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

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus

  [4] τῶν πραξάντων ἀποδιδομένας, ἀλλὰ τῇ κακῇ. τοῦτον δὴ τὸν σκοπὸν προιδόντες αὐτοὶ ἐξετάζετε καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν τύχην, ᾗ παρὰ τοὺς πολέμους κέχρημαι. καὶ ἐὰν μὲν εὕρητε ἡττημένον με ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων, πονηρὰν [p. 329] καλεῖτέ μου τὴν τύχην, ἐὰν δὲ κεκρατηκότα τῶν ἐχθρῶν, ἀγαθήν: περὶ μὲν οὖν τῆς τύχης, οὐκ ἀγνοῶν, ὅτι φορτικοὶ πάντες εἰσὶν οἱ περὶ αὐτῆς λέγοντες, ἔχων ἔτι πλείω λέγειν παύσομαι.

  [4] So, taking this as the target, do you yourselves consider what has been my luck in the various wars; and if you find that I was vanquished by the enemy, call my luck bad, but if I was victorious over them, call it good. On the subject of luck, now, I could say still more; however, as I am not unaware that all who discuss it are tiresome, I will desist.

  [1] ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τῆς γνώμης κατηγοροῦσί μου προδοσίαν μὲν οὐ τολμῶντες ἐπικαλεῖν οὐδ᾽ ἀνανδρίαν, ἐφ᾽ οἷς αἱ κατὰ τῶν ἄλλων στρατηγῶν γίνονται κρίσεις, ἀπειρίαν δὲ τοῦ στρατηγεῖν καὶ ἀφροσύνην, ὅτι κίνδυνον ὑπέμεινα οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα τῶν πολεμίων ὠσάμενος, βούλομαι καὶ περὶ τούτου λόγον ὑποσχεῖν ὑμῖν, προχειρότατον μὲν τοῦτ᾽ ἔχων εἰπεῖν, ὅτι τὸ μὲν ἐπιτιμᾶν τοῖς γενομένοις πάνυ ῥᾴδιον καὶ παντὸς ἀνθρώπου, τὸ δὲ παραβάλλεσθαι πράγμασι καλοῖς χαλεπὸν καὶ ὀλίγων: καὶ ὅτι οὐχ ὥσπερ τὰ γεγονότα φαίνεται, ὁποῖά ἐστιν, οὕτω καὶ τὰ μέλλοντα, ὁποῖα ἔσται: ἀλλ᾽ ἐκεῖνα μὲν αἰσθήσει καὶ πάθεσι καταλαμβανόμεθα, ταῦτα δὲ μαντείαις καὶ δόξαις εἰκάζομεν, ἐν αἷς πολὺ τὸ ἀπατηλόν: καὶ ὅτι ῥᾷστον ἁπάντων ἐστὶ λόγῳ στρατηγεῖν πολέμους ἔξω τοῦ δεινοῦ

  [31.1] “But since they censure my judgement also, not daring, indeed, to accuse me of treachery or cowardice, the charges on which other generals are tried, but accuse me of inexperience in the duties of a general and imprudence, in that I undertook an unnecessary risk in pressing forward to the enemy’s camp, I wish to render you an accounting on that point, too, since I can make the very obvious retort that it is very easy and lies within the power of any man to censure past actions, whereas to venture upon glorious exploits is difficult and within the power of but few; also that it is not so apparent what future events will be as what past events are, but, on the contrary, we apprehend the latter by perception and our experiences, while we conjecture the others by divination and opinions, in which there is much that is deceptive; and again, that it is the easiest thing in the world for people to conduct wars by talk when they stand far from the danger, which is what my accusers do.

  [2] βεβηκότας, ὃ ποιοῦσιν οἱ κατηγοροῦντες ἐμοῦ. ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα ταῦτ᾽ ἀφῶ, φέρε πρὸς θεῶν εἴπατέ μοι, μόνος ἢ πρῶτος ὑμῖν ἐγὼ φαίνομαι βιάσασθαι φρούριον ἐπιβαλόμενος καὶ πρὸς ὑψηλὰ χωρία τὰς δυνάμεις ἀγαγών; ἢ πολλῶν μετ᾽ ἄλλων ὑμετέρων στρατηγῶν, ἐξ ὧν οἱ μὲν κατώρθωσαν, τοῖς δ᾽ οὐκ ἐχώρησεν ἡ πεῖρα κατὰ νοῦν; τί δήποτ᾽ οὖν τοὺς ἄλλους ἀφέντες ἐμὲ ς[p. 330] κρίνετε, εἰ ταῦτ᾽ ἀστρατηγησίας καὶ ἀφροσύνης ἔργα νομίζετε; πόσα δ᾽ ἄλλα τούτου τολμηρότερα τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν ἔπεισι πράττειν, ὅταν τὸ ἀσφαλὲς καὶ λελογισμένον ἥκιστα οἱ καιροὶ δέχωνται;

  [2] But, to waive all this, tell me, in the name of the gods, do you regard me as the first or the only man who ever attempted to capture a stronghold by force and led his men against lofty positions? Or have not many others of your generals done the sam, some of whom have succeeded, while the attempt of others has not turned out as they wished? Why in the world, then, did you let the others off but now try me, if you consider these actions to be marks of incapacity and imprudence in a general? How many other undertakings more daring than this does it occur to your generals to attempt when times of crisis will by no means admit of the safe and well-considered course?

  [3] οἱ μέν γε τὰς σημαίας ἁρπάσαντες τῶν σφετέρων ἔρριψαν εἰς τοὺς πολεμίους, ἵνα τοῖς βλακεύουσι καὶ ἀποδειλιῶσιν ἐκ τοῦ ἀναγκαίου παραστῇ τὸ εὔψυχον ἐπισταμένοις, ὅτι τοὺς μὴ ἀνασώσαντας τὰ σημεῖα ὑπὸ τῶν στρατηγῶν δεῖ σὺν αἰσχύνῃ ἀποθανεῖν: οἱ δ᾽ εἰς τὴν τῶν πολεμίων χώραν ἐμβαλόντες ἔλυσαν τὰ ζεύγματα τῶν ποταμῶν, οὓς διέβησαν, ἵνα τοῖς φεύγειν διανοουμένοις ἄπορος ἡ τοῦ σωθῆναι ἐλπὶς φανεῖσα θάρσος παραστήσῃ καὶ μένος ἐν ταῖς μάχαις: οἱ δὲ τὰς σκηνὰς καὶ τὰ σκευοφόρα κατακαύσαντες ἀνάγκην ἐπέθηκαν τοῖς σφετέροις ἐκ τῆς πολεμίας, ὅσων δέονται, λαμβάνειν.

  [3] Some indeed have snatched the standards from their own men and hurled them among the enemy, in order that the indolent and cowardly might perforce gain courage, since they knew that those who failed to recover those standards must be put to death ignominiously by their generals. Others, after invading the enemy’s country, have destroyed the bridges over the rivers what they had crossed, in order that any who entertained thoughts of saving themselves by flight might find their hope vain and so be inspired with boldness and resolution in the battles.

  [4] ἐῶ τἆλλα μυρία ὄντα λέγειν, καὶ ὅσα τολμηρὰ ἔργα καὶ ἐνθυμήματα ἕτερα στρατηγῶν ἱστορίᾳ τε καὶ πείρᾳ παραλαβόντες ἔχομεν, ἐφ᾽ οἷς οὐδεὶς πώποτε τῶν ψευσθέντων τῆς ἐλπίδος ὑπέσχε δίκας. εἰ μὴ ἄρα ἔχει τις ὑμῶν αἰτιάσασθαί με, ὅτι προβαλὼν τοὺς ἄλλους εἰς προὖπτον ὄλεθρον, αὐτὸς ἔξω τοῦ κινδύνου τὸ σῶμα εἶχον. εἰ δὲ μετὰ πάντων τ᾽ ἐξηταζόμην καὶ τελευταῖος ἀπηλλαττόμην καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς τοῖς ἄλλοις μετεῖχον τύχης, τί ἀδικῶ; καὶ περὶ μὲν ἐμοῦ ταῦθ᾽ ἱκανὰ εἰρήσθω.

  [4] Still others by burning their tents and baggage have imposed on their men the necessity of supplying themselves out of the enemy’s country with everything they needed. I omit mentioning all the other instances of the kind, which are countless, and the many other daring actions and expedients of generals that we know of from both history and our own experience, for which no general was ever punished when disappointed in his helps. Unless, indeed, someone among you can bring the charge against me that when I exposed the others to manifest destruction I kept myself out of danger. But if I took my place in the line with all the rest, was last to withdraw and shared the same fortune with the others, of what crime am I guilty? Concerning myself, then, let this suffice.

  [1] περὶ δὲ τῆς βουλῆς καὶ τῶν πατρικίων, ἐπειδὴ τὸ κοινὸν ὑμ�
��ν μῖσος, ὃ διὰ τὴν κωλυθεῖσαν [p. 331] κληρουχίαν ἔχετε, καὶ ἐμὲ λυπεῖ, καὶ οὐδὲ ὁ κατήγορος αὐτὸ ἀπεκρύψατο, ἀλλὰ μέρος οὐκ ἐλάχιστον ἐποιήσατο τῆς ἐμῆς κατηγορίας, βούλομαι βραχέα εἰπεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς.

  [32.1] “But concerning the senate and the patricians I wish to say a few words to you, since the general hatred you plebeians bear toward them because they prevented the allotment of land hurts me also, and since my accuser too did not conceal this hatred, but made it no small part of his accusation against me.

  [2] ἔσται δὲ μετὰ παρρησίας ὁ λόγος: ἄλλως γὰρ οὔτ᾽ ἂν ἐγὼ δυναίμην λέγειν οὔθ᾽ ὑμῖν ἀκούειν συμφέρει. οὐ δίκαια ποιεῖτε οὐδ᾽ ὅσια, ὦ δημόται, τῶν μὲν εὐεργεσιῶν, ἃς εὕρεσθε παρὰ τῆς βουλῆς, πολλῶν οὐσῶν καὶ μεγάλων οὐκ εἰδότες αὐτῇ χάριν: εἰ δέ τι δεομένοις ὑμῖν, ἐξ οὗ συγχωρηθέντος μεγάλα βλάπτοιτ᾽ ἂν τὸ κοινόν, οὐ φθονοῦσα ὑμῖν, ἀλλὰ τὸ συμφέρον τῆς πόλεως ὁρῶσα, ἠναντιώθη, τοῦτο δι᾽ ὀργῆς λαμβάνοντες.

  [2] And I shall prospect with frankness; for I could not speak in any other fashion, nor would it be to your interest to hear me if I did. You are not doing right in the eyes of men or the gods, plebeians, if, on the one hand, you show no gratitude for the many great benefits you have received from the senate, but, on the other hand, because, when you demanded a measure the concession of which would bring great harm to the public, the senate, not in any spirit of animosity toward you, but having in view the welfare of the commonwealth, opposed it, you angrily resent its action.

  [3] ἔδει δ᾽ ὑμᾶς μάλιστα μὲν ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ κρατίστου τὰ βουλεύματα αὐτῆς γενόμενα καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ πάντων ἀγαθῷ δεχομένους ἀποστῆναι τῆς σπουδῆς: εἰ δ᾽ ἀδύνατοι ἦτε κατασχεῖν ἀσύμφορον ἐπιθυμίαν λογισμῷ σώφρονι, μετὰ τοῦ πείθειν τῶν αὐτῶν ἀξιοῦν τυγχάνειν,

  [3] But what you ought to have done was, preferably, to accept the senate’s decisions as having been made with the best of motives and for the good of all and then to have desisted from your selfish striving; but if you were unable to restrain your inexpedient desire by means of sober reason, you should have sought to obtain these same ends by persuasion and not by violence.

  [4] ἀλλὰ μὴ μετὰ τοῦ βιάζεσθαι. αἱ γὰρ ἑκούσιοι δωρεαὶ τοῖς τε προεμένοις ἡδίους τῶν ἠναγκασμένων εἰσί, καὶ τοῖς λαμβάνουσι βεβαιότεραι τῶν μὴ τοιούτων. ὃ μὰ τοὺς θεοὺς οὐ λογίζεσθε ὑμεῖς, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὸ τῶν δημαγωγῶν, ὥσπερ θάλαττα ὑπ᾽ ἀνέμων ἄλλων ἐπ᾽ ἄλλοις ἐπανισταμένων, ἀνακινούμενοί τε καὶ ἀγριαινόμενοι οὐδὲ τὸν ἐλάχιστον χρόνον ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ καὶ γαλήνῃ διακεῖσθαι τὴν πόλιν ἐᾶτε. τοιγάρτοι παρέστη ἡμῖν κρείττονα ἡγεῖσθαι τῆς εἰρήνης τὸν πόλεμον: ὅταν [p. 332] μέν γε πολεμῶμεν, τοὺς ἐχθροὺς κακῶς ποιοῦμεν, ὅταν δ᾽ εἰρήνην ἄγωμεν, τοὺς φίλους. καίτοι, ὦ δημόται, εἰ μὲν ἅπαντα τὰ βουλεύματα τοῦ συνεδρίου καλὰ καὶ συμφέροντα ἡγεῖσθ᾽ εἶναι, ὥσπερ ἐστί, τί οὐχὶ καὶ

  [4] For voluntary gifts are not only more pleasing to those who grant them than such as are extorted by force, but are also more lasting to those who receive them than those which are not freely given. Of this truth you, however, as Heaven is my witness, take no account, but you are continually stirred up by your demagogues and roused to fury even as is the sea by winds that spring up one after another, and you do not permit the commonwealth to remain calm and serene for even the briefest space of time. The result, therefore, is that we prefer war to peace; at any rate, when we Romans are at war, we hurt our enemies, but when at peace, our friends.

  [5] τοῦθ᾽ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν ὑπολαμβάνετ᾽ εἶναι; εἰ δὲ μηδὲν ἁπλῶς τὴν βουλὴν τῶν δεόντων οἴεσθε φρονεῖν, ἀλλ᾽ αἰσχρῶς καὶ κακῶς τὴν πόλιν ἐπιτροπεύειν, τί δή ποτ᾽ οὐχὶ μεταστησάμενοι αὐτὴν ἀθρόαν, αὐτοὶ ἄρχετε καὶ βουλεύετε καὶ τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡγεμονίας πολέμους ἐκφέρετε, ἀλλὰ περικνίζετε αὐτὴν καὶ κατὰ μικρὰ διαλύετε τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους ἀναρπάζοντες ἐν ταῖς δίκαις; ἄμεινον γὰρ ἦν ἅπασιν ἡμῖν κοινῇ πολεμεῖσθαι, ἢ

  [5] And yet, plebeians, if you regard all the resolutions of the senate as excellent and advantageous, as they really are, why do you not assume this also to be one of them? If, however, you believe that the senate takes no thought at all for the things it should, but governs the commonwealth dishonourably and basely, why in the world do you not abolish it bag and baggage and yourselves govern and deliberate and wage wars in defence of our empire, rather than pare it down and destroy it by degrees by making away with its most important members in your trials? For it would be better for all of us to be attacked together in war than for each one separately to be the victim of false accusations.

  [6] καθ᾽ ἕνα ἕκαστον ἰδίᾳ συκοφαντεῖσθαι. ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐχ ὑμεῖς αἴτιοι τούτων, ὥσπερ ἔφην, ἀλλ᾽ οἱ συνταράττοντες ὑμᾶς δημαγωγοὶ οὔτ᾽ ἄρχεσθαι ὑπομένοντες οὔτ᾽ ἄρχειν εἰδότες. καὶ ὅσον μὲν ἐπὶ τῇ τούτων ἀφροσύνῃ τε καὶ ἀπειρίᾳ πολλάκις ἂν ὑμῖν τόδε τὸ σκάφος ἀνετράπη, νῦν δ᾽ ἡ τὰ τούτων σφάλματα ἐπανορθοῦσα καὶ ἐν ὀρθῇ παρέχουσα ὑμῖν τῇ πόλει πλεῖν, ἡ πλεῖστα δεινὰ ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν ἀκούουσά ἐστι βουλή.

  [6] However, it is not you, as I said, who are the authors of these disorders, but rather the demagogues, who keep you stirred up and who are neither willing to be ruled nor capable of ruling. Indeed, so far as their imprudence and inexperience could accomplish it, this ship of yours would have foundered many times over; but as it is, the power which corrects their errors and enables your commonwealth to sail on an even keel is the senate, so greatly maligned by them.

  [7] ταῦτ᾽ εἴθ᾽ ἡδέα ἐστὶν ὑμῖν ἀκούειν εἴτ᾽ ἀνιαρά, μετὰ πάσης ἀληθείας εἴρηταί μοι καὶ τετόλμηται: καὶ μᾶλλον αἱροίμην ἂν παρρησίᾳ συμφερούσῃ τῷ κοινῷ χρώμενος ἀποθανεῖν, ἢ τὰ πρὸς ἡδονὴν ὑμῖν λέγων σεσῶσθαι. [p. 333]

  [7] These remarks, whether they are pleasant for you to hear or vexatious, have been uttered and hazarded by me in all sincerity; and I had rather lose my life by using a freedom of speech that is advantageous for the commonwealth than save it by flattering you.”

  [1] τοιούτους εἰπὼν λόγους καὶ οὔτε πρὸς ὀλοφυρμοὺς καὶ ἀνακλαύσεις τῆς συμφορᾶς τραπόμενος, οὔτ᾽ ἐν δεήσεσι καὶ προκυλισμοῖς ἀσχήμοσι ταπεινὸς φανείς, οὔτ᾽ ἄλλην ἀγεννῆ διάθεσιν ἀποδειξάμενο
ς οὐδεμίαν παρέδωκε τὸν λόγον τοῖς συναγορεύειν ἢ μαρτυρεῖν βουλομένοις. πολλοὶ μὲν οὖν καὶ ἄλλοι παριόντες ἀπέλυον αὐτὸν τῆς αἰτίας, μάλιστα δὲ Οὐεργίνιος ὁ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν ὑπατεύσας χρόνον καὶ τῆς νίκης αἴτιος εἶναι δοκῶν: ὃς οὐ μόνον ἀναίτιον αὐτὸν ἀπέφαινεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς κράτιστον ἀνδρῶν τὰ πολέμια καὶ στρατηγῶν φρονιμώτατον ἐπαινεῖσθαί

  [33.1] Having spoken in this manner and without either resorting to lamentations and wailings over his misfortune or abasing himself by entreaties and unseemly grovelling at the feet of anyone, and without displaying any other mark of an ignoble nature, he yielded the floor to those who desired to speak or bear witness in his favour. Many came forward and sought to clear him of the charge, and particularly Verginius, who had been consul at the same time with him and was regarded as having been the cause of the victory. He not only declared Servilius to be innocent, but argued that, as the bravest of men in war and the most prudent of generals, he deserved to be praised and honoured by all.

  [2] τε καὶ τιμᾶσθαι ὑπὸ πάντων ἠξίου. ἔφη δὲ δεῖν, εἰ μὲν ἀγαθὸν οἴονται τέλος εἰληφέναι τὸν πόλεμον ἀμφοτέροις σφίσι τὴν χάριν εἰδέναι: εἰ δὲ πονηρὸν ἀμφοτέρους ζημιοῦν: κοινὰ γὰρ αὐτοῖς καὶ τὰ βουλεύματα καὶ τὰ ἔργα καὶ τὰς ἐκ τοῦ δαιμονίου τύχας γεγονέναι. ἦν δ᾽ οὐ μόνον ὁ λόγος τοῦ ἀνδρός, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ βίος πείθων, ἐν ἅπασιν ἐξητασμένος ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς.