Livy Ab Urbe Condita

Iam primum omnium satis constat Troia capta in ceteros saevitum esse Troianos:

Now first of all, it is generally agreed that with Troy having been taken, vengeance was wreaked upon the other Trojans,

duobus, Aeneae Antenorique, et vetusti iure hospitii et quia pacis

and that two, Aeneas and Antenor, both because of the long-standing law of hospitality, and because they were always advocates of peace

reddendaeque Helenae semper auctores fuerunt, omne ius belli Achivos abstinuisse;

and the giving back of Helen, were spared from all the rights of war by the Achaeans.

casibus deinde variis Antenorem cum multitudine Enetum,

Then, having experienced various vicissitudes, Antenor, with a company of Eneti

qui seditione ex Paphlagonia pulsi

who having been driven out from Paphlagonia in a rebellion

et sedes et ducem rege Pylaemene ad Troiam amisso quaerebant,

were seeking both a home and a leader, having lost their king, Pylaemenes, at Troy,

venisse in intimum maris Hadriatici sinum,

they came into the innermost bay of the Adriatic sea.

Euganeisque, qui inter mare Alpesque incolebant, pulsis,

There, having driven out the Euganei, who lived between the sea and the Alps,

Enetos Troianosque eas tenuisse terras.

the Eneti and Trojans took possession of those lands.

Et in quem primum egressi sunt locum Troia vocatur, pagoque inde Troiano nomen est:

And in fact the place where they first landed was called Troy, and from there the district is known as Trojan,

gens universa Veneti appellati.

while the people as a whole were called the Veneti.

Aeneam ab simili clade domo profugum,

Aeneas, exiled from home by a similar disaster,

sed ad maiora rerum initia ducentibus fatis, primo in Macedoniam venisse,

but guided by fate to greater enterprises, came first to Macedonia;

inde in Siciliam quaerentem sedes delatum,

From there he was carried, searching for a settlement, to Sicily;

ab Sicilia classe ad Laurentem agrum tenuisse. Troia et huic loco nomen est.

and from Sicily laid his course with his fleet towards the land of Laurentum. This place too was called Troy.

Ibi egressi Troiani, ut quibus ab inmenso prope errore nihil praeter arma et naves superesset,

Having disembarked there, the Trojans, as men who, after their all but immeasurable wanderings, had nothing left but their swords and ships,

cum praedam ex agris agerent, Latinus rex Aboriginesque, qui tum ea tenebant loca,

were driving the spoils from the fields, when King Latinus and the Aborigines, who were then occupying those lands,

ad arcendam vim advenarum armati ex urbe atque agris concurrunt.

rushed from their city and their fields, having armed themsleves, to repel the force of the outsiders.

Duplex inde fama est.

From this point the story is twofold.

Alii proelio victum Latinum pacem cum Aenea, deinde affinitatem iunxisse tradunt:

Some hand down that Latinus, having been defeated in the battle, made peace with Aeneas, and then formed a marriage alliance

alii, cum instructae acies constitissent, priusquam signa canerent processisse Latinum

Others maintain that, when the battle lines had been drawn, Latinus had advanced before the signals were sounded

inter primores ducemque advenarum evocasse ad conloquium;

amidst his chieftains, and summoned the captain of the strangers to a parley.

percunctatum deinde qui mortales essent, unde

He then inquired who the men were, where they came from

aut quo casu profecti domo quidve quaerentes in agrum Laurentinum exissent,

and either by what mishap had they left their home, or what were they seeking by coming into the land of Laurentum.

postquam audierit multitudinem Troianos esse, ducem Aeneam, filium Anchisae et Veneris,

After he had heard that the multitude were Trojans, their leader Aeneas, son of Anchises and Venus;

cremata patria domo profugos

and with their homeland having been burnt, driven from home,

sedem condendaeque urbi locum quaerere,

they were searching for a dwelling-place and a site where they might found a city.

et nobilitatem admiratum gentis virique

Filled with wonder at the renown of the race and the hero,

et animum vel bello vel paci paratum,

and at his spirit, prepared alike for war or peace,

dextra data fidem futurae amicitiae sanxisse.

he gave him his right hand in solemn pledge of future friendship.

Inde foedus ictum inter duces, inter exercitus salutationem factam;

From there a treaty was struck between the leaders and salutes were exchanged between the armies

Aeneam apud Latinum fuisse in hospitio; ibi Latinum apud penates deos

Aeneas became a guest in the house of Latinus; there, in the presence of his household gods, Latinus

domesticum publico adiunxisse foedus filia Aeneae in matrimonium data.

added a domestic treaty to the public one, by giving his daughter in marriage to Aeneas.

Ea res utique Troianis spem adfirmat tandem stabili certaque sede finiendi erroris.

This event in any case confirmed for the Trojans the hope that they had at last brought their wanderings to an end in a stable and certain home.

Oppidum condunt; Aeneas ab nomine uxoris Lavinium appellat.

They founded a town, which Aeneas named Lavinium, after his wife.

Brevi stirpis quoque virilis ex novo matrimonio fuit, cui Ascanium parentes dixere nomen.

In a short time, moreover, there was a male offspring from the new marriage, whom his parents named Ascanius.

Bello deinde Aborigines Troianique simul petiti.

War was then made upon Trojans and Aborigines alike.

Turnus, rex Rutulorum, cui pacta Lavinia ante adventum Aeneae fuerat,

Turnus, the king of the Rutulians, to whom Lavinia had been betrothed before the coming of Aeneas.

praelatum sibi advenam nam aegre patiens simul Aeneae Latinoque bellum intulerat.

Indignant that a stranger should be preferred before him, waged war, at the same time, against both Aeneas and Latinus.

Neutra acies laeta ex eo certamine abiit:

Neither army came off rejoicing from that battle.

victi Rutuli: victores Aborigines Troianique ducem Latinum amisere.

The Rutulians were defeated: the victorious Aborigines and Trojans lost their leader Latinus.

Inde Turnus Rutulique diffisi rebus ad florentes opes Etruscorum

Then Turnus and the Rutulians, distrusting their situation, fled to the flourishing power of the Etruscans

Mezentiumque regem eorum confugiunt, qui Caere opulento tum oppido imperitans,

and their king Mezentius, who was ruling Caere, at that time an oppulent town.

iam inde ab initio minime laetus novae origine urbis,

Already, from the very beginning, far from pleased at the origin of the new city;

et tum nimio plus quam satis tutum esset accolis rem Troianam crescere ratus,

he then, having thought that the Trojan state was growing much more excessively than would be safe for its neighbours,

haud gravatim socia arma Rutulis iunxit.

readily united his forces with those of the Rutulians.

Aeneas, adversus tanti belli terrorem ut animos Aboriginum sibi conciliaret,

Aeneas, in order to win over the spirits of the Aborigines in the face of the terror of so formidable a war

nec sub eodem iure solum sed etiam nomine omnes essent, Latinos utramque gentem appellavit.

and that they might be under not only the same law but also the same name, called both nations Latins

Nec deinde Aborigines Troianis studio ac fide erga regem Aeneam cessere.

and from that time on the Aborigines were no less eager and loyal than the Trojans to King Aeneas.

Fretusque his animis coalescentium in dies magis duorum populorum Aeneas,

And Aeneas, relying on these spirits of the two peoples, who were uniting more and more each day

quamquam tanta opibus Etruria erat ut iam non terras solum sed mare etiam

Although Etruria was so rich in resources that already, not only the lands, but the sea as well,

per totam Italiae longitudinem ab Alpibus ad fretum Siculum fama nominis sui inplesset,

along the entire extent of Italy from the Alps to the Sicilian Strait, she had filled with the glory of her name

tamen, cum moenibus bellum propulsare posset, in aciem copias eduxit.

Aeneas, however, when he was able to repel the war with walls, he led out his troops to battle.

Secundum inde proelium Latinis, Aeneae etiam ultimum operum mortalium fuit.

The subsequent battle, favourable to the Latins, was also, for Aeneas, the last of his mortal labours.

Situs est, quemcumque eum dici ius fasque est,

He lies buried, whether it is lawful and pious to call him god or man,

super Numicum flumen: Iovem indigetem appellant.

on the banks of the river Numicus; they call him Jupiter Indiges.

Nondum maturus imperio Ascanius Aeneae filius erat;

Ascanius, son of Aeneas, was not yet ripe for command;

tamen id imperium ei ad puberem aetatem incolume mansit;

However, the authority remained unimpaired for him until he arrived at manhood.

tantisper tutela muliebri—tanta indoles in Lavinia erat—

Meanwhile, under a woman’s regency, — so strong was Lavinia’s character—

res Latina et regnum avitum paternumque puero stetit.

the Latin State and the kingdom of his father and grandfather stood unshaken for the boy

Haud ambigam—quis enim rem tam veterem pro certo adfirmet?

I shall not question—for who could affirm for certain so ancient a matter?—

—hicine fuerit Ascanius an maior quam hic, Creusa matre Ilio incolumi natus

whether this boy was Ascanius, or an elder brother, born of Creusa, with Ilium being unharmed,

comesque inde paternae fugae, quem Iulum eundem Iulia gens auctorem nominis sui nuncupat.

and, from there, was the companion of his father’s flight, whom the Julian family calls the same lulus, the founder of their name.

Is Ascanius, ubicumque et quacumque matre genitus—certe natum Aenea constat—

That Ascanius, born of whatever place and whatever mother— it is certainly agreed that he was born of Aeneas—

abundante Lavini multitudine florentem iam, ut tum res erant, atque opulentam urbem

left Lavinium, with its superabundant population, for it was already a flourishing and wealthy city by the standard of those days,

matri seu novercae reliquit: novam ipse aliam sub Albano monte condidit,

to his mother, or stepmother, and founded a new city himself below the Alban Mount.

quae ab situ porrectae in dorso urbis Longa Alba appellata.

which, from it location stretched out along the ridge, was named Alba Longa.

Inter Lavinium conditum et Albam Longam coloniam deductam triginta ferme interfuere anni.

Between Lavinium having been founded and the establishment of the colony at Alba Longa, was an interval of about thirty years.

Tantum tamen opes creverant, maxime fusis Etruscis,

Yet the nation’s power had grown so greatly, especially with the Etruscans having been defeated,

ut ne morte quidem Aeneae nec deinde inter muliebrem tutelam rudimentumque primum puerilis regni

that not even the death of Aeneas, nor then during the female regency and the early stage of the boy’s reign

movere arma aut Mezentius Etruscique aut ulli alii accolae ausi sint.

neither Mezentius and his Etruscans nor any other neighbours dared to attack them.

Pax ita convenerat ut Etruscis Latinisque fluvius Albula, quem nunc Tiberim vocant, finis esset.

Peace had been agreed to on these terms, that the River Albula, which men now call the Tiber, should be the boundary between the Etruscans and the Latins

Silvius deinde regnat, Ascanii filius, casu quodam in silvis natus.

Then Silvius reigned, son of Ascanius, born, as it chanced, in the forest.

Is Aeneam Silvium creat; is deinde Latinum Silvium.

He fathered Aeneas Silvius, he, in turn, had Latinus Silvius.

Ab eo coloniae aliquot deductae, Prisci Latini appellati.

By him several colonies were established, called the Ancient Latins.

Mansit Silviis postea omnibus cognomen qui Albae regnarunt.

Thereafter the cognomen Silvius was retained by all who ruled in Alba.

Latino Alba ortus, Alba Atys, Atye Capys, Capye Capetus, Capeto Tiberinus,

From Latinus came Alba, from Alba Atys, from Atys Capys, from Capys Capetus, from Capetus Tiberinus.

qui in traiectu Albulae amnis submersus celebre ad posteros nomen flumini dedit.

This last king, having drowned in crossing the River Albula, gave the stream the famous name for future generations.

Agrippa inde Tiberini filius, post Agrippam Romulus Silvius a patre accepto imperio regnat.

Then Agrippa, son of Tiberinus, reigned, and after Agrippa Romulus Silvius, having received the power from his father.

Aventino fulmine ipse ictus regnum per manus tradidit.

He himself, having been struck by lightning, handed over the kingdom to his son Aventinus

Is sepultus in eo colle, qui nunc pars Romanae est urbis, cognomen colli fecit.

This king, having been buried on that hill, which is now a part of the city of Rome, gave the hill its name

Proca deinde regnat. Is Numitorem atque Amulium procreat;

Then Proca reigned. He fathered Numitor and Amulius;

Numitori, qui stirpis maximus erat, regnum vetustum Silviae gentis legat.

to Numitor, who was the eldest of the family, he bequeathed the ancient realm of the Silvian family.

Plus tamen vis potuit quam voluntas patris aut verecundia aetatis:

However, violence proved more potent than a father’s wishes or respect for seniority.

pulso fratre Amulius regnat. Addit sceleri scelus: stirpem fratris virilem interemit:

Amulius, having struck down his brother, ruled. Adding crime to crime, he destroyed his brother’s male offspring;

fratris filiae Reae Silviae per speciem honoris, cum Vestalem eam legisset,

To Rhea Silvia, his brother’s daughter, since he appointed her a Vestal under the pretence of honour,

perpetua virginitate spem partus adimit.

through perpetual virginity, he deprived her of the hope of children.

Sed debebatur, ut opinor, fatis tantae origo urbis maximique secundum deorum opes imperii principium.

but the origin of so great a city and the beginning of the greatest empire, following after the power of the gods— was owed, as I suppose, by the fates;

Vi compressa Vestalis, cum geminum partum edidisset, seu ita rata,

The Vestal, having been raped, when she had given birth to twins, whether she believed it so,

seu quia deus auctor culpae honestior erat, Martem incertae stirpis patrem nuncupat.

or because it seemed less wrong if a god were the author of her fault, named Mars as the father of her uncertain offspring,

Sed nec dii nec homines aut ipsam aut stirpem a crudelitate regia vindicant:

But neither gods nor men protected either herself or her babes from the king’s cruelty;

sacerdos vincta in custodiam datur: pueros in profluentem aquam mitti iubet.

the priestess, manacled, was cast into prison, he ordered the boys to be thrown into the flowing river.

Forte quadam divinitus super ripas Tiberis effusus lenibus stagnis

By certain divine fortune the Tiber, having spread beyond its banks into calm shallows

nec adiri usquam ad iusti cursum poterat amnis

made it impossible that the course of the regular river be reached

et posse quamvis languida mergi aqua infantes spem ferentibus dabat.

Even though the water was sluggish, it still offered the hope of drowning the infants to the soldiers who bore them

Ita, velut defuncti regis imperio, in proxima alluvie

Thus as if having discharged the king’s command, at the nearest point of the overflow,

ubi nunc ficus Ruminalis est—Romularem vocatam ferunt—pueros exponunt.

where the fig-tree Ruminalis now stands,—formerly, they say, called Romularis— they exposed the boys.

Vastae tum in his locis solitudines erant.

At that time, in these places were wild solitudes.

Tenet fama, cum fluitantem alveum quo expositi erant pueri tenuis in sicco aqua destituisset,

The story holds that when the floating basket, in which the boys were exposed, had been left high and dry by the receding water,

lupam sitientem ex montibus qui circa sunt

a thirsty she-wolf from the surrounding mountains