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

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus

  [4] And to the end that the people might not even in future be at liberty to repeal this law, but that it might forever remain unalterable, it was ordained that all the Romans should solemnly swear over the sacrificial victims to observe it for all time, both they and their posterity; and a prayer was added to the oath that the heavenly gods and the divinities of the lower world might be propitious to those who observed it, and that the displeasure of the gods and divinities might be visited upon those who violated it, as being guilty of the greatest sacrilege. From this the custom arose among the Romans of regarding the persons of the tribunes of the people as sacrosanct, which custom continues to this day.

  [1] ἐπειδὴ ταῦτ᾽ ἐψηφίσαντο, βωμὸν κατεσκεύασαν ἐπὶ τῆς ἀκρωρείας, ἐν ᾗ κατεστρατοπέδευσαν, ὃν ἐπὶ τοῦ κατασχόντος αὐτοὺς τότε δείματος ὠνόμασαν, ὡς ἡ πάτριος αὐτῶν σημαίνει γλῶσσα, Διὸς Δειματίου: ᾧ θυσίας ἐπιτελέσαντες καὶ τὸν ὑποδεξάμενον αὐτοὺς τόπον ἱερὸν ἀνέντες, κατῄεσαν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἅμα τοῖς πρέσβεσιν.

  [90.1] After they had passed this vote they erected an altar upon the summit of the mount where they had encamped, which they named in their own language the altar of Jupiter the Terrifier, from the terror which had possessed them at that time; and when they had performed sacrifices to this god and had consecrated the place which had received them, they returned to the city with the envoys.

  [2] ἀποδόντες δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει θεοῖς χαριστήρια, καὶ τοὺς πατρικίους πείσαντες ἐπικυρῶσαι τὴν ἀρχὴν ψῆφον ἐπενέγκαντας, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τούτου παρ᾽ αὐτῶν ἔτυχον, ἐδεήθησαν ἔτι τῆς βουλῆς ἐπιτρέψαι σφίσιν ἄνδρας ἐκ τῶν δημοτικῶν δύο καθ᾽ ἕκαστον ἐνιαυτὸν ἀποδεικνύναι τοὺς ὑπηρετήσοντας τοῖς δημάρχοις ὅσων ἂν δέωνται καὶ δίκας, ἃς ἂν ἐπιτρέψωνται ἐκεῖνοι, κρινοῦντας ἱερῶν τε καὶ δημοσίων τόπων καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν εὐετηρίας [p. 398]

  [2] After this they also returned thanks to the gods worshipped in the city, and prevailed upon the patricians to pass a vote for the confirmation of their new magistracy. And having obtained this also, they asked further that the senate should allow them to appoint every year two plebeians to act as assistants to the tribunes in everything the latter should require, to decide such causes as the others should refer to them, to have the oversight of public places, both sacred and profane, and to see that the market was supplied with plenty of provisions.

  [3] ἐπιμελησομένους. λαβόντες δὲ καὶ τοῦτο τὸ συγχώρημα παρὰ τῆς βουλῆς ἀποδεικνύουσιν ἄνδρας, οὕς ὑπηρέτας τῶν δημάρχων καὶ συνάρχοντας καὶ δικαστὰς ἐκάλουν. νῦν μέντοι κατὰ τὴν ἐπιχώριον γλῶτταν ἀφ᾽ ἑνὸς ὧν πράττουσιν ἔργων ἱερῶν τόπων ἐπιμεληταὶ καλοῦνται καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν οὐκέθ᾽ ὑπηρετικὴν ἑτέρων ἔχουσιν, ὡς πρότερον, ἐπιτέτραπται δ᾽ αὐτοῖς πολλὰ καὶ μεγάλα, καὶ σχεδὸν ἐοίκασί πως κατὰ τὰ πλεῖστα τοῖς παρ᾽ Ἕλλησιν ἀγορανόμοις.

  [3] Having obtained this concession also from the senate, they chose men whom they called assistants and colleagues of the tribunes, and judges. Now, however, they are called in their own language, from one of their functions, overseers of sacred places or aediles, and their power is no longer subordinate to that of other magistrates, as formerly; but many affairs of great importance are entrusted to them, and in most respects they resemble more or less the agoranomoi or “market-overseers” among the Greeks.

  [1] ἐπεὶ δὲ κατέστη τὰ πράγματα καὶ τὸν ἀπ᾽ ἀρχῆς κόσμον ἐκομίσατο ἡ πόλις, ἐπὶ τοὺς ἔξω πολεμίους ὑπὸ τῶν ἡγεμόνων στρατιὰ κατελέγετο πολλὴν εἰσενεγκαμένου προθυμίαν τοῦ δήμου καὶ δι᾽ ὀλίγου χρόνου πάντα τὰ εἰς τὸν πόλεμον ἐπιτήδεια εὐτρεπῆ ποιήσαντος. τῶν δ᾽ ὑπάτων διακληρωσαμένων περὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας, ὡς ἔστιν αὐτοῖς ἔθος, Σπόριος μὲν Κάσσιος, ὃς ἔλαχε τὴν τῶν κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ἐπιμέλειαν, ὑπέμεινε μέρος τῆς κατειλεγμένης δυνάμεως τὸ ἀρκοῦν λαβών: Πόστουμος δὲ Κομίνιος ἐξῆγε τὴν λοιπὴν στρατιὰν Ῥωμαίων τ᾽ αὐτῶν ἀξιόχρεων ἄγων μοῖραν καὶ Λατίνων τι συμμαχικὸν οὐκ ὀλίγον.

  [91.1] When affairs had been settled and the commonwealth restored to its former state, an army was raised by the generals against their foreign foes, as the people now displayed great alacrity and in a short time got everything ready that was necessary for the war. The consuls having drawn lots for their official duties according to custom, Spurius Cassius, to whom the oversight of affairs in the city fell, remained at home, retaining a sufficient part of the forces which had been raised, while Postumus Cominius took the field with the rest of the army, consisting of not only an adequate part of the Romans themselves but also no small auxiliary force of Latins.

  [2] κρίνας δὲ Οὐολούσκοις ἐπιχειρεῖν πρώτοις πόλιν αὐτῶν Λογγόλαν ἐξ ἐφόδου καταλαμβάνεται, ἐπιβαλομένων μὲν τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ μεταποιεῖσθαί τινος ἀρετῆς καί τινα στρατιὰν ὑπαίθριον ἀποστειλάντων, ᾗ τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἀνείρξειν [p. 399] ἐπίστευον, αἰσχρῶς δ᾽ ἀναγκασθέντων φυγεῖν πρὶν ἢ λαμπρόν τι ἔργον ἀποδείξασθαι καὶ οὐδ᾽ ἐν τῇ τειχομαχίᾳ γενναῖον οὐδὲν διαπραξαμένων. μιᾷ γοῦν ἡμέρᾳ τῆς τε γῆς αὐτῶν Ῥωμαῖοι ἐκράτησαν ἀκονιτὶ καὶ τὴν πόλιν οὐ πολλὰ πραγματευθέντες κατὰ κράτος ἔλαβον.

  [2] And deciding to attack the Volscians first, he took a city of theirs called Longula at the first assault, though the inhabitants undertook to make some show of bravery and sent some forces into the field in hopes of holding back the enemy; but these were put to shameful flight before they had performed any brilliant action and did not display the least courage even during the assault on their walls. At all events the Romans in one day not only possessed themselves of their country without effort, but also took their city by storm without much difficulty.

  [3] ὁ δὲ τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατηγὸς τά τ᾽ ἐγκαταληφθέντα χρήματα διαρπάσαι τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐφεὶς καὶ φρουρὰν ἐν τῇ πόλει καταλιπὼν ἐξῆγε τὴν δύναμιν ἐφ᾽ ἑτέραν πόλιν τῶν Οὐολούσκων, ἣ καλεῖται μὲν Πόλουσκα, διάστημα δ᾽ οὐ πολὺ τῆς Λογγόλας ἀπέχει. οὐδενὸς δ᾽ αὐτῷ τολμήσαντος ὑπαντῆσαι διανύσας τὴν χώραν κατὰ πολλὴν εὐπέτειαν προσέβαλε τοῖς τείχεσι: τῶν δὲ στρατιωτῶν οἱ μὲν τὰς πύλας διακόψαντες, οἱ δὲ διὰ κλιμάκων ἐπὶ τὸ τεῖχος ἀναβάντες, αὐθημερὸν γίνονται καὶ ταύτης τῆς πόλεως κύριοι.

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p; [3] The Roman general permitted the soldiers to divide all the goods left in the city, and then, leaving a garrison there, led his army against another city of the Volscians called Polusca, not far distant from Longula. When none dared to oppose him, he marched through the country with great ease and assaulted the walls; and then, some of the soldiers forcing open the gates and others scaling the walls, they made themselves masters of this city also that same day.

  [4] ὡς δὲ παρέλαβε τὴν πόλιν, ὀλίγους μέν τινας ἐπιλέξας τοὺς αἰτίους τῆς ἀποστάσεως ἀπέκτεινε, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς χρημάτων ἀφαιρέσει ζημιώσας καὶ ὅπλα ἀφελόμενος, Ῥωμαίων εἶναι τὸ λοιπὸν ἠνάγκασεν ὑπηκόους.

  [4] After the consul had taken the city he chose out a few of the inhabitants who had been the authors of the revolt and put them to death; and having punished the rest by taking away their effects and disarmed them, he obliged them to be subjects of the Romans for the future.

  [1] καταλιπὼν δὲ κἂν ταύτῃ βραχεῖαν τῆς στρατιᾶς μοῖραν ἕνεκα φυλακῆς, τῇ κατόπιν ἡμέρᾳ τὴν δύναμιν ἀναλαβὼν προῆγεν ἐπὶ Κοριόλαν, πόλιν ἐπιφανῆ σφόδρα καὶ ὥσπερ ἂν μητρόπολιν τῶν Οὐολούσκων: ἔνθα καὶ δύναμις ἦν συνειλεγμένη καρτερὰ καὶ τὸ τεῖχος οὐ ῥᾴδιον ἁλῶναι τά τε πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον ἐπιτήδεια παρεσκευασμένα τοῖς ἔνδον ἐκ πολλοῦ. [p. 400] ἐπιχειρήσας δὲ τῇ τειχομαχίᾳ μέχρι δείλης ὀψίας ἀποκρούεται πρὸς τῶν ἐναντίων πολλοὺς τῶν οἰκείων ἀπολέσας.

  [92.1] He left in this city also a small part of the army as a garrison, and the next day marched with the rest to Corioli, a city of very great note and the mother-city, so to speak, of the Volscians. Here a strong force had been assembled, the walls were not easy to be taken, and everything necessary for war had been prepared long before by the inhabitants. The consul undertook to storm the walls and persisted in his efforts till late in the afternoon, but was repulsed by the enemy after he had lost many of his men.

  [2] τῇ δ᾽ ἑξῆς ἡμέρᾳ κριούς τε καὶ γέρρα καὶ κλίμακας εὐτρεπισάμενος παρεσκευάζετο μὲν ὡς ἁπάσῃ τῇ δυνάμει πειρασόμενος τῆς πόλεως, ἀκούσας δ᾽ ὅτι πολλῇ χειρὶ μέλλουσιν Ἀντιάται βοηθεῖν τοῖς Κοριολανοῖς κατὰ τὸ συγγενὲς καὶ εἰσὶν οἱ πεμφθέντες ἐν ὁδῷ ἤδη, μερίσας τὸν ἑαυτοῦ στρατὸν τῷ μὲν ἡμίσει τειχομαχεῖν ἔγνω Τῖτον Λάρκιον ἐπ᾽ αὐτοῦ καταλιπών,

  [2] The next day he got ready battering rams, mantlets, and scaling-ladders and was preparing to make an attempt against the city with his entire forces; but learning that the Antiates were planning to come with a large force to the assistance of the Coriolani because of their kinship with them, and that those chosen to make the expedition were already upon the march, he divided his army and determined to continue the assault on the city with one half of it, leaving Titus Larcius in command, with the other half to stop the advance of the approaching force.

  [3] 13 τῷ δὲ λοιπῷ κωλύειν τοὺς ἐπιόντας διενοεῖτο. καὶ γίνονται δύο τῆς αὐτῆς ἡμέρας ἀγῶνες: Ῥωμαῖοι δ᾽ ἐνίκων ἁπάντων μὲν προθύμως ἀγωνισαμένων, ἑνὸς δ᾽ ἀνδρὸς ἄπιστον ἀρετὴν καὶ παντὸς λόγου κρείττονας ἀποδειξαμένου πράξεις, ὃς ἦν μὲν ἐκ τοῦ γένους τῶν πατρικίων καὶ οὐκ ἀσήμων πατέρων, ἐκαλεῖτο δὲ Γάιος Μάρκιος, σώφρων δὲ τὸν καθ᾽ ἡμέραν βίον ἀνὴρ καὶ φρονήματος ἐλευθέρου μεστός. ἐγένετο δ᾽ ὁ τρόπος τῆς ἑκατέρας μάχης τοιόσδε: ὁ μὲν Λάρκιος ἐξαγαγὼν τὴν στρατιὰν ἅμ᾽ ἡμέρᾳ προσῆγε τοῖς τείχεσι τῆς Κοριόλας καὶ κατὰ πολλοὺς τόπους ἐποιεῖτο τὰς προσβολάς: οἱ δὲ Κοριολάνοι μέγα φρονοῦντες ἐπὶ τῇ παρὰ τῶν Ἀντιατῶν βοηθείᾳ, ἣν οὐ διὰ μακροῦ σφίσι παρέσεσθαι ἐπίστευον, ἀνοίξαντες ἁπάσας τὰς πύλας ὥρμησαν ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἀθρόοι.

  [3] Thus two actions took place on the same day, and the Romans gained the victory in both, as all of them fought with great ardour and one man in particular displayed incredible bravery and performed deeds that beggar description. This man was of patrician rank and of no obscure lineage, Gaius Marcius by name; he was sober and restrained in his private life and had the spirit of a freeman in full measure. The circumstances of the two actions were as follows: Larcius, having marched out of the camp with his army at break of day, advanced to the walls of Corioli and assault the city in many places. The Coriolani, for their part, elated by their expectation of aid from the Antiates, which they were convinced would son reach them, opened all their gates and made a general sally against the enemy.

  [4] Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ τὴν μὲν πρώτην ἔφοδον αὐτῶν ἐδέξαντο καὶ πολλὰς πληγὰς τοῖς ὁμόσε χωροῦσιν ἔδοσαν, ἔπειτα πλειόνων ἐπιόντων ὠθούμενοι κατὰ πρανοῦς χωρίου ἐνέκλιναν. [p. 401] τοῦτο κατιδὼν ὁ Μάρκιος, ὑπὲρ οὗ πρότερον ἔφην, ἵσταται σὺν ὀλίγοις καὶ δέχεται τὸ ἐπιφερόμενον τῶν πολεμίων στῖφος: καταβαλὼν δὲ συχνοὺς αὐτῶν, ὡς ἐνέκλιναν οἱ λοιποὶ καὶ πρὸς τὴν πόλιν ἔφευγον, ἠκολούθει κτείνων ἀεὶ τοὺς ἐν χερσὶ καὶ ἐπικελευόμενος τοῖς φεύγουσι τῶν σφετέρων ἀναστρέφειν τε καὶ θαρρεῖν καὶ αὑτῷ ἕπεσθαι.

  [4] The Romans sustained their first attack and wounded many of those who engaged them, but later, as the number of the assailants increased, they were forced down hill and gave way. Marcius, whom I mentioned before, upon seeing this, stood his ground with a few followers and awaited the solid mass of the enemy as they attacked. When he had struck down many of them and the rest gave way and fled toward the city, he followed, slaying, one after another, all who came within reach, and calling out without intermission to those of his own men who fled to face about, to take courage, and to follow him.

  [5] οἱ δ᾽ αἰδεσδέντες ἐπὶ τῷ ἔργῳ ἀνέστρεφον αὖθις καὶ τοῖς καθ᾽ ἑαυτοὺς ἐπέκειντο παίοντες καὶ διώκοντες, καὶ δι᾽ ὀλίγου χρόνου τοὺς συμπλακέντας ἕκαστοι τρεψάμενοι προσέκειντο τοῖς τείχεσι: καὶ ὁ Μάρκιος θρασύτερον ἤδη κινδυνεύων προσωτέρω μᾶλλον ἐχώρει καὶ πρὸς αὐταῖς γενόμενος ταῖς πύλαις συνεισέπιπτε τοῖς φεύγουσιν εἰς τὸ τεῖχος. συνεισπεσόντων δ᾽ αὐτῷ καὶ ἄλλων συχνῶν κατὰ πολλὰ μέρη τῆς πόλεως φόνος ἐγίνετο ἐξ ἀμφοῖν πολύς: τῶν μὲν ἀνὰ τοὺς στενωπούς, τῶν δὲ περὶ ταῖς ἁλισκομέναις οἰκίαις μαχομένων.

  [5] These, ashamed of their behaviour, rallied and pressed hard upon their opponents, smiting and pursuing them; and in a short time they had all routed their anta
gonists and were attacking the walls of the city. Marcius, exposing himself now with greater boldness, kept advancing farther and farther, and coming to the very gates, entered along with those who were fleeing inside the walls. And when many others also forced their way inside with him, there ensued a great slaughter on both sides in many parts of the city, some fighting in the streets and others in defence of the houses that were being taken.

  [6] συνελάμβανον δὲ τοῦ ἔργου τοῖς ἔνδον καὶ γυναῖκες ἀπὸ τῶν τεγῶν βάλλουσαι τοὺς πολεμίους τοῖς καλυπτῆρσι, καὶ καθ᾽ ὅσον ἑκάστῳ τις ἰσχὺς καὶ δύναμις ἦν προθύμως ἐβοήθουν τῇ πατρίδι. οὐ μέντοι ἐπὶ πολύν γε χρόνον τοῖς δεινοῖς ἀντεῖχον, ἀλλ᾽ ἠναγκάσθησαν παραδιδόναι σφᾶς αὐτοὺς τοῖς κεκρατηκόσι. τοῦτον δὲ τὸν τρόπον ἀλούσης τῆς πόλεως οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι Ῥωμαῖοι πρὸς ἁρπαγὴν τῶν ἐγκαταληφθέντων ἐτράποντο καὶ μέχρι πολλοῦ διετέλουν [p. 402] προσκείμενοι ταῖς ὠφελείαις χρημάτων τε πολλῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἐν τῷ χωρίῳ καὶ ἀνδραπόδων,

  [6] Even women assisted the inhabitants in their struggle by hurling down tiles upon the enemy from the roofs; and everyone according to his strength and power bravely defended his native city. However, they did not hold out long against these perils, but were obliged to surrender to the conquers. The city having been taken in this manner, most of the Romans turned to plundering the property found there, and continued for a long time intent on the booty, as there was a large quantity of money and a great number of slaves in the place.