[29.1] In the case of wrongs committed by the citizens against one another he did not permit the trials to be delayed, but caused them to be held promptly, sometimes deciding the suits himself and sometimes referring them to others; and he proportioned the punishment to the magnitude of the crime. Observing, also, that nothing restrains men from all evil actions so effectually as fear, he contrived many things to inspire it, such as the place where he sat in judgment in the most conspicuous part of the Forum, the very formidable appearance of the soldiers who attended him, three hundred in number, and the rods and axes borne by twelve men, who scourged in the Forum those whose offences deserved it and beheaded others in public who were guilty of the greatest crimes.
[2] τοιοῦτος μὲν δή τις ὁ κόσμος ἦν τῆς κατασκευασθείσης ὑπὸ Ῥωμύλου πολιτείας: ἀπόχρη γὰρ ἐκ τούτων καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων εἰκάσαι. [p. 196]
[2] Such then, was the general character of the government established by Romulus; the details I have mentioned are sufficient to enable one to form a judgment of the rest.
[1] αἱ δὲ ἄλλαι πράξεις αἵ τε κατὰ τοὺς πολέμους ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς γενόμεναι καὶ αἱ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν, ὧν ἄν τις καὶ λόγον ποιήσαιτ᾽ ἐν ἱστορίας γραφῇ, τοιαῦταί τινες παραδίδονται.
[30.1] The other deeds reported of this man, both in his wars and at home, which may be thought deserving of mention in a history are as follows.
[2] πολλῶν περιοικούντων τὴν Ῥώμην ἐθνῶν μεγάλων τε καὶ τὰ πολέμια ἀλκίμων, ὧν οὐδὲν ἦν τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις φίλιον, οἰκειώσασθαι ταῦτα βουληθεὶς ἐπιγαμίαις, ὅσπερ ἐδόκει τοῖς παλαιοῖς τρόπος εἶναι βεβαιότατος τῶν συναπτόντων φιλίας, ἐνθυμούμενος δὲ ὅτι βουλόμεναι μὲν αἱ πόλεις οὐκ ἂν συνέλθοιεν αὐτοῖς ἄρτι τε συνοικιζομένοις καὶ οὔτε χρήμασι δυνατοῖς οὔτε λαμπρὸν ἔργον ἐπιδεδειγμένοις οὐδέν, βιασθεῖσαι δὲ εἴξουσιν εἰ μηδεμία γένοιτο περὶ τὴν ἀνάγκην ὕβρις, γνώμην ἔσχεν, ᾗ καὶ Νεμέτωρ ὁ πάππος αὐτοῦ προσέθετο, δἰ ἁρπαγῆς παρθένων ἀθρόας γενομένης ποιήσασθαι τὰς ἐπιγαμίας.
[2] Inasmuch as many nations that were both numerous and brave in war dwelt round about Rome and none of them was friendly to the Romans, he desired to conciliate them by intermarriages, which, in the opinion of the ancients, was the surest method of cementing friendships; but considering that the cities in question would not of their own accord unite with the Romans, who were just getting settled together in one city, and who neither were powerful by reason of their wealth nor had performed any brilliant exploit, but that they would yield to force if no insolence accompanied such compulsion, he determined, with the approval of Numitor, his grandfather, to bring about the desired intermarriages by a wholesale seizure of virgins.
[3] γνοὺς δὲ ταῦτα θεῷ μὲν εὐχὰς τίθεται πρῶτον ἀπορρήτων βουλευμάτων ἡγεμόνι, ἐὰν ἡ πεῖρα αὐτῷ χωρήσῃ κατὰ νοῦν θυσίας καὶ ἑορτὰς ἄξειν καθ᾽ ἕκαστον ἐνιαυτόν: ἔπειτα τῷ συνεδρίῳ τῆς γερουσίας ἀνενέγκας τὸν λόγον, ἐπειδὴ κἀκείνοις τὸ βούλευμα ἤρεσκεν, ἑορτὴν προεῖπε καὶ πανήγυριν ἄξειν Ποσειδῶνι καὶ περιήγγελλεν εἰς τὰς ἔγγιστα πόλεις καλῶν τοὺς βουλομένους ἀγορᾶς τε μεταλαμβάνειν καὶ ἀγώνων: καὶ γὰρ ἀγῶνας ἄξειν ἔμελλεν ἵππων τε καὶ ἀνδρῶν παντοδαπούς.
[3] After he had taken this resolution, he first made a vow to the god who presides over secret counsels to celebrate sacrifices and festivals every year if his enterprise should succeed. Then, having laid his plan before the senate and gaining their approval, he announced that he would hold a festival and general assemblage in honour of Neptune, and he sent word round about to the nearest cities, inviting all who wished to do so to be present at the assemblage and to take part in the increases; for he was going to hold contests of all sorts, both between horses and between men.
[4] συνελθόντων δὲ [p. 197] πολλῶν ξένων εἰς τὴν ἑορτὴν γυναιξὶν ἅμα καὶ τέκνοις, ἐπειδὴ τάς τε θυσίας ἐπετέλεσε τῷ Ποσειδῶνι καὶ τοὺς ἀγῶνας, τῇ τελευταίᾳ τῶν ἡμερῶν, ᾗ διαλύσειν ἔμελλε τὴν πανήγυριν, παράγγελμα δίδωσι τοῖς νέοις, ἡνίκ᾽ ἂν αὐτὸς ἄρῃ τὸ σημεῖον ἁρπάζειν τὰς παρούσας ἐπὶ τὴν θέαν παρθένους, αἷς ἂν ἐπιτύχωσιν ἕκαστοι, καὶ φυλάττειν ἁγνὰς ἐκείνην τὴν νύκτα, τῇ δ᾽
[4] And when many strangers came with their wives and children to the festival, he first offered the sacrifices to Neptune and held the contests: then, on the last day, on which he was to dismiss the assemblage, he ordered the young men, when he himself should raise the signal, to seize all the virgins who had come to the spectacle, each group taking those they should first encounter, to keep them that night without violating their chastity and bring them to him the next day.
[5] ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἄγειν. οἱ μὲν δὴ νέοι διαστάντες κατὰ συστροφάς, ἐπειδὴ τὸ σύνθημα ἀρθὲν εἶδον τρέπονται πρὸς τὴν τῶν παρθένων ἁρπαγήν, ταραχὴ δὲ τῶν ξένων εὐθὺς ἐγένετο καὶ φυγὴ μεῖζόν τι κακὸν ὑφορωμένων. τῇ δ᾽ ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ προαχθεισῶν τῶν παρθένων, παραμυθησάμενος αὐτῶν τὴν ἀθυμίαν ὁ Ῥωμύλος, ὡς οὐκ ἐφ᾽ ὕβρει τῆς ἁρπαγῆς ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ γάμῳ γενομένης, Ἑλληνικόν τε καὶ ἀρχαῖον ἀποφαίνων τὸ ἔθος καὶ τρόπων συμπάντων καθ᾽ οὓς συνάπτονται γάμοι ταῖς γυναιξὶν ἐπιφανέστατον, ἠξίου στέργειν τοὺς δοθέντας αὐταῖς ἄνδρας ὑπὸ τῆς τύχης:
[5] So the young men divided themselves into several groups, and as soon as they saw the signal raised, fell to seizing the virgins; and straightway the strangers were in an uproar and fled, suspecting some greater mischief. The next day, when the virgins were brought before Romulus, he comforted them in their despair with the assurance that they had been seized, not out of wantonness, but for the purpose of marriage; for he pointed out that this was an ancient Greek custom and that of all methods of contracting marriages for women it was the most illustrious, and he asked them to cherish those whom Fortune had given them for their husbands.
[6] καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο διαριθμήσας τὰς κόρας ἑξακοσίας τε καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα καὶ τρεῖς εὑρεθείσας κατέλεξεν αὖθις ἐκ τῶν ἀγάμων ἄνδρας ἰσαρίθμους, οἷς αὐτὰς συνήρμοττε κατὰ τοὺς πατρίους ἑκάστης ἐθισμούς, ἐπὶ κοινωνίᾳ πυρὸς καὶ ὕδατος ἐγγυῶν τοὺς γάμους, ὡς καὶ μέχρι τῶν καθ᾽ ἡμᾶς ἐπιτελοῦνται χρόνων.
[6] Then counting them and finding their number to be six hundred and eighty-three, he chose an equal number of unmarried men to whom he united them according to the customs of each woman
’s country, basing the marriages on a communion of fire and water, in the same manner as marriages are performed even down to our times.
[1] ταῦτα δὲ γενέσθαι τινὲς μὲν γράφουσι κατὰ τὸν πρῶτον ἐνιαυτὸν τῆς Ῥωμύλου ἀρχῆς, Γναῖος [p. 198] δὲ Γέλλιος κατὰ τὸν τέταρτον: ὃ καὶ μᾶλλον εἰκός. νέον γὰρ οἰκιζομένης πόλεως ἡγεμόνα πρὶν ἢ καταστήσασθαι τὴν πολιτείαν ἔργῳ τηλικούτῳ ἐπιχειρεῖν οὐκ ἔχει λόγον. τῆς δὲ ἁρπαγῆς τὴν αἰτίαν οἱ μὲν εἰς σπάνιν γυναικῶν ἀναφέρουσιν, οἱ δ᾽ εἰς ἀφορμὴν πολέμου, οἱ δὲ τὰ πιθανώτατα γράφοντες, οἷς κἀγὼ συγκατεθέμην, εἰς τὸ συνάψαι φιλότητα πρὸς τὰς πλησιοχώρους πόλεις ἀναγκαίαν.
[31.1] Some state that these things happened in the first year of Romulus’ reign, but Gnaeus Gellius says it was in the fourth, which is more probable. For it is not likely that the head of a newly-built city would undertake such an enterprise before establishing its government. As regards the reason for the seizing of the virgins, some ascribe it to a scarcity of women, others to the seeking of pretext for war; but those who give the most plausible account — and with them I agree — attribute it to the design of contracting an alliance with the neighbouring cities, founded on affinity.
[2] τὴν δὲ τότε ὑπὸ Ῥωμύλου καθιερωθεῖσαν ἑορτὴν ἔτι καὶ εἰς ἐμὲ ἄγοντες Ῥωμαῖοι διετέλουν Κωνσουάλια καλοῦντες, ἐν ᾗ βωμός τε ὑπόγειος ἱδρυμένος παρὰ τῷ μεγίστῳ τῶν ἱπποδρόμων περισκαφείσης τῆς γῆς θυσίαις τε καὶ ὑπερπύροις ἀπαρχαῖς γεραίρεται, καὶ δρόμος ἵππων ζευκτῶν τε καὶ ἀζεύκτων ἐπιτελεῖται. καλεῖται δὲ ὁ θεός, ᾧ ταῦτ᾽ ἐπιτελοῦσι, Κῶνσος ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων, ὃν ἐξερμηνεύοντες εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν γλῶτταν Ποσειδῶνα σεισίχθονά φασιν εἶναί τινες καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὑπογείῳ τετιμῆσθαι βωμῷ λέγουσιν, ὅτι τὴν γῆν ὁ θεὸς οὗτος ἔχει.
[2] And the Romans even to my day continued to celebrate the festival then instituted by Romulus, calling it the Consualia, in the course of which a subterranean altar, erected near the Circus Maximus, is uncovered by the removal of the soil round about it and honoured with sacrifices and burnt-offerings of first-fruits and a course is run both by horses yoked to chariots and by single horses. The god to whom these honours are paid is called Consus by the Romans, being the same, according to some who render the name into our tongue, as Poseidon Seisichthon or the “Earth-shaker”; and they say that this god was honoured with a subterranean altar because he holds the earth.
[3] ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ἕτερον οἶδα λόγον ἀκούων, ὡς τῆς μὲν ἑορτῆς τῷ Ποσειδῶνι ἀγομένης καὶ τοῦ δρόμου τῶν ἵππων τούτῳ τῷ θεῷ γινομένου, τοῦ δὲ καταγείου βωμοῦ δαίμονι ἀρρήτῳ τινὶ βουλευμάτων κρυφίων ἡγεμόνι καὶ φύλακι κατασκευασθέντος ὕστερον: Ποσειδῶνι γὰρ ἀφανῆ βωμὸν οὐδαμόθι γῆς οὔθ᾽ ὑφ᾽ Ἑλλήνων οὔθ᾽ ὑπὸ βαρβάρων καθιδρῦσθαι: τὸ δ᾽ ἀληθὲς ὅπως ἔχει χαλεπὸν εἰπεῖν.
[3] I know also from hearsay another tradition, to the effect that the festival is indeed celebrated in honour of Neptune and the horse-races are held in his honour, but that the subterranean altar was erected later to a certain divinity whose name may not be uttered, who presides over and is the guardian of hidden counsels; for a secret altar has never been erected to Neptune, they say, in any part of the world by either Greeks or barbarians. But it is hard to say what the truth of the matter is.
[1] ὡς δὲ διεβοήθη τὰ περὶ τὴν ἁρπαγὴν [p. 199] τῶν παρθένων καὶ τὰ περὶ τους γάμους εἰς τὰς πλησιοχώρους πόλεις, αἱ μὲν αὐτὸ τὸ πραχθὲν πρὸς ὀργὴν ἐλάμβανον, αἱ δ᾽ ἀφ᾽ ἧς ἐπράχθη διαθέσεως καὶ εἰς ὃ τέλος ἐχώρησεν ἀναλογιζόμεναι μετρίως αὐτὸ ἔφερον, κατέσκηψε δ᾽ οὖν ἀνὰ χρόνον εἰς πολέμους τοὺς μὲν ἄλλους εὐπετεῖς, ἕνα δὲ τὸν πρὸς Σαβίνους μέγαν καὶ χαλεπόν: οἷς ἅπασι τέλος ἐπηκολούθησεν εὐτυχές, ὥσπερ αὐτῷ τὰ μαντεύματα προεθέσπισε πρὶν ἐπιχειρῆσαι τῷ ἔργῳ πόνους μὲν καὶ κινδύνους μεγάλους προσημαίνοντα, τὰς δὲ τελευτὰς αὐτῶν ἔσεσθαι καλάς.
[32.1] When, now, the report of the seizure of the virgins and of their marriage was spread among the neighbouring cities, some of these were incensed at the proceeding itself, though others, considering the motive from which it sprang and the outcome to which it led, bore it with moderation; but, at any rate, in the course of time it occasioned several wars, of which the rest were of small consequence, but that against the Sabines was a great and difficult one. All these wars ended happily, as the oracles had foretold to Romulus before he undertook the task, indicating as they did that the difficulties and dangers would be great but that their outcome would be prosperous.
[2] ἦσαν δὲ αἱ πρῶται πόλεις ἄρξασαι τοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν πολέμου Καινίνη καὶ Ἄντεμνα καὶ Κρουστομέρεια, πρόφασιν μὲν ποιούμεναι τὴν ἁρπαγὴν τῶν παρθένων καὶ τὸ μὴ λαβεῖν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν δίκας, ὡς δὲ τἀληθὲς εἶχεν ἀχθόμεναι τῇ κτίσει τε καὶ αὐξήσει τῆς Ῥώμης δι᾽ ὀλίγου πολλῇ γενομένῃ καὶ οὐκ ἀξιοῦσαι περιιδεῖν κοινὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς περιοίκοις ἅπασι κακὸν φυόμενον.
[2] The first cities that made war upon him were Caenina, Antemnae and Crustumerium. They put forward as a pretext the seizure of the virgins and their failure to receive satisfaction on their account; but the truth was that they were displeased at the founding of Rome and at its great and rapid increase and felt that they ought not to permit this city to grow up as a common menace to all its neighbours.
[3] τέως μὲν οὖν πρὸς τὸ Σαβίνων ἔθνος ἀποστέλλουσαι πρέσβεις ἐκείνους ἠξίουν τὴν ἡγεμονίαν τοῦ πολέμου παραλαβεῖν ἰσχύν τε μεγίστην ἔχοντας καὶ χρήμασι πλείοσι δυναμένους ἄρχειν τε ἀξιοῦντας τῶν πλησιοχώρων καὶ οὐκ ἐλάχιστα τῶν ἄλλων περιυβρισμένους: τῶν γὰρ ἡρπασμένων αἱ πλείους ἦσαν ἐκείνων. [p. 200]
[3] For the time being, then, these cities were sending ambassadors to the Sabines, asking them to take command of the war, since they possessed the greatest military strength and were most powerful by reason of their wealth and were laying claim to the rule over their neighbours and inasmuch as they had suffered from the Romans’ insolence quite as much as any of the rest; for the greater part of the virgins who had been seized belonged to them.
[1] Επεὶ δ᾽ οὐδὲν ἐπέραινον ἀντικαθισταμένων αὐταῖς τῶν παρὰ τοῦ Ῥωμύλου πρεσβειῶν καὶ θεραπευουσῶν λόγοις τε καὶ ἔργοις τὸ ἔθνος, ἀχθόμεναι τῇ τρι�
�ῇ τοῦ χρόνου μελλόντων ἀεὶ τῶν Σαβίνων καὶ ἀναβαλλομένων εἰς χρόνους μακροὺς τὴν περὶ τοῦ πολέμου βουλὴν αὐταὶ καθ᾽ ἑαυτὰς ἔγνωσαν τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις πολεμεῖν, ἀποχρῆν οἰόμεναι τὴν οἰκείαν δύναμιν, εἰ καθ᾽ ἓν αἱ τρεῖς γένοιντο, μίαν ἄρασθαι πόλιν οὐ μεγάλην. ἐβουλεύσαντο μὲν ταῦτα, συνελθεῖν δ᾽ οὐκ ἔφθησαν εἰς ἓν ἅπασαι στρατόπεδον προεξαναστάντων προχειρότερον τῶν ἐκ τῆς Καινίνης,
[33.1] But when they found they were accomplishing nothing, since the embassies from Romulus opposed them and courted the Sabine people both by their words and by their actions, they were vexed at the waste of time — for the Sabines were forever affecting delays and putting off to distant dates the deliberation concerning the war — and resolved to make war upon the Romans by themselves alone, believing that their own strength, if the three cities joined forces, was sufficient to conquer one inconsiderable city. This was their plan: but they did not all assemble together promptly enough in one camp, since the Caeninenses, who seemed to be most eager in promoting the war, rashly set out ahead of the others.
Delphi Complete Works of Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Illustrated) (Delphi Ancient Classics Book 79) Page 456
