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But he who was the second to take over the State gained time by good fortune to consolidate and make assured the enlargement of Rome; for much peace did he secure for her and much quiet. But if at that time a Porsenna had pressed hard upon the city and had erected an Etruscan stockade and a camp beside the new walls which were still moist and unstable, or if from the Marsi had come some rebellious chief filled with warlike frenzy, or some Lucanian, incited by envy and love of strife, a man contentious and warlike, as later was Mutilus or the bold Silo b or Sulla’s last antagonist, Telesinus, Life of Sulla, chap. xxix. (470 d); Compar. of Lysander and Sulla, iv. (477 f). arming all Italy at one preconcerted signal, as it were - if one of these had sounded his trumpets round about Numa, the lover of wisdom, while he was sacrificing and praying, the early beginnings of the City would not have been able to hold out against such a mighty surge and billow, nor would they ever have increased to such a goodly and numerous people. But as it is, it seems likely that the peace of Numa’s reign was a provision to equip them for their subsequent wars, and that the people, like an athlete, having, during a period of forty-three years following the contests of Romulus’s time, trained themselves in quiet and made their strength staunch enough to cope in battle with those who later arrayed themselves against them. For they relate that no famine nor pestilence nor failure of crops nor any unseasonable occurrence in either summer or winter vexed Rome during that time, as if it were not wise human counsel, but divine Fortune that was Rome’s guardian during those crucial days. Therefore at that time the double door of Janus’s Cf. Life of Numa, chap. xx. (73 a); Livy, i. 19. 2-7; Pliny, Natural History, xxxiv. 7. 33; Suetonius, Augustus, 22. temple was shut, which the Romans call the Portal of War; for it is open when there is war,but closedwhen peace has beenmade. But after Numa died it was opened, since the war with the Albans had broken out. Then countless other wars followed in continuous succession until again, after four hundred and eighty years, it was closed in the peace following the Punic War, when Gaius Atilius and Titus Manlius were consuls.In 235 b.c. after the First Punic War; references may be found in Pauly-Wissowa, Real-Encycl. xiv. 1207. After this year it was again opened and the wars continued until Caesar’s victory at Actium.In 31 b.c. Then the arms of Rome were idle for a time, but not for long; for the tumults caused by the Cantabri and Gaul, breaking forth at the sanie time with the Germans, disturbed the peace. These facts are added to the record as proofs of Numa’s good fortune.
