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

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus

  [36.1] Having thus spoken, Marcius rose up and dismissed the conference; and the following night he broke camp about the last watch and led his army against the rest of the Latin cities, either having actually learned that some reinforcements were to come from them to the Romans, as he declared at the time in his harangue to the Romans, or having invented the report himself, in order that he might not seem to have given up the war to gratify the enemy.

  [2] ἐπιβαλὼν δὲ τῇ καλουμένῃ Λογγόλᾳ καὶ δίχα πόνου γενόμενος αὐτῆς ἐγκρατὴς καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ὅνπερ τὰς ἑτέρας ἐξανδραποδισάμενός τε καὶ διαρπάσας ἐπὶ τὴν Σατρικανῶν ἤλαυνε πόλιν. ἑλὼν δὲ καὶ ταύτην ὀλίγον ἀντισχόντων τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ χρόνον, καὶ τὰς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀμφοτέρων τῶν πόλεων ὠφελείας μέρει τῆς στρατιᾶς κελεύσας ἀπάγειν εἰς Ἐχέτραν, τὴν λοιπὴν ἀναλαβὼν δύναμιν ἦγεν ἐπὶ πόλιν ἄλλην τὴν καλουμένην Κετίαν. γενόμενος δὲ καὶ ταύτης ἐγκρατὴς καὶ διαρπάσας εἰς τὴν Πολυσκανῶν χώραν ἐνέβαλεν. οὐ δυνηθέντων δ᾽ ἀντισχεῖν τῶν Πολυσκανῶν κατὰ κράτος ἑλὼν καὶ τούτους ἐπὶ [p. 178] τὰς ἑξῆς ἐχώρει. Ἀλβιήτας μὲν οὖν καὶ Μογιλλανοὺς ἐκ τειχομαχίας αἱρεῖ, % χωριελανοὺς δὲ καθ᾽ ὁμολογίας παραλαμβάνει.

  [2] And attacking the place called Longula, he gained possession of it without any difficulty, and treated it in the same manner as he had treated the others, by making slaves of the inhabitants and plundering the town. Then he marched to the city of Satricum, and having taken this also, after a short resistance by the townspeople, and ordered a detachment of his army to convey the booty taken in these two towns to Ecetra, he marched with the rest of his forces to another town, called Cetia. After gaining possession of this place also and pillaging it, he made an irruption into the territory of the Poluscini; and when these were unable to withstand him, he took their city also by storm, and then proceeded against the others in order: the Albietes and the Mugillani he took by assault and the Chorielani by capitulation.

  [3] γενόμενος δ᾽ ἐν ἡμέραις τριάκοντα πόλεων ἑπτὰ κύριος ἧκεν ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥώμην ἄγων πολὺ πλείω στρατιὰν τῆς προτέρας καὶ σταδίους ἀποσχὼν τῆς πόλεως ὀλίγῳ πλείους τῶν τριάκοντα παρὰ τὴν ἐπὶ Τυσκλανοὺς φέρουσαν ὁδὸν κατεστρατοπέδευσεν. ἐν ᾧ δὲ τὰς Λατίνων ἐξῄρει τε καὶ προσήγετο πόλεις, Ῥωμαίοις πρὸς τὰς ἐπιταγὰς αὐτοῦ πολλὰ βουλευσαμένοις ἔδοξε μηδὲν ἀνάξιον ποιεῖν τῆς πόλεως, ἀλλ᾽ ἐὰν μὲν ἀπέλθωσιν αὐτῶν ἐκ τῆς χώρας Οὐολοῦσκοι καὶ τῆς τῶν συμμάχων τε καὶ ὑπηκόων γῆς, καὶ καταλυσάμενοι τὸν πόλεμον πρέσβεις ἀποστείλωσι τοὺς διαλεξομένους περὶ φιλίας, προβουλεῦσαι τὸ συνέδριον, ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἔσονται δικαίοις φίλοι, καὶ τὰ βουλευθέντα εἰς τὸν δῆμον ἐξενεγκεῖν: ἕως δ᾽ ἂν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ μένοντες αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν συμμάχων ἔργα πράττωσι πολεμίων,

  [3] Having thus made himself master of seven cities in thirty days, he returned toward Rome with an army much larger than his former force, and encamped at a distance of a little more than thirty stades from the city, on the road that leads to Tusculum

  When Marcius was capturing or conciliating the cities of the Latins, the Romans, after long deliberation over his demands, resolved to do nothing unworthy of the commonwealth, but if the Volscians would depart from their territory and from that of their allies and subjects and, putting an end to the war, send ambassadors to treat for friendship, the senate would pass a preliminary vote fixing the terms on which they should become friends and would lay its resolution before the people; but as long as the Volscians remained in their territory and in that of their allies committing hostile acts they would pass no friendly vote.

  [4] μηθὲν αὐτοῖς ψηφίζεσθαι φιλάνθρωπον. πολὺς γὰρ δὴ Ῥωμαίοις ἀεὶ λόγος τοῦ μηθὲν δρᾶσαί ποτ᾽ ἐξ ἐπιτάγματος μηδὲ φόβῳ πολεμίων εἴξαντας, σπεισαμένοις δὲ τοῖς διαφόροις καὶ παρασχοῦσιν ἑαυτοὺς ὑπηκόους χαρίζεσθαί τε καὶ ἐπιτρέπειν ὅτου δέοιντο τῶν μετρίων. καὶ τοῦτο τὸ φρόνημα ἐν πολλοῖς καὶ μεγάλοις κινδύνοις φυλάττουσα ἡ πόλις κατά τε τοὺς ὀθνείους καὶ τοὺς ἐμφυλίους πολέμους μέχρι τοῦ καθ᾽ ἡμᾶς χρόνου διατετέλεκε. [p. 179]

  [4] For the Romans always made it a great point never to do anything at the dictation of an enemy or to yield to fear of him, but when once their adversaries had made peace and acknowledged themselves their subjects, to gratify them and concede anything in reason that they asked. And this proud spirit the commonwealth had continued to preserve down to our own time amid many great dangers in both their foreign and their domestic wars.

  [1] ταῦτα ψηφισαμένης τῆς βουλῆς καὶ πρεσβευτὰς ἑτέρους ἑλομένης δέκα ἄνδρας ἐκ τῶν ὑπατικῶν τοὺς ἀξιώσοντας τὸν ἄνδρα μηθὲν ἐκφέρειν ἐπίταγμα βαρὺ μηδ᾽ ἀνάξιον τῆς πόλεως, ἀλλὰ καταλύσαντα τὴν ἔχθραν καὶ ἀναστήσαντα τὴν δύναμιν ἐκ τῆς χώρας πειθοῖ καὶ διὰ λόγων συμβατηρίων ταῦτα πειρᾶσθαι πράττειν, εἰ βούλεται βεβαίους τε καὶ εἰς ἀεὶ διαμενούσας ποιήσασθαι τὰς ὁμολογίας τῶν πόλεων, ὡς τῶν γε ὑπ᾽ ἀνάγκης τινὸς ἢ καιροῦ συγχωρουμένων καὶ ἰδιώταις καὶ πόλεσιν ἅμα τῷ μεταπεσεῖν τοὺς καιροὺς ἢ τὰς ἀνάγκας εὐθὺς διαλυομένων: οἱ μὲν ἀποδειχθέντες ὑπ᾽ αὐτῆς πρέσβεις ἅμα τῷ πυθέσθαι τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Μαρκίου πορευθέντες ὡς αὐτὸν πολλὰ ἐπαγωγὰ διελέγοντο φυλάττοντες καὶ ἐν τοῖς λόγοις τὸ ἀξίωμα τῆς πόλεως.

  [37.1] The senate, having passed this decree, chosen ten other men from among the ex-consuls as envoys to ask Marcius not to make any demand that was severe or unworthy of the commonwealth, but laying aside his resentment and withdrawing his forces from their territory, to endeavour to obtain his demands by persuasion and conciliatory language, if he wished to make the compact between the two states firm and enduring, since all concessions made either to individuals or to state under compulsion of some necessity or crisis become void at once when the crisis or the necessity changes. The envoys appointed by the senate, as soon as they were informed of the arrival of Marcius, repaired to him and used many tempting arguments, preserving also in their discussions, however, the dignity of the commonwealth.

  [2] ὁ δὲ Μάρκιος ἄλλο μὲν οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς ἀπεκρίνατο, συνεβούλευε δὲ κρεῖττόν τι βουλευσαμένους ἥκειν τριῶν ἐντὸς ἡμερῶν: ταύτας γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἔσεσθαι μόνας ἀνοχὰς τοῦ πολέμου. βουλομένων δ
έ τι πρὸς ταῦτα λέγειν τῶν ἀνδρῶν οὐκ ἐπέτρεψεν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀπιέναι τὴν ταχίστην ἐκέλευσεν ἐκ τοῦ χάρακος, ἀπειλήσας ὡς, εἰ μὴ ποιήσουσιν, ὡς κατασκόποις χρήσεται: κἀκεῖνοι σιωπῇ ἀπιόντες εὐθὺς ᾤχοντο.

  [2] But Marcius gave them no answer except to advise them to reach some better decision and then return within three days; for they should have a truce from war for that period only. And when the envoys desired to make some answer to this, he would not permit it, but ordered them to quit the camp immediately, threatening, if they refused, to treat them as spies. Thereupon they at once withdrew in silence.

  [3] μαθόντες δ᾽ οἱ βουλευταὶ παρὰ τῶν πρέσβεων τὰς αὐθάδεις ἀποκρίσεις %5τε καὶ ἀπειλὰς τοῦ Μαρκίου στρατιὰν μὲν ὑπερόριον ἐξάγειν οὐδὲ τότε [p. 180] ἐψηφίσαντο, εἴτε τὸ ἀπειροπόλεμον τῶν σφετέρων στρατιωτῶν: νεοσύλλεκτοι γὰρ οἱ πλείους ἦσαν αὐτῶν: εὐλαβηθέντες, εἴτε τὴν ἀτολμίαν τῶν ὑπάτων: ἥκιστα γὰρ ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸ δραστήριον ἦν: σφαλερὰν ἡγησάμενοι τηλικοῦτον ἀναιρεῖσθαι ἀγῶνα, εἴτ᾽ ἄρα καὶ τοῦ δαιμονίου σφίσιν ἐναντιουμένου πρὸς τὴν ἔξοδον δἰ οἰωνῶν ἢ χρησμῶν Σιβυλλείων ἤ τινος ὀττείας πατρίου, ὧν οὐκ ἠξίουν οἱ τότ᾽ ἄνθρωποι καθάπερ οἱ νῦν ὑπερορᾶν: φυλάττειν δὲ τὴν πόλιν ἐπιμελεστέρᾳ φυλακῇ καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐρυμάτων τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἀμύνεσθαι διέγνωσαν.

  [3] The senators, upon being informed by the envoys of the haughty answer and threats of Marcius, did not even then vote to send out an expeditionary force, either because they feared the inexperience of their troops, most of whom were new recruits, or because they regarded the timidity of the consuls — there was indeed no boldness for action in them at all — as a serious risk in undertaking so great a struggle, or perhaps too because Heaven opposed their expedition by means of auspices, Sibylline oracles, or some traditional religious scruple — warnings which the men of that age did not think fit to neglect as do those of to-day. However, they resolved to guard the city with greater diligence and to repel from their ramparts any who should attack them.

  [1] ταῦτα δὲ πράττοντες καὶ παρασκευαζόμενοι τῆς τ᾽ ἐλπίδος οὔπω ἀφιστάμενοι ὡς δυνατὸν ὑπάρχον ἔτι μεταπεισθῆναι τὸν Μάρκιον, εἰ μείζονι καὶ τιμιωτέρᾳ πρεσβείᾳ δεηθεῖεν αὐτοῦ, ψηφίζονται τούς θ᾽ ἱεροφάντας καὶ τοὺς οἰωνοσκόπους καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἅπαντας, ὅσοι τιμήν τινα ἱερὰν ἢ λειτουργίαν περὶ τὰ θεῖα δημοτελῆ λαβόντες εἶχον: εἰσὶ δὲ παρ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἱερεῖς καὶ θεραπευταὶ θεῶν πάνυ πολλοὶ καὶ αὐτοὶ οὗτοι διαφανέστατοι τῶν ἄλλων κατά τ᾽ οἴκους πατέρων καὶ ἀρετῆς οἰκείας ἀξίωσιν: ἔχοντας ἅμ᾽ αὐτοῖς τῶν ὀργιαζομένων τε καὶ θεραπευομένων θεῶν τὰ σύμβολα καὶ τὰς ἱερὰς ἀμπεχομένους ἐσθῆτας ἀθρόους ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα τῶν πολεμίων πορεύεσθαι τοὺς αὐτοὺς φέροντας τοῖς προτέροις λόγους.

  [38.1] While they were so engaged and were making their preparations, and were not yet ready to give up all hope, believing that Marcius could still be persuaded to relent if they sent a larger and more dignified embassy to intercede with him, they voted to send the pontiffs, the augurs, and all the others who were invested with any sacred dignity or public ministry relating to divine worship (there are among them large numbers of priests and ministers religion, these also being distinguished beyond their fellows not only for their ancestry, but for their reputation for personal merit as well), and that these, carrying with them the symbols of the gods whose rites and worship they performed, and wearing their priestly robes, should go in a body to the enemy’s camp bearing the same message as the former envoys.

  [2] ὡς δ᾽ ἀφίκοντο οἱ ἄνδρες καὶ ἔλεξαν, ὅσα ἡ βουλὴ αὐτοῖς ἐπέστελλεν, [p. 181] οὐδὲ τούτοις ἔδωκεν ὁ Μάρκιος ἀπόκρισιν ὑπὲρ ὧν ἠξίουν, ἀλλ᾽ ἢ τὰ κελευόμενα ποιεῖν συνεβούλευεν ἀπιόντας, εἰ θέλουσιν εἰρήνην ἄγειν, ἢ προσδέχεσθαι τὸν πόλεμον ἥξοντα πρὸς τὴν πόλιν, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἀπεῖπε μὴ διαλέγεσθαι πρὸς αὐτόν.

  [2] When they arrived and delivered the message with which the senate had charged them, Marcius returned no other answer even to them concerning their demands, but advised them either to depart and do as he commanded, if they wished to have peace, or to expect the war to come to their very gates; and he forbade them to attempt any negotiations with him for the future.

  [3] ὡς δὲ καὶ ταύτης ἀπέτυχον τῆς πείρας οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι, πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα διαλλαγῆς ἀπογνόντες ὡς πολιορκησόμενοι παρεσκευάζοντο τοὺς μὲν ἀκμαιοτάτους ὑπὸ τῇ τάφρῳ καὶ παρὰ ταῖς πύλαις %5τάξαντες, τοὺς δ᾽ ἀφειμένους ἤδη στρατείας, οἷς ἔτι τὰ σώματα ἱκανὰ ἦν κακοπαθεῖν, ἐπὶ τοῖς τείχεσιν.

  [3] When the Romans failed in this attempt also, they gave up all hope of reconciliation and prepared for a siege, disposing the ablest of their men beside the moat and at the gates, and stationing upon the walls those who had been discharged from military service but whose bodies were still capable of enduring hardships.

  [1] αἱ δὲ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν, ὡς ἐγγὺς ὄντος ἤδη τοῦ δεινοῦ, καταλιποῦσαι τῆς οἴκοι μονῆς τὸ εὐπρεπὲς ἔθεον ἐπὶ τὰ τεμένη τῶν θεῶν ὀλοφυρόμεναί τε καὶ προκυλιόμεναι τῶν ξοάνων: καὶ ἦν ἅπας μὲν ἱερὸς τόπος οἰμωγῆς τε καὶ ἱκετείας γυναικῶν ἀνάπλεως, μάλιστα δὲ τὸ τοῦ Καπετωλίου Διὸς ἱερόν.

  [39.1] In the meantime their wives, seeing the danger now at hand and abandoning the sense of propriety that kept them in the seclusion of their homes, ran to the shrines of the gods with lamentations and threw themselves at the feet of their statues. And every holy place, particularly the temple of Jupiter Capitolinus, was filled with the cries and supplications of women.

  [2] ἔνθα δή τις αὐτῶν γένει τε καὶ ἀξιώματι προὔχουσα καὶ ἡλικίας ἐν τῷ κρατίστῳ τότ᾽ οὖσα καὶ φρονῆσαι τὰ δέοντα ἱκανωτάτη, Οὐαλερία μὲν ὄνομα, Ποπλικόλα δὲ τοῦ συνελευθερώσαντος ἀπὸ τῶν βασιλέων τὴν πόλιν ἀδελφή, θείῳ τινὶ παραστήματι κινηθεῖσα ἐπὶ τῆς ἀνωτάτω κρηπῖδος ἔστη τοῦ νεὼ καὶ προσκαλεσαμένη τὰς ἄλλας γυναῖκας πρῶτον μὲν παρεμυθήσατο καὶ παρεθάρρυνεν ἀξιοῦσα μὴ καταπεπλῆχθαι τὸ δεινόν: ἔπειτα ὑπέσχετο μίαν εἶναι σωτηρίας ἐλπίδα τῇ πόλει, ταύτην δ᾽ ἐν αὐταῖς εἶναι μόναις καταλειπομένην, ἐὰν [p. 1
82]

  [2] Then it was that one of them, a matron distinguished in birth and rank, who was then in the vigour of life and quite capable of discreet judgement, Valeria by name and sister to Publicola, one of the men who had freed the commonwealth from the kings, moved by some divine inspiration, took her stand upon the topmost step of the temple, and calling the rest of the women to her, first comforted and encouraged them, bidding them not to be alarmed at the danger that threatened. Then she assured them that there was just one hope of safety for the commonwealth and that this hope rested in them alone, if they would do what required to be done.

  [3] ἐθελήσωσι πράττειν, ἃ δεῖ. καί τις εἶπεν ἐξ αὐτῶν: καὶ τί πράττουσαι ἂν ἡμεῖς αἱ γυναῖκες διασῶσαι δυνηθείημεν τὴν πατρίδα τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἀπειρηκότων; τίς ἡ τοσαύτη περὶ ἡμᾶς τὰς ἀσθενεῖς καὶ ταλαιπώρους ἐστὶν ἰσχύς; οὐχὶ ὅπλων, ἔφησεν ἡ Οὐαλερία, καὶ χειρῶν δεομένη: τούτων μὲν γὰρ ἀπολέλυκεν ἡμᾶς ἡ φύσις: ἀλλ᾽ εὐνοίας καὶ λόγου. βοῆς δὲ μετὰ τοῦτο γενομένης καὶ δεομένων ἁπασῶν φανερὸν ποιεῖν, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ ἐπικουρία, λέγει πρὸς αὐτάς:

  [3] Upon this one of them asked: “And what can we women do to save our country, when the men have given it up for lost? What strength so great do we weak and miserable women possess?” “A strength,” replied Valeria, “that calls, not for weapons or hands — for Nature has excused us from the use of these — but for goodwill and speech.” And when all cried out and begged of her to explain what this assistance was, Valeria said:

  [4] ταύτην ἔχουσαι τὴν πιναράν τε καὶ ἄκοσμον ἐσθῆτα καὶ τὰς ἄλλας παραλαβοῦσαι γυναῖκας καὶ τὰ τέκνα ἐπαγόμεναι βαδίζωμεν ἐπὶ τὴν Οὐετουρίας τῆς Μαρκίου μητρὸς οἰκίαν: καὶ πρὸ τῶν γονάτων αὐτῆς τὰ τέκνα θεῖσαι, δεώμεθα μετὰ δακρύων ἡμᾶς τ᾽ οἰκτείρασαν τὰς μηθενὸς κακοῦ αἰτίας καὶ τὴν ἐν ἐσχάτοις κινδύνοις οὖσαν πατρίδα προελθεῖν ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα τῶν πολεμίων, ἄγουσαν τούς θ᾽ υἱωνοὺς καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτῶν καὶ ἡμᾶς ἁπάσας: ἀκολουθῶμεν γὰρ αὐτῇ τὰ παιδία ἐπαγόμεναι: ἔπειτα ἱκέτιν γενομένην τοῦ τέκνου, ἀξιοῦν καὶ δεῖσθαι μηδὲν