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Plutarch · Life of Numa §7.1-7.5

Numa's Arrival in Rome and Inauguration by Augury

Passage 7 of 22 · Greek

Summary

Numa arrives in Rome, receives an enthusiastic welcome from the citizens, and officially ascends the throne after favorable bird omens are observed on the Capitol. Upon taking power, he dissolves Romulus's bodyguard, the Celeres, and establishes a new priesthood for Romulus.

§7.1ὡς οὖν ἐδέδοκτο, θύσας τοῖς θεοῖς προῆγεν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην.
When, therefore, the decision had been made, after sacrificing to the gods, he proceeded to Rome.
ἀπήντα δὲ ἡ βουλὴ καὶ ὁ δῆμος ἔρωτι θαυμαστῷ τοῦ ἀνδρός, εὐφημίαι τε πρέπουσαι γυναικῶν ἐγίνοντο καὶ θυσίαι πρὸς ἱεροῖς καὶ χαρὰ πάντων, ὥσπερ οὐ βασιλέα τῆς πόλεως, ἀλλὰ βασιλείαν δεχομένης, ἐπεὶ δὲ εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν κατέστησαν, ὁ μὲν ταῖς ὥραις ἐκείναις συνειληχὼς μες ο βασιλεὺς Σπόριος Οὐέττιος ψῆφον ἐπέδωκε τοῖς πολίταις καὶ πάντες ἤνεγκαν, προσφερομένων δ’ αὐτῷ τῶν βασιλικῶν παρασήμων ἐπισχεῖν κελεύσας ἔφη δεῖσθαι καὶ θεοῦ τὴν βασιλείαν ἐμπεδοῦντος αὐτῷ.
The senate and the people met him with a wonderful love for the man, and there were fitting acclamations from women, and sacrifices at the temples, and universal joy, just as if the city were receiving not a king, but kingship itself. And when they had come into the Forum, Spurius Vettius, the interrex who had happened to be in office for those hours, put the vote to the citizens, and all cast their ballots for him. But when the royal insignia were offered to him, he bade them hold, saying that he had need also of God confirming the kingship to him.
§7.2παραλαβὼν δὲ μάντεις καὶ ἱερεῖς ἀνέβαινεν εἰς τὸ Καπιτώλιον Ταρπήϊον αὐτὸ λόφον οἱ τότε Ῥωμαῖοι προσηγόρευον.
And taking with him augurs and priests, he ascended the Capitol, which the Romans of that time called the Tarpeian hill.
ἐνταῦθα τῶν μάντεων ὁ πρωτεύων τὸν μὲν εἰς μεσημβρίαν τρέψας ἐγκεκαλυμμένον, αὐτὸς δὲ παραστὰς ἐξόπισθεν καὶ τῇ δεξιᾷ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐφαπτόμενος αὐτοῦ κατεύξατο, καὶ περιεσκόπει τὰ παρὰ τῶν θεῶν ἐν οἰωνοῖς ἢ συμβόλοις προφαινόμενα, πανταχόσε τὰς ὄψεις περιφέρων.
There the chief of the augurs turned Numa, who was veiled, toward the south, while he himself stood behind him, and touching his head with his right hand, prayed, and swept his eyes in all directions, looking out for what was revealed from the gods in the way of birds or omens.
§7.3σιγὴ δὲ ἄπιστος ἐν πλήθει τοσούτῳ τὴν ἀγορὰν κατεῖχε καραδοκούντων καὶ συναιωρουμένων τῷ μέλλοντι, μέχρι οὗ προὐφάνησαν ὄρνιθες ἀγαθοὶ καὶ δεξιοὶ ἐπέτρεψαν οὕτω δὲ τὴν βασιλικὴν ἀναλαβὼν ἐσθῆτα κατέβαινε Νομᾶς εἰς τὸ πλῆθος ἀπὸ τῆς ἄκρας, τότε δὲ καὶ φωναὶ καὶ δεξιώσεις ἦσαν ὡς εὐσεβέστατον καὶ θεοφιλέστατον δεχομένων.
An incredible silence held the Forum despite so great a multitude, as they waited in suspense and were hovered over the future, until favorable birds appeared and approved. In this way, Numa, having assumed the royal robe, descended from the citadel to the multitude, and then there were both shouts and welcomes as they received him as a most pious man and most beloved of God.
§7.4παραλαβὼν δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν πρῶτον μὲν τὸ τῶν τριακοσίων σύστημα διέλυσεν, οὓς Ῥωμύλος ἔχων ἀεὶ περὶ τὸ σῶμα Κέλερας προσηγόρευσεν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ ταχεῖς· οὔτε γὰρ ἀπιστεῖν πιστεύουσιν οὔτε βασιλεύειν ἀπιστούντων ἠξίου.
On receiving the sovereignty, he first of all dissolved the body of three hundred men whom Romulus always kept about his person and called "Celeres," which means "swift"; for he did not think it right either to distrust those who trusted him, or to rule over those who distrusted him.
δεύτερον δὲ τοῖς οὖσιν ἱερεῦσι Διὸς καὶ Ἄρεως τρίτον Ῥωμύλου προσκατέστησεν, ὃν Φλάμινα Κυρινάλιον ὠνόμασεν.
In the second place, to the existing priests of Jupiter and Mars, he added a third for Romulus, whom he named the Quirinal Flamen.
§7.5ἐκάλουν δὲ καὶ τοὺς προγενεστέρους Φλάμινας ἀπὸ τῶν περικρανίων πίλων οὓς περὶ ταῖς κεφαλαῖς φοροῦσι, πιλαμένας τινὰς ὄντας, ὡς ἱστοροῦσι, τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν ὀνομάτων τότε μᾶλλον ἢ νῦν τοῖς Λατίνοις ἀνακεκραμένων.
And they called the earlier priests also "Flamines" from the skull-caps which they wore about their heads, these being, as they relate, "pilamenas" of a sort, because Greek names were at that time more blended with Latin than now.
καὶ γάρ ἃς ἐφ ό ρουν οἱ ἱερεῖς λαίνας ὁ Ἰόβας χλαίνας φησὶν εἶναι, καὶ τὸν ὑπηρετοῦντα τῷ ἱερεῖ τοῦ Διὸς ἀμφιθαλῆ παῖδα λέγεσθαι Κάμιλλον, ὡς καὶ τὸν Ἑρμῆν οὕτως ἔνιοι τῶν Ἑλλήνων Κάμιλλον ἀπὸ τῆς διακονίας προσηγόρευον.
For indeed the "laenae" which the priests wore, Juba says are "chlainae," and the boy with both parents living who serves the priest of Jupiter is called "Camillus," just as some of the Greeks called Hermes "Camillus" from his service.

Notes

  1. §7.1ὥσπερ οὐ βασιλέα τῆς πόλεως, ἀλλὰ βασιλείαν δεχομένης — Genitive absolute construction. The logical subject of the present participle δεχομένης is the preceding genitive noun τῆς πόλεως. Introduced by the conjunction ὥσπερ, it means 'as if the city were receiving not a king, but kingship itself.'
  2. §7.3καραδοκούντων καὶ συναιωρουμένων — Genitive plural participles. They modify the collective plural subject implied by the preceding singular noun πλήθει (multitude). While syntactically akin to a genitive absolute, semantically they describe the state of the people who held their breath in anticipation.
  3. §7.4ὅπερ ἐστὶ ταχεῖς — The relative pronoun ὅπερ is neuter singular, showing discordance in gender and number with its antecedent, the proper noun Κέλερας (masculine plural). This is because the pronoun refers abstractly to the word or name itself, meaning 'which [name] means "swift".'
  4. §7.5τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν ὀνομάτων τότε μᾶλλον ἢ νῦν τοῖς Λατίνοις ἀνακεκραμένων — A genitive absolute construction with the perfect passive participle ἀνακεκραμένων (from ἀνακράννυμι, 'to mix, blend'). The logical subject is τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν ὀνομάτων (Greek names), which is blended with the dative τοῖς Λατίνοις (Latin [words/names]).

Cite this passage

Plutarch, Life of Numa §7.1-7.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg005.humanitext-grc2:7.1-7.5

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