adluvie: adluvies,overflow, pool, floodwater.
LEGENDS OF EARLY ROME
Romulus and Remus
The birth of Romulus and Remus and their abandonment on the banks of the Tiber River.
Proca deinde regnat. Is Numitorem atque Amulium procreat; Numitori, qui stirpis maximus erat, regnum vetustum Silviae gentis legat.
Plus tamen vis potuit quam voluntas patris aut verecundia 5 aetatis. Pulso fratre, Amulius regnat. Addit sceleri scelus: stirpem fratris virilem interemit, fratris filiae Reae Silviae per speciem honoris, cum Vestalem eam legisset, perpetua virginitate spem partus adimit.
Sed debebatur, ut opinor, fatis tantae origo urbis maximique 10 secundum deorum opes imperii principium. Vi compressa Vestalis cum geminum partum edidisset, seu ita rata seu quia deus auctor culpae honestior erat, Martem incertae stirpis patrem nuncupat. Sed nec dii nec homines aut ipsam aut stirpem a crudelitate regia vindicant: sacerdos vincta in custodiam datur; 15 pueros in profluentem aquam mitti iubet.
She-wolf with Romulus and Remus Etruscan bronze, ca. 500 B.C. (the infants a later addition) Museo Captitolino, Rome, Italy
Alinari/Art Resource, NY.
Forte quadam divinitus super ripas Tiberis effusus lenibus stagnis nec adiri usquam ad iusti cursum poterat amnis et posse quamvis languida mergi aqua infantes spem ferentibus dabat. Ita velut defuncti regis imperio in proxima adluvie, ubi nunc 20 ficus Ruminalis est (Romularem vocatam ferunt), pueros exponunt. Vastae tum in his locis solitudines erant.
20. ficus Ruminalis: the fig-tree Ruminalis, on the slope of the Palatine hill where there was a temple of Rumina, goddess of suckling infants.
Romularem:of Romulus; the Romans were fond of etymologizing and readily associated the name Ruminalis with their founding king Romulus.
vocatam: sc. esse; agreeing in gender with ficus, which, like most trees (and the word arbor), is f.
21. solitudines: in contrast to the dense population in Livy’s time.
22. tenet fama: cp. our idiom “rumor has it” the expression takes an IND. STATE. (lupam…flexisse; eam…praebuisse).
fluitantem: fluitare,to flow, float.
alveum: alveus,trough, tub, basket.
23. tenuis: slender, thin; here, shallow, receding.
in sicco: siccus,dry; sc. loco. Livy often employs adjs. substantively.
24. vagitum: vagitus, crying.
25. adeo: adv., to such a degree, so.
mitem: with eam, gently; Lat. often uses an adj. in the pred. where Eng. would employ an adv.
26. lambentem: lambere, to lick.
pecoris: pecus,flock.
Faustulo…nomen (27): i.e., nomen fuisse (ei) Faustulo; Faustulo is attracted into the case of the understood pron. ei (DAT. OF POSSESSION), he had the name Faustulus.
27. ferunt: they say; the vb. is common in this sense (cp. fertur below, is said) and often, as here, takes an IND. STATE.
ad stabula:at his hut; from stabulum, stable, lodging.
28. datos: sc. esse and pueros as subj., still dependent on tenet fama.
29. Albana re: sc. publica, the Alban state; after Romulus and Remus had reached maturity, they discovered their true identities, murdered Amulius, and restored Numitor to the throne at Alba Longa.
30. urbis condendae (31): depends on cupido; the phrase recalls the title of Livy’s history, Ab Urbe Condita.
31. supererat: superesse, to be left over, survive, here to be excessive; Alba Longa had become overpopulated.
32. ad id: to this (number).
accesserant: adcedere,to go to, approach, be added; i.e., the population had also been increased by the shepherds (among whom Romulus and Remus had been reared).
qui…facerent:who altogether could easily hope, i.e., whose combined numbers were so great that they were encouraged in their plans; a REL. CL. OF RESULT.
33. parvam: PRED. ADJ. with Albam…fore.
prae: prep. + abl.; here, in comparison with.
conderetur: SUBORDINATE CL. IN IND. STATE.
34. avitum: ancestral, referring in particular to Amulius and Numitor.
35. foedum: foul, base, shameful.
