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27.

LARES PRAESTITES.

FAS. V. 129.

ON the Ides of May an altar had been erected to the 'Lares Praestites,' the protectors of the city, by Curius; but this, as well as the ancient statues, in which they were represented as twins, with a dog at their feet, had been destroyed by time, and the poet had sought in vain to discover them.

The notices in common books with regard to the deities termed by the Romans 'Lares' and 'Penates,' are so exceed= ingly imperfect that it will be useful to the student to state shortly what is known upon the subject.

The word 'Lar' is of Tuscan origin, and in that language was a title of honour, equivalent, apparently, to chief or prince. Thus we read of Lar Porsenna, king of Clusium, Lar Tolumnius, king of the Veiientes 1.

The testimony of those among the Romans who were best qualified to form an opinion upon such a subject, is so precise that we can entertain no doubt that, according to the popular belief, the deities denominated 'Lares' were certain spirits of dead men who were supposed to watch over and protect the living 2. They were very numerous, and were ranked in classes according to the departments over which they presided. In the first place we have the grand division into

1. 'Lares Privati;' 2. 'Lares Publici 3;'

of whom the former were the objects of family worship, while the latter received the adoration of whole sections of the community. We shall examine these separately.

i. The 'Lares Privati,' or 'Domestici,' or 'Familiares,' were

1 In Livy 3. 65, we find 'Lar Herminius' as the name of a Roman Consul, where Lar' would be a simple praenomen. The reading is, however, doubtful, since Dionysius calls the same person Larus,' and Diodorus Larinus.' See also Auson. Monosyll. and Val. Max. Lib. 10. 2 See Labeo, quoted by Servius on Virg. Ae. 1. 280, and Varro, quoted by Arnobius adv. Gen. 3. 41. Pliny H. N. 21. 3.

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tutelary spirits who received the homage of all the individuals residing under the same roof. The spot peculiarly sacred to them was the 'focus,' or hearth, situated in the principal apartment, atrium,' and considered the central point of the mansion. Here stood the altar for domestic sacrifice, and near to this there was usually a niche, containing little images of these gods, and denominated 'lararium,' or 'aedicula,' which, in the sumptuous palaces of later times, was not unfrequently enlarged into a chapel, with magnificent decorations. The offerings to the Lares consisted chiefly of flowers, frankincense, and wine, which were presented from time to time, and regularly on the Kalends of each month. A portion of the viands consumed at each meal was also placed before them in little dishes, and victims were occasionally sacrificed. Marked reverence was paid to the Lares at the most important periods of life; to them the youth dedicated his 'bulla' when he assumed the manly gown; to them the bride presented a piece of money when betrothed, according to the form termed 'coemptio;' to them she made a solemn offering on the day after her nuptials, before entering on the discharge of her matron duties; to them a grateful salutation was addressed by the master of the mansion when he returned in safety from a foreign land; and to them the soldier dedicated his arms when the toils and dangers of war were over. In order to fix these details on the memory, we may quote a few of the more important authorities. In the Aulularia of Plautus, the Prologue is spoken by a 'Lar Familiaris,' to whose guardianship the father of the actual proprietor of the house had committed a treasure buried beneath the hearth. The spirit, after complaining of the neglect of the son, continues thus,

'Huic filia una est: ea mihi quotidie

Aut ture, aut vino, aut aliqui semper supplicat:
Dat mihi coronas:'

in the Trinummus, 1. 2, I

'Larem corona nostrum decorari volo,
Uxor, venerare: ut nobis haec habitatio

Bona, fausta, felix, fortunataque eveniat.'

Cato, when describing the duties of a Villica, R. R. 43

'Focum purum circumversum quotidie, priusquam cubitum eat, habeat. Kalendis, Idibus, Nonis, festus dies cum erit, coronam in focum indat. Per eosdem dies Lari familiari pro copia supplicet.'

In the above passage, a single Lar only is supposed to belong to the dwelling; the plural, however, is quite common, as in Juv. S. 9. 137

'O parvi nostrique Lares, quos ture minuto, Aut farre, et tenui soleo exorare corona.' Compare also S. 12. 83.-Again, in Ov. Fast. 2. 633 'Et libate dapes, ut grati pignus honoris Nutriat incinctos missa patella Lares.'

and Pers S. 3. 25

'Est tibi far modicum, purum et sine labe salinum, Quid metuas? cultrixque foci secura patella.'

Also Hor. Od. 3. 23, 2

'Nascente luna, rustica Phidyle,

Si ture placaris et horna

Fruge Lares avidaque porca.'

Compare also Tibull. 1. 3, 33; 1. 10, 15–27; 2. 1, 59, all of which are in the present collection. Also Cato R. R. 2, Ov. Trist. 4. 8, 21. Finally, we may quote Pers. S. V. 30

'Cum primum pavido custos mihi purpura cessit,
Bullaque succinctis Laribus donata pependit.'

and Prop. 4. 1, 131

'Mox, ubi bulla rudi dimissa est aurea collo,
Matris et ante deos libera sumpta toga.'

Consult also Macrob. S. 1. 15, Nonius, p. 531.

We now pass on to the consideration of the 'Lares Publici,'

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which will not detain us long. Of these the most important were,

i. 'Lares Rurales,' guardians of the flocks, and herds, and fruits of the earth, propitiated by sacrifices of calves and lambs. The poet addresses these in the lines before us.

ii. 'Lares Compitales,' worshipped at the spot where two or more roads crossed each other. The 'Compitalitia' or 'Ludi Compitales' were instituted in honour of them by Servius Tullius, according to the legend narrated by Dionysius! and Pliny 2. This festival was celebrated annually on a day fixed by the praetor, but always soon after the Saturnalia. Augustus introduced the practice of decorating the statues of the 'Lares Compitales' with flowers twice a year, in spring and in summer 3.

iii. 'Lares Viales.' Probably the same with the preceding, so called because their images were erected in streets and highways: their protection was invoked by travellers when setting forth on a journey. Thus Charinus, in the Mercator of Plautus, 5. 2, 23, when about to quit his native city,

....'invoco

Vos, Lares Viales, ut me bene iuvetis.'

Their

iv. 'Lares Vicorum 4,' guardians of the streets. v. 'Lares Praestites,' protectors of the city. appearance and festival is described by Ovid, Fast. 5. 129, who at the same time gives a fantastic legend regarding their parentage.

vi. 'Lares Permarini,' worshipped by mariners. A temple was dedicated to them in the Campus Martius, 179 B. C., which had been vowed eleven years before by L. Aemilius Regillus, in a sea-fight against the captains of Antiochus 5. There can be little doubt that they are the same with the 'Lares Marini' of Varro, as quoted by Nonius".

1 R. A. 4. 14. 2 H. N. 36. sub fin. Macrob. Sat. 1. 7, A. 3 Suet. Octav. 31. 6 14. n. 8 and 32.

See also Cic. Epp. ad. Att. 6. 7, and in Pison. 4, Gell. 10. 24, Festus in voce Conceptivae.' 4 Arnob. adv. Gen. 3. 41. 5 Livy 40. 52.

vii. 'Lares Grundules,' who stood under the 'grundae' or projecting eaves of houses 1.

On reviewing what has been said above with regard to the Roman Lares, we can scarcely avoid remarking the resemblance which they bear to the saints of the Roman Catholic Church. Like them the saints are believed to be the spirits of dead men, to whose protection cities, streets, roads, ships, families, and private individuals are commended: statues or pictures of saints are to be found in streets, crossways, bridges, ships, dwelling-houses, and all places of public and private resort; and these are honoured with garlands and offerings of every description, while lamps fed with perfumed oil burn before their shrines. Nor is this all, the holy books of the Etruscans described certain sacred rites, by means of which the souls of men might be changed into gods, a process somewhat analogous to canonization. These gods were called 'Di Animales,' as being formed from 'animae' or mortal spirits, and are considered by Servius the same with the 'Viales' and 'Penates 2."

It remains for us to say a few words on the 'Penates.'

The word 'Penates' appears to be a local adjective like 'nostras,' 'cuias,' 'Casinas,' 'Arpinas,' &c., and will naturally refer to the place where the gods so called were believed to reside. Now, the connection of 'penates' with 'penitus,' 'penetro,' 'penetralia,' is so clear, that even if we had no other evidence, we should at once arrive at the conclusion that the 'Penates' were the deities worshipped in the 'penus 3' or innermost part of the house. But we have already pointed out, when treating of the 'Lares,' that the 'focus' or hearth

1 See Muller, Die Etrusker, vol. 2, chap. 3.-A very different account of the appellation is given by Nonius. 2., and by Diomedes, p. 379, ed. Putsch. These Lares are mentioned by Arnobius. In addition to the 'Lares' enumerated above, we find 'Lares Civitatum' in an inscription. See Gruter. IO. 2.

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2 Serv. on Virg. Aen. 3. 168, Muller, Die Etrusker, vol. 2, chap. 3. 'Nam et ipsum penetral, penus dicitur, et hodie quoque penus Vestae claudi vel aperiri dicitur' Serv. ad. Verg. Ae. 3. 12.

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