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

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus

  [2] Φάβιος μὲν Αἰκανοῖς πολεμήσων προνομεύουσι τοὺς Λατίνων ἀγρούς, Οὐεργίνιος δὲ Οὐιεντανοῖς. Αἰκανοὶ μὲν οὖν ἐπειδὴ στρατὸν ἐλευσόμενον ἐπ᾽ αὐτοὺς ἔγνωσαν, ἀναστάντες ἐκ τῆς πολεμίας διὰ τάχους ἀπῆλθον εἰς τὰς ἑαυτῶν πόλεις: καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα λεηλατουμένης τῆς σφετέρας γῆς ἠνείχοντο, ὥστε πολλῶν κρατῆσαι χρημάτων τὸν ὕπατον καὶ σωμάτων καὶ τῆς ἄλλης λείας ἐξ ἐφόδου. Οὐιεντανοὶ δὲ κατ᾽ ἀρχὰς ἐντὸς τείχους μένοντες, ἐπειδὴ καιρὸν ἔχειν ἔδοξαν ἐπιτήδειον, ἐπέθεντο τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐσκεδασμένοις ἀνὰ τὰ πεδία καὶ πρὸς ἁρπαγὴν τετραμμένοις τῆς λείας.

  [2] The Aequians, when they learned that an army was going to come against them, hastily evacuated the enemy’s country and returned to their own cities; and after that they permitted their own territory to be ravaged, so the consul possessed himself at the first blow of large amounts of money, many slaves, and much booty of other sorts. As for the Veientes, they at first remained within their walls; but as soon as they thought they had a favourable opportunity, they fell upon the enemy as they were dispersed over the plains and occupied in seizing booty.

  [3] ἔχοντες δὲ πολλὴν καὶ συντεταγμένην δύναμιν ἐμβάλλουσιν εἰς αὐτούς, [p. 295] καὶ τήν τε λείαν ἀφαιροῦνται, καὶ τοὺς ὁμόσε χωροῦντας, οὓς μὲν ἀποκτείνουσιν, οὓς δ᾽ εἰς φυγὴν τρέπουσι: καὶ εἰ μὴ Τῖτος Σίκκιος πρεσβευτὴς τότ᾽ ὢν στίφει συντεταγμένῳ πεζῶν τε καὶ ἱππέων παραβοηθήσας ἐπέσχεν αὐτούς, οὐδὲν ἂν τὸ κωλῦσον ἦν ἅπασαν ἀπολέσθαι τὴν στρατιάν. ἐκείνου δ᾽ ἐμποδὼν γενομένου συνελθεῖν ἔφθασαν οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ καθ᾽ ἕνα διεσκεδασμένοι: πάντες δ᾽ ἐν ταὐτῷ γενόμενοι λόφον τινὰ καταλαμβάνονται περὶ δείλην ὀψίαν, καὶ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν νύκτα ἐν τούτῳ ἔμειναν.

  [3] And attacking them with a large army in good order, they not only took away their booty, but also killed or put to flight all who engaged them. Indeed, if Titus Siccius, who was legate at the time, had not come to their relief with a body of foot and horse in good order and held the foe in check, nothing could have prevented the army from being utterly destroyed. But when he got in the enemy’s way, the rest of the troops, who had been scattered one here and one there, succeeded in getting together before it was too late; and being now all united, they occupied a hill late in the afternoon and remained there the following night.

  [4] ἐπαρθέντες δὲ Οὐιεντανοὶ τῷ κατορθώματι πλησίον τοῦ λόφου τίθενται τὰ ὅπλα, καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐκάλουν ὡς κατακεκλεικότες τοὺς Ῥωμαίους εἰς χωρίον, ἔνθα οὐδὲν τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἔμελλον ἕξειν, καὶ προσαναγκάσοντες οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν παραδοῦναι σφίσι τὰ ὅπλα. γίνεταί τ᾽ αὐτῶν συχνοῦ ἐλθόντος ὄχλου δύο στρατεύματα περὶ τὰς ἐπιμάχους λαγόνας τοῦ λόφου, πολλά τ᾽ ἄλλα φρούρια βραχύτερα κατὰ τοὺς ἧττον ἐπικαίρους τόπους: καὶ πάντα ἦν μεστὰ

  [4] The Veientes, elated by their success, encamped near the hill and sent for their forces in the city, imagining that they had shut up the Romans in a place where they could not get any provisions, and that they would soon force them to deliver up their arms to them. And when a multitude of their men had arrived, there were now two armies posted on the two sides of the hill that could be assailed, as well as many smaller detachments to guard the less vulnerable positions; and every place was full of armed men.

  [5] ὅπλων. ὁ δ᾽ ἕτερος τῶν ὑπάτων Φάβιος γραμμάτων παρὰ τοῦ συνάρχοντος ἀφικομένων ἐπιγνούς, ὅτι ἐν ἐσχάτοις εἰσὶν οἱ κατακλεισθέντες ἐν τῷ λόφῳ, καὶ κινδυνεύσουσιν, εἰ μή τις αὐτοῖς βοηθήσει, λιμῷ ἁλῶναι, ἀναστήσας τὸν στρατὸν ἦγεν ἐπὶ τοὺς Οὐιεντανοὺς σὺν τάχει: καὶ εἰ μιᾷ βραδύτερον ἡμέρᾳ διήνυσε τὴν ὁδόν, οὐδὲν ἂν ὤνησεν, ἀλλὰ διεφθαρμένην τὴν ἐκεῖ [p. 296] στρατιὰν κατέλαβε. πιεζόμενοι γὰρ τῇ σπάνει τῶν ἀναγκαίων οἱ κατέχοντες τὸν λόφον ἐξῆλθον ὡς τὸν εὐπρεπέστατον αἱρησόμενοι τῶν θανάτων, καὶ συμβαλόντες τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐμάχοντο κεκμηκότες οἱ πλείους τὰ σώματα λιμῷ τε καὶ δίψῃ καὶ ἀγρυπνίᾳ καὶ τῇ

  [5] The other consul, Fabius, learning from a letter that came from his colleague that the troops shut up on the hill were in the direst straits and would be in danger of being reduced by famine unless someone came to their relief, broke camp and marched in haste against the Veientes. Indeed, if he had been one day later in completing his march, he would have been of no help, but would have found the army there destroyed. For the men holding the hill, distressed by the lack of provisions, had sallied out, ready to choose the most honourable death; and having engaged the enemy, they were then fighting, though the bodies of most of them were weakened by hunger, thirst, want of sleep, and every other hardship.

  [6] ἄλλῃ κακώσει. μετ᾽ οὐ πολὺ δ᾽ ὡς τὸ τοῦ Φαβίου στράτευμα προσιὸν ὤφθη πολύ τε καὶ συντεταγμένον, θάρσος μὲν ἔφερε τοῖς σφετέροις, δέος δὲ τοῖς πολεμίοις: καὶ οἱ Τυρρηνοὶ οὐκέτι ἀξιόμαχοι εἶναι νομίσαντες πρὸς ἀγαθήν τε καὶ ἀκμῆτα δύναμιν εἰς ἀγῶνα χωρεῖν, ᾤχοντο ἐκλιπόντες τοὺς χάρακας. ὡς δ᾽ εἰς ταὐτὸ συνῆλθον αἱ τῶν Ῥωμαίων δυνάμεις ἀμφότεραι, στρατόπεδόν τε ποιοῦνται μέγα πλησίον τῆς πόλεως ἐν ἐχυρῷ, καὶ πολλὰς ἡμέρας αὐτόθι διατρίψαντες καὶ τὴν ἀρίστην τῶν Οὐιεντανῶν χώραν λεηλατήσαντες ἀπῆγον ἐπ᾽ οἴκου τὴν στρατιάν.

  [6] But after a short time, when the army of Fabius, which was very large and drawn up in order of battle, was seen approaching, it brought confidence to their own men and fear to the enemy; and the Tyrrhenians, believing themselves no longer to be strong enough to engaged in battle with a valiant and fresh army, abandoned their camps and withdrew. When the two armies of the Romans had come together, they made a large camp in a strong position near the city; then, after remaining there many days and plundering the best part of the territory of the Veientes, the generals led the army home.

  [7] ὡς δ᾽ ἔγνωσαν οἱ Οὐιεντανοὶ τὰς δυνάμεις τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀφειμένας ἀπὸ τῶν σημαιῶν, τὴν εὔζωνον ἀναλαβόντες νεότητα, ἥν τ᾽ αὐτοὶ συντεταγμένην εἶχον καὶ τὴν παρὰ τῶν πλησιοχώρων παροῦσαν, ἐμβάλλουσιν εἰς τὰ προσκείμενα τῇ σφετέρᾳ χώρᾳ πεδία, καὶ διαρπάζουσι καρπῶν τε καὶ βοσκ�
�μάτων καὶ ἀνθρώπων ὄντα μεστά. κατέβησαν γὰρ ἐκ τῶν ἐρυμάτων οἱ γεωργοὶ χιλοῦ τε τῶν βοσκημάτων ἕνεκα καὶ ἐργασίας τῶν ἀγρῶν πιστεύοντες τῇ σφετέρᾳ στρατιᾷ προκαθημένῃ καὶ οὐ φθάσαντες ἀπελθούσης ἀνασκευάσασθαι πάλιν, οὐκ ἐλπίσαντες τοσαῦτα [p. 297] κεκακωμένους τοὺς Οὐιεντανοὺς ταχεῖαν οὕτως ἀντεπιχείρησιν κατὰ τοῦ ἀντιπάλου ποιήσεσθαι.

  [7] When the Veientes heard that the forces of the Romans had been discharged from the standards, taking the light-armed youth, not only their own which they had already assembled, but also that of their neighbours which was then present, they made an incursion into the plains bordering upon their own territory, which were full of corn, cattle and men, and plundered them. For the husbandmen had come down from the strongholds to get feed for their cattle and to till their lands, relying upon the protection of their army, which then lay encamped between them and the enemy; and after this army had retired, they had made no hasten to move back, as they did not expect the Veientes, after having suffered so many defeats, to make a return attack so promptly against the foes.

  [8] αὕτη χρόνου μὲν μήκει βραχεῖα ἐγένετο ἡ τῶν Οὐιεντανῶν εἰς τὴν Ῥωμαίων γῆν ἐμβολή, πλήθει δὲ χώρας, ἣν ἐπῆλθον, ἐν τοῖς πάνυ μεγάλη, καὶ ἀχθηδόνα σὺν αἰσχύνῃ Ῥωμαίοις ἀήθη παρέσχεν ἄχρι Τιβέριός τε ποταμοῦ καὶ ὄρους Ἰανίκλου στάδια τῆς Ῥώμης οὐδ᾽ εἴκοσιν ἀφεστῶτος ἀφικομένη. ἡ κωλύσουσα γὰρ δύναμις ἐπὶ πλεῖον χωρεῖν τὰ πολέμια οὐκ ἦν ὑπὸ σημαίαις. ἔφθασε γοῦν τὸ τῶν Οὐιεντανῶν στράτευμα πρὶν ἢ συνελθεῖν τε καὶ λοχισθῆναι τοὺς Ῥωμαίους ἀπελθόν.

  [8] This irruption of the Veientes into the Romans’ country, though brief in point of the time it lasted, was very serious with respect to the amount of territory they overran; and it caused the Romans unusual vexation, mingled with shame, since it extended as far as the river Tiber and Mount Janiculum, which is not twenty stades from Rome. For there was no force then under the standards to stop the enemy’s further progress; at any rate, the army of the Veientes had gone before the Romans could assemble and be assigned to centuries.

  [1] συναχθείσης δὲ μετὰ τοῦτο τῆς βουλῆς ὑπὸ τῶν ὑπάτων καὶ σκέψεως γενομένης, τίνα χρὴ πολεμεῖν τοῖς Οὐιεντανοῖς τρόπον, ἡ νικῶσα ἦν γνώμη, στράτευμα συνεστηκὸς ἔχειν ἐπὶ τοῖς ὁρίοις, ὃ διὰ φυλακῆς ἕξει τὴν χώραν θυραυλοῦν καὶ αἰεὶ μένον ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις. ἐλύπει δ᾽ αὐτοὺς ἥ τ᾽ εἰς τοὺς φρουροὺς δαπάνη πολλὴ σφόδρα ἐσομένη, τοῦ τε κοινοῦ ταμιείου διὰ τὰς συνεχεῖς στρατείας ἐξαναλωμένου καὶ τῶν ἰδίων βίων ἀπειρηκότων ταῖς εἰσφοραῖς: καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον ἡ τῶν ἀποσταλησομένων φρουρῶν καταγραφὴ τίνα τρόπον ἂν γένοιτο, ὡς οὐκ ἂν ἑκουσίων γέ τινων προκειμένων [p. 298] ἁπάντων, καὶ μὴ ἐκ διαδοχῆς, ἀλλὰ συνεχῶς ταλαιπωρεῖν ὑποστησομένων.

  [15.1] When the senate was later called together by the consuls and had deliberated in what manner the war should be carried on against the Veientes, the opinion which prevailed was to maintain a standing army upon the frontiers, which should keep guard over the Roman territory, camp ing in the open and always remaining under arms. But the expense of maintaining the garrisons, which would be very great, grieved them, since the public treasury was exhausted as a result of the continual campaigns, and their private fortunes had prove unequal to the burden of the war-taxes. And they were grieved still more by the problem of enlisting the garrisons which were to be sent out, how that could be accomplished, there being little probability that a few men would, willingly at least, serve as a bulwark in defence of all and submit to hardships, not in successive shifts, but continuously.

  [2] ἀδημονούσης δ᾽ αὐτῆς ἐπ᾽ ἀμφοτέροις τούτοις συγκαλέσαντες οἱ δύο Φάβιοι τοὺς μετέχοντας τοῦ σφετέρου γένους καὶ βουλευσάμενοι μετ᾽ αὐτῶν ὑπέσχοντο τῇ βουλῇ τοῦτο τὸ κινδύνευμα αὐτοὶ περὶ πάντων ἑκόντες ὑπομενεῖν, πελάτας τε τοὺς ἑαυτῶν ἐπαγόμενοι καὶ φίλους καὶ τέλεσι τοῖς ἰδίοις, ὅσον ἂν χρόνον ὁ πόλεμος διαμένῃ, στρατευόμενοι.

  [2] While the senate was troubled on both these accounts, the two Fabii assembled all the members of their clan, and having consulted with them, promised the senate that they themselves would voluntarily undertake this risk in defence of all the citizens, taking along with them their clients and friends, and would at their own expense continue in arms as long as the war should last.

  [3] ἀγασθέντων δ᾽ αὐτοὺς ἁπάντων τοῦ γενναίου τῆς προθυμίας καὶ τὸ νικᾶν παρ᾽ ἓν τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον τιθεμένων, κλεινοὶ καὶ περιβόητοι καθ᾽ ὅλην τὴν πόλιν ὄντες ἐξῄεσαν ἀναλαβόντες τὰ ὅπλα σὺν εὐχαῖς καὶ θυσίαις. ἡγεῖτο δ᾽ αὐτῶν Μάρκος Φάβιος ὁ τῷ παρελθόντι ὑπατεύσας ἔτει καὶ νικήσας τοὺς Τυρρηνοὺς τῇ μάχῃ, τετρακισχιλίους μάλιστα ἐπαγόμενος, ὧν τὸ μὲν πλεῖον πελατῶν τε καὶ ἑταίρων ἦν, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ Φαβίων γένους ἓξ καὶ τριακόσιοι ἄνδρες. εἵπετο δ᾽ αὐτοῖς μετ᾽ οὐ πολὺ καὶ ἡ Ῥωμαίων δύναμις, ἧς ἡγεῖτο Καίσων Φάβιος ὁ ἕτερος τῶν ὑπάτων.

  [3] All admired them for their noble devotion and placed their hopes of victory in this single undertaking; and while they were being acclaimed and their names were on the lips of all, they took their arms and marched forth, accompanied by vows and sacrifices. Their leader was Marcus Fabius, the man who had been consul the preceding year and had conquered the Tyrrhenians in the late battle; those he took with him were about four thousand in number, the greater part of them being clients and friends, while of the Fabian clan there were three hundred and six men. They were followed a little later by the Roman army under the command of Caeso Fabius, one of the consuls.

  [4] γενόμενοι δὲ ποταμοῦ Κρεμέρας πλησίον, ὃς οὐ μακρὰν ἀπέχει τῆς Οὐιεντανῶν πόλεως, ὑπὲρ ὄχθου τινὸς ἀποτόμου καὶ περιρρῶγος ἐπετείχιζον αὐτοῖς φρούριον ἱκανὸν φυλάττεσθαι τοσαύτῃ στρατιᾷ τάφρους τ᾽ ὀρυξάμενοι περὶ αὐτὸ διπλᾶς καὶ πύργους ἐγείραντες πυκνούς: καὶ ὠνομάσθη τὸ φρούριον ἐπὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ Κρεμέρα. οἷα δὲ πολυχειρίας τ᾽ ἐργαζομένης καὶ ὑπάτου συλλαμβάνοντος,

  [4] When they came near the river Cremera, which is not far from the city of the Veientes, they built upon a steep and craggy hill a fortress to command their territory, as large as could be garrisoned by an army of such size, surrounding it with a double ditch and erecting frequent towers; and the fortress was named Cremera
, after the river. Since many hands were employed at this work and consul himself assisted them, it was completed sooner than might have been expected.

  [5] θᾶττον ἢ κατὰ δόξαν ἐτελέσθη τὸ ἔργον. καὶ μετὰ [p. 299] τοῦτ᾽ ἐξαγαγὼν τὴν δύναμιν παρήλασεν ἐπὶ θάτερα τὰ μέρη τῆς Οὐιεντανῶν χώρας τὰ πρὸς τὴν ἄλλην ἐστραμμένα Τυρρηνίαν, ἔνθα ἦν τοῖς Οὐιεντανοῖς τὰ βοσκήματα, οὐδέποτε στρατὸν ἥξειν Ῥωμαίων ἐκεῖ προσδεχομένοις. περιβαλόμενος δὲ πολλὴν λείαν ἀπῆγεν ἐπὶ τὸ νεόκτιστον φρούριον, χαίρων ἐπὶ τῇ ἄγρᾳ κατ᾽ ἀμφότερα, τῆς τ᾽ οὐ διὰ μακροῦ τῶν πολεμίων τιμωρίας ἕνεκα, καὶ ὅτι τοῖς φρουροῖς τοῦ χωρίου πολλὴν ἔμελλε παρέξειν εὐπορίαν. οὐδὲν γὰρ οὔτ᾽ εἰς τὸ δημόσιον ἀνήνεγκεν, οὔτε τοῖς στρατευομένοις ἰδιώταις ἀπένειμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρόβατα καὶ ὑποζύγια καὶ ζεύγη βοεικὰ καὶ σίδηρον καὶ τἆλλα, ὅσα εἰς γεωργίαν ἐπιτήδεια ἦν, τοῖς περιπόλοις τῆς χώρας ἐχαρίσατο.

  [5] After that the consul marched out with the army and went past the city to the other side of the territory of the Veientes, the side facing toward the rest of Tyrrhenia, where the Veientes kept their herds, not expecting that a Roman army would ever come there; and having possessed himself of much booty, he returned home to the newly erected fortress. This quarry afforded him great satisfaction for two reasons — first, because he had so promptly retaliated upon the enemy, and again, because it would furnish abundant supplies to the garrison of the stronghold. For he neither turned over any part of the spoils to the treasury nor distributed any to the soldiers, but presented all the cattle, the beasts of burden, the yokes of oxen, the iron, and the other implements of husbandry to the patrols of the country.