25

Foedere icto trigemini sicut convenerat arma capiunt. Cum sui utrosque adhortarentur, deos patrios, patriam ac parentes, quidquid civium domi, quidquid in exercitu sit, illorum tunc arma, illorum intueri manus, feroces et suopte ingenio et pleni adhortantium vocibus in medium a inter duas acies procedunt. Consederant utrimque pro castris duo exercitus, periculi magis praesentis quam curae expertes; quippe imperium agebatur in tam paucorum virtute atque fortuna positum. Itaque ergo erecti suspensique in minime gratum spectaculum animo intenduntur.

3

Datur signum infestisque armis, velut acies, terni iuvenes, magnorum exercituum animos gerentes, concurrunt. Nec his nec illis periculum suum, publicum imperium servitiumque obversatur animo futuraque ea 4 deinde patriae fortuna quam ipsi fecissent. Vt primo

bearing was like that of two trained
hosts in battle array, in which the
tactics are uniform, as, for instance,
in a line of bayonets at charge or of
levelled lances. -terni: i.e. three
on each side. -animos: expressing
their courageous spirit as the pre-
ceding expresses their outward ap-
pearance. publicum, of their na-
tion; opposed to suum, and by the
antithesis supplying the want of a
connective. obversatur, etc.: it
was such moral effects as this that
especially interested Livy in his his-
tory, and, indeed, the Romans of all
times. — futura, etc., and the thought
that such would be, etc.
This com
pression of an idea into a noun with
a participle is characteristic of the
Latin; see Gr. 292. a, and p. 314,
footnote. The fondness for such
expressions increases much in im-
perial times. fecissent: subjunc-
tive of indirect discourse standing
for future perfect. See Gr. 341.c.

statim concursu increpuere arma micantesque fulsere gladii, horror ingens spectantis perstringit, et neutro inclinata spe torpebat vox spiritusque. Consertis deinde 5 manibus, cum iam non motus tantum corporum agitatioque anceps telorum armorumque sed vulnera quoque et sanguis spectaculo essent, duo Romani super alium alius, vulneratis tribus Albanis, exspirantes corruerunt. Ad quorum casum cum conclamasset gaudio Albanus 6 exercitus, Romanas legiones iam spes tota, nondum tamen cura deseruerat, exanimes vice unius, quem tres Curiatii circumsteterant. Forte is integer fuit, ut uni- 7 versis solus nequaquam par, sic adversus singulos ferox. Ergo ut segregaret pugnam eorum, capessit fugam, ita ratus secuturos ut quemque vulnere adfectum corpus sineret. Iam aliquantum spatii ex eo loco ubi pugna- 8 tum est aufugerat, cum respiciens videt magnis intervallis sequentes, unum haud procul ab sese abesse. In 9 eum magno impetu rediit, et dum Albanus exercitus

inclamat Curiatiis uti opem ferant fratri, iam Horatius, caeso hoste victor, secundam pugnam petebat.

Tunc clamore, qualis ex insperato faventium solet, Romani adiuvant militem suum et ille defungi proelio 10 festinat. Prius itaque quam alter, qui nec procul aberat, II consequi posset, et alterum Curiatium conficit. Iamque aequato Marte singuli supererant, sed nec spe nec viribus pares. Alterum intactum ferro corpus et geminata victoria ferocem in certamen tertium dabat; alter, fessum vulnere, fessum cursu trahens corpus victusque 12 fratrum ante se strage, victori obicitur hosti. Nec illud proelium fuit. Romanus exsultans 'Duos' inquit 'fratrum manibus dedi; tertium causae belli huiusce, ut Romanus Albano imperet, dabo.' Male sustinenti arma gladium superne iugulo defigit, iacentem spoliat.

Romani ovantes ac gratulantes Horatium accipiunt 13 eo maiore cum gaudio, quo prope metum res fuerat. Ad sepulturam inde suorum nequaquam paribus animis vertuntur, quippe imperio alteri aucti, alteri dicionis alienae facti. Sepulcra exstant quo quisque loco cecidit, duo 14 Romana uno loco propius Albam, tria Albana Romam versus, sed distantia locis, ut et pugnatum est.

Priusquam inde digrederentur, roganti Mettio, ex 26 foedere icto quid imperaret, imperat Tullus uti iuventutem in armis habeat; usurum se eorum opera, si bellum cum Veientibus foret. Ita exercitus inde domos abducti. Princeps Horatius ibat trigemina spolia prae se gerens. 2 Cui soror virgo, quae desponsa uni ex Curiatiis fuerat, obvia ante portam Capenam fuit, cognitoque super umeros fratris paludamento sponsi, quod ipsa confecerat, solvit crines et flebiliter nomine sponsum mortuum appellat. Movet feroci iuveni animum comploratio sororis 3 in victoria sua tantoque gaudio publico. Stricto itaque gladio simul verbis increpans transfigit puellam. ‘Abi 4 hinc cum immaturo amore ad sponsum,' inquit 'oblita

THE KILLING OF HORATIA, AND

THE TRIAL OF HORATIUS. 26. ita, thereupon, with that command.

2. princeps, in advance; i.e. of the Roman army, the Alban being passed over in silence. soror virgo, maiden sister. paludamento: usually of the general's mantle, but doubtless here used on account of the theatrical conception of the scene.— solvit crines: as a sign of mourning.

3. movet, etc.: the order is rhetorical to enforce the important facts: first, the sudden anger (movet); second, the explanation of the violence from his natural disposition and youth (feroci iuveni);

5

6

fratrum mortuorum vivique, oblita patriae. Sic eat quaecumque Romana lugebit hostem.'

Atrox visum id facinus patribus plebique, sed recens meritum facto obstabat. Tamen raptus in ius ad regem. Rex, ne ipse tam tristis ingratique ad vulgus iudicii ac secundum iudicium supplicii auctor esset, concilio populi advocato, 'Duumviros,' inquit 'qui Horatio perduellionem iudicent secundum legem, facio.'

Lex horrendi carminis erat: 'Duumviri perduellionem iudicent. Si a duumviris provocarit, provocatione certato. Si vincent, caput obnubito, infelici arbori reste suspendito, verberato vel intra pomerium vel extra po7 merium.' Hac lege duumviri creati, qui se absolvere

then the exciting cause (comploratio); then the circumstances that made such mourning unseemly. The details are still more brought out by antithesis of the various members.

4. sic eat, etc.: cf. 7. 2.

5. patribus plebique: i.e. all of every rank and station; a standing expression in later times. obstabat, palliated; stood in the way of its having its full effect. -tamen: i.e. notwithstanding the palliation.

ad regem: naturally, as the supreme judge. -ne ipse, etc.: i.e. to avoid the unpopular action which would be necessary. - auctor, responsible for.. concilio: to announce his decision. — duumviros, a council of two; the regular way of expressing all boards and commissions in Latin. Horatio (dativus commodi): as appears by the formula with tibi in 7, the officers were to establish formally the obvious guilt of the accused. — perduellionem, treason against the state, apparently because it was a usurpation of judicial powers to take the law

into one's own hands. secundum legem: ie. the law which follows (duumviri, etc.). The officers seem not to have been in the nature of a jury before whom the case might be pleaded, but rather of an inquisition to inquire into the case as manifestum, and put in action the avenging machinery of the law.

6. carminis, purport; cf. carmine, 24. 7 n. iudicent: cf. last two notes. provocarit : it is assumed that he is guilty, and not until the appeal to the people is there properly any trial in our sense; in fact, even on the appeal, the officers are the parties opposed to him (cf. vincent). - obnubito: i.e. the magistrate through the lictor. Such changes of subject are characteristic of old laws, etc. infelici: as sacred to the gods below. - arbori: an old locative form, as in names of towns. suspendito: not 'hang' in our sense, but attach to the cross, after which the scourging took place. · vel intra, etc.: i.e. not on the pomerium, which was sacred ground.