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

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus

  [1] οἱ δὲ διαδεξάμενοι τούτους ὕπατοι Αὖλος Μάλλιος καὶ Λεύκιος Φούριος, ψηφισαμένης τῆς βουλῆς τὸν ἕτερον αὐτῶν στρατιὰν ἐπὶ Οὐιεντανοὺς ἄγειν, ἐκληρώσαντο περὶ τῆς ἐξόδου, καθάπερ αὐτοῖς ἔθος ἦν. καὶ λαχὼν Μάλλιος ἐξῆγε τὰς δυνάμεις διὰ ταχέων, καὶ πλησίον τῶν πολεμίων κατεστρατοπέδευσεν. οἱ δὲ Οὐιεντανοὶ τειχήρεις γενόμενοι τέως μὲν ἀντεῖχον καὶ διεπρεσβεύοντο πρός τε τὰς ἄλλας τὰς ἐν Τυρρηνοῖς πόλεις καὶ πρὸς τοὺς νεωστὶ συμμαχήσαντας αὐτοῖς Σαβίνους, βοήθειαν ἀξιοῦντες ἀποστεῖλαι σφίσι διὰ

  [36.1] Their successors in the consulship, Aulus Manlius and Lucius Furius, after the senate had voted that one of them should march against the Veientes, drew lots, according to their custom, to determine which should command the expedition. And the lot falling to Manlius, he speedily led out the troops and encamped near the enemy. The Veientes, being shut up within their walls, defended themselves for some time; and sending ambassadors both to the other cities of Tyrrhenia and to the Sabines who had lately assisted them, they asked them to send them aid promptly.

  [2] ταχέων. ὡς δ᾽ ἁπάντων ἀπετύγχανον καὶ τὰς τροφὰς ἀπαναλώκεσαν, ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνάγκης τοῦ λιμοῦ βιασθέντες ἐξῆλθον ὡς τὸν ὕπατον, ἱκετηρίας φέροντες οἱ πρεσβύτατοί τ᾽ αὐτῶν καὶ τιμιώτατοι, περὶ καταλύσεως δεόμενοι [p. 339] τοῦ πολέμου. τοῦ δὲ Μαλλίου κελεύσαντος αὐτοῖς ἀργύριόν τ᾽ εἰς ὀψωνιασμὸν ἐνιαυτοῦ τῇ στρατιᾷ καὶ διμήνου τροφὰς ἀποφέρειν, ὅταν δὲ ταῦτα ποιήσωσιν εἰς Ῥώμην ἀποστέλλειν τοὺς διαλεξομένους τῇ βουλῇ περὶ τῶν διαλύσεων, ἐπαινέσαντες ταῦτα καὶ διὰ ταχέων τό τ᾽ ὀψώνιον τῇ στρατιᾷ καὶ τὸ ἀντὶ τοῦ σίτου συγχωρηθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Μαλλίου κατενέγκαντες ἀργύριον ἧκον εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην: καὶ καταστάντες ἐπὶ τὴν βουλὴν συγγνώμης ἐπὶ τοῖς γεγονόσι τυχεῖν ἠξίουν, καὶ εἰς τὸν λοιπὸν χρόνον ἀπαλλαγῆς τοῦ πολέμου.

  [2] But when they failed of everything they asked for and had consumed all their provisions, the oldest and most honoured among them, compelled by necessity, came out of the city to the consul with the tokens of suppliants, begging for an end to the war. Manlius ordered them to bring money for a year’s pay for the army and provisions for two months and after doing this to send envoys to Rome to treat with the senate for peace. And they, having approved these conditions and speedily brought the pay for the army, together with the money which the consul permitted them to pay in lieu of the corn, came to Rome; and being introduced into the senate, they sought to obtain forgiveness for the past and for the future to be freed from the war.

  [3] πολλῶν δὲ λεχθέντων εἰς ἀμφότερα τὰ μέρη λόγων ἐνίκησεν ἡ σπένδεσθαι παραινοῦσα τὸν πρὸς αὐτοὺς πόλεμον γνώμη, γίνονταί τ᾽ ἀνοχαὶ τοῦ πολέμου πρὸς αὐτοὺς τεσσαρακονταετεῖς. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἀπῄεσαν πολλὰς τῇ πόλει τῆς εἰρήνης χάριτας εἰδότες, ὁ δὲ Μάλλιος ἀφικόμενος εἰς τὴν πόλιν, ἐπὶ τῇ καταλύσει τοῦ πολέμου τὸν πεζὸν θρίαμβον αἰτησάμενος, ἔλαβεν. ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ τίμησις ἐπὶ τῆς τούτων ἀρχῆς, καὶ ἦσαν οἱ τιμησάμενοι πολῖται σφᾶς τ᾽ αὐτοὺς καὶ χρήματα καὶ τοὺς ἐν ἥβῃ παῖδας ὀλίγῳ πλείους τρισχιλίων τε καὶ δέκα μυριάδων.

  [3] After many arguments on both sides, the motion prevailed to put an end to the war by a treaty, and a truce was granted to them for forty years. Then the envoys departed, feeling very grateful to the commonwealth for the peace. And Manlius, coming to the city, requested and received an ovation for having put an end to the war. There was also a census in this consulship; the number of the citizens who registered their own names, their wealth, and the names of their sons who had reached manhood was a little over 103,000.

  [1] οἱ δὲ μετὰ τούτους παραλαβόντες τὴν ὕπατον ἀρχήν, Λεύκιος Αἰμίλιος Μάμερκος τὸ τρίτον, καὶ Οὐοπίσκος Ἰούλιος, ἐπὶ τῆς ἑβδόμης καὶ ἑβδομηκοστῆς ὀλυμπιάδος, ἣν ἐνίκα στάδιον Δάνδης Ἀργεῖος, [p. 340] Ἀθήνησι δ᾽ ἄρχοντος Χαρητος, ἐπίπονον σφόδρα καὶ ταραχώδη τὴν ἀρχὴν διετέλεσαν, εἰρήνην μὲν ἄγοντες ἀπὸ τῶν ἔξωθεν πολέμων — ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ γὰρ ἦν πάντα τὰ διάφορα — ὑπὸ δὲ τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει στάσεων αὐτοί τ᾽ εἰς κινδύνους ἀχθέντες καὶ τὴν πόλιν ὀλίγου δεήσαντες ἀπολέσαι. ὡς γὰρ ἀνεπαύσατο τῶν στρατειῶν τὸ πλῆθος, ἐπὶ τὴν διανομὴν εὐθὺς ὥρμησε τῶν δημοσίων ἀγρῶν.

  [37.1] These consuls were succeeded by Lucius Aemilius Mamercus (elected for the third time) and Vopiscus Julius, in the seventy-seventh Olympiad (the one at which Dandes of Argos won the foot-race), when Chares was archon at Athens. The administration of the new consuls was very difficult and turbulent; they enjoyed peace, it is true, from foreign wars — for all their quarrels were in a state of quiet — but through the dissensions at home they were not only themselves exposed to dangers, but came near destroying the commonwealth as well. For as soon as the populace had a respite from military expeditions, they at once became eager for a distribution of the public lands.

  [2] ἦν γάρ τις ἐν τοῖς δημάρχοις θρασὺς καὶ λέγειν οὐκ ἀδύνατος ἀνήρ, Γναῖος Γενύκιος, ὁ παραθήγων τὰς ὀργὰς τῶν πενήτων. οὕτος ἐκκλησίας συνάγων ἑκάστοτε καὶ ἐκδημαγωγῶν τοὺς ἀπόρους προσηνάγκαζε τοὺς ὑπάτους τὰ ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς ψηφισθέντα περὶ τῆς κληρουχίας συντελεῖν. οἱ δ᾽ οὐχ ὑπήκουον οὐ τῇ ἑαυτῶν ἀρχῇ λέγοντες ἐπιτετάχθαι τὸ ἔργον ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μετὰ Κάσσιον καὶ Οὐεργίνιον ὑπάτοις, πρὸς οὓς καὶ τὸ προβούλευμα ἐγράφη: καὶ ἅμα οὐδ᾽ εἶναι νόμους εἰς ἀεὶ κυρίους ἃ ψηφίζεται τὸ συνέδριον, ἀλλὰ πολιτεύματα καιρῶν ἐνιαύσιον ἔχοντα ἰσχύν.

  [2] It seems there was among the tribunes a certain bold man, not wanting in eloquence, Gnaeus Genucius, who whetted the passions of the poor. This man, by assembling the populace on every occasion and cajoling the needy, was endeavouring to force the consuls to carry out the decree of the senate concerning the allotment of lands. But the consuls kept refusing to do, alleging that this duty had been assigned by the senate, not to them, but to the consuls who immediately followed Cassius and Verginius, with reference to whom the preliminary decree had been drawn up. At the same time they pointed out that decrees of the senate were not laws continuing in force forever, but measures designed to meet temporary needs and ha
ving validity for one year only.

  [3] ταύτας προβαλλομένων τῶν ὑπάτων τὰς αἰτίας ἀδύνατος ὢν ὁ Γενύκιος αὐτοὺς ἀναγκάσαι μείζονα ἐξουσίαν ἔχοντας ἰταμὴν ὁδὸν ἐτράπετο. τοῖς γὰρ ὑπατεύσασι τὸ ἔμπροσθεν ἔτος Μαλλίῳ τε καὶ Λευκίῳ δίκην ἐπήνεγκε δημοσίαν, καὶ προεῖπεν ἥκειν ἐπὶ τὸν δῆμον ἀπολογησομένους, ὁρίσας ἄντικρυς τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς δίκης, ὅτι τὸν δῆμον ἀδικοῦσιν οὐκ ἀποδείξαντες τοὺς δέκα ἄνδρας, οὓς ἐψηφίσατο ἡ βουλή, [p. 341]

  [3] When the consuls put forward these excuses, Genucius, finding himself unable to employ compulsion against them, since they were invested with a superior authority, took a bold course. He brought a public suit against Manlius and Lucius, the consuls of the preceding year, and summoned them to appear before the populace and make their defence, specifying openly the ground for the action, which was that they had wronged the populace in not appointing the decemvirs directed by the senate to distribute the allotments of land.

  [4] τοὺς ποιησομένους τὴν τῶν κλήρων διανομήν. τοῦ δὲ μὴ τῶν ἄλλων τινὰς ὑπάτων ἄγειν ἐπὶ τὴν δίκην, δώδεκα γενομένων τῶν μεταξὺ ἀρχείων, ἀφ᾽ οὗ τὸ προβούλευμα ἐγράφη, τούτους δὲ προβαλέσθαι τοὺς ἄνδρας μόνους τῆς ψευσθείσης ὑποσχέσεως, ἐπιεικεῖς ἔφερεν αἰτίας: καὶ τελευτῶν ἔφη μόνως ἂν οὕτως ἀναγκασθῆναι τοὺς ἐν ἀρχῇ τότ᾽ ὄντας ὑπάτους κληρουχῆσαι τὴν γῆν, ἐὰν ἑτέρους τινὰς ἴδωσι δίκην τῷ δήμῳ διδόντας, ἐνθυμηθέντας, ὅτι καὶ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς συμβήσεται ταὐτὸ παθεῖν.

  [4] And he advanced plausible reasons for not bringing to trail some of the other consuls, though there had been twelve consulships in the interval since the senate had drawn up this decree, and for accusing only these men of violating the promise. He ended by saying that the only way the present consuls could be compelled to allot the land would be for them to see some others punished by the populace and thus be reminded that it would be their fate to meet with the same treatment.

  [1] ταῦτ᾽ εἰπὼν καὶ παρακαλέσας ἅπαντας ἥκειν ἐπὶ τὴν δίκην, καθ᾽ ἱερῶν τ᾽ ὀμόσας ἦ μὴν ἐμμένειν τοῖς ἐγνωσμένοις καὶ πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ τῶν ἀνδρῶν κατηγορεῖν, ἡμέραν προεῖπεν, ἐν ᾗ τὴν δίκην ἔμελλεν ἐπιτελέσειν. τοὺς δὲ πατρικίους, ὡς ἔμαθον ταῦτα, πολὺ δέος εἰσέρχεται καὶ φροντίς, ὅτῳ χρὴ τρόπῳ τούς τ᾽ ἄνδρας ἐκλύσασθαι τῆς αἰτίας καὶ τοῦ δημαγωγοῦ τὸ θράσος ἐπισχεῖν. καὶ δὴ ἐδέδοκτο αὐτοῖς, εἴ τι ψηφίσαιτο κατὰ τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν ὑπάτων ὁ δῆμος, μὴ ἐπιτρέπειν αὐτῷ κατὰ τὸ καρτερὸν ἐνισταμένους καὶ εἰ δέοι καὶ εἰς ὅπλα χωροῦντας.

  [38.1] After he had said this and exhorted them all to be present at the trial and had solemnly sworn over the victims that he would persist in his resolution and prosecute the men with all possible vigour, he appointed a day for holding the trail. The patricians, upon learning of this, felt great fear and concern, wondering what course they ought to take to secure the men’s acquittal of the charge and also to put a stop to the boldness of the demagogue. And they resolved, in case the populace should pass any vote to the prejudice of the consular power, to prevent them from carrying it out, by opposing them with all their power and even resorting to arms if that should be necessary.

  [2] οὐ μὴν ἐδέησέ γε τῶν βιαίων οὐδενὸς αὐτοῖς ταχεῖαν λαβόντος τοῦ κινδύνου καὶ παράδοξον τὴν λύσιν: μιᾶς γὰρ ἡμέρας οὔσης ἔτι λοιπῆς τῇ δίκῃ νεκρὸς Γενύκιος ἐπὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κοίτης εὑρέθη, σημεῖον οὐδὲν ἔχων οὔτε σφαγῆς [p. 342] οὔτ᾽ ἀγχόνης οὔτε φαρμάκου οὔτ᾽ ἄλλου τῶν ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς θανάτων οὐδενός. ὡς δ᾽ ἐγνώσθη τὸ πάθος, καὶ προηνέχθη τὸ σῶμα εἰς τὴν ἀγοράν, δαιμόνιόν τι κωλύσεως συγκύρημα ἔδοξεν εἶναι, καὶ αὐτίκα ἡ δίκη

  [2] But they had no need to use any violent means, as the danger was dispelled in a sudden and unexpected manner. For when only one day remained till the trial, Genucius was found dead on his bed without the least sign of stabbing, strangling, poisoning, or any of the other means of killing as the result of a plot. As soon as this unhappy occurrence was known and the body had been brought into the Forum, the event was looked upon as a kind of providential obstacle to the trial, which was straightway dismissed.

  [3] διελέλυτο. τῶν γὰρ ἄλλων οὐδεὶς ἐτόλμα δημάρχων ἀνακαλεῖν τὴν στάσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ Γενυκίου κατεγίνωσκον πολλὴν μανίαν. εἰ μὲν οὖν μηδὲν ἔτι πολυπραγμονοῦντες οἱ ὕπατοι διετέλεσαν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀφῆκαν ὡς ὁ δαίμων ἐκοίμησε τὴν στάσιν, οὐδεὶς ἂν αὐτοὺς ἔτι κατέλαβε κίνδυνος, νῦν δ᾽ εἰς αὐθάδειαν καὶ καταφρόνησιν τοῦ δημοτικοῦ τραπόμενοι καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς κράτος, ὅσον ἐστίν, ἐπιδεῖξαι βουλόμενοι, κακὰ ἐξειργάσαντο μεγάλα. προθέντες γὰρ στρατολογίαν καὶ τοὺς οὐχ ὑπακούοντας ταῖς τ᾽ ἄλλαις ζημίαις καὶ πληγαῖς ῥάβδων προσαναγκάζοντες εἰς ἀπόνοιαν ἐποίησαν τραπέσθαι τοῦ δημοτικοῦ τὸ πλέον, ἀπὸ τοιαύτης μάλιστ̓αἰτίας.

  [3] For none of the other tribunes dared to revive the sedition, but they even looked upon Genucius as having been guilty of great madness. Now if the consuls had not committed any further act of officiousness, but had let the dissension, as Heaven had put it to sleep, remain so, no further danger would have beset them; but as it was, by turning to arrogance and contempt for the plebeians and by desiring to display the extent of their power, they brought about great mischiefs. For, having appointed a day for levying troops and endeavouring to coerce the disobedient by various punishments, including even scourging with rods, they drove the greater part of the plebeians to desperation. This was caused particularly by the incident I shall now relate.

  [1] ἀνήρ τις ἐκ τῶν δημοτικῶν τὰ πολέμια λαμπρός, Βολέρων Πόπλιος, ἡγεμονίαν ἐσχηκὼς λόχων ἐν ταῖς προτέραις στρατείαις, τότ᾽ ἀντὶ λοχαγοῦ στρατιώτης πρὸς αὐτῶν κατεγράφετο. ὡς δ᾽ ἠναντιοῦτο καὶ οὐκ ἠξίου χώραν ἀτιμοτέραν λαβεῖν οὐδὲν ἡμαρτηκὼς ἐν ταῖς προτέραις στρατείαις, δυσανασχετοῦντες οἱ ὕπατοι τὴν παρρησίαν αὐτοῦ τοῖς ῥαβδούχοις ἐκέλευσαν τὴν ἐσθῆτά τε περικαταρρῆξαι καὶ ταῖς ῥάβδοις τὸ σῶμα ξαίνειν.

  [39.1] A certain man of the plebeians, famous for his exploits in war, Volero Publius, who had commanded centuries in the late campaigns, was now listed by the consuls as a common soldier instead of a
centurion. Upon his objecting to this and refusing to take a lower rank when he had been guilty of misconduct in the former campaigns, the consuls, offended at his frankness, ordered the lictors to strip him and lash his body with their rods.

  [2] ὁ δὲ νεανίας τούς τε δημάρχους [p. 343] ἐπεκαλεῖτο, καί, εἴ τι ἀδικεῖ, κρίσιν ἐπὶ τῶν δημοτῶν ὑπέχειν ἠξίου. ὡς δ᾽ οὐ προσεῖχον αὐτῷ τὸν νοῦν οἱ ὕπατοι, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ῥαβδούχοις ἄγειν καὶ τύπτειν ἐπεκελεύοντο, οὐκ ἀνασχετὸν ἡγησάμενος εἶναι τὴν ὕβριν αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ ταμίας τῆς δίκης γίνεται.

  [2] The young man called upon the tribunes for assistance, and asked, if he were guilty of any crime, to stand trial before the plebeians. When the consuls paid no heed to him but repeated their orders to the lictors to take him away and flog him, he regarded the insult as intolerable and took justice into his own hands.

  [3] τόν τε γὰρ πρῶτον προσελθόντα τῶν ῥαβδούχων παίων εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον ἐναντίαις πυγμαῖς νεανίας καὶ ἐρρωμένος ἀνὴρ ἀνατρέπει καὶ τὸν ἐπὶ τούτῳ. ἀγανακτησάντων δὲ τῶν ὑπάτων καὶ πᾶσιν ἅμα τοῖς ὑπηρέταις προσελθεῖν κελευσάντων δεινόν τι τοῖς παροῦσι τῶν δημοτικῶν ἐφάνη: καὶ αὐτίκα συστραφέντες ἀθρόοι καὶ ἀναβοήσαντες τὸ παρακλητικὸν τῆς ἀλλήλων ὀργῆς τόν τε νεανίσκον ἐξήρπασαν καὶ τοὺς ῥαβδούχους ἀπέστησαν παίοντες καὶ τελευτῶντες ἐπὶ τοὺς ὑπάτους ὥρμησαν, καὶ εἰ μὴ καταλιπόντες ἐκεῖνοι τὴν ἀγορὰν ἔφυγον,