- 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
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:1.24.1-1.24.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-06
It is agreed to decide the sovereignty of the states through a duel between triplet brothers (the Horatii and Curiatii) from each army, and a solemn treaty-making ceremony is performed between the two peoples.
forte in duobus tum exercitibus erant trigemini fratres nec aetate nec viribus dispares. Horatios Curiatiosque fuisse satis constat, nec ferme res antiqua alia est nobilior; tamen in re tam clara nominum error manet, utrius populi Horatii, utrius Curiatii fuerint.1 auctores utroque trahunt; plures tamen invenio, qui Romanos Horatios vocent; hos ut sequar, inclinat animus.
It happened that in the two armies at that time there were triplet brothers, unequal neither in age nor in strength. It is well established that they were the Horatii and the Curiatii, and scarcely any other ancient event is more famous; yet in so famous a matter an error regarding the names remains, as to which people the Horatii and to which the Curiatii belonged. Authors draw them to both sides; yet I find more who call the Romans Horatii; my mind inclines to follow these.
cum trigeminis agunt reges, ut pro sua quisque patria dimicent ferro: ibi imperium fore, unde victoria fuerit. nihil recusatur; tempus et locus convenit.
The kings negotiate with the triplets, that each should fight with the sword for his own country: rule would be there, whence victory should come. Nothing was refused; the time and place were agreed upon.
priusquam dimicarent, foedus ictum inter Romanos et Albanos est his legibus, ut, cuius populi cives eo certamine vicissent, is alteri populo cum bona pace imperitaret.
Before they fought, a treaty was struck between the Romans and the Albans on these terms: that whichever people’s citizens should win in that contest, that people should rule over the other in good peace.
foedera alia aliis legibus, ceterum eodem modo omnia fiunt. tum ita factum accepimus, nec ullius vetustior foederis memoria est. fetialis regem Tullum ita rogavit: “iubesne me, rex, cum patre patrato populi Albani foedus ferire?” iubente rege “sagmina” inquit “te, rex, posco.”
Other treaties are made on other terms, but all in the same manner. At that time we receive that it was done as follows, nor is there memory of any older treaty. The fetial asked King Tullus as follows: “Do you, king, order me to strike a treaty with the pater patratus of the Alban people?” Upon the king ordering it, he said, “I demand of you, king, the sacred herbs.”
rex ait: “puram tollito.” fetialis ex arce graminis herbam puram attulit. postea regem ita rogavit: “rex, facisne me tu regium nuntium populi Romani Quiritium, vasa comitesque meos?” rex respondit: “quod sine fraude mea populique Romani Quiritium fiat,2 facio.”
The king said: “Take it clean.” The fetial brought clean grass from the citadel. Afterward he asked the king in this way: “King, do you make me the royal messenger of the Roman people of Quirites, along with my vessels and companions?” The king replied: “What may be done without detriment to myself and to the Roman people of Quirites, I do.”
fetialis erat M. Valerius; is patrem patratum Sp. Fusium fecit verbena caput capillosque tangens. pater patratus ad ius iurandum patrandum id est sanciendum fit foedus multisque id verbis, quae longo effata carmine non operae est referre, peragit.
The fetial was Marcus Valerius; he made Spurius Fusius pater patratus, touching his head and hair with verbena. The pater patratus is made for executing the oath, that is, for ratifying the treaty, and he performs it with many words, which, being spoken in a long formula, it is not worth the trouble to repeat.
legibus deinde recitatis “audi” inquit, “Iuppiter, audi, pater patrate populi Albani, audi tu, populus Albanus: ut illa palam prima postrema ex illis tabulis cerave recitata sunt sine dolo malo utique ea hic hodie rectissime, intellecta sunt, illis legibus populus Romanus prior non deficiet.
Then, after the terms were read out, he said, “Hear, Jupiter, hear, pater patratus of the Alban people, hear you, Alban people: as those things have been publicly read from beginning to end from those tablets or wax, without evil deceit and in the way they have been most correctly understood here today, from those terms the Roman people will not be the first to depart.
si prior defexit3 publico consilio dolo malo, tum illo die, Diespiter, populum Romanum sic ferito, ut ego hunc porcum hic hodie feriam; tantoque magis ferito, quanto magis potes pollesque.”
If they should be the first to depart by public counsel and with evil deceit, then on that day, Diespiter, strike the Roman people in such a way as I shall strike this pig here today; and strike them so much the more, as you are more able and powerful.”
id ubi dixit, porcum saxo silice percussit. sua item carmina Albani suumque ius iurandum per suum dictatorem suosque sacerdotes peregerunt.
When he had said this, he struck the pig with a flint stone. The Albans likewise performed their own formulas and their own oath through their dictator and their priests.
- 1.24.1utrius populi Horatii, utrius Curiatii fuerint
Indirect question clause. The genitive utrius is the genitive singular of the interrogative pronoun uter ("which of the two"), expressing possession or belonging. The perfect subjunctive fuerint represents a past action relative to the present main verb manet (sequence of tenses).
- 1.24.5quod sine fraude mea populique Romani Quiritium fiat
Relative clause of restriction or proviso. The present subjunctive fiat is used to express a reservation ("so far as it may be done without..."). The noun fraude here means "detriment" or "harm" rather than "deceit."
- 1.24.8defexit
Archaic future perfect form. Corresponding to the classical defecerit (future perfect third-person singular of deficio, "to fail, depart"), this is an old verbal inflected form preserved in religious and legal formulas to express a future hypothesis.