I can’t seem to make out this line:
simul cum dono fines templo Iovis designavit…
At first, I wanted to take cum as the preposition with dono “with a gift,” but I think this is another cum clause. Romulus marked out the boundaries for a temple of Juppiter. Is dono ablative “as a a gift.” Any ideas?
Having checked the context, I’d take it as “with the gift”, i.e. the spolia opima. Also, I think the construction would be a bit awkward, shifting from subjunctive to indicative: cum spolia opima deposuisset, simul cum…designavit cognomenque addidit….
I agree with Shenoute.
It would be worth looking at the entry for simul in L&S :
“Referring to nouns, etc., connected by the preposition cum: simul cum = unā cum (v. una, s. v. unus), together with: … simul cum dono designavit templi finis, Liv. 1…”
also see Unus …"(adv.), ūnā, in one place or at one time, together with, at once, at the same time…
Translations tend to turn “with his gift” into a verb: “at the same time as he made his offering, marked out the boundary…” (Warrior). The Loeb uses this translation too. I think “offering” is better than “gift” given we know it is a dedication to Jupiter.
Thank you both. I see my error now. I find the references to L&S particularly helpful. Patient, if sometimes plodding, research in the lexicon pays big dividends.