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

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus

  [4.1] After the senate had passed this vote some went through the streets making proclamation that the Volscians should depart from the city immediately and that they should all go out by a single gate, the one called the Capuan gate, while others together with the consuls escorted them on their departure. And then particularly, when they went out of the city at the same time and by the same gate, it was seen how numerous they were and how fit all were for service. First of them to depart was Tullus, who went out in haste, and taking his stand in a suitable place not far from the city, picked up those who lagged behind.

  [2] ἐπειδὴ δὲ πάντες συνήχθησαν, ἐκκλησίαν ποιησάμενος πολλῇ καταβοῇ τῆς Ῥωμαίων πόλεως ἐχρήσατο, δεινὴν καὶ ἀφόρητον [p. 129] ἀποφαίνων τὴν ὕβριν, ἣν ὑβρισμένοι πρὸς αὐτῶν ἦσαν Οὐολοῦσκοι μόνοι τῶν ἄλλων ξένων ἐξελασθέντες ἐκ τῆς πόλεως: καὶ λέγειν ἠξίου ταῦτα πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πόλιν ἕκαστον καὶ πράττειν, ὅπως παύσωνται τῆς ὕβρεως Ῥωμαῖοι δίκας παρασχόντες τῆς παρανομίας. ταῦτ᾽ εἰπὼν καὶ παραθήξας ἀνθρώπους ἀγανακτοῦντας ἐπὶ τῷ πάθει διέλυσε τὴν ἐκκλησίαν.

  [2] And when they were all gathered together, he called an assembly and inveighed at length against the Roman people, declaring that it was an outrageous and intolerable insult that the Volscians had received at their hands in being the only strangers to be expelled from the city. He asked that each man should report this treatment in his own city and take measures to put a stop to the insolence of the Romans by punishing them for their lawless behaviour. After he had spoken thus and sharpened the resentment of the Volscians, who were already exasperated at the usage they had met with, he dismissed the assembly.

  [3] ὡς δ᾽ ἀπαλλαγέντες εἰς τὰς ἑαυτῶν ἕκαστοι πατρίδας ἐδήλωσαν τοῖς ἄλλοις τὸν προπηλακισμὸν ἐπὶ μεῖζον ἐξαίροντες τὰ γενόμενα, ἠγανάκτει τε πᾶσα πόλις καὶ κατέχειν τὴν ὀργὴν οὐκ ἠδύνατο: διαπρεσβευομένη δ᾽ ἄλλη πρὸς ἄλλην εἰς μίαν ἀγορὰν ἅπαντας ἠξίου Οὐολούσκους συνιέναι, ἵνα κοινῇ χρήσαιντο γνώμῃ περὶ τοῦ πολέμου.

  [3] When they returned to their several cities and each related to his fellow citizens the insult they had received, exaggerating what had occurred, every city was angered and unable to restrain its resentment; and sending ambassadors to one another, they demanded that all the Volscians should meet together in a single assembly in order to adopt a common plan concerning war.

  [4] ἐγίνετο δὲ ταῦτα τοῦ Τύλλου μάλιστ᾽ ἐνάγοντος, καὶ συνῄεσαν ἐξ ἁπάσης πόλεως οἵ τ᾽ ἐν τοῖς τέλεσι καὶ πολὺς ἄλλος ὄχλος εἰς τὴν Ἐχετρανῶν πόλιν: αὕτη γὰρ ἐδόκει ἐν καλλίστῃ κεῖσθαι συνόδῳ ταῖς ἄλλαις ἡ πόλις. ῥηθέντων δὲ πολλῶν λόγων, οὓς εἶπον οἱ δυναστεύοντες ἐν ἑκάστῃ πόλει, ψῆφος ἀνεδόθη τοῖς παροῦσι, καὶ ἦν ἡ νικῶσα γνώμη κινεῖν τὸν πόλεμον, ὡς Ῥωμαίων ἀρξάντων τῆς περὶ τὰς σπονδὰς παρανομίας.

  [4] All this was done chiefly at the instigation of Tullus. And the authorities from every city together with a great multitude of other people assembled at Ecetra; for this city seemed the most conveniently situated with respect to the others for a general assembly. After many speeches had been made by the men in power in each city, the votes of all present were taken; and the view which carried was to begin war, since the Romans had first transgressed in the matter of the treaty.

  [1] ὑπὲρ δὲ τοῦ τίνα χρὴ πολεμεῖν αὐτοῖς τρόπον [p. 130] προθέντων σκοπεῖν τῶν ἐν τοῖς τέλεσι παρελθὼν ὁ Τύλλος συνεβούλευσεν αὐτοῖς καλεῖν τὸν Μάρκιον καὶ παρ᾽ ἐκείνου πυνθάνεσθαι, πῶς ἂν ἡ Ῥωμαίων καταλυθείη δύναμις: κράτιστα γὰρ ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων εἰδέναι, πῇ τε κάμνει τὰ τῆς πόλεως πράγματα καὶ πῇ μάλιστα ἔρρωται. ἐδόκει ταῦτα, καὶ αὐτίκα πάντες ἐβόων καλεῖν τὸν ἄνδρα. καὶ ὁ Μάρκιος ἧς ἐβούλετο ἀφορμῆς λαβόμενος ἀνέστη κατηφὴς καὶ δεδακρυμένος καὶ μικρὸν ἐπισχὼν χρόνον τοιούτους διέθετο λόγους:

  [5.1] When the authorities had proposed to the assembly to consider in what manner they ought to carry on the war against them, Tullus came forward and advised them to summon Marcius and inquire of him how the power of the Romans might be overthrown, since he knew better than any man both the weakness and the strength of the commonwealth. This met with their approval, and at once they all cried out to summon the man. Then Marcius, having found the opportunity he desired, rose up with downcast looks and with tears in his eyes and after a brief pause spoke as follows:

  [2] εἰ μὲν ἡγούμην ὑμᾶς ἅπαντας ὅμοια γινώσκειν περὶ τῆς ἐμῆς συμφορᾶς, οὐκ ἂν ὑπελάμβανον ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι περὶ αὐτῆς ἀπολογεῖσθαι: ἐνθυμούμενος δ᾽, ὡς ἐν πολλοῖς καὶ διαφόροις ἤθεσιν εἰκός, εἶναί τινας, οἷς παραστήσεται δόξα οὔτ᾽ ἀληθὴς οὔτε προσήκουσα περὶ ἐμοῦ, ὡς οὐκ ἂν ἄτερ αἰτίας ἀληθοῦς καὶ δικαίας ἐξήλασέ με ὁ δῆμος ἐκ τῆς πατρίδος, παντὸς μάλιστα οἴομαι δεῖν πρῶτον ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐμῆς φυγῆς ἐν κοινῷ

  [2] “If I thought you all entertained the same opinion of my misfortune, I should not think it necessary to make any defence of it; but when I consider that, as is to be expected among many men of different characters, there are some to whom will occur the notion, neither true nor deserved by me, that the people would not have banished me from my country without a real and just cause, I think it necessary above all things first to clear myself publicly before you all in the matter of my banishment.

  [3] πρὸς ἅπαντας ὑμᾶς ἀπολογήσασθαι. ἀλλ᾽ ἀνάσχεσθέ μου, πρὸς θεῶν, καὶ οἱ κράτιστα ἐγνωκότες, ἃ πέπονθα ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν καὶ ὡς οὐ προσῆκόν μοι ταύτης πεπείραμαι τῆς τύχης διεξιόντος, καὶ μὴ πρότερον ποθεῖτε, ὅ τι χρὴ πράττειν ἀκοῦσαι, πρίν, ὁποῖός τις εἰμὶ ὁ τὴν γνώμην ἀποδειξόμενος, ἐξετάσαι. ἔσται δὲ βραχὺς ὁ περὶ αὐτῶν, κἂν πρόσωθεν ἄρξωμαι, λόγος.

  [3] But have patience with me, I adjure you by the gods, even those of you who are beside acquainted with the facts, while I relate what I have suffered from my enemies and show that I have not deserved this misfortune which has befallen me; and do not be anxious to hear what you must do before you have inquired what sort of man I am who am now going to express my opinion. The account I shall give of these matters will be brief, even though I begin from far back.

  [4] Ῥωμαίοις τὸ μὲν ἐξ ἀρχῆς πολίτευμα ἦν μικτὸν ἔκ τε βασιλείας καὶ ἀριστοκρατίας: ἔπειτα ὁ τελευταῖος βασιλεὺς Ταρκύνιος τυραννίδα τὴν ἀρχὴν ἠξίου ποιεῖν. συστ�
�ντες [p. 131] οὖν ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν οἱ τῆς ἀριστοκρατίας ἡγεμόνες ἐκεῖνον μὲν ἐξέβαλον ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, αὐτοὶ δὲ τὰ κοινὰ κατέσχον ἀρίστην καὶ σωφρονεστάτην, ὡς ἅπαντες ὁμολογοῦσι, καταστησάμενοι πολιτείαν. χρόνοις δ᾽ οὐ πολλοῖς τῶν νῦν πρότερον, ἀλλὰ τρίτον ἢ τέταρτον τοῦτ᾽ ἔτος οἱ πενέστατοί τε καὶ ἀργότατοι τῶν πολιτῶν πονηροῖς χρησάμενοι προστάταις ἄλλα τε πολλὰ ἐξύβρισαν, καὶ τελευτῶντες καταλύειν τὴν ἀριστοκρατίαν ἐπεχείρουν. ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἅπαντες μὲν οἱ τῆς βουλῆς προεστηκότες ἤχθοντο καί, ὅπως παύσωνται τῆς ὕβρεως οἱ

  [4] “The original constitution of the Romans was a mixture of monarchy and aristocracy. Afterwards Tarquinius, their last king, thought fit to make his government a tyranny; for which reason the leading men of the aristocracy, combining against him, expelled him from the state, and taking upon themselves the administration of public affairs, formed such a system of government as all men acknowledge to be the best and wisest. Not long ago, however, but only two or three years since, the poorest and idlest of the citizens, having bad men as their leaders, not only committed many other outrages, but at last endeavoured to overthrow the aristocracy.

  [5] κινοῦντες τὴν πολιτείαν, σκοπεῖν ἠξίουν. ὑπὲρ ἅπαντας δὲ τοὺς ἀριστοκρατικοὺς ἐκ μὲν τῶν πρεσβυτέρων Ἄππιος ἀνὴρ πολλῶν ἄξιος ἕνεκεν ἐπαινεῖσθαι, ἐκ δὲ τῶν νεωτέρων ἐγώ: καὶ λόγους ἐποιούμεθα διὰ παντὸς ἐπὶ τῆς βουλῆς ἐλευθέρους οὐ δήμῳ πολεμοῦντες, ἀλλὰ πονηροκρατίαν ὑφορώμενοι, οὐδὲ καταδουλώσασθαί τινα βουλόμενοι Ῥωμαίων, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ἐλεύθερον ἅπασιν ἀξιοῦντες ὑπάρχειν, τὴν δὲ προστασίαν τῶν κοινῶν ἀποδεδόσθαι τοῖς κρείττοσι.

  [5] At this all the leaders of the senate were grieved and thought they ought to consider how the insolence of these disturbers of the government could be stopped; but more active in this regard than the other aristocrats, were, of the older senators, Appius, a man deserving of praise on many accounts, and, of the younger men, I myself. And the speeches which on every occasion we made before the senate were frank, not by way of making war upon the populace, but from a suspicion we had of government by the worst elements; nor again from a wish to enslave any of the Romans, but from a desire that the liberty of all might be preserved and the management of public affairs be entrusted to the best men.

  [1] ταῦθ᾽ ὁρῶντες οἱ πονηρότατοι τοῦ πλήθους ἐκεῖνοι προστάται πρώτους ἔγνωσαν ἡμᾶς τοὺς φανερώτατα ἐναντιουμένους σφίσιν ἐκποδὼν ποιήσασθαι, οὐχ ἅμ᾽ ἀμ᾽ ἀμφοτέροις ἐπιχειρήσαντες, ἵνα μὴ ἐπίφθονόν τε καὶ βαρὺ τὸ πρᾶγμα γένηται, ἀλλ᾽ ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ τοῦ νεωτέρου τε καὶ εὐμεταχειριστοτέρου ἀρξάμενοι. τὸ μὲν οὖν πρῶτον ἄκριτόν με ἐπεχείρησαν ἀπολέσαι, [p. 132] ἔπειτ᾽ ἔκδοτον παρὰ τῆς βουλῆς ἠξίουν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ λαβεῖν: ἀποτυχόντες δ᾽ ἀμφοτέρων προὐκαλέσαντο ἐπὶ δίκην, ἣν αὐτοὶ δικάσειν ἔμελλον, τυραννίδος ἐπιβαλόντες αἰτίαν.

  [6.1] “This being observed by those most unprincipled leaders of the populace, they resolved to remove first out of their way the two of us who most openly opposed them — not, however, by attacking us both at once, lest the attempt should appear invidious and odious, but beginning with me who was the younger and the easier to be dealt with. In the first place, then, they endeavoured to destroy me without a trial; and after that they demanded that I be delivered up by the senate in order to be put to death. But having failed of both purposes, they summoned me to a trial in which they themselves were to be my judges, and charged me with aiming at tyranny.

  [2] καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτ᾽ ἔμαθον, ὅτι δήμῳ τύραννος οὐδεὶς πολεμεῖ μετὰ τῶν ἀρίστων συστάς, ἀλλὰ τἀναντία μετὰ τοῦ δήμου τὸ κράτιστον ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἀναιρεῖ μέρος: δικαστήριόν τ᾽ οὐχ ὅπερ ἦν πάτριον ἀπέδωκάν μοι τὴν λοχῖτιν καλέσαντες ἐκκλησίαν, ἀλλ᾽ ὃ πάντες ὁμολογοῦσι πονηρότατον εἶναι δικαστήριον καὶ ἐπ᾽ ἐμοῦ πρώτου καὶ μόνου γενόμενον, ἐν ᾧ πλέον ἔχειν ἔμελλον οἱ θῆτες καὶ ἀνέστιοι καὶ τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ἐπιβουλεύοντες βίοις τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ δικαίων καὶ τὰ

  [2] They had not learned even this much — that no tyrant makes war upon the populace by allying himself with the best men, but, on the contrary, destroys the best element in the state with the aid of the populace. And they did not give me the tribunal that was traditional, by summoning the centuriate assembly, but rather a tribunal which all admit to be most unprincipled — one set up in my case and mine alone — in which the working class and vagabonds and those who plot against the possessions of others were sure to prevail over good and just men and such as desire the safety of the commonwealth.

  [3] κοινὰ σώζεσθαι βουλομένων. τοσοῦτο δ᾽ ἄρα μοι περιῆν τοῦ μηδὲν ἀδικεῖν, ὥστ᾽ ἐν ὄχλῳ κρινόμενος, οὗ τὸ πλέον μισόχρηστον ἦν καὶ διὰ τοῦτ᾽ ἐχθρὸν ἐμοί, δυσὶ μόνον ἑάλων ψήφοις ἀποτιθεμένων τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῶν δημάρχων, εἰ μὴ καταδικασθείην ἐγώ, καὶ τὰ ἔσχατα πείσεσθαι πρὸς ἐμοῦ λεγόντων καὶ πάσῃ σπουδῇ καὶ προθυμίᾳ παρὰ τὸν ἀγῶνα κατ᾽ ἐμοῦ χρησαμένων.

  [3] This profit, then, and no more did I gain from my innocence, that, though tried by the mob, of which the greater part were haters of the virtuous and for that reason hostile to me, I was condemned by two votes only, even though the tribunes threatened to resign their power if I were acquitted, alleging that they expected to suffer the worst at my hands, and though they displayed all eagerness and zeal against me during the trial.

  [4] τοιαῦτα δὴ πεπονθὼς ἐγὼ πρὸς τῶν ἐμαυτοῦ πολιτῶν ἀβίωτον ἡγησάμην τὸν λοιπὸν ἔσεσθαί μοι βίον, εἰ μὴ λάβοιμι παρ᾽ αὐτῶν δίκας: καὶ διὰ τοῦτ᾽ ἐξόν μοι ζῆν ἀπραγμόνως, εἴτ᾽ ἐν ταῖς Λατίνων πόλεσιν ἠβουλόμην κατὰ τὸ συγγενές, εἴτ᾽ ἐν ταῖς νεοκτίστοις, ἅς οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἀπῴκισαν, οὐκ ἠβουλήθην, ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς δὲ κατέφυγον, οὓς ἠπιστάμην πλεῖστά θ᾽ ὑπὸ [p. 133] Ῥωμαίων ἠδικημένους καὶ μάλιστ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἀπεχθομένους, ἵνα κοινῇ μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν τιμωρησαίμην αὐτούς, ὅση μοι δύναμις, λόγοις τ᾽, ἔνθα δεῖ λόγων, καὶ ἔργοις, ὅταν ἔργων δέῃ. χάριν τε τὴν μεγάλην ὑμῖν οἶδα τῆς θ᾽ ὑποδοχῆς μου καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον τῆς τιμῆς, ᾗ με τιμᾶτε οὐθὲν οὔτε μνησικακήσαντες οὔθ᾽ ὑπολογισάμ
ενοι ὧν ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ πολεμίου ποτὲ ὄντος ἐπάθετε κατὰ τοὺς πολέμους.

  [4] After meeting with such treatment at the hands of my fellow citizens I felt that the rest of my life would not be worth living unless I took revenge upon them; and for this reason, when I was at liberty to live free from vexations either in any of the Latin cities I pleased, because of our ties of kinship, or in the colonies lately planted by our fathers, I was unwilling to do so, but took refuge with you, though I knew you had suffered ever so many wrongs at the hands of the Romans and had conceived the greatest resentment against them, in order that in conjunction with you I might take revenge upon them to the utmost of my power, both by words what words were wanted, and by deeds, where deeds were wanted. And I feel very grateful to you for receiving me, and still more for the honour you show me, without either resenting or taking into account the injuries which you received from me, your erstwhile enemy, during the wars.

  [1] φέρε δή, τίς ἂν εἴην ἀνήρ, εἰ δόξης καὶ τιμῶν, ὧν προσῆκέ μοι παρὰ τοῖς ἐμαυτοῦ πολίταις τυγχάνειν, παρὰ τῶν εὖ παθόντων ἀποστερηθείς, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις πατρίδος τε καὶ οἴκου καὶ φίλων καὶ θεῶν πατρῴων καὶ τάφων προγονικῶν καὶ παντὸς ἄλλου ἀπελασθεὶς ἀγαθοῦ, παρ᾽ ὑμῖν δ᾽ ἅπαντα ταῦθ᾽ εὑρών, οἷς ἐκείνων χάριν ἐπολέμουν, εἰ μὴ γενοίμην χαλεπὸς μὲν οἷς ἀντὶ πολιτῶν ἐχθροῖς κέχρημαι, χρηστὸς δ᾽ οἷς ἀντὶ πολεμίων φίλοις; ἀλλ᾽ ἔγωγ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ἐν ἀνδρὸς μοίρᾳ θείην ἄν, ὅστις μήτε τὸ πολεμοῦν δι᾽ ὀργῆς ἔχει μήτε τὸ σῶζον ἑαυτὸν δι᾽ εὐνοίας. πατρίδα θ᾽ ἡγοῦμαι οὐ τὴν ἀπαρνησαμένην με πόλιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἧς ἀλλότριος