Page:The Ancient City- A Study on the Religion, Laws, and Institutions of Greece and Rome.djvu/226

 220 THE CITY. BOOK HE among tlje Romans, and which was not less common among the Greeks. This custom was a consequence of the opinion which attributed the victory to the gods of the city. Before the battle the army had addressed a prayer to them, like the one we read in ^schylus : "To yon, O gods, who inhabit and possess our land, if our arms are fortunate, and if our city is saved, I promise to sprinkle your altars with the blood of sheep,, to sacrifice bulls to ycu, and to hang up in your holy temples the trophies conquered by the spear." ' By virtue of this promise, the victor owed a sacrifice. The army entered the city to offer it, and repaired to the temple, forming a long procession, and singing a sa- cred liymn — dgluju^o;.^ At Rome the ceremony was very nearly the same. The army marched in procession to the principal tem- ple of the city. The priests walked at the head of the cortege^ leading victims. On reaching the temple, the general sacrificed the victims to the gods. On their way the soldiers all wore crowns, as was becoming in a sacred ceremony, and sung a hymn, as in Greece. There came a time, indeed, when the soldiers did not scruple to replace the hymn, which they did not under- stand, by barrack songs and raillery at their general ; but they still preserved the custom of repeating the re- frain lo triumphed Indeed, it was this refrain which gave the name to the ceremony. Thus, in time of peace, as in war time, religion inter- vened in all acts. It was everywhere present, it en- ' Diodoius, IV. 5. Photius, 6nianftOi, enidniig v«;<f;e, noftTuj. I. 19.
 * iEschylus, Se-pt. Cont. Theb., 252-2G0. Eurip., Phcen., 573.
 * Varro, L. L., VI. G4. Pliny, JV. IT., VII. 56. Macrobius^