§1.78.1Ἀμόλιος δὲ εἴτε κατὰ τὴν συνείδησιν τῶν πραχθέντων εἴτε ὑπονοίᾳ τῶν εἰκότων προαχθεὶς ἔρευναν ἐποιεῖτο τῆς χρονίου τῶν ἱερῶν ἀποστάσεως, κατὰ τίνα γίνεται μάλιστʼ αἰτίαν ἰατρούς τε οἷς μάλιστα ἐπίστευεν εἰσπέμπων καὶ, ἐπειδὴ τὴν νόσον αἱ γυναῖκες ἀπόρρητον ἀνθρώποις ᾐτιῶντο εἶναι, τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα φύλακα τῆς κόρης καταλιπών.
Amulius, either impelled by his guilty conscience of what had been done or by suspicion of what was likely, began to make an inquiry into her long absence from the sacred rites, as to what was the primary cause of it, sending in the physicians whom he trusted most and, when the women alleged that the illness was of a nature not to be disclosed to men, leaving his own wife as a guardian over the girl.
§1.78.2ὡς δὲ κατήγορος αὕτη τοῦ πάθους ἐγένετο γυναικείᾳ τεκμάρσει τὸ ἀφανὲς τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνευροῦσα, τῆς μὲν παιδός, ὡς μὴ λάθῃ τεκοῦσα ʽἦν δὲ οὐ πρόσω τοῦ τόκοὐ φυλακὴν ἐποιεῖτο διʼ ὅπλων· αὐτὸς δὲ καλέσας τὸν ἀδελφὸν εἰς τὸ συνέδριον τῆς τε λανθανούσης τοὺς ἄλλους φθορᾶς μηνυτὴς γίνεται καὶ ᾐτιᾶτο συγκακουργεῖν τῇ κόρῃ τοὺς γονεῖς ἐκέλευέ τε μὴ §1.78.3κρύπτειν τὸν εἰργασμένον, ἀλλʼ εἰς μέσον ἄγειν.
But when she became the accuser of the misfortune, having discovered by a woman's intuition what was hidden from others, he kept a guard by armed men over the girl, lest she should give birth in secret (for she was not far from her delivery); and having himself summoned his brother to the council, he became the discloser of the corruption which had been kept secret from others, and accused her parents of being complicit in the crime with the girl, and demanded that he should not conceal the perpetrator, but bring him into the open.
Νεμέτωρ δὲ παραδόξων τε λόγων ἀκούειν ἔφη καὶ παντὸς ἀναίτιος εἶναι τοῦ λεγομένου χρόνον τε ἠξίου βασάνου τῆς ἀληθείας ἕνεκα λαβεῖν·
Numitor said he was hearing extraordinary stories and was entirely innocent of all that was alleged, and asked for time to test the truth.
τυχὼν δὲ ἀναβολῆς μόλις, ἐπειδὴ τὸ πρᾶγμα παρὰ τῆς γυναικὸς ἔμαθεν ὡς ἡ παῖς ἐν ἀρχαῖς ἀφηγήσατο, τόν τε βιασμὸν τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ γενόμενον ἀπέφαινε καὶ τοὺς λεχθέντας ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ περὶ τῶν διδύμων παίδων λόγους διεξῆλθεν ἠξίου τε πίστιν ποιήσασθαι ταύτην τῶν λεγομένων, εἰ τοιοῦτος ὁ τῆς ὠδῖνος ἔσται γόνος, οἷον ὁ θεὸς ὑφηγήσατο.
Having with difficulty obtained a postponement, when he learned the matter from his wife as the girl had originally narrated it, he revealed the violence committed by the god and related the words spoken by him concerning the twin children, and demanded that this should be made the proof of his words, if the offspring of the labor should be such as the god had indicated.
καὶ γὰρ ὁμοῦ τι τῷ τίκτειν εἶναι τὴν κόρην, ὥστε οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν ῥᾳδιουργεῖν φανήσεται.
For indeed the girl was almost at the point of giving birth, so that it would not be long before his truthfulness would be put to the test.
παρεδίδου δὲ καὶ τὰς φυλαττούσας τὴν κόρην καὶ §1.78.4ἐλέγχων οὐδενὸς ἀφίστατο.
He also offered to hand over the women who were guarding the girl, and did not shrink from any interrogation.
ταῦτα λέγοντος αὐτοῦ τὸ μὲν τῶν συνέδρων πλῆθος ἐπείθετο, Ἀμόλιος δὲ οὐδὲν ὑγιὲς ἀπέφαινε τῶν ἀξιουμένων, ἀλλʼ ἐκ παντὸς ὥρμητο τρόπου τὴν ἄνθρωπον ἀπολέσαι.
As he said this, the majority of the councilors were persuaded; but Amulius declared none of these demands to be sound, but was bent by every means upon destroying the woman.
ἐν ὅσῳ δὲ ταῦτʼ ἐγένετο παρῆσαν οἱ τὴν ὠδῖνα φρουρεῖν ταχθέντες ἀποφαίνοντες ἄρρενα βρέφη δίδυμα τεκεῖν τὴν κόρην, καὶ αὐτίκα Νεμέτωρ μὲν ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ πολὺς ἦν λόγῳ τοῦ θεοῦ τε ἀποδεικνὺς τὸ ἔργον καὶ μηδὲν εἰς τὴν κόρην ἀναίτιον οὖσαν τοῦ πάθους παρανομεῖν ἀξιῶν·
While these things were going on, those who had been appointed to watch her labor arrived, declaring that the girl had given birth to twin male infants. And immediately Numitor was insistent on the same argument, pointing out the work of the god and demanding that they commit no illegality against the girl, who was innocent of her misfortune.
Ἀμολίῳ δὲ τῶν ἀνθρωπείων τι μηχανημάτων καὶ τὸ περὶ τὸν τόκον ἐδόκει γενέσθαι παρασκευασθέντος ἑτέρου ταῖς γυναιξὶ βρέφους ἢ κρύφα τῶν φυλάκων ἢ συγκακουργούντων, καὶ §1.78.5πολλὰ εἰς τοῦτο ἐλέχθη.
But to Amulius even the birth seemed to be one of those human schemes, another baby having been substituted by the women either secretly from the guards or with their complicity, and many arguments were spoken on this matter.
ὡς δὲ τὴν γνώμην τοῦ βασιλέως ἔμαθον οἱ σύνεδροι ἀπαραιτήτῳ τῇ ὀργῇ χρωμένην ἐδικαίωσαν καὶ αὐτοὶ καθάπερ ἐκεῖνος ἠξίου χρήσασθαι τῷ νόμῳ κελεύοντι τὴν μὲν αἰσχύνασαν τὸ σῶμα ῥάβδοις αἰκισθεῖσαν ἀποθανεῖν, τὸ δὲ γεννηθὲν εἰς τὸ τοῦ ποταμοῦ βάλλεσθαι ῥεῖθρον· νῦν μέντοι ζώσας κατορύττεσθαι τὰς τοιαύτας ὁ τῶν ἱερῶν ἀγορεύει νόμος.
When the councilors learned that the king's opinion was driven by an implacable anger, they too deemed it right to apply the law as he demanded, which orders that the woman who has disgraced her body should be scourged with rods and put to death, and that the offspring should be cast into the current of the river; although now, the sacred law prescribes that such women are to be buried alive.