The Fratres Arvales were a college of priests, founded, according to the tradition, by Romulus himself. The symbolical ensign of their office was a chaplet of ears of corn (spicea corona,) and their function was to offer prayers in solemn dances and processions at the opening of spring for plenteous harvests. Their song was chanted in the temple with closed doors, accompanied by that peculiar dance which was termed the tripudium, from its containing three beats. To this rhythm the Saturnian measure of the hymn corresponds; and for this reason each verse was thrice repeated. The hymn contains sixteen letters: _s_ is sometimes put for _r_, _ei_ for _i_, and _p_ for _f_ or _ph_. The following is a transcription of it, as given by Orellius, to which an interpretation is subjoined:—
Neve luaerve Marmer sins incurrere in pleoris.
Nor the pestilence O Mars permit to invade more.
Satiatus furendo Mars lumen Solis sta fervere.
Satiated with fury, O Mars, the light of the sun stop from burning.
Semihemones alterni ad vos capite cunctos.
Us half-men in your turns to you take all.
Triumpe, triumpe, triumpe, triumpe, triumpe.
Of the Salian hymn (Carmen Saliare,) another monument of ancient Latin, the following fragments, preserved by Varro,[45] are all that remain, with the exception of a few isolated words:—
(1.) Cozeulodoizesa, omina vero ad patula coemisse Jam cusiones; duonus ceruses dunzianus vevet.[45]
This has been corrected, arranged in the Saturnian metre, and translated into Latin by Donaldson,[46] as follows:—
Choroi-aulōdos eso, omina enim vero Ad patula’ ose misse Jani cariones. Duonus Cerus esit dunque Janus vevet.
Choroio-aulodus ero, omina enim vero ad patulas aures Miserunt Jani curiones. Bonus Cerus erit donec Janus vivet.
I will be a flute-player in the chorus, for the priests of Janus have sent omens to open ears. Cerus (the Creator) will be propitious so long as Janus shall live.
(2.) Divum empta cante, divum deo supplicante.
_i. e._ Deorum impetu canite, deorum deo suppliciter canite.
Sing by the inspiration of the gods, sing as suppliants to the god of gods.
The _Leges Regiæ_ are generally considered as furnishing the next examples, in point of antiquity, of the old Latin language; but there can be little doubt that, although they were assumed by the metrical traditions to belong to the period of the kings,[47] they belong to a later historical period than the laws of the Twelve Tables. Some fragments of laws, attributed to Numa and Servius Tullius, are preserved by Festus[48] in a restored and corrected form, and, therefore, it is to be feared that they have been modernized in accordance with the orthographical rules of a later age.