BOOK XVI. IV. lo-v. 13 



fact that this one nation has a greater variety of 

 wreaths than all the other nations put together. 



V. Hostas HostiHus, who was the grandfather of Varieties of 

 King Tullus HostiUus, was crowned by Roinulus with ^^j^'^' ""*^ 

 a garland of leaves for having been the first to enter condnions 

 Fidena. The elder PubHus Decius, who was miHtary " ""^"'^ ' 

 tribune, received a garland of leaves from the army 

 which he had saved from destruction in the war ^ with 

 the Samnites when the consul CorneHus Cossus was 343 b.c. 

 in command of our army. The Civic Wreath was first 

 made of the leaves of the holm-oak, but afterwards 

 preference was given to a wreath from the winter oak, 

 which is sacred to Jove, and also a variety was made 

 with the common oak and the tree growing in the 

 particular locaHty was given, only the honour 

 awarded to the acorn being preserved.* Strict 

 and therefore exclusive conditions were further 

 imposed, which may be compared with that supreme 

 wreath of the Greeks which is bestowed beneath the 

 tutelage of Zeus himself and for which the winner's 

 native place in its rejoicing breaks a passage through 

 its city waUs ; these conditions were — to save the 

 Ufe of a feUow-citizen ; to kiU one of the enemy ; 

 that the place where the exploit occurred must not 

 be occupied by the enemy on the same day ; that the 

 person rescued must admit the fact — witnesses other- 

 wise are of no value ; — and that it must have been a 

 Roman citizen : auxiUarv^ forces, even though it is a 

 king who is rescued, do not bestow this distinction. 

 Nor is the same honour any greater if the rescued 

 person is a general, because the founders of this 

 institution wished the honour to be supreme in 

 the case of any citizen. The receiver of the \\Teath 

 may wear it for the rest of his Hfe ; wlien he appears 



395 



