§2.56.1οὗτοι συνέστησαν οἱ πόλεμοι Ῥωμύλῳ λόγου καὶ μνήμης ἄξιοι.
These were the wars waged by Romulus that are worthy of mention and remembrance.
τοῦ δὲ μηδὲν ἔτι τῶν πλησίον ἐθνῶν ὑπαγαγέσθαι ταχεῖα ἡ τελευτὴ τοῦ βίου συμβᾶσα ἔτι ἀκμάζοντι αὐτῷ τὰ πολέμια πράττειν ἐν αἰτίᾳ γενέσθαι ἔδοξε· περὶ ἧς πολλοὶ παραδέδονται λόγοι καὶ διάφοροι.
And as for his not having further subjugated any of the neighboring nations, the quick end of his life, occurring while he was still in his prime for military affairs, was thought to be the cause; concerning which end many and various reports are handed down.
§2.56.2οἱ μὲν οὖν μυθωδέστερα τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ ποιοῦντες ἐκκλησιάζοντά φασιν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ στρατοπέδου ζόφου κατασκήψαντος ἐξ αἰθρίας καὶ χειμῶνος μεγάλου καταρραγέντος ἀφανῆ γενέσθαι καὶ πεπιστεύκασιν ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς Ἄρεος τὸν ἄνδρα ἀνηρπάσθαι· §2.56.3οἱ δὲ τὰ πιθανώτερα γράφοντες πρὸς τῶν ἰδίων πολιτῶν λέγουσιν αὐτὸν ἀποθανεῖν.
Now those who make his story rather mythical say that while he was holding an assembly in the camp a darkness fell from a clear sky and a great storm burst, and he disappeared, and they believe that the man was snatched up by his father Ares; but those who write the more credible accounts say that he died at the hands of his own citizens.
αἰτίαν δὲ τῆς ἀναιρέσεως αὐτοῦ φέρουσι τήν τε ἄφεσιν τῶν ὁμήρων, οὓς παρὰ Οὐιεντανῶν ἔλαβεν, ἄνευ κοινῆς γνώμης γενομένην παρὰ τὸ εἰωθός, καὶ τὸ μηκέτι τὸν αὐτὸν προσφέρεσθαι τρόπον τοῖς ἀρχαιοτάτοις πολίταις καὶ τοῖς προσγράφοις, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μὲν ἐν τιμῇ πλείονι ἄγειν, τῶν δʼ ἐπεισαχθέντων ὑπερορᾶν, τό τε ὠμὸν αὐτοῦ τὸ περὶ τὰς τιμωρίας τῶν ἐξαμαρτανόντων, ʽῬωμαίων γάρ τινας ἐπὶ λῃστείᾳ τῶν πλησιοχώρων κατηγορηθέντας οὔτε ἀφανεῖς ἄνδρας οὔτε ὀλίγους ἐκέλευσεν ὦσαι κατὰ τοῦ κρημνοῦ τὴν δίκην αὐτὸς μόνος δικάσασʼ μάλιστα δὲ ὅτι βαρὺς ἤδη καὶ αὐθάδης εἶναι ἐδόκει καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐκέτι βασιλικῶς ἀλλὰ τυραννικώτερον ἐξάγειν.
And as the cause of his assassination they bring forward the release of the hostages whom he had received from the Veientes, which was done without the common consent contrary to custom, and his no longer behaving in the same manner toward the original citizens and the newly enrolled, but holding the former in greater honor and neglecting those who had been later introduced, and his cruelty in the punishments of offenders (for some Romans, neither obscure men nor few in number, who were accused of plundering the neighbors, he ordered to be cast down from the cliff, having tried the case himself alone); but most of all, because he now seemed to be harsh and arbitrary, and to conduct his government no longer in a kingly manner, but rather more like a tyrant.
§2.56.4διὰ ταύτας δὴ λέγουσι τὰς αἰτίας συστάντας ἐπʼ αὐτῷ τοὺς πατρικίους βουλεῦσαι τὸν φόνον, πρᾶξαι δὲ τὸ ἔργον ἐν τῷ βουλευτηρίῳ καὶ διελόντας τὸ σῶμα κατὰ μέρη χάριν τοῦ μὴ φανῆναι τὸν νεκρὸν ἐξελθεῖν κρύπτοντας ὑπὸ ταῖς περιβολαῖς ὅσον ἕκαστος εἶχεν αὐτοῦ §2.56.5μέρος καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο γῇ κρύψαι κατὰ τὸ ἀφανές.
For these reasons, they say, the patricians, having conspired against him, plotted his murder, and performed the deed in the senate-house; and having cut the body into pieces so that the corpse might not be seen, they went out, each hiding under his garments whatever part of it he had, and after this buried it in the earth in secret.
οἱ δʼ ἐκκλησιάζοντα μὲν αὐτόν φασιν ὑπὸ τῶν νεοπολιτῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀναιρεθῆναι, ἐπιχειρῆσαι δʼ αὐτοὺς τῷ φόνῳ καθʼ ὃν χρόνον δηλαδὴ καὶ τὸ σκότος ἐγένετο διασκεδασθέντος ἐκ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τοῦ δήμου καὶ μονωθέντος τῆς φυλακῆς τοῦ ἡγεμόνος.
But others say that while he was holding an assembly he was slain by the new Roman citizens, and that they attempted the murder at the very time when the darkness occurred, after the common people had been dispersed from the assembly and the leader had been left without his guard.
διὰ τοῦτο γοῦν φασι τὴν ἡμέραν ἐν ᾗ τὸ πάθος ἐγένετο τῆς τροπῆς τοῦ πλήθους ἐπώνυμον εἶναι καὶ μέχρι τῶν καθʼ ἡμᾶς χρόνων ὄχλου φυγὴν καλεῖσθαι.
At any rate, they say that for this reason the day on which this disaster occurred was named after the flight of the multitude, and is called even to our times 'the Flight of the Populace'.
§2.56.6ἔοικε δʼ οὐ μικρὰν ἀφορμὴν παρέχειν τοῖς θεοποιοῦσι τὰ θνητὰ καὶ εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀναβιβάζουσι τὰς ψυχὰς τῶν ἐπιφανῶν τὰ συμβάντα ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ περὶ τὴν σύγκρισιν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐκείνου καὶ τὴν διάκρισιν.
And the things which by the act of the deity accompanied both the birth and the disappearance of that man seem to afford no small ground for those who deify mortal things and raise the souls of illustrious men to heaven.
ἔν τε γὰρ τῷ βιασμῷ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ εἴθʼ ὑπʼ ἀνθρώπων τινὸς εἴθʼ ὑπὸ θεοῦ γενομένῳ τὸν ἥλιον ἐκλιπεῖν φασιν ὅλον καὶ σκότος παντελῶς ὥσπερ ἐν νυκτὶ τὴν γῆν κατασχεῖν ἔν τε τῇ τελευτῇ αὐτοῦ ταὐτὸ συμβῆναι λέγουσι πάθος.
For they say that both at the ravishing of his mother—whether it was done by some man or by a god—the sun was totally eclipsed and a complete darkness like night covered the earth, and at his death they say that the same phenomenon occurred.
§2.56.7ὁ μὲν δὴ κτίσας τὴν Ῥώμην καὶ πρῶτος ἀποδειχθεὶς ὑπʼ αὐτῆς βασιλεὺς Ῥωμύλος τοιαύτης λέγεται τελευτῆς τυχεῖν, οὐδεμίαν ἐξ αὑτοῦ γενεὰν καταλιπών, ἑπτὰ μὲν ἔτη καὶ τριάκοντα βασιλεύσας, πεντηκοστὸν δὲ καὶ πέμπτον ἔτος ἔχων ἀπὸ γενεᾶς.
Thus Romulus, who founded Rome and was declared its first king, is said to have met with such an end, leaving no posterity of his own, having reigned thirty-seven years, and being in the fifty-fifth year of his age.
νέος γὰρ δὴ παντάπασιν ἔτυχε τῆς ἡγεμονίας ὀκτωκαιδεκαέτης ὤν, ὡς ἅπαντες ὁμολογοῦσιν οἱ τὰς περὶ αὐτοῦ συγγράψαντες ἱστορίας.
For indeed he happened to obtain the leadership when he was completely young, being eighteen years of age, as all who have written the histories concerning him agree.