[3] These people also possessed themselves of no inconsiderable part of the Campanian plains, as they are called, which afford not only very fertile pasturage but most pleasing prospects as well, having driven the Auronissi, a barbarous nation, out of part of them. There they built various other cities and also Larisa, encamp they named after their mother-city in the Peloponnesus.
[4] τῶν μὲν οὖν ἄλλων πολισμάτων ἔστιν ἃ καὶ μέχρις ἐμοῦ ὀρθὰ ἦν, διαμείψαντα πολλάκις τοὺς οἰκήτορας: ἡ δὲ Λάρισα ἐκ πολλῶν πάνυ χρόνων ἐρημωθεῖσα οὐδ᾽ εἰ πώποτε ᾠκήθη γνώρισμα φανερὸν οὐδὲν ἔχει τοῖς νῦν ὅτι μὴ τοὔνομα, καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο πολλοὶ ἴσασιν: ἦν δὲ ἀγορᾶς Ποπιλίας καλουμένης οὐ πρόσω. πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ἄλλα τῆς τε παραθαλαττίου καὶ ἐν τῇ μεσογείῳ χωρία κατέσχον ἀφελόμενοι τοὺς Σικελούς. [p. 34]
[4] Some of these cities were standing even to my day, having often changed their inhabitants. But Larisa has been long deserted and shows to the people of to-day no other sign of its ever having been inhabited but its name, and even this is not generally known. It was not far from the place called Forum Popilii. They also occupied a great many other places, both on the coast and in the interior, which they had taken from the Sicels.
[1] οἱ δὲ Σικελοὶ ῾οὐ γὰρ ἔτι ἀντέχειν οἷοί τε ἦσαν ὑπό τε Πελασγῶν καὶ Ἀβοριγίνων πολεμούμενοἰ τέκνα καὶ γυναῖκας καὶ τῶν χρημάτων ὅσα χρυσὸς ἢ ἄργυρος ἦν ἀνασκευασάμενοι μεθίενται αὐτοῖς ἁπάσης τῆς γῆς. τραπόμενοι δὲ διὰ τῆς ὀρεινῆς ἐπὶ τὰ νότια καὶ διεξελθόντες ἅπασαν Ἰταλίαν τὴν κάτω, ἐπειδὴ πανταχόθεν ἀπηλαύνοντο, σὺν χρόνῳ κατασκευασάμενοι σχεδίας ἐπὶ τῷ πορθμῷ καὶ φυλάξαντες κατιόντα τὸν ῥοῦν ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰταλίας διέβησαν ἐπὶ τὴν ἔγγιστα
[22.1] The Sicels, being warred upon by both the Pelasgians and the Aborigines, found themselves incapable of making resistance any longer, and so, taking with them their wives and children and such of their possessions as were any other gold or silver, they abandoned all their country to these foes. Then, turning their course southward through the mountains, they proceeded through all the lower part of Italy, and being driven away from every place, they at last prepared rafts at the Strait and, watching for a downward current, passed over from Italy to the adjacent island.
[2] νῆσον. κατεῖχον δ᾽ αὐτὴν Σικανοὶ, γένος Ἰβηρικόν, οὐ πολλῷ πρότερον ἐνοικισάμενοι Λίγυας φεύγοντες, καὶ παρεσκεύασαν ἀφ᾽ ἑαυτῶν Σικανίαν κληθῆναι τὴν νῆσον, Τρινακρίαν πρότερον ὀνομαζομένην ἐπὶ τοῦ τριγώνου σχήματος. ἦσαν δὲ οὐ πολλοὶ ἐν μεγάλῃ αὐτῇ οἰκήτορες, ἀλλ᾽ ἡ πλείων τῆς χώρας ἔτι ἦν ἔρημος. καταχθέντες οὖν εἰς αὐτὴν Σικελοὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐν τοῖς ἑσπερίοις μέρεσιν ᾤκησαν, ἔπειτα καὶ ἄλλῃ πολλαχῇ, καὶ τοὔνομα ἡ νῆσος ἐπὶ
[2] It was then occupied by the Sicanians, an Iberian nation, who, fleeing from the Ligurians, had but lately settled there and had caused the island, previously named Trinacria, from its triangular shape, to be called Sicania, after themselves. There were very few inhabitants in it for so large an island, and the greater part of it was as yet unoccupied. Accordingly, when the Sicels landed there they first settled in the western parts and afterwards in several others; and from these people the island began to be called Sicily.
[3] τούτων ἤρξατο Σικελία καλεῖσθαι. τὸ μὲν δὴ Σικελικὸν γένος οὕτως ἐξέλιπεν Ἰταλίαν, ὡς μὲν Ἑλλάνικος ὁ Λέσβιός φησι, τρίτῃ γενεᾷ πρότερον τῶν Τρωικῶν Ἀλκυόνης ἱερωμένης ἐν Ἄργει κατὰ τὸ ἕκτον καὶ εἰκοστὸν ἔτος. δύο δὲ ποιεῖ στόλους Ἰταλικοὺς διαβάντας εἰς Σικελίαν: τὸν μὲν πρότερον Ἐλύμων, οὕς [p. 35] φησιν ὑπ᾽ Οἰνώτρων ἐξαναστῆναι, τὸν δὲ μετὰ τοῦτον ἔτει πέμπτῳ γενόμενον Αὐσόνων Ἰάπυγας φευγόντων: βασιλέα δὲ τούτων ἀποφαίνει Σικελὸν, ἀφ᾽ οὗ τοὔνομα τοῖς τε ἀνθρώποις καὶ τῇ νήσῳ τεθῆναι.
[3] In this manner the Sicel nation left Italy, according to Hellanicus of Lesbos, in the third generation before the Trojan war, and in the twenty-sixth year of the priesthood of Alcyonê at Argos. But he says that two Italian expeditions passed over into Sicily, the first consisting of the Elymians, who had been driven out of their country by the Oenotrians, and the second, five years later, of the Ausonians, who fled from the Iapygians. As king of the latter group he names Sicelus, from whom both the people and the island got their name.
[4] ὡς δὲ Φίλιστος ὁ Συρακούσιος ἔγραψε, χρόνος μὲν τῆς διαβάσεως ἦν ἔτος ὀγδοηκοστὸν πρὸ τοῦ Τρωικοῦ πολέμου, ἔθνος δὲ τὸ διακομισθὲν ἐξ Ἰταλίας οὔτε Σικελῶν οὔτε Αὐσόνων οὔτ᾽ Ἐλύμων, ἀλλὰ Λιγύων, ἄγοντος αὐτοὺς Σικελοῦ: τοῦτον δ᾽ εἶναί φησιν υἱὸν Ἰταλοῦ, καὶ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐπὶ τούτου δυναστεύοντος ὀνομασθῆναι Σικελούς:
[4] But according to Philistus of Syracuse the date of the crossing was the eightieth year before the Trojan war and the people who passed over from Italy were neither Ausonians nor Elymians, but Ligurians, whose leader was Sicelus; this Sicelus, he says, was the son of Italus and in his reign the people were called Sicels,
[5] ἐξαναστῆναι δ᾽ ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτῶν τοὺς Λίγυας ὑπό τε Ὀμβρικῶν καὶ Πελασγῶν. Ἀντίοχος δὲ ὁ Συρακούσιος χρόνον μὲν οὐ δηλοῖ τῆς διαβάσεως, Σικελοὺς δὲ τοὺς μεταναστάντας ἀποφαίνει βιασθέντας ὑπό τε Οἰνώτρων καὶ Ὀπικῶν, Στράτωνα δ᾽ ἡγεμόνα τῆς ἀποικίας ποιησαμένους. Θουκυδίδης δὲ Σικελοὺς μὲν εἶναι γράφει τοὺς μεταναστάντας, Ὀπικοὺς δὲ τοὺς ἐκβαλόντας, τὸν δὲ χρόνον πολλοῖς ἔτεσι τῶν Τρωικῶν ὕστερον. τὰ μὲν δὴ περὶ Σικελῶν λεγόμενα τῶν ἐξ Ἰταλίας μετενεγκαμένων τὴν οἴκησιν εἰς Σικελίαν ὑπὸ τῶν λόγου ἀξίων τοιάδε ἐστίν.
[5] and he adds that these Ligurians had been driven out of their country by the Umbrians and Pelasgians. Antiochus of Syracuse does not give the date of the crossing, but says the people who migrated were the Sicels, who had been forced to leave by the Oenotrians and Opicans, and that they chose Straton as leader of the colony. But Thucydides writes that the people who left Italy were the Sicels and those who drove them out the Opicans, and that the date was many years after the Trojan war. Such, then, are the reports given by credible authorities concerning the Sicels who changed their abode from Italy to Sicily.
[1] οἱ δὲ Πελασγοὶ πολλῆς καὶ ἀγαθῆς χώρας [p. 36] κρατήσαντες, πόλεις τε πολλὰς μὲν παραλαβόντες, ἄλλ�
�ς δ᾽ αὐτοὶ κατασκευάσαντες, μεγάλην καὶ ταχεῖαν ἐπίδοσιν ἔλαβον εἰς εὐανδρίαν καὶ πλοῦτον καὶ τὴν ἄλλην εὐτυχίαν, ἧς οὐ πολὺν ὤναντο χρόνον: ἀλλ᾽ ἡνίκα μάλιστα τοῖς σύμπασιν ἀνθεῖν ἐδόκουν, δαιμονίοις τισὶ χόλοις ἐλαστρηθέντες οἱ μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν θείων συμφορῶν, οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ τῶν προσοικούντων βαρβάρων ἐξεφθάρησαν, τὸ δὲ πλεῖστον αὐτῶν μέρος εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα καὶ τὴν βάρβαρον αὖθις ἐσκεδάσθη ῾περὶ ὧν πολὺς ἂν εἴη λόγος, εἰ βουλοίμην τὴν ἀκρίβειαν γράφειν᾽, ὀλίγον δὲ κατέμεινεν ἐν Ἰταλίᾳ τῶν Ἀβοριγίνων προνοίᾳ.
[23.1] The Pelasgians, after conquering a large and fertile region, taking over many towns and building others, made great and rapid progress, becoming populous, rich and in every way prosperous. Nevertheless, they did not long enjoy their prosperity, but at the moment when they seemed to all the world to be in the most flourishing condition they were visited by divine wrath, and some of them were destroyed by calamities inflicted by the hand of Heaven, others by their barbarian neighbours; but the greatest part of them were again dispersed through Greece and the country of the barbarians (concerning whom, if I attempted to give a particular account, it would make a very long story), though some few of them remained in Italy through the care of the Aborigines.
[2] πρῶτον μὲν οὖν τῆς οἰκοφθορίας ταῖς πόλεσιν ἐδόκει αὐχμῷ ἡ γῆ κακωθεῖσα ἄρξαι, ἡνίκα οὔτ᾽ ἐπὶ τοῖς δένδρεσι καρπὸς οὐδεὶς ὡραῖος γενέσθαι διέμεινεν, ἀλλ᾽ ὠμοὶ κατέρρεον, οὔθ᾽ ὁπόσα σπερμάτων ἀνέντα βλαστοὺς ἀνθήσειεν ἕως στάχυος ἀκμῆς τοὺς κατὰ νόμον ἐξεπλήρου χρόνους, οὔτε πόα κτήνεσιν ἐφύετο διαρκής, τῶν τε ναμάτων τὰ μὲν οὐκέτι πίνεσθαι σπουδαῖα ἦν, τὰ δ᾽ ὑπελίμπανε θέρους,
[2] The first cause of the desolation of their cities seemed to be a drought which laid waste the land, when neither any fruit remained on the trees till it was ripe, but dropped while still green, nor did such of the seed corn as sent up shoots and flowered stand for the usual period till the ear was ripe, nor did sufficient grass grow for the cattle; and of the waters some were no longer fit to drink, others shrank during the summer, and others were totally dried up.
[3] τὰ δ᾽ εἰς τέλος ἀπεσβέννυτο. ἀδελφὰ δὲ τούτοις ἐγίνετο περί τε προβάτων καὶ γυναικῶν γονάς: ἢ γὰρ ἐξημβλοῦτο τὰ ἔμβρυα, ἢ κατὰ τοὺς τόκους διεφθείρετο ἔστιν ἃ καὶ τὰς φερούσας συνδιαλυμηνάμενα. [p. 37] εἰ δέ τι διαφύγοι τὸν ἐκ τῶν ὠδίνων κίνδυνον ἔμπηρον ἢ ἀτελὲς ἢ δι᾽ ἄλλην τινὰ τύχην βλαφθὲν τρέφεσθαι χρηστὸν οὐκ ἦν: ἔπειτα καὶ τὸ ἄλλο πλῆθος τὸ ἐν ἀκμῇ μάλιστα ἐκακοῦτο νόσοις καὶ θανάτοις παρὰ τὰ εἰκότα συχνοῖς.
[3] And like misfortunes attended the offspring both of cattle and of women. For they were either abortive or died at birth, some by their death destroying also those that bore them; and if any got safely past the danger of the delivery, they were either maimed or defective or, being injured by some other accident, were not fit to be reared. The rest of the people, also, particularly those in the prime of life, were afflicted with many unusual diseases and uncommon deaths.
[4] μαντευομένοις δ᾽ αὐτοῖς τίνα θεῶν ἢ δαιμόνων παραβάντες τάδε πάσχουσι καὶ τί ποιήσασιν αὐτοῖς λωφῆσαι τὰ δεινὰ ἐλπίς, ὁ θεὸς ἀνεῖλεν ὅτι τυχόντες ὧν ἐβούλοντο οὐκ ἀπέδοσαν ἃ εὔξαντο, ἀλλὰ προσοφείλουσι τὰ πλείστου ἄξια.
[4] But when they asked the oracle what god or divinity they had offended to be thus afflicted and by what means they might hope for relief, the god replied that, although they had obtained what they desired, they had neglected to pay what they had promised, and that the things of greatest value were still due from them.
[5] οἱ γὰρ Πελασγοὶ ἀφορίας αὐτοῖς γενομένης ἐν τῇ γῇ πάντων χρημάτων εὔξαντο τῷ τε Διὶ καὶ τῷ Ἀπόλλωνι καὶ τοῖς Καβείροις καταθύσειν δεκάτας τῶν προσγενησομένων ἁπάντων, τελεσθείσης δὲ τῆς εὐχῆς ἐξελόμενοι καρπῶν τε καὶ βοσκημάτων ἁπάντων τὸ λάχος ἀπέθυσαν τοῖς θεοῖς, ὡς δὴ κατὰ τούτων μόνων εὐξάμενοι. ταῦτα δὴ Μυρσίλος ὁ Λέσβιος ἱστόρηκεν ὀλίγου δεῖν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ὀνόμασι γράφων οἷς ἐγὼ νῦν, πλὴν ὅσον οὐ Πελασγοὺς καλεῖ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, ἀλλὰ Τυρρηνούς: τὴν δ᾽ αἰτίαν ὀλίγον ὕστερον ἐρῶ.
[5] For the Pelasgians in a time of general scarcity in the land had vowed to offer to Jupiter, Apollo and the Cabeiri tithes of all their future increase; but when their prayer had been answered, they set apart and offered to the gods the promised portion of all their fruits and cattle only, as if their vow had related to them alone. This is the account related by Myrsilus of Lesbos, who uses almost the same words as I do now, except that he does not call the people Pelasgians, but Tyrrhenians, of which I shall give the reason a little later.
[1] ὡς δὲ ἀπενεχθέντα τὸν χρησμὸν ἔμαθον, οὐκ εἶχον τὰ λεγόμενα συμβαλεῖν. ἀμηχανοῦσι δὲ αὐτοῖς τῶν γεραιτέρων τις λέγει συμβαλὼν τὸ λόγιον, ὅτι τοῦ παντὸς ἡμαρτήκασιν, εἰ οἴονται τοὺς θεοὺς ἀδίκως αὐτοῖς ἐγκαλεῖν. χρημάτων μὲν γὰρ ἀποδεδόσθαι τὰς ἀπαρχὰς αὐτοῖς ἁπάσας ὀρθῶς τε καὶ σὺν δίκῃ, ἀνθρώπων δὲ γονῆς τὸ λάχος, χρῆμα παντὸς [p. 38] μάλιστα θεοῖς τιμιώτατον, ὀφείλεσθαι: εἰ δὲ δὴ καὶ τούτων λάβοιεν τὴν δικαίαν μοῖραν, τέλος ἕξειν σφίσι τὸ λόγιον.
[24.1] When they heard the oracle which was brought to them, they were at a loss to guess the meaning of the message. While they were in this perplexity, one of the elders, conjecturing the sense of the saying, told them they had quite missed its meaning it they thought the gods complained of them without reason. Of material things they had indeed rendered to the gods all the first-fruits in the right and proper manner, but of human offspring, a thing of all others the most precious in the sight of the gods, the promised portion still remained due; if, however, the gods received their just share of this also, the oracle would be satisfied.
[2] τοῖς μὲν δὴ ὀρθῶς ἐδόκει λέγεσθαι ταῦτα, τοῖς δὲ ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς συγκεῖσθαι ὁ λόγος: εἰσηγησαμένου δέ τινος τὴν γνώμην, τὸν θεὸν ἐπερέσθαι, εἰ αὐτῷ φίλον ἀνθρώπων δεκάτας ἀπολαμβάνειν, πέμπουσι τὸ δεύτερον θεοπρόπους, καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἀνεῖλεν οὕτω ποιεῖν. ἐκ δὲ τούτου στάσις αὐτοὺς καταλαμβάνει περὶ τοῦ τρόπου τῆς δεκατεύσεως. καὶ ἐν ἀλλήλοις οἱ προεστηκότες τῶν π
όλεων τὸ πρῶτον ἐταράχθησαν:
[2] There were, indeed, some who thought that he spoke aright, but others felt that there was treachery behind his words. And when some one proposed to ask the god whether it was acceptable to him to receive tithes of human beings, they sent their messengers a second time, and the god ordered them so to do. Thereupon strife arose among them concerning the manner of choosing the tithes, and those who had the government of the cities first quarrelled among themselves
[3] ἔπειτα καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν πλῆθος δι᾽ ὑποψίας τοὺς ἐν τέλει ἐλάμβανεν. ἐγίνοντό τε οὐδενὶ κόσμῳ αἱ ἀπαναστάσεις, ἀλλ᾽ ὥσπερ εἰκὸς οἴστρῳ καὶ θεοβλαβείᾳ ἀπελαυνόμεναι, καὶ πολλὰ ἐφέστια ὅλα ἐξηλείφθη μέρους αὐτῶν μεθισταμένου: οὐ γὰρ ἐδικαίουν οἱ προσήκοντες τοῖς ἐξιοῦσιν ἀπολείπεσθαί τε τῶν φιλτάτων καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐχθίστοις ὑπομένειν.
[3] and afterwards the rest of the people held their magistrates in suspicion. And there began to be disorderly emigrations, such as might well be expected from a people driven forth by a frenzy and madness inflicted by the hand of Heaven. Many households disappeared entirely when part of their members left; for the relations of those who departed were unwilling to be separated from their dearest friends and remain among their worst enemies.
[4] πρῶτοι μὲν δὴ οὗτοι μεταναστάντες ἐξ Ἰταλίας εἴς τε τὴν Ἑλλάδα καὶ τῆς βαρβάρου πολλὴν ἐπλανήθησαν. μετὰ δὲ τοὺς πρώτους ἕτεροι ταὐτὸν ἔπαθον, καὶ τοῦτο διετέλει γινόμενον ὁσέτη. οὐ γὰρ ἀνίεσαν οἱ δυναστεύοντες ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι τῆς ἀνδρουμένης ἀεὶ νεότητος [p. 39] ἐξαιρούμενοι τὰς ἀπαρχάς, τοῖς τε θεοῖς τὰ δίκαια ὑπουργεῖν ἀξιοῦντες καὶ στασιασμοὺς ἐκ τῶν διαλαθόντων δεδιότες. ἦν δὲ πολὺ καὶ τὸ πρὸς ἔχθραν σὺν προφάσει εὐπρεπεῖ ἀπελαυνόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν διαφόρων: ὥστε πολλαὶ αἱ ἀπαναστάσεις ἐγίνοντο καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον γῆς τὸ Πελασγικὸν γένος διεφορήθη.
Delphi Complete Works of Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Illustrated) (Delphi Ancient Classics Book 79) Page 425