They were more to be valued, than all that were saved by them. And the great Historian doth excellently describe both the Actions, and Expectations of the one and the other in what they did. The Father, when the Roman Army commanded by himself and Titus M•nlius, was near a total ruin by the Latins, called for the public Priest, and caused him with the usual solemn Ceremonies, to devote him to death, for the deliverance and safety of the Army: after which making his requests to his Gods, (dii quorum est potestas nostrorum hostiumque) the gods that had power over them and their Adversaries, as he supposed, he cast ⟨p. 241⟩himself into death by the swords of the Enemy. Conspectus ab utraque acie aliquanto augustior humano visu, sicut coelo missus, piaculum omnis Deorum irae, qui pestem ab suis aversam in hosts ferret. He was looked on by both Armies, as one more August than a man, as one sent from Heaven, to be a piacular Sacrifice; to appease the Anger of the gods, and to transfer destruction from their own Army to the Enemies, Liv. Hist. 8. His Son in like manner in a great and dangerous battle against the Galls and Samnites; wherein he commanded in Chief, devoting himself as his Father had done, added unto the former solemn deprecations; prae see, agere sese, formidinem ac fugam, caedemque ac cruorem, coel stium, infernorum iras, lib. 11. That he carried away before him, (from those for whom he devoted himself) fear and flight, slaughter and blood, the anger of the Celestial and Infernal gods. And as they did in this devoting of themselves design, averuncare malum, deûm ⟨p. 242⟩iras, lustrare p•pulum, aut exercitum, piaculum fieri or [Greek or Hebrew], expiare crimina, scelus, reatum, or to remove all evil from others by taking it on themselves in their stead; so also they thought they might, and intended in what did, to covenant and contract for the good things they desired. So did these Decii, and so is Menaeceus reported to have done▪ when he devoted himself for the City of Thebes in danger to be destroyed by the Argives. So Papinius introduceth him treating his gods,
Armorum superi, tuque, ô quifunere tanto
Indulges mihi Phoebe mori, date gaudia Thebis,
Quae pepegi, & toto quae sanguine prodi gus emi.
They were more to be valued, than all that were saved by them. And the great Historian doth excellently describe both the Actions, and Expectations of the one and the other in what they did. The Father, when the Roman Army commanded by himself and Titus M•nlius, was near a total ruine by the Latines, called for the publick Priest, and caused him with the usual solemn Ceremonies, to devote him to death, for the deliverance and safety of the Army: after which making his requests to his Gods, (dii quorum est potestas nostrorum hostiumque) the gods that had power over them and their Adversaries, as he supposed, he cast ⟨p. 241⟩himself into death by the swords of the Enemy. Conspectus ab utraque acie aliquanto augustior humano visu, sicut coelo missus, piaculum omnis Deorum irae, qui pestem ab suis aversam in hostes ferret. He was looked on by both Armies, as one more August than a man, as one sent from Heaven, to be a piacular Sacrifice; to appease the Anger of the gods, and to transferre destruction from their own Army to the Enemies, Liv. Hist. 8. His Son in like manner in a great and dangerous battel against the Galls and Samnites; wherein he commanded in Chief, devoting himself as his Father had done, added unto the former solemn deprecations; prae se, agere sese, formidinem ac fugam, caedemque ac cruorem, coel stium, infernorum iras, lib. 11. That he carryed away before him, (from those for whom he devoted himself) fear and flight, slaughter and blood, the anger of the Coelestial and Infernal gods. And as they did in this devoting of themselves design, averuncare malum, deûm ⟨p. 242⟩iras, lustrare p•pulum, aut exercitum, piaculum fieri or 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, expiare crimina, scelus, reatum, or to remove all evil from others by taking it on themselves in their stead; so also they thought they might, and intended in what did, to covenant and contract for the good things they desired. So did these Decii, and so is Menaeceus reported to have done▪ when he devoted himself for the City of Thebes in danger to be destroyed by the Argives. So Papinius introduceth him treating his gods,
Armorum superi, tuque, ô quifunere tanto
Indulges mihi Phoebe mori, date gaudia Thebis,
Quae pepegi, & toto quae sanguine prodi gus emi.
