DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9261#0250
492 P. OVID'S METAMOR-
while Neptune is bufy Tapping the Walls with the
Strokes of his Trident.
To make this Difference between a Poet and an
Hiftorian the plainer , and at the fame time difcover
what there may be really Historical in this Relation
of Ovid, I mail quote with as much Brevity as I can
what Dionyfius Halicarnaffenfis (2) fays' of it, upon
the Authority of the moil Ancient Roman Hifto-
rians.
The Sabines , jealous of the Progrefs Romulus
made, raifed a powerful Army, and march to attack
his new City. Tatius having obferved the Difpofition
of the Roman Army, made a Motion in the Night,
and next Day incamped between the Mount Quirinal
& Capitoline. The Strong Guards that were at the
Gates, would have difappointed all his Measures for
entring the Town from that Port, if it had not been
betrayed to him. A Virgin called Tarpeia , whofe
Father commanded the Guard on that Side, perceiving
that the Sabines wore Gold Bracelets on their Arms;
offered Tatius to open the Gate to him which her
Father had abandoned, provided me mould have the
Jewels of the Sabines, and all that they wore on their
left Arm. The Condition was agreed to. The Enemy
was let into the Town; and Tarpeia, who, accor-
ding to feveral ancient Authors cited by Dionyfius
Halicarnaffenfis , had no other Defign in the Plot
than to difarm the Sabines , by demanding their
Bucklers , which Hie pretended to be included in
their Agreement, Tatius ordered they mould all be
thrown at her Head. Thus me was killed upon the
fpot, by the Violence of their Strokes.
After feveral Battles they ftruck up a Peace , by
which Tatius fliared the Throne with Romulus. But
as the Sequel of this Story has-no Relation to the
Fables I am explaining, I mail, with Ovid, pafs to
the Death of Romulus j and to difcover the Truth from
Fable in this Event, we rnuft again have Recourfe
to the fame Hiftorian, who had thoroughly ftudied
the Roman Antiquities.
Opinions , fays he , are divided concerning the
Circumftances of Romulus's Death. Thofe who have
jumbled Fable & Hiftory together fay, That, one
Day he was haranguing the Roman Army in his
Camp, the Sky was all on a fudden overcaft; that a
very thick Darknefs immediatly came on, which was
followed by a violent Tempeft , in which he difap-
peared: Thus it was believed that his Father Mars
had taken him up to Heaven. Others who come
nearer the Truth allow, That he was killed by
the Citizens for having fent back the Hoftages
of the Vekntes without the Peoples Confents and
for taking more Superiority and State upon him
than could be agreable to thofe who had been the
chief Instruments of his Eftablimment. For thefe
U) Dnnyf. Halicarn. Lib. II. (3) Lib. III.
PHOSES. BookXIV.
Reafons, and feveral others that Historians give*
the Nobility confpired againfl him , afiaffmated
him, &: cut his Body in Pieces; each of them carrying
off fome of it, to be buried privately, in order to
conceal the Murder from the Public. According to
Livy (4), his Death filled the Town with Conlrerna-
tion j and the People beginning to fuspect the Se-
nators of the Fad, Proculus Julius ftept forth and
fpoke to the Multitude thus: ^uirites, parens urbis
hujus, prima hodierna luce ccelo repente delapfus, fe
mihi obvium dedit. quum perfufus horrore venera-
bundusque aftitiffem, pet ens precibus, ut contra intueri
fas ejfet j abi > nuncia> inquit, Romanis, Coeleftes it a
velle, ut mea Roma caput or bis ten arum Jit: proinde
rem militarem colant: fciantque, & it a pofieris tra-
dant, nullas opes humanas armis Romanis refiftere
pojfe. Hac, inquit, locutus , fnblimis abiit. This
Speech eafily perfuaded the People that Romulus was
received into the Number of the Gods. They im-
mediatly gave him another Name, as was ufual in
fuch Apotheofes; and he was ever after honoured as
a God under the Name of Quirinus •, which was
one of Mars's Names , who was fuppofed to be
his Father (f). They instituted Feafts called
Quirinaliay that were celebrated on the feventeenth
of February , or the thirteenth of the Calends
of March ; a Month that was confecrated to his
Father Mars. Ovid fpeaks of it in his Fafti thus:
Troxima lux vacua eft, at tertia diEla Quirino.
Qui tenet hoc nomen} Romulus antefuit.
Romulus had alfo a Chief-Prieft created by his Succeflbr
N uma Pompilius and called from his new Name
Flamen Quirinalis. Thofe who were good at the
Deifications of Great Men, continues Dionyfius, took
Advantage of the extraordinary Things that happened
at his Birth & at his Death, to make a God of
him. They thought it furBcient Authority for fo
doing, that the fame Day his Mother was violated,
whether it was by a God or a Man , there was a
very great Eclipfe of the Sun ; and that the fame
happened again at his Death. His Wife Herfilia had
alfo Divine Honours affigned her, and was known at
Rome by the Name of Or a, or Horta •, from the Ex-
hortations me had always given the Youth to diftin-
guilti themfelves for Courage and Bravery (6}. •
I faid juft now that it was ufual for the Ancients
to change the Names of thofe they had Deified. It
was thus they gave That of Leucothoe to Irio, That
of Talamon to Melicerte, and the Name of Marica
to Circe : Either to create Refpeft by thefe new
N ames; or in order to make People forget there
had been fuch Men in the World.
(4) Lib. II. (s) Mars was called Quirts by the Sabines.
(6) Plutarch, in Prubl.
THE END OF THE FOURTEENTH BOOK,
P. O V I D I I
while Neptune is bufy Tapping the Walls with the
Strokes of his Trident.
To make this Difference between a Poet and an
Hiftorian the plainer , and at the fame time difcover
what there may be really Historical in this Relation
of Ovid, I mail quote with as much Brevity as I can
what Dionyfius Halicarnaffenfis (2) fays' of it, upon
the Authority of the moil Ancient Roman Hifto-
rians.
The Sabines , jealous of the Progrefs Romulus
made, raifed a powerful Army, and march to attack
his new City. Tatius having obferved the Difpofition
of the Roman Army, made a Motion in the Night,
and next Day incamped between the Mount Quirinal
& Capitoline. The Strong Guards that were at the
Gates, would have difappointed all his Measures for
entring the Town from that Port, if it had not been
betrayed to him. A Virgin called Tarpeia , whofe
Father commanded the Guard on that Side, perceiving
that the Sabines wore Gold Bracelets on their Arms;
offered Tatius to open the Gate to him which her
Father had abandoned, provided me mould have the
Jewels of the Sabines, and all that they wore on their
left Arm. The Condition was agreed to. The Enemy
was let into the Town; and Tarpeia, who, accor-
ding to feveral ancient Authors cited by Dionyfius
Halicarnaffenfis , had no other Defign in the Plot
than to difarm the Sabines , by demanding their
Bucklers , which Hie pretended to be included in
their Agreement, Tatius ordered they mould all be
thrown at her Head. Thus me was killed upon the
fpot, by the Violence of their Strokes.
After feveral Battles they ftruck up a Peace , by
which Tatius fliared the Throne with Romulus. But
as the Sequel of this Story has-no Relation to the
Fables I am explaining, I mail, with Ovid, pafs to
the Death of Romulus j and to difcover the Truth from
Fable in this Event, we rnuft again have Recourfe
to the fame Hiftorian, who had thoroughly ftudied
the Roman Antiquities.
Opinions , fays he , are divided concerning the
Circumftances of Romulus's Death. Thofe who have
jumbled Fable & Hiftory together fay, That, one
Day he was haranguing the Roman Army in his
Camp, the Sky was all on a fudden overcaft; that a
very thick Darknefs immediatly came on, which was
followed by a violent Tempeft , in which he difap-
peared: Thus it was believed that his Father Mars
had taken him up to Heaven. Others who come
nearer the Truth allow, That he was killed by
the Citizens for having fent back the Hoftages
of the Vekntes without the Peoples Confents and
for taking more Superiority and State upon him
than could be agreable to thofe who had been the
chief Instruments of his Eftablimment. For thefe
U) Dnnyf. Halicarn. Lib. II. (3) Lib. III.
PHOSES. BookXIV.
Reafons, and feveral others that Historians give*
the Nobility confpired againfl him , afiaffmated
him, &: cut his Body in Pieces; each of them carrying
off fome of it, to be buried privately, in order to
conceal the Murder from the Public. According to
Livy (4), his Death filled the Town with Conlrerna-
tion j and the People beginning to fuspect the Se-
nators of the Fad, Proculus Julius ftept forth and
fpoke to the Multitude thus: ^uirites, parens urbis
hujus, prima hodierna luce ccelo repente delapfus, fe
mihi obvium dedit. quum perfufus horrore venera-
bundusque aftitiffem, pet ens precibus, ut contra intueri
fas ejfet j abi > nuncia> inquit, Romanis, Coeleftes it a
velle, ut mea Roma caput or bis ten arum Jit: proinde
rem militarem colant: fciantque, & it a pofieris tra-
dant, nullas opes humanas armis Romanis refiftere
pojfe. Hac, inquit, locutus , fnblimis abiit. This
Speech eafily perfuaded the People that Romulus was
received into the Number of the Gods. They im-
mediatly gave him another Name, as was ufual in
fuch Apotheofes; and he was ever after honoured as
a God under the Name of Quirinus •, which was
one of Mars's Names , who was fuppofed to be
his Father (f). They instituted Feafts called
Quirinaliay that were celebrated on the feventeenth
of February , or the thirteenth of the Calends
of March ; a Month that was confecrated to his
Father Mars. Ovid fpeaks of it in his Fafti thus:
Troxima lux vacua eft, at tertia diEla Quirino.
Qui tenet hoc nomen} Romulus antefuit.
Romulus had alfo a Chief-Prieft created by his Succeflbr
N uma Pompilius and called from his new Name
Flamen Quirinalis. Thofe who were good at the
Deifications of Great Men, continues Dionyfius, took
Advantage of the extraordinary Things that happened
at his Birth & at his Death, to make a God of
him. They thought it furBcient Authority for fo
doing, that the fame Day his Mother was violated,
whether it was by a God or a Man , there was a
very great Eclipfe of the Sun ; and that the fame
happened again at his Death. His Wife Herfilia had
alfo Divine Honours affigned her, and was known at
Rome by the Name of Or a, or Horta •, from the Ex-
hortations me had always given the Youth to diftin-
guilti themfelves for Courage and Bravery (6}. •
I faid juft now that it was ufual for the Ancients
to change the Names of thofe they had Deified. It
was thus they gave That of Leucothoe to Irio, That
of Talamon to Melicerte, and the Name of Marica
to Circe : Either to create Refpeft by thefe new
N ames; or in order to make People forget there
had been fuch Men in the World.
(4) Lib. II. (s) Mars was called Quirts by the Sabines.
(6) Plutarch, in Prubl.
THE END OF THE FOURTEENTH BOOK,
P. O V I D I I