[3] τοῦ καταλειφθέντος τῆς πόλεως ἡγεμόνος. ὡς δὲ τῇ κατόπιν ἡμέρᾳ τὰς παρὰ τοῦ δικτάτορος ἐπιστολὰς ἔλαβον οἱ τῶν κοινῶν προεστῶτες, καὶ σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι τοῖς ἐν τῇ μάχῃ γενομένοις καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς ἐπιφανείας τῶν δαιμόνων ἔμαθον, νομίσαντες τῶν αὐτῶν θεῶν εἶναι ἄμφω τὰ φάσματα ὥσπερ εἰκὸς Διοσκούρων ἐπείσθησαν εἶναι τὰ εἴδωλα.
[3] The next day, when those at the head of affairs received the letters from the dictator, and besides the other particulars of the battle, learned also of the appearance of the divinities, they concluded, as we may reasonably infer, that it was the same gods who had appeared in both places, and were convinced that the apparitions had been those of Castor and Pollux.
[4] ταύτης ἐστὶ τῆς παραδόξου καὶ θαυμαστῆς τῶν δαιμόνων ἐπιφανείας ἐν Ῥώμῃ πολλὰ σημεῖα, ὅ τε νεὼς ὁ τῶν Διοσκούρων, ὃν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀγορᾶς κατεσκεύασεν ἡ πόλις, ἔνθα ὤφθη τὰ εἴδωλα, καὶ ἡ παρ᾽ αὐτῷ κρήνη καλουμένη τε τῶν θεῶν τούτων καὶ ἱερὰ εἰς τόδε χρόνου νομιζομένη, θυσίαι τε πολυτελεῖς, ἃς καθ᾽ ἕκαστον ἐνιαυτὸν ὁ δῆμος ἐπιτελεῖ διὰ τῶν μεγίστων ἱερέων ἐν μηνὶ Κυιντιλίῳ λεγομένῳ ταῖς καλουμέναις εἰδοῖς, ἐν ᾗ κατώρθωσαν ἡμέρᾳ τόνδε τὸν πόλεμον: ὑπὲρ ἅπαντα δὲ ταῦτα ἡ μετὰ τὴν θυσίαν ἐπιτελουμένη πομπὴ τῶν ἐχόντων τὸν δημόσιον ἵππον, οἳ κατὰ φυλάς τε καὶ λόχους κεκοσμημένοι στοιχηδὸν ἐπὶ τῶν ἵππων ὀχούμενοι πορεύονται πάντες, ὡς ἐκ μάχης ἥκοντες ἐστεφανωμένοι θαλλοῖς ἐλαίας, καὶ πορφυρᾶς φοινικοπαρύφους ἀμπεχόμενοι τηβέννας τὰς καλουμένας τραβέας, ἀρξάμενοι μὲν ἀφ᾽ ἱεροῦ τινος Ἄρεος ἔξω τῆς πόλεως ἱδρυμένου, διεξιόντες δὲ τήν τ᾽ ἄλλην πόλιν καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀγορᾶς παρὰ τὸ τῶν Διοσκούρων ἱερὸν παρερχόμενοι, ἄνδρες ἔστιν ὅτε καὶ πεντακισχίλιοι [p. 281] φέροντες, ὅσα παρὰ τῶν ἡγεμόνων ἀριστεῖα ἔλαβον ἐν ταῖς μάχαις, καλὴ καὶ ἀξία τοῦ μεγέθους τῆς ἡγεμονίας ὄψις. ταῦτα μὲν ὑπὲρ τῆς γενομένης ἐπιφανείας τῶν Διοσκούρων λεγόμενά τε καὶ πραττόμενα ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ἔμαθον:
[4] Of this extraordinary and wonderful appearance of these gods there are many monuments at Rome, not only the temple of Castor and Pollux which the city erected in the Forum at the place where their apparitions had been seen, and the adjacent fountain, which bears the names of these gods and is to this day regarded as holy, but also the costly sacrifices which the people perform each year through their chief priests in the month called Quintilis, on the day known as the Ides, the day on which they gained this victory. But above all these things there is the procession performed after the sacrifice by those who have a public horse and who, being arrayed by tribes and centuries, ride in regular ranks on horseback, as if they came from battle, crowned with olive branches and attired in the purple robes with stripes of scarlet which they call trabeae. They begin their procession from a certain temple of Mars built outside the walls, and going through several parts of the city and the Forum, they pass by the temple of Castor and Pollux, sometimes to the number even of five thousand, wearing whatever rewards for valour in battle they have received from their commanders, a fine sight and worthy of the greatness of the Roman dominion.
[5] ἐξ ὧν τεκμήραιτ᾽ ἄν τις, ὡς θεοφιλεῖς ἦσαν οἱ τότε ἄνθρωποι, σὺν ἄλλοις πολλοῖς καὶ μεγάλοις.
[5] These are the things I have found both related and performed by the Romans in commemoration of the appearance of Castor and Pollux; and from these, as well as from many other important instances, one may judge how dear to the gods were the men of those times.
[1] ὁ δὲ Ποστόμιος ἐκείνην μὲν τὴν νύκτα κατεστρατοπέδευσεν ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ, τῇ δ᾽ ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ στεφανώσας τοὺς ἀριστεύσαντας ἐν τῇ μάχῃ καὶ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους φυλάττεσθαι διαδοὺς ἔθυε τὰ νικητήρια τοῖς θεοῖς. ἔτι δ᾽ αὐτῷ τὸν στέφανον ἐπικειμένῳ καὶ τὰς ὑπερπύρους ἀπαρχὰς τοῖς βωμοῖς ἐπιτιθέντι σκοποί τινες ἀπὸ τῶν μετεώρων καταδραμόντες ἀγγέλλουσι πολέμιον ἐπὶ σφᾶς ἐλαύνειν στρατόν. ἦν δ᾽ ἐκ τοῦ Οὐολούσκων ἔθνους ἐπίλεκτος ἀκμὴ σύμμαχος ἀπεσταλμένη Λατίνοις, πρὶν ἢ τὴν μάχην αὐτῶν ἐπιτελεσθῆναι.
[14.1] Postumius encamped that night on the field and the next day he crowned those who had distinguished themselves in the battle; and having appointed guards to take care of the prisoners, he proceeded to offer to the gods the sacrifices in honour of the victory. While he still wore the garland on his head and was laying the first burnt offerings on the altars, some scouts, running down from the heights, brought him word that a hostile army was marching against them. It consisted of chosen youth of the Volscian nation who had been sent out, before the battle was ended, to assist the Latins.
[2] ὡς δὲ δὴ ταῦτ᾽ ἔγνω, χωρεῖν ἅπαντας ἐκέλευσεν ἐπὶ τὰ ὅπλα καὶ μένειν ἐν τῷ χάρακι παρὰ ταῖς ἰδίαις ἕκαστον σημαίαις σιγὴν καὶ κόσμον φυλάττοντας, ἕως ἂν αὐτὸς ἃ χρὴ πράττειν παραγγείλῃ. οἱ δὲ τῶν Οὐολούσκων ἡγεμόνες ἐξ ἀπόπτου τῶν Ῥωμαίων παρεμβαλόντες ὡς εἶδον μεστὸν μὲν τὸ πεδίον νεκρῶν, ὀρθοὺς δὲ τοὺς χάρακας ἀμφοτέρους, προιόντα δ᾽ ἐκ τῶν ἐρυμάτων οὔτε πολέμιον οὔτε φίλον οὐδένα, τέως μὲν ἐθαύμαζον καὶ τίς ἦν ἡ κατειληφυῖα τύχη τὰ [p. 282] πράγματα ἀπόρως εἶχον συμβάλλειν. ἐπεὶ δὲ παρὰ τῶν ἀνασωζομένων ἐκ τῆς τροπῆς ἅπαντα τὰ περὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα ἔμαθον, ἐσκόπουν μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἡγεμόνων,
[2] Upon hearing of this he ordered all his men and to stay in the camp, each under his own standards, maintaining silence and keeping their ranks till he himself should give the word what to do. On the other side, the generals of the Volscians, encamping out of sight of the Romans, when they saw the field covered with dead bodies and both camps intact, and no one, either enemy or friend, stirring out of the entrenchments, were for some time amazed and at a loss to guess what turn of fortune had produced this state of affairs. But when they had learned all about the battle from those who were making their escape from the rout, they consulted with the other leaders what was to be done.
[3] τί χρὴ πράττειν. τοῖς μὲν οὖν θρασυτάτοις αὐτῶν ἐδόκει κράτιστον εἶναι χωρεῖν ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐξ ἐφόδου, τέως πολλοὶ μὲν ἔκαμον ὑπὸ τραυμάτων, ἀπειρήκεσάν θ᾽ ἅπαντες ὑπ�
�� κόπου ὅπλα τε ἄχρηστα τοῖς πλείστοις ἦν, τὰ μὲν ἀπεστομωμένα τὰς ἀκμάς, τὰ δὲ κατεαγότα καὶ βοήθεια παρὰ τῶν οἴκοθεν ἀκραιφνὴς οὔπω παρῆν οὐδεμία αὐτοῖς, ἡ δὲ σφῶν αὐτῶν δύναμις πολλή τε οὖσα καὶ ἀγαθὴ καὶ ὡπλισμένη καλῶς ἐμπειροπόλεμός τε καὶ οὐ προσδεχομένοις ἐξαπιναίως παροῦσα, φοβερὰ καὶ τοῖς εὐτολμοτάτοις φανήσεσθαι ἔμελλε.
[3] The boldest of them thought it best to attempt to take the camp of the Romans by assault, while many of the foe were still disabled from their wounds and all were exhausted by toil, and the arms of most of them were useless, some having their edges blunted and others being broken, and no fresh forces from home were yet at hand to relieve them, whereas their own army was large and valiant, splendidly armed and experienced in war, and by coming suddenly upon men who were not expecting it was sure to appear formidable even to the boldest.
[1] τοῖς δὲ σωφρονεστάτοις οὐκ ἀσφαλὲς τὸ κινδύνευμα εἶναι ἐφαίνετο, ἀνδράσιν ἀγαθοῖς τὰ πολέμιά τε καὶ νεωστὶ τὴν Λατίνων τοσαύτην δύναμιν ἀραμένοις ἄνευ συμμάχων ὁμόσε χωρεῖν μέλλοντας τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν μεγίστων κίνδυνον ἐν ἀλλοτρίᾳ ποιεῖσθαι γῇ, ἔνθα εἴ τι συμβαίη πταῖμα οὐδεμίαν ἕξουσι καταφυγὴν ἀσφαλῆ: τῆς δ᾽ οἴκαδε σωτηρίας προνοεῖσθαι μᾶλλον ἠξίουν οὗτοι διὰ ταχέων καὶ μέγα κέρδος ὑπολαμβάνειν, εἰ μηδὲν ἀπολαύσουσιν ἐκ τῆς στρατείας κακόν.
[15.1] But to the most prudent among them it did not seem a safe risk to attack without allies men who were valiant warriors and had just destroyed so great an army of the Latins, as they would be putting everything to the hazard in a foreign country where, if any misfortune happened, they would have no place of refuge. These advised, therefore, to provide rather for a safe retreat to their own country as soon as possible and to look upon it as a great gain if they sustained no loss from this expedition.
[2] ἑτέροις δὲ τούτων μὲν οὐδέτερον ἐδόκει χρῆναι ποιεῖν, νεανικὸν μὲν ἀποφαίνουσι τὸ πρόχειρον τῆς ἐπὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα ὁρμῆς, αἰσχρὸν δὲ τὸ παράλογον τῆς ἐπὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα φυγῆς, ὡς κατ᾽ εὐχὴν ληψομένων τῶν πολεμίων, ὁπότερον ἂν αὐτῶν ποιήσωσι. γνώμη δὲ [p. 283] τούτων ἦν ἐν μὲν τῷ παρόντι κρατύνασθαι τὸν χάρακα καὶ τὰ πρὸς τὸν ἀγῶνα εὐτρεπίζεσθαι, πέμποντας δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἄλλους Οὐολούσκους δυεῖν θάτερον ἀξιοῦν ἢ δύναμιν ἑτέραν πέμπειν ἀξιόχρεων ἐπὶ Ῥωμαίους,
[2] But still others disapproved of both these courses, declaring that readiness to rush into battle was mere youthful bravado, while unreasoning flight back to their own country was shameful; for, whichever of these courses they took, the enemy would regard it as being just what they desired. The opinion of these, therefore, was that at present they ought to fortify their camp and get everything in readiness for a battle, and that, dispatching messengers to the rest of the Volscians, they should ask them to do one of the two things, either to send another army that would be a match for that of the Romans or to recall the army they had already sent out.
[3] ἢ καὶ τὴν ἀπεσταλμένην μετακαλεῖν. ἡ δὲ πιθανωτάτη τοῖς πλείστοις φανεῖσα καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν ἐν τέλει κυρωθεῖσα γνώμη ταῦτα παρῄνει, πέμψαι τινὰς εἰς τὸν χάρακα τῶν Ῥωμαίων: κατασκόπους ὀνόματι πρεσβευτῶν ἕξοντας τὸ ἀσφαλές, οἳ δεξιώσονται τὸν ἡγεμόνα καὶ φράσουσιν, ὅτι σύμμαχοι Ῥωμαίων ἥκοντες ἀπὸ τοῦ κοινοῦ τῶν Οὐολούσκων ἄχθονται μὲν ὑστερήσαντες τῆς μάχης, ὡς οὐδεμίαν ἢ μικράν τινα τῆς προθυμίας χάριν οἰσόμενοι, τῇ δ᾽ ἐξ ἐκείνων τύχῃ μέγαν ἀγῶνα δίχα συμμάχων κατωρθωκότων συνήδονται: ἐξαπατήσαντες δ᾽ αὐτοὺς τῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τῶν λόγων καὶ πιστεύειν ὡς φίλοις σφίσι κατασκευάσαντες, ἅπαντα κατασκέψονται καὶ δηλώσουσιν ἀφικόμενοι πλῆθός τ᾽ αὐτῶν καὶ ὁπλισμοὺς καὶ παρασκευὰς καὶ εἴ τι κατὰ νοῦν ἔχουσι πράττειν. ὅταν δὲ ταῦτ᾽ ἀκριβῶς σφίσι γένηται φανερά, τότε προθεῖναι βουλήν, εἴτ᾽ ἐπιχειρεῖν αὐτοῖς ἄμεινον εἴη προσμεταπεμψαμένοις δύναμιν ἑτέραν, εἴτε καὶ τὴν παροῦσαν ἀπάγειν.
[3] But the opinion that prevailed with the majority and received the sanction of those in authority was to send spies to the Roman camp, assured of safety under the title of ambassadors, who should greet the general and say that, as allies of the Romans sent by the Volscian nation, they were sorry they had come too late for the battle, since they would now received little or no thanks for their zeal; but anyway they congratulated the Romans upon their good fortune in having won a great battle without the assistance of allies; then, after the ambassadors had tricked the Romans by the friendliness of their words and had got them to confide in the Volscians as their friends, they were to spy out everything and bring back word concerning the Romans’ strength, their arms, their preparations, and anything they were planning to do. And when the Volscians should be thoroughly acquainted with these matters, they should then take counsel whether it was better to send for another army and attack the Romans or to return home with their present force.
[1] ὡς δὲ ταύτῃ προσέθεντο τῇ γνώμῃ καὶ οἱ προχειρισθέντες ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν πρέσβεις ἀφικόμενοι πρὸς τὸν δικτάτορα καὶ παραχθέντες ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν διεξῆλθον [p. 284] τοὺς ἐξαπατήσοντας λόγους, ὀλίγον ἐπισχὼν ὁ Ποστόμιος χρόνον πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἶπε: πονηρὰ βουλεύματα, ὦ Οὐολοῦσκοι, χρηστοῖς λόγοις ἀμφιέσαντες ἥκετε: καὶ πολεμίων ἔργα πράττοντες φίλων ἐξενέγκασθαι 4 βούλεσθε δόξαν.
[16.1] After they had adopted this proposal, the ambassadors they had chosen came to the dictator, and being brought before the assembly, delivered their messages that were intended to deceive the Romans. And Postumius, after a short pause, said to them: “You have brought with you, Volscians, evil designs clothed in good words, and while you perform hostile acts, you want us to regard you as friends.
[2] ὑμεῖς γὰρ ἀπέσταλθε ὑπὸ τοῦ κοινοῦ Λατίνοις συμμαχήσοντες καθ᾽ ἡμῶν, ἐπεὶ δ᾽ ὕστεροι τῆς μάχης ἥκετε καὶ κρατουμένους αὐτοὺς ὁρᾶτε, παρακρούσασθαι βούλεσθε ἡμᾶς τἀναντία, ὧν ἐμέλλετε πράττειν, λέγοντες. καὶ οὐδ᾽ ἡ φιλανθρωπία τῶν λόγων, ἣν πλάττεσθε πρὸς τὸν παρόντα καιρὸν οὐδὲ τὸ προσποίημα ὑμῶν τῆς δεῦρο ἀφίξεως ὑγιές ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ μεστὸν δόλου καὶ ἀπάτης. οὐ γὰρ συνησθησόμενοι τοῖς ἀγαθοῖ�
� ἡμετέροις ἐξαπέσταλθε, ἀλλὰ κατασκεψόμενοι, πῶς ἡμῖν ἀσθενείας ἢ δυνάμεως τὰ πράγματα ἔχει: καί ἐστε πρεσβευταὶ μὲν λόγῳ, κατάσκοποι δ᾽ ἔργῳ.
[2] For you were sent by your nation to assist the Latins against us, but arriving after the battle and seeing them overcome, you wish to deceive us by saying the very opposite of what you intended to do. And neither the friendliness of your words, simulated for the present occasion, nor the pretence under which you are come hither, is sincere, but is full of fraud and deceit. For you were sent, not to congratulate us upon our good fortune, but to spy out the weakness or the strength of our condition; and while you are ambassadors in name, you are spies in reality.”
[3] ἀρνουμένων δὲ πρὸς ἅπαντα τῶν ἀνδρῶν οὐ διὰ μακροῦ τὴν πίστιν ἔφησεν αὐτοῖς παρέξεσθαι: καὶ αὐτίκα τὰς ἐπιστολὰς αὐτῶν, ἃς ἔλαβε πρὸ τῆς μάχης τοῖς ἡγεμόσι τῶν Λατίνων φερομένας, ἐν αἷς ὑπισχνοῦντο αὐτοῖς πέμψειν ἐπικουρίαν, προήνεγκε, καὶ τοὺς φέροντας αὐτὰς προήγαγεν. ἀναγνωσθέντων δὲ τῶν γραμμάτων καὶ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων ἃς ἔλαβον ἐντολὰς διηγησαμένων, τὸ μὲν πλῆθος λίθοις ὥρμησε βαλεῖν τοὺς Οὐολούσκους ὡς ἑαλωκότας ἐπ᾽ [p. 285] αὐτοφώρῳ κατασκόπους, ὁ δὲ Ποστόμιος οὐκ ᾤετο δεῖν ὁμοίους γενέσθαι τοῖς κακοῖς τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς κρεῖττον εἶναι λέγων καὶ μεγαλοψυχότερον εἰς τοὺς ἀποστείλαντας φυλάττειν τὴν ὀργὴν ἢ εἰς τοὺς ἀποσταλέντας, καὶ διὰ τὸ φανερὸν ὄνομα τῆς πρεσβείας ἀφεῖναι τοὺς ἄνδρας μᾶλλον ἢ διὰ τὸ ἀφανὲς τῆς κατασκοπῆς ἔργον ἀπολέσαι: ἵνα μήτε Οὐολούσκοις ἀφορμὴν παράσχωσιν εὐπρεπῆ τοῦ πολέμου πρεσβευτῶν ἀνῃρῆσθαι σώματα σκηπτομένοις παρὰ τὸν ἁπάντων νόμον, μήτε τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔχθρας πρόφασιν αἰτίας εἶναι εἰ καὶ ψευδοῦς, ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἀλόγου γε οὐδὲ ἀπίστου.
Delphi Complete Works of Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Illustrated) (Delphi Ancient Classics Book 79) Page 553