1.10
The feelings of the
abducted maidens were now pretty completely
appeased, but not so those of their parents. They
went about in mourning garb, and tried by their
tearful complaints to rouse their countrymen to
action. Nor did they confine their remonstrances to
their own cities; they flocked from all sides to
Titus Tatius, the king of the Sabines, and sent
formal deputations to him, for his was the most
influential name in those parts. The people of
Caenina, Crustumerium, and Antemnae were the
greatest sufferers; they thought Tatius and his
Sabines were too slow in moving, so these three
cities prepared to make war conjointly. Such,
however, were the impatience and anger of the
Caeninensians that even the Crustuminians and
Antemnates did not display enough energy for them,
so the men of Caenina made an attack upon Roman
territory on their own account. Whilst they were
scattered far and wide, pillaging and destroying,
Romulus came upon them with an army, and after a
brief encounter taught them that anger is futile
without strength. He put them to a hasty flight, and
following them up, killed their king and despoiled
his body; then after slaying their leader took their
city at the first assault. He was no less anxious to
display his achievements than he had been great in
performing them, so, after leading his victorious
army home, he mounted to the Capitol with the spoils
of his dead foe borne before him on a frame
constructed for the purpose. He hung them there on
an oak, which the shepherds looked upon as a sacred
tree, and at the same time marked out the site for
the temple of Jupiter, and addressing the god by a
new title, uttered the following invocation:
"Jupiter Feretrius! these arms taken from a king, I,
Romulus a king and conqueror, bring to thee, and on
this domain, whose bounds I have in will and purpose
traced, I dedicate a temple to receive the 'spolia
opima' which posterity following my example shall
bear hither, taken from the kings and generals of
our foes slain in battle." Such was the origin of
the first temple dedicated in Rome. And the gods
decreed that though its founder did not utter idle
words in declaring that posterity would thither bear
their spoils, still the splendour of that offering
should not be dimmed by the number of those who have
rivalled his achievement. For after so many years
have elapsed and so many wars been waged, only twice
have the "spolia opima" been offered. So seldom has
Fortune granted that glory to men.