the golden bough-第53节

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er　Numa。　When　we　remember　how　very　often　in　early　society　the　king　is　held　responsible　for　the　fall　of　rain　and　the　fruitfulness　of　the　earth；　it　seems　hardly　rash　to　conjecture　that　in　the　legend　of　the　nuptials　of　Numa　and　Egeria　we　have　a　reminiscence　of　a　sacred　marriage　which　the　old　Roman　kings　regularly　contracted　with　a　goddess　of　vegetation　and　water　for　the　purpose　of　enabling　him　to　discharge　his　divine　or　magical　functions。　In　such　a　rite　the　part　of　the　goddess　might　be　played　either　by　an　image　or　a　woman；　and　if　by　a　woman；　probably　by　the　Queen。　If　there　is　any　truth　in　this　conjecture；　we　may　suppose　that　the　King　and　Queen　of　Rome　masqueraded　as　god　and　goddess　at　their　marriage；　exactly　as　the　King　and　Queen　of　Egypt　appear　to　have　done。　The　legend　of　Numa　and　Egeria　points　to　a　sacred　grove　rather　than　to　a　house　as　the　scene　of　the　nuptial　union；　which；　like　the　marriage　of　the　King　and　Queen　of　May；　or　of　the　vine…god　and　the　Queen　of　Athens；　may　have　been　annually　celebrated　as　a　charm　to　ensure　the　fertility　not　only　of　the　earth　but　of　man　and　beast。　Now；　according　to　some　accounts；　the　scene　of　the　marriage　was　no　other　than　the　sacred　grove　of　Nemi；　and　on　quite　independent　grounds　we　have　been　led　to　suppose　that　in　that　same　grove　the　King　of　the　Wood　was　wedded　to　Diana。　The　convergence　of　the　two　distinct　lines　of　enquiry　suggests　that　the　legendary　union　of　the　Roman　king　with　Egeria　may　have　been　a　reflection　or　duplicate　of　the　union　of　the　King　of　the　Wood　with　Egeria　or　her　double　Diana。　This　does　not　imply　that　the　Roman　kings　ever　served　as　Kings　of　the　Wood　in　the　Arician　grove；　but　only　that　they　may　originally　have　been　invested　with　a　sacred　character　of　the　same　general　kind；　and　may　have　held　office　on　similar　terms。　To　be　more　explicit；　it　is　possible　that　they　reigned；　not　by　right　of　birth；　but　in　virtue　of　their　supposed　divinity　as　representatives　or　embodiments　of　a　god；　and　that　as　such　they　mated　with　a　goddess；　and　had　to　prove　their　fitness　from　time　to　time　to　discharge　their　divine　functions　by　engaging　in　a　severe　bodily　struggle；　which　may　often　have　proved　fatal　to　them；　leaving　the　crown　to　their　victorious　adversary。　Our　knowledge　of　the　Roman　kingship　is　far　too　scanty　to　allow　us　to　affirm　any　one　of　these　propositions　with　confidence；　but　at　least　there　are　some　scattered　hints　or　indications　of　a　similarity　in　all　these　respects　between　the　priests　of　Nemi　and　the　kings　of　Rome；　or　perhaps　rather　between　their　remote　predecessors　in　the　dark　ages　which　preceded　the　dawn　of　legend。

2。　The　King　as　Jupiter

IN　THE　FIRST　place；　then；　it　would　seem　that　the　Roman　king　personated　no　less　a　deity　than　Jupiter　himself。　For　down　to　imperial　times　victorious　generals　celebrating　a　triumph；　and　magistrates　presiding　at　the　games　in　the　Circus；　wore　the　costume　of　Jupiter；　which　was　borrowed　for　the　occasion　from　his　great　temple　on　the　Capitol；　and　it　has　been　held　with　a　high　degree　of　probability　both　by　ancients　and　moderns　that　in　so　doing　they　copied　the　traditionary　attire　and　insignia　of　the　Roman　kings。　They　rode　a　chariot　drawn　by　four　laurel…crowned　horses　through　the　city；　where　every　one　else　went　on　foot：　they　wore　purple　robes　embroidered　or　spangled　with　gold：　in　the　right　hand　they　bore　a　branch　of　laurel；　and　in　the　left　hand　an　ivory　sceptre　topped　with　an　eagle：　a　wreath　of　laurel　crowned　their　brows：　their　face　was　reddened　with　vermilion；　and　over　their　head　a　slave　held　a　heavy　crown　of　massy　gold　fashioned　in　the　likeness　of　oak　leaves。　In　this　attire　the　assimilation　of　the　man　to　the　god　comes　out　above　all　in　the　eagle…topped　sceptre；　the　oaken　crown；　and　the　reddened　face。　For　the　eagle　was　the　bird　of　Jove；　the　oak　was　his　sacred　tree；　and　the　face　of　his　image　standing　in　his　four…horse　chariot　on　the　Capitol　was　in　like　manner　regularly　dyed　red　on　festivals；　indeed；　so　important　was　it　deemed　to　keep　the　divine　features　properly　rouged　that　one　of　the　first　duties　of　the　censors　was　to　contract　for　having　this　done。　As　the　triumphal　procession　always　ended　in　the　temple　of　Jupiter　on　the　Capitol；　it　was　peculiarly　appropriate　that　the　head　of　the　victor　should　be　graced　by　a　crown　of　oak　leaves；　for　not　only　was　every　oak　consecrated　to　Jupiter；　but　the　Capitoline　temple　of　the　god　was　said　to　have　been　built　by　Romulus　beside　a　sacred　oak；　venerated　by　shepherds；　to　which　the　king　attached　the　spoils　won　by　him　from　the　enemy's　general　in　battle。　We　are　expressly　told　that　the　oak　crown　was　sacred　to　Capitoline　Jupiter；　a　passage　of　Ovid　proves　that　it　was　regarded　as　the　god's　special　emblem。

According　to　a　tradition　which　we　have　no　reason　to　reject；　Rome　was　founded　by　settlers　from　Alba　Longa；　a　city　situated　on　the　slope　of　the　Alban　hills；　overlooking　the　lake　and　the　Campagna。　Hence　if　the　Roman　kings　claimed　to　be　representatives　or　embodiments　of　Jupiter；　the　god　of　the　sky；　of　the　thunder；　and　of　the　oak；　it　is　natural　to　suppose　that　the　kings　of　Alba；　from　whom　the　founder　of　Rome　traced　his　descent；　may　have　set　up　the　same　claim　before　them。　Now　the　Alban　dynasty　bore　the　name　of　Silvii　or　Wood；　and　it　can　hardly　be　without　significance　that　in　the　vision　of　the　historic　glories　of　Rome　revealed　to　Aeneas　in　the　underworld；　Virgil；　an　antiquary　as　well　as　a　poet；　should　represent　all　the　line　of　Silvii　as　crowned　with　oak。　A　chaplet　of　oak　leaves　would　thus　seem　to　have　been　part　of　the　insignia　of　the　old　kings　of　Alba　Longa　as　of　their　successors　the　kings　of　Rome；　in　both　cases　it　marked　the　monarch　as　the　human　representative　of　the　oak…god。　The　Roman　annals　record　that　one　of　the　kings　of　Alba；　Romulus；　Remulus；　or　Amulius　Silvius　by　name；　set　up　for　being　a　god　in　his　own　person；　the　equal　or　superior　of　Jupiter。　To　support　his　pretensions　and　overawe　his　subjects；　he　constructed　machines　whereby　he　mimicked　the　clap　of　thunder　and　the　flash　of　lightning。　Diodorus　relates　that　in　the　season　of　fruitage；　when　thunder　is　loud　and　frequent；　the　king　commanded　his　soldiers　to　drown　the　roar　of　heaven's　artillery　by　clashing　their　swords　against　their　shields。　But　he　paid　the　penalty　of　his　impiety；　for　he　perished；　he　and　his　house；　struck　by　a　thunderbolt　in　the　midst　of　a　dreadful　storm。　Swollen　by　the　rain；　the　Alban　lake　rose　in　flood　and　drowned　his　palace。　But　still；　says　an　ancient　historian；　when　the　water　is　low　and　the　surface　unruffled　by　a　breeze；　you　may　see　the　ruins　of　the　palace　at　the　bottom　of　the　clear　lake。　Taken　along　with　the　similar　story　of　Salmoneus；　king　of　Elis；　this　legend　points　to　a　real　custom　observed　by　the　early　kings　of　Greece　and　Italy；　who；　like　their　fellows　in　Africa　down　to　modern　times；　may　have　been　expected　to　produce　rain　and　thunder　for　the　good　of　the　crops。　The　priestly　king　Numa　passed　for　an　adept　in　the　art　of　drawing　down　lightning　from　the　sky。　Mock　thunder；　we　know；　has　been　made　by　various　peoples　as　a　rain…charm　in　modern　times；　why　should　it　not　have　been　made　by　kings　in　antiquity？

Thus；　if　the　kings　of　Alba　and　Rome　imitated　Jupiter　as　god　of　the　oak　by　wearing　a　crown　of　oak　leaves；　they　seem　also　to　have　copied　him　in　his　character　of　a　weather…god　by　pretending　to　make　thunder　and　lightning。　And　if　they　did　so；　it　is　probable　that；　like　Jupiter　in　heaven　and　many　kings　on　earth；　they　also　acted　as　public　rain…makers；　wringing　showers　from　the　dark　sky　by　their　enchantments　whenever　the　parched　earth　cried　out　for　the　refreshing　moisture。　At　Rome　the　sluices　of　heaven　were　opened　by　means　of　a　sacred　stone；　and　the　ceremony　appears　to　have　formed　part　of　the　ritual　of　Jupiter　Elicius；　the　god　who　elicits　from　the　clouds　the　flashing　lightning　and　the　dripping　rain。　And　who　so　well　fitted　to　perform　the　ceremony　as　the　king；　the　living　representative　of　the　sky…god？

If　the　kings　of　Rome　aped　Capitoline　Jove；　their　predecessors　the　kings　of　Alba　probably　laid　themselves　out　to　mimic　the　great　Latian　Jupiter；　who　had　his　seat　above　the　city　on　the　summit　of　the　Alban　Mountain。　Latinus；　the　legendary　ancestor　of　the　dynasty；　was　said　to　have　been　changed　into　Latian　Jupiter　after　vanishing　from　the　world　in　the　mysterious　fashion　characteristic　of　the　old　Latin　kings。　The　sanctuary　of　the　god　on　the　top　of　the　mountain　was　the　religious　centre　of　the　Latin　League；　as　Alba　was　its　political　capital　till　Rome　wrested　the　supremacy　from　its　ancient　rival。　Apparently　no　temple；　in　our　sense　of　the　word；　was　ever　erected　to　Jupiter　on　this　his　holy　mountain；　as　god　of　the　sky　and　thunder　he　appropriately　received　the　homage　of　his　worshippers　in　the　open　air。　The　massive　wall；　of　which　some　remains　still　enclose　the　old　garden　of　the　Passionist　monastery；　seems　to　have　been　part　of　the　sacred　precinct　which　Tarquin　the　Proud；　the　last　king　of　Rome；　marked　out　for　the　solemn　annual　assembly　of　the　Latin　League。　The　god's　oldest　sanctuary　on　this　airy　mountain…top　was　a　grove；　and　bearing　in　mind　not　merely　the　special　consecration　of　the　oak　to　Jupiter；　but　also　the　traditional　oak　crown　of　the　Alban　kings　and　the　analogy　of　the　Capitoline　Jupiter　at　Rome；　we　may　suppose　that　the　trees　in　the　grove　were　oaks。　We　know　that　in　antiquity　Mount　Algidus；　an　outlying　group　of　the　A