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

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus

  [3] τὸ δ᾽ ἔθος εἰς τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς κόσμον ὁ τούτους καθελὼν ἀνὴρ ἀποκατέστησε. παρ᾽ Ἕλλησι δ᾽ οὐχ οὕτως ἐνίοις ὁ νόμος ἔχει, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἐκ τυράννων γενομένους οἱ μὲν συναποκτίννυσθαι τοῖς πατράσι δικαιοῦσιν, οἱ δ᾽ ἀειφυγίᾳ κολάζουσιν, ὥσπερ οὐκ ἐνδεχομένης τῆς φύσεως χρηστοὺς παῖδας ἐκ πονηρῶν πατέρων ἢ κακοὺς ἐξ ἀγαθῶν γενέσθαι. ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὲρ μὲν τούτων εἴτε ὁ παρ᾽ Ἕλλησιν ἀμείνων νόμος εἴτε τὸ Ῥωμαίων ἔθος κρεῖττον, ἀφίημι τῷ βουλομένῳ σκοπεῖν: ἐπάνειμι δ᾽ ἐπὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.

  [3] but the custom was restored to its original status by the man who brought about their destruction. Among some of the Greeks, however, this is not the practice, but certain of them think it proper to put to death the sons of tyrants together with their fathers; and others punish them with perpetual banishment, as if Nature would not permit virtuous sons to be the offspring of wicked fathers or evil sons of good fathers. But concerning these matters, I leave to the consideration of anyone who is so minded the question whether the practice prevalent among the Greeks is better or the custom of the Romans is superior; and I now return to the events that followed.

  [1] μετὰ γὰρ τὸν τοῦ Κασσίου θάνατον οἱ μὲν αὐξάνοντες τὴν ἀριστοκρατίαν θρασύτεροί τε καὶ ὑπεροπτικώτεροι τῶν δημοτικῶν ἐγεγόνεσαν: οἱ δ᾽ ἐν ἀφανεῖ τῆς δόξης φερόμενοι καὶ βίου εἰς ταπεινὰ συνεστάλησαν, καὶ ὡς ἄριστον ἀπολωλεκότες φύλακα τῆς δημοτικῆς μερίδος πολλὴν ἄνοιαν ἑαυτῶν ἐπὶ τῇ καταδίκῃ κατηγόρουν. τούτου δ᾽ αἴτιον ἦν, ὅτι τὰ δόξαντα τῇ βουλῇ περὶ τῆς κληρουχίας οὐκ ἔπραττον οἱ ὕπατοι, δέον αὐτοὺς ἄνδρας τ᾽ ἀποδεῖξαι δέκα τοὺς ὁριοῦντας τὴν γῆν καὶ γνώμην εἰσηγήσασθαι πόσην τ᾽ αὐτῆς καὶ

  [81.1] After the death of Cassius those who sought to extend the power of the aristocracy had grown more daring and more contemptuous of the plebeians, while those of obscure reputation and fortune were humbled and abased, and feeling that they ad lost the best guardian of the plebeian order, accused themselves of great folly in having condemned him. The reason for this was that the consuls were not carrying out the decree of the senate regarding the allotting of the land, though it was their duty to appoint the decemvirs to fix the boundaries of the land and to present a proposal as to how much of it ought to be distributed, and to whom.

  [2] τίσι δεήσει νεμηθῆναι. συνῄεσάν τε πολλοὶ κατὰ συστροφὰς περὶ τῆς ἀπάτης ἑκάστοτε διαλεγόμενοι, καὶ [p. 251] ἐν αἰτίᾳ τοὺς προτέρους εἶχον δημάρχους ὡς προδεδωκότας τὸ κοινόν: ἐκκλησίαι τε συνεχεῖς ὑπὸ τῶν τότε δημάρχων ἐγίνοντο καὶ ἀπαιτήσεις τῆς ὑποσχέσεως. ταῦτα συνιδόντες οἱ ὕπατοι γνώμην ἐποιήσαντο πολέμων προφάσει τὸ παρακινοῦν ἐν τῇ πόλει μέρος καὶ ταραττόμενον καταστεῖλαι: ἔτυχε γὰρ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ χρόνῳ λῃστηρίοις τε ὑπὸ τῶν πλησιοχώρων πόλεων καὶ καταδρομαῖς τισιν ἡ γῆ βλαπτομένη.

  [2] Many met in groups, always discussing this duplicity and accusing the former tribunes of having betrayed the commonwealth; and there were continual meetings of the assembly called by the tribunes then in office, and demands for the fulfilment of the promise. The consuls, perceiving this, determined to repress the turbulent and disorderly element in the city, taking the wars as a pretext. For it chanced that their territory was at that very time harassed by bands of robbers and forays from the neighbouring cities.

  [3] τιμωρίας μὲν δὴ τῶν ἀδικούντων ἕνεκα προὔθεσαν τὰ τοῦ πολέμου σημεῖα, καὶ τὰς δυνάμεις τῆς πόλεως κατέγραφον: οὐ προσιόντων δὲ τῇ καταγραφῇ τῶν ἀπόρων ἀδύνατοι ὄντες τὴν ἐκ τῶν νόμων ἀνάγκην τοῖς ἀπειθοῦσι προσφέρειν: προειστήκεσαν γὰρ τοῦ πλήθους οἱ δήμαρχοι καὶ κωλύσειν ἔμελλον, εἴ τις ἐπιχειρήσειεν ἢ τὰ σώματα τῶν ἐκλειπόντων τὴν στρατείαν ἄγειν ἢ τὰ χρήματα φέρειν: ἀπειλαῖς χρησάμενοι πολλαῖς ὡς οὐκ ἐπιτρέψοντες τοῖς ἀνασείουσι τὸ πλῆθος, λεληθυῖαν ὑποψίαν κατέλιπον ὡς δικτάτορα ἀποδείξοντες, ὃς ἔμελλε καταλύσας τὰς ἄλλας ἀρχὰς τὴν τυραννικὴν καὶ ἀνυπεύθυνον μόνος ἕξειν ἐξουσίαν.

  [3] To punish these aggressors, then, they brought out the war standards and began to enrol the forces of the commonwealth. And when the poor did not come forward to enlist, the consuls, being unable to make use of the compulsion of the laws against the disobedient — for the tribunes defended the plebeians and were prepared to prevent any attempt to seize either the persons or the goods of those who failed to serve — made many threats that they would not yield to those who were stirring up the multitude, leaving with them a lurking suspicion that they would appoint a dictator, who would set aside the other magistracies and alone by himself possess a tyrannical and irresponsible power.

  [4] ὡς δὲ ταύτην ἔλαβον τὴν ὑπόνοιαν οἱ δημοτικοί, δείσαντες, μὴ τὸν Ἄππιον ἀποδείξωσι πικρὸν ὄντα καὶ χαλεπόν, πάντα πρὸ τούτου πάσχειν ὑπέμενον.

  [4] As soon as the plebeians had entertained this suspicion, fearing that Appius, a harsh and stern man, would be the one appointed, they were ready to submit to anything rather than that.

  [1] ἐπεὶ δὲ κατεγράφη τὰ στρατεύματα, παραλαβόντες οἱ ὕπατοι τὰς δυνάμεις ἐξήγαγον ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους. Κορνήλιος μὲν οὖν εἰς τὴν Οὐιεντανῶν χώραν ἐμβαλὼν τὴν ἐγκαταληφθεῖσαν λείαν ἐν [p. 252] αὐτῇ ἀπήλασε, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πρεσβευσαμένων τῶν Οὐιεντανῶν τούς τ᾽ αἰχμαλώτους αὐτοῖς ἀπέλυσε χρημάτων, καὶ ἀνοχὰς τοῦ πολέμου συνέθετο ἐνιαυσίους. Φάβιος δὲ τὴν ἑτέραν δύναμιν ἔχων εἰς τὴν Αἰκανῶν γῆν ἐνέβαλεν: ἔπειτ᾽ ἐκεῖθεν εἰς τὴν Οὐολούσκων.

  [82.1] When the armies had been enrolled, the consuls took command and led them out against their foes. Cornelius invaded the territory of the Veientes and drove off all the booty that was found there, and later, when the Veientes sent ambassadors, he released their prisoners for a ransom and made a truce with them for a year. Fabius, at the head of the other army, marched into the country of the Aequians, and from there into that of the Volscians.

  [2] χρόνον μὲν οὖν τινα οὐ πολὺν ἠνέσχοντο οἱ Οὐολοῦσκοι διαρπαζομένων αὐτοῖς καὶ κειρομένων τῶν ἀγρῶν: ἔπειτα καταφρονήσαντες τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὡς οὐ πολλῇ δυνάμει παρόντων ἐξεβοήθουν ἐκ τῆς Ἀντιατῶν χώρας τὰ ὅπλα ἁρπάσα
ντες ἀθρόοι, ταχύτερα μᾶλλον ἢ ἀσφαλέστερα βουλευσάμενοι. εἰ μὲν οὖν ἔφθασαν ἐσκεδασμένοις τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἐπιφανέντες ἐκ τοῦ ἀπροσδοκήτου, μεγάλην ἂν αὐτῶν εἰργάσαντο τροπήν: νῦν δὲ προαισθόμενος τὴν ἔφοδον αὐτῶν ὁ ὕπατος διὰ τῶν ἀποσταλέντων ἐπὶ τὰς κατασκοπάς, ἀνακλήσει ταχείᾳ τοὺς ἐν ταῖς προνομαῖς ἐσκεδασμένους ἀναλαβών, τάξιν αὐτοῖς ἀπέδωκε τὴν εἰς πόλεμον ἁρμόττουσαν.

  [2] For a short time the Volscians permitted their lands to be plundered and laid waste; then, conceiving contempt for the Romans, as they were not present in any great force, they snatched up their ams and set out from the territory of the Antiates in a body to go to the rescue of their lands, having formed their plans with greater precipitancy than regard for their own safety. Now if they had surprised the Romans by appearing unexpectedly to them while they were dispersed, they might have inflicted a severe defeat upon them; but as it was, the consul, being informed of their approach by those he had sent out to reconnoitre, by a prompt recall drew in his men, then dispersed in pillaging, and put them back into the proper order for battle.

  [3] τοῖς δὲ Οὐολούσκοις σὺν καταφρονήσει καὶ θάρσει χωροῦσιν, ὡς παρὰ δόξαν ἐφάνη συνεστῶσα ἐν κόσμῳ πᾶσα ἡ τῶν πολεμίων δύναμις, δέος ἐμπίπτει πρὸς τὴν ἀδόκητον ὄψιν, καὶ τοῦ μὲν κοινοῦ τῆς ἀσφαλείας οὐδεμία φροντίς, τῆς δ᾽ ἰδίας ἑκάστῳ σωτηρίας πρόνοια. ὑποστρέψαντες δὴ ὡς εἶχον ἕκαστοι τάχους ἔφευγον ἄλλοι κατ᾽ ἄλλας ὁδούς: καὶ οἱ μὲν πλείους ἀπεσώθησαν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ὀλίγον δέ τι στῖφος, ὃ μάλιστα ἦν συντεταγμένον, εἰς ὄρους τινὰ κορυφὴν ἀναδραμὸν καὶ θέμενον ἐνταῦθα τὰ ὅπλα τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν νύκτα [p. 253] διέμενε: ταῖς δ᾽ ἑξῆς ἡμέραις φρουρὰν περιστήσαντος τοῦ ὑπάτου τῷ λόφῳ καὶ πάσας διακλείσαντος ὅπλοις τὰς ἐξόδους, λιμῷ βιασθὲν ὑποχείριον γίνεται καὶ

  [3] As for the Volscians, who were advancing contemptuously and confidently, when the entire army of the enemy unexpectedly appeared, drawn up in orderly array, they were struck with fear at the unlooked-for sight, and no longer was there any thought for their common safety, but every man consulted his own. Turning about, therefore, they fled, each with all the speed he could, some one way and some another, and the greater part got back safely to their city. A small body of them, however, which had been best kept in formation, ran up to the top of a hill, and standing to their arms, remained there during the following night; but when in the course of the succeeding days the consul placed a guard round the hill and closed all the exits with armed troops, they were compelled by hunger to surrender and to deliver up their arms.

  [4] παραδίδωσι τὰ ὅπλα. ὁ δ᾽ ὕπατος τήν τε λείαν, ὅσῃ ἐπέτυχε, καὶ τὰ λάφυρα καὶ τοὺς αἰχμαλώτους ἀποδόσθαι κελεύσας τοῖς ταμίαις, εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀπήνεγκε τὸ ἀργύριον. καὶ μετ᾽ οὐ πολὺν χρόνον ἀναστήσας τὴν δύναμιν ἐκ τῆς πολεμίας ἀπῆγεν ἐπ᾽ οἴκου τελευτῶντος ἤδη τοῦ ἔτους. ἐπιστάντων δὲ τῶν ἀρχαιρεσίων ἔδοξε τοῖς πατρικίοις ἠρεθισμένον ὁρῶσι τὸν δῆμον καὶ μεταμελόμενον ἐπὶ τῇ Κασσίου καταδίκῃ, διὰ φυλακῆς αὐτὸν ἔχειν, μή τι παρακινήσειε πάλιν εἰς δεκασμῶν ἐλπίδα καὶ κλήρων διανομῆς ὑπαχθεὶς ὑπ᾽ ἀνδρὸς δημαγωγῆσαι δυνατοῦ τὸ τῆς ὑπατείας λαβόντος ἀξίωμα. ἐφαίνετο δ᾽ αὐτοῖς ῥᾷστα κωλυθήσεσθαι τούτων τινὸς ὀρεγόμενος, εἰ γένοιτο ὕπατος ἀνὴρ ἥκιστα δημοτικός.

  [4] The consul, after ordering the quaestors to sell the booty he had found, together with the spoils and the prisoners, brought the money back to the city. And not long afterwards, withdrawing his forces from the enemy’s country, he returned home with them, as the year was now drawing to its close.

  When the election of magistrates was at hand, the patricians, perceiving that the people were exasperated and repented of having condemned Cassius, resolved to guard against them, lest they should create some fresh disturbance when encouraged to hope for bribes and a distribution of allotments by some man skilful in the arts of the demagogue who should have gained the prestige of the consulship. And it seemed to them that the people would be most easily prevented from realizing any of these desires if a man who was at least democratic in his sympathies should become consul.

  [5] βουλευσάμενοι δὴ τοῦτο κελεύουσι μετιέναι τὴν ὑπατείαν τὸν ἕτερον τῶν κατηγορησάντων τοῦ Κασσίου, Καίσωνα Φάβιον ἀδελφὸν ὄντα τοῦ τότε ὑπατεύοντος Κοΐντου, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων πατρικίων Λεύκιον Αἰμίλιον ἄνδρα ἀριστοκρατικόν. τούτων δὲ μετιόντων τὴν ἀρχὴν κωλύειν μὲν οὐχ οἷοί τ᾽ ἦσαν οἱ δημοτικοί, καταλιπόντες δὲ τὰς ἀρχαιρεσίας ᾤχοντο ἐκ τοῦ πεδίου.

  [5] Having come to this decision, they ordered Caeso Fabius, one of the two persons who had accused Cassius, and brother to Quintus, who was consul at the time, and, from among the other patricians, Lucius Aemilius, one of the aristocratic party, to stand for the consulship. When these offered themselves for the office, the plebeians, though they could do nothing to prevent it, did leave the comitia and withdraw from the Field.

  [6] τὸ γὰρ τῆς λοχίτιδος ἐκκλησίας κῦρος ἐν ταῖς ψηφοφορίαις περὶ τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους ἦν καὶ τὰ πρῶτα τιμήματα ἔχοντας, καὶ σπάνιόν τι ἦν, ὃ ἐπεκύρουν οἱ διὰ μέσου: ὁ δὲ τελευταῖος λόχος, [p. 254] ἐν ᾧ τὸ πλεῖστόν τε καὶ ἀπορώτατον τοῦ δημοτικοῦ μέρος ἐψηφοφόρει, μιᾶς, ὡς καὶ πρότερον εἴρηταί μοι, τῆς ἐσχάτης ψήφου κύριος ἦν.

  [6] For in the centuriate assembly the balance of power in voting lay with the most important men and those who had the highest property ratings, and it was seldom that those of middling fortunes determined a matter; the last century, in which the most numerous and poorest part of the plebeians voted, had but one vote, as I stated before, which was always the last to be called for.

  [1] παραλαμβάνουσι δὴ τὴν ὑπατείαν κατὰ τὸ ἑβδομηκοστόν τε καὶ διακοσιοστὸν ἔτος ἀπὸ τοῦ συνοικισμοῦ τῆς Ῥώμης Λεύκιος Αἰμίλιος Μαμέρκου υἱὸς καὶ Καίσων Φάβιος Καίσωνος υἱός, ἄρχοντος Ἀθήνησι Νικοδήμου. οἷς κατ᾽ εὐχὴν συνέβη μηδὲν ὑπὸ τῆς πολιτικῆς ἐπιταραχθῆναι διχοστασίας πολέμων τὴν πόλιν περιστάντων ἀλλοεθνῶν.

  [83.1] Accordingly, Lucius Aemilius, the son of Mamercus, and Caeso Fabius, the son of Caeso, succeeded to the consulship in the two hundred and seventieth year after the settlement of Rome, when Nicodemus was archon at Athens. It chanc
ed fortunately that their consulship was not disturbed at all by strife, since the state was beset by foreign wars.

  [2] ἐν ἅπασι μὲν οὖν ἔθνεσι καὶ τόποις Ἑλλήνων τε καὶ βαρβάρων φιλοῦσιν αἱ τῶν ἔξωθεν κακῶν ἀνάπαυλαι ἐμφυλίους τε καὶ ἐνδήμους ἐγείρειν πολέμους, μάλιστα δὲ τοῦτο πάσχουσιν, ὅσοι πολεμιστὴν καὶ κακόπαθον αἱροῦνται βίον ἐλευθερίας τε καὶ ἡγεμονίας πόθῳ. χαλεπαὶ γὰρ αἱ μαθοῦσαι τοῦ πλείονος ἐφίεσθαι φύσεις ἐξειργόμεναι τῶν συνήθων ἔργων καρτερεῖν: καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οἱ φρονιμώτατοι τῶν ἡγεμόνων ἀεί τινας ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοεθνῶν ἀναζωπυροῦσιν ἔχθρας, κρείττονας ἡγούμενοι τῶν ἐντοπίων πολέμων τοὺς ἀλλοδαπούς.

  [2] Now in all nations and places, both Greek and barbarian, respites from evils from abroad are wont to provoke civil and domestic wars; and this happens especially among those peoples who choose a life of warfare and its hardships from a passion for liberty and dominion. For natures which have learned to covet more than they have find it difficult, when restrained from their usual employments, to remain patient, and for this reason the wisest leaders are always stirring up the embers of some foreign quarrels in the belief that wars waged abroad are better than those fought at home.

  [3] τότε δ᾽ οὖν, ὥσπερ ἔφην, κατὰ δαίμονα τοῖς ὑπάτοις συνέπεσον αἱ τῶν ὑπηκόων ἐπαναστάσεις. Οὐολοῦσκοι γάρ, εἴτε τῇ πολιτικῇ Ῥωμαίων κινήσει πιστεύσαντες ὡς ἐκπεπολεμωμένου τοῦ δημοτικοῦ πρὸς τοὺς ἐν τέλει, εἴτε τῆς προτέρας ἥττης ἀμαχητὶ γενομένης αἰσχύνῃ παροξυνθέντες, εἴτ᾽ ἐπὶ ταῖς ἑαυτῶν δυνάμεσι πολλαῖς οὔσαις μέγα φρονήσαντες,