Plutarch, Quaestiones Romanae, Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator), 101

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[101] Why do they adorn their children’s necks with amulets which they call bullae?¹

Was it, like many another thing, in honour of their wives, who had been made theirs by force, that they voted this also as a traditional ornament for the children born from them?

Or is it to honour the manly courage of Tarquin? For the tale is told that, while he was still but a boy, in the battle against the combined Latin and Etruscan forces he charged straight into the enemy; and although he was thrown from his horse, he boldly withstood those that hurled themselves upon him, and thus gave renewed strength to the Romans. A brilliant rout of the enemy followed, sixteen thousand were killed, and he received this amulet as a prize of valour from his father the king.

Or did the Romans of early times account it not disreputable nor disgraceful to love male slaves in the flower of youth, as even now their comedies² testify, but they strictly refrained from boys of free birth; and that they might not be in any uncertainty, even when they encountered them unclad, did the boys wear this badge?

Or is this a safeguard to insure orderly conduct, a sort of bridle on incontinence, that they may be ashamed to pose as men before they have put off the badge of childhood?

What Varro and his school say is not credible: that since boulê (counsel) is called bolla by the Aeolians, the boys put on this ornament as a symbol of good counsel.

But consider whether they may not wear it because of the moon. For the visible shape of the moon at the first quarter is not like a sphere, but like a lentil-seed or a quoit; and, as Empedocles³ thinks, so also is the matter of which the moon is composed.

Quaestiones Romanae. Plutarch. Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator). Cambridge, MA. 1936.

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Current edition Perseus

The Roman Questions (English) (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. IV. Babbitt, Frank Cole, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).)

Editions (2)

Αἴτια Ῥωμαϊκά Perseus (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. IV. Babbitt, Frank Cole, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).) — 101 focus

[101] διὰ τί κοσμοῦσι τοὺς παῖδας τοῖς περιδεραίοις, ἃ βούλλας καλοῦσι;

πότερον ἐπὶ τιμῇ τῶν ἡρπασμένων γυναικῶν, ὥσπερ ἄλλα πολλά, καὶ τοῦτʼ ἐψηφίσαντο τοῖς ἐξ αὐτῶν γεννωμένοις ὑπάρχειν;

ἢ τὴν Ταρκυνίου τιμῶντες ἀνδραγαθίαν; λέγεται γὰρ ἔτι παῖς ὢν ἐν τῇ μάχῃ τῇ πρὸς Λατίνους 288a ἅμα καὶ Τυρρηνοὺς ἐμβαλεῖν εἰς τοὺς πολεμίους, ἀπορρυεὶς δὲ τοῦ ἵππου καὶ τοὺς ἐπιφερομένους ἰταμῶς ὑποστὰς ἐπιρρῶσαι τοὺς Ῥωμαίους· γενομένης δὲ λαμπρᾶς τροπῆς τῶν πολεμίων καὶ μυρίων ἑξακισχιλίων ἀναιρεθέντων, τοῦτο λαβεῖν ἀριστεῖον παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ βασιλέως.

ἢ τοῖς παλαιοῖς οἰκετῶν μὲν ἐρᾶν ὥραν ἐχόντων οὐκ ἦν ἄδοξον οὐδʼ αἰσχρόν, ὡς ἔτι νῦν αἱ κωμῳδίαι μαρτυροῦσιν, ἐλευθέρων δὲ παίδων ἰσχυρῶς ἀπείχοντο, ¹ καὶ ὅπως μηδὲ γυμνοῖς ἐντυχόντες 288b ἀμφιγνοήσειαν, ἐφόρουν οἱ παῖδες τὸ παράσημον;

ἢ καὶ πρὸς εὐταξίαν ἐστὶ φυλακτήριον τοῦτο, καὶ τρόπον τινὰ τοῦ ἀκολάστου χαλινός, αἰσχυνομένων ἀνδροῦσθαι πρὶν ἢ τὸ παιδικὸν ἀποθέσθαι παράσημον;

ὅ μὲν γὰρ οἱ περὶ Βάρρωνα λέγουσιν οὐ πιθανόν ἐστι, τῆς βουλῆς ² ὑπὸ Αἰολέων βόλλας προσαγορευομένης, τοῦτο σύμβολον εὐβουλίας περιτίθεσθαι τοὺς παῖδας.

ἀλλʼ ὅρα μὴ καὶ τοῦτο διὰ τὴν σελήνην φοροῦσι. τὸ γὰρ φαινόμενον σχῆμα τῆς σελήνης, ὅταν ᾖ διχόμηνος, οὐ σφαιροειδὲς ἀλλὰ φακοειδές ἐστι καὶ δισκοειδές, ὡς δʼ Ἐμπεδοκλῆς οἴεται, καὶ τὸ ὑποκείμενον.

Κεφαλαίων καταγραφή Ῥωμαϊκά Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol IΙ. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1889.) — 101 focus

[101] διὰ τί κοσμοῦσι τοὺς παῖδας τοῖς περιδεραίοις, ἃ βούλλας καλοῦσι; πότερον ἐπὶ τιμῇ τῶν 10 ἡρπασμένων γυναικῶν, ὥσπερ ἄλλα πολλά, καὶ τοῦτʼ ἐψηφίσαντο τοῖς ἐξ αὐτῶν γεννωμένοις ὑπάρχειν; ἢ τὴν Ταρκυνίου τιμῶντες ἀνδραγαθίαν; λέγεται 288a γὰρ ἔτι παῖς ὢν ἐν τῇ μάχῃ τῇ πρὸς Λατίνους ἅμα καὶ Τυρρηνοὺς ἐμβαλεῖν εἰς τοὺς πολεμίους, ἀπορρυεὶς 15 δὲ τοῦ ἵππου καὶ τοὺς ἐπιφερομένους ἰταμῶς ὑποστὰς ἐπιρρῶσαι τοὺς Ῥωμαίους· γενομένης δὲ λαμπρᾶς τροπῆς τῶν πολεμίων καὶ μυρίων ἑξακισχιλίων ἀναιρεθέντων, τοῦτο λαβεῖν ἀριστεῖον παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ βασιλέως. ἢ τοῖς παλαιοῖς οἰκετῶν 20 μὲν ἐρᾶν ὥραν ἐχόντων οὐκ ἦν ἄδοξον οὐδʼ αἰσχρόν, ὡς ἔτι νῦν αἱ κωμῳδίαι μαρτυροῦσιν· ἐλευθέρων δὲ παίδων ἰσχυρῶς ἀπείχοντο, καὶ ὅπως μηδὲ γυμνοῖς ἐντυχόντες ἀμφιγνοήσειαν, ἐφόρουν οἱ παῖδες 288b τὸ παράσημον; ἢ καὶ πρὸς ἀταξίαν ¹ ἐστὶ φυλακτήριον 25 τοῦτο, καὶ τρόπον τινὰ τοῦ ἀκολάστου χαλινός, αἰσχυνομένων ἀνδροῦσθαι πρὶν ἢ τὸ παιδικὸν ἀποθέσθαι παράσημον; ὃ μὲν γὰρ οἱ περὶ Βάρρωνα λέγουσιν οὐ πιθανόν ἐστι, τῆς βούλλης ὑπὸ Αἰολέων βόλλας προσαγορευομένης, τοῦτο σύμβολον εὐβουλίας περιτίθεσθαι τοὺς παῖδας. ἀλλʼ ὅρα μὴ καὶ τοῦτο διὰ τὴν σελήνην φοροῦσι. τὸ γὰρ φαινόμενον σχῆμα 5 τῆς σελήνης, ὅταν ᾖ διχόμηνος, οὐ σφαιροειδὲς ἀλλὰ φακοειδές ἐστι καὶ δισκοειδές, ὡς δʼ Ἐμπεδοκλῆς οἴεται, καὶ τὸ ὑποκείμενον.

Translations (1)

Roman Questions Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. II. Goodwin, William W., editor; Chauncy, Isaac translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874.) — 101 focus

[101]

Question 101.

Why do they finify their boys with necklaces, which they call bullae?

Solution. What if this were for the honor of the wives which were taken by force? For as many other things, so this might be one of the injunctions laid on their posterity. Or did they it in honor of Tarquin’s manhood? For it is reported of him that, whilst he was but a boy, being engaged in a battle against the Latins and Tuscans, charging his enemies, he fell from his horse; yet animating those Romans which were engaged in the charge, he led them on courageously. The enemies were put to a remarkable rout, and sixteen thousand were slain; whereupon he had this badge of honor bestowed upon him by his father the king. Or was it that by the ancients it was neither lewd nor dishonorable to love beautiful slaves (as now the comedies testify), but that they resolvedly abstained from freeborn servants; and lest, by coming accidentally on naked boys, they should ignorantly transgress, the free boys wore this mark of distinction? Or was this a protector of good order, and after a manner a curb of incontinency; they being ashamed to pretend to manhood before they have put off the badge of children? That which they say who follow Varro is not probable, that boule by the Aeolians is called bolla, and this is put about children as a teaching sign of good counsel. But consider whether they do not wear it for the moon’s sake. For the visible face of the moon, when it is halved, is not spherical, but shaped like a lentil or a quoit; and (as Empedocles supposeth) so is also the side that is turned away from us.

Notes on the current edition

The Roman Questions

1. Cf. Life of Romulus, xx. (30 c); Pliny, Natural History, xxxiii. 1 (10); Macrobius, Saturnalia, i. 6. 7-17.

2. The so-called togatae, of which no complete specimen has survived; the palliatae of Plautus and Terence, being based on the Greek New Comedy, would prove nothing.

3. Cf. Moralia, 891 c; Diogenes Laertius, viii. 77; Diels, Frag. der Vorsokratiker, i. p. 210, A 60.

Plutarch Quaestiones Romanae 101

Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator)

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Question 101.

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