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in red garments and sitting on a folding throne, he would conduct business; and there were always many of the young men around him, whom he called Celeres, which in the dialect of the Romans means "the swift ones", and others walked before him keeping back the crowd with staves, girt with leather thongs, so as to bind whomever they were ordered. And when Numitor his grandfather died in Alba, the kingdom belonging to Romulus, he, acting as a demagogue, made the government a public matter, and each year he appointed a ruler for the Sabines, he provoked the powerful men in Rome to seek a kingless and autonomous government. For not even those called patricians took part in affairs, but it was a name and a form for them, gathering in the senate-house more for the sake of custom than judgment; then they listened in silence to Romulus acting, and having the advantage over the rest of learning what had been decreed by him before others, they departed. Hence he seemed to be insulting the senate; for this reason it seemed suspect when Romulus disappeared a short while later. For it is said that as he was holding an assembly near what is called the Goat's Marsh, the light of the sun failed, and night came on, and dreadful thunder occurred, and gusts of wind driving a tempest. At this the crowd fled, but the powerful men gathered together with each other. When the disturbance in the air had ceased, and many had gathered together again, the king was sought for; but the powerful men 2.97 would not allow them to inquire about him, but urged all to honor and worship Romulus as one who had been snatched up to the gods, and would be a god to them instead of a good king. The multitude, therefore, persuaded by these words, departed buoyed up by good hopes, but some held the patricians in suspicion and made a disturbance, alleging that they were persuading the people of foolish things, having themselves been the murderers of the king. And they would have caused trouble for the powerful men, had not a certain one of the knights, Julius Proculus, a man most distinguished in birth and good in character and faithful to Romulus, come into the forum and said under oath that Romulus had appeared to him, beautiful and great as never before, and adorned with shining and gleaming armor, and that he himself had asked, "Why, O king, have you brought us into wicked accusations, and left the entire city in grief?" And he in reply to this said, "It seemed good to the gods, O Proculus, that we should be among men for so long a time, and then again dwell in heaven, whence we came. But farewell, and tell the Romans that by practicing temperance and courage they will arrive at the utmost of human power. And I will be to you the propitious Quirinus." These things, both on account of the oath of the speaker and his character, seemed credible to the Romans, so much so that no one spoke against it, but laying aside all suspicion and slander, they prayed to Quirinus and invoked him as a god. And they say that this surname was given to Romulus either because they called the citizens Quirites or because the ancients called a spear or lance *curis*; so that Romulus, as a certain warlike or spear-wielding god, was named Quirinus. And he is said to have lived fifty-four 2.98 years, and to have disappeared from among men in the thirty-eighth year of his reign. These things having happened concerning Romulus, it seemed good to all to be ruled by a king, but a certain strife and dissension arose among those in Rome, not only over the man who would rule, but also which of the peoples would provide the ruler. For to those who had first founded the city with Romulus it seemed intolerable that the Sabines, having been admitted by them into the state, should seek to rule over those who had received them; but the Sabines on the other hand, because after Tatius died they had allowed Romulus to rule alone, demanded that the ruler be chosen from among themselves. Thus both parties were contending in this way, and while the government was in suspense over these things, the patricians, being one hundred and fifty in number, appointed each one in turn adorned with the royal insignia to sacrifice to the gods and to conduct business, for six hours of the night, and six of the day. For the distribution of the times equally for each seemed to be well arranged both for the rulers and for the
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ἐρυθροῖς καὶ ἐν θρόνῳ ἀνακλίτῳ καθήμενος ἐχρημάτιζεν· ησαν δὲ περὶ αὐτὸν ἀεὶ καὶ τῶν νέων συχνοί, ους Κέλερας προσηγόρευεν, ο κατὰ τὴν τῶν ̔Ρωμαίων διάλεκτον δηλοῖ τοὺς ταχεῖς, καὶ πρόσθεν ἐβάδιζον ετεροι βακτηρίαις τὸν οχλον ἀνείργοντες, ὑπεζωσμένοι ἱμάντας, ωστε συνδεῖν ους κελευσθῶσιν. ̓Επεὶ δὲ Νομίτωρος τοῦ πάππου αὐτοῦ ἐν Αλβῃ τελευτήσαντος, ̔Ρωμύλῳ προσηκούσης τῆς βασιλείας, αὐτὸς εἰς μέσον εθηκε τὴν πολιτείαν δημαγωγῶν, καὶ κατ' ἐνιαυτὸν ἀπεδείκνυεν αρχοντα τοῖς Σαβίνοις, ἠρέθισε τοὺς ἐν ̔Ρώμῃ δυνατοὺς ἀβασίλευτον ζητεῖν καὶ αὐτόνομον πολιτείαν. οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ καλούμενοι πατρίκιοι πραγμάτων μετεῖχον, ἀλλ' ονομα καὶ σχῆμα ην αὐτοῖς, εθους ενεκα μᾶλλον η γνώμης ἀθροιζομένοις εἰς τὸ βουλευτήριον· ειτα ̔Ρωμύλου πράττοντος ἠκροῶντο σιγῇ, καὶ τὸ πρὸ τῶν αλλων τὸ δεδογμένον ἐκείνῳ μαθεῖν πλέον εχοντες τῶν λοιπῶν ἀπηλλάττοντο. οθεν ἐδόκει τὴν γερουσίαν προπηλακίζειν· διὸ αυτη υποπτος εδοξεν ἀφανοῦς μετ' ὀλίγον γενομένου ̔Ρωμύλου. λέγεται γὰρ ἐκκλησίαν αγοντος αὐτοῦ περὶ τὸ καλούμενον Αἰγὸς ελος τοῦ μὲν ἡλίου τὸ φῶς ἐπιλιπεῖν, νύκτα δὲ κατασχεῖν βροντάς τε δεινὰς συμβῆναι καὶ πνοὰς ἀνέμων ζάλην ἐλαυνούσας. ἐν δὲ τούτῳ τὸν μὲν οχλον φεύγειν, τοὺς δὲ δυνατοὺς συστραφῆναι μετ' ἀλλήλων. τῆς δ' ἐν τῷ ἀέρι ταραχῆς λωφησάσης καὶ αυθις πολλῶν ὁμοῦ γενομένων ζητεῖσθαι τὸν βασιλέα· τοὺς δὲ δυνατοὺς 2.97 οὐκ ἐᾶν ἐξετάζειν περὶ αὐτοῦ, τιμᾶν δὲ παρακελεύεσθαι πᾶσι καὶ σέβεσθαι ̔Ρωμύλον ὡς ἀνηρπασμένον εἰς θεούς, καὶ θεὸν ἐσόμενον σφίσιν ἀντὶ χρηστοῦ βασιλέως. Οἱ μὲν ουν πολλοὶ πεπεισμένοι τοῖς λόγοις ἀπηλλάττοντο ἐλπίσι χρησταῖς αἰωρούμενοι, ενιοι δὲ ἐν ὑπονοίαις τοὺς πατρικίους πεποίηντο καὶ ἐτάραττον ὡς τὸν δῆμον ἀβέλτερα πείθοντας, αὐτοὺς τοῦ βασιλέως γεγονότας αὐτόχειρας. καὶ πράγματα αν παρέσχον τοῖς δυνατοῖς, εἰ μή τις τῶν ἱππέων ̓Ιούλιος Πρόκλος, γένει τε δοκιμώτατος καὶ ηθει χρηστὸς καὶ ̔Ρωμύλῳ πιστός, εἰς ἀγορὰν ἐλθὼν ἐνόρκως ειπεν ὡς ὀφθείη ̔Ρωμύλος αὐτῷ καλὸς καὶ μέγας ὡς ουποτε πρόσθεν καὶ οπλοις λαμπροῖς κεκοσμημένος καὶ φλέγουσι, καὶ ὡς αὐτὸς μὲν πύθοιτο "τί δὴ παθών, ω βασιλεῦ, ἡμᾶς μὲν ἐν αἰτίαις πεποίηκας πονηραῖς, πᾶσαν δὲ τὴν πόλιν ἐν πένθει προλέλοιπας;" ἐκεῖνος δὲ πρὸς ταῦτα ἀμείψαιτο "θεοῖς εδοξεν, ω Πρόκλε, τοσοῦτον ἡμᾶς μετ' ἀνθρώπων γενέσθαι χρόνον, αυθις δ' οὐρανὸν οἰκεῖν, ἐκεῖθεν οντας. ἀλλὰ χαῖρε καὶ φράζε ̔Ρωμαίοις οτι σωφροσύνην καὶ ἀνδρείαν ἀσκοῦντες ἐπὶ πλεῖστον δυνάμεως ἀνθρωπίνης ἀφίξονται. ἐγὼ δὲ ὑμῖν εὐμενὴς εσομαι Κυρῖνος." ταῦτα διά τε τὸν ορκον τοῦ λέγοντος καὶ τὸν τρόπον πιστὰ ̔Ρωμαίοις ἐδόκει τοσοῦτον ὡς μή τινα ἀντειπεῖν, πάσης δὲ ἀφεμένους ὑποψίας τε καὶ διαβολῆς ευχεσθαι Κυρίνῳ καὶ θεοκλυτεῖν. ταύτην δὲ τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν φασὶ τῷ ̔Ρωμύλῳ γενέσθαι η οτι τοὺς πολίτας Κυρίτας ὠνόμαζον η οτι τὴν αἰχμὴν η τὸ δόρυ κυρῖνον ἐκάλουν οἱ παλαιοί· ὡς ουν ἀρήιόν τινα τὸν ̔Ρωμύλον η αἰχμητὴν θεὸν ὀνομασθῆναι Κυρῖνον. λέγεται δὲ τέσσαρα μὲν ετη καὶ πεντήκοντα 2.98 βιῶναι, ογδοον δ' ἐπὶ τριακοστῷ βασιλεύων ἐνιαυτὸν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἀφανισθῆναι. Τούτων δὲ περὶ τὸν ̔Ρωμύλον συμβεβηκότων βασιλεύεσθαι μὲν ἐδόκει πᾶσιν, ερις δέ τις καὶ στάσις ἐφύετο τοῖς ἐν ̔Ρώμῃ οὐχ ὑπὲρ ἀνδρὸς μόνον ἡγεμονεύσοντος, ἀλλὰ καὶ πότερον τῶν γενῶν παρέξει τὸν αρξοντα. τοῖς τε γὰρ μετὰ ̔Ρωμύλου πρώτοις συνοικίσασι τὴν πόλιν οὐκ ἀνεκτὸν ἐδόκει παρ' αὐτῶν προσληφθέντας τοὺς Σαβίνους εἰς πολιτείαν αρχειν τῶν δεξαμένων βιάζεσθαι· οἱ Σαβῖνοι δὲ ἑτέρωθεν, οτι τοῦ Τατίου θανόντος μόνον ειασαν τὸν ̔Ρωμύλον αρχειν, ἐξ ἑαυτῶν ἠξίουν αἱρεθῆναι τὸν αρξοντα. Ηριζον μὲν ουν ουτω τὰ μέρη ἑκάτερα, μετεώρου δ' ἐπὶ τούτοις οντος τοῦ πολιτεύματος οἱ πατρίκιοι πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν οντες εταξαν εκαστον ἐν μέρει τοῖς βασιλικοῖς παρασήμοις κοσμούμενον θύειν τε τοῖς θεοῖς καὶ χρηματίζειν, εξ μὲν τῆς νυκτὸς ωρας, εξ δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας. ἡ γὰρ διανομὴ τῶν καιρῶν κατὰ τὸ ισον ἑκάστου καὶ πρὸς τοὺς αρχοντας καλῶς εχειν ἐδόκει καὶ πρὸς τοὺς