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Livy · Ab Urbe Condita XXI

Ab Urbe Condita 21.62

Prodigies and expiations at Rome

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Liv. 21.62.1Rōmae aut circā urbem multa eā hieme prōdigia facta aut, quod ēvenīre solet mōtīs semel in religiōnem animīs, multa nūntiāta et temerē crēdita sunt, in quīs ingenuum īnfantem sēmēstrem in forō olitōriō triumphum clāmāsse, et in forō boāriō bovem in tertiam contignātiōnem suā sponte ēscendisse atque inde tumultū habitātōrum territum sēsē dēiēcisse, et nāvium speciem dē caelō adfulsisse, et aedem Speī, quae est in forō olitōriō, fulmine ictam, et Lānuvī hastam sē commōvisse et corvum in aedem Iūnōnis dēvolāsse atque in ipsō pulvīnārī cōnsēdisse, et in agrō Amiternīnō multīs locīs hominum speciē procul candidā veste vīsōs nec cum ūllō congressōs, et in Pīcēnō lapidibus plūvisse, et Caere sortēs extenuātās, et in Galliā lupum vigilī gladium ex vāgīnā raptum abstulisse.At Rome or around the city many prodigies occurred that winter, or, as usually happens once men's minds have been stirred to religious fear, many were reported and rashly believed; among them, that a freeborn infant of six months had shouted 'Triumph!' in the vegetable market; that in the cattle market an ox had of its own accord climbed to the third storey and then, frightened by the uproar of the residents, had thrown itself down; that the likeness of ships had shone in the sky; that the temple of Hope, which is in the vegetable market, had been struck by lightning; that at Lanuvium a spear had moved of itself and a raven had flown down into the temple of Juno and settled on the very couch of the goddess; that in the territory of Amiternum in many places figures like men in white clothing had been seen at a distance, but had met with no one; that in Picenum it had rained stones; that at Caere the oracular lots had shrunk; and that in Gaul a wolf had snatched a sentry's sword from its sheath and carried it off.

Liv. 21.62.6Ob cētera prōdigia librōs adīre decemvirī iussī;For the other prodigies the decemvirs were ordered to consult the Books; Liv. 21.62.6quod autem lapidibus plūvisset in Pīcēnō, novemdiāle sacrum ēdictum, et subinde aliīs prōcūrandīs prope tōta cīvitās operāta fuit.but because it had rained stones in Picenum, a nine-day festival was proclaimed, and thereafter almost the whole citizen body was busy expiating the other portents. Liv. 21.62.7Iam prīmum omnium urbs lūstrāta est hostiaeque maiōrēs quibus ēditum est diīs caesae, et dōnum ex aurī pondō quadrāgintā Lānuvium Iūnōnī portātum est, et signum aēneum mātronae Iūnōnī in Aventīnō dēdicāvērunt, et lectisternium Caere, ubi sortēs adtenuātae erant, imperātum et supplicātiō Fortūnae in Algidō;First of all the city was purified, and full-grown victims were sacrificed to the gods prescribed, and a gift of forty pounds of gold was carried to Juno at Lanuvium, and the matrons dedicated a bronze statue to Juno on the Aventine, and a lectisternium was ordered at Caere, where the lots had shrunk, and a supplication to Fortune on Algidus; Liv. 21.62.9Rōmae quoque et lectisternium Iuuentātī et supplicātiō ad aedem Herculis nōminātim, deinde ūniversō populō circā omnia pulvīnāria indicta, et Geniō maiōrēs hostiae caesae quīnque, et C. Atīlius Serrānus praetor vōta suscipere iussus, sī in decem annōs rēs pūblica eōdem stetisset statū.at Rome too a lectisternium was proclaimed to Youth and a supplication at the temple of Hercules by name, and then for the whole people at all the couches of the gods, and five full-grown victims were sacrificed to the Genius, and Gaius Atilius Serranus the praetor was ordered to undertake vows, should the commonwealth remain in the same condition for ten years.

Liv. 21.62.11Haec prōcūrāta vōtaque ex librīs Sibyllīnīs magnā ex parte levāverant religiōne animōs.These expiations and vows, made in accordance with the Sibylline Books, had in great part relieved men's minds of religious fear.

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Grammar in this passage: ablative absolute ×1, indirect statement ×4, gerunds and gerundives ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (148 words)
aut, conj.or; aut ... aut, either ... or
circā (adv. and prep. + acc.)around, about
urbs, urbis, f.city
multus, -a, -ummuch, great; plur., many
is, ea, id, dem. pron.this, that; he, she, it, they
hiems, hiemis f.winter
prōdigium, -ī n.portent; monster
faciō, facere, fēcī, factusmake, do; iter facere, see iter
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
ēveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventuscome out; turn out, happen, befall
soleō, -ēre, solitus sumbe accustomed, usually do
moveō, movēre, mōvī, mōtusmove
semel (adv.)once (semel atque iterum: again and again)
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
religiō, -ōnis f.religious scruple, religious duty
animus, -ī, m.mind; heart; spirit, courage
nūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusreport, announce
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
temerē, adv.rashly
crēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditusbelieve
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
ingenuus, -a, -umfreeborn; as noun, a freeborn man
īnfāns, -fantis, m. and f.infant, babe
sēmēstris, -esix months old; lasting six months
forum, -ī n.market place, public square
olitōrius, -a, -umof vegetables; forum olitōrium: the vegetable market at Rome
triumphus, -ī m.triumph, a victorious general's procession
clāmō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusshout, cry out; proclaim
boārius, -a, -umof cattle; forum boārium: the cattle market at Rome
bōs, bovis, gen. plur. boum, dat. and abl. plur. bōbus, m. and f.ox, bull, cow
tertius, -a, -umthird
contignātiō, -ōnis f.floor of joists, storey; framework of beams
suus, -a, -umhis, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
sponte, f. abl. sing., modified by meā, tuā, suāof one's own accord, voluntarily
ēscendō, -ere, -scendī, -scēnsumclimb up, go on board
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
inde (adv.)from there; then
tumultus, -ūs m.uproar, uprising
habitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusdwell, inhabit
terreō, -ēre, -uī, -itusfrighten, terrify
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.himself, herself, itself, themselves
dēiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectusthrow down, cast, drive out of one's course
nāvis, -is, f.ship
speciēs, -ēī, f.sight, appearance, shape
dē, prep, with abl.down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of
caelum, -ī, n.heaven, sky
affulgeō (adfulgeō), -ēre, -fulsīshine, appear shining
aedēs, -is f.temple (sg.); house (pl.)
spēs, speī, f.hope
fulmen, -inis n.thunderbolt, lightning
īcō, -ere, īcī, ictusstrike, hit; foedus īcere: make a treaty
hasta, -ae f.spear
commoveō, -movēre, -mōvī, -mōtusmove, rouse; disturb
corvus, -ī m.raven
dēvolō, -āre, -āvīfly down
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
pulvīnar, -āris n.couch for the images of the gods at a religious feast; hence shrine
cōnsīdō, -sīdere, -sēdī, -sessussit down
ager, agri, m.field, land
Amiternīnus, -a, -umof Amiternum, a Sabine town
locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n.place, situation
homō, hominis, m.man
procul, adv.at or from a distance, far
candidus, -a, -umshining white, bright
vestis, -is, f.clothing, dress, robe
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsussee; pass., seem
neque or nec, conj.and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
cum, prep, with abl.with
ūllus, -a, -umany
congredior, -ī, -gressus summeet; come to grips, fight
lapis, -idis, m.stone
pluō, -ere, pluīrain; make it rain
sors, sortis, f.lot
extenuō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusmake thin, waste away; lessen
lupus, -ī m.wolf
vigil, -is m.watchman, sentry
gladius, -ī, m.sword
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
vāgīna, -ae f.sheath, scabbard
rapiō, -ere, -uī, -tusseize, snatch
auferō, auferre, abstulī, ablātusbear away, carry off
ob, prep. with acc.on account of, for; in compounds, to, against
cēterī, -ae, -a, plur. adj.the other, the remaining, the rest of
liber, librī m.book; record
adeō, -īre, -iī, -itusgo to, approach
decemvir, -ī m.member of a board of ten; (pl.) the decemvirs, here keepers of the Sibylline books
iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussusbid, order, command
quod, conj.that, in that, because
autem, conj.moreover; but, however; now
novendiālis, -elasting nine days; sacrum novendiāle: a nine-day rite
sacrum, -ī n.sacred object or rite; sacra: rites, worship
ēdīcō, -dīcere, -dīxī, -dictusdeclare, proclaim, appoint
subinde (adv.)immediately after; repeatedly, from time to time
alius, -a, -udanother, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others
prōcūrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātustake care of, manage
prope (adv. and prep. + acc.)near, nearly
tōtus, -a, -umall the, the whole or entire
cīvitās, -tātis, f.state
operor, -ārī, -ātus sumwork, be at work; be active
iam, adv.now, already
prīmum, adv.first, in the first place
omnis, -eall, every
lūstrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuspurify by sacrifice; review (an army)
hostia, -ae f.sacrificial victim
que, enclitic conj.and
magnus, -a, -umlarge, big, great, mighty; loud
ēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditusput forth, give out, utter
deus, -ī, m.god
caedō, -ere, cecīdī, caesumcut, cut down; kill
dōnum, -ī, n.gift
aurum, -ī, n.gold
pondō (indecl.)by weight; (with numbers) pounds
quadrāgintā (indecl.)forty
portō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumcarry
signum, -ī, n.sign, signal
aēneus, -a, -umof copper or bronze
dēdicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusdedicate, consecrate
lectisternium, -ī n.feast for the gods, their images laid on couches before food
ubi, adv.where; conj., when
attenuō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusmake thin, weaken, wear away
imperō, -perāre, -perāvī, -perātuscommand, order, enjoin
supplicātiō, -ōnis f.public thanksgiving (to the gods)
fortūna, -ae, f.fortune
quoque, adv.also
iuventās, -ātis f.youth, the age of youth
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
nōminātim (adv.)by name, one by one
deinde, adv.then, next
ūniversus, -a, -umall together, whole, entire, all
populus, -ī m.people, nation
indīcō, -ere, -dīxī, -dictumproclaim, call (a meeting)
genius, -ī m.guardian spirit (of a person or place); natural inclination
quīnquefive
praetor, -ōris m.praetor (legātus prō praetōre: officer with a praetor's powers)
vōtum, -ī n.vow; wish, prayer
suscipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptusundertake
sī, conj.if
decem, indecl. adj.ten
annus, -ī, m.year
rēs, reī, f.thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
pūblicus, -a, -umpublic, of the state (rēs pūblica: the state)
īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron.the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also
stō, stāre, stetī, statusstand
status, -ūs m.condition, state
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
Sibyllīnus, -a, -umSibylline, of the Sibyl; librī Sibyllīnī, the prophetic books kept by the state
pars, partis, f.part, side, direction
levō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuslift; lighten, relieve
Livy, Ab Urbe Condita XXI. Latin text: B. O. Foster, Livy (Loeb, 1919–29), with some passages from W. Weissenborn and H. J. Müller (Teubner, 1884–1911), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: drafted by our own tagger (trained on the hand-checked texts on this site), with every doubtful word checked by hand. English translation and section titles: written for this app, each checked against the Latin by a second reader.