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62. In Rome or near it many prodigies occurred that winter, or —as often happens when men's thoughts are once turned upon religion —many were reported and too easily credited. Some of these portents were: that a free-born infant of six months had cried “Triumph!” [2] in the provision market; that in the cattle market an ox had climbed, [3??] of its own accord, to the third storey of a house and then, alarmed by the outcry of the occupants, had thrown itself down; [4] that phantom ships had been seen gleaming in the sky; that the temple of Hope, in the provision market, had been struck by lightning; that in Lanuvium a slain victim had stirred, and a raven had flown down into Juno's temple and alighted on her very couch; that in the district of Amiternum, in many places, apparitions of men in shining raiment had appeared in the distance, but had not drawn near to anyone; [5] that in the Picentian country there had been a shower of pebbles; that at Caere the lots had shrunk;1 that in Gaul a wolf had snatched a sentry's sword from its scabbard and run off with it. [6] For the other prodigies the decemviri were commanded to consult the Books,2 but for [p. 187]the shower of pebbles in the Picentian country a3 nine days' sacrifice was proclaimed. They then set about the expiation of the other portents, and in this virtually all the citizens bore a part. [7] First of all, the city was purified, and major victims were offered up to the designated gods; [8] a gift of gold weighing forty pounds was carried to Lanuvium for Juno, and a bronze statue was dedicated to Juno, by the matrons, on the Aventine; a lectisternium was ordered at Caere, where the lots had shrunk; and a supplication was ordered to be made to Fortune on Mount Algidus; [9] in Rome, too, a lectisternium was specially appointed for Juventas, and a supplication at the temple of Hercules, and later the entire people was commanded to observe this rite at all the pulvinaria;4 [10] also five major victims were slain in honour of the Genius of the Roman People; and Gaius Atilius Serranus the praetor was ordered to make a vow, “if the commonwealth should abide for ten years in its present state.” [11] The making of these vows and expiations, as prescribed by the Sibylline Books, went far to alleviate men's anxiety concerning their relations with the gods.

1 The lots were inscribed on little wooden or bronze tablets; they are also associated with Praeneste, Falerii, and Patavium.

2 The Sibylline Books were wont to be consulted (but only on the express command of the senate) as to the meaning and proper expiation of portents.

3 B.C. 218

4 A lectisternium (for the first one in 399 B.C. see I. xiii. 6) was a banquet tendered to the gods, at which their images were placed on couches (pulvinaria). Juventas is here associated with Hercules, as was Hebe in Greece.

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load focus Notes (W. Weissenborn, H. J. Müller, 1884)
load focus Summary (English, Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D., 1929)
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load focus Summary (Latin, Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D., 1929)
load focus Latin (W. Weissenborn, H. J. Müller, 1884)
load focus Latin (Robert Seymour Conway, Charles Flamstead Walters, 1929)
load focus Latin (Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D., 1929)
load focus English (D. Spillan, A.M., M.D., Cyrus Evans, 1849)
load focus English (Rev. Canon Roberts, 1912)
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  • Commentary references to this page (21):
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 31-32, commentary, 31.14
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 31-32, commentary, 32.1
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 33-34, commentary, 33.26
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 33-34, commentary, 34.45
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 33-34, commentary, 34.53
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 35-38, commentary, 35.9
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 35-38, commentary, 36.37
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 35-38, commentary, 38.35
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 35-38, commentary, 38.36
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 39-40, commentary, 39.14
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 39-40, commentary, 39.22
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 39-40, commentary, 39.46
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 39-40, commentary, 40.37
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 39-40, commentary, 40.51
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 41-42, commentary, 41.13
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 41-42, commentary, 41.21
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 41-42, commentary, 42.28
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 41-42, commentary, 42.pos=76
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 43-44, commentary, 43.20
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 43-44, commentary, 43.6
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 43-44, commentary, 44.3
  • Cross-references to this page (36):
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Lectisternium
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Lupus
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Matrona
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Novemdiale
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Picenum
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Prodigia
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Signa
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Sors
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Supplicatio
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Aedes Aesculapii Carthagine
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Algidum
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Amiternius
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Athanagia
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Aventinus.
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, C. Atilius
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Caerites
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Decemviri
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Fortunae
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Forum
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Genio
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Hercules
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Index, Iuventas
    • The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, ALGIDUS Italy.
    • Harper's, Domus
    • A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), DECE´MVIRI
    • A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), DOMUS
    • A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), LUSTRA´TIO
    • A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), ORA´CULUM
    • A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), SIBYLLI´NI LIBRI
    • A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), SORTES
    • A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities (1890), VOTA PUBLICA
    • Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), A´LGIDUS
    • Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854), ROMA
    • Smith's Bio, Ge'nius
    • Smith's Bio, Serra'nus
    • Smith's Bio, Spes
  • Cross-references in general dictionaries to this page (23):
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