Ab Urbe Condita 1.24

Liv. 1.24.1Forte in duōbus tum exercitibus erant trigeminī frātrēs nec aetāte nec vīribus disparēs.

It happened that in each of the two armies at that time there were triplet brothers, not unequal in age or strength.

Note. trigemini: 'triplets'. nec aetate nec viribus dispares: 'unequal neither in age nor strength'.

Liv. 1.24.1Horātiōs Cūriātiōsque fuisse satis cōnstat, nec fermē rēs antīqua alia est nōbilior;

That they were the Horatii and Curiatii is generally agreed, and hardly any event of antiquity is more famous;

Note. satis constat: 'it is generally agreed'. nobilior: 'more famous'.

Liv. 1.24.1tamen in rē tam clārā nōminum error manet, utrīus populī Horatii, utrīus Cūriātiī fuerint.

yet in so well-known a story there remains uncertainty about the names: to which people the Horatii belonged, and to which the Curiatii.

Note. utrius … utrius: indirect question, 'which people the Horatii belonged to, which the Curiatii'. Some Roman writers made the Curiatii the Romans; Livy follows the majority.

Liv. 1.24.1Auctōrēs utrōque trahunt;

The authorities pull both ways;

Note. Auctores: 'authorities', the earlier historians Livy used.

Liv. 1.24.1plūrēs tamen inveniō, quī Rōmānōs Horātiōs vocent;

but I find more who call the Horatii Romans;

Note. qui … vocent: subjunctive in a relative clause of characteristic, 'who call'.

Liv. 1.24.1hōs ut sequar, inclīnat animus.

my inclination is to follow them.

Note. hos ut sequar: noun clause after inclinat animus, 'my mind inclines to follow them'.

Liv. 1.24.2Cum trigeminīs agunt rēgēs, ut prō suā quisque patriā dīmicent ferrō: ibi imperium fore, unde victōria fuerit.

The kings arrange with the triplets that each should fight with the sword for his own country: rule would lie with the side whose victory it proved to be.

Note. ut … dimicent: indirect command after agunt. ibi imperium fore, unde victoria fuerit: indirect statement, 'that power would lie on the side from which the victory came'.

Liv. 1.24.2Nihil recūsātur;

Nothing is refused;

Note. recusatur: impersonal, 'there is no refusal'.

Liv. 1.24.2tempus et locus convenit.

the time and place are agreed.

Note. convenit: singular verb with two subjects, 'are agreed'.

Liv. 1.24.3Priusquam dīmicārent, foedus ictum inter Rōmānōs et Albānōs est hīs lēgibus, ut, cuius populī cīvēs eō certāmine vīcissent, is alterī populō cum bonā pāce imperitāret.

Before they fought, a treaty was struck between the Romans and the Albans on these terms: that the people whose citizens won that contest should rule the other people in good peace.

Note. foedus ictum … est: 'a treaty was struck'; ico is used for treaties because an animal was struck in sacrifice. ut, cuius populi cives … vicissent, is … imperitaret: 'that the people whose citizens won should rule'.

Liv. 1.24.4Foedera alia aliīs lēgibus, cēterum eōdem modō omnia fīunt.

Treaties have different terms, but they are all made in the same way.

Note. ceterum: 'but'. eodem modo: the fetial procedure was the same for all treaties.

Liv. 1.24.4Tum ita factum accēpimus, nec ūllīus vetustior foederis memoria est.

We are told that on that occasion it was done as follows, and there is no older record of any treaty.

Note. accepimus: 'we have received (by tradition)'. ullius … foederis: no older treaty is recorded.

Liv. 1.24.4Fētiālis rēgem Tullum ita rogāvit: "iubēsne mē, rēx, cum patre patrātō populī Albānī foedus ferīre?"

The fetial asked King Tullus: "Do you order me, king, to strike a treaty with the pater patratus of the Alban people?"

Note. The fetial ritual is given in archaic legal formulas. iubesne: question with -ne. The pater patratus was the fetial chosen to swear the oath on behalf of the whole people.

Liv. 1.24.4Iubente rēge "sagmina" inquit "tē, rēx, poscō."

When the king ordered it, he said, "I ask you, king, for the sacred herbs."

Note. sagmina: tufts of sacred herbs, which made the fetials inviolable. Iubente rege: ablative absolute.

Liv. 1.24.5Rēx ait: "pūram tollitō."

The king said, "Take them clean."

Note. puram (herbam) tollito: future imperative, typical of laws and formulas: 'you shall take it clean'.

Liv. 1.24.5Fētiālis ex arce grāminis herbam pūram attulit.

The fetial brought clean grass from the citadel.

Note. ex arce: the herbs had to come from the Capitol.

Liv. 1.24.5Posteā rēgem ita rogāvit: "rēx, facisne mē tū rēgium nūntium populī Rōmānī Quirītium, vāsa comitēsque meōs?"

Then he asked the king: "King, do you make me the royal spokesman of the Roman people of the Quirites, and my vessels and companions too?"

Note. facisne me … regium nuntium: double accusative, 'do you make me the royal spokesman'. populi Romani Quiritium: the full formal name of the Roman people. vasa comitesque: the fetial's sacred equipment and attendants are included in his immunity.

Liv. 1.24.5Rēx respondit: "quod sine fraude meā populīque Rōmānī Quirītium fīat, faciō."

The king answered: "What may be done without harm to me and to the Roman people of the Quirites, I do."

Note. quod … fiat, facio: 'what may be done without harm to me … I do', a cautious legal formula.

Liv. 1.24.6Fētiālis erat M. Valerius;

The fetial was Marcus Valerius;

Note. Fetialis: the college of fetials, twenty priests, handled declarations of war and treaties.

Liv. 1.24.6is patrem patrātum Sp. Fūsium fēcit verbēnā caput capillōsque tangēns.

he made Spurius Fusius pater patratus, touching his head and hair with the sacred sprig.

Note. verbena: a sacred sprig used to consecrate the pater patratus.

Liv. 1.24.6Pater patrātus ad iūs iūrandum patrandum id est sanciendum fit foedus multīsque id verbīs, quae longō effāta carmine nōn operae est referre, peragit.

The pater patratus is appointed to perform the oath, that is, to make the treaty binding, and he carries it out in many words, which, pronounced in a long formula, are not worth repeating.

Note. ad ius iurandum patrandum, id est sanciendum … foedus: 'to perform the oath, that is, to make the treaty binding'; patrare means 'to bring about'. non operae est referre: 'it is not worth the trouble to repeat'.

Liv. 1.24.7Lēgibus deinde recitātīs "audī" inquit, "Iuppiter, audī, pater patrāte populī Albānī, audī tū, populus Albānus: ut illa palam prīma postrēma ex illīs tabulīs cērave recitāta sunt sine dolō malō utique ea hīc hodiē rēctissimē, intellēcta sunt, illīs lēgibus populus Rōmānus prior nōn dēficiet.

Then, when the terms had been read out, he said: "Hear, Jupiter; hear, pater patratus of the Alban people; hear, you, the Alban people: as those terms have been read out openly from first to last from those tablets or wax, without wicked deceit, and as they have been most rightly understood here today, from those terms the Roman people will not be the first to depart.

Note. The oath formula. ut illa … recitata sunt … ut … intellecta sunt: 'as those terms were read out … as they were understood'. prima postrema: asyndeton, 'from first to last'. tabulis cerave: 'from the tablets or the wax'. dolo malo: 'with wicked deceit', a legal phrase. deficiet: 'will depart from (the terms)'.

Liv. 1.24.8Sī prior dēfexit pūblicō cōnsiliō dolō malō, tum illō diē, Diēspiter, populum Rōmānum sīc feritō, ut ego hunc porcum hīc hodiē feriam;

If it shall be first to depart by public decision and with wicked deceit, then on that day, Diespiter, strike the Roman people as I shall strike this pig here today;

Note. defexit: an archaic future perfect (= defecerit), kept in the old formula. Diespiter: an old form of Jupiter. ferito: future imperative. The sacrifice acts out the curse: as the pig is struck, so may Rome be struck if it breaks faith.

Liv. 1.24.8tantōque magis feritō, quantō magis potes pollēsque."

and strike all the harder, the more you are able and powerful."

Note. tanto … quanto: ablatives of degree, 'the more, the more'. potes pollesque: a solemn doublet.

Liv. 1.24.9Id ubi dīxit, porcum saxō silice percussit.

When he had said this, he struck the pig with a flint stone.

Note. saxo silice: 'with a flint stone'; Jupiter Lapis, Jupiter the Stone, was invoked in fetial oaths.

Liv. 1.24.9Sua item carmina Albānī suumque iūs iūrandum per suum dictātōrem suōsque sacerdōtēs perēgērunt.

The Albans likewise performed their own formulas and their own oath through their own dictator and their own priests.

Note. Sua … suumque … suum … suos: the repeated possessive stresses that the Albans swore by their own rites. peregerunt: 'carried through'.