§1.86.1χρόνου δέ τινος ἐν τούτῳ διαγενομένου, ἐπειδὴ οὐδὲν ἐμειοῦτο τὸ τῆς στάσεως, δόξαν ἀμφοῖν τῷ μητροπάτορι ἐπιτέψαι παρῆσαν εἰς τὴν Ἄλβαν.
When some time had elapsed in this, since the discord was in no way diminished, it having seemed good to both to entrust the matter to their grandfather, they came to Alba.
ὁ δὲ αὐτοῖς ταῦτα ὑποτίθεται· θεοὺς ποιήσασθαι δικαστάς, ὁποτέρου χρὴ τὴν ἀποικίαν λέγεσθαι καὶ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν εἶναι.
He suggested to them the following: to make the gods the judges of which of the two the colony should be named after and which should have the leadership.
ταξάμενος δὲ αὐτοῖς ἡμέραν ἐκέλευσεν ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ καθέζεσθαι χωρὶς ἀλλήλων, ἐν αἷς ἑκάτεροι ἀξιοῦσιν ἕδραις· προθύσαντας δὲ τοῖς θεοῖς ἱερὰ τὰ νομιζόμενα φυλάττειν οἰωνοὺς αἰσίους· ὁποτέρῳ δʼ ἂν οἱ ὄρνιθες προτέρῳ κρείττους γένωνται, §1.86.2τοῦτον ἄρχειν τῆς ἀποικίας.
And having appointed a day for them, he ordered them to sit apart from each other from dawn, in those seats which each group deemed fit; and having first offered the customary sacrifices to the gods, to watch for favorable omens; and to whichever of the two the better birds should first appear, that this one should rule the colony.
ἀπῄεσαν οἱ νεανίσκοι ταῦτʼ ἐπαινέσαντες καὶ κατὰ τὰ συγκείμενα παρῆσαν ἐν τῇ κυρίᾳ τῆς πράξεως ἡμέρᾳ.
The young men departed, having approved of these things, and according to what had been agreed, they were present on the day appointed for the action.
ἦν δὲ Ῥωμύλῳ μὲν οἰωνιστήριον, ἔνθα ἠξίου τὴν ἀποικίαν ἱδρῦσαι, τὸ Παλλάντιον, Ῥώμῳ δʼ ὁ προσεχὴς ἐκείνῳ λόφος Αὐεντῖνος καλούμενος, ὡς δέ τινες ἱστοροῦσιν ἡ Ῥεμορία· φυλακή τε ἀμφοῖν παρῆν οὐκ ἐπιτρέψουσα ὅ τι μὴ φανείη λέξειν.
Now Romulus had as his place for observing omens the Palatine, where he wished to establish the colony, but to Remus it was the hill adjacent to it, called the Aventine, or, as some record, Remoria; and a guard was present with both, which was not going to permit them to report anything that had not appeared.
§1.86.3ὡς δὲ τὰς προσηκούσας ἕδρας ἔλαβον ὀλίγον ἐπισχὼν χρόνον ὁ Ῥωμύλος ὑπὸ σπουδῆς τε καὶ τοῦ πρὸς τὸν ἀδελφὸν φθόνου, ἴσως δὲ καὶ ὁ θεὸς οὕτως ἐνῆγε, πρὶν ἢ καὶ ὁτιοῦν σημεῖον θεάσασθαι πέμψας ὡς τὸν ἀδελφὸν ἀγγέλους ἥκειν ἠξίου διαταχέων, ὡς πρότερος ἰδὼν οἰωνοὺς αἰσίους.
And when they took their appropriate seats, Romulus, having waited a short time, out of haste and jealousy toward his brother—and perhaps also because the god so impelled him—before he had seen any sign at all, having sent messengers to his brother, demanded that he come quickly, pretending that he had been the first to see favorable omens.
ἐν ᾧ δὲ οἱ πεμφθέντες ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ διʼ αἰσχύνης ἔχοντες τὴν ἀπάτην οὐ σπουδῇ ἐχώρουν, τῷ Ῥώμῳ γῦπες ἐπισημαίνουσιν ἓξ ἀπὸ τῶν δεξιῶν πετόμενοι.
But while those sent by him, holding the deception in shame, were not proceeding in haste, six vultures fly from the right and appear as a sign to Remus.
καὶ ο μὲν ἰδὼν τοὺς ὄρνιθας περιχαρὴς ἐγένετο, μετʼ οὐ πολὺ δὲ οἱ παρὰ τοῦ Ῥωμύλου πεμφθέντες ἀναστήσαντες αὐτὸν ἄγουσιν ἐπὶ τὸ Παλλάντιον.
And he, having seen the birds, became overjoyed, and not long after, those sent by Romulus, having made him rise, lead him to the Palatine.
§1.86.4ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ ἐγένοντο ἤρετο μὲν τὸν Ῥωμύλον ὁ Ῥῶμος, οὕς2τινας οἰωνοὺς ἴδοι πρότερος, ὁ δὲ ἐν ἀπόρῳ γίνεται ὅ τι ἀποκρίναιτο.
And when they were in the same place, Remus asked Romulus what kind of omens he had seen first, but Romulus was at a loss as to what he should answer.
ἐν δὲ τούτῳ δώδεκα γῦπες αἴσιοι πετόμενοι ὤφθησαν, οὺς ἰδὼν θαρρεῖ τε καὶ τῷ Ῥώμῳ δείξας λέγει, Τί γὰρ ἀξιοῖς τὰ πάλαι γενόμενα μαθεῖν;
In the meantime, twelve favorable vultures were seen flying, seeing which he took courage and, pointing them out to Remus, said: "Why indeed do you demand to know what happened in the past?
τούς2δε γὰρ δή που τοὺς οἰωνοὺς αὐτὸς ὁρᾷς. ὁ δὲ ἀγανακτεῖ τε καὶ δεινὰ ποιεῖται, ὡς διηρτημένος ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ, τῆς τε ἀποικίας οὐ μεθήσεσθαι αὐτῷ φησιν.
For surely you yourself see these omens here." But Remus was indignant and took it hard, feeling that he had been cheated by him, and said that he would not yield the colony to him.