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

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus

  [6] When the Volscians saw this, they held them in contempt, and summoning forces from their cities, made preparations to capture the stronghold by their very numbers. And they might easily have performed a great exploit by taking both the consul and the Roman army either by force or even by capitulation, since the place was no longer well supplied with provisions either; but reinforcements came in time to the Romans, thus preventing the Volscians from bringing the war to the most glorious conclusion.

  [7] ὁ γὰρ ἕτερος τῶν ὑπάτων Καίσων Φάβιος μαθών, ἐν αἷς ἦν τύχαις ἡ παραταξαμένη Οὐολούσκοις δύναμις, ἐβούλετο μὲν ὡς εἶχε τάχους ἅπασαν ἄγων τὴν δύναμιν εὐθὺς ἐπιέναι τοῖς πολιορκοῦσι τὸ φρούριον. ὡς δ᾽ οὐκ ἐγίνετο αὐτῷ θυομένῳ τε καὶ οἰωνοῖς χρωμένῳ τὰ ἱερὰ καλά, ἀλλ᾽ [p. 260] ἠναντιοῦτο πρὸς τὰς ἐξόδους αὐτοῦ τὸ δαιμόνιον, αὐτὸς μὲν ὑπέμεινε, τὰς δὲ κρατίστας ἐπιλεξάμενος σπείρας ἀπέστειλε τῷ συνάρχοντι.

  [7] It seems that the other consul, Caeso Fabius, learning to what straits the army had been reduced which had been arrayed against the Volscians, proposed to march as quickly as possible with all his forces and fall at once upon those who were besieging the stronghold. Since, however, the victims and omens were not favourable when he offered sacrifice and consulted the auspices, but the gods opposed his setting out, he himself remained behind, but chose out and sent his best cohorts to his colleague.

  [8] αἱ δὲ διά τ᾽ ὀρῶν ἀφανῶς καὶ νύκτωρ τὰ πολλὰ ποιησάμεναι τὰς ὁδοὺς εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὸν χάρακα τοὺς πολεμίους λαθοῦσαι. ὁ μὲν οὖν Αἰμίλιος θρασύτερος ἐγεγόνει τῇ παρουσίᾳ τῶν συμμάχων, οἱ δὲ πολέμιοι τῷ τε πλήθει τῷ σφετέρῳ εἰκῆ πίσυνοι καὶ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐπεξιέναι τοὺς Ῥωμαίους εἰς μάχην ἐπαρθέντες ἀνέβαινον ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος πυκνώσαντες τοὺς λόχους: καὶ οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι παρέντες αὐτοὺς ἀναβῆναι καθ᾽ ἡσυχίαν καὶ πολλὰ πονεῖν περὶ τῷ σταυρώματι ἐάσαντες, ἐπειδὴ τὰ σημεῖα ἤρθη τῆς μάχης διασπάσαντες κατὰ πολλὰ μέρη τὸν χάρακα ἐμπίπτουσιν αὐτοῖς: καὶ οἱ μὲν εἰς χεῖρας καταστάντες τοῖς ξίφεσιν ἐμάχοντο, οἱ δ᾽ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐρυμάτων λίθοις τε καὶ σαυνίοις καὶ λόγχαις τοὺς ἐπιόντας ἔβαλλον, βέλος δ᾽ οὐδὲν ἄσκοπον ἦν πεπιλημένων γ᾽ ἐν βραχεῖ χωρίῳ πολλῶν.

  [8] These, making their way covertly through the mountains and generally by night, entered the camp without being perceived by the enemy. Aemilius, therefore, had become emboldened by the arrival of these reinforcements, while the enemy, rashly trusting to their numbers and elated because the Romans did not come out to fight, proceeded to march up the hill in close order. The Romans permitted them to come up at their leisure and to spend their strength on the palisade; but when the signals for battle were raised, they pulled down the ramparts in many places and fell upon the enemy. Some of them, coming to close quarters, fought with their swords, while others from the ramparts hurled at their assailants stones, javelins and spears; and no missile failed of a mark where many combatants were crowded together in a limited space.

  [9] ἀπαράττονται δὴ τοῦ λόφου πολλοὺς σφῶν ἀποβαλόντες οἱ Οὐολοῦσκοι καὶ εἰς φυγὴν ὁρμήσαντες μόγις εἰς τὸν ἴδιον ἀποσώζονται χάρακα. Ῥωμαῖοι δ᾽ ὡς ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ τέως ὄντες ἤδη κατέβαινον ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀγροὺς αὐτῶν: ἐξ ὧν ἐπισιτισμοὺς καὶ τἆλλα, ὅσων σπάνις ἦν ἐν τῷ χάρακι, ἐλάμβανον.

  [9] Thus the Volscians were hurled back from the hill after losing many of their number, and turning to flight, barely got safely back to their own camp. The Romans, feeling themselves secure at last, now made descents into the enemy’s fields, from which they took provisions and everything else of which there was a dearth in the camp.

  [1] ἐπειδὴ δὲ καθῆκεν ὁ τῶν ἀρχαιρεσιῶν [p. 261] καιρός, ὁ μὲν Αἰμίλιος ἔμεινεν ἐπὶ στρατοπέδου δι᾽ αἰσχύνης ἔχων ἐπὶ συμφοραῖς οὐκ εὐσχήμοσιν εἰς τὴν πόλιν εἰσελθεῖν τὸ κράτιστον ἀπολωλεκὼς τῆς στρατιᾶς. ὁ δὲ συνύπατος αὐτοῦ τοὺς ὑφ᾽ ἑαυτὸν ἄρχοντας ἐπὶ στρατοπέδου καταλιπὼν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ᾤχετο: καὶ συγκαλέσας τὸν ὄχλον ἐπὶ τὰς ἀρχαιρεσίας, οἷς μὲν ὁ δῆμος ἐβούλετο δοθῆναι τὴν ὑπατείαν ἀνδράσιν ἐκ τῶν ὑπατευκότων, οὐ προὔθηκε τὴν ψηφοφορίαν, ἐπειδὴ οὐδ᾽ αὐτοὶ μετῄεσαν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἑκόντες, ὑπὲρ δὲ τῶν μετιόντων τούς τε λόχους ἐκάλεσε καὶ τὰς ψήφους ἀνέδωκεν.

  [87.1] When the time for the election of magistrates arrived, Aemilius remained in camp, being ashamed to enter the city after his ignominious defeat, in which he had lost the best part of his army. But his colleague, leaving his subordinate officers in camp, went to Rome; and assembling the people for the election, he declined to propose for the voting those among the ex-consuls on whom the populace wished the consulship to be bestowed, since even these men were not voluntary candidates, but he called the centuries and took their votes in favour of such as sought the office.

  [2] οὗτοι δ᾽ ἦσαν, οὓς ἡ βουλὴ προείλετο καὶ οἷς παραγγέλλειν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐκέλευσεν, οὐ σφόδρα τῷ δήμῳ κεχαρισμένοι. καὶ ἀπεδείχθησαν εἰς τὸν ἐπιόντα ἐνιαυτὸν ὕπατοι ὅ τε νεώτερος ἀδελφὸς τοῦ προθέντος τὰς ἀρχαιρεσίας ὑπάτου, Μάρκος Φάβιος Καίσωνος υἱός, καὶ Λεύκιος Οὐαλέριος Μάρκου υἱός, ὁ τὸν τρὶς ὑπατεύσαντα Κάσσιον κρίνας ἐπὶ τῇ τυραννίδι καὶ

  [2] These were men the senate had selected and ordered to canvass for the office, men not very acceptable to the populace. Those elected consuls for the ensuing year were Marcus Fabius, son of Caeso, the younger brother of the consul who conducted the election, and Lucius Valerius, the son of Marcus, the man who had accused Cassius, who had been thrice consul, of aiming at tyranny and caused him to be put to death.

  [3] ἀποκτείνας. οὗτοι τὴν ἀρχὴν παραλαβόντες ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀποθανόντων ἐν τῷ πρὸς Ἀντιάτας πολέμῳ στρατιωτῶν ἠξίουν ἑτέρους καταγράφειν, ἵνα τὸ ἐλλιπὲς ἀναπληρωθῇ τῶν λόχων. καὶ δόγμα ποιησάμενοι βουλῆς προὔγραψαν ἡμέραν, ἐν ᾗ παρεῖναι τοὺς ἔχοντας ἡλικίαν στρατεύσιμον ἔδει. μετὰ τοῦτο θόρυβος ἦν πολὺς κατὰ τὴν πόλιν, καὶ λόγοι τῶν πενεστάτων στασιώδεις οὐκ ἀξιούντων οὔτε βουλῆς δόγμασιν ὑπηρετεῖν οὔτε ὑπάτων ἐξουσίᾳ πειθαρχεῖν, ὅτι τὰς περὶ τῆς κληρουχίας [p. 262] ὑποσχέσεις ἐψεύσαντο πρὸς αὐτούς: συνιόντες τε κατὰ π
λῆθος ἐπὶ τοὺς δημάρχους ὠνείδιζον αὐτοῖς προδοσίαν καὶ κατεβόων ἐπικαλούμενοι τὴν ἐξ ἐκείνων συμμαχίαν.

  [3] These men, having taken office, asked for the levying of fresh troops to replace those who had perished in the war against the Antiates, in order that the gaps in the various centuries might be filled; and having obtained a decree of the senate, they appointed a day on which all who were of military age must appear. Thereupon there was a great tumult throughout the city and seditious speeches were made by the poorest citizens, who refused either to comply with the decrees of the senate or to obey the authority of the consuls, since they had violated the promises made to them concerning the allotment of land. And going in great numbers to the tribunes, they charged them with treachery, and with loud outcries demanded their assistance.

  [4] τοῖς μὲν οὖν ἄλλοις οὐκ ἐδόκει καιρὸς ἁρμόττων εἶναι πολέμου συνεστῶτος ὑπερορίου τὰς πολιτικὰς ἔχθρας ἀναζωπυρεῖν, εἷς δέ τις ἐξ αὐτῶν Γάϊος Μαίνιος οὐκ ἔφη προδώσειν τοὺς δημοτικούς, οὐδ᾽ ἐπιτρέψειν τοῖς ὑπάτοις στρατιὰν καταγράφειν, ἐὰν μὴ πρότερον ἀποδείξωσι τοὺς ὁριστὰς τῆς δημοσίας γῆς καὶ τὸ περὶ τῆς κληρουχίας ψήφισμα γράψαντες εἰς τὸν δῆμον ἐξενέγκωσιν. ἀντιλεγόντων δὲ πρὸς ταῦτα τῶν ὑπάτων καὶ πρόφασιν ποιουμένων τοῦ μηθὲν αὐτῷ συγχωρεῖν, ὧν ἠξίου, τὸν ἐν χερσὶν ὄντα πόλεμον, οὐκ ἔφη προσέξειν αὐτοῖς τὸν νοῦν, ἀλλὰ

  [4] Most of the tribunes did not regard it as a suitable time, when a foreign war had arisen, to fan domestic hatreds into flame again; but one of them, named Gaius Maenius, declared that he would not betray the plebeians or permit the consuls to levy an army unless they should first appoint commissioners for fixing the boundaries of the public land, draw up the decree of the senate for its allotment, and lay it before the people. When the consuls opposed this and made the war they had on their hands an excuse he says not granting anything he desired, the tribune replied that he would pay no heed to them, but would hinder the levy with all his power.

  [5] κωλύσειν ἁπάσῃ δυνάμει τὴν καταγραφήν. καὶ ἐποίει ταῦτα: οὐ μὴν ἴσχυσέ γε μέχρι τέλους. οἱ γὰρ ὕπατοι προελθόντες ἔξω τῆς πόλεως ἐν τῷ παρακειμένῳ πεδίῳ τοὺς στρατηγικοὺς δίφρους ἔθηκαν: ἐνταῦθα καὶ τὸν στρατιωτικὸν ἐποιοῦντο κατάλογον, καὶ τοὺς οὐχ ὑπακούοντας τοῖς νόμοις, ἐπειδὴ αὐτοὺς ἄγειν οὐχ οἷοί τ᾽ ἦσαν, εἰς χρήματα ἐζημίουν: ὅσοις μὲν χωρία ὑπῆρχεν, ἐκκόπτοντες ταῦτα καὶ τὰς αὐλὰς καθαιροῦντες: ὅσων δὲ γεωργικὸς ὁ βίος ἦν ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις κτήμασι, τούτων ἄγοντές τε καὶ φέροντες τὰ παρεσκευασμένα πρὸς τὴν ἐργασίαν ζεύγη τε βοϊκὰ καὶ βοσκήματα καὶ ὑποζύγια ἀχθοφόρα καὶ σκεύη παντοῖα, οἷς γῆ τ᾽ ἐξεργάζεται καὶ καρποὶ συγκομίζονται.

  [5] And this he attempted to do; nevertheless, he could not prevail to the end. For the consuls, going outside the city, ordered their generals’ chairs to be placed in the near-by field; and there they not only enrolled the troops, but also fined those who refused obedience to the laws, since it was not in their power to seize their persons. If the disobedient owned estates, they laid them waste and demolished their country-houses; and if they were farmers who tilled fields belonging to others, they stripped them of the yokes of oxen, the cattle, and the beasts of burden that were on hand for the work, and all kinds of implements with which the land is tilled and the crops gathered.

  [6] ὁ δὲ κωλύων τὴν καταγραφὴν δήμαρχος οὐθὲν ἔτι ποιεῖν ἦν δυνατός. [p. 263] οὐδενὸς γάρ εἰσι τῶν ἔξω τῆς πόλεως οἱ τὴν δημαρχικὴν ἔχοντες ἐξουσίαν κύριοι: περιγέγραπται γὰρ αὐτῶν τὸ κράτος τοῖς τείχεσι, καὶ οὐδὲ ἀπαυλισθῆναι τῆς πόλεως αὐτοῖς θέμις, ὅτι μὴ πρὸς ἕνα καιρόν, ἐν ᾧ πᾶσαι θύουσιν αἱ τῆς πόλεως ἀρχαὶ κοινὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ Λατίνων ἔθνους τῷ Διὶ θυσίαν ἐπὶ τὸ Ἀλβανῶν ὄρος ἀναβαίνουσαι.

  [6] And the tribune who opposed the levy was no longer able to do anything. For those who are invested with the tribuneship possess no authority over anything outside the city, since their jurisdiction is limited by the city walls, and it is not lawful for them even to pass a night away from the city, save on a single occasion, when all the magistrates of the commonwealth ascended the Alban Mount and offer up a common sacrifice to Jupiter in behalf of the Latin nation.

  [7] τοῦτο διαμένει μέχρι τῶν καθ᾽ ἡμᾶς χρόνων τὸ ἔθος, τὸ μηθενὸς εἶναι τῶν ἔξω τῆς πόλεως τοὺς δημάρχους κυρίους: καὶ δὴ καὶ τὸν ἐμφύλιον Ῥωμαίων πόλεμον τὸν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ἡλικίας, ὃς μέγιστος τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ πολέμων ἐγένετο, ἡ κινήσασα πρόφασις ἐπὶ πολλαῖς ἄλλαις δόξασα μείζων εἶναι καὶ μόνη ἀποχρῶσα διαστῆσαι τὴν πόλιν ἥδε ἦν, ὅτι τῶν δημάρχων τινὲς ἐξεληλάσθαι τῆς πόλεως αἰτιώμενοι βίᾳ πρὸς τοῦ τότε κατέχοντος τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν ἡγεμόνος, ἵνα μηδενὸς εἶεν ἔτι κύριοι, ἐπὶ τὸν ἐν τῇ Γαλατίᾳ τὰ στρατόπεδα κατέχοντα ὡς οὐκ ἔχοντες, ὅποι τράπωνται, κατέφυγον.

  [7] This custom by which the tribunes possess no authority over anything outside the city continues to our times. And indeed the motivating cause, among many others, of the civil war among the Romans which occurred in my day and was greater than any war before it, the cause which seemed more important and sufficient to divide the commonwealth, was this — that some of the tribunes, complaining that they had been forcibly driven out of the city by the general who was then in control of affairs in Italy, in order to deprive them henceforth of any power, fled to the general who commanded the armies in Gaul, as having no place to turn to.

  [8] ὁ δὲ τῇ προφάσει ταύτῃ χρησάμενος, ὡς ἀρχῇ δήμου παναγεῖ τὸ κράτος ἀφαιρεθείσῃ παρὰ τοὺς ὅρκους τῶν προγόνων αὐτὸς ὁσίως καὶ σὺν δίκῃ βοηθῶν αὐτός τε σὺν τοῖς ὅπλοις ἦλθεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν κατήγαγε.

  [8] And the latter, availing himself of this excuse and pretending to come with right and justice to the aid of the sacrosanct magistracy of the people which had been deprived of its authority contrary to the oaths of the forefathers, entered the city himself in arms and restored the men to their office.

  [1] τότε δ᾽ οὖν οἱ δημόται τῆς δημαρχικῆς ἐξουσίας οὐδὲν ἀπολαύοντες ὑφεῖντο τοῦ θράσους καὶ προσιόντες τοῖς ἐπὶ τῆς στρατολογίας τεταγμένοις [p. 264] τὸν ἱερὸν ὅρκον ὤμνυσαν, καὶ ὑπὸ τὰς σημαίας κατεγράφοντο. ἐπεὶ δὲ τὸ
ἐλλιπὲς τῶν λόχων ἐξεπληρώθη, διεκληρώσαντο τὰς ἡγεμονίας τῶν στρατοπέδων οἱ ὕπατοι: καὶ ὁ μὲν Φάβιος τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ βοηθείᾳ τῶν συμμάχων ἀποσταλεῖσαν δύναμιν παρελάμβανεν, ὁ δὲ Οὐαλέριος τὴν ἐν Οὐολούσκοις στρατοπεδεύουσαν ἄγων τοὺς νεωστὶ καταγραφέντας.

  [88.1] But on the occasion of which we are now speaking the plebeians, receiving no assistance from the tribunician power, moderated their boldness, and coming to the persons appointed to raise the levies, took the sacred oath and enlisted under their standards. When the gaps in the several centuries had been filled, the consuls drew lots for the command of the legions; as a result, Fabius took over the army which had been sent to the assistance of the allies, while Valerius received the one which lay encamped in the country of the Volscians, and took with him the new levies.

  [2] μαθοῦσι δὲ τὴν παρουσίαν αὐτοῦ τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐδόκει στρατιάν θ᾽ ἑτέραν μεταπέμπεσθαι καὶ ἐν ἰσχυροτέρῳ τὸ στρατόπεδον ποιήσασθαι χωρίῳ καὶ μηδὲν ἐκ τοῦ καταφρονεῖν αὐτῶν ἔτι προπετὲς κινδύνευμα ὡς πρότερον ὑπομένειν. ἐγεγόνει ταῦτα διὰ ταχέων, ἀμφοτέροις τε παρέστη τοῖς ἡγεμόσι τῶν δυνάμεων ὁμοία περὶ τοῦ πολέμου γνώμη, τὰ ἑαυτῶν φυλάττειν ἐρύματα, ἐάν τις ἐπίῃ, τοῖς δὲ τῶν πολεμίων ὡς βίᾳ κρατηθησομένοις μὴ ἐπιχειρεῖν.