Ab Urbe Condita 1.19

Liv. 1.19.1Quī regnō ita potītus urbem novam, conditam vī et armīs, iūre eam lēgibusque ac mōribus dē integrō condere parat.

When he had gained the throne in this way, he prepares to found the city a second time, a city newly founded by force and arms, on law, statutes and custom.

Note. Qui: a connecting relative, 'he' (Numa). regno potitus: potior takes the ablative. iure … legibus … moribus: three ablatives of means, the new foundations of the city in contrast with vi et armis. de integro: 'afresh'.

Liv. 1.19.2Quibus cum inter bella adsuēscere vidēret nōn posse, quippe efferārī mīlitiā animōs, mītigandum ferōcem populum armōrum dēsuētūdine ratus, Iānum ad īnfimum Argīlētum indicem pācis bellīque fēcit, apertus ut in armīs esse cīvitātem, clausus pācātōs circā omnēs populōs significāret.

Seeing that its people could not grow used to these in the midst of wars, since soldiering makes minds savage, and thinking that the fierce people must be tamed by losing the habit of arms, he made the temple of Janus at the bottom of the Argiletum a sign of peace and war: open, it showed that the state was under arms; closed, that all the peoples round about were at peace.

Note. Quibus: dative with adsuescere, 'grow used to these' (laws and customs). quippe efferari … animos: accusative and infinitive giving the reason, 'since (as he thought) minds grow savage'. mitigandum (esse) … ratus: gerundive of obligation in indirect statement. apertus … clausus: the gate of Janus is the subject understood; ut … significaret, a purpose clause. The 'Janus' here is the shrine of Janus Geminus in the Forum, whose doors stood open in time of war.

Liv. 1.19.3Bis deinde post Numae regnum clausus fuit, semel T. Mānliō cōnsule post Pūnicum prīmum perfectum bellum, iterum, quod nostrae aetātī diī dedērunt ut vidērēmus, post bellum Actiacum ab imperātōre Caesare Augustō pāce terrā marīque partā.

Twice since Numa's reign has it been closed: once in the consulship of Titus Manlius after the end of the First Punic War, and again, as the gods granted our own age to see, after the war of Actium, when peace by land and sea had been won by the emperor Caesar Augustus.

Note. Livy writes in the 20s BC: the closing of 29 BC after Actium (31 BC) was recent news. T. Manlio consule: ablative absolute dating the year, 235 BC. quod … ut videremus: 'which the gods granted our age to see'. Caesare Augusto: the title Augustus was given to Octavian in 27 BC, which helps date this book.

Liv. 1.19.4Clausō eō cum omnium circā fīnitimōrum societāte ac foederibus iūnxisset animōs, positīs externōrum perīculōrum cūrīs nē luxuriārent ōtiō animī, quōs metus hostium disciplīnaque mīlitāris continuerat, omnium prīmum, rem ad multitūdinem inperītam et illīs saeculīs rudem efficācissimam, deōrum metum iniciendum ratus est.

When he had closed it, and had bound the hearts of all the neighbours round about by alliance and treaties, so that, with the cares of danger from abroad laid aside, their minds should not run riot in idleness, minds which fear of the enemy and military discipline had held in check, he thought that the first thing of all was to instil fear of the gods, a thing most effective with an ignorant multitude, rough as men were in those ages.

Note. Clauso eo: ablative absolute, 'when it (Janus) had been closed'. ne luxuriarent … animi: purpose clause. omnium primum: 'first of all'. rem … efficacissimam: in apposition to deorum metum, 'a thing most effective with…'. iniciendum (esse) ratus est: 'he thought fear of the gods must be instilled'. The idea that religion was a useful tool for controlling the masses is common in Greek and Roman historians.

Liv. 1.19.5Quī cum dēscendere ad animōs sine aliquō commentō mīrāculī nōn posset, simulat sibi cum dea Ēgeriā congressūs nocturnōs esse;

Since he could not reach their hearts without some invented marvel, he pretends that he has meetings at night with the goddess Egeria;

Note. simulat … congressus … esse: 'he pretends that there are meetings'; congressus is accusative plural (4th declension), subject of esse. Egeria was a water-nymph worshipped at a spring near the Porta Capena.

Liv. 1.19.5eius sē monitū, quae acceptissima diīs essent, sacra īnstituere, sacerdōtēs suōs cuique deōrum praeficere.

that on her advice he was establishing the rites most acceptable to the gods, and appointing particular priests for each of the gods.

Note. The infinitives instituere and praeficere continue the indirect statement after simulat: 'that it was on her advice that he was establishing…'. quae acceptissima … essent: subjunctive in a relative clause within indirect speech. suos cuique: 'its own (priests) to each'.

Liv. 1.19.6Atque omnium prīmum ad cursūs lūnae in duodecim mēnsēs discrībit annum;

And first of all he divides the year into twelve months by the courses of the moon;

Note. ad cursus lunae: 'according to the courses of the moon'. discribit: historic present. The pre-Julian Roman year was lunar and needed regular adjustment.

Liv. 1.19.6quem, quia trīcēnōs diēs singulīs mēnsibus lūna nōn explet, dēsuntque diēs solidō annō, quī sōlstitiālī circumagitur orbe, intercalāriīs mēnsibus interpōnendīs ita dispēnsāvit, ut vīcēsimō annō ad mētam eandem sōlis, unde orsī essent, plēnīs omnium annōrum spatiīs diēs congruerent.

and since the moon does not fill thirty days in each month, and days are lacking to the full year that is completed by the circling of the sun, he arranged it by inserting intercalary months so that in the twentieth year the days would come round to the same turning-point of the sun from which they had started, with the full span of all the years completed.

Note. tricenos: distributive, 'thirty each'. The sentence is famously confused: Livy's arithmetic of a twenty-year cycle does not match any known Roman system. intercalariis mensibus interponendis: ablative of the gerundive, 'by inserting intercalary months'. orsi essent: from ordior.

Liv. 1.19.7Īdem nefāstōs diēs fāstōsque fēcit, quia aliquandō nihil cum populō agī ūtile futūrum erat.

He also made days on which business could and could not be done, because at times it was going to be useful that nothing should be transacted with the people.

Note. fastos … nefastos: on dies fasti legal and public business could be done; on dies nefasti it could not. nihil … agi utile futurum erat: 'it would be useful that nothing be transacted', the infinitive clause is the subject.