Birth of Romulus and Remus and Their Rescue — Livy, History of Rome Book 1 (1.4.1–1.4.9), Latin & English

§1.4.1

sed debebatur, ut opinor, fatis¹ tantae origo urbis maximique secundum deorum opes imperii principium. vi compressa Vestalis cum geminum partum edidisset, seu ita rata, seu quia deus auctor culpae honestior erat, Martem incertae stirpis patrem nuncupat.

But the origin of so great a city and the beginning of the greatest empire, second only to the power of the gods, was due, in my opinion, to the fates. When the Vestal, having been violated by force, had given birth to twin offspring, whether she really believed it to be so, or because a god was a more honorable author of her fault, she named Mars as the father of her uncertain offspring.

§1.4.3

sed nec dii nec homines aut ipsam aut stirpem a crudelitate regia vindicant;

But neither gods nor men protected either herself or her offspring from the royal cruelty;

§1.4.4

sacerdos vincta in custodiam datur; pueros in profluentem aquam mitti iubet. forte quadam divinitus super ripas Tiberis effusus lenibus stagnis nec adiri usquam ad iusti cursum poterat amnis et posse quamvis languida mergi aqua infantes spem ferentibus dabat.²

the priestess was bound and put into custody; the king ordered the boys to be thrown into the flowing water. By a certain divine chance, the Tiber, having overflowed its banks into gentle pools, could not be approached anywhere near its regular course, yet gave hope to those who carried the infants that they could be drowned by water however sluggish.

§1.4.5

ita, velut defuncti regis imperio,³ in proxima eluvie, ubi nunc ficus Ruminalis est — Romularem vocatam ferunt —, pueros exponunt. vastae tum in his locis solitudines erant.

Thus, as if having discharged the king’s command, they exposed the boys in the nearest overflow, where the Ruminal fig tree now is—they say it was once called Romular. There were vast solitudes in these places at that time.

§1.4.6

tenet fama, cum fluitantem alveum, quo expositi erant pueri, tenuis in sicco aqua destituisset, lupam sitientem ex montibus, qui circa sunt, ad puerilem vagitum cursum flexisse; eam summissas infantibus adeo mitem praebuisse mammas, ut lingua lambentem pueros magister regii pecoris invenerit —

The story goes that, when the shallow water had left the floating basket in which the boys had been exposed on dry land, a thirsty she-wolf from the mountains nearby turned her steps toward the crying of the children; and she offered her lowered teats to the infants so gently that the master of the royal flock found her licking the boys with her tongue—

§1.4.7

Faustulo fuisse nomen ferunt —; ab eo ad stabula Larentiae uxori educandos datos. sunt, qui Larentiam vulgato corpore lupam inter pastores vocatam putent; inde locum fabulae ac miraculo datum.

they say his name was Faustulus—; by him they were given to his wife Larentia at their huts to be brought up. There are some who think that Larentia, because she prostituted her body, was called a “she-wolf” among the shepherds; thence an opening was given for this fable and miracle.

§1.4.8

ita geniti itaque educati, cum primum adolevit aetas, nec in stabulis nec ad pecora segnes, venando peragrare saltus.⁴

Having been thus born and thus brought up, as soon as they grew to manhood, being sluggish neither in the huts nor at the flocks, they ranged through the glades by hunting.

§1.4.9

hinc robore corporibus animisque sumpto iam non feras tantum subsistere, sed in latrones praeda onustos impetus facere pastoribusque rapta dividere et cum his crescente in dies grege iuvenum seria ac iocos celebrare.

Hence, having acquired strength in both body and mind, they now not only withstood wild beasts but also made attacks on robbers laden with plunder and divided what had been taken among the shepherds, and with these, as the band of young men grew daily, they conducted serious business and sports.

Syntax notes4 items

1.4.1debebatur, ut opinor, fatis
fatis is a dative of indirect object or agent with the passive verb debebatur. The phrase literally means 'was owed to the fates', conveying the sense of historical or divine necessity that the origin of the city was destined to happen.
1.4.4posse quamvis languida mergi aqua infantes spem ferentibus dabat
The subject of the main verb dabat is the accusative and infinitive clause posse ... mergi ... infantes ('that the infants could be drowned, however sluggish the water'). ferentibus is the dative plural of the present participle ferens, acting substantively as 'to those who carried (the infants)', receiving the hope (spem dabat).
1.4.5velut defuncti regis imperio
defuncti is the perfect participle of defungor ('to perform, discharge, finish'), nominative plural masculine agreeing with the subject of exponunt, governing the ablative imperio ('as if having discharged the king's command'). It does not mean 'the deceased king', as King Amulius is still very much alive; it refers to the execution of the royal order.
1.4.8venando peragrare saltus
peragrare is a historical infinitive used instead of a finite verb, equivalent in meaning to the third-person plural imperfect indicative (peragrabant). The subsequent verbs in section 9 (subsistere, facere, dividere, celebrare) are likewise historical infinitives, employed to render the narrative more vivid and rapid.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (2, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — note 1
2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:1.4.1-1.4.9