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

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus

  [3] τε καὶ ἀμεταμέλητοι. τρέφε τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τῆς πατρίδος ἡδόμενος, ὧν οὐκ ἐλαχίστη μοῖρα δόξεις γεγονέναι δυναστείαν βαρεῖαν αὐτῆς ἀφελόμενος. [p. 133] ποίησαι δὲ τούτων παραδείγματα τοὺς προγόνους ἐνθυμηθείς, ὅτι τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκείνων οὐδεὶς ἐπεθύμησεν ἐξουσίας δεσποτικῆς οὐδὲ ταῖς ἐπονειδίστοις τοῦ σώματος ἐδούλευσεν ἡδοναῖς. τοιγάρτοι καὶ ζῶσιν αὐτοῖς ὑπῆρχε τιμᾶσθαι καὶ τελευτήσασιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπιγινομένων ἐπαινεῖσθαι.

  [3] Nourish your soul by finding pleasure in your country’ welfare, of which you will be regarded as the chief author by delivering her from a grievous domination. In doing this take your ancestors as your examples, bearing in mind that not one of those men aimed at despotic power or became a slave to the shameful pleasures of the body. For these reasons it was their fortune not only to be honoured while they lived, but after their death to be praised by those who came after them.

  [4] μαρτυρεῖται γάρ τοι παρὰ πάντων αὐτοῖς, ὅτι τῆς ἀριστοκρατίας, ἣν ἐκβαλοῦσα τοὺς βασιλεῖς ἡμῶν ἡ πόλις κατεστήσατο, βεβαιότατοι φύλακες ἐγένοντο. καὶ μηδὲν τῶν σεαυτοῦ λαμπροτάτων λόγων τε καὶ πράξεων ἐπιλανθάνου. καλαὶ γὰρ αἱ πρῶταί σου τῶν πολιτικῶν ἔργων ὑποθέσεις ἐγένοντο καὶ μεγάλας ἐπέθρεψαν ἡμῖν ἀρετῆς ἐλπίδας, αἷς ἀκολούθως καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ πράττειν σ᾽ ἅπαντες ἀξιοῦμεν.

  [4] For all bear witness that they were the stoutest guardians of the aristocracy which our state established after banishing the kings. And by no means forget your own most splendid words and deeds. For your first principles of political action were honourable and inspired in us great hopes of your virtue; and we all ask you to act in future in conformity with those principles.

  [5] ἀναχώρει δὴ πάλιν εἰς τὴν σεαυτοῦ φύσιν, Ἄππιε τέκνον, καὶ γίνου τῇ προαιρέσει τῶν πολιτευμάτων μὴ τυραννικός, ἀλλ᾽ ἀριστοκρατικὸς καὶ φεῦγε τοὺς πρὸς ἡδονὴν ὁμιλοῦντας, δι᾽ οὓς ἐξέβης τῶν χρηστῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων καὶ παρεπλάγχθης τῆς ὀρθῆς ὁδοῦ. οὐ γὰρ ἔχει λόγον, ὑφ᾽ ὧν ἂν γένηταί τις ἐξ ἀγαθοῦ κακός, ὑπὸ τούτων πάλιν αὐτὸν ἐκ πονηροῦ γενέσθαι χρηστόν.

  [5] Revert, then, once more to your own character, Appius, my son, and in your choice of policies do not espouse the cause of tyranny, but that of the aristocracy; and shun the pleasure-seeking companions who were the cause of your departing from honest practices and of your straying from the straight path. For it is unreasonable to suppose that those through whose influence a man has been changed from good to bad will change him back again from an evil to a virtuous man.

  [1] ταῦτά σοι πολλάκις ἐβουλήθην ὑποθέσθαι μόνῳ μόνος εἰς λόγους παραγενόμενος καὶ τὰ μὲν ὡς ἀγνοοῦντα διδάξαι, τὰ δ᾽ ὡς ἁμαρτάνοντα νουθετῆσαι: [p. 134] καὶ παρεγενόμην εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν οὐχ ἅπαξ, ἀπήλασαν δέ με οἱ σοὶ παῖδες ἀπὸ τῶν οἰκείων οὐ σχολὴν ἄγειν σε λέγοντες, ἀλλ᾽ ἕτερά τινα πράττειν ἀναγκαιότερα, εἰ δή τί σοι τῆς πρὸς τὸ γένος εὐσεβείας ἀναγκαιότερον ἦν.

  [14.1] “This advice I have often desired to give you, if I could have a private conversation with you, not only by way of instructing one who is ignorant, but also of reproving one who errs; and I have gone more than once to your house. But your servants turned me away, saying that you had no leisure for private matters, but were attending to other more urgent business — if, indeed, anything could be more urgent for you than respect for your family!

  [2] τάχα δ᾽ οὐχ ὑπὸ σοῦ κελευσθέντες οἱ παῖδες, ἀλλ᾽ ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτῶν γνόντες διέκλεισάν με τῆς εἰσόδου, καὶ βουλοίμην οὕτως τἀληθὲς ἔχειν. τὸ πρᾶγμα δή με ἠνάγκασε τοῦτο διαλεχθῆναι ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ πρὸς σὲ περὶ ὧν ἐβουλόμην, ἐπειδὴ μόνῳ πρὸς μόνον οὐκ ἐξεγένετο. καιρὸν δ᾽ ἔχει πάντη λέγεσθαι τὰ καλὰ καὶ συμφέροντα παρ᾽ ἀνθρώποις μᾶλλον, Ἄππιε, ἢ

  [2] Perhaps it was not by your command but of their own accord that they barred my entrance, and I could wish that this were the truth of the matter. This experience, then, has forced me to talk to you in the senate about the matters I wished to discuss with you, since I got no opportunity of doing so by ourselves alone; and things that are honourable and advantageous, Appius, may be mentioned seasonably anywhere in public rather than nowhere.

  [3] μηδαμῇ. ἀποδεδωκὼς δή σοι τὰ τοῦ γένους ὀφειλήματα μαρτύρομαι θεούς, ὧν ἱερὰ καὶ βωμοὺς κοιναῖς θυσίαις γεραίρομεν οἱ τῆς Ἀππίου γενεᾶς διάδοχοι, καὶ προγόνων δαίμονας, οἷς μετὰ θεοὺς δευτέρας τιμὰς καὶ χάριτας ἀποδίδομεν κοινάς, ὑπὲρ ἅπαντας δὲ τούτους γῆν, ἣ κατέχει τὸν σὸν μὲν πατέρα, ἐμὸν δ᾽ ἀδελφόν, ὅτι σοι παρέσχημαι ψυχήν τε καὶ φωνὴν τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ τὰ κράτιστα βουλευομένην, καὶ ἐπανορθῶν τὰς ἀγνοίας σου κατὰ δύναμιν τὴν ἐμὴν ἀξιῶ σε μὴ τοῖς κακοῖς ἰᾶσθαι τὰ κακά, μηδὲ τῶν πλειόνων ὀρεγόμενον καὶ τὰ παρόντα ἀπολέσαι, μηδ᾽ ἵνα τῶν [p. 135] ἴσων τε καὶ κρειττόνων ἄρχῃς ὑπὸ τῶν ἡττόνων τε καὶ κακιόνων ἄρχεσθαι.

  [3] Having now performed for you the duty I owe to our family, I protest by the gods, whose temples and altars we who carry on the succession of the Appian family honour with common sacrifices, and by the genii of our ancestors, to whom after the gods we pay the next honours and gratitude in common, and, above all these, by the earth, which holds your father and my brother, that I have put at your disposal both my mind and my voice to give you the best advice. And now, desiring to correct your ignorance as best I may, I ask you not to attempt to cure the evils by evils, nor, by aiming at too much, to lose even what you already have, nor again, by attempting to rule over your equals and your superiors, to be ruled yourself by those who are inferior and baser.

  [4] πολλὰ καὶ περὶ πολλῶν ἔτι σοι λέγειν βουλόμενος ὀκνῶ. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ τὰ κρείττω βουλεύματα ὀ θεὸς ἄγει σε, καὶ ταῦτα πλείω τῶν ἱκανῶν εἴρηκα, εἰ δ᾽ ἐπὶ τὰ χείρω, διακενῆς καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἐρῶ. ἔχετε, ὦ βουλή, καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ προεστηκότες τῆς πόλεως, τὴν ἐμὴν γνώμην καὶ περὶ τοῦ πολέμου τῆς καταλύσεως καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει θορύβων τῆς ἐπανορθώσεως. εἰ δέ τις ἕτερα τούτων κρείττω ἐρεῖ, τὰ βέλτιστα νικάτω.

  [4] I should like to say much more to you upon many subjects, but
hesitate to do so. For if God is leading you to better resolutions, even this that I have said is more than sufficient; but if to worse, then what I have still to say will also be said in vain. You now have my opinion, senators, and you who are at the head of the commonwealth, concerning the means both of putting an end to the war and of reforming the civil disorders. If anyone, however, shall offer better advice than this, let the best prevail.”

  [1] τοιαῦτ᾽ εἰπόντος Κλαυδίου καὶ πολλὴν ἐλπίδα τῷ συνεδρίῳ παρασχόντος, ὡς ἀποθησομένων τῶν δέκα τὴν ἀρχήν, Ἄππιος μὲν πρὸς ταῦτα οὐδὲν ἠξίωσεν εἰπεῖν: ἐκ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων ὀλιγαρχῶν προελθὼν Κορνήλιος Μάρκος: ἡμεῖς μέν, ἔφησεν, ὦ Κλαύδιε, περὶ τῶν ἰδίων συμφερόντων αὐτοὶ διαγνωσόμεθα τῆς σῆς οὐδὲν δεόμενοι βουλῆς. καὶ γὰρ ἡλικίας ἐν τῇ φρονιμωτάτῃ ἐσμέν, ὥστε μηδὲν τῶν διαφερόντων ἀγνοεῖν, καὶ φίλων οὐ σπανίζομεν, οἷς, ἐάν τι δέῃ,

  [15.1] After Claudius had spoken thus and given the senate great reason to hope that the decemvirs would resign their power, Appius did not see fit to make any answer to his advice. But Marcus Cornelius, one of the other members of the oligarchy, advanced and said: “We, Claudius, shall ourselves decide about our own interests without any need of your advice. For we are of the age best qualified for prudence, so that we are ignorant of nothing that concerns us, and we do not lack for friends whom we may take as advisers if necessary.

  [2] συμβούλοις χρησόμεθα. παῦσαι δὴ πρᾶγμα ποιῶν ἄωρον, ἀνὴρ πρεσβύτερος οὐ δεομένοις συμβουλῆς γνώμας ἀποδεικνύμενος. τῷ Ἀππίῳ δ᾽ εἴ τι βούλει παραινεῖν ἢ λοιδορεῖσθαι — τοῦτο γὰρ ἀληθέστερον — ὅταν ἐξέλθῃς ἐκ τοῦ συνεδρίου, λοιδορήσῃ. νῦν δ᾽ ὑπὲρ τοῦ πρὸς Αἰκανοὺς καὶ Σαβίνους πολέμου, περὶ οὗ κέκλησαι γνώμην ἀποδειξόμενος, ὅ τι σοι φαίνεται [p. 136] λέγε καὶ παῦσαι τὰ ἔξω τοῦ πράγματος φλυαρῶν.

  [2] Cease, then, doing an unseasonable thing in expressing your opinions as an older man to those who do not need advice. As for Appius, if you wish to give him any admonition or abuse — for this is the truer form of it — when you have left the senate-chamber, you may abuse him. For the present, state what you think about the war with the Aequians and Sabines, the matter regarding which you have been called upon to deliver your opinion, and cease talking idly of things that are beside the point.”

  [3] μετὰ τοῦτον ἀνίσταται πάλιν ὁ Κλαύδιος κατηφὴς καὶ μεστοὺς ἔχων τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς δακρύων καί φησιν: Ἄππιος μὲν οὐδ᾽ ἀποκρίσεως ἄξιον ἡγεῖταί με, ὦ βουλή, τὸν ἑαυτοῦ θεῖον ἐναντίον ὑμῶν: ἀλλ᾽ ὥσπερ τὴν οἰκίαν τὴν ἰδίαν ἀπέκλεισέ μοι, καὶ τουτὶ τὸ συνέδριον ἄβατον ὥσπερ ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτῷ ποιεῖ. εἰ δὲ χρὴ

  [3] After him Claudius rose up again, with downcast countenance and with tears in his eyes, and said: “Appius does not think me, his uncle, worthy even of an answer, senators, in your presence; but, just as he shut his own house against me, so he does everything in his power to render the senate-chamber here inaccessible to me likewise. And if I must speak the truth, I am even driven out of the city.

  [4] τἀληθὲς λέγειν, καὶ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐξελαύνομαι. οὐκέτι γὰρ ἂν αὐτὸν ὀρθοῖς ὄμμασι δυναίμην ὁρᾶν ἀνάξιον γεγονότα τῶν προγόνων καὶ τυραννικὴν ἐζηλωκότα παρανομίαν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀνασκευασάμενος ἅπαντα τὰ ἐμὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐμοὺς εἰς Σαβίνους ἄπειμι, πόλιν οἰκήσων Ῥήγιλλον, ἐξ ἧς τὸ γένος ἡμῶν ἐστι, καὶ μενῶ τὸν λοιπὸν ἐκεῖ χρόνον, ἕως ἂν οὗτοι κατέχωσι τὴν καλὴν ταύτην ἀρχήν. ἐπειδὰν δ᾽ οἷα μαντεύομαι περὶ τὴν δεκαδαρχίαν γένηται — γενήσεται δ᾽ οὐκ εἰς μακράν —

  [4] For I could on longer bear the sight of him, now that he has become unworthy of his ancestors and has emulated the lawlessness of tyrants, but removing all my effects and my household to the Sabines, I shall live at Regillum, the city from which our family comes, and shall remain there for the future as long as these men continue in possession of this fine magistracy. But when the fate I foresee shall have overtaken the decemvirate — and it will overtake them soon — I shall then return.

  [5] τότε παρέσομαι. καὶ τὰ μὲν ὑπὲρ ἐμοῦ τοσαῦτα: περὶ δὲ τοῦ πολέμου ταύτην ὑμῖν, ὦ βουλή, γνώμην ἀποδείκνυμαι, μηδὲν ψηφίζεσθαι περὶ μηδενὸς πράγματος, ἕως ἀποδειχθῶσι νέαι ἀρχαί. ταῦτ᾽ εἰπὼν καὶ πολὺν ἐκ τοῦ συνεδρίου κινήσας ἔπαινον ἐπὶ τῷ γενναίῳ καὶ φιλελευθέρῳ τῆς γνώμης ἐκάθισε. μετὰ δὲ τοῦτον ἀναστὰς Λεύκιος Κοίντιος ὁ καλούμενος Κικιννᾶτος [p. 137] καὶ Τίτος Κοίντιος Καπετωλῖνος καὶ Λεύκιος Λουκρήτιος καὶ πάντες ἑξῆς οἱ πρωτεύοντες δέκα τοῦ συνεδρίου τῇ Κλαυδίου γνώμῃ προσετίθεντο.

  [5] So much concerning myself. As to the war, I give you this advice, senators, to pass no vote concerning anything whatever until new magistrates are appointed.” After he had thus spoken and received great applause from the senate for the noble spirit and the love of liberty that his words breathed, he sat down. And after him Lucius Quintius, surnamed Cincinnatus, Titus Quinctius Capitolinus, Lucius Lucretius, and all the leading men of the senate rose up one after another and supported the motion of Claudius.

  [1] ἐφ᾽ ᾧ διαταραχθέντες οἱ περὶ τὸν Ἄππιον ἐβουλεύσαντο μηκέτι καθ᾽ ἡλικίαν καὶ βουλῆς ἀξίωσιν συμβούλους καλεῖν, ἀλλὰ κατ᾽ οἰκειότητα καὶ τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἑταιρίαν. καὶ παρελθὼν Μάρκος Κορνήλιος ἀνίστησι Λεύκιον Κορνήλιον τὸν ἀδελφόν, ὃς Κοίντῳ Φαβίῳ Οὐιβουλανῷ συνυπάτευσε τὸ τρίτον ὑπατεύοντι, δραστήριον ἄνδρα καὶ πολιτικοὺς διεξελθεῖν λόγους οὐκ ἀδύνατον.

  [16.1] Appius and his colleagues, being disturbed at this, resolved no longer to call upon others for advice according to their age or senatorial rank, but according to their friendship and attachment to themselves. And Marcus Cornelius, coming forward, asked Lucius Cornelius to rise, — his brother, who had been colleague to Quintus Fabius Vibulanus in his third consulship, a man of action and not without eloquence in political debates. This man, rising up, spoke as follows:

  [2] οὗτος ἀναστὰς ἔλεξε τοιάδε: θαυμαστὸν μὲν ἦν καὶ τοῦτ᾽, ὦ βουλή, εἰ ταύτην ἔχοντες ἄνθρωποι τὴν ἡλικίαν ἔχουσιν, οἱ πρὸ ἐμοῦ γνώμην ἀποφηνάμενοι καὶ πρωτεύειν ἀξιοῦντες τῶν συνέδρων, τὴν ἐκ τῶν πολιτικῶν προσκρουσμάτων ἀπέχθειαν ἀδιάλλακτον πρὸς τοὺς προεστηκότας τῆς πόλεως, οὓς ἐχρῆν% οἷόν τε δεῖ φυλάτ
τειν, καὶ τοῖς νέοις παραινεῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ κρατίστου ποιεῖσθαι τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῶν καλῶν ἀγῶνας, καὶ μὴ πολεμίους, ἀλλὰ φίλους ἡγεῖσθαι τοὺς περὶ τῶν κοινῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀντιπάλους.

  [2] This also was surprising, senators, that men of the age of those who preceded me in declaring their opinions and claim to be the foremost men of the senate, think fit to maintain unrelenting their enmity, derived from political clashes, toward those who are at the head of the commonwealth, when they ought to be exhorting the young men also to engage from the highest motive in competition for noble rewards, and to regard, not as enemies, but as friends, those who are their rivals in striving for the public good.

  [3] πολλῷ δ᾽ ἔτι τούτου θαυμασιώτερόν ἐστιν, εἰ τὰς ἰδίας ἀπεχθείας [p. 138] ἐπὶ τὰ κοινὰ τῆς πόλεως πράγματα μεταφέρουσι καὶ συναπολέσθαι τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ἐχθροῖς βούλονται μᾶλλον ἢ σωθῆναι μετὰ πάντων τῶν φίλων. ὑπερβολὴν γὰρ ἀνοίας τούτοις καὶ οὐ πόρρω θεοβλαβείας πεποιήκασιν οἱ πρόεδροι τῆς βουλῆς ἡμῶν.

  [3] And much more surprising still than this it is that they transfer their private animosities to the affairs of the commonwealth and choose rather to perish with their enemies than to be saved with all their friends. This is an excess of folly and not far from a Heaven-sent madness which the presiding officers of our senate have been guilty of.