§15.1ἐκ δὲ τῆς τοιαύτης παιδαγωγίας πρὸς τὸ θεῖον οὕτως ἡ πόλις ἐγεγόνει χειροήθης καὶ κατατεθαμβημένη τὴν τοῦ Νομᾶ δύναμιν, ὥστε μύθοις ἐοικότας τὴν ἀτοπίαν λόγους παραδέχεσθαι, καὶ νομίζειν μηδὲν ἄπιστον εἶναι μηδὲ ἀμήχανον ἐκείνου. βουληθέντος.
Through such training in relation to the divine, the city had become so submissive and so struck with awe at the power of Numa, that they accepted stories resembling myths in their strangeness, and believed that nothing was incredible or impossible if he wished it.
§15.2λέγεται γοῦν ποτε καλέσας ἐπὶ τὴν τράπεζαν οὐκ ὀλίγους τῶν πολιτῶν, σκεύη τε φαῦλα καὶ δεῖπνον εὐτελὲς πάνυ προθέσθαι καὶ δημοτικὸν ἀρξαμένων δὲ δειπνεῖν ἐμβαλὼν λόγον ὡς ἡ θεὸς ᾗ σύνεστιν ἥκοι πρὸς αὐτόν, αἰφνίδιον ἐπιδεῖξαι τόν τε οἶκον ἐκπωμάτων πλήρη πολυτελῶν καὶ τὰς τραπέζας ὄψων τε παντοδαπῶν καὶ παρασκευῆς δαψιλοῦς γεμούσας.
For instance, it is said that he once invited no small number of the citizens to his table, and set before them mean vessels and a very cheap and democratic supper; but when they began to eat, he threw out a report that the goddess with whom he associated had come to him, and suddenly showed the house full of costly cups and the tables loaded with all kinds of dainties and abundant preparation.
§15.3πᾶσαν δὲ ὑπερβέβληκεν ἀτοπίαν τὸ ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ Διὸς ὁμιλίας ἱστορούμενον.
But the story told about his converse with Zeus surpasses all strangeness.
μυθολογοῦσι γάρ εἰς τὸν Ἀβεντῖνον λόφον οὔπω μέρος ὄντα τῆς πόλεως οὐδὲ συνοικούμενον, ἀλλʼ ἔχοντα πηγάς τε δαψιλεῖς ἐν αὑτῷ καὶ νάπας σκιεράς, φοιτᾶν δύο δαίμονάς, Πῖκον καὶ Φαῦνον οὓς τὰ μὲν ἄλλα Σατύρων ἄν τις ἢ Πανῶν γένει προσεικάσειε, δυνάμει δὲ φαρμάκων καὶ δεινότητι τῆς περὶ τὰ θεῖα γοητείας λέγονται ταὐτὰ τοῖς ὑφʼ Ἑλλήνων προσαγορευθεῖσιν Ἰδαίοις Δακτύλοις σοφιζόμενοι περιϊέναι τὴν Ἰταλίαν.
For they mythologize that to the Aventine hill, which was not yet a part of the city nor inhabited, but possessed abundant springs and shady glens within itself, two spirits, Picus and Faunus, used to resort. These, in other respects, one might compare to the race of Satyrs or Pans, but by the power of drugs and skill in divine sorcery, they are said to have gone about Italy practicing the same arts as those who were called Idaean Dactyls by the Greeks.
§15.4τούτους φασὶ χειρώσασθαι τὸν Νομᾶν, οἴνῳ καὶ μέλιτι κεράσαντα τὴν κρήνην ἀφʼ ἧς ἔπινον συνήθως. ληφθέντας δὲ πολλὰς μὲν ἰδέας τρέπεσθαι καὶ μετεκδύεσθαι τὴν αὑτῶν φύσιν, ἀλλόκοτα φάσματα καὶ φοβερὰ τῆς ὄψεως προβαλλομένους·
These men, they say, Numa captured by mixing wine and honey with the spring from which they were accustomed to drink; and when captured, they turned themselves into many forms and cast off their own nature, presenting strange and terrible apparitions to the sight.
ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔγνωσαν ἑαλωκότες ἰσχυρὰν καὶ ἄφυκτον ἅλωσιν, ἄλλα τε προθεσπίσαι πολλὰ τῶν μελλόντων καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς κεραυνοῖς ἐκδιδάξαι καθαρμόν, ὃς ποιεῖται μέχρι νῦν διὰ κρομμύων καὶ τριχῶν καὶ μαινίδων.
But when they perceived that they were caught in a strong and inescapable grip, they foretold many of the things that were to come, and also taught him the expiation for thunderbolts, which is performed to this day with onions, hair, and sprats.
§15.5ἔνιοι δὲ οὐ τοὺς δαίμονάς φασὶν ὑποθέσθαι τὸν καθαρμόν, ἀλλʼ ἐκείνους μὲν καταγαγεῖν τὸν Δία μαγεύσαντας, τὸν δὲ θεὸν ὀργιζόμενον τῷ Νομᾷ προστάσσειν ὡς χρὴ γενέσθαι τὸν καθαρμὸν κεφαλαῖς·
But some say that it was not the spirits who suggested the expiation, but that they drew down Zeus by magic, and that the god, being angry with Numa, commanded that the expiation must be performed with 'heads'.
ὑπολαβόντος δὲ τοῦ Νομᾶ,
κρομμύων; εἰπεῖν,
ἀνθρώπων
τὸν δὲ αὖθις ἐκτρέποντα τὸ τοῦ προστάγματος δεινὸν ἐπερέσθαι,
θριξίν;
Whereupon Numa, taking him up, said: 'Of onions?' And the god said: 'Of men'.
ἀποκριναμένου δὲ τοῦ Διός,
ἐμψύχοις,
ἐπαγαγεῖν τὸν Νομᾶν,
μαινίσι; ταῦτα λέγειν ὑπὸ τῆς Ἠγερίας δεδιδαγμένον.
But Numa, again turning aside the dreadfulness of the command, asked: 'With hair?' And Zeus replying: 'With living things', Numa added: 'With sprats?' He said these things because he had been instructed by Egeria.
§15.6καὶ τὸν μὲν θεὸν ἀπελθεῖν ἵλεω γενόμενον, τὸν δὲ τόπον Ἰλίκιον ἀπʼ ἐκείνου προσαγορευθῆναι καὶ τὸν καθαρμὸν οὕτω συντελεῖσθαι.
And the god went away appeased, and the place from that time was called Ilicium, and the expiation was performed in this way.
ταῦτα μὲν οὖν τὰ μυθώδη καὶ γελοῖα τὴν τῶν τότε ἀνθρώπων ἐπιδείκνυται διάθεσιν πρὸς τὸ θεῖον, ἣν ὁ ἐθισμὸς αὐτοῖς ἐνεποίησεν.
These fabulous and ridiculous stories, then, show the disposition of the men of that time toward the divine, which custom had implanted in them.
αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν Νομᾶν οὕτω φασὶν εἰς τὸ θεῖον ἀνηρτῆσθαι ταῖς ἐλπίσιν, ὥστε καὶ προσαγγελίας αὐτῷ ποτε γενομένης ὡς ἐπέρχονται πολέμιοι, μειδιᾶσαι καὶ εἰπεῖν· ἐγὼ δὲ θύω.
And Numa himself, they say, was so dependent on the divine in his hopes, that when a message was once brought to him that enemies were coming, he smiled and said: 'But I am sacrificing'.