PLINY; NATURAL HISTORY 



p. R. ipsi corona inposita. postquam vero tribimiciis 

 seditionibus calcari ac pollui coepere, postquam vires 

 ex publico in privatum agi singulisque civium quaeri 

 et sacrosancti omnia profana facere, tum a pedibus 

 eorum subiere in capita civium rostra : dedit hanc 

 Augustus coronam Agrippae, sed civicam a genere 

 humano accepit ipse. 

 9 IV. Antiquitus quidem nulla nisi deo dabatur — ob 

 id Homerus caelo tantum eam et proelio universo 

 tribuit, viritim vero ne in certamine quidem ulli — 

 feruntque primum omnium Liberum patrem impo- 

 suisse capiti suo ex hedera. postea deorum honori 

 sacrificantes sumpsere victimis simul coronatis. 

 10 novissime et in sacris certaminibus usurpatae, in 

 quibus hodieque non victori dantur sed patriam ab eo 

 coronari pronuntiatur ; inde natum ut et triumpha- 

 turis conferrentur in templis dicandae, mox ut et 

 ludis darentur. longum est nec instituti operis 

 disserere quis quamque Romanorum primus acceperit, 

 neque enim alias noverant quam belhcas : quod 



" The platform in the forum from which speakers addressed 

 the assembhes was decorated with ' beaks ' or rams of ships 

 taken from Antium after its revolt from Rome in 338 b.c; 

 it was itself called ' the Rams,' and has given us the word 

 ' rostrum,' which is perhaps the source of the slang term 

 • beak,' meaning a magistrate on the bench. 



* II. XVITI. 485, Tcipea iTdvra to, t' ovpavos iaT€<f>dvo)rai. 



' //. XIII. 736, TTdvTT] ydp (7€ TT€pl aT€<f>avos TToAe/ioio SeSrjev. 



392 



