Humanitext Reader

Livy · History of Rome §1.5.1-1.5.7

Origin of the Lupercalia and Slaying of Amulius

Passage 6 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

The origin of the Lupercalia festival is explained, and Remus is captured by robbers and delivered to Numitor. Meanwhile, Faustulus reveals their identity to Romulus, while Numitor begins to suspect Remus is his grandson, leading the brothers to organize a coup and slay King Amulius.

§1.5.1iam tum in Palatio monte Lupercal hoc fuisse ludicrum ferunt et a Pallanteo, urbe Arcadica, Pallantium, dein Palatium montem appellatum.
They say that even then, on the Palatine Hill, this festival of the Lupercal was celebrated, and that the hill was named Pallantium from Pallanteum, an Arcadian city, and thereafter the Palatine Hill.
§1.5.2ibi Euandrum, qui ex eo genere Arcadum multis ante tempestatibus tenuerit loca, sollemne adlatum ex Arcadia instituisse, ut nudi iuvenes Lycaeum Pana venerantes per lusum atque lasciviam currerent, quem Romani deinde vocaverunt Inuum.
There, they say, Evander, who being of that race of Arcadians had held those places many ages before, established the solemn rite brought from Arcadia, that naked young men should run about in sport and wantonness, venerating Lycean Pan, whom the Romans afterwards called Inuus.
§1.5.3huic deditis ludicro, cum sollemne notum esset, insidiatos ob iram praedae amissae latrones, cum Romulus vi se defendisset, Remum cepisse, captum regi Amulio tradidisse ultro accusantes.
While they were dedicated to this sport, since the solemn festival was well known, robbers, lying in wait out of anger for their lost plunder, captured Remus, although Romulus had defended himself by force, and delivered him when captured to King Amulius, voluntarily accusing him.
§1.5.4crimini maxime dabant in Numitoris agros ab iis impetus fieri; inde eos collecta iuvenum manu hostilem in modum praedas agere.
They made it their chief charge that incursions were made by them into the lands of Numitor; thence, having collected a band of young men, they drove off plunder in a hostile manner.
sic Numitori ad supplicium Remus deditur.
Thus Remus was delivered to Numitor for punishment.
§1.5.5iam inde ab initio Faustulo spes fuerat regiam stirpem apud se educari; nam et expositos iussu regis infantes sciebat et tempus, quo ipse eos sustulisset, ad id ipsum congruere; sed rem inmaturam nisi aut per occasionem aut per necessitatem aperire noluerat.
Now, from the very beginning, Faustulus had held the hope that royal offspring were being brought up in his house; for he both knew that infants had been exposed by the king's order, and that the time at which he himself had taken them up coincided with that very event; but he had been unwilling to disclose the matter prematurely, except either on an opportunity or by necessity.
necessitas prior venit; §1.5.6ita metu subactus Romulo rem aperit.
Necessity came first; thus, driven by fear, he disclosed the matter to Romulus.
forte et Numitori, cum in custodia Remum haberet audissetque geminos esse fratres, comparando et aetatem eorum et ipsam minime servilem indolem tetigerat animum memoria nepotum; sciscitandoque eodem pervenit, ut haud procul esset, quin Remum agnosceret.
It happened also that Numitor, when he had Remus in custody and had heard that there were twin brothers, by comparing both their age and their character, which was far from servile, was touched in his heart by the memory of his grandsons; and by inquiring, he reached the same point, so that he was not far from recognizing Remus.
§1.5.7ita undique regi dolus nectitur.
Thus on all sides a plot was woven against the king.
Romulus non cum globo iuvenum — nec enim erat ad vim apertam par —, sed aliis alio itinere iussis certo tempore ad regiam venire pastoribus ad regem impetum facit, et a domo Numitoris alia comparata manu adiuvat Remus.
Romulus, not with a band of young men—for he was not equal to open force—but having ordered the shepherds to come to the palace at a certain time, some by one route and some by another, made an attack on the king, and Remus, with another hand prepared from the house of Numitor, assisted him.
ita regem obtruncant.
Thus they slew the king.

Notes

  1. 1.5.1Lupercal hoc fuisse ludicrum ferunt et a Pallanteo, urbe Arcadica, Pallantium, dein Palatium montem appellatum — An accusative and infinitive construction governed by the main verb `ferunt`, which introduces two infinitives: `fuisse` and `appellatum [esse]`, with the auxiliary `esse` omitted in the latter.
  2. 1.5.3huic deditis ludicro — The dative participle phrase `deditis [fratribus/iuvenibus]` (those dedicated to) functions as the object of the deponent verb `insidior` (to lie in wait for), which governs the dative. `ludicro` is itself a dative governed by `deditis`.
  3. 1.5.4crimini maxime dabant — An idiomatic expression `crimini dare` (to charge as a crime, to impute), where the accusative and infinitive clause `in Numitoris agros ab iis impetus fieri` serves as its direct object.
  4. 1.5.6comparando — The logical subject of the gerund `comparando` (by comparing) is not the grammatical subject of the sentence, `memoria` (memory), but rather the logical subject `Numitori` (for Numitor).
  5. 1.5.6ut haud procul esset, quin Remum agnosceret — The impersonal idiom `haud procul abest quin` (to be not far from, to be on the point of doing something) is used here in the subjunctive inside a result clause introduced by `ut`.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §1.5.1-1.5.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:1.5.1-1.5.7

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