Delphi Complete Works of Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Illustrated) (Delphi Ancient Classics Book 79)

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus

  [1] ὡς δὲ κατεστήσαντο ταῦτα, δείσαντες, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, μὴ δόξα τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐγγένηται περὶ τῆς καινῆς πολιτείας οὐκ ἀληθής, ὅτι δύο βασιλεῖς κύριοι γεγόνασι τῆς πόλεως ἀνθ᾽ ἑνὸς ἑκατέρου τῶν ὑπάτων τοὺς δώδεκα πελέκεις ἔχοντος, ὥσπερ εἶχον οἱ βασιλεῖς, ἔκριναν τό τε δέος ἀφελέσθαι τῶν πολιτῶν καὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας μειῶσαι τὸν φθόνον, τοῦ μὲν ἑτέρου τῶν ὑπάτων τοὺς δώδεκα κατατάξαντες προηγεῖσθαι πελέκεις, τοῦ δ᾽ ἑτέρου δώδεκα ὑπηρέτας ῥάβδους ἔχοντας μόνον, ὡς δέ τινες ἱστοροῦσι, καὶ κορύνας, γίνεσθαι δὲ τῶν πελέκεων τὴν παράληψιν ἐκ περιτροπῆς ἕνα 1 μῆνα κατέχοντος αὐτοὺς ἑκατέρου παραλλάξ.

  [2.1] After the consuls had settled these matters, fearing, as I suspect, that the masses might gain a false impression of their new form of government and imagine that two kings had become masters of the state instead of one, since each of the consuls had the twelve axes, like the kings, they resolved to quiet the fears of the citizens and to lessen the hatred of their power by ordering that one of the consuls should be preceded by the twelve axes and the other by twelve lictors with rods only, or, as some relate, with clubs also, and that they should receive the axes in rotation, each consul possessing them in turn one month.

  [2] τοῦτο δὴ τὸ πολίτευμα καταστησάμενοι καὶ ἄλλα τούτοις παραπλήσια οὐκ ὀλίγα πρόθυμον ἐποίησαν εἰς τὴν διαμονὴν τῶν πραγμάτων τὸν δημότην καὶ ταπεινὸν ὄχλον καὶ γὰρ τοὺς νόμους τοὺς περὶ τῶν συμβολαίων τοὺς ὑπὸ Τυλλίου γραφέντας φιλανθρώπους καὶ δημοτικοὺς εἶναι δοκοῦντας, οὓς ἅπαντας κατέλυσε Ταρκύνιος, ἀνενεώσαντο καὶ τὰς θυσίας τάς τε κατὰ πόλιν καὶ τὰς ἐπὶ τῶν ἀγρῶν, ἃς ἐποιοῦντο κοινῶς συνιόντες οἱ δημόται τε καὶ οἱ φυλέται, πάλιν προσέταξαν ἐπιτελεῖσθαι, [p. 141] ὡς ἐπὶ Τυλλίου συνετελοῦντο: ἐκκλησιάζειν τ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἀπέδοσαν ὑπὲρ τῶν μεγίστων καὶ ψῆφον ἐπιφέρειν καὶ τἆλλα πράττειν, ὅσα κατὰ τοὺς προτέρους ἐθισμοὺς ἔπραττον.

  [2] By this and not a few other measures of like nature they caused the plebeians and the lower class to be eager for a continuance of the existing order. For they restored the laws introduced by Tullius concerning contracts, which seemed to be humane and democratic, but had all been abrogated by Tarquinius; and they restored to the people the right of holding assemblies concerning affairs of the greatest moment, of giving their votes, and of doing all the other things they had been wont to do according to former custom.

  [3] τοῖς μὲν οὖν πολλοῖς καθ᾽ ἡδονὴν τὰ γινόμενα ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν ἦν ἐκ πολυχρονίου δουλείας εἰς ἀνέλπιστον ἀφιγμένοις ἐλευθερίαν, εὑρέθησαν δέ τινες ἐξ αὐτῶν ὅμως, οἷς πόθος ἦν τῶν ἐν τυραννίδι κακῶν δι᾽ εὐήθειαν ἢ διὰ πλεονεξίαν, ἄνδρες οὐκ ἀφανεῖς, οἳ συνώμοσαν ἐπὶ προδοσίᾳ τῆς πόλεως Ταρκύνιόν τε καταδέξασθαι συνθέμενοι καὶ τοὺς ὑπάτους ἀποκτεῖναι. ἡγεμόνες δ᾽ αὐτῶν οἵτινες ἐγένοντο καὶ δι᾽ οἵας ἐξηλέγχθησαν ἀνελπίστου συντυχίας καίτοι πάντας ἀνθρώπους λεληθέναι δοκοῦντες, μικρὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν γενομένων ἀναλαβὼν λέξω.

  [3] These acts of the consuls pleased the masses, who had come out of long slavery into unexpected liberty; nevertheless, there were found among them some, and these no obscure persons, who from either simplicity or greed longed for the evils existing under a tyranny, and these formed a conspiracy to betray the city, agreeing together, not only to restore Tarquinius, but also to kill the consuls. Who the heads of this conspiracy and by what unexpected good fortune they were detected, though they imagined they had escaped the notice of everybody, shall now be related, after I have first gone back and mentioned a few things that happened earlier.

  [1] Ταρκύνιος ἐπειδὴ τῆς βασιλείας ἐξέπεσε, χρόνον μέν τινα οὐ πολὺν ἐν πόλει Γαβίοις διέτριβε τούς τε συνιόντας πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ὑποδεχόμενος, οἷς ἦν τυραννὶς ἀσπαστότερον χρῆμα ἐλευθερίας, καὶ ταῖς Λατίνων ἐλπίσιν ἐπέχων ὡς δι᾽ ἐκείνων καταχθησόμενος ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχήν. ὡς δ᾽ οὐ προσεῖχον αὐτῷ τὸν νοῦν αἱ πόλεις οὐδ᾽ ἐβούλοντο πόλεμον ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων πόλιν ἐκφέρειν, ἀπογνοὺς τὰς παρὰ τούτων ἐπικουρίας, εἰς Τυρρηνικὴν καταφεύγει πόλιν Ταρκυνίους, ἐξ ἧς τὸ πρὸς μητρὸς αὐτῷ γένος ἦν.

  [3.1] Tarquinius, after being driven from the throne, remained a short time in the city of Gabii, both to receive such as came to him from Rome, to whom tyranny was a more desirable thing than liberty, and to await the event of the hopes he placed in the Latins of being restored to the sovereignty by their aid. But when their cities paid no heed to him and were unwilling to make war upon the Roman state on his account, he despaired of any assistance from them and took refuge in Tarquinii, a Tyrrhenian city, from whence his family on his mother’s side had originally come.

  [2] πείσας δὲ τὰ τέλη τῶν Ταρκυνιητῶν [p. 142] δωρεαῖς καὶ δι᾽ ἐκείνων ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν παραχθεὶς τήν τε συγγένειαν ἀνενεώσατο τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὰς εὐεργεσίας διεξῆλθεν, ἃς ὁ πάππος αὐτοῦ πάσαις ἐχαρίσατο ταῖς ἐν Τυρρηνίᾳ πόλεσι, καὶ τὰς συνθήκας ὑπεμίμνησκεν, ἃς ἦσαν πεποιημένοι πρὸς αὐτόν: ἐπὶ δὲ τούτοις ἅπασι τῆς κατειληφυίας αὐτὸν ὠδύρετο τύχας, ὡς ἐκ μεγάλης ἐκπεσὼν εὐδαιμονίας ἐν ἡμέρᾳ μιᾷ πλάνης καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἐνδεὴς σὺν υἱοῖς τρισὶν ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτῷ ποτε 2 γενομένους ἠναγκάσθη καταφυγεῖν.

  [2] And having bribed the magistrates of the Tarquinienses with gifts and been brought by them before the assembly of the people, he renewed the ties of kinship which existed between him and their city, recounted the favours his grandfather had conferred on all the Tyrrhenian cities, and reminded them of the treaties they had made with him. After all this, he lamented the calamities which had overtaken him, showing how, after having fallen in one day from the height of felicity, he had been compelled, as a wanderer in want of the necessaries of life, to fly for refuge, together with his three sons, to those who had once been his subjects.

  [3] διεξελθὼν δ᾽ ὧδε ταῦτα μετὰ πολλῶν οἴκτων τε καὶ δακρύων ἔπεισε τὸν δῆμον πρέσβεις ἀποστεῖλαι πρῶτον εἰς Ῥώμην συμβατηρίους φέροντας ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ λόγους, ὡς δὴ συμπρατ�
�όντων αὐτῷ τῶν δυνατῶν ἐκεῖθεν καὶ συλληψομένων τῆς καθόδου. ἀποδειχθέντων δὲ πρεσβευτῶν, οὓς αὐτὸς προείλετο, διδάξας τοὺς ἄνδρας ἃ χρὴ λέγειν τε καὶ πράττειν, καὶ παρὰ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ φυγάδων γράμματα δοὺς δεήσεις ἔχοντα πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους αὐτῶν καὶ φίλους, ἀπέστειλε φέροντάς τι καὶ χρυσίον.

  [3] Having thus recounted his misfortunes with many lamentations and tears, he prevailed upon the people, first of all to send ambassadors to Rome to possess terms of accommodation on his behalf, assuring them that the men in power there were working in his interest and would aid in his restoration. Ambassadors, of his own selection, having then been appointed, he instructed them in everything they were to say and do; and giving them letters from the exiles who were with him, containing entreaties to their relations and friends, he gave them some gold also and sent them on their way.

  [1] οὗτοι οἱ ἄνδρες εἰς Ῥώμην ἐλθόντες ἔλεγον ἐπὶ τῆς βουλῆς, Ὅτι Ταρκύνιος ἀξιοῖ λαβὼν ἄδειαν ἐλθεῖν σὺν ὀλίγοις πρῶτον μὲν ἐπὶ τὸ συνέδριον, ὥσπερ ἐστὶ δίκαιον: ἔπειτ᾽ ἂν λάβῃ παρὰ τῆς βουλῆς τὸ συγχώρημα τότε καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐλθεῖν λόγον ὑφέξων ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων ὧν ἔπραξεν, ἀφ᾽ οὗ τὴν ἀρχὴν παρέλαβε, καὶ δικασταῖς χρησόμενος ἐάν τις αὐτοῦ [p. 143]

  [4.1] When these men arrived in Rome, they said in the senate that Tarquinius desired leave to come there under a safe-conduct, together with a small retinue, and to address himself, first to the senate, as was right and proper, and after that, if he received permission from the senate, to the assembly of the people also, and there give an account of all his actions from the time of his accession to the sovereignty, and if anyone accused him, to submit himself to the judgment of all the Romans.

  [2] κατηγορήσῃ πᾶσι Ῥωμαίοις. ἀπολογηθεὶς δὲ καὶ πείσας ἅπαντας, ὡς οὐδὲν ἄξιον εἴργασται φυγῆς, ἐὰν μὲν ἀποδῶσιν αὐτῷ τὴν βασιλείαν αὖθις, ἄρξειν ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἂν ὁρίσωσιν οἱ πολῖται δικαίοις, ἐὰν δὲ μηκέτι βασιλεύεσθαι προαιρῶνται καθάπερ ἔμπροσθεν, ἀλλ᾽ ἑτέραν τινὰ καταστήσασθαι πολιτείαν, μένων ἐν τῇ πόλει πατρίδι οὔσῃ καὶ τὸν ἴδιον οἶκον ἔχων πολιτεύσεσθαι μετὰ πάντων ἐξ ἴσου, φυγῆς δ᾽ ἀπηλλάχθαι καὶ πλάνης.

  [2] And after he had made his defence and convinced them all that he had done nothing worthy of banishment, he would then, if they gave him the sovereignty again, reign upon such conditions as the citizens should determine; or, if they preferred no longer to live under a monarchy, as formerly, but to establish some other form of government, he would remain in Rome, which was his native city, and enjoying his private property, would live on an equality with all the others, and thus have done with exile and a life of wandering.

  [3] ταῦτα διεξελθόντες ἐδέοντο τῆς βουλῆς, μάλιστα μὲν διὰ τὸ δίκαιον, ὃ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις καθέστηκε, μηθένα λόγου καὶ κρίσεως ἀποστερεῖν, συγχωρῆσαι τῷ ἀνδρὶ τὴν ἀπολογίαν, ἧς αὐτοὶ γενήσονται δικασταί: εἰ δ᾽ ἐκείνῳ ταύτην οὐ βούλονται δοῦναι τὴν χάριν, τῆς δεομένης ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ πόλεως ἕνεκα μετριάσαι, δωρεὰν αὐτῇ διδόντας, ἐξ ἧς οὐδὲν αὐτοὶ βλαπτόμενοι μεγάλην δόξουσι τιμὴν κατατίθεσθαι τῇ λαμβανούσῃ, ἀνθρώπους δ᾽ ὄντας μηδὲν ὑπὲρ τὴν φύσιν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φρονεῖν μηδ᾽ ἀθανάτους ἔχειν τὰς ὀργὰς ἐν θνητοῖς σώμασιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ γνώμην τί πράττειν ἐπιεικὲς ὑπομεῖναι τῶν δεομένων χάριν, ἐνθυμηθέντας, ὅτι φρονίμων μὲν ἀνθρώπων ἔργον ἐστὶ ταῖς φιλίαις χαρίζεσθαι τὰς ἔχθρας, ἀνοήτων δὲ καὶ βαρβάρων τοῖς ἐχθροῖς συναναιρεῖν τοὺς φίλους.

  [3] Having stated their case, the ambassadors begged of the senate that they would preferably, on the principle of the right, recognized by all men, that no one should be deprived of the opportunity of defending himself and of being tried, grant him leave to make his defence, of which the Romans themselves would be the judges; but if they were unwilling to grant this favour to him, then they asked them to act with moderation out of regard for the city that interceded on his behalf, by granting her a favour from which they would suffer no harm themselves and yet would be looked upon as conferring great honour upon the city that received it. And they asked them, as being men, not to think thoughts too lofty for human nature or to harbour undying resentment in mortal bodies, but to consent to perform an act of clemency even contrary to their inclination, for the sake of those who entreated them, bearing in mind that it is the part of wise men to waive their enmities in the interest of their friendships and the part of stupid men and barbarians to destroy their friends together with their enemies.

  [1] τοιαῦτα λεξάντων αὐτῶν ἀναστὰς ὁ Βροῦτος ἔφη Περὶ μὲν εἰσόδου Ταρκυνίων εἰς τήνδε πόλιν παύσασθε, ἄνδρες Τυρρηνοί, τὰ πλείω λέγοντες. ἐπῆκται γὰρ ἤδη ψῆφος ἀίδιον κατ᾽ αὐτῶν ὁρίζουσα φυγήν, [p. 144] καὶ θεοὺς ὀμωμόκαμεν ἅπαντες μήτ᾽ αὐτοὶ κατάξειν τοὺς τυράννους μηδὲ τοῖς κατάγουσιν ἐπιτρέψειν: εἰ δέ τινος ἄλλου δεῖσθε τῶν μετρίων, ἃ μὴ νόμοις μηδ᾽ ὅρκοις κεκωλύμεθα δρᾶν, λέγετε. μετὰ τοῦτο παρελθόντες 3 οἱ πρέσβεις λέγουσι:

  [5.1] After they had done speaking, Brutus rose up and said: “Concerning a return of the Tarquinii to this city, Tyrrhenians, say no more. For a vote has already been passed condemning them to perpetual banishment, and we have all sworn by the gods neither to restore the tyrants ourselves nor to permit others to restore them. But if you desire anything else of us that is reasonable which were not prevented from doing by the laws or by our oaths, declare it.” Thereupon the ambassadors came forward and said:

  [2] παρὰ δόξαν μὲν ἡμῖν ἀπήντηται τὰ πρῶτα: πρεσβευσάμενοι γὰρ ὑπὲρ ἀνδρὸς ἱκέτου λόγον ὑμῖν ὑποσχεῖν ἀξιοῦντος καὶ τὸ κοινὸν ἁπάντων δίκαιον εἰς ἰδίαν αἰτούμενοι χάριν οὐ δεδυνήμεθα τούτου τυχεῖν: ἐπεὶ δ᾽ οὕτως ὑμῖν δοκεῖ, περὶ μὲν εἰσόδου Ταρκυνίων οὐδὲν ἔτι λιπαροῦμεν, προκαλούμεθα δ᾽ ὑμᾶς εἰς ἕτερόν τι δίκαιον, ὑπὲρ οὗ τὰς ἐντολὰς ἡμῖν ἔδωκεν ἡ πατρίς, καὶ οὔτε νόμος ὁ κωλύσων αὐτὸ ποιεῖν ὑμᾶς ἐστιν οὔθ᾽ ὅρκος, ἀποδοῦναι τῷ βασιλεῖ τὴν οὐσίαν, ἣν ὁ πάππος αὐτοῦ πρότερον ἐκέκτητο οὐθὲν τῶν ὑμετέρων οὔτε βίᾳ κατασχὼν οὔτε λάθρα, παρὰ δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς διαδεξάμενος καὶ πρὸς ὑμᾶς μετενέγκας. ἀπόχρη γὰρ αὐτῷ τὰ ἑαυτο
ῦ κομισαμένῳ ζῆν ἑτέρωθί που μακαρίως μηθὲν ἐνοχλοῦντι ὑμῖν.

  [2] “Our first efforts have not turned out as we expected. For, though we have come as ambassadors on behalf of a suppliant who desires to give you an account of his actions, and though we ask as a private favour the right that is common to all men, we have not been able to obtain it. Since, then, this is your decision, we plead no longer for the return of the Tarquinii, but we do call upon you to perform an act of justice of another kind, concerning which our country has given us instructions — and there is neither law nor oath to hinder you from doing it — namely, to restore to the king the property formerly possessed by his grandfather, who however got anything of yours either by force or by fraud, but inherited his wealth from his father and brought it to you. For it is enough for him to recover what belongs to him and to live happily in some other place, without causing you any annoyance.”

  [3] τοιαῦτα μὲν οἱ πρέσβεις διαλεχθέντες ἐξῆλθον: τῶν δ᾽ ὑπάτων Βροῦτος μὲν κατέχειν τὰ χρήματα συνεβούλευσε τιμωρίας τε χάριν ἀνθ᾽ ὧν οἱ τύραννοι τὸ κοινὸν ἠδίκησαν πολλῶν ὄντων καὶ μεγάλων, καὶ τοῦ συμφέροντος ἕνεκεν, ἵνα μὴ γένοιτ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἀφορμὴ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον, διδάσκων ὡς οὐκ ἀγαπήσουσι Ταρκύνιοι τὰς οὐσίας ἀπολαβόντες οὐδ᾽ ὑπομενοῦσιν ἰδιώτην βίον ζῆν, ἀλλὰ πόλεμον ἐπάξουσι Ῥωμαίοις ἀλλοεθνῆ καὶ πειράσονται βίᾳ κατελθεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχήν.