sacrificed on behalf of those who uso it. The Greeks, in their purificatory rites, sacrifico dogs, and often make uso of what is called Periskylakismos. But if this feast bo in honour of the she-wolf, in gratitudo for her suckling and preserving of Romulus, then it is very natural to sacrifico. a dog, for it is an enemy of wolves; unless, indeed, tho beast is put to death to punish it for hindering the Luperci when they ran their course. XXII. It is said also that Romulus instituted the service of the sacred fire of Vesta, and the holy virgins who keep it up, called Vestals. Others attribute this to Numa, though they say that Romulus was a very religious prince, and learned in divination, for which purposo he used to carry the crooked staff called lituus, with which to divido the heavens into spaces for the observation of the flight of birds. This, which is preserved in the Palatium, was lost when the city was taken by the Gauls; but afterwards, when the barbarians had been repulsed, it was found unharmed in a deep bed of ashes, where everything else had been burned or spoiled. He also enacted some laws, the most arbitrary of which is that a wife cannot obtain a divorce from her husband, but that a husband may put away his wife for poisoning her children, conterfeiting keys, or adultery. If any one put away his wife on other grounds than these, he enacted that half his property should go to his wife, and half to the temple of Ceres. A man who divorced his wife was to make an offering to tho Chthonian gods. A peculiarity of his legislation is that, while he laid down no course of procedure in case of particide, ho speaks of all murder by the name of parricide, as though the one were an abominable, but the other an impossible crime. And for many years it appeared that he had rightly judged, for no one attempted anything of the kind at Rome for nearly six hundred years; but it is said that the first parricide was that of Lucius Hostilius, which he committed after the war with Hannibal. Enough has now been said upon these subjects. XXIII. In the fifth year of the reign of Tatius, some of his relatives foll in with ambassadors from Laurentum, on • Chthonian gods are the gods of the world below. their way PLUTARCH'S LIVES. to Rome, and endeavoured to rob them. As the ambassadors would not submit to this, but defended themBelves, they slew them. Romulus at once gave it as his opinion that the authors of this great and audacious crimo ought to be punished, but Tatius hushed the matter up, and enabled them to escape. This is said to have been for in all other matters they acted with the greatest the only occasion upon which they were openly at variance, possible unanimity. The relatives, however, of the murdered men, as they were hindered by Tatius from receiving offering sacrifice at Lavinium, and slew him, but respected any satisfaction, fell upon him when he and Romulus were Romulus, and praised him as a just man. He brought home what is called the Armilustrium, on Mount Aventine. the body of Tatius, and buried it honourably. It lies near faction for the murder. Some writers say that the city of But Romulus neglected altogether to exact any satisTatius, but that Romulus allowed them to depart, saying Lavinium, in its terror, delivered up the murderers of that blood had been atoned for by blood. This speech of at gave rise to some suspicion that he was not displeased at being rid of his colleague. However, it caused no disturbance in the state, and did not move the Sabines to his power, and belief in his divine mission, they continued revolt, but partly out of regard for Romulus, and fear of to live under his rule with cheerfulness and respect. Many foreign tribes also respected Romulus, and the more ancient Latin races sent him ambassadors, and made treaties of friendship and alliance. I took Fidenæ, a city close to Rome, according to some authorities, by sending his cavalry thither on a sudden, and ordering them to cut the pivots of the city gates, and then unexpectedly appearing in person. Others say that drove off plunder froin it, and insulted the neighbourhood the people of Fidene first invaded the Ronan territory, of the city itself, and that Romulus laid an ambush for them, slow many, and took their city. He did not destroy it, hundred Romans thither as colonists on the Ides of April. XXIV. After this a pestilence fell upon Rome, which but slow Tade it a Roman colony, and sent two thousand five men suddenly without previous sickness, and afflicted the crops and cattle with barrenness. A shower of blood also fell in the city, so that religious terror was added to the people's sufferings. As a similar visitation befell the citizens of Laurentum, it became evident that the wrath of the gods was visiting theso cities because of the unavenged murders of Tatius and of the ambassadors. The guilty parties were delivered up on both sides, and duly punished, after which the plague was sensibly mitigated. Romulus also purified the city with lustrations, which, they say, are even now practised at the Ferentino gate. But before the plague ceased, the people of Camerium attacked the Romans, supposing that they would be unablo to defend themselves on account of their misfortune, and overran their country. Nevertheless, Romulus instantly marched against them, slew six hundred of them in battle, and took their city. Half the survivors he transplanted to Rome, and settled twice as many Romans as the remainder at Camerium, on the Kalends of Sextilis. So many citizens had he to spare after he had only inhabited Rome for about sixteen years. Among the other spoils, he carried off a brazen four-horse chariot from Camerium; this he dedicated in the temple of Vulcan, having placed in it a figuro of himself being crowned by Victory. XXV. As the city was now so flourishing, the weaker of the neighbouring states made submission, and were glad to receive assurance that they would be unharmed; but the more powerful, fearing and envying Romulus, considered that they ought not to remain quiet, but ought to check the growth of Rome. First the Etruscans of Veii, a people possessed of wide lands and a large city, began the war by demanding the surrender to them of Fidene, which they claimed as belonging to them. This demand was not only unjust, but absurd, seeing that they had not assisted the people of Fidene when they were fighting and in danger, but permitted them to be destroyed, and then demanded their houses and lands, when they were in tho possession of others. Receiving a haughty answer from Romulus, they divided themselves into two bodies, with one of which they attacked Fidona, and with the other went to meet Romulus. At Fidena they conquered the Romans, and slow two thousand; but they were defeated PLUTARCH'S LIVES. by Romulus, with a loss of eight thousand men. A second battle now took place at Fidenæ, in which all agree that Romulus took the most important part, showing the greatest skill and courage, and a strength and swiftness more than mortal. fabulous, such as that fourteen hundred were slain, more But some accounts are altogether than half of whom Romulus slew with his own hand. The Messenians appear to use equally inflated language about sacrifice for having slain a hundred Lacedaemonians. Aristomenes, when they tell us that he thrice offered After the victory, Romulus did not pursue the beaten army, but marched straight to the city of Veii. The at their own request were granted a treaty and alliance citizens, after so great a disaster, made no resistance, but hundred years, giving up a large portion of their territory, called the Septem Pagi, or seven districts, and their saltworks by the river, and handing over fifty of their leading men as hostages. for a For Romulus enjoyed another triumph, an old on the Ides of October, when he led in his train man, who was thought to have mismanaged matters On this account to this day, many captives, amongst whom was the Veientine general, foolishly and like a boy. when a sacrifice is made for victory, they lead an old man through the Forum and up to the Capitol, dressed in a bulla hung round his neck; and the herald calls out "Sardinians for sale." robe with wide purple border, and with a child's are said to be of Sardinian origin, and Veii is a Tyrrhenian For the Tyrrhenians or Tuscans. city. XVI. This was Romulus's last war. After it, he, like neary all those who have risen to power and fame by a great with former and unexpected series of successes, became filled Self-confidence and arrogance, and, in place of his Popular manners, assumed the offensive style of a He wore a purple tunic, and a toga with a purple and did business reclining instead of sitting on a and was always attended by the band of youths Celeres, from their quickness in service. despot. border, throne called Others before him with staves to keep off the crowd, and girt with thongs, with which to bind any one whom walked were It he might order into custody. The Latins used formerly to call to bind ligare, and now call it alligare; wherefore the staff-bearers are called lictors, and their staves aro called bacula,* from the rods which they then carried. is probable that these officers now called lictors by tho insertion of the c, were originally called litors, that is. in Greek, leitourgoi (public officials). For to this day the Grecks call a town-hall leitus, and the people laos. XXVII. When Romulus' grandfather Numitor died in Alba, although he was evidently his heir, yet through a desire for popularity he left his claim unsettled, and contented himself with appointing a chief magistrato for the people of Alba every year; thus teaching the Roman nobles to desire a freer constitution, which should not be So much encroached upon by the king. For at Rome now even the so-called Fathers took no part in public affairs, but had merely their name and dignity, and were called into the Senate House more for form's sake than to express their opinions. When there, they listened in silence to Romulus's orders, and the only advantago which they possessed over the commons was that they knew the king's mind sooner than they. Worst of all was, that he of his own authority divided the land which was obtained in war amongst the soldiers, and restored the hostages to the Veientines, against the will of the Senate and without consulting it, by which he seemed purposely to insult it. On this account the Senate was suspected, when shortly after this he miraculously disappeared. His disappearance took place on the Noncs of the month now called July, but then Quintilis, leaving nothing certain or agreed on about his end except the date. Even now things happen in the same fashion as then; and we need not wonder at the uncertainty about the death of Romulus, when that of Scipio Africanus, in his own house after supper, provod so inexplicable, some saying that it arose from an evil habit of body, some that he had poisoned himself, some that his enemies had suffocated him during the night. And yet the corpse of Scipio lay openly exposed for all The Romans termed these bundles of rods fasces. The derivation of lictor from the Greck slows the utter ignorance of etymology prevailing among the ancients. |