legit, qui ancilia, secreta illa imperii pignora, custodirent et Kalendis Martiis per urbem canentes et rite saltantes ferrent. Annum in duodecim menses ad cursum lunae descripsit; nefastos fastosque dies fecit; portas Iano gemino aedificavit ut esset index pacis et belli; nam apertus, in armis esse civitatem, clausus, pacatos circa omnes populos, significabat.

Leges quoque plurimas et utiles tulit Numa. Ut vero maiorem inst.i.tutis suis auctoritatem conciliaret, simulavit sibi c.u.m dea Egeria esse conloquia nocturna eiusque monitu se omnia, quae ageret, facere. Lucus erat, quem medium fons perenni rigabat aqua; eo saepe Numa sine arbitris se inferebat, velut ad congressum deae; ita omnium animos ea pietate imbuit, ut fides ac iusiurandum non minus quam legum et poenarum metus cives contineret. Bellum quidem nullum gessit, sed non minus civitati profuit quam Romulus. Morbo exstinctus in Ianiculo monte sepultus est.

Ita duo deinceps reges, ille bello, hic pace, civitatem auxerunt.

Romulus septem et triginta regnavit annos, Numa tres et quadraginta.

#III. Numa Pompilius, Romanorum rex secundus# [[as printed]]

716-673 B.C.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SELLA CURULIS / _From a coin_]

Successit Romulo Numa Pompilius, vir inc.l.i.ta iust.i.tia[4] et religione.[4] Is Curibus,[5] ex oppido Sabinorum, accitus est. Qui c.u.m Romam venisset, ut[6] populum ferum religione mitigaret, sacra plurima inst.i.tuit. Aram Vestae consecravit, et ignem[7] in ara perpetuo alendum virginibus dedit. Flaminem[8] {5} Iovis sacerdotem creavit eumque insigni veste[9]

et curuli[10] sella adornavit. Dicitur[11] quondam ipsum Iovem e caelo elicuisse.[12] Hic, ingentibus fulminibus in urbem demissis, descendit in nemus Aventinum, ubi Numam docuit quibus sacris {10} fulmina[13] essent procuranda,[13] et praeterea imperii [[9]]

certa[1] pignora populo Romano daturum se esse promisit. Numa laetus rem populo nuntiavit. Postridie omnes ad aedes[2] regias convenerunt silentesque exspectabant[3] quid futurum esset.[4] Atque sole orto delabitur e caelo scisso[5] scutum, quod {15} ancile appellavit Numa. Id ne[6] furto auferri posset,[6] Mamurium fabrum undecim scuta eadem forma fabricare iussit. Duodecim autem Salios[7]

Martis sacerdotes legit, qui ancilia, secreta illa imperii pignora, custodirent[8] et Kalendis {20} Martiis per urbem canentes et rite saltantes ferrent.[8] Annum in duodecim[9] menses ad cursum lunae descripsit; nefastos[10] fastosque dies fecit; portas Iano[11] gemino[12] aedificavit ut esset index pacis et belli; nam apertus,[13] in {25} armis esse civitatem, clausus,[13] pacatos circa omnes populos, significabat.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ANCILIA / _From a coin_]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Ia.n.u.s]

Leges[14] quoque plurimas et utiles tulit {28} Numa. Ut vero maiorem inst.i.tutis[15] suis auctoritatem conciliaret, [[10]]

simulavit[1] sibi[2] c.u.m dea Egeria esse conloquia nocturna eiusque[3]

monitu se omnia, quae ageret, facere. Lucus erat, quem[4] medium fons perenni rigabat aqua; eo saepe Numa sine arbitris[5] se {32} inferebat, velut[6] ad congressum deae; ita[7] omnium animos ea[7]

pietate imbuit, ut fides[8] ac iusiurandum non minus quam legum et poenarum metus cives contineret.[9] Bellum quidem[10] nullum {35} gessit, sed[10] non minus civitati profuit quam Romulus.[11] Morbo[12]

exstinctus in Ianiculo monte sepultus[13] est. Ita duo[14] deinceps reges, ille bello, hic pace, civitatem auxerunt. Romulus septem et triginta regnavit annos,[15] Numa tres et quadraginta. {39}

[Footnotes: III (pages 8-10)

8.4: See p. 7, n. 17.

8.5: #Curibus . . . Sabinorum#: 'from Cures, a town of the Sabines.' H 462 (412, II): M 605: A 258, _a_: G 391: B 229, 1.

'_At_ Cures, a town of the Sabines,' would be _Curibus, in oppido Sabinorum_. The two phrases well ill.u.s.trate the difference between the treatment of names of towns, and that of common nouns, in expressions intended to denote rest in a place, or motion from a given point.

8.6: #ut . . . mitigaret#: purpose clause, to be joined with what follows. Phrases and clauses often thus precede the words which they modify.

8.7: #ignem . . . alendum#: for the form of expression, see p. 2, n. 18.

8.8: #Flaminem . . . creavit#: 'he appointed a priest to be Jupiter's Flamen.' See Vocab., _flamen_.

8.9: The distinctive parts of the dress worn by the _Flamines_ were (1) a close-fitting woolen cap, from which projected a stick of olive wood, called _apex_; (2) the _toga praetexta_ (see Vocab., _toga_); and (3) a laurel crown.

8.10: See Vocab., _sella_.

8.11: Cf. p. 7, n. 12.

8.12: _elicio_.

8.13: The Romans derived many omens from thunder. _Procurare_ is the technical word for 'caring for' an omen, i.e. warding off all harmful effects by sacrifices.

9.1: 'trustworthy.' This word never = 'certain,' as in the phrase 'a certain man.' In that sense _quidam_ is used.

9.2: #aedes regias#: 'the palace.' What two meanings does _aedes_ bear?

9.3: 'waited (to see) what,' etc.

9.4: Why subjunctive? See p. 3, n. 2.

9.5: _scindo_. #delabitur . . . scutum#: 'the heavens were opened and a s.h.i.+eld descended.'

9.6: Negative clause of purpose: H 568 (497, II): M 893: A 317, 1: G 545, 3: B 282. On the possession of this _ancile_ Rome's power was believed to depend; hence Numa's care in guarding it.

9.7: #Salios . . . fecit#: 'he chose twelve Salii as priests of Mars.'

9.8: Why subjunctive? Cf. p. 5, n. 3.

9.9: Roman writers say that before Numa's time the year contained only ten months, a statement hardly credible.

9.10: #nefastos . . . fecit#: 'he made a distinction between _dies nefasti_ and _dies fasti_.' See Vocab., _fastus_ and _nefastus_.

9.11: Cf. p. 8, n. 1.

9.12: 'two-headed.' The reference is to a temple of Ja.n.u.s in the Forum, with two doors opposite each other, so that the whole structure resembled an arch.

9.13: Both adjectives = temporal clauses, signifying respectively 'when open,' 'when shut.' They agree with _Ia.n.u.s_ understood, which means the temple, not the G.o.d. After Numa's time the temple remained open till 235 B.C. It was opened again in the same year, and not closed till 29 B.C.

9.14: #Leges quoque#: '_Laws_ too,' i.e. laws as well as religious ceremonies and priestly orders.

9.15: #inst.i.tutis#: dative with #conciliaret#.

10.1: How different in meaning from _dissimulans_, II, 9?

10.2: #sibi . . . esse conloquia#: 'that he had conversations.'

#sibi# is dat. of the possessor; H 430 (387): M 542: A 231: G 349: B 190.

10.3: #eius monitu#: 'at her suggestion.' Cf. _quorum consilio_, II, 41.

10.4: #quem medium#: 'the middle of which.'

10.5: Here in its original sense of 'witness.'

10.6: #velut . . . deae#: 'giving it out that he was going to meet the G.o.ddess'; #velut# is used here as _quasi_ is in I, 28. See note there [[note 3.6]]. For #ad congressum# see p. 3, n. 8.

#deae# is dat. after the prefix in #congressum#; cf. H 429 (386): M 532: A 228: G 347: B 187, III.

10.7: #ita# and #ea# reinforce each other. 'To such a degree (#ita#), and with such (#ea#) piety,' etc.