Selections from Viri Romae Part 5

4.4: 'in anger.' An adjective may often be best rendered by an adverb or adverbial phrase.

4.5: Sc. _pereat_ (subjunctive of wish).

4.6: H 477, I (421, I): M 646: A 249: G 407: B 218, 1.]

#II. Romulus, Romanorum rex primus# [[stripped text]]

753-715 B.C.

Romulus imaginem urbis magis quam urbem fecerat; incolae deerant. Erat in proximo lucus; hunc asylum fecit. Et statim eo mira vis latronum pastorumque confugit. c.u.m vero uxores ipse populusque non haberent, legatos circa vicinas gentes misit, qui societatem conubiumque novo populo peterent. Nusquam benigne audita legatio est; ludibrium etiam additum: "Cur non feminis quoque asylum aperuistis? Id enim compar foret conubium." Romulus, aegritudinem animi dissimulans, ludos parat; indici deinde finitimis spectaculum iubet. Multi convenere studio etiam videndae novae urbis, maxime Sabini c.u.m liberis et coniugibus. Ubi spectaculi tempus venit eoque conversae mentes c.u.m oculis erant, tum signo dato iuvenes Romani discurrunt, virgines rapiunt.

Haec fuit statim causa belli. Sabini enim ob virgines raptas bellum adversus Romanos sumpserunt, et c.u.m Romae appropinquarent, Tarpeiam virginem nacti sunt, quae aquam forte extra moenia pet.i.tum ierat. Huius pater Romanae praeerat arci. t.i.tus Tatius, Sabinorum dux, Tarpeiae optionem muneris dedit, si exercitum suum in Capitolium perduxisset.

Illa petiit quod Sabini in sinistris manibus gererent, videlicet aureos anulos et armillas. Quibus dolose promissis, Tarpeia Sabinos in arcem perduxit, ubi Tatius scutis eam obrui iussit; nam et ea in laevis habuerant. Sic impia proditio celeri poena vindicata est.

Deinde Romulus ad certamen processit, et in eo loco, ubi nunc Romanum Forum est, pugnam conseruit. Primo impetu vir inter Romanos insignis, nomine Hostilius, fortissime dimicans cecidit; cuius interitu consternati Romani fugere coeperunt. Iam Sabini clamitabant: "Vicimus perfidos hospites, imbelles hostes. Nunc sciunt longe aliud esse virgines rapere, aliud pugnare c.u.m viris." Tunc Romulus, arma ad caelum tollens, Iovi aedem vovit, et exercitus seu forte seu divinitus rest.i.tit. Itaque proelium redintegratur; sed raptae mulieres crinibus pa.s.sis ausae sunt se inter tela volantia inferre et hinc patres, hinc viros orantes, pacem conciliarunt.

Romulus, foedere c.u.m Tatio icto, et Sabinos in urbem recepit et regnum c.u.m Tatio sociavit. Verum haud ita multo post, occiso Tatio, ad Romulum potentatus omnis recidit. Centum deinde ex senioribus elegit, quorum consilio omnia ageret, quos senatores nominavit propter senectutem. Tres equitum centurias const.i.tuit, populum in triginta curias distribuit. His ita ordinatis, c.u.m ad exercitum l.u.s.trandum contionem in campo ad Caprae paludem haberet, subito coorta est tempestas c.u.m magno fragore tonitribusque et Romulus e conspectu ablatus est. Ad deos transisse vulgo creditus est; cui rei fidem fecit Iulius Proculus, vir n.o.bilis.

Orta enim inter patres et plebem seditione, in contionem processit, iureiurando adfirmans visum a se Romulum augustiore forma, eundemque praecipere ut seditionibus abstinerent et rem militarem colerent; futurum ut omnium gentium domini exsisterent. Aedes in colle Quirinali Romulo const.i.tuta, ipse pro deo cultus et Quirinus est appellatus.

#II. Romulus, Romanorum rex primus# [[as printed]]

753-715 B.C.

Romulus[7] imaginem urbis magis quam urbem fecerat; incolae deerant.[8] Erat in[9] proximo lucus[10]; hunc as?lum fecit. Et statim eo mira vis[11] latronum pastorumque confugit. c.u.m[12] vero [[5]]

uxores ipse[1] populusque non haberent, legatos circa vicinas gentes misit,[2] qui[3] societatem conubiumque[4] novo populo {5} peterent.[3] Nusquam benigne audita legatio est; ludibrium etiam additum[5]: "Cur non feminis quoque as?lum aperuistis? Id enim compar foret[6] conubium." Romulus, aegritudinem animi dissimulans, ludos parat; indici[7] deinde finitimis spectaculum iubet. Multi convenere[8] studio etiam[9] videndae novae urbis, {10} maxime Sabini c.u.m liberis et coniugibus. Ubi spectaculi tempus venit eoque[10] conversae[11] mentes[12] c.u.m oculis erant, tum signo dato iuvenes Romani discurrunt, virgines rapiunt.[13]

[Ill.u.s.tration: ARMILLA]

Haec[14] fuit statim causa belli. Sabini enim ob[15] virgines raptas bellum adversus Romanos sumpserunt,[16] et c.u.m {15} Romae[17] appropinquarent, Tarpeiam virginem nacti sunt,[18] quae aquam forte[19] extra moenia pet.i.tum[20]

ierat. Huius pater Romanae praeerat arci. t.i.tus Tatius, Sabinorum dux, Tarpeiae optionem muneris dedit, si exercitum suum in Capitolium {20} [[6]]

perduxisset.[1] Illa petiit quod[2] Sabini in sinistris manibus[3]

gererent,[4] {21} videlicet aureos anulos et armillas. Quibus dolose promissis, Tarpeia Sabinos in arcem perduxit, ubi Tatius scutis[5] eam obrui iussit; nam et[6] ea in laevis[7]

habuerant.[8] Sic impia proditio celeri poena[5] vindicata {25} est.

[Ill.u.s.tration: DEATH OF TARPEIA]

Deinde Romulus ad certamen processit, et in eo loco, ubi nunc Romanum Forum[9] est, pugnam conseruit. Primo[10] impetu vir inter[11] Romanos insignis, nomine[12]

Hostilius, fortissime dimicans cecidit; cuius interitu[13] consternati Romani fugere coeperunt. Iam Sabini clamitabant: "Vicimus {31} perfidos hospites,[14] imbelles hostes. Nunc sciunt longe[15] aliud esse virgines rapere,[16] aliud pugnare[16] c.u.m viris." Tunc Romulus, arma ad caelum tollens, Iovi aedem[17] vovit, et exercitus seu forte seu divinitus rest.i.tit.[18] Itaque proelium redintegratur; sed raptae mulieres crinibus[19] pa.s.sis ausae sunt se inter tela volantia inferre et hinc patres, hinc viros orantes,[20] pacem conciliarunt. {37}

[Ill.u.s.tration: ROMULUS AS QUIRINUS / _From a coin_]

Romulus, foedere[21] c.u.m Tatio icto, et Sabinos in urbem recepit [[7]]

et regnum[1] c.u.m Tatio sociavit. Verum haud ita multo post, occiso[2] Tatio, ad Romulum potentatus omnis recidit.[3] Centum {40} deinde ex senioribus elegit, quorum consilio[4] omnia ageret,[5] quos senatores nominavit propter senectutem. Tres equitum[6] centurias const.i.tuit, populum in triginta curias distribuit. His ita ordinatis, c.u.m[7] ad[8] exercitum l.u.s.trandum contionem in campo[9] ad Caprae[10] paludem haberet, subito coorta est {45} tempestas c.u.m magno fragore tonitribusque et Romulus e conspectu ablatus[11] est. Ad deos transisse vulgo creditus[12] est; cui[13] rei fidem fecit Iulius Proculus, vir n.o.bilis. Orta[14] enim inter patres et plebem seditione, in contionem {50} processit,[15] iureiurando adfirmans visum[16] a se Romulum augustiore[17] forma, eundemque[18] praecipere[19] ut seditionibus abstinerent[20] et rem militarem colerent[20]; futurum[21] ut [[8]]

omnium gentium domini exsisterent. Aedes in colle Quirinali Romulo[1] const.i.tuta,[2] ipse[3] pro deo cultus[2] et Quirinus est appellatus. {56}

[Footnotes: II (pages 4-8)

4.7: It has been suggested that the name _Romulus_ is derived from _Roma_, and that this in turn was made from an ancient word _Rumon_, 'river.' _Roma_ would then be 'the town by the river,'

'Rivertown' (cf. English 'Watertown,' etc.), and _Romulus_ would be 'the man from Rivertown.'

4.8: _desum_.

4.9: #in proximo#: 'near by.' Phrases consisting of a preposition and a neuter adjective are common, and have the force of adjectives or adverbs.

4.10: This grove lay between the two summits of the Capitoline Hill.

4.11: #vis# often means 'number,' as here, or 'quant.i.ty'; 'power'

is used in the same sense in some parts of Great Britain.

4.12: #c.u.m#: 'since': H 598 (517): M 863: A 326: G 586: B 286, 2.

5.1: = _Romulus_. Cf. _ipsam_, I, 5.

5.2: _mitto_.

5.3: #qui . . . peterent#: rel. clause of purpose; see p. xviii, E 2, and H 590 (497, I): M 835: A 317, 2: G 630: B 282, 2.

5.4: In early times the right of intermarriage did not exist between neighboring tribes, except by special treaty.

5.5: Sc. _est_, which, like _esse_, is often omitted with the pa.s.sive, especially in rapid narrative.

5.6: = _esset_: H 205, 2 (204, 2): M 327: A 119, N.: G 116, N. 1, _c_: B 100, N. 2.

5.7: #indici . . . iubet#: 'he bids a show to be announced.' Such an announcement would carry with it an invitation to be present.

5.8: Cf. p. 2, n. 21.

5.9: i.e. they were not only interested in the games, but they were also curious to see the new city.

5.10: = _in spectaculum_.

5.11: _converto_.

5.12: #mentes c.u.m oculis#: 'minds and eyes alike.' The emphasis is on _mentes_; they were thinking only of the show.

5.13: In rapid historical narrative, clauses are often set side by side without a connective. See also n. 5 above.

5.14: #Haec#, referring to the matters related in the preceding paragraph, should theoretically be neuter, but is feminine because the predicate noun #causa# is feminine. Such attraction is the rule in Latin. H 396, 2 (445, 4): A 195, _d_: G 211, 5: B 246, 5.

5.15: #ob virgines raptas#: 'on account of the stolen maidens' = 'on account of the seizure of the maidens.' A participle agreeing with a noun is preferred in Latin to an abstract noun with a dependent genitive.

5.16: _sumo_.

5.17: dat.; why?

5.18: 'they happened upon' (_nanciscor_).

5.19: #forte . . . ierat#: 'had gone by chance' = 'happened to have gone.' _Forte_ is often best rendered by a clause: 'as it happened,' or 'it so happened.'

5.20: supine denoting purpose; see p. xviii, E 6, and H 633 (546): M 1005: A 302: G 435: B 340, 1.

6.1: The subjunctive here, as in #gererent#, is due to implied indirect discourse; #si perduxisset# represents the fut. perf.

indic. of direct discourse _si perduxeris_, 'if you shall have led' = 'if you (shall) lead'; H 646 (527, I): M 1034, 1038: A 337: G 656-7: B 319, B.

6.2: 'that which.'

6.3: _ma.n.u.s_ often = 'arm,' just as _pes_ = 'leg.'

6.4: #gererent#: either 'wore' or 'bore.' Tarpeia meant it in the former sense; Tatius chose to understand it in the latter.

6.5: Why abl.?

6.6: #et ea# = _ea quoque_: 'these too,' as well as the _armillae_ and _anuli_.

6.7: Sc. _manibus_.

6.8: Note the tense; they _had had_ these, too, on their arms when the bargain was struck.

6.9: See Vocab., _Forum_.

6.10: #Primo impetu#: 'in the very first charge.' The ablative fixes the time of #cecidit#.

6.11: #inter . . . insignis#: 'the most conspicuous of the Romans.' How literally?

6.12: abl. of specification.

6.13: = _morte_. The abl. includes the ideas of means and cause.

6.14: 'hosts.' The relation of host and guest was regarded by the Romans, as by other ancient peoples, as peculiarly sacred.

6.15: #longe aliud . . . aliud#: 'one thing . . . quite another.'

Note here the difference between the English and the Latin idiom.

6.16: Infinitives, because the clauses in which they stand are subjects of #esse#; H 615 (538): M 972: A 270: G 422: B 377.

6.17: This temple was called the Temple of _Iuppiter Stator_, i.e.

the 'Stayer,' the G.o.d who had _stayed_ the army's flight.

6.18: _resisto_: 'maintained its ground,' 'held its own,' as contrasted with its previous flight (_fugere coeperunt_).

6.19: #crinibus pa.s.sis# (_pando_): 'with streaming hair.'

6.20: '_by_ beseeching'; the abl. of the gerund (_orando_) might have been used.

6.21: #foedere . . . icto# (_ico_): 'having struck a treaty.' How literally? The abl. abs. is one of the regular subst.i.tutes in Latin for the missing perfect active participle. In the phrase _foedus icere_, the verb suggests the striking of the victims in the sacrifice which accompanied the making of the treaty.