public · Roman

Prayer to Ceres and Proserpina

Mother Ceres and Proserpina and all You Gods above and below who inhabit the city, these hallowed lakes and groves, I pray that You attend us with Your favor and support, if it should be that we are taking this initial step for the purpose of guarding against treacherous falsehood, not practicing it.

Commentarius · Commentary

Livy, the siege of Henna in 214 BC. Pinarius, the Roman garrison commander, suspecting the townspeople of treachery, calls them to an assembly — and swears this oath before giving the signal for the massacre.

The formula in itself is impeccable: "be favourable and gracious to us, if we take this decision in order to avoid treachery and not to commit it". The condition is correctly framed, the gods are invoked by the rules, and both the powers above and below are named along with the local ones — Ceres and Proserpina, whose sanctuaries at Henna were the greatest in all Sicily.

And then, at the signal, the assembled citizens are cut down. Livy gives the prayer without a word of comment, and that is his whole method: the formula is observed to the last syllable — which makes it all the clearer what a formula does not guarantee.

Fons · Source

AuthorLivy

WorkAb Urbe Condita

Section24.38.8

Period3rd c. BC (recorded by Livy)

Classificatio · Taxonomy

CultureRoman

Formpublic

DeitiesCeres, Proserpina

FunctionsOath · Petition

SphereCivic