Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor), 43.13

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[1]

I am not unaware that, as a result of the same disregard ¹ that leads men generally to suppose nowadays that the gods foretell nothing, no portents at all are reported officially, or recorded in our histories.

[2] However, not only does my own mind, as I write of old-time matters, become in some way or other old-fashioned, but also a certain conscientious scruple keeps me from regarding what those very sagacious men of former times thought worthy of public concern as something unworthy to be reported in my history.

[3] At Anagnia, two portents were announced in that year, a fiery meteor seen in the sky, and a cow which spoke; this animal, the ² report stated, was being kept at public expense. At Minturnae also during these very days the sky presented the appearance of being on fire. At Reate there was a rain of stones.

[4] At Cumae the Apollo on the citadel shed tears for three days and three nights. In the city of Rome two temple-attendants announced portents; one, that a crested snake had been seen by many people in the temple of Fortune;

[5] the other announced two different portents in the temple of Fortune the First-Born which is on the hill, ³ that a palm had sprung up in the courtyard and that during the day blood had rained down.

[6] Two portents were not treated as public matters, the one because it took place in a privately-owned spot-Titus Marcius Figulus reported that a palm had sprung up in his catch-basin ⁴ —the other because it occurred in a non- Roman place ⁵ —at Fregellae, in the house of Lucius Atreus, a spear which he had bought for his son's service in the army was said to have blazed during the day for more than two hours in such a way that the fire consumed none of it.

[7] Because of the public portents the books were approached by the Board of Ten; they proclaimed the gods to whom the consuls were to offer forty full-grown victims, and also that a day of prayer should be observed, that all the magistrates should sacrifice full-grown victims at all the principal temples and that the people should wear ⁶ wreaths. ⁷

[8] Everything was carried out as the Board of Ten prescribed.

Ab urbe condita. Titus Livius (Livy). Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor). Medford, MA. .

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

History of Rome (English) (Foster, Benjamin Oliver; Moore, Frank Gardener; Sage, Evan T.; Schlesinger, Alfred C., translators. Cambridge, Mass.; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1919-1959. (Loeb Classical Library))

Editions (3)

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Pars I-IV, Libri I-XL. Editio Stereotypica. Weissenborn, Wilhelm; Mueller, Moritz, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1884-1911.) — 43.13 focus

[1] non sum nescius ab eadem neclegentia, quia nihil deos portendere vulgo nunc credant, neque nuntiari admodum ulla prodigia in publicum neque in annales referri.

[2] ceterum et mihi vetustas res scribenti nescio quo pacto anticus fit animus, et quaedam religio tenet, quae illi prudentissimi viri publice suscipienda censuerint, ea pro indignis habere, quae in meos annales referam.

[3] Anagnia duo prodigia eo anno sunt nuntiata, facem in caelo conspectam et bovem feminam locutam; eam publice ali. Menturnis quoque per eos dies caeli ardentis species affulserat.

[4] Reate imbri lapidavit. Cumis in arce Apollo triduum ac tris noctes lacrimavit. in urbe Romana duo aeditui nuntiarunt, alter in aede Fortunae anguem iubatum a conpluribus visum esse, alter in aede Primigeniae Fortunae,

[5] quae in Colle est, duo diversa prodigia, palmam in area enatam et sanguine interdiu pluvisse.

[6] duo non suscepta prodigia sunt, alterum, quod in privato loco factum esset, — palmam enatam in inpluvio suo T. Marcius Figulus nuntiabat — , alterum, quod in loco peregrino: Fregellis in domo L. Atrei hasta, quam filio militi emerat, interdiu plus duas horas arsisse, ita ut nihil eius ambureret ignis, dicebatur.

[7] publicorum prodigiorum causa libri a decemviris aditi: quadraginta maioribus hostiis quibus diis consules sacrificarent ediderunt, et uti supplicatio fieret cunctique magistratus circa omnia pulvinaria victumis maioribus sacrificarent populusque coronatus esset.

[8] omnia, uti decemviri praeierunt, facta.

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Livy in Fourteen Volumes. Foster, Benjamin Oliver; Moore, Frank Gardener; Schlesinger, Alfred C., editors. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd., 1919-1959 (printing).) — 43.13 focus

[1]

non sum nescius ab eadem neglegentia qua nihil deos portendere vulgo nunc credant, neque nuntiari admodum ulla ¹ prodigia in publicum neque ² in annales referri.

[2] ceterum et mihi vetustas res scribenti ³ nescio quo pacto antiquus fit animus et quaedam religio tenet, quae illi prudentissimi viri publice suscipienda censuerint, ea pro indignis ⁴ habere, quae in meos annales referam.

[3] Anagnia duo prodigia eo anno sunt nuntiata, facem in caelo conspectam et bovem feminam locutam; eam ⁵⁶ publice ali. menturnis minturnis⁷ quoque per eos dies caeli ardentis species affulserat.

[4] Reate imbri lapidavit. cumis in arce Apollo triduum ac tris noctes lacrimavit. in urbe Romana duo aeditui nuntiarunt, alter in aede Fortunae anguem iubatum a compluribus visum esse,

[5] alter in aede Primigeniae ⁸ Fortunae quae in colle est duo diversa prodigia, palmam in area enatam ⁹ et sanguine interdiu pluvisse.

[6] duo non suscepta prodigia sunt, alterum quod in privato loco factum esset, - palmam enatam in ¹⁰ impluvio suo T. Marcius Figulus nuntiabat - alterum quod in loco peregrino: Fregellis in domo L. Atrei hasta, quam filio militi emerat, interdiu plus duas horas arsisse ita ut nihil eius ambureret ignis, dicebatur.

[7] publicorum prodigiorum causa libri a decemviris aditi: quadraginta maioribus hostiis quibus diis consules sacrificarent ediderunt,

[8] et uti supplicatio ¹¹ fieret cunctique magistratus circa omnia pulvinaria victimis maioribus sacrificarent populusque coronatus esset. omnia¹² uti decemviri praeierunt facta.

Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn Perseus (Weissenborn, W.; Müller, H. J., editors. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1873-1883.) — 43.13 focus

[1]

non sum nescius ab eadem neclegentia, qua nihil deos portendere vulgo nunc credunt, neque nuntiari admodum ulla prodigia in publicum neque in annales referri.

[3] facem in caelo conspectam et bovem feminam locutam; eam publice ali. Menturnis quoque per eos dies caeli ardentis species adfulserat.

[4] Reate imbri lapidavit. Cumis in arce Apollo triduum ac tris noctis lacrimavit. in urbe Romana duo aeditui nuntiarunt, alter in aede Fortunae anguem iubatum a conpluribus visum esse,

[5] alter in aede Primigeniae Fortunae, quae in colle est, duo diversa prodigia, palmam in area enatam et sanguine interdiu pluvisse.

[6] duo non suscepta prodigia sunt, alterum, quod in privato loco factum esset—palmam enatam in inpluvio suo T. Marcius Figulus² nuntiabat—, alterum, quod in loco peregrino: Fregellis in domo L. Atrei hasta, quam filio militi emerat, interdiu plus duas horas arsisse, ita ut nihil eius ambureret ignis, dicebatur.

[7] publicorum prodigiorum causa libri a decemviris aditi. quadraginta maioribus

[8] hostiis quibus dis consules sacrificarent ediderunt et uti supplicatio fieret cunctique magistratus circa omnia pulvinaria victumis maioribus sacrificarent populusque coronatus esset. omnia, uti decemviri praeierunt, facta.

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 43.13 focus

[1]

I am well aware, that, through the same disregard of religion, owing to which the men of the present day generally believe that the gods never give portents of any future events, no prodigies are now either reported to government, or recorded in histories.

[2] But for my part, while I am writing the transactions of ancient times, my sentiments, I know not how, become antique; and a kind of religious awe prevents me from considering events, which the men of those days, renowned for wisdom, judged deserving of the attention of the state and of public expiation, unworthy of being recorded in my history.

[3] From Anagnia two prodigies were reported this year: that a blazing torch was seen in the air; and that a cow spoke, and was maintained at the public expense. About the same time, at Minturnae, the sky appeared as in a blaze of fire. At Reate, a shower of stones fell.

[4] At Cumae, the image of Apollo, in the citadel, shed tears during three days and three nights. In the city of Rome, two of the keepers of the temples made strange announcements, one that in the temple of Fortune, a snake, with a mane like that of a horse, had been seen by many;

[5] the other, that, in the temple of Fortuna Primigenia on the hill, a palm sprung up in the court, and that a shower of blood fell in the middle of the day.

[6] Two prodigies were not attended to: one, because it happened in a place belonging to a private person; Titus Marcius Figulus having reported, that a palm sprung up in the inner court of his house; the other, because it occurred in a foreign place, Fregellae, —where, in the house of Lucius Atreus, a spear which he had bought for his son, who was a soldier, burned, as was said, for more than two hours, and notwithstanding the fire consumed none of it. The Sibylline books were consulted by the decemvirs on account of the public prodigies.

[7] They directed that the consuls should sacrifice forty of the larger victims to the deities, whom they pointed out; that a supplication should be performed; and that all the magistrates should sacrifice victims of the larger kinds in all the temples, and the people wear garlands.

[8] All these acts were performed according to the injunctions of the decemvirs.

History of Rome Perseus (Volumes 1-2. Roberts, Canon, Rev, translator. London, New York: J. M. Dent and Sons; E. P. Dutton and Co., 1912.) — 43.13 focus

[1]

I am quite aware that the spirit of indifference which in these days makes men in general refuse to believe that the gods warn us through portents, also prevents any portents whatever from being either made public or recorded in the annals.

[2] But as I narrate the events of ancient times I find myself possessed by the ancient spirit, and a religious feeling constrains me to regard the matters which those wise and thoughtful men considered deserving of their attention as worthy of a place in my pages.

[3] At Anagnia two portents were announced this year: a fiery torch had been seen in the sky and a cow had spoken; the cow was being fed at the public cost. At Menturnae also the appearance of the sky was as though it was on fire. At Reate there was a shower of stones. At Cumae the Apollo in the citadel shed tears for three days and three nights.

[4] Two temple custodians in the City of Rome announced portents; one stated that a crested snake had been seen by several persons in the Temple of Fortune;

[5] the other declared that two distinct portents had appeared in the Temple of Fortuna Primigenia on the Quirinal, a palm tree sprang up in the temple precinct and a rain of blood had fallen in the daytime. There were two portents which were not taken into consideration, one because it occurred on private, the other on foreign soil.

[6] The former was reported by T. Marcius Figulus, a palm tree had sprung up in the inner court of his house; the latter by L. Atreus who stated that in his house at Fregellae a spear which he had bought for his soldier son was in flames for more than two hours in broad daylight, but no part of it was consumed by the fire. The Keepers consulted the Sacred Books about those portents which affected the State and gave the names of the deities to be propitiated.

[7] They directed that the expiatory sacrifices should consist of forty of the larger victims and be performed by the consuls; all the magistrates were to join in offering similar sacrifices at every shrine; there were to be special intercessions and the people were to wear chaplets of bay.

[8] These directions were carefully carried out.

Notes on the current edition

Ab Urbe Condita With An English Translation, books 1-10, 21-45, with periochae 11-20

1. On the decline of religion and scruple, cf. III. xx. 5 and X. xl. 10, and the note; restoration of former religious observances was one of the objectives of Augustus, and he served on several priestly boards. Prodigies were noted in later times (cf. e.g., Tacitus, Annals XIII. lviii; XIV. xii; Suetonius, Gaius lvii) if not officially reported.

2. B.C. 169

3. I.e., the Quirinal, as distinguished from another temple on the Capitol.

4. This was an ornamental basin in the floor at the centre of the atrium, or principal room, which caught rain entering through the central opening of the roof ( compluvium ).

5. Fregellae was a Latin colony, therefore legally autonomous, and its territory not Roman; Minturnae was a Roman colony, hence part of Rome; Anagnia was either subject territory, or its inhabitants had been granted Roman citizenship; Cumae and Reate were

allied states

( civitates foederatae ), but their territory was evidently regarded as part of the Roman domain ( ager publicus ).

6. B.C. 169

7. Probably of laurel; wreath-wearing was a mark of especially earnest supplication in time of emergency, cf. XXXIV. Iv. 4, XXXVI. xxxvii. 5, XL. xxxvii. 3.

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 43.13

Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor)

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