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

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus

  [2] He said that if they thought the war had ended favourably, they ought to feel grateful to both commanders, but if unfavourably, they ought to punish them both; for not only their plans, but also their actions and the fortunes meted out to them by Heaven had belonged to them both. Not only were the man’s words convincing, but his whole life as well, which had been tested in all manner of good deeds.

  [3] προσῆν δὲ τούτοις, ὃ πλεῖστον ἐκίνησεν οἶκτον, ὄψεως σχῆμα συμπαθές, οἷον περὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς πεπονθότας ἢ μέλλοντας πάσχειν τὰ δεινὰ γίνεσθαι φιλεῖ. ὥστε καὶ τοὺς προσήκοντας τοῖς ἀπολωλόσι καὶ δοκοῦντας ἀδιαλλάκτως ἔχειν πρὸς τὸν αἴτιον σφίσι τῆς συμφορᾶς, μαλακωτέρους γενέσθαι καὶ ἀποθέσθαι τὴν ὀργήν, ὡς ἐδήλωσαν. ἀναδοθεισῶν γὰρ τῶν ψήφων οὐδεμία φυλὴ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς κατεψηφίσατο. ὁ μὲν οὖν [p. 334] τὸν Σερουίλιον καταλαβὼν κίνδυνος τοιούτου τέλους ἔτυχεν.

  [3] He had moreover — and this it was that stirred the greatest compassion — a look of fellow-suffering, such a look as one is apt to see on the faces of those who themselves have suffered calamities or are about to suffer them. Hence even the relations of the men who had lost their lives in the battle and seemed irreconcilable to the au of their misfortune became softened and laid aside their resentment, as they presently made evident. For when the votes had been taken, not a single tribe condemned him. Such was the outcome of the jeopardy in which Servilius had been placed.

  [1] οὐ πολλῷ δ᾽ ὕστερον χρόνῳ στρατιὰ Ῥωμαίων ἐξῆλθεν ἐπὶ Τυρρηνοὺς ἄγοντος θατέρου τῶν ὑπάτων Ποπλίου Οὐαλερίου. συνέστη γὰρ αὖθις ἡ Οὐιεντανῶν δύναμις προσθεμένων αὐτοῖς Σαβίνων, οἳ τέως ὀκνοῦντες αὐτοῖς συνάρασθαι τοῦ πολέμου ὡς ἀδυνάτων ἐφιεμένοις, τότ᾽, ἐπειδὴ τήν τε Μενηνίου φυγὴν ἔγνωσαν καὶ τὸν ἐπιτειχισμὸν τοῦ πλησίον τῆς Ῥώμης ὄρους, τεταπεινῶσθαι νομίσαντες τάς τε δυνάμεις τὰς Ῥωμαίων καὶ τὸ φρόνημα τῆς πόλεως ἡττῆσθαι, συνελάμβανον τοῖς Τυρρηνοῖς πολλὴν ἀποστείλαντες δύναμιν.

  [34.1] Not long afterwards an army of the Romans marched out against the Tyrrhenians under the command of Publius Valerius, one of the consuls. For the forces of the Veientes had again assembled and had been joined by the Sabines. The latter had hitherto hesitated to assist them in the war, fearing that they were aiming at the impossible; but now, when they learned both of the flight of Menenius and of the fortifying of the hill close to the city, concluding that the forces of the Romans had been humbled and that the spirit of the commonwealth had been broken, they proceeded to aid the Tyrrhenians, sending them a large body of troops.

  [2] οἱ δὲ Οὐιεντανοὶ τῇ τε σφετέρᾳ δυνάμει πεποιθότες καὶ τῇ Σαβίνων νεωστὶ ἡκούσῃ καὶ τὰς παρὰ τῶν ἄλλων Τυρρηνῶν ἐπικουρίας περιμένοντες προθυμίαν μὲν εἶχον ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥώμην ἐλαύνειν τῇ πλείονι τῆς σφετέρας στρατιᾶς, ὡς οὐδενὸς αὐτοῖς ὁμόσε χωρήσοντος, ἀλλὰ δυεῖν θάτερον, ἢ ἐκ τειχομαχίας αἱρήσοντες τὴν πόλιν ἢ λιμῷ κατεργασόμενοι.

  [2] The Veientes, relying night on their own forces and on those of the Sabines which had just come to them, and expecting reinforcements from the rest of the Tyrrhenians, were eager to march on Rome with the greater part of their army, in the belief that none would oppose them, but that they should either take the city by storm or reduce it by famine.

  [3] ἔφθασε δὲ τὴν ἐπιχείρησιν αὐτῶν ὁ Οὐαλέριος, ἐν ᾧ ἔτι ἔμελλον ἐκεῖνοι καὶ τοὺς ὑστερίζοντας συμμάχους ἀνέμενον, αὐτὸς ἀγαγὼν Ῥωμαίων τὴν κρατίστην ἀκμὴν καὶ τὸ παρὰ τῶν συμμάχων ἐπικουρικόν, οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ ποιησάμενος τὴν ἔξοδον, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς μάλιστα λήσεσθαι αὐτοὺς ἔμελλε. προελθὼν γὰρ ἐκ [p. 335] τῆς Ῥώμης περὶ δείλην ὀψίαν καὶ διαβὰς τὸν Τέβεριν οὐ μακρὰν ἀποσχὼν τῆς πόλεως κατεστρατοπέδευσεν: ἔπειτ᾽ ἀναστήσας τὴν στρατιὰν περὶ μέσας νύκτας ἦγεν ἐν τάχει, καὶ πρὶν ἡμέραν γενέσθαι θατέρῳ χάρακι τῶν πολεμίων ἐπέβαλε.

  [3] But Valerius forestalled their plan, while they were still delaying and waiting for the allies who tarried, by setting out himself with the flower of the Roman youth and with the auxiliary force from the allies, not openly, but in such a manner as would conceal his march from the enemy so far as possible. For, advancing from Rome in the later afternoon and crossing the Tiber, he encamped at a short distance from the city; then, rousing the army about midnight, he marched in haste and, before it was day, attacked one of the enemy’s camps.

  [4] δύο γὰρ ἦν στρατόπεδα χωρὶς μὲν τὸ Τυρρηνῶν, ἑτέρωθι δὲ τὸ Σαβίνων, οὐ διὰ μακροῦ ἀλλήλων ἀπέχοντα. πρώτῃ δὲ προσαγαγὼν τὴν δύναμιν τῇ Σαβίνων στρατοπεδείᾳ, καθυπνωμένων ἔτι τῶν πλείστων καὶ οὐδεμιᾶς οὔσης ἀξιολόγου φυλακῆς, οἷα ἐν φιλίᾳ τε γῇ καὶ κατὰ πολλὴν ὑπεροψίαν τῶν πολεμίων οὐδαμῇ ἀγγελλομένων, ἐξ ἐφόδου γίνεται ταύτης ἐγκρατής. τῶν δ᾽ ἀνθρώπων οἱ μὲν ἐν ταῖς κοίταις ἔτι ὄντες κατεσφάγησαν, οἱ δ᾽ ἀνιστάμενοι ἀρτίως καὶ τὰ ὅπλα ἐνδυόμενοι, οἱ δ᾽ ὡπλισμένοι μέν, σποράδες δὲ καὶ οὐκ ἐν τάξει ἀμυνόμενοι, οἱ δὲ πλεῖστοι φεύγοντες ἐπὶ τὸν ἕτερον χάρακα ὑπὸ τῶν ἱππέων καταλαμβανόμενοι διεφθάρησαν.

  [4] For there were two camp s, separate but at no great distance from one another, one of the Tyrrhenian and the other of the Sabines. The first camp he attacked was that of the Sabines, where most of the men were still asleep and there was no guard worth mentioning, inasmuch as they were in friendly territory and felt great contempt for the enemy, whose presence had not been reported from any quarter; and he took it by storm. Some of the Sabines were slain in their beds, others just as they were getting up and arming themselves, and still others, who, though armed, were dispersed and fighting in disorder; but the larger part of them were intercepted and destroyed by the Roman horse while they were endeavouring to escape to the other camp.

  [1] τοῦτον δὲ τὸν τρόπον ἁλόντος τοῦ τῶν Σαβίνων χάρακος ἦγε τὴν δύναμιν ὁ Οὐαλέριος ἐπὶ τὸν ἕτερον, ἔνθα ἦσαν οἱ Οὐιεντανοὶ χωρίον οὐ πάνυ ἐχυρὸν κατειληφότες. λαθεῖν μὲν οὖν οὐκέτι ἐνεδέχετο τοὺς προσιόντας τῷ χάρακι: ἡμέρα τε γὰρ ἦν ἤδη λαμπρά, καὶ τῶν Σαβίνων οἱ φυγόντες ἀπήγγειλαν τοῖς Τυρρηνοῖς τήν θ᾽ αὑτῶν συμφορὰν καὶ τὴν ἐπ᾽ ἐκείνους ἔλασιν: ἀναγκαῖον δ᾽ ἦν ἐκ τοῦ καρτεροῦ τοῖς
[p. 336]

  [35.1] The camp of the Sabines having thus been taken, Valerius led his forces to the other camp, where the Veientes lay, having occupied a position that was not very strong. Here it was not possible for the attackers to approach the camp without being seen, since it was now broad daylight and the fleeing Sabines had informed the Tyrrhenians both of their own disaster and of the advance of the Romans against the others; hence it was necessary to attack the enemy with might and main.

  [2] πολεμίοις συμφέρεσθαι. γίνεται δὴ μετὰ τοῦτο πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ τῶν Τυρρηνῶν ἀγωνιζομένων πρὸ τῆς παρεμβολῆς ὀξεῖα μάχη καὶ φόνος ἀμφοτέρων πολύς, ἰσόρροπός τε καὶ μέχρι πολλοῦ ταλαντευομένη τῇδε καὶ τῇδε ἡ κρίσις τοῦ πολέμου. ἔπειτ᾽ ἐνέδοσαν οἱ Τυρρηνοὶ ὑπὸ τῆς Ῥωμαικῆς ἐξωσθέντες ἵππου καὶ ἀπεχώρησαν εἰς τὸν χάρακα, ὁ δ᾽ ὕπατος ἠκολούθει, καὶ ἐπειδὴ πλησίον ἐγένετο τῶν ἐρυμάτων — ἦν δὲ φαύλως κατεσκευασμένα καὶ τὸ χωρίον, ὥσπερ ἔφην, οὐ πάνυ ἀσφαλές — προσέβαλε κατὰ πολλὰ μέρη τό τε λοιπὸν ἐκείνης τῆς ἡμέρας μέρος ἐπιταλαιπωρῶν καὶ οὐδὲ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν νύκτα ἀναπαυσάμενος.

  [2] Then, as the Tyrrhenians ought to before their camp with all possible vigour, a sharp action ensued, with great slaughter on both sides; and the decision of the battle was equally balanced, shifting to and fro for a long time. At last the Tyrrhenians, forced back by the Roman horse, gave way and retired to their camp. The consul followed, and when he came near their ramparts — these had been poorly constructed and the place, as I said, was not very secure — he attacked them in many places at once, continuing his exhausting efforts all the rest of that day and not even resting the following night.

  [3] οἱ δὲ Τυρρηνοὶ ταῖς συνεχέσι κακοπαθείαις ἀπειρηκότες ἐκλείπουσι τὸν χάρακα περὶ τὸν ὄρθρον καὶ οἱ μὲν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἔφυγον, οἱ δ᾽ εἰς τὰς πλησίον ὕλας ἐσκεδάσθησαν. γενόμενος δὲ καὶ τούτου τοῦ χάρακος ἐγκρατὴς ἐκείνην μὲν τὴν ἡμέραν ἀνέπαυσε τὴν στρατιάν, τῇ δ᾽ ἑξῆς τά τε λάφυρα, ὅσα ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων εἰλήφει τῶν στρατοπέδων, διένειμε τοῖς ἀγωνισαμένοις πολλὰ ὄντα, καὶ τοὺς ἀριστεύσαντας ἐν ταῖς μάχαις τοῖς εἰωθόσιν ἐκόσμει στεφάνοις.

  [3] The Tyrrhenians, exhausted by their continual hardships, left their camp at break of day, some fleeing to their city and others dispersing themselves in the neighbouring woods. The consul, having made himself master of this camp also, rested his army that day; then, on the next day he distributed to the men who had shared in the fighting the spoils, great in quantity, which he had taken in both camps, and honoured with the customary crowns those who had distinguished themselves in the battles.

  [4] ἦν δ᾽ ὁ κράτιστα πάντων ἀγωνίσασθαι δόξας καὶ τρεψάμενος τὴν Οὐιεντανῶν δύναμιν Σερουίλιος ὁ τῷ προτέρῳ ὑπατεύσας ἔτει καὶ τὴν ἐπὶ τοῦ δήμου δίκην ἀποφυγών, πρεσβευτὴς τότε τῷ Οὐαλερίῳ συμπεμφθείς, καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀριστείᾳ τῇδε τὰς νομιζομένας εἶναι μεγίστας παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις δωρεὰς οὗτος ἦν ὁ πρῶτος ἐξενεγκάμενος. μετὰ ταῦτα τούς τε τῶν πολεμίων σκυλεύσας [p. 337] νεκροὺς ὁ ὕπατος καὶ τῶν ἰδίων ταφὰς ποιησάμενος ἀπῆγε τὴν στρατιὰν καὶ πλησίον τῆς Οὐιεντανῶν πόλεως καταστήσας προὐκαλεῖτο τοὺς ἔνδον.

  [4] The man who was regarded as having fought with the better bravery of all and put the troops of the Veientes to flight was Servilius, the consul of the preceding year, who had been acquitted in his trail before the populace and now had been sent along as legate to Valerius; and in consideration of the superior valour he showed upon this occasion he was the first to receive the rewards which among the Romans are the most esteemed. After that the consul, having stripped the enemy’s dead and buried his own, marched away with his army, and encamping near the city of the Veientes, challenged those inside to give battle.

  [5] ὡς δ᾽ οὐδεὶς ἐξῄει μαχησόμενος ἄπορον ὁρῶν χρῆμα ἐκ τειχομαχίας αὐτοὺς ἑλεῖν ἐχυρὰν σφόδρα ἔχοντας πόλιν, τῆς γῆς αὐτῶν πολλὴν καταδραμὼν εἰς τὴν Σαβίνων ἐνέβαλε. λεηλατήσας δὲ κἀκείνην ἔτι ἀκέραιον οὖσαν ἐπὶ πολλὰς ἡμέρας καὶ βαρεῖαν ἤδη τὴν ἀποσκευὴν ἔχων ταῖς ὠφελείαις ἀπῆγεν ἐπ᾽ οἴκου τὴν δύναμιν: καὶ αὐτῷ ὁ μὲν δῆμος πρὸ πολλοῦ τῆς πόλεως ὄντι ἐστεφανωμένος ὑπήντα λιβανωτοῖς τε θυμιῶν τὴν πάροδον καὶ κρατῆρσι μελικράτου κεκραμένοις ὑποδεχόμενος τὴν στρατιάν: ἡ δὲ βουλὴ τὴν τοῦ θριάμβου πομπὴν ἐψηφίσατο.

  [5] But when none ventured out to fight and he saw that it would be a difficult matter to capture them by assault, occupying as they did a city that was exceedingly strong, he overran a great part of their country and then invaded that of the Sabines. For many days he plundered their territory too, which was still untouched, and then, since his baggage train was now heavily laden with booty, he led his troops homeward. While he was yet a long way from the city he was met by the people, who, crowned with garlands, perfumed the route with frankincense as he entered and received the army with bowls of honeyed wine. And the senate decreed to him the celebration of a triumph.

  [6] ὁ δ᾽ ἕτερος τῶν ὑπάτων Γάιος Ναύτιος, ᾧ προσέκειτο κατὰ κλῆρον ἡ τῶν συμμάχων Λατίνων τε καὶ Ἑρνίκων φυλακή, βραδυτέραν ἐποιήσατο τὴν ἔξοδον: οὔτ᾽ ἀπορίᾳ οὔτ᾽ ὄκνῳ τοῦ κινδύνου κρατηθείς, τὴν δ᾽ ἀδηλότητα τοῦ πρὸς Οὐιεντανοὺς πολέμου καραδοκῶν, ἵν᾽ ἐάν τι συμβῇ πταῖσμα περὶ τὴν ἐκεῖ στρατιὰν ἐν ἑτοίμῳ τις ὑπάρχῃ τῇ πόλει συνεστῶσα δύναμις, ἣ κωλύσει τοὺς πολεμίους εἰς τὴν χώραν ἐμβαλεῖν, ἐὰν ὥσπερ οἱ πρότερον ἐλάσαντες ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥώμην ἐπιτειχίζειν τινὰ κατὰ τῆς πόλεως χωρία ἐπιβάλωνται.

  [6] The other consul, Gaius Nautius, to whom the defence of their allies the Latins and the Hernicans had fallen by lot, had delayed taking the field, not because he was swayed by any irresolution or fear of danger, but because he was awaiting the uncertain outcome of the war with the Veientes, to the end that, if any misfortune should befall the army employed against them the commonwealth might have another force assembled in readiness to hinder the enemy from making an irruption into the country, in case this foe, like those who had earlier marched against Rome, should attempt to fortify any places as a threat to the city.

  [7] ἐν δὲ τῷ μεταξὺ τούτου χρόνῳ καὶ ὁ κατὰ τῶν Λατίνων πόλεμος, ὃν ἐπῆγον αὐτοῖς Αἰκανοί τε καὶ Οὐολοῦσκοι τέλος εὐτυχὲς ἔσχε: καὶ παρῆσάν �
�ινες ἀγγέλλοντες [p. 338] μάχῃ νικηθέντας ἀπεληλυθέναι τοὺς πολεμίους ἐκ τῆς χώρας αὐτῶν, καὶ μηδεμιᾶς τοῖς συμμάχοις ἔτι δεῖν βοηθείας κατὰ τὸ παρόν: ὁ μέντοι Ναύτιος οὐδὲν ἧττον, ἐπειδὴ τὰ ἐν τῇ Τυρρηνίᾳ πράγματα καλῶς σφίσιν ἐχώρησεν, ἐξῆγε τὴν στρατιάν.

  [7] In the meantime the war brought upon the Latins by the Aequians and the Volscians had been happily concluded and messengers had arrived announcing that the enemy, defeated in battle, had left the territory of the Latins and that these allies no longer stood in any need of assistance for the present. Nevertheless, Nautius, after affairs in Tyrrhenia had taken a happy turn for the Romans, marched out with his army.

  [8] ἐμβαλὼν δ᾽ εἰς τὴν Οὐολούσκων χώραν καὶ πολλὴν αὐτῆς διεξελθὼν ἔρημον ἀφειμένην, ἀνδραπόδων μὲν καὶ βοσκημάτων ὀλίγων πάνυ ἐκράτησεν, ἀρούρας δ᾽ αὐτῶν ἐν ἀκμῇ τοῦ σίτου ὄντος ἐμπρήσας καὶ ἄλλα οὐκ ὀλίγα τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς λωβησάμενος οὐδενὸς ὁμόσε χωροῦντος ἀπῆγε τὴν στρατιάν: ταῦτα μὲν ἐπὶ τούτων τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐπράχθη.

  [8] Then, having invaded the country of the Volscians and overrun a great part of it which they had left deserted, he possessed himself of a very few slaves and cattle, and having set fire to their fields, the corn being then ripe, and done not a little other damage to their farmsteads, as none came to oppose him, he led his army home. These were the things accomplished in the consulship of those men.