Reading II Focus Questions: 1. How Does Livy Incorporate Myth Into His Account? 2. Why Does He Incorporate Myth? 3. Is a History a Proper Place for Myth? . Does Livy !elieve the Myths? Livy, History of Rome, 1.1-14 Book 1 reface 1. Whether I a" li#ely to acco"plish anythin$ worthy of the la%our& if I recor' the achieve"ents of the (o"an people fro" the foun'ation of the city& I 'o not really #now& nor if I #new woul' I 'are to avouch it) [2] perceivin$ as I 'o that the the"e is not only ol' %ut hac#neye'& throu$h the constant succession of new historians& who %elieve either that in their facts they can pro'uce "ore authentic infor"ation& or that in their style they will prove %etter than the ru'e atte"pts of the ancients. [3] ,et& however this shall %e& it will %e a satisfaction to have 'one "yself as "uch as lies in "e to co""e"orate the 'ee's of the fore"ost people of the worl') an' if in so vast a co"pany of writers "y own reputation shoul' %e o%scure& "y consolation woul' %e the fa"e an' $reatness of those whose renown will throw "ine into the sha'e. * + Moreover& "y su%-ect involves in.nite la%our& seein$ that it "ust %e trace' %ac# a%ove seven hun're' years& an' that procee'in$ fro" slen'er %e$innin$s it has so increase' as now to %e %ur'ene' %y its own "a$nitu'e) an' at the sa"e ti"e I 'ou%t not that to "ost rea'ers the earliest ori$ins an' the perio' i""e'iately succee'in$ the" will $ive little pleasure& for they will %e in haste to reach these "o'ern ti"es& in which the "i$ht of a people which has lon$ %een very powerful is wor#in$ its own un'oin$. */+ I "yself& on the contrary& shall see# in this an a''itional rewar' for "y toil& that I "ay avert "y $a0e fro" the trou%les which our a$e has %een witnessin$ for so "any years& so lon$ at least as I a" a%sor%e' in the recollection of the %rave *1] 'ays of ol'& free fro" every care which& even if it coul' not 'ivert the historian2s "in' fro" the truth& "i$ht nevertheless cause it an3iety. *4+ 5uch tra'itions as %elon$ to the ti"e %efore the city was foun'e'& or rather was presently to %e foun'e'& an' are rather a'orne' with poetic le$en's than %ase' upon trustworthy historical proofs& I purpose neither to a6r" nor to refute. It is the privile$e of anti7uity to "in$le 'ivine thin$s with hu"an& an' so to a'' 'i$nity to the %e$innin$s of cities) *8+ an' if any people ou$ht to %e allowe' to consecrate their ori$ins an' refer the" to a 'ivine source& so $reat is the "ilitary $lory of the (o"an People that when they profess that their 9ather an' the 9ather of their 9oun'er was none other than Mars& the nations of the earth "ay well su%"it to this also with as $oo' a $race as they su%"it to (o"e2s 'o"inion. *:] !ut to such le$en's as these& however they shall %e re$ar'e' an' -u'$e'& I shall& for "y own part& attach no $reat i"portance. Here are the 7uestions to which I woul' have every rea'er $ive his close attention —what life an' "orals were li#e) throu$h what "en an' %y what policies& in peace an' in war& e"pire was esta%lishe' an' enlar$e') then let hi" note how& with the $ra'ual rela3ation of 'iscipline& "orals .rst $ave way& as it were& then san# lower an' lower& an' .nally %e$an the 'ownwar' plun$e which has %rou$ht us to the present ti"e& when we can en'ure neither our vices nor their cure. [1<] What chie=y "a#es the stu'y of history wholeso"e an' pro.ta%le is this& that you %ehol' the lessons of every #in' of e3perience set forth as on a conspicuous "onu"ent) fro" these you "ay choose for yourself an' for your own state what to i"itate& fro" these "ar# for avoi'ance what is sha"eful in the conception an' sha"eful in the result. [11] 9or the rest& either love of the tas# I have set "yself 'eceives "e& or no state was ever $reater& none "ore ri$hteous or richer in $oo' e3a"ples& none ever was where avarice an' lu3ury ca"e into the social or'er so late& or where hu"%le "eans an' thrift were so hi$hly estee"e' an' so lon$ hel' in honour. [12+ 9or true it is that the less "en2s wealth was& the less was their $ree'. >f late& riches have %rou$ht in avarice& an' e3cessive pleasures the lon$in$ to carry wantonness an' licence to the point of ruin for oneself an' of universal 'estruction. !ut co"plaints are sure to %e 'isa$reea%le& even when they shall perhaps %e necessary) let the %e$innin$& at all events& of so $reat an enterprise have none. [13+ With $oo' o"ens rather woul' we %e$in& an'& if historians ha' the sa"e custo" which poets have& with prayers an' entreaties to the $o's an' $o''esses& that they "i$ht $rant us to %rin$ to a successful issue the $reat tas# we have un'erta#en. Book !ne 1. 9irst of all& then& it is $enerally a$ree' that when ?roy was ta#en ven$eance was wrea#e' upon the other ?ro-ans& %ut that two& Aeneas an' Antenor& were spare' all the penalties of war %y the Achivi& owin$ to lon$@stan'in$ clai"s of hospitality& an' %ecause they ha' always a'vocate' peace an' the $ivin$ %ac# of Helen. [2+ ?hey then e3perience' various vicissitu'es. Antenor& with a co"pany of Aneti who ha' %een e3pelle' fro" Paphla$onia in a revolution an' were loo#in$ for a ho"e an' a lea'er —for they ha' lost their #in$& Pylae"enes& at ?roy—ca"e to the in"ost %ay of the A'riatic. [3] ?here& 'rivin$ out the Au$anei& who 'welt %etween the sea an' the Alps& the Aneti an' ?ro-ans too# possession of those lan's. An' in fact the place where they .rst lan'e' is calle' ?roy& an' the 'istrict is therefore #nown as ?ro-an& while the people as a whole are calle' the Beneti. * ] Aeneas& 'riven fro" ho"e %y a si"ilar "isfortune& %ut $ui'e' %y fate to un'erta#in$s of $reater conse7uence& ca"e .rst to Mace'onia) thence was carrie'& in his 7uest of a place of settle"ent& to 5icily) an' fro" 5icily lai' his course towar's the lan' of Laurentu". ?his place too is calle' ?roy. */+ Lan'in$ there& the ?ro-ans& as "en who& after their all %ut i""easura%le wan'erin$s& ha' nothin$ left %ut their swor's an' ships& were 'rivin$ %ooty fro" the .el's& when Cin$ Latinus an' the A%ori$ines& who then occupie' that country& rushe' 'own fro" their city an' their .el's to repel with ar"s the violence of the inva'ers. 9ro" this point the tra'ition follows two lines. 5o"e say that Latinus& havin$ %een 'efeate' in the %attle& "a'e a peace with Aeneas& an' later an alliance of "arria$e. *1] >thers "aintain that when the opposin$ lines ha' %een 'rawn up& Latinus 'i' not wait for the char$e to soun'& %ut a'vance' a"i'st his chieftains an' su""one' the captain of the stran$ers to a parley. *4+ He then in7uire' what "en they were& whence they ha' co"e& what "ishap ha' cause' the" to leave their ho"e& an' what they sou$ht in lan'in$ on the coast of Laurentu". *8+ He was tol' that the people were ?ro-ans an' their lea'er Aeneas& son of Anchises an' Benus) that their city ha' %een %urnt& an' that& 'riven fro" ho"e& they were loo#in$ for a 'wellin$-place an' a site where they "i$ht %uil' a city. 9ille' with won'er at the renown of the race an' the hero& an' at his spirit& prepare' ali#e for war or peace& he $ave hi" his ri$ht han' in sole"n ple'$e of lastin$ frien'ship. *:] ?he co""an'ers then "a'e a treaty& an' the ar"ies salute' each other. Aeneas %eca"e a $uest in the house of Latinus) there the latter& in the presence of his househol' $o's& a''e' a 'o"estic treaty to the pu%lic one& %y $ivin$ his 'au$hter in "arria$e to Aeneas. [1<] ?his event re"ove' any 'ou%t in the "in's of the ?ro-ans that they ha' %rou$ht their wan'erin$s to an en' at last in a per"anent an' settle' ha%itation. [11] ?hey foun'e' a town& which Aeneas na"e' Laviniu"& after his wife. In a short ti"e& "oreover& there was a "ale scion of the new "arria$e& to who" his parents $ave the na"e of Ascanius.