[3] ὅπου γὰρ οὐδὲν πεπονθότες ὑφ᾽ ἡμῶν κακὸν οὔτε μεῖζον οὔτ᾽ ἔλαττον πολλὰ καὶ παντοδαπὰ ἐξύβρισαν εἰς ὑμᾶς ἅπαντας, τί χρὴ προσδοκᾶν ποιήσειν αὐτούς, ἂν νῦν κρατήσωσι τοῖς ὅπλοις, μνησικακοῦντας, ὅτι τῆς πόλεως μὲν αὐτοὺς ἀπεστήσατε καὶ τὰς οὐσίας ἀφείλεσθε καὶ οὐδ᾽
[3] For if your enemies, though they have received no injury, great or small, at your hands, have heaped many outrages of every sort upon all of you, what must you expect them to do if they now conquer you by arms, resentful as they are because you drove them from the city, deprived them of their property, and do not permit them even to set foot upon the land of their fathers?
[4] ἐπιβῆναι τῆς πατρῴας γῆς ἐᾶτε; τελευταῖον δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων οὐδενὸς ἑτέρου φήσαιτ᾽ ἂν εἶναι πλεονεκτημάτων ἔλασσον, ἐὰν ὀρθῶς σκοπῆτε, τὸ μὴ τοιαῦτα ἡμῖν ἀπηντῆσθαι παρὰ τῶν πολεμίων, οἷα ὑπελάβομεν, ἀλλὰ πολλῷ τῆς δόξης ἐνδεέστερα. ἔξω γὰρ τῆς Ἀντιατῶν [p. 270] ἐπικουρίας οὐδένας ἄλλους ὁρᾶτε κοινωνοὺς παρόντας αὐτοῖς τοῦ πολέμου: ἡμεῖς δ᾽ ἅπαντας Οὐολούσκους ἥξειν αὐτοῖς ὑπελαμβάνομεν συμμάχους καὶ Σαβίνων τε καὶ Ἑρνίκων συχνοὺς καὶ μυρίους ἄλλους 2 διὰ κενῆς ἀνεπλάττομεν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς φόβους.
[4] And finally, of the advantages I have mentioned you cannot, if you consider the matter aright, call this one inferior to any other — that the forces of the enemy have not proved to be so formidable as we conceived them to be, but are far short of the opinion we entertained of them. For, with the exception of the support furnished by the Antiates, you see no other allies present to take part with them in the war; whereas we were expecting that all the Volscians and many of the Sabines and Hernicans would come to them as allies, and were conjuring up in our minds a thousand other vain fears.
[5] πάντα δ᾽ ἦν ἄρα ταῦτα Λατίνων ὀνείρατα, ὑποσχέσεις ἔχοντα κενὰς καὶ ἐλπίδας ἀτελεῖς. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐγκαταλελοίπασιν αὐτῶν τὴν ἐπικουρίαν καταφρονήσαντες τῶν στρατηγῶν ἐπὶ τῆς στρατολογίας, οἱ δὲ μελλήσουσι μᾶλλον ἢ βοηθήσουσι τρίβοντες ἐν ταῖς ἐλπίσι τὸν χρόνον, οἱ δὲ νῦν ὄντες ἐν παρασκευαῖς ὑστερήσαντες τῆς μάχης οὐδὲν ἔτι αὐτοῖς χρήσιμοι γενήσονται.
[5] But all these things, it appears, were only dreams of the Latins, holding out empty promises and futile hopes. For some of their allies have failed to send the promised aid, out of contempt for the inexperience of their generals; others, instead of assisting them, will keep delaying, wearing away the time by merely fostering their hopes; and those who are now engaged in making their preparations will arrive too late for the battle and will be of no further use to them.
[1] εἰ δέ τινες ὑμῶν ταῦτα μὲν ὀρθῶς εἰρῆσθαι νομίζουσιν, ὀρρωδοῦσι δὲ τὸ τῶν ἀντιπολεμίων πλῆθος, βραχείᾳ διδαχῇ μαθέτωσαν τὰ μὴ δεινὰ δεδιότες, μᾶλλον δ᾽ ἀναμνήσει: πρῶτον μὲν ἐνθυμηθέντες, ὅτι πλεῖόν ἐστιν ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸ ἠναγκασμένον τὰ ὅπλα καθ᾽ ἡμῶν ἀναλαβεῖν, ὡς ἐκ πολλῶν ἡμῖν ἔργων τε καὶ λόγων ἐδήλωσε, τὸ δ᾽ ἑκούσιόν τε καὶ ἐκ προθυμίας ὑπὲρ τῶν τυράννων ἀγωνιζόμενον πάνυ ὀλίγον, μᾶλλον δὲ πολλοστὸν μέρος τι τοῦ ἡμετέρου: ἔπειθ᾽ ὅτι τοὺς πολέμους ἅπαντας οὐχ οἱ πλείους τοῖς ἀριθμοῖς κατορθοῦσιν, ἀλλ᾽ οἱ κρείττους ἀρετῇ.
[8.1] “But if any of you, though convinced of the reasonableness of what I have said, nevertheless fear the numbers of the enemy, let them learn by a few words of instruction, or rather from their own memory, that what they dread is not formidable. Let them consider, in the first place, that the greater part of our enemies have been forced to take up arms against us, as they have often shown us by both actions and words, and that the number of those who willingly and eagerly fight for the tyrants is very small, in fact only an insignificant fraction of ours; and secondly, that all wars are won, not by the forces which are larger in numbers, but by those which are superior in valour.
[2] πολὺ ἂν ἔργον εἴη παραδείγματα φέρειν, ὅσα βαρβάρων τε καὶ Ἑλλήνων στρατεύματα ὑπερβαλόντα πλήθει μικραὶ [p. 271] πάνυ κατηγωνίσαντο δυνάμεις, οὕτως ὥστε μηδὲ πιστοὺς εἶναι τοῖς πολλοῖς τοὺς περὶ αὐτῶν λόγους. ἐῶ τἆλλα: ἀλλ᾽ ὑμεῖς αὐτοὶ πόσους κατωρθώκατε πολέμους μετ᾽ ἐλάττονος ἢ ὅσης νῦν ἔχετε δυνάμεως μείζοσιν ἢ τοσαύταις παρασκευαῖς πολεμίων ἀντιταχθέντες; φέρε, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μὲν ἄλλοις φοβεροὶ διατελεῖτε ὄντες ὧν ἐκρατεῖτε μαχόμενοι, Λατίνοις δ᾽ ἄρα τούτοις καὶ τοῖς συμμάχοις αὐτῶν Οὐολούσκοις εὐκαταφρόνητοι, διὰ τὸ μὴ πειραθῆναί ποτε αὐτοὺς τῆς ὑμετέρας μάχης; ἀλλὰ πάντες ἴστε, ὅτι ταῦτ᾽ ἀμφότερα τὰ ἔθνη πολλαῖς ἐνίκων μάχαις οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν.
[2] It would tedious to cite as examples all the armies of the Greeks as well as barbarians which, though superior in numbers, were overcome by forces so very small that the reports about the numbers engaged are not even credible to most people. But, to omit other instances, how many wars have you yourselves won, with a smaller force than you now have, when arrayed against enemies more numerous than all these the enemy have now got together? Well, then, can it be that, though you indeed continue to be formidable to those whom you have repeatedly overcome in battle, you are nevertheless contemptible in the eyes of these Latins and their allies, the Volscians, because they have never experienced your prowess in battle? But you all knew that our fathers conquered both of these nations in many battles.
[3] ἆρ᾽ οὖν λόγον ἔχει τὰ μὲν τῶν κρατηθέντων πράγματα ἐπὶ ταῖς τοιαύταις συμφοραῖς κρείττονα εἶναι, τὰ δὲ τῶν κεκρατηκότων ἐπὶ ταῖς τηλικαύταις εὐπραγίαις χείρονα; καὶ τίς ἂν τοῦτο φήσειε νοῦν ἔχων; θαυμάσαιμι δ᾽ ἄν, εἴ τις ὑμῶν τὸ μὲν τῶν πολεμίων πλῆθος, ἐν ᾧ βραχὺ τὸ γενναῖόν ἐστιν, ὀρρωδεῖ, τῆς δ᾽ οἰκείας δυνάμεως οὕτω πολλῆς καὶ ἀγαθῆς οὔσης καταφρονεῖ, ἧς οὔτ᾽ ἀρετῇ κρείττων οὔτ᾽ ἀριθμῷ πλείων συνηνέχθη ποτὲ ἡμῖν ἐν οὐδενὶ τῶν πρὸ τούτου πολέμων δύναμις.
[3] Is it reasonable, then, to suppose that the condition of the conquered has been improved after so many disasters and that of the conquerors impaired after so many successes? What man in his senses would say so? I should indeed be surprised if any of you feared the numbers of the enemy, in which there are few brave men, or scorned your own army, which is
so numerous and so brave that none exceeding it either in courage or in numbers was ever assembled in any of our former wars.
[1] καὶ τόδε, ὦ πολῖται, τοῦ μήτ᾽ ὀρρωδεῖν μήτ᾽ ἐκτρέπεσθαι τὰ δεινὰ μέγιστον παρακέλευσμα, ὅτι πάντες οἱ πρωτεύοντες τοῦ βουλευτικοῦ συνεδρίου πάρεισιν, ὥσπερ ὁρᾶτε, κοινὰς ὑμῖν ποιησόμενοι τὰς τοῦ πολέμου τύχας, οἷς ἀφεῖσθαι στρατείας ὅ τε χρόνος [p. 272]
[9.1] “There is also this very great encouragement to you, citizens, neither to dread nor to shirk what is formidable, that the principal members of the senate are all present as you see, ready to share the fortunes of the war in common with you, though they are permitted by both their age and the law to be exempt from military service.
[2] ὁ τῆς ἡλικίας ἀποδέδωκε καὶ ὁ νόμος. οὐκοῦν αἰσχρὸν μὲν ὑμᾶς τοὺς ἐν ἀκμῇ φεύγειν τὰ δεινά, τούτους δὲ τοὺς ὑπὲρ ἡλικίαν διώκειν, καὶ τὸ μὲν τῶν γερόντων πρόθυμον, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἀποκτεῖναί τινα δύναται τῶν πολεμίων, ἀποθνήσκειν γε ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρίδος ἐθέλειν, τὸ δ᾽ ὑμέτερον ἀκμάζον, οἷς ἔξεστιν εὐτυχήσασι μὲν ἀμφότερα σῶσαι καὶ νικᾶν ἀσφαλῶς, εἰ δὲ καὶ μὴ μετὰ τοῦ δρᾶσαί τι γενναῖον καὶ παθεῖν, μήτε τῆς τύχης πεῖραν λαβεῖν, μήτε τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς δόξαν 3 καταλιπεῖν;
[2] Would it not, then, be shameful if you who are in the vigour of life should flee from what is formidable, while these who are past the military age, pursue it, and if the zeal of the old men, since it lacks the strength to slay any of the enemy, should at least be willing to die for the fatherland, while the vigour of you young men, who have it in your power, if successful, to save both yourselves and them to be victorious, or, in case of failure, to suffer nobly while acting nobly, should neither make trial of Fortune nor leave behind you the renown that valour wins.
[3] οὐ πρὸς ὑμῶν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ῥωμαῖοι, τὰ μὲν πολλὰ ὑπάρχειν καὶ θαυμαστὰ ἔργα παρ᾽ ἑτέροις, οὓς οὐδεὶς ὑμνήσει λόγος ἀξίως; πολλὰς δὲ καὶ περιβοήτους πράξεις οἰκείας τὸ ἐξ ὑμῶν καρπώσεται γένος, ἢν τοῦτον ἔτι κατορθώσητε τὸν πόλεμον. ἵνα δὲ καὶ τοῖς τὰ κράτιστα ὑμῶν ἐγνωκόσι τὸ γενναῖον μὴ ἀκερδὲς γένηται καὶ τοῖς πέρα τοῦ δέοντος τὰ δεινὰ πεφοβημένοις μὴ ἀζήμιον ᾖ, πρὶν εἰς ταῦτα ἐλθεῖν, οἵων ἑκατέροις συμβήσεται τυχεῖν, ἀκούσατέ μου.
[3] Is it not an incentive to you, Romans, that just as you have before your eyes the record of the many wonderful deeds performed by your fathers, whom no words can adequately praise, so your posterity while reap the fruits of many illustrious feats of your own, if you achieve success in this war also? To the end, therefore, that neither the bravery of those among you who have chosen the best course may go unrewarded, nor the fears of such as dread what is formidable more than is fitting go unpunished, learn from me, before we enter this engagement, what it will be the fate of each of them to receive.
[4] ᾧ μὲν [p. 273] ἄν τι καλὸν ἢ γενναῖον ἐν τῇ μάχῃ διαπραξαμένῳ μαρτυρήσωσιν οἱ τὰ ἔργα συνειδότες τάς τ᾽ ἄλλας ἀποδώσω παραχρῆμα τιμάς, ἃς ἐκ τῶν πατρίων ἑκάστοις ἐθισμῶν ὑπάρχει φέρεσθαι, καὶ γῆς ἔτι προσθήσω κλῆρον, ἐξ ἧς κέκτηται τὸ δημόσιον, ἱκανὸν ποιῆσαι ὡς μηδενὸς τῶν ἀναγκαίων δεηθῆναι: ᾧ δ᾽ ἂν ἡ κακὴ καὶ θεοβλαβὴς διάνοια φυγῆς ἀσχήμονος ἐπιθυμίαν ἐμβάλῃ, τούτῳ τὸν φευγόμενον ἀγχοῦ παραστήσω θάνατον: κρείττων γὰρ ἂν ἑαυτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις γένοιτο ὁ τοιοῦτος πολίτης ἀποθανών: καὶ περιέσται τοῖς οὕτως ἀποθανοῦσι μήτε ταφῆς μήτε τῶν ἄλλων νομίμων μεταλαβεῖν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀζήλοις ἀκλαύστοις ὑπ᾽ οἰωνῶν τε καὶ θηρίων διαφορηθῆναι.
[4] To anyone who performs any great or brave deed in this battle, as proved by the testimony of those acquainted with his actions, I will not only give at once all the usual honours which it is in the power of every man to win in accordance with our ancestral customs, but will also add a portion of the land owned by the state, sufficient to secure him from any lack of the necessities of life. But if a cowardly and infatuate mind shall suggest to anyone an inclination to shameful flight, to him I will bring home the very death he endeavoured to avoid; for such a citizen were better dead, both for his own sake and for that of others. And it will be the fate of those put to death in such a manner to be honoured neither with burial nor with any of the other customary rites, but unenvied and unlamented, to be torn to pieces by birds and beasts of prey.
[5] ταῦτα δὴ προεγνωκότες ἴτε προθύμως ἅπαντες ἐπὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα, λαβόντες καλὰς ἐλπίδας ἔργων καλῶν ἡγεμόνας, ὡς ἐν ἑνὶ τῷδε κινδύνῳ τὸ κράτιστον καὶ κατ᾽ εὐχὴν ἅπασι τέλος λαβόντι τὰ μέγιστα ἕξοντες ἀγαθά, φόβου τυράννων ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐλευθερώσοντες, πόλει τῇ γειναμένῃ τροφείων δικαίας ἀπαιτούσῃ χάριτας ἀποδώσοντες, παῖδας, ὅσοις εἰσὶν ὑμῶν ἔτι νήπιοι, καὶ γαμετὰς γυναῖκας οὐ περιοψόμενοι παθεῖν πρὸς ἐχθρῶν ἀνήκεστα, γηραιούς τε πατέρας τὸν ὀλίγον ἔτι χρόνον ἥδιστον βιῶναι παρασκευάσοντες.
[5] Knowing these things beforehand, then, do you all cheerfully enter the engagement, taking fair hopes as your guides to fair deeds, assured that by the hazard of this one battle, if it be attended by the best outcome and the one we all wish for, you will obtain the greatest of all advantages: you will free yourselves from the fear of tyrants, will repay to your country that gave you birth the gratitude she justly requires of you for your rearing, will save your children who are still infants and your wedded wives from suffering irreparable outrages at the hands of the enemy, and will render the short time your aged fathers have yet to live most agreeable to them.
[6] ὦ μακάριοι μέν, οἷς ἂν ἐκγένηται τὸν ἐκ τοῦδε τοῦ πολέμου θρίαμβον καταγαγεῖν, ὑποδεχομένων ὑμᾶς τέκνων καὶ γυναικῶν καὶ πατέρων: εὐκλεεῖς δὲ καὶ ζηλωτοὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς οἱ τὰ σώματα [p. 274] χαριούμενοι τῇ πατρίδι. ἀποθανεῖν μὲν γὰρ ἅπασιν ἀνθρώποις ὀφείλεται, κακοῖς τε καὶ ἀγαθοῖς: καλῶς δὲ καὶ ἐνδόξως μόνοις τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς.
[6] Oh, happy those among you to whom it shall be given to celebrate the triumph for this war, while your children, your wives and your parents welcome you back! But glorious and envied for their bravery will those be who shall sacrifice their lives for their country. Death, indeed, is decreed to all men, both the cowardly and the brave; but an honourable and a glorious death comes to the brave alone.”
[1] ἔτι δ᾽ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος τὰ εἰς τὸ γενν�
�ῖον ἐπαγωγὰ θάρσος τι δαιμόνιον ἐμπίπτει τῇ στρατιᾷ, καὶ ὥσπερ ἐκ μιᾶς ψυχῆς ἅπαντες ἀνεβόησαν ἅμα: θάρσει τε καὶ ἄγε. καὶ ὁ Ποστόμιος ἐπαινέσας τὸ πρόθυμον αὐτῶν καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς εὐξάμενος, ἐὰν εὐτυχὲς καὶ καλὸν τέλος ἀκολουθήσῃ τῇ μάχῃ, θυσίας τε μεγάλας ἀπὸ πολλῶν ἐπιτελέσειν χρημάτων καὶ ἀγῶνας καταστήσεσθαι πολυτελεῖς, οὓς ἄξει ὁ Ῥωμαίων δῆμος ἀνὰ
[10.1] While he was still speaking these words to spur them to valour, a kind of confidence inspired by Heaven seized the army and they all, as if with a single soul, cried out together, “Be of good courage and lead us on.” Postumius commended their alacrity and made a vow to the gods that if the battle were attended with a happy and glorious outcome, he would offer great and expensive sacrifices and institute costly games to be celebrated annually by the Roman people; after which he dismissed his men to their ranks.
[2] πᾶν ἔτος, ἀπέλυσεν ἐπὶ τὰς τάξεις. ὡς δὲ τὸ σύνθημα τὸ παρὰ τῶν ἡγεμόνων παρέλαβον καὶ τὰ παρακλητικὰ τῆς μάχης αἱ σάλπιγγες ἐνεκελεύσαντο, ἐχώρουν ἀλαλάξαντες ὁμόσε, πρῶτον μὲν οἱ ψιλοί τε καὶ ἱππεῖς ἀφ᾽ ἑκατέρων, ἔπειθ᾽ αἱ πεζαὶ φάλαγγες ὁπλισμούς τε καὶ τάξεις ὁμοίας ἔχουσαι: καὶ γίνεται πάντων ἀναμὶξ μαχομένων καρτερὸς ἀγὼν καὶ ἐν χερσὶ πᾶσα ἡ μάχη.
Delphi Complete Works of Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Illustrated) (Delphi Ancient Classics Book 79) Page 551