Selected quad for the lemma: blood_n
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A55194
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Plutarch's Lives. Their first volume translated from the Greek by several hands ; to which is prefixt The life of Plutarch.; Lives. English. Dryden
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Plutarch.; Dryden, John, 1631-1700.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing P2635; ESTC R30108
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347,819
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830
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of his Copartner in the Government Nothing of these things either disturbed or rais'd any Feud among the Sabines but some out of Love to him others out of fear of his Power some again reverencing him as a God they all lived peacefully in admiration and awe of him many foreign Nations too did much admire Romulus the ancient Latines they sent and enter'd into League and Confederacy with him Fidenae he took a neighbouring City to Rome by a Party of Horse as some say whom he sent before with Commands to cut down the Hinges of the Gates and he himself afterwards unexpectedly came upon them Others say they having first made the Invasion in foraging and spoyling the Countrey and Suburbs Romulus lay in ambush for them and so having kill'd many of their Men took the City nevertheless he did not raze or demolish it but made it a Roman Colony and sent thither on the Ides of April 2500 Inhabitants Presently after a Plague broke out which kill'd suddenly without any manner of Sickness it infected also the Corn with Unfruitfulness and Cattel with Barrenness there rained Blood too in the City insomuch as besides the Evils which came of consequence Men dreaded the wrath of the Gods But when the same Mischiefs fell upon Laurentum then every body judged it was divine Vengeance that fell upon both Cities for the neglect of executing Justice upon the Murder of Tatius and the Ambassadors But the Murderers on both sides being deliver'd up and punish'd the Pestilence visibly abated and Romulus purified the Cities with Lustrations which they say even now are perform'd at the Gate call'd Ferentina But before the Plague ceased the Camerians invaded the Romans and over-ran the Countrey thinking by reason of the Distemper they were unable to withstand them but Romulus presently made Head against them and gain'd the Victory with the slaughter of 6000 Men he then took their City and brought half of them he found there to Rome and sent from Rome to Cameria double the number he left there This was done the 1st of August so many Citizens had he to spare in 16 years time he inhabited Rome Among other Spoyls he took a brazen Chariot from Cameria which he placed in the Temple of Vulcan adding thereon his own Statue crown'd with Victory The Roman Cause thus daily gathering strength the weaker Neighbours submitted and willingly embraced security the stronger out of Fear or Envy thought they ought not to give way to Romulus but to curb him and put a stop to his Greatness The first were the Veientes a People of Thuscany who had large Possessions and dwelt in a spacious City they took an occasion to commence a War upon remanding of Fidenae as belonging to them this was not only unreasonable but very ridiculous that they who did not assist them in the greatest Extremities of War but permitted them to be slain should challenge their Lands and Houses when in the hands of others But being scornfully retorted upon by Romulus in his Answers they divided themselves into two Bodies with one they attack'd the Garrison of Fidenae the other march'd against Romulus that which went against Fidenae got the Victory and slew 2000 Romans the other was worsted by Romulus with the loss of 8000 Men. They afterwards fought near Fidenae and all Men acknowledge the greatest Actions of the day were done by Romulus himself who shewed all manner of Skill as well as Courage and seem'd to perform with strength and swiftness more than humane But what some write that of 14000 that fell that day above half were slain by Romulus's own hand is both very fabulous and altogether incredible Such an Ostentation do the Messenians make of Aristomenes who they say offer'd 300 Victims for as many Lacedaemonians he himself slew The Army being thus routed Romulus suffering those that were left to make their escape drew up his Forces against the City they having suffer'd such great damages did not venture to oppose him but humbly suing to him contracted a League and Friendship for an 100 years but he nevertheless divested them of a great quantity of Lands call'd Septimagium which was the 7th part of their Patrimony as also of several salt-Springs upon the River and took 50 Noblemen for Hostages He made his Triumph for this on the Ides of October leading among the rest of his many Captives the General of the Veientes an ancient Man but one who seem'd to have managed his Affairs imprudently and unbecoming of his Age whence even now in Sacrifices for Victories they lead an old Man through the Market-place to the Capitol apparell'd in purple with a Bulla or Child's-Toy tyed to it and the Cryer cryes Sardianians to be sold for the Thuscans are said to be a Colony of the Sardianians and the Veientes are a City of Thuscany This was the last Battel Romulus ever fought afterwards he as most nay all Men very few excepted do who are raised by great and miraculous good-haps of Fortune to Power and Greatness So I say did he for relying upon his own great Actions and growing of an haughtier mind he forsook his popular Behaviour and took upon him in exchange a strange Lordliness which was odious and intolerable to the People And first upon the Habit he chose to wear for he dress'd in scarlet with purple Robes over it then he gave Audience in a Chair of State having always about him some young Boys call'd Celeres from their swiftness in doing business there went before him others with Staves to make room with several Cords about them presently to bind whom ever he commanded Now the Latines formerly used ligare as now alligare to bind whence the Lictors were so call'd and the Rods they carried were called Fasces but it is probable they were first call'd Litores afterwards by putting in a C Lictores for they are the same the Graecians call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Officers for the People and the Graecians do still call the People in general 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the common People 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When after the death of his Grandfather Numitor in Alba that Kingdom devolv'd upon Romulus he put the Government into the hands of Magistrates and elected yearly one to superintend the Sabines But that taught the Senators of Rome to seek after a free and Anti-monarchical State wherein all might share in the Rule and Government For the Patricians as they call them were not now concern'd in State-Affairs only had the Name and Title left them convening in Council rather for fashion-sake than Advice where they in silence heard the King's Commands and so departed exceeding the Commonalty only in this that they heard first what was done These and the like were Matters of small moment but when he of his own accord parted among his Souldiers what Lands were acquired by War and restored the Veientes their Hostages the Senate neither consenting
admiring his expedition gave him the Name of Celer Romulus having buried his Brother Remus together with his two Foster-fathers on the Mount Remonius fell a building his City and sent for Surveyors out of Thuscany who directed him in all the Ceremonies to be observ'd and instructed him by drawing of Schemes how every thing should be done First They dug a Trench round that which is now the Comitium or Hall of Justice and into it did they solemnly throw the First-fruits of all things either good by Custom or necessary by Nature lastly every Man taking a small Turf of Earth of the Countrey from whence he came they all threw 'em in promiscuously together This Trench they call'd Mundus the whole World making which their Center they design'd the City in a Circle round it Then the Founder fitted to a Plow a brazen Plow-share and yoking together a Bull and a Cow drew himself a deep Line or Furrow round the Bounds the business of them that follow'd after was to see what-ever Earth was thrown up should be turn'd all inwardly towards the City and not to slip a Clod that fell outwards With this Line did they describe the Wall all within which were the Territories of the City which they call'd Pomaerium from Post murum or Pone maenia by the cutting off or changing some Letters where they design'd to make a Gate there they lifted up the Plow and left a space for it whereupon they esteem the whole Wall as holy only where the Gates are for had they adjudged them also sacred they could not without offence to Religion have had a free ingress and egress for the Necessaries of humane Life some whereof are in themselves unclean As for the day they began to build the City 't is confess'd of all hands to be the 21st of April and that day the Romans do anniversarily keep holy calling it their Countreys Birth-day at first they say they sacrificed no living Creature on this day thinking it very decent and behoveful to celebrate the Feast of their Countreys Birth-day purely and without the stain of blood nevertheless before the City was ever built there was a Feast of the Herdsmen and Shepherds kept on this day which went by the Name of Palilia But now the Roman and Graecian Months have little or no Analogy these say the day Romulus began to build was infallibly the 30th of the month at which time there was an Eclipse of the Moon which happen'd in the 3d. year of the 6th Olympiad which the Graecians imagine Antimachus the Teian Poet saw In the Times of Varro the Philosopher a Man very well read in Roman History liv'd one Tarrutius his familiar Friend and Acquaintance both a good Philosopher and a skilful Mathematician and one too that out of curiosity of Speculation had studied the way of drawing Schemes and Tables and seem'd to be excellent in the Art to him Varro propounded to cast Romulus's Nativity even to the first day and hour and to make his Deductions from the several Events of the man's Life which he should be inform'd of as the solutions of Geometrical Problems do require for it belongs to the same Science both to foretel a man's Life by knowing the time of his Birth and also to find out his Birth by the knowledge of his Life This Task Tarrutius undertook and first looking into the Actions and Casualties of the man together with the time of his Life and manner of his Death and then comparing all these Remarks together he very confidently and positively pronounc'd that Romulus was conceiv'd in his Mothers Womb the first year of the 2d Olympiad the 23d day of the month the Aegyptians call Chaeac which may be said to answer our December and the 3d. hour after Sun-set that he was born the 21st day of the month Thoch which is September about Sun-rising and that the first Stone of Rome was laid by him the 9th day of the month Pharmuthi April between the 2d and 3d. hour for as to the Fortune of Cities as well as Men they think they have their certain periods of Time prefix'd which may be collected and foreknown from the Positions of the Stars at their first foundation These and the like Relations may perhaps rather take and delight the Reader with their Novelty and Extravagancy than offend him because they are fabulous The City now being built all that were of Age to bear Arms Romulus listed into military Companies each Company consisting of 3000 Footmen and 300 Horse These Companies were call'd Legions because they were the choicest and most select of the People for Fighting-men the rest of the Multitude he call'd Populus the People An hundred of the most eminent Men he chose for his Counsellors these he styl'd Patricians and the whole Body of 'em the Senate which signifies truly a Consistory of venerable old Men. The Patricians some say were so call'd because they were the Fathers of honest and lawful Children others because they could give a good account who their Fathers were which every one of the Rabble that pour'd into the City at first could not do others from Patrocinium a Patronage by which they meant an Autority over the common People and do still attributing the origine of the word to Patronus one of those that came over with Evander a Man signal for being a protector and defender of the weak and needy But perhaps the most probable Judgement might be that Romulus esteeming it the duty of the chiefest and wealthiest men with a fatherly care and concern to look after the meaner and withal encouraging the Commonalty not to dread or be aggriev'd at the Honours of their Superiors but with all good will to make use of 'em and to think and call 'em their Fathers might from hence give them the Name of Patricians For at this very time all Foreigners style those that sit in Council Lords and Presidents but the Romans making use of a more honourable and less invidious Name call them Patres Conscripti at first indeed simply Patres but afterwards more being added Patres Conscripti and by this honourable Title was the Senate distinguish'd from the Populacy the rest of the wealthier sort he distinguish'd from the common People by calling Them Patrons and These their Clients by which means he created a wonderful Love and Amity betwixt 'em which begat great justice in their dealings For They were always their Clients Councellors in litigious Cases their Advocates in Judgements in fine their Advisers and Overseers in all Affairs what-ever These again faithfully serv'd their Patrons not only paying them all respect and deference but also in case of Poverty helping them to place their Children and pay off their Debts and for a Patron to witness against his Client or a Client against his Patron that no Law nor Magistrate could enforce but in after-Times all other Offices of Equity continuing still between 'em