11

of the office. But as he was delayed in Athens on account of the laws, along with those sent with him for this purpose by the Romans, he asked the god to show him a way and to assist him in this, the divine power gave him an oracle that if, 48 upon setting foot in his fatherland, before any other action, he should embrace his mother and ardently throw his arms around her, he would achieve his purpose. And so, having returned to Rome and embraced the earth—for she is the mother of all—he freed the Romans from tyranny, devising an office known among no other nations, even if among the Hebrews Daniel, the most divine of prophets, mentions consuls once existing among the Assyrians. For he himself did not use the word in the Hebrew language, as Aristeas says, but those who once translated the oracles for Ptolemy said "consuls" instead of "rulers" and "counsellors," since at that time the office had not yet arisen among the Romans and was admired by all for the new greatness of its authority. This being the case, we must speak about the symbols of the consulship. 32 White ankle-length cloaks and tunics moderately shorter than the cloaks, with a broad purple stripe conspicuous on each shoulder, on the cloaks in front, but on the tunics also behind; and white footwear—the Romans call leather treated with alum *aluta*, because alum is called *alumen* in their language—and a white linen cloth on the right hand were the insignia of the consuls—they called it a *mappa* and *faciola* in their native tongue, because the face is called *facies* in their language—and preceding them, axes raised on high and a multitude of men carrying rods from which hung straps dyed a crimson color, unless from Serranus the dictator, who, while cutting wood in the forest and naturally carrying an axe and a suspended rod as reins 50 for driving the oxen of his cart, was summoned to the Roman command, as Persius the Roman satirist said, or also because the axe is indicative of authority; in addition to these, an ivory chair—they call it a *sella*—on which citizens carried the consul as he proceeded, placing long poles underneath. 33 But so that the office of consul might not become inexorable through the power of one man, they appointed two for only a year, as has been said, Brutus, the vindicator of liberty, and with him Publicola—the name signifies "leader of the people"—who had the authority both to write laws and to manage wars with absolute power, as men entrusted with the administration of all affairs; and when Brutus ended his life, they honored the dead man with public mourning and named their own wives *brutae* after him on account of his moderation. And the survivor was the first to honor the other with a funeral oration. And the funeral oration is called *nenia* among them, from a Greek etymology, rather, because the Greeks call the last of the strings on a cithara the *nete*.

FOURTH PROMOTION THE DECAPROTOI AND THE PREFECT OF THE CITY

Gaius the law-writer after the quaestors' the decemviral office

mentions in these words for interpretation: "And since much confusion arose in affairs because of the laws, as they were not established in writing, from the dispute between the magistrates and the people, by a common decree of the senate and the people all the magistrates were removed, and they handed over the care of the state to ten men alone." And they sent—the history says—to Athens Spurius Postumius, Aulus Marcius, and Publius 52 Sulpicius. And when they were delayed there for a period of three years, until they might record the remaining laws of the Athenians on ten tablets, the people appointed ten men to take charge of affairs, the first of whom was addressed as guardian of the city, the *poliarchos* in our terms. And the insignia of his authority were twelve rods; but for the others it was not so, but one arms-bearer each and only one. And indeed for the poliarch also a contingent of toga-wearing men and lictors and

11

τῆς ἀρχῆς. ὡς δὲ βραδύνων Ἀθήνησι διὰ τοὺς νόμους σὺν τοῖς μετ' αὐτοῦ πρὸς τοῦτο σταλεῖσιν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ᾔτει τὸν θεὸν ὁδὸν ὑποδεῖξαι καὶ συλλαβεῖν αὐτῷ πρὸς τοῦτο, ἔχρησεν αὐτῷ τὸ δαιμόνιον ὅτι εἰ τῆς 48 πατρίδος ἐπιβὰς πρὸ πάσης τάξεως τὴν μητέρα περιπτύξηται καὶ λιπαρῶς περιβάλοι, περιέσται τοῦ σκοποῦ. καὶ δὴ ἐπανελθὼν ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ καὶ τὴν γῆν περιβαλὼν αὕτη δὲ μήτηρ τῶν πάντων, ἠλευθέρωσε Ῥωμαίους τυραννίδος, ἀρχὴν ἐξευρὼν παρ' οὐδενὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν γνωριζομένην, καὶ εἰ παρ' Ἑβραίοις ∆ανιὴλ ὁ προφητῶν θειότατος ὑπάτων παρὰ Ἀσσυρίοις γενομένων ποτὲ μνημονεύει. οὐδὲ γὰρ οὕτως αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τῆς Ἑβραΐδος ἀπέθετο φωνῆς, ὡς Ἀριστέας λέγει, ἀλλ' οἱ ἑρμηνεύσαντες παρὰ Πτολεμαίῳ τὰ λόγιά ποτε ἀντὶ δυναστῶν καὶ βουλευτῶν ὑπάτους εἶπον, μήπω τότε παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις ἀνισχούσης τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ παρὰ πᾶσιν ἐπὶ τῷ καινῷ μεγέθει τῆς ἀρχῆς θαυμαζομένης. τούτων οὕτως ἐχόντων, περὶ τῶν τῆς ὑπατείας συμβόλων ῥητέον. 32 Λευκοὶ φαινόλαι ποδήρεις καὶ κολοβοὶ μετρίως παρὰ τοὺς φαινόλας ἀνεσταλμένοι πλατύσημοι πορφύρα διάσημος ἐξ ἑκατέρων τῶν ὤμων, τοῖς μὲν φαινόλαις πρόσθεν, τοῖς δὲ κολοβοῖς καὶ ἐξόπισθεν καὶ ὑποδήματα λευκὰ ἀλοῦταν δὲ τὸ ἀπὸ στυπτηρίας δέρμα καλοῦσιν οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι, ὅτι ἀλοῦμεν κατ' αὐτοὺς ἡ στυπτηρία λέγεται καὶ ἐκμαγεῖον ἐπὶ τῆς δεξιᾶς ἀπὸ λίνου λευκὸν τὰ ἐπίσημα τῶν ὑπάτων ἦν μάππαν καὶ φακιόλην ἐπιχωρίως ὠνόμασαν, ὅτι φακίης κατ' αὐτοὺς ἡ ὄψις λέγεται, καὶ πελέκεις ἡγούμενοι εἰς ὕψος ἀρθέντες καὶ πλῆθος ἀνδρῶν ῥάβδους ἐπιφερομένων, ἐξ ὧν ἱμάντες φοινικῷ χρώματι βεβαμμένοι ἐξήρτηντο μὴ Σερρανοῦ τοῦ δικτάτωρος, ὃς ἐν ὕλαις ξυλοτομῶν καὶ πέλεκυν εἰκότως ἐπιφερόμενος ῥάβδον τε ἐξηρτημένην ἡνίας 50 πρὸς ἔλασιν τῶν βοῶν τῆς ἁμάξης ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν μετεστάλη, ὡς Πέρσιος ὁ Ῥωμαῖος σατυρικὸς ἔφη, ἢ καὶ ὅτι πέλεκυς ἐξουσίας ἐστὶ δεικτικός· πρὸς τούτοις καθέδρα σέλλαν αὐτὴν ἐκεῖνοι καλοῦσιν ἐξ ἐλέφαντος, ἐφ' ᾗ καθήμενον τὸν ὕπατον οἱ πολῖται σχίδακας ὑπομήκεις ὑποβάλλοντες ἔφερον προϊόντα. 33 Ὅπως δὲ μὴ τῇ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἐξουσίᾳ ἀδυσώπητος ἡ ἀρχὴ τοῦ ὑπάτου γένοιτο, δύο καὶ ἐπὶ μόνον ἐνιαυτὸν προεχειρίσαντο, ὡς εἴρηται, Βροῦτον τὸν τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἔκδικον καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ Πουπλικόλαν τὸ δὲ ὄνομα τὸν δημαγωγὸν σημαίνει, οἷς ἐξῆν καὶ νόμους γράφειν καὶ αὐτοκρατῶς τοὺς πολέμους διοικεῖν, οἷα τὴν τῶν ὅλων διοίκησιν ἀνημμένοις· τελευτήσαντος δὲ τὸν βίον τοῦ Βρούτου, δημοσίῳ πένθει ἐτίμησαν τὸν νεκρὸν καὶ βρούτας τὰς σφῶν γυναῖκας ὠνόμασαν ἐξ αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν σωφροσύνην. τὸν δὲ ἕτερον ὁ θάτερος ἔτι περιὼν ἐπικηδείῳ πρῶτος ἐτίμησεν. λέγεται δὲ παρ' αὐτοῖς τὸ ἐπιτάφιον νηνία, ἐξ Ἑλληνικῆς μᾶλλον ἐτυμολογίας, ὅτι νήτην τὴν ἐσχάτην τῶν ἐν κιθάρᾳ χορδῶν Ἕλληνες καλοῦσιν.

ΤΕΤΆΡΤΗ ΠΡΟΑΓΩΓῊ ΟἹ ∆ΕΚΆΠΡΩΤΟΙ ΚΑῚ Ὁ ΤΗ͂Σ ΠΌΛΕΩΣ ὝΠΑΡΧΟΣ

Γάϊος ὁ νομογράφος μετὰ τὴν τῶν κυαιστώρων τὴν δεκανδρικὴν ἀρχὴν

ἀναφέρει ῥήμασι πρὸς ἑρμηνείαν τούτοις· «πολλῆς δὲ συγχύσεως τῶν νόμων, οἷα μὴ γράμμασι τεθειμένων, τοῖς πράγμασι γινομένης ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἀρχόντων καὶ τοῦ δήμου διαφορᾶς, δόγματι κοινῷ τῆς βουλῆς καὶ τοῦ δήμου πάντες μὲν οἱ ἄρχοντες ἐκινήθησαν, δέκα δὲ μόνοις ἀνδράσι τὴν φροντίδα τῆς πολιτείας παρέδοσαν.» αὐτοὶ δὲ στέλλουσιν ἡ ἱστορία φησίν εἰς Ἀθήνας Σπούριον Ποστούμιον, Αὖλον Μάρκιον καὶ Πούπλιον 52 Σουλπίκιον. τῶν δὲ ἐπὶ τριετῆ χρόνον ἐκεῖ βραδυνόντων, ἕως καὶ τοὺς λειπομένους Ἀθηναίων νόμους ταῖς δέκα δέλτοις ἀναλάβωσιν, δέκα προεβάλετο ὁ δῆμος ἄνδρας ἀνθεξομένους τῶν πραγμάτων, ὧν ὁ πρῶτος τῆς πόλεως φύλαξ προσηγορεύθη, ὁ καθ' ἡμᾶς πολίαρχος. ἐπίσημα δὲ τῆς ἐξουσίας ἦν αὐτῷ δυοκαίδεκα ῥάβδοι· τοῖς δὲ λοιποῖς οὐχ οὕτως, ὁπλοφόρος δὲ ἀν' ἕκαστον εἷς καὶ μόνος. τῷ γε μὴν πολιάρχῳ καὶ τάξις ἀνδρῶν τογατηφόρων καὶ ῥαβδοῦχοι καὶ