§7.70.1ἐπεὶ δὲ κατὰ τοῦτο γέγονα τῆς ἱστορίας τὸ μέρος, οὐκ οἴομαι δεῖν τὰ περὶ τὴν ἑορτὴν ἐπιτελούμενα ὑπʼ αὐτῶν παρελθεῖν, οὐχ ἵνα μοι χαριεστέρα γένηται προσθήκας λαβοῦσα θεατρικὰς καὶ λόγους ἀνθηροτέρους ἡ διήγησις, ἀλλʼ ἵνα τῶν ἀναγκαίων τι πιστώσηται πραγμάτων, ὅτι τὰ συνοικίσαντα ἔθνη τὴν Ῥωμαίων πόλιν Ἑλληνικὰ ἦν ἐκ τῶν ἐπιφανεστάτων ἀποικισθέντα τόπων, ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὥσπερ ἔνιοι νομίζουσι βάρβαρα καὶ ἀνέστια·
Since I have come to this part of my history, I do not think I ought to pass over the things performed by them in connection with the festival; not indeed that my narrative may become more agreeable by receiving theatrical additions and more flowery language, but rather that it may confirm one of the necessary facts, namely, that the nations which settled together in the city of the Romans were Greek, having sent out colonies from the most illustrious places, and not, as some believe, barbarians and homeless wanderers.
§7.70.2ὑπεσχόμην γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ τέλει τῆς πρώτης γραφῆς, ἣν περὶ τοῦ γένους αὐτῶν συνταξάμενος ἐξέδωκα, μυρίοις βεβαιώσειν τεκμηρίοις τὴν πρόθεσιν, ἔθη καὶ νόμιμα καὶ ἐπιτηδεύματα παλαιὰ παρεχόμενος αὐτῶν, ἃ μέχρι τοῦ κατʼ ἐμὲ φυλάττουσι χρόνου, οἷα παρὰ τῶν προγόνων ἐδέξαντο· οὐχ ἡγούμενος ἀποχρῆν τοῖς ἀναγράφουσι τὰς ἀρχαίας καὶ τοπικὰς ἱστορίας, ὡς παρὰ τῶν ἐπιχωρίων αὐτὰς παρέλαβον, ἀξιοπίστως διελθεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μαρτυριῶν οἰόμενος αὐταῖς δεῖν πολλῶν καὶ δυσαντιλέκτων, εἰ μέλλουσι πισταὶ §7.70.3φανήσεσθαι.
For I promised at the end of my first book, which I composed and published concerning their origin, that I would confirm my purpose with countless proofs, by presenting their ancient customs, laws, and practices, which they preserve down to my own time, just as they received them from their ancestors; not thinking it sufficient for those who record ancient and local histories to relate them creditably just as they received them from the inhabitants, but believing that they also stand in need of many and undeniable testimonies, if they are to appear worthy of belief.
ἐν αἷς πρῶτα καὶ κυριώτατα πάντων εἶναι πείθομαι τὰ γινόμενα καθʼ ἑκάστην πόλιν περὶ θεῶν καὶ δαιμόνων πατρίους σεβασμούς.
Among these, I am persuaded that the first and most sovereign of all are the traditional worships concerning the gods and divinities which take place in each city.
ταῦτα γὰρ ἐπὶ μήκιστον χρόνον διὰ φυλακῆς ἔχει Ἑλλάς τε καὶ βάρβαρος χώρα, καὶ οὐθὲν ἀξιοῖ καινοτομεῖν εἰς αὐτὰ ὑπὸ §7.70.4δείματος κρατουμένη μηνιμάτων δαιμονίων.
For both Greece and the barbarian land keep these under guard for the longest time, and do not think fit to make any innovation in them, being held by the fear of divine wrath.
μάλιστα δὲ τοῦτο πεπόνθασιν οἱ βάρβαροι διὰ πολλὰς αἰτίας, ἃς οὐ καιρὸς ἐν τῷ παρόντι λέγειν, καὶ χρόνος οὐθεὶς μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος ἀπομαθεῖν ἢ παρανομῆσαί τι περὶ τοὺς ὀργιασμοὺς τῶν θεῶν ἔπεισεν οὔτʼ Αἰγυπτίους οὔτε Λίβυας οὔτε Κελτοὺς οὔτε Σκύθας οὔτʼ Ἰνδοὺς οὔτʼ ἄλλο βάρβαρον ἔθνος οὐδὲν ἁπλῶς· εἰ μή τινες ὑφʼ ἑτέρων ἐξουσίᾳ ποτὲ γενόμενοι τὰ τῶν κρατησάντων ἠναγκάσθησαν ἐπιτηδεύματα μεταλαβεῖν.
And the barbarians have experienced this especially for many reasons, which it is not the season to speak of at present, and no length of time down to the present has persuaded either Egyptians, or Libyans, or Celts, or Scythians, or Indians, or indeed any other barbarian nation at all, to unlearn or to violate anything in relation to the sacred rites of the gods; unless some, having once come under the power of others, were forced to adopt the practices of their conquerors.
τῇ δὲ Ῥωμαίων πόλει τοιαύτης οὐδέποτε πειραθῆναι συνέβη τύχης, ἀλλʼ αὐτὴ τὰ δίκαια τάττει διὰ παντὸς ἑτέροις.
But to the city of the Romans it never happened to experience such a fortune, but she herself always prescribes what is just to others.
§7.70.5εἰ δὴ βάρβαρον αὐτῶν τὸ γένος ἦν, τοσούτου ἂν ἐδέησαν αὐτοὶ τὰ πατρῷα ἱερὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐπιχωρίους ἐθισμοὺς ἀπομαθεῖν, διʼ οὓς εἰς τοσαύτην προῆλθον εὐδαιμονίαν, ὥστε καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν, ὧν ἦρχον, ἐν καλῷ κατέστησαν τοὺς θεοὺς τοῖς σφετέροις τιμᾶν νομίμοις· καὶ οὐθὲν ἂν ἐκώλυσεν ἅπαν ἐκβεβαρβαρῶσθαι τὸ Ἑλληνικὸν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ἑβδόμην ἤδη κρατούμενον ὑπʼ αὐτῶν γενεάν, εἴπερ ἦσαν βάρβαροι.
If, therefore, their origin had been barbarian, they would have been so far from unlearning their ancestral rites and local customs, through which they had advanced to such great prosperity, that they would have made it a point of honor for all others whom they ruled to honor the gods according to their own customs; and nothing would have prevented the whole Greek nation, which has already been ruled by them for seven generations, from being completely barbarized by the Romans, if indeed they were barbarians.