Immagini della pagina
PDF
ePub

Maiore inde animo pacis opera incohata quam quanta s mole gesserat bella, ut non quietior populus domi esset quam militiae fuisset. Nam et muro lapideo, cuius exor- 6 dium operis Sabino bello turbatum erat, urbem, qua nondum munierat, cingere parat, et infima urbis loca circa forum aliasque interiectas collibus convalles, quia ex planis locis haud facile evehebant aquas, cloacis fastigio in Tiberim ductis siccat, et aream ad aedem in Capi- 7 tolio Iovis, quam voverat bello Sabino, iam praesagiente animo futuram olim amplitudinem loci, occupat fundamentis.

X Eo tempore in regia prodigium visum eventuque mira- 39 bile fuit. Puero dormienti, cui Servio Tullio fuit nomen, caput arsisse ferunt multorum in conspectu. Plurimo 2 igitur clamore inde ad tantae rei miraculum orto excitos reges et, cum quidam familiarium aquam ad restinguen

[blocks in formation]

- ex

6. exordium: see 36. 1.-infima: including the Forum, and the valleys running into it, the region between that and the Tiber, and the Circus Maximus. planis, etc. the reason why the water did not run off, because there was no pitch. fastigio, with a grade. The level did not carry off the water, and so the sewer was built sloping down to the Tiber, necessarily under ground.

7. aream: the regular Latin word for a lot in a city; here of the place on which the great temple was afterwards to be built. - futuram: i.e. quae futura erat; see

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]

39. eo tempore: i.e. in the part of the reign of Tarquin just described. visum: sc. est; the second part (with fuit) is from a different point of view, yet undoubtedly it is the thought of fuit that makes Livy omit the copula. eventu, its fulfillment. puero: it is not necessarily but naturally implied that he was a slave. Tullio cf. Troiano, 1. 3 n. — arsisse: a common omen among the ancients; cf. Virg. Aen. II. 681 seq.

2. clamore: the means of excitos.ad: cf. ad desiderium, 7. 7 n. - reges, the royal family.— familiarium, servants, in accordance with its derivation from familia, famu

dum ferret, ab regina retentum, sedatoque eam tumultu moveri vetuisse puerum donec sua sponte experrectus 3 esset. Mox cum somno et flammam abisse. Tum abducto in secretum viro Tanaquil 'Viden tu puerum hunc' inquit, 'quem tam humili cultu educamus? Scire licet hunc lumen quondam rebus nostris dubiis futurum praesidiumque regiae adflictae. Proinde materiam ingentis publice privatimque decoris omni indulgentia nostra nutriamus.'

Inde puerum liberum loco coeptum haberi erudirique artibus quibus ingenia ad magnae fortunae cultum excitantur. Evenit facile quod diis cordi esset: iuvenis evasit vere indolis regiae nec, cum quaereretur gener

[blocks in formation]

3. in secretum, in private; the regular word for a private interview. viden: the regular colloquial form of videsne; cf. do not and don't in English. inquit: this sudden change from indirect to direct discourse is common in all periods of the language, either with or without the verb of saying. – humili: in reference to his position as a slave. scire licet, it is clear; cf. scilicet, which is often, though not regularly, used in the same sense. -lumen: in allusion to the phenomenon; cf. for the figure, lucem adferre rei publicae, Cic. Manil. 12. 33. hunc (regularly hoc, Gr. 195. d): here equivalent to hunc puerum. quondam, at

some time; cf. Aen. VI. 876, and the common use of olim. - regiae, the royal house. proinde: cf. 9. 4 n. - publice: see Gr. 207. d. This use becomes more and more frequent in later writers.

[ocr errors]

4. liberum, of a son. The word, denoting collectively the children of the house as opposed to the slaves, is frequently used of one person. coeptum: resuming the indirect discourse. artibus: sc. liberalibus, as a liberal education is still called. magnae fortunae, of a lofty position. — cultum: opposed to cultu in 3, but with a different shade of meaning; there the process, and here the result, as in the much-abused culture. It means everything that belongs to life and its ideals. excitantur, are elevated. esset: character

[ocr errors]

[merged small][ocr errors]

Tarquinio, quisquam Romanae iuventutis ulla arte conferri potuit, filiamque ei suam rex despondit.

Hic quacumque de causa tantus illi honos habitus 5 credere prohibet serva natum eum parvumque ipsum servisse. Eorum magis sententiae sum qui, Corniculo capto, Servi Tulli, qui princeps in illa urbe fuerat, gra vidam viro occiso uxorem, cum inter reliquas captivas cognita esset, ob unicam nobilitatem ab regina Romana prohibitam ferunt servitio partum Romae edidisse Prisci Tarquini domo. Inde tanto beneficio et inter mulieres 6 familiaritatem auctam, et puerum, ut in domo a parvo eductum, in caritate atque honore fuisse; fortunam matris, quod capta patria in hostium manus venerit, ut serva natus crederetur fecisse.

38

Duodequadragesimo ferme anno ex quo regnare coe- 40 perat Tarquinius non apud regem modo, sed apud patres plebemque longe maximo honore Servius Tullius erat.

or respect. filiamque, and accordingly, etc.

5. hic: i.e. the honor of being married to the king's daughter. quacumque de causa: implying that Livy has a doubt about the preceding story accounting for the superiority of Servius to the other youth; cf. 3. 3. — honos habitus, the fact that, etc.; see Gr. 292. a. credere: see Gr. 331. e. 2. — serva natum: according to one tradition, he had, like other heroes, a supernatural origin, being the son of the Lar familiaris of the house. - Corniculo: an old Latin town near Tivoli; cf. 38. 4. — princeps: the tradition satisfies the necessary requirements by making him of royal blood. -occiso... captivas: according to the laws of war, the males capable of bearing arms were killed, and the women and chil

[blocks in formation]

■ Tum Anci filii duo, etsi antea semper pro indignissimo habuerant se patrio regno tutoris fraude pulsos, regnare Romae advenam non modo vicinae, sed ne Italicae quidem stirpis, tum impensius iis indignitas crescere, si ne 3 ab Tarquinio quidem ad se rediret regnum, sed praeceps inde porro ad servitia caderet, ut in eadem civitate post centesimum fere annum quod Romulus, deo prognatus deus ipse, tenuerit regnum donec in terris fuerit, id Servius serva natus possideat. Cum commune Romani nominis, tum praecipue id domus suae dedecus fore, si Anci regis virili stirpe salva non modo advenis sed servis etiam regnum Romae pateret.

Ferro igitur eam arcere contumeliam statuunt. Sed et iniuriae dolor in Tarquinium ipsum magis quam in Servium eos stimulabat, et, quia gravior ultor caedis, si superesset, rex futurus erat quam privatus, tum Servio occiso quemcumque alium generum delegisset, eundem regni heredem facturus videbatur, ob haec ipsi regi

[blocks in formation]

see Gr. 336. B. a, and N. - Servius: with a sarcastic allusion to its derivation from servus. — advenis: like Tarquinius.

[ocr errors]

4. sed: opposed to the inference that Servius would be the object of their attack. - et .. et: there were three reasons for the attack upon Tarquin, one introduced by the first et, and the other two grouped together by quia ... tum, and introduced by the second et. iniuriae: their wrongs had been occasioned originally by the acts of Tarquin. superesset: standing for supersit in their thought. delegisset: standing for fut. perf. delegerit in their thought. dem, etc.: if he survived, they could not prevent him from choosing a son-in-law, and it was likely

[ocr errors]

eun

insidiae parantur. Ex pastoribus duo ferocissimi delectis ad facinus, quibus consueti erant uterque agrestibus ferramentis, in vestibulo regiae quam potuere tumultuosissime specie rixae in se omnes apparitores regios convertunt. Inde, cum ambo regem appellarent clamorque eorum penitus in regiam pervenisset, vocati ad regem pergunt. Primo uterque vociferari et certatim alter 6 alteri obstrepere. Coerciti ab lictore et iussi invicem dicere tandem obloqui desistunt, unus rem ex composito orditur. Dum intentus in eum se rex totus averteret, 7 alter elatam securim in caput deiecit, relictoque in vulnere telo ambo se foras eiciunt.

Tarquinium moribundum cum qui circa erant exce- 41 pissent, illos fugientes lictores comprehendunt. Clamor inde concursusque populi mirantium quid rei esset. Tanaquil inter tumultum claudi regiam iubet, arbitros eiecit; simul quae curando vulneri opus sunt, tamquam spes subesset, sedulo comparat, simul, si destituat spes, alia praesidia molitur.

this son-in-law would be made king, whoever he should be.

[ocr errors]

5. ferocissimi, most desperate. quibus: sc. eis; see Gr. 200. b. ferramentis, implements, pikes, axes, or the like, for defense against wolves, and for chopping; cf. securim, below.-vestibulo: conceived as a yard in front of the house, no doubt the original sense of the word.-rixae: the pretended quarrel was between themselves, and their violent action draws the attention of the servitors to keep the peace. - appellarent: each one appealed to the king for justice.-vocati: the king heard them and called them in.

6. vociferari, began to cry out at once. - certatim, etc., obstreper

[blocks in formation]

7. totus: see Gr. 191.- -averteret: see Gr. 328. a. N.

41. excepissent, had caught, as he fell. illos fugientes, the flying assassins. mirantium: see Gr. 187. d. quid rei esset, what the matter was; see Gr. 216. a. 3.arbitros: in its earlier sense of witnesses. simul... simul: correlatives not found in Cicero, but frequent in Livy. curando: cf. Gr. 299. a. subesset, there were still; for tense, see Gr. 312. — destituat: present sequence, to avoid the implication of the contrary-tofact idea. The apodosis is merged in alia praesidia.

[ocr errors]

« IndietroContinua »