Book 15

Summary

Numa Visits Crotona

[miniature, fol. 389v: numa’s coronation]

{W}hile the land of Rome was without a king, they sought a worthy man, wise and loyal, who would know how to govern the land well and be able to succeed such a valiant king in holding such a great kingdom. They chose a worthy man of great renown, wise and valiant, named Numa, to be king by election. The king devoted his attention not only to learning and discovering the rights and laws of the land, its customs and usages – in these things the king was sufficiently wise – but he also wanted to work at and strive towards learning greater knowledge. Hence he put his study and care into learning the art of nature and the powers, natures, and strengths of created things. [1–20]

To focus more diligently on study and learning, he left the land and country where he was born and to which he was native, and the people of his homeland, and came to the city of Crotona, located on the borders of Lombardy, to study philosophy. A Greek had founded and established it there in the Greek style, and Numa asked how it had been instituted differently from other cities located in that country, and by whom. An elder of the kingdom, who was very sensible of heart and knew the customs and usages of olden times, told him: [21–39]

“Long ago Hercules came here from Spain, with rich booty that the hero had won there. He stopped by this shore and made landfall and let his livestock graze on the grass. While the cattle were grazing, Hercules, because of the exertion that weighed on him, came to the home of a worthy man who was generous and courtly. The people of those olden times named him Croton. He was courtly, as I understand it, and those who sought his hospitality found that hospitality courteously provided. Croton lodged Hercules well and handsomely. When Hercules left there, he said to his host: ‘A time will come when this house will become a city of great authority.’ He said it, and it was true: it is very evident that the promise was sound. [39–60]

“Now you’ll hear how and in what way the city was later founded here.