Book 1, Chapter 48
Original Latin
107 Atque ille Romuli auguratus pastoralis, non urbanus fuit nec fictus ad opiniones inperitorum, sed a certis acceptus et posteris traditus. Itaque Romulus augur, ut apud Ennium est, cum fratre item augure
Curantes magna cum cura tum cupientesRegni dant operam simul auspicio augurioque.†In monte Remus auspicio se devovet atque secundamSolus avem servat. At Romulus pulcher in altoQuaerit Aventino, servat genus altivolantum.Certabant, urbem Romam Remoramne vocarent.Omnibus cura viris, uter esset induperator.Exspectant; veluti, consul quom mittere signumVolt, omnes avidi spectant ad carceris oras,
108 Quam mox emittat pictis e faucibus currus,Sic exspectabat populus atque ore timebat,Rebus utri magni victoria sit data regni.Interea sol albus recessit in infera noctis.Exin candida se radiis dedit icta foras lux,Et simul ex alto longe pulcherruma praepesLaeva volavit avis. Simul aureus exoritur sol,Cedunt de caelo ter quattuor corpora sanctaAvium, praepetibus sese pulchrisque locis dant.Conspicit inde sibi data Romulus esse priora,Auspicio regni stabilita scamna solumque.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the Latin in separate source-only tasks and reviewed throughout against it. Both books, all 130 chapters and 282 numbered sections; no historical English translation used. Latin transcription credited to the Perseus Project under CC BY-SA 4.0, Müller’s 1915 Teubner edition.
107 “And Romulus' augury belonged to shepherd life, not city life; it was not fabricated to influence the ignorant, but received from trustworthy men and handed down to posterity. Thus Romulus the augur, as Ennius tells it, together with his brother, also an augur,
‘Deeply intent, and each desiringKingship, devote themselves to auspice and augury together.On the hill Remus gives himself to the auspice and, alone,Watches for a favorable bird. But handsome Romulus on highSeeks on the Aventine, watching the race of high-flying birds.They vied: would the city be called Rome or Remora?Every man was anxious: which would be the ruler?They wait, as when the consul means to give the startingSignal, and all watch eagerly the edges of the stalls,
108 How soon he will send chariots from the painted mouths:So the people waited, their faces fearful,To whom the victory of mighty kingship would be given.Meanwhile the pale sun withdrew into the depths of night.Then shining light came forth, struck through with rays,And at once, far overhead, a bird of matchless beautyFlew auspiciously on the left. At once the golden sun arose;Three times four sacred shapes descendFrom heaven—birds alighting in fair and favorable places.Then Romulus sees that first place has been granted him,The throne and ground of kingship made firm by the auspice.’
Plain English translation
Complete machine-assisted Plain English translation, made independently and directly from the Latin, never from the Musean edition. Both books and every numbered section; a separate Latin-source model review covered the entire text. No human specialist review is claimed.
107 “Romulus' augury belonged to a shepherd's world, not a sophisticated city. It was not invented to influence the beliefs of the ignorant. It was received from trustworthy people and handed down to later generations. So Romulus the augur and his brother, also an augur, as Ennius writes,
“‘Anxious with great concern, and eagerFor kingship, both gave their attention to auspices and augury.On the hill Remus devoted himself to the auspices, and aloneWatched for a favorable bird. But handsome Romulus, highOn the Aventine, looked out, watching the race of high-flying birds.They competed over whether to call the city Rome or Remora.Every man was anxious to know which would be ruler.They waited. Just as, when the consul is about to give the signal,Everyone eagerly watches the edges of the starting stalls,
108 “‘To see how soon he will send the chariots out through their painted openings,So the people waited, their faces showing fear,To learn which man's cause had won the prize of mighty kingship.Meanwhile the pale sun had sunk into the depths of night.Then bright light, struck by rays, broke out,And at once, far on high, a supremely beautiful bird of the finest omenFlew on the left. At the same time the golden sun rose.Three times four sacred birds came down from the sky,And settled in favorable, beautiful places.Then Romulus saw that he had been given first place,That the auspices had secured the throne and ground of his kingship.’
About this section
Book 1, Chapter 48 is part of On Divination by Marcus Tullius Cicero. This page sets the Latin original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is chapter 48 of 130 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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