The Roman Antiquities of Dionysius Halicarnassensis, Volume 3

‘H E confuls of the following year, who were Aulus Sempronius Atratmus, and Marcus Minuclus, entered upon their magiftracy in the feventy firfl Olympiad, in which Tiiicrates of Croton won the prize of the fladium, Hipparchus being archon at Athens; and, during their confulfhip, performed no a6lion either of a military, or civil nature, worthy the notice of hiftory (for the truce with the Latines gave them a long refpite from foreign wars; and the injundlion, decreed by the fenate, againft the exadion of debts, till the war, that was expeded, fliould be, fecurely, terminated, quieted the difturbances raifed in the city by the poor, who deiired to be difcharged of their debts by a public ad.) However, they procured a decree of the fenate to be paffed, granting power both to the Latin women, who were married to men of worth, and diflindion among the Romans, and to the Roman women married to Latines, either to ftay with their hufbands, or to return home; and it was, alfo, ordered that the male children fliould remain with their fathers, and the female, and unmarried fliould follow their mothers: For it happened that a great many women, through the affinity, and friendlLip fubfifting between the two nations, had contradled marriages in one another’s cities. The women, having this liberty granted to them by the decree of the fenate, fhewed how fond they were of living at Rome: For almoft all the Roman women, who lived in the Latin cities, left their hufbands, and returned to their fathers; and all the Latin women, who were married to Romans, except two, defpifed their country, and fcaid with their hufbands: A happy omen foretelling which of the two nations fhould be vidorious in the war. Under thefe confuls, they fay, the temple was confecrated to Saturn, upon the afcent, leading from the forum to the capitol, and annual ‘ feftivals, and facrifices were appointed to be performed at the public expence: They add that, before this, the altar, built by Hercules, flood there, upon which, the perfons, who had the fuperintendance of thefe holy ceremonies committed to them by Hercules, facrificed burnt-offerings, as firfl fruits, according to the cuftom of the Greeks. Some hiftorians write that this temple was infcribed with the name of Titus Lartius, the conful of the former year; others, with That of Tarquinius, who was expelled the kingdom: And that Poftumus Cominius confecrated the temple purfuant to a decree of thefenate. Thefe confuls, -therefore, as I faid, had the opportunity of enjoying a profound peace.