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Dear Language Enthusiast,
Welcome to the Latin Monthly, the Internet newsletter from Transparent
Language. This issue marks the second in our three-part series looking back on some of the
most notable people, events and accomplishments of ancient Rome. This month’s article
focuses on the first great humanitarian leader in the legendary early history of Rome: Numa
Pompilius, who was selected by the senate as Romulus’s successor to the kingship of Rome.
We hope you find our selection from Livy’s History to be both informative and useful in your
language study.
Note that the article is presented in Latin, followed by a translation in English.
Sincerely,
Transparent Language
www.transparent.com
latine:
Inclita iustitia religioque ea tempestate Numae Pompili erat. Curibus Sabinis habitabat,
consultissimus vir, ut in illa quisquam esse aetate poterat, omnis divini atque humani iuris.
Qui regno ita potitus urbem novam, conditam vi et armis, iure eam legibusque ac moribus de
integro condere parat. Quibus cum inter bella adsuescere videret non posse, quippe efferari
militia animos, mitigandum ferocem populum armorum desuetudine ratus, Ianum ad infimum
Argiletum indicem pacis bellique fecit, apertus ut in armis esse civitatem, clausus pacatos circa
omnes populos significaret.
Clauso eo cum omnium circa finitimorum societate ac foederibus iunxisset animos, positis
externorum periculorum curis ne luxuriarent otio animi, quos metus hostium disciplinaque
militaris continuerat, omnium primum, rem ad multitudinem imperitam et illis saeculis rudem
efficacissimam, deorum metum iniciendum ratus est. Qui cum descendere ad animos sine
aliquo commento miraculi non posset, simulat sibi cum dea Egeria congressus nocturnos esse;
eius se monitu, quae acceptissima diis essent sacra instituere, sacerdotes suos cuique deorum
praeficere.
In English:
At that period, Numa Pompilius was famous for his justice and piety. He lived in the Sabine
region, in Cures, and had immense knowledge and experience (to the extent that someone
living in those distant centuries could) of all the laws, both human and divine.
Coming to power, then, in the new city that had been built on a foundation of military might, he
took measures to put the city on a new foundation of justice and law codes and a pious life. And
since he saw that the people could not become accustomed to those things in the midst of
constant wars (on the contrary-- the fighting gave them savage hearts), he decided their ferocity
needed to be softened by letting their weapons lie unused. So he ordered a Temple of Janus to
be built in the Argiletum district of the Forum, as an indicator of war and peace: for it would
stand open when the citizens were embroiled in war, and closed when they were at peace with
those around them.
After he had secured the goodwill of all the surrounding nations by means of trade agreements
and treaties, the temple was closed. And lest the Romans grow self-indulgent through the
carefree leisure of their minds, now that worries about foreign dangers had been removed (for
their spirits had hitherto been held in check by the fear of enemies and the discipline of war),
Numa decided that the first order of business-- the thing that would have the greatest effect on
a populace that was ignorant and, in that period, crude-- was to fill them with a fear of the
gods. And since he could not possibly hope to have that effect on their minds without fabricating
some miraculous tale, he pretended to have nocturnal meetings with Egeria, the goddess of
childbirth and fountains, and to be acting on her advice as he decided which religious
observances would be most pleasing to the gods and which priests should be appointed for each
rite.
(Translated by RWC)
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