- Source
- Titi Livi ab urbe condita libri editionem priman, Pars I-IV, Libri I-XL. Editio Stereotypica. Weissenborn, Wilhelm; Mueller, Moritz, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1884-1911.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
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- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:1.20.1-1.20.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-06
To ensure that religious duties were not neglected during future wars, Numa created various priesthoods, including the Flamines, Vestal Virgins, and Salii, and appointed a Pontifex to oversee all public and private rituals and portents.
Tum sacerdotibus creandis1 animum adiecit, quamquam ipse plurima sacra obibat, ea maxime, quae nunc ad Dialem flaminem pertinent.
Then he turned his attention to appointing priests, although he himself performed many sacred rites, especially those which now belong to the flamen of Jupiter.
sed quia in civitate bellicosa plures Romuli quam Numae similes reges putabat fore iturosque ipsos ad bella, ne sacra regiae vicis2 desererentur, flaminem Iovi adsiduum sacerdotem creavit insignique eum veste et curuli regia sella adornavit. huic duos flamines adiecit, Marti unum, alterum Quirino;
But because he thought that in a warlike state there would be more kings like Romulus than Numa, and that they themselves would go to war, lest the sacred rites of the royal office should be neglected, he created a constant priest to Jupiter as a flamen, and adorned him with a special vestment and the royal curule chair. To this one he added two other flamines, one for Mars and the other for Quirinus;
virginesque Vestae legit, Alba oriundum sacerdotium et genti conditoris haud alienum. iis, ut adsiduae templi antistites essent, stipendium de publico statuit, virginitate aliisque caerimoniis venerabiles ac sanctas fecit.
and he chose virgins for Vesta, a priesthood originating from Alba and by no means foreign to the family of the founder. For them, so that they might be constant guardians of the temple, he established a stipend from the public treasury, and made them venerable and sacred through virginity and other ceremonies.
Salios item duodecim Marti Gradivo legit tunicaeque pictae insigne dedit et super tunicam aeneum pectori tegumen caelestiaque arma, quae ancilia appellantur, ferre ac per urbem ire canentes carmina cum tripudiis sollemnique saltatu iussit. pontificem deinde Numam Marcium, Marci filium, ex patribus legit eique sacra omnia exscripta exsignataque attribuit, quibus hostiis, quibus diebus, ad quae templa sacra fierent atque unde in eos sumptus pecunia erogaretur.
He likewise chose twelve Salii for Mars Gradivus, and gave them the distinction of the embroidered tunic, and over the tunic a bronze breastplate, ordering them to carry the heavenly weapons, which are called ancilia, and to go through the city singing hymns with triple-beat leaps and solemn dancing. Then from the patricians he chose as pontifex Numa Marcius, the son of Marcius, and assigned to him all the sacred rites written out and sealed, showing with what victims, on what days, at which temples the sacred rites should be performed, and from what source the money for those expenses should be paid.
cetera quoque omnia publica privataque sacra pontificis scitis subiecit, ut esset, quo consultum3 plebes veniret, ne quid divini iuris neglegendo patrios ritus peregrinosque adsciscendo turbaretur;
He also subjected all other public and private sacred rites to the decrees of the pontifex, so that there might be someone whom the common people could come to consult, lest any part of the divine law should be disturbed by neglecting ancestral rites and adopting foreign ones;
nec caelestes modo caerimonias sed iusta quoque funebria placandosque manes ut idem pontifex edoceret, quaeque prodigia fulminibus aliove quo visu missa susciperentur atque curarentur. ad ea elicienda ex mentibus divinis Iovi Elicio aram in Aventino dicavit deumque consuluit auguriis, quae suscipienda essent.
and so that the same pontifex might instruct them not only in celestial ceremonies but also in the proper funeral rites and how to appease the shades of the dead, and what portents sent by lightning or any other sight should be accepted and expiated. To elicit these from the divine minds, he dedicated an altar on the Aventine to Jupiter Elicius, and consulted the god by auguries as to which portents should be accepted.
- 1.20.1sacerdotibus creandis
A gerundive construction in the dative case. Since the phrase 'animum adicere' (to direct one's mind, to apply oneself) governs the dative, this construction functions as the object of interest: 'to appointing priests.'
- 1.20.2regiae vicis
The genitive of 'vicis' (turn, place, office, duty; the nominative *vix is obsolete). Combined with the adjective 'regiae' (royal), it means 'of the royal office' or 'of the king's duty (by turn),' ensuring that sacred rites would not be neglected when the king was away at war.
- 1.20.6consultum
The accusative supine of the verb 'consulere' (to consult, seek advice) expressing purpose. It is used with the verb of motion 'veniret' (should come) to mean 'in order to consult' or 'to seek advice.'