Disappearance of Romulus and the Vision of Proculus — Livy, History of Rome Book 1 (1.16.1–1.16.8), Latin & English

§1.16.1

his inmortalibus editis operibus cum ad exercitum recensendum contionem in campo ad Caprae paludem haberet, subito coorta tempestas cum magno fragore tonitribusque tam denso regem operuit nimbo, ut conspectum eius contioni abstulerit; nec deinde in terris Romulus fuit.

After these immortal works had been performed, while he was holding an assembly in the plain near the swamp of Capra to review the army, suddenly a tempest that had arisen with great noise and thunder covered the king with so dense a cloud that it took away the sight of him from the assembly; and thereafter Romulus was no longer on earth.

§1.16.2

Romana pubes sedato tandem pavore, postquam ex tam turbido die serena et tranquilla lux rediit, ubi vacuam sedem regiam vidit, etsi satis credebat patribus, qui proxumi steterant, sublimem raptum procella,¹ tamen velut orbitatis metu icta maestum aliquamdiu silentium obtinuit.

The Roman youth, their fear having been at last quieted, after a clear and calm light returned from so turbulent a day, when they saw the royal seat vacant, although they believed well enough the fathers who had stood closest, that he had been carried aloft by a storm, yet, as if struck by the fear of being orphaned, maintained a sorrowful silence for some time.

§1.16.3

deinde a paucis initio facto deum deo natum, regem parentemque urbis Romanae salvere universi Romulum iubent;² pacem precibus exposcunt, uti volens propitius suam semper sospitet progeniem. fuisse credo tum quoque aliquos, qui discerptum regem patrum manibus taciti arguerent;³ manavit enim haec quoque, sed perobscura fama; illam alteram admiratio viri et pavor praesens nobilitavit.

Then, a beginning having been made by a few, they all saluted Romulus as a god born of a god, the king and father of the Roman city; they implored peace with prayers, that he, willing and propitious, might always guard his offspring. I believe there were some even then who secretly argued that the king had been torn to pieces by the hands of the fathers; for this rumor also spread, though very obscurely; the other version was made famous by the admiration of the man and the present fear.

§1.16.5

et consilio etiam unius hominis addita rei dicitur fides. namque Proculus Iulius, sollicita civitate desiderio regis et infensa patribus, gravis, ut traditur, quamvis magnae rei auctor, in contionem prodit.

And credit is said to have been added to the matter by the counsel of even a single man. For Proculus Julius, while the state was anxious with longing for the king and hostile to the fathers, a weighty authority, as it is handed down, for however great a matter, came forward into the assembly.

§1.16.6

“Romulus” inquit, “Quirites, parens urbis huius, prima hodierna luce caelo repente delapsus se mihi obvium dedit. cum perfusus horrore venerabundus adstitissem, petens precibus, ut contra intueri fas esset, “abi, nuntia” inquit “Romanis caelestes ita velle; ut mea Roma caput orbis terrarum sit; proinde rem militarem colant sciantque et ita posteris tradant nullas opes humanas armis Romanis resistere posse.”

”Quirites,” he said, “Romulus, the father of this city, suddenly descending from heaven at early dawn today, presented himself to me. When, filled with awe, I stood by reverently, asking with prayers that it might be lawful to look upon him face to face,” ”’Go,’ he said, ‘announce to the Romans that the heavenly beings so desire: that my Rome shall be the capital of the world; therefore, let them cultivate the art of war, and let them know and hand down to posterity that no human power can resist Roman arms.’”

§1.16.8

“haec” inquit “locutus sublimis abiit.” mirum, quantum illi viro nuntianti haec fidei fuerit⁴ quamque desiderium Romuli apud plebem exercitumque facta fide inmortalitatis lenitum sit.

”Having spoken these words,” he said, “he departed on high.” It is wonderful how much credit was given to that man announcing these things, and how much the longing for Romulus among the common people and the army was softened by the belief in his immortality being established.

Syntax notes4 items

1.16.2credebat patribus, qui proxumi steterant, sublimem raptum procella
The verb credebat governs the dative patribus (the fathers) while simultaneously introducing an accusative and infinitive clause [Romulum] sublimem raptum [esse] procella with the subject accusative Romulum omitted, meaning "they believed the fathers [who asserted] that Romulus had been carried on high by the storm."
1.16.3salvere universi Romulum iubent
The phrase salvere aliquem iubere is a standard Latin idiom meaning "to greet someone," "to wish someone well," or "to hail/salute someone." Here it expresses the collective salute and adoration of the Roman people to the newly deified Romulus.
1.16.4qui discerptum regem patrum manibus taciti arguerent
A relative clause modifying the antecedent aliquos (at the end of §1.16.3). The verb arguerent is in the imperfect subjunctive because it is a subjunctive of characteristic, defining a class or type of people who "secretly argued" that the king had been murdered.
1.16.8quantum illi viro nuntianti haec fidei fuerit
An indirect question clause introduced by the main clause mirum [est] ("it is wonderful"), with the verb fuerit in the perfect subjunctive. fidei is a partitive genitive depending on quantum ("how much of credit"), and illi viro is a dative of possession ("was to that man").

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — source 1

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:1.16.1-1.16.8