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

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus

  [47.1] It was now midnight when Siccius, full of resentment against the consuls for having sent him to his death, resolved to take from them the glory of the victory; and having communicated his intention to his companions and received their approval, every one of them admiring the sagacity and daring of the man, he took his arms and ordering the rest to do the same, he first slaughtered all the Aequians he found in the camp, as well as the horses and beasts of burden; then he set fire to the tents, which were full of arms, corn, apparel, warlike stores and all the other articles, very many in number, which they were carrying off as part of the Tusculan booty. After everything had been consumed by the flames, he left the camp about break of day, carrying with him nothing but his arms, and after a hurried march came to Rome.

  [2] ὡς δ᾽ ἅπαντα ὑπὸ τοῦ πυρὸς ἠφάνιστο, περὶ τὸν ὄρθρον ἀπῄει φέρων οὐθὲν ὅτι μὴ τὰ ὅπλα, καὶ διανύσας σπουδῇ τὴν ὁδὸν εἰς Ῥώμην παρῆν. ὡς δ᾽ ὤφθησαν ἄνθρωποι καθωπλισμένοι παιανίζοντές τε καὶ σπουδῇ χωροῦντες αἵματι πολλῷ πεφυρμένοι, δρόμος ἐγίνετο καὶ πολλὴ προθυμία τῶν βουλομένων ἰδεῖν τ᾽ αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰ πραχθέντα ἀκοῦσαι.

  [2] As soon as armed men were seen singing paeans of victory and marching in haste, all covered with blood, the people flocked to them, earnestly desiring both to see them and to hear their exploits.

  [3] οἱ δὲ μέχρις ἀγορᾶς ἐλθόντες ἐδήλωσαν τοῖς δημάρχοις τὰ γενόμενα, κἀκεῖνοι συναγαγόντες ἐκκλησίαν ἐκέλευον αὐτοὺς πρὸς ἅπαντας λέγειν. ὄχλου δὲ πολλοῦ συναχθέντος [p. 87] παρελθὼν ὁ Σίκκιος τήν τε νίκην αὐτοῖς ἐδήλωσε καὶ τὸν τρόπον τοῦ ἀγῶνος ἐνεφάνισε, καὶ ὅτι παρὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀρετὴν καὶ τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ πρεσβυτέρων ἀνδρῶν ὀκτακοσίων, οὓς ἀποθανουμένους ἀπέστειλαν οἱ ὕπατοι, ὅ τε χάραξ ὁ τῶν Αἰκανῶν ἐλήφθη καὶ ἡ δύναμις ἡ παραταξαμένη τοῖς ὑπάτοις ἠναγκάσθη φυγεῖν:

  [3] When they had come as far as the Forum, they gave an account to the tribunes of what had pas; and those magistrates, calling an assembly, ordered them to tell their story to all. When a large crowd had gathered, Siccius came forward and not only announced to them the victory, but also described the nature of the battle, showing that by his own valour and that of the eight hundred veterans with him, whom the consuls had sent to be slain, the camp of the Aequians had been taken and the army arrayed against the consuls had been put to flight.

  [4] ἠξίου τε αὐτοὺς μηδενὶ τῆς νίκης ἑτέρῳ τὴν χάριν εἰδέναι καὶ τελευτῶν ἔτι προσέθηκεν ἐκεῖνον τὸν λόγον, ὅτι τὰς ψυχὰς καὶ τὰ ὅπλα σώζοντες ἥκομεν, ἄλλο δὲ οὐδὲν τῶν κεκρατημένων οὔτε μεῖζον οὔτ᾽ ἔλαττον ἐξενεγκάμενοι.

  [4] He asked them to give thanks for the victory to no one else, and ended by adding these words: “We have come with our lives and our arms safe, but have brought with us nothing else, great or small, of the things we captured.”

  [5] ὁ δὲ δῆμος ἀκούσας τὸν λόγον εἰς οἶκτόν τε καὶ δάκρυα προὔπεσεν ὁρῶν μὲν τὰς ἡλικίας τῶν ἀνδρῶν, ἐνθυμούμενος δὲ τὰς ἀρετάς, ἀγανακτῶν δὲ καὶ νεμεσῶν τοῖς ἐπιβαλομένοις τοιούτων ἀνδρῶν ἐρημῶσαι τὴν πόλιν. ἐγεγόνει δέ, ὃ προὔλαβεν ὁ Σίκκιος, μῖσος εἰς τοὺς ὑπάτους ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν πολιτῶν.

  [5] The populace, upon hearing this, burst into compassion and tears, as they observed the age of the men and recalled their deeds of valour; and they were filled with resentment and indignation against those who had attempted to deprive the commonwealth of such men. For his report, as Siccius foresaw, had drawn upon the consuls the hatred of all the citizens.

  [6] οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡ βουλὴ τὸ πρᾶγμα μετρίως ἤνεγκεν, ἣ οὔτ᾽ ἐψηφίσατο αὐτοῖς πομπὴν θριάμβων οὔτε ἄλλο τι τῶν ἐπὶ καλοῖς ἀγῶσι γινομένων. τὸν μέντοι Σίκκιον ὁ δῆμος, ἐπειδὴ καθῆκεν ὁ τῶν ἀρχαιρεσίων καιρός, δήμαρχον ἀπέδειξεν, ἧς κύριος ἦν τιμῆς ἀποδιδούς. καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐπιφανέστατα τῶν τότε πραχθέντων τοιάδ᾽ ἦν.

  [6] Indeed, not even the senate took the matter lightly; for it voted them neither a triumph nor any of the other honours usually bestowed for glorious engagements. As for Siccius, however, when the time for the elections came, the populace made him tribune, granting him the honour of which they had the disposal. These were the most important of the events at that time.

  [1] ἐν δὲ τῷ μετὰ τούτους τοὺς ὑπάτους ἔτει Σπόριος Ταρπήιος καὶ Αὖλος Τερμήνιος παραλαμβάνουσι τὴν ἀρχήν: οἳ τά τ᾽ ἄλλα θεραπεύοντες [p. 88] τὸν δῆμον διετέλεσαν καὶ τὸ περὶ τῶν δημάρχων δόγμα προεβούλευσαν, ἐπειδὴ πλέον μὲν οὐδὲν ἑώρων τοῖς πατρικίοις γινόμενον ἐκ τοῦ κωλύειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ φθόνον καὶ μῖσος, καὶ βλάβας δὲ ἰδίας καὶ συμφορὰς τοῖς προθυμότατα ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἀγωνιζομένοις.

  [48.1] These consuls were succeeded the following year by Spurius Tarpeius and Aulus Terminius, who constantly courted the populace in all matters and in particular secured the preliminary decree of the senate for the measure of the tribunes; for they saw that the patricians reaped no advantage from their opposition, but, on the contrary, that the most zealous champions of their cause drew upon themselves envy and hatred, as well as private losses and calamities.

  [2] μάλιστα δ᾽ αὐτοὺς εἰς δέος ἤγαγεν ἡ τῶν ὑπατευσάντων τὸν παρελθόντα ἐνιαυτὸν συμφορὰ νεωστὶ γενομένη δεινὰ μὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου παθόντων, οὐδεμίαν δὲ παρὰ τῆς βουλῆς εὑρομένων βοήθειαν. Σίκκιος μὲν γὰρ ὁ τὸν Αἰκανῶν στρατὸν αὐτῷ χάρακι ἀράμενος δήμαρχος τότ᾽ ἀποδειχθείς, ὥσπερ ἔφην, τῇ πρώτῃ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἡμέρᾳ θύσας εἰσιτήρια κατὰ νόμον, πρὶν ὁτιοῦν ἄλλο διαπράξασθαι τῶν κοινῶν, προεῖπεν ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ Τίτον Ῥωμίλιον ἥκειν ἀπολογησόμενον ἀδικήματος δημοσίου δίκην ἐπὶ δικαστῇ τῷ δήμῳ, τὸν χρόνον ἀποδείξας τοῦ ἀγῶνος.

  [2] But they were chiefly alarmed by the recent misfortune of the consuls of the preceding year, who had been severely treated by the populace and had been unable to get any help from the senate. For Siccius, who had destroyed the army of the Aequians, camp and all, and had now been made a tribune, as I stated, on the very first day of his magistracy, after offering the usual inaugural sacrifices and before transacting any other public business, had in a meeting of the assembly cited Titus Romilius to appear before the tribunal of the populace to make his defence against a charge of injuring the state; and he had set a day for his trial.

  [3] Λεύκιος δὲ τότ᾽ ἀγορανομῶν, δήμαρχος δὲ τῷ παρελθόντι ἔ
τει γεγονώς, τὸν ἕτερον τῶν περυσινῶν ὑπάτων Γάιον Οὐετούριον εἰς ὁμοίαν δίκην προσεκαλέσατο. πολλῆς δὲ γενομένης ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ τοῦ ἀγῶνος χρόνῳ σπουδῆς τε καὶ παρακλήσεως ἀμφοτέρων οἱ μὲν ὑπόδικοι πολλὰς ἐλπίδας εἶχον ἐπὶ τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τὸ κινδύνευμα ἐν ἐλαφρῷ ἐποιοῦντο, ὑπισχνουμένων αὐτοῖς πρεσβυτέρων τε καὶ νέων οὐκ ἐάσειν τὸν ἀγῶνα ἐπιτελεσθῆναι.

  [3] And Lucius, who was then aedile and had been tribune the year before, had summoned Gaius Veturius, the other consul of the preceding year, to a similar trial. During the interval before the trial much partisan zeal and encouragement were shown to both of the accused, and they accordingly placed great hopes in the senate and made light of the danger, as both the older number younger senators promised them that they would not allow the trial to be carried out.

  [4] οἱ δὲ δήμαρχοι πάντα ἐκ πολλοῦ φυλαττόμενοι καὶ οὔτε δεήσεις οὔτε [p. 89] ἀπειλὰς οὔτε κίνδυνον οὐδένα ὑπολογιζόμενοι, ἐπειδὴ καθῆκεν ὁ τοῦ ἀγῶνος καιρός, ἐκάλουν τὸν δῆμον: ἦν δὲ παλαίτερον ἔτι συνερρυηκὼς ἐκ τῶν ἀγρῶν ὁ χερνήτης καὶ αὐτουργὸς ὄχλος, καὶ προσνεμηθεὶς τῷ κατὰ πόλιν τήν τε ἀγορὰν ἐνέπλησε καὶ τοὺς φέροντας εἰς αὐτὴν στενωπούς.

  [4] But the tribunes, who had long been providing against all contingencies and paid no heed to either entreaties, threats or any danger, when the time for the trial came, called a meeting of the popular assembly. Even before this the crowd of day-labourers and husbandmen had flocked in from the country and, being added to the city throng, filled not only the Forum, but all the streets that led to it.

  [1] πρώτη μὲν οὖν εἰσῆλθεν ἡ κατὰ Ῥωμιλίου δίκη. καὶ παρελθὼν ὁ Σίκκιος τά τε ἄλλα κατηγόρει τοῦ ἀνδρός, ὅσα ὑπατεύων βίᾳ εἰς τοὺς δημάρχους ἔδοξε διαπράξασθαι, καὶ τελευτῶν τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν διεξῄει τὴν ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτῷ τε καὶ τῇ σπείρᾳ γενομένην ὑπὸ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ: καὶ παρείχετο αὐτῶν μάρτυρας τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους τῶν συστρατευσαμένων οὐ δημοτικούς, ἀλλὰ καὶ πατρικίους: ἐν οἷς ἦν νεανίας οὐκ ἀφανὴς οὔτε κατὰ γένους ἀξίωσιν οὔτε κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀρετὴν καὶ τὰ πολέμια πάνυ ἀγαθός: Σπόριος Οὐεργίνιος ἦν ὄνομα αὐτῷ.

  [49.1] The first trial to be held was tombstone of Romilius. Siccius, coming forward, charged him with all the acts of violence he was reputed to have committed against the tribunes while he was consul, and then at the end related the plot which the general had formed against him and his cohort. He produced as witnesses to support his charges the most prominent men who had served with him in the campaign, not plebeians alone, but patricians as well. Among them there was a youth distinguished both for the rank of his family and for his own merit, and a most valiant soldier. His name was Spurius Verginius.

  [2] οὗτος ἔφη Μάρκον Ἰκίλλιον, ἑνὸς τῶν ἐκ τῆς Σικκίου σπείρας υἱόν, ἡλικιώτην αὐτοῦ καὶ φίλον ἀπολυθῆναι τῆς ἐξόδου βουληθείς, ὡς ἐπὶ θάνατον ἐξιόντα μετὰ τοῦ πατρός, Αὖλον Οὐεργίνιον τὸν ἑαυτοῦ θεῖον, πρεσβευτὴν τότε συστρατευόμενον, παρακαλέσας ἐλθεῖν ἐπὶ τοὺς ὑπάτους,

  [2] This youth related that, desiring to get Marcus Icilius, the son of one of the men in the cohort of Siccius, a youth of his own age and friend, released from that expedition, since he believed that he with his father would be going out to his death, he had summoned Aulus Verginius, his uncle, who was a legate on that campaign, and with him had gone to the consuls asking that this favour be granted to them.

  [3] ἀξιῶν σφίσι ταύτην δοθῆναι τὴν χάριν: ἀντιλεγόντων δὲ τῶν ὑπάτων, ἑαυτῷ μὲν ἐπελθεῖν δάκρυα τὴν συμφορὰν τὴν τοῦ ἑταίρου προανακλαιομένῳ, τὸν δὲ νεανίαν, ὑπὲρ οὗ τὰς δεήσεις ἐποιεῖτο, πεπυσμένον ταῦτα ἐλθεῖν καὶ λόγον αἰτησάμενον εἰπεῖν, ὅτι τοῖς [p. 90] μὲν δεομένοις πολλὴν οἶδε χάριν, αὐτὸς δ᾽ οὐκ ἂν ἀγαπήσειεν τυχὼν χάριτος, ἥτις αὐτὸν ἀφελεῖται τὸ πρὸς τὸ γένος εὐσεβές, οὐδ᾽ ἂν ἀπολειφθείη τοῦ πατρός, τοσῷδε μᾶλλον, ὅσῳ γ᾽ ἀποθανούμενος ἔρχεται, καὶ πάντες τοῦτο ἴσασιν: ἀλλὰ συνεξιὼν ἐπαμυνεῖτε, ὅσα δύναται, καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐκείνῳ κοινωνὸς ἔσται τύχης.

  [3] And when the consuls refused, he said that he himself had wept and lamented in advance the misfortune of his friend, but that the young man for whom he had interceded, being informed of this, went to the consuls, and asking leave to speak, said that, while he was very grateful to those who were interceding for him, he would not be content to accept a favour that would deprive him of the opportunity of showing his filial devotion, and that he would not desert his father, particularly when the other was going to his death, as everyone knew, but that he would go out with him, defend him to the utmost of his power and share the same fortune with him.

  [4] ταῦτα τοῦ μειρακίου μαρτυρήσαντος οὐδεὶς ἦν ὃς οὐκ ἔπασχέ τι πρὸς τὴν τύχην τῶν ἀνθρώπων. ὡς δὲ καὶ αὐτοὶ κληθέντες ἐπὶ τὴν μαρτυρίαν παρῆλθον ὅ τε πατὴρ Ἰκίλλιος καὶ τὸ μειράκιον καὶ τὸ καθ᾽ ἑαυτοὺς ἔλεξαν, οὐκέτι κατέχειν τὰ δάκρυα οἱ πλείους ἐδύναντο τῶν δημοτικῶν.

  [4] After the young man had given this testimony, there was not a single person who did not feel some emotion at the fate of those men. And when the Icilii themselves, father and son, were called as witnesses and gave an account of their experience, most of the plebeians could no longer refrain from tears.

  [5] ἀπολογηθέντος δὲ τοῦ Ῥωμιλίου καὶ διελθόντος λόγον οὔτε θεραπευτικὸν οὔτε ἁρμόττοντα τοῖς καιροῖς, ἀλλ᾽ ὑψηλόν, καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ ἀνυπευθύνῳ τῆς ἀρχῆς μέγα φρονοῦντα διπλασίως ἔτι ἐπερρώσθησαν εἰς τὴν κατ᾽ αὐτοῦ ὀργὴν οἱ πολῖται. καὶ γενόμενοι τῶν ψήφων κύριοι κατέγνωσαν ἀδικεῖν οὕτως, ὥστε πάσαις ταῖς ψήφοις τῶν φυλῶν ἁλῶναι τὸν ἄνδρα. ἦν δὲ τὸ τίμημα τῆς δίκης ἀργυρικόν,

  [5] Then, when Romilius made his defence and delivered a speech that was neither deferential nor suited to the occasion, but haughty and boastful of the irresponsible power of his magistracy, the majority were doubly confirmed in their resentment against him. And upon being permitted to give their votes, they found him so clearly guilty that he was condemned by the votes of all the tribes. The pun in his case was a fine, amounting to 10,000 asses.

  [6] ἀσσάρια μυρία. καὶ τοῦτ᾽ οὐκ ἄνευ προνοίας τινὸς ὁ Σίκκιος ποιῆσαί μοι δοκεῖ, ἀλλ�
�� ἵνα τοῖς τε πατρικίοις ἐλάττων ἡ περὶ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς σπουδὴ γένηται, καὶ μηδὲν ἐξαμάρτωσι περὶ τὴν ψηφοφορίαν ἐνθυμηθέντες, ὅτι εἰς ἀργύριον ζημιώσεται ὁ ἁλοὺς καὶ εἰς οὐδὲν ἕτερον, καὶ τοῖς δημοτικοῖς ἡ πρὸς τὴν [p. 91] τιμωρίαν ὁρμὴ προθυμοτέρα μήτε ψυχῆς ἄνδρα ὑπατικὸν μήτε πατρίδος ἀποστεροῦσιν. Ῥωμιλίου δὲ καταδικασθέντος οὐ πολλαῖς ὕστερον ἡμέραις καὶ Οὐετούριος ἑάλω: τίμημα δὲ καὶ ἐκείνῳ ἐπεγέγραπτο ἀργυρικόν, ἡμιόλιον θατέρου.

  [6] Siccius, now, did not do this, it seems to me, without some purpose, but to end that the patricians, on the one hand, might be less zealous in Romilius’ behalf and might commit no irregularities in connexion with the voting when they reflected that the condemned man would be punished with nothing more than a fine, and that the plebeians, on their side, were not going to deprive an ex-consul of either his life or his country. A few days after the condemnation of Romilius, Veturius likewise was condemned; his punishment was also set down in the indictment as a fine, one-half as much again as the other.

  [1] ταῦτα δὴ λογιζομένοις τοῖς ἐν ἀρχῇ ὑπάτοις πολὺ παρέστη δέος καὶ τοῦ μὴ ταὐτὰ παθεῖν ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου μετὰ τὴν ὑπατείαν πρόνοια, ὥστ᾽ οὐκέτι ἀποκρυπτόμενοι τὰς γνώμας, ἀλλὰ φανερῶς τὰ τοῦ δήμου πολιτευόμενοι διετέλουν. πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ἐπὶ τῆς λοχίτιδος ἐκκλησίας νόμον ἐκύρωσαν, ἵνα ταῖς ἀρχαῖς ἐξῇ πάσαις τοὺς ἀκοσμοῦντας ἢ παρανομοῦντας εἰς τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἐξουσίαν ζημιοῦν. τέως γὰρ οὐχ ἅπασιν ἐξῆν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ὑπάτοις μόνοις.