Clementia

In Roman mythology, Clementia was the goddess of clemency, leniency, mercy, forgiveness, penance, redemption, absolution and salvation. She was deified as a celebrated virtue of Julius Caesar, who was famed for his forbearance, especially following Caesar's civil war with Pompey from 49 BC. In 44 BC, a temple was consecrated to her by the Roman Senate, possibly at Caesar's instigation as Caesar was keen to demonstrate that he had this virtue. In a letter to his friend Atticus, Cicero is discussing Caesar's clementia: You will say they are frightened. I dare say they are, but I'll be bound they're more frightened of Pompey than of Caesar. They are delighted with his artful clemency and fear the other's wrath. Again in Pro rege Deiotaro (For King Deiotarus) Cicero discusses Caesar's virtue of clementia. There is not much information surrounding Clementia's cult; it would seem that she was merely an abstraction of a particular virtue, one that was revered in conjunction with revering Caesar and the Roman state. Clementia was seen as a good trait within a leader, it also the Latin word for humanity or forbearance. This is opposed to Saevitia which was savagery and bloodshed. Yet, she was the Roman counterpart of Eleos (or Soteria), the Greek goddess of mercy and forgiveness who had a shrine in Athens. In traditional imagery, she is depicted holding a branch (possibly an olive tree branch) and a scepter and may be leaning on a column.在罗马神话中，克莱门提亚（Clementia）是掌管宽仁、宽恕、怜悯、补赎、救赎、赦罪与拯救的女神。她被神化为尤利乌斯·凯撒（Julius Caesar）的标志性美德，凯撒以其宽仁著称，尤其在公元前49年他与庞培（Pompey）爆发内战之后。公元前44年，罗马元老院为她修建了一座神庙，此举大概率受凯撒授意——凯撒迫切希望向世人彰显自身具备这一美德。西塞罗（Cicero）在致友人阿提库斯（Atticus）的书信中谈及凯撒的宽仁："你或许会说他们心怀恐惧。我毫不怀疑他们确实恐惧，但我敢断言，他们畏惧庞培更甚于凯撒。他们为凯撒那深谙权术的宽仁所折服，却忌惮后者的雷霆之怒。"在《为国王狄奥塔鲁斯辩护》（*Pro rege Deiotaro*）一文中，西塞罗同样谈及凯撒的宽仁美德。关于克莱门提亚的崇拜仪式留存的史料寥寥无几，她似乎只是某一特定美德的抽象化身，这一美德需与凯撒及罗马国家一同受到崇敬。宽仁既是领导者必备的优良品格，同时也是拉丁语中表示"人道"或"克制"的词汇。这与代表野蛮与杀戮的萨埃维提亚（Saevitia）形成鲜明对立。而克莱门提亚乃是希腊女神埃莱奥斯（Eleos，或称索忒瑞亚Soteria）在罗马的对应神祇——埃莱奥斯是司掌怜悯与宽恕的希腊女神，其神庙坐落于雅典。在传统艺术形象中，克莱门提亚通常手持一根树枝（大概率为橄榄枝）与权杖，或斜倚于柱旁。