Texte grec :
| [3,61] Ταύτας λαβόντες οἱ πρέσβεις τὰς ἀποκρίσεις
ᾤχοντο καὶ μετ´ ὀλίγας ἡμέρας παρῆσαν οὐ
λόγους αὐτῷ μόνον φέροντες ψιλούς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ
σύμβολα τῆς ἡγεμονίας, οἷς ἐκόσμουν αὐτοὶ τοὺς
σφετέρους βασιλεῖς, κομίζοντες στεφανόν τε χρύσεον
καὶ θρόνον ἐλεφάντινον καὶ σκῆπτρον ἀετὸν ἔχον ἐπὶ
τῆς κεφαλῆς χιτῶνά τε πορφυροῦν χρυσόσημον καὶ
περιβόλαιον πορφυροῦν ποικίλον, οἷα Λυδῶν τε καὶ
Περσῶν ἐφόρουν οἱ βασιλεῖς, πλὴν οὐ τετράγωνόν γε
τῷ σχήματι, καθάπερ ἐκεῖνα ἦν, ἀλλ´ ἡμικύκλιον.
τὰ δὲ τοιαῦτα τῶν ἀμφιεσμάτων Ῥωμαῖοι μὲν τόγας,
Ἕλληνες δὲ τήβεννον καλοῦσιν, οὐκ οἶδ´ ὁπόθεν μαθόντες·
Ἑλληνικὸν γὰρ οὐ φαίνεταί μοι τοὔνομα
εἶναι. ὡς δέ τινες ἱστοροῦσι καὶ τοὺς δώδεκα πελέκεις
ἐκόμισαν αὐτῷ λαβόντες ἐξ ἑκάστης πόλεως ἕνα.
Τυρρηνικὸν γὰρ εἶναι ἔθος δοκεῖ ἑκάστου τῶν κατὰ
πόλιν βασιλέων ἕνα προηγεῖσθαι ῥαβδοφόρον ἅμα
τῇ δέσμῃ τῶν ῥάβδων πέλεκυν φέροντα· εἰ δὲ κοινὴ
γίνοιτο τῶν δώδεκα πόλεων στρατεία, τοὺς δώδεκα
πελέκεις ἑνὶ παραδίδοσθαι τῷ λαβόντι τὴν αὐτοκράτορα
ἀρχήν. οὐ μὴν ἅπαντές γε συμφέρονται τοῖς ταῦτα
λέγουσιν, ἀλλὰ παλαίτερον ἔτι τῆς Ταρκυνίου δυναστείας
πελέκεις δώδεκα πρὸ τῶν βασιλέων φέρεσθαί
φασι, καταστήσασθαι δὲ τὸ ἔθος τοῦτο Ῥωμύλον
εὐθὺς ἅμα τῷ παραλαβεῖν τὴν ἀρχήν. οὐθὲν δὲ κωλύει
τὸ μὲν εὕρημα Τυρρηνῶν εἶναι, χρήσασθαι δ´
αὐτῷ πρῶτον Ῥωμύλον παρ´ ἐκείνων λαβόντα, κομισθῆναι
δὲ Ταρκυνίῳ σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις κόσμοις βασιλικοῖς
καὶ τοὺς δώδεκα πελέκεις, ὥσπερ γε καὶ νῦν
Ῥωμαῖοι τὰ σκῆπτρα καὶ τὰ διαδήματα δωροῦνται
τοῖς βασιλεῦσι βεβαιοῦντες αὐτοῖς τὰς ἐξουσίας, ἐπεὶ
καὶ μὴ λαβόντες γε παρ´ ἐκείνων ἔχουσιν αὐτά.
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Traduction française :
| [3,61] The ambassadors, having received this answer, departed, and after a few days
returned, not merely with words alone, but bringing the insignia of sovereignty with
which they used to decorate their own kings. These were a crown of gold, an ivory
throne, a sceptre with an eagle perched on its head, a purple tunic decorated with
gold, and an embroidered purple robe like those the kings of Lydia and Persia used to
wear, except that it was not rectangular in shape like theirs, but semicircular. 69 This
kind of robe is called toga by the Romans and têbenna70 by the Greeks; but I do not
know where the Greeks learned the name, for it does not seem to me to be a Greek
word. And according to some historians they also brought to Tarquinius the twelve
axes, taking one from each city. For it seems to have been a Tyrrhenian custom for
each king of the several cities to be preceded by a lictor bearing an axe together with
the bundle of rods, and whenever the twelve cities undertook any joint military
expedition, for the twelve axes to be handed over to the one man who (p225) was
invested with absolute power. However, not all the authorities agree with those who
express this opinion, but some maintain that even before the reign of Tarquinius
twelve axes were carried before the kings of Rome and that Romulus instituted this
custom as soon as he received the sovereignty. But there is nothing to prevent our
believing that the Tyrrhenians were the authors of this practice, that Romulus
adopted its use from them, and that the twelve axes also were brought to Tarquinius
together with the other royal ornaments, just as the Romans even to-day give sceptres
and diadems to kings in confirmation of their power; since, even without receiving
those ornaments from the Romans, these kings make use of them.
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