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

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus

  [2] ταῦτ᾽ εἰπὼν ἐρρίπτει τὸ ῥάκιον καὶ ἐδείκνυε τὸ στῆθος μεστὸν τραυμάτων, τὰ δὲ νῶτα αἵματος ἐκ τῶν πληγῶν ἀνάπλεω. κραυγῆς δὲ καὶ οἰμωγῆς ἐκ τῶν παρόντων γινομένης ἥ τε βουλὴ διελύθη καὶ κατὰ [p. 301] τὴν πόλιν ὅλην δρόμος ἦν τῶν ἀπόρων τὴν ἰδίαν τύχην ἀνακλαιομένων καὶ βοηθεῖν τοὺς πέλας ἀξιούντων: ἔκ τε τῶν οἰκιῶν οἱ πρὸς τὰ χρέα δουλωθέντες ἐξώρμων κομῶντες, ἁλύσεις ἔχοντες οἱ πλεῖστοι καὶ πέδας οὐδενὸς ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι τολμῶντος αὐτῶν, εἰ δ᾽ ἅψαιτο μόνον, ἐν χειρῶν νόμῳ διασπαραττομένου.

  [2] With these words he threw off his rags and showed his breast covered with wounds and his back still bleeding from the stripes. This raising a general clamour and lamentation on the part of all present, the senate adjourned and throughout the entire city the poor were running about, each bewailing his own misfortunes and imploring the assistance of the neighbours. At the same time all who had been enslaved for their debts rushed out of the houses of the money-lenders with their hair grown long and most of them in chains and fetters; and none dared to lay hold on them, and if anyone so much as touched them, he was forcibly torn in pieces,

  [3] τοσαύτη λύττα τὸν δῆμον ἐν τῷ τότε καιρῷ κατεῖχε, καὶ μετ᾽ οὐ πολὺ μεστὴ τῶν ἐκφυγόντων τὰς ἀνάγκας ἦν ἡ ἀγορά. ὁ μὲν οὖν Ἄππιος δείσας τὴν ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτὸν ὁρμὴν τοῦ πλήθους, ἐπειδὴ τῶν κακῶν ἦν αἴτιος, καὶ δι᾽ ἐκεῖνον ἐδόκει ταῦτα γεγονέναι, φεύγων ἐκ τῆς ἀγορᾶς ᾤχετο. ὁ δὲ Σερουίλιος ῥίψας τὴν περιπόρφυρον ἐσθῆτα καὶ προκυλιόμενος τῶν δημοτικῶν ἑκάστου μετὰ δακρύων, μόλις αὐτοὺς ἔπεισεν ἐκείνην μὲν τὴν ἡμέραν ἐπισχεῖν, εἰς δὲ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν ἥκειν, ὡς τῆς βουλῆς ἐπιμέλειάν τινα περὶ αὐτῶν ποιησομένης. ταῦτ᾽ εἰπὼν καὶ τὸν κήρυκα ἀνειπεῖν κελεύσας μηδένα τῶν δανειστῶν ἐξεῖναι σῶμα πολιτικὸν πρὸς ἴδιον χρέος ἄγειν, ἕως ἂν ἡ βουλὴ περὶ αὐτῶν διαγνοίη, τοὺς δὲ παρόντας ὅποι βούλοιντο ἀδεῶς ἀπιέναι, διέλυσε τὸν θόρυβον.

  [3] such was the madness possessing the people at that time, and presently the Forum was full of debtors who had broken loose from their chains. Appius, therefore, fearing to be attacked by the populace, since he had been the cause of the evils and all this trouble was believed to be due to him, fled from the Forum. But Servilius, throwing off his purple-bordered robe and casting himself in tears at the feet of each of the plebeians, with difficulty prevailed upon them to remain quiet that day, and to come back the next day, assuring them that the senate would take some care of their interests. Having said this, he ordered the herald to make proclamation that no money-lender should be permitted to hale any citizen to prison for a private debt till the senate should come to a decision concerning them, and that all present might go with impunity whithersoever they pleased. Thus he allayed the tumult.

  [1] τότε μὲν οὖν ᾤχοντο ἐκ τῆς ἀγορᾶς, τῇ [p. 302] δ᾽ ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ παρῆν οὐ μόνον ὁ κατὰ πόλιν ὄχλος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τῶν σύνεγγυς ἀγρῶν τὸ δημοτικὸν πλῆθος καὶ ἦν ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ πλήρης ἡ ἀγορά. τῆς δὲ βουλῆς συναχθείσης, ἵνα περὶ τούτων βουλεύσειεν, ὅ τι χρὴ πράττειν, ὁ μὲν Ἄππιος δημοκόπον ἐκάλει τὸν συνάρχοντα καὶ τῆς ἀπονοίας τῶν ἀπόρων ἡγεμόνα, ὁ δὲ Σερουίλιος ἐκεῖνον αὐστηρὸν καὶ αὐθάδη καὶ τῶν παρόντων τῇ πόλει κακῶν αἴτιον: τέλος δ᾽ οὐδὲν ἐγίνετο τῶν λόγων.

  [27.1] Accordingly, they left the Forum for that time. But the next day there appeared, not only the inhabitants of the city, but also the plebeians from the neighbouring country districts and the Forum was crowded by break of day. The senate having been assembled to consider what was to be done about the situation, Appius proceeded to call his colleague a flatterer of the people and the leader of the poor in their madness, while Servilius called Appius harsh and arrogant and the cause of the present evils in the state; and there was no end to their wrangling.

  [2] ἐν δὲ τούτῳ Λατίνων ἱππεῖς κατὰ σπουδὴν ἐλαύνοντες τοὺς ἵππους παρῆσαν εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐξεληλυθότας ἀγγέλλοντες τοὺς πολεμίους μεγάλῃ στρατιᾷ καὶ ὄντας ἐπὶ τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ὁρίοις ἤδη. καὶ οἱ μὲν ταῦτα, οἱ δὲ πατρίκιοι καὶ τὸ τῶν ἱππέων πλῆθος τῶν τ᾽ ἄλλων, ὅσοι πλούτους ἢ δόξας προγονικὰς εἶχον, οἷα δὴ περὶ μεγάλων κινδυνεύοντες ὡπλίζοντο διὰ τάχους:

  [2] In the meantime some horsemen of the Latins came riding full speed into the Forum announcing that the enemy had taken the field with a great army and were already upon their own borders. Such were the tidings they brought. Thereupon the patricians and the whole body of the knights, together with all who were wealthy or of distinguished ancestry, since they had a great deal at stake, armed themselves in all haste.

  [3] ὅσοι δ᾽ ἦσαν αὐτῶν ἄποροι, μάλιστα δ᾽ οἱ τοῖς δανείοις πιεζόμενοι, οὔθ᾽ ὅπλων ἥπτοντο οὔτ᾽ ἄλλως παρείχοντο τοῖς κοινοῖς πράγμασιν ἐπικουρίαν οὐδεμίαν, ἡδόμενοι δὲ καὶ κατ᾽ εὐχὴν δεχόμενοι τὸν ἔξωθεν πόλεμον, ὡς τῶν παρόντων σφᾶς κακῶν ἐλευθερώσοντα, τοῖς δὲ δεομένοις ἀμύνειν ἐπιδεικνύντες τὰς ἁλύσεις καὶ τὰς πέδας, ἐπικερτομοῦντες ἠρώτων, εἰ τούτων φυλακῆς ἕνεκα τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἄξιον εἴη σφίσι πολεμεῖν: πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ λέγειν ἐτόλμων, ὡς ἄμεινον εἴη Οὐολούσκοις δουλεύειν μᾶλλον ἢ τὰς ὕβρεις τῶν πατρικίων ὑπομένειν: ἥ τε πόλις οἰμωγῆς καὶ [p. 303] θορύβου καὶ παντοίων γυναικείων ὀδυρμῶν ἐνεπίμπλατο.

  [3] But the poor among them, and particularly such as were hard pressed by debt, neither took up arms nor offered any other assistance to the common cause, but were pleased and received the news of the foreign war as an answer to their prayers, believing that it would free them from their present evils. To those who besought them to lend their aid they showed their chains and fetters and asked them in derision whether it was worth their while to make war in order to preserve those blessings; and many even ventured to say that it was better for them to be slaves to the Volscians than to bear the abuses of the patricians. And the city was filled with wailing, tumult, and all sorts of womanish lamentations.

  [1] ταῦθ᾽ ὁρῶντες οἱ βουλευταὶ τὸν ἕτερον τῶν ὑπάτων Σερουίλιον, ὃς ἐν τῷ παρόντι πιθανώτερος εἶναι τοῖς πολλοῖς ἐδόκει, βοηθεῖν ἐδέοντο τῇ πατρίδι. ὁ δὲ συγκαλέσας τὸν δῆμον εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν τοῦ παρ
όντος καιροῦ τὴν ἀνάγκην ἐπεδείκνυεν οὐκέτι προσδεχομένην πολιτικὰς φιλονεικίας καὶ ἠξίου νῦν μὲν ὁμόσε τοῖς πολεμίοις χωρεῖν κοινῇ γνώμῃ χρησαμένους καὶ μὴ περιιδεῖν ἀνάστατον τὴν πατρίδα γινομένην, ἐν ᾗ θεοὶ πατρῷοι καὶ θῆκαι προγόνων ἑκάστοις ἦσαν, ἃ τιμιώτατά ἐστι πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις: γονέων τε αἰδῶ λαβεῖν οὐχ ἱκανῶν ἐσομένων ἑαυτοῖς διὰ γῆρας ἀμύνειν, καὶ γυναικῶν ἔλεον ἃς αὐτίκα μάλα δεινὰς καὶ ἀφορήτους ὕβρεις ἀναγκασθησομένας ὑπομενεῖν, μάλιστα δὲ παίδων ἔτι νηπίων οὐκ ἐπὶ τοιαύταις ἐλπίσιν ἀνατραφέντων οἰκτεῖραι λώβας καὶ προπηλακισμοὺς ἀνηλεεῖς:

  [28.1] The senators, seeing these things, begged of the other consul, Servilius, who seemed in the present juncture to have greater credit with the multitude, to come to the aid of the country. And he, calling the people together in the Forum, showed them that the urgency of the moment no longer admitted of quarrels among the citizens, and he asked them for the time being to march against the enemy with united purpose and not to view with indifference the overthrow of their country, in which were the gods of their fathers and the sepulchres of each man’s ancestors, both of which are most precious in the eyes of all men; he begged them to show respect for their parents, who would be unable because of age to defend themselves, to have pity on their wives, who would soon be forced to submit to dreadful and intolerable outrages, and especially to show compassion for their infant children, who, after being reared for very different expectations, would be exposed to pitiless insults and abuses.

  [2] ὅταν δὲ τὸν παρόντα κίνδυνον ἅπαντες ὁμοίαις προθυμίαις χρησάμενοι παραλύσωνται, τότε δὴ σκοπεῖν, τίνα τρόπον ἴσην καὶ κοινὴν καὶ σωτήριον ἅπασι τὴν πολιτείαν καταστήσονται, μήτε τῶν πενήτων ἐπιβουλευόντων ταῖς τῶν πλουσίων οὐσίαις μήτ᾽ [p. 304] ἐκείνων προπηλακιζόντων τοὺς ταῖς τύχαις ταπεινοτέρους: ἥκιστα γὰρ εἶναι ταῦτα πολιτικά: ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἀπόροις ἐπικουρία τις ἔσται πολιτική, καὶ τοῖς συμβάλλουσι τὰ χρέα βοήθεια μετρία τοῖς γοῦν ἀδικουμένοις, καὶ τὸ κράτιστον τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἀγαθῶν καὶ πάσας φυλάττον ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ τὰς πόλεις, πίστις ἐπὶ συναλλαγαῖς, οὐχ ἅπασα καὶ διὰ παντὸς ἐκ μόνης ἀναιρεθήσεται τῆς Ῥωμαίων πόλεως.

  [2] And when by a common effort they had averted the present danger, then would be the time, he said, to consider in what manner they should make their government fair, impartial and salutary to all, one in which neither the poor would plot against the possessions of the rich nor the latter insult those in humbler circumstances — for such behaviour was anything but becoming to citizens — but in which not only the needy should receive some assistance from the state, but the money-lenders too, at least those who were suffering injustice, should receive moderate relief, and thus the greatest of human blessings and the preserver of harmony in all states, good faith in the observance of contracts, would not be destroyed totally and forever in Rome alone.

  [3] ταῦτα καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα ἐν τοιούτῳ καιρῷ λεχθῆναι προσῆκε διεξελθὼν τελευτῶν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἰδίας εὐνοίας, ἣν ἔχων διετέλει πρὸς τὸν δῆμον, ἀπελογεῖτο, καὶ ἠξίου συνάρασθαι τῆς στρατείας αὐτῷ ταύτης, ἀνθ᾽ ὧν πρόθυμος εἰς αὐτοὺς ἦν, τῆς μὲν κατὰ πόλιν ἐπιμελείας τῷ συνάρχοντι προσηκούσης, ἑαυτῷ δὲ τῆς ἡγεμονίας τῶν πολέμων ἀποδεδομένης: ταύτας γὰρ τὰς τύχας αὐτοῖς βραβεῦσαι τὸν κλῆρον. ὑπεσχῆσθαι δ᾽ αὑτῷ ἔφη τὴν βουλὴν ἐμπεδώσειν, ὅ τι ἂν διομολογήσηται τῷ πλήθει, αὑτὸν δ᾽ ἐκείνοις, πείσειν τοὺς δημότας μὴ προδώσειν τοῖς πολεμίοις τὴν πατρίδα.

  [3] After saying this and everything else that the occasion required, he spoke finally in his own behalf, about the goodwill which he had ever shown toward the people, and asked them to serve with him in this expedition in return for his zeal in their behalf; for the oversight of the city had been entrusted to his colleague and the command in war conferred upon himself, these duties having been determined for them by lot. He said also that the senate had promised him to confirm whatever agreements he should make with the people, and that he had promised the senate to persuade the people not to betray their country to the enemy.

  [1] ταῦτ᾽ εἰπὼν ἐκέλευσε τὸν κήρυκα ἀνειπεῖν, ὅσοι ἂν Ῥωμαίων ἐπὶ τὸν κατ᾽ αὐτῶν πόλεμον [p. 305] ἐκστρατεύσωσι, τὰς τούτων οἰκίας μηδένα ἐξεῖναι μήτε πωλεῖν μήτ᾽ ἐνεχυράζειν μήτε γένος αὐτῶν ἀπάγειν πρὸς μηδὲν συμβόλαιον μήτε κωλύειν τὸν βουλόμενον τῆς στρατείας κοινωνεῖν. ὅσοι δ᾽ ἂν ἀπολειφθῶσι τῆς στρατείας, τὰς κατὰ τούτων πράξεις ὑπάρχειν τοῖς δανεισταῖς, ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἑκάστοις συνέβαλον. ὡς δὲ ταῦτ᾽ ἤκουσαν οἱ πένητες, αὐτίκα συνέγνωσάν τε καὶ πολλῇ προθυμίᾳ πάντες εἰς τὸν πόλεμον ὥρμηντο, οἱ μὲν ἐλπίσιν ὠφελειῶν ὑπαχθέντες, οἱ δὲ τοῦ στρατηλάτου χάριτι, οἱ δὲ πλεῖστοι τὸν Ἄππιον καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει κατὰ τῶν ὑπομεινάντων προπηλακισμοὺς φεύγοντες.

  [29.1] Having said this, he ordered the herald to make proclamation that no person should be permitted to seize, sell, or retain as pledges the houses of those Romans who should march out with him against the enemy, or hale their family to prison for any debt, and that none should hinder any one who desired from taking part in the campaign; but as for those who should fail to serve, the money-lenders should have the right to compel them to pay their debts according to the terms which they had each advanced their money. When the poor heard this, they straightway consented, and all showed great ardour for the war, some induced by hopes of booty and others out of gratitude to the general, but the greater part to escape from Appius and the abusive treatment to which those who stayed in the city would be exposed.

  [2] παραλαβὼν δ᾽ ὁ Σερουίλιος τὸ στράτευμα σὺν πολλῇ σπουδῇ ἐλαύνει διαλιπὼν οὐδένα χρόνον, ἵνα συμμίξῃ τοῖς πολεμίοις, πρὶν εἰς Ῥωμαίων χώραν αὐτοὺς εἰσβαλεῖν: καὶ καταλαβὼν περὶ τὸ Πωμεντῖνον χωρίον ἐστρατοπεδευκότας καὶ τὴν Λατίνων χώραν προνομεύοντας, ὅτι παρακαλοῦσιν αὐτοῖς οὐ συνήραντο τοῦ πολέμου, περὶ δείλην ὀψίαν παρὰ λόφον τινὰ ὡς εἴκοσι στάδια τῆς στρατοπεδείας αὐτῶν ἀφεστῶτα τίθεται τὸν χάρακα: καὶ αὐτοῖς νυκτὸς ἐπιτίθενται Οὐολοῦσκοι ὀλίγους τε δόξαντες εἶναι καὶ ὡς ἐξ ὁδοῦ μακρ
ᾶς κατακόπους προθυμίας τ᾽ ἐνδεῶς ἔχοντας διὰ τοὺς ἐκ τῶν πενήτων περὶ τὰ χρέα νεωτερισμοὺς ἐν ἀκμῇ μάλιστα δοκοῦντας εἶναι.

  [2] Servilius, having taken command of the army, lost no time, but marched with great expedition, that he might engage the enemy before they could invade the Romans’ territory. And finding them encamped in the Pomptine district, pillaging the country of the Latins because these had refused their request to assist them in the war, he encamped in the late afternoon near a hill distant about twenty stades from the enemy’s camp. And in the night his army was attacked by the Volscians, who thought they were few in number, tired out, as was to be expected after a long march, and lacking in zeal by reason of the disturbances raised by the poor over their debts, which seemed then to be at their height.

  [3] ὁ δὲ Σερουίλιος ἔτι νυκτὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ χάρακος ἀγωνισάμενος, ἐπεὶ δὲ φῶς [p. 306] τε ἤδη ἐγένετο καὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἔμαθεν ἀτάκτως προνομεύοντας, ἀνοῖξαι κελεύσας πυλίδας ἐκ τοῦ χάρακος ἀδήλως συχνάς, ἀφ᾽ ἑνὸς παραγγέλματος ἐφῆκεν ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς τὸ στράτευμα. ἐξαπιναίου δὲ τοῦ δεινοῦ καὶ παρὰ δόξαν τοῖς Οὐολούσκοις προσπεσόντος ὀλίγοι μέν τινες ὑποστάντες πρὸς τῷ χάρακι μαχόμενοι κατεκόπησαν: οἱ δ᾽ ἄλλοι φεύγοντες προτροπάδην καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν σφετέρων ἀπολέσαντες τραυματίαι τε οἱ πλεῖστοι καὶ τὰ ὅπλα ἀπολωλεκότες εἰς τὸν χάρακα 6 διεσώζοντο.