[4] And when they examined the whole region round about and found neither tracks of horses nor footsteps of men besides those in the road, they thought it impossible that enemies till then invisible could have suddenly burst into view of their comrades, as if they had been creatures with wings or had fallen from heaven. But, over and above all these and the other signs, what seemed to them the strongest proof that the man had been slain, not by enemies, but by friends, was that the body of no foeman was found.
[5] τὸ μηδένα τῶν πολεμίων εὑρεθῆναι νεκρόν. οὐ γὰρ ἀκονιτί γ᾽ ἂν ἐδόκουν ἀποθανεῖν Σίκκιον, ἄνδρα καὶ ῥώμην καὶ ψυχὴν ἀνυπόστατον, οὐδὲ τὸν ὑπασπιστήν, οὐδὲ τοὺς ἄλλους τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ πεσόντας ἄλλως τε καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς γενομένης τῆς μάχης. ἐτεκμήραντο δὲ τοῦτο ἐκ τῶν τραυμάτων. αὐτός τε γὰρ ὁ Σίκκιος πολλὰς εἶχε πληγὰς τὰς μὲν ὑπὸ χερμάδων, τὰς δ᾽ ὑπὸ σαυνίων, τὰς δ᾽ ὑπὸ μαχαιρῶν, καὶ ὁ ὑπασπιστής: οἱ δ᾽ ὑπ᾽ ἐκείνων ἀνῃρημένοι πάντες μαχαιρῶν ἢ χερμάδων ἢ σαυνίων, βέλους δὲ οὐδεμίαν.
[5] For they could not conceive that Siccius, a man irresistible by reason of both of his strength and of his valour, or his shield-bearer either, or the others who had fallen with him would have perished without offering a stout resistance, particularly since the contest had been waged hand to hand. This they conjectured from their wounds; for both Siccius himself and his shield-bearer having had many wounds, some from stones, others from javelins, and still others from swords, whereas those who had been slain by them all had wounds from swords, but none from a missile weapon.
[6] ἀγανάκτησις δὴ μετὰ τοῦτ᾽ ἐγίνετο πάντων καὶ βοὴ καὶ πολὺς ὀδυρμός: ὡς δὲ κατωλοφύραντο τὴν συμφορὰν ἀράμενοι καὶ κομίσαντες τὸν νεκρὸν ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα, πολλὰ τῶν στρατηγῶν κατεβόων, καὶ μάλιστα μὲν ἠξίουν κατὰ τὸν στρατιωτικὸν ἀποκτεῖναι νόμον τοὺς ἀνδροφόνους: εἰ δὲ μή, δικαστήριον αὐτοῖς ἀποδοῦναι [p. 159] παραχρῆμα. καὶ πολλοὶ ἦσαν οἱ κατηγορεῖν μέλλοντες αὐτῶν.
[6] Thereupon they all gave way to resentment and cried out, making great lamentation. After bewailing the calamity, they took up the body, and carrying it to the camp, indulged in loud outcries against the generals, and they demanded, preferably, that the murderers be put to death in accordance with military law, or else that a civil court be assigned to them immediately; and many were those who were ready to be their accusers.
[7] ὡς δ᾽ οὐδὲν αὐτῶν εἰσήκουον ἐκεῖνοι, ἀλλὰ τούς τ᾽ ἄνδρας ἀπεκρύψαντο καὶ τὰς δίκας ἀνεβάλοντο φήσαντες ἐν Ῥώμῃ λόγον ἀποδώσειν τοῖς βουλομένοις αὐτῶν κατηγορεῖν, μαθόντες ὅτι τῶν στρατηγῶν τὸ ἐπιβούλευμα ἦν, τὸν μὲν Σίκκιον ἔθαπτον, ἐκκομιδήν τε ποιησάμενοι λαμπροτάτην καὶ πυρὰν νήσαντες ὑπερμεγέθη καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀπαρχόμενοι κατὰ δύναμιν, ὧν νόμος ἐπ᾽ ἀνδράσιν ἀγαθοῖς εἰς τὴν τελευταίαν τιμὴν φέρεσθαι: πρὸς δὲ τὴν δεκαδαρχίαν ἠλλοτριοῦντο πάντες καὶ γνώμην εἶχον ὡς ἀποστησόμενοι. τὸ μὲν δὴ περὶ Κρουστομέρειαν καὶ Φιδήνην στράτευμα διὰ τὸν Σικκίου τοῦ πρεσβευτοῦ θάνατον ἐχθρὸν τοῖς προεστηκόσι τῶν πραγμάτων ἦν.
[7] When the generals paid no heed to them, but concealed the men and put off the trials, telling them they would give an accounting in Rome to any who wished to accuse them, the soldiers, convinced that the generals had been the authors of the plot, proceeded to bury Siccius, after arranging a most magnificent funeral procession and erecting an immense pyre, where every man according to his ability presented the first-offerings of everything that is usually employed in rendering the last honours to brave men; but they were all becoming alienated from the decemvirs and had the intention of revolting. Thus the army that lay encamped at Crustumerium and Fidenae, because of the death of Siccius the legate, was hostile to the men who stood at the head of the government.
[1] τὸ δ᾽ ἐν Ἀλγιδῷ τῆς Αἰκανῶν χώρας καθιδρυμένον καὶ τὸ ἐν τῇ πόλει πλῆθος ἅπαν διὰ ταύτας ἐξεπολεμώθη τὰς αἰτίας πρὸς αὐτούς. ἀνὴρ ἐκ τῶν δημοτικῶν, Λεύκιος Οὐεργίνιος, οὐδενὸς χείρων τὰ πολεμικά, λόχου τινὸς ἡγεμονίαν ἔχων ἐν τοῖς πέντε τάγμασιν ἐτάχθη τοῖς ἐπ᾽ Αἰκανοὺς στρατευσαμένοις.
[28.1] The other army, which lay at Algidum in the territory of the Aequians, as well as the whole body of the people at Rome became hostile to them for the following reasons. One of the plebeians, whose name was Lucius Verginius, a man inferior to none in war, had the command of a century in one of the five legions which had taken the field against the Aequians.
[2] τούτῳ θυγάτηρ ἔτυχεν οὖσα καλλίστη τῶν ἐν Ῥώμῃ παρθένων τὸ πατρῷον ὄνομα φέρουσα, ἣν ἐνεγγυήσατο Λεύκιος εἷς ἐκ τῶν δεδημαρχηκότων υἱὸς Ἰκιλίου τοῦ πρώτου τε καταστησαμένου τὴν δημαρχιἔστι [p. 160]
[2] He had a daughter, called Verginia after her father, who far surpassed all the Roman maidens in beauty and was betrothed to Lucius, a former tribune and son of the Icilius who first instituted and first received the tribunician power.
[3] κὴν ἐξουσίαν καὶ πρώτου λαβόντος. ταύτην τὴν κόρην ἐπίγαμον οὖσαν ἤδη θεασάμενος Ἄππιος Κλαύδιος ὁ τῆς δεκαδαρχίας ἡγεμὼν ἀναγινώσκουσαν ἐν γραμμα- τιστοῦ — ἦν δὲ τὰ διδασκαλεῖα τότε τῶν παίδων περὶ τὴν ἀγοράν — εὐθύς τε ὑπὸ τοῦ κάλλους τῆς παιδὸς ἑάλω καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον ἔξω τῶν φρενῶν ἐγένετο πολλά- κις ἀναγκαζόμενος παριέναι τὸ διδασκαλεῖον ἤδη κρα-
[3] Appius Claudius, the chief of the decemvirs, having seen this girl, who was now marriageable, as she was reading at the schoolmaster’s (the schools for the children stood at that time near the Forum), was immediately captivated by her beauty and became still more frenzied because, already mastered by passion, he could not help passing by the school frequently.
[4] τούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ πάθους. ὡς δ᾽ οὐκ ἠδύνατο πρὸς γάμον αὐτὴν λαβεῖν ἐκείνην τε ὁρῶν ἐγγεγυημένην ἑτέρῳ καὶ αὐτὸς ἔχων γυναῖκα γαμετήν, καὶ ἅμα οὐδ᾽ ἀξιῶν ἐκ δημοτικοῦ γένους ἁρμόσασθαι γάμον, δι᾽ ὑπεροψίαν τῆς τύχης καὶ παρὰ τὸν νόμον, ὃν αὐτὸς ἐν ταῖς δώδεκα δέλτοις ἀνέγραψε, τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐπειράθη διαφθεῖραι χρήμασι τὴν κόρην, καὶ προσ- έπεμπέ τινας ἀεὶ πρὸς τὰς τροφοὺς αὐτῆς γυναῖκας — ἦν γὰρ ὀρφανὴ μητρὸς ἡ παῖς — διδούς τε πολλὰ καὶ ἔτι πλείονα τῶν διδομένων ὑ
πισχνούμενος. παρ- ηγγέλλετο δὲ τοῖς πειρωμένοις τὰς τροφοὺς μὴ λέγειν, τίς ὁ τῆς κόρης ἐστὶν ἐρῶν, ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι τῶν δυναμένων τις εὖ ποιεῖν οὓς βουληθείη καὶ κακῶς.
[4] But, as he could not marry her, both because he saw that she was betrothed to another and because he himself had a lawfully-wedded wife, and furthermore because he would not deign to take a wife from a plebeian family through scorn of that station and as being contrary to the law which he himself had inscribed in the Twelve Tables, he first endeavoured to bribe the girl with money, and for that purpose was continually sending women to her governesses (for she had lost her mother), giving them many presents and promising them still more than was actually given. Those who were tempting the governesses had been instructed not to tell them the name of the man who was in love with the girl, but only that he was one of those who had it in his power to benefit or harm whom he wished.
[5] ὡς δ᾽ οὐκ ἔπειθον αὐτάς, ἀλλὰ καὶ φυλακῆς ἑώρα τὴν κόρην κρείττονος ἢ πρότερον ἀξιουμένην, φλεγόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ πάθους τὴν ἰταμωτέραν ἔγνω βαδίζειν ὁδόν. μετα- πεμψάμενος δή τινα τῶν ἑαυτοῦ πελατῶν, Μάρκον Κλαύδιον, ἄνδρα τολμηρὸν καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ὑπηρεσίαν ἕτοιμον, τό τε πάθος αὐτῷ διηγεῖται καὶ διδάξας, ὅσα ποιεῖν αὐτὸν ἐβούλετο καὶ λέγειν, ἀποστέλλει συχνοὺς [p. 161]
[5] When they could not persuade the governesses and he saw that the girl was thought to require an even stronger guard than before, inflamed by his passion, he resolved to take the more audacious course. He accordingly sent for Marcus Claudius, one of his clients, a daring man and ready for any service, and acquainted him with his passion; then, having instructed him in what he wished him to do and say, he sent him away accompanied by a band of the most shameless men.
[6] τῶν ἀναιδεστάτων ἐπαγόμενον. ὁ δὲ παραγενόμενος ἐπὶ τὸ διδασκαλεῖον ἐπιλαμβάνεται τῆς παρθένου καὶ φανερῶς ἄγειν ἐβούλετο δι᾽ ἀγορᾶς. κραυγῆς δὲ γε- νομένης καὶ πολλοῦ συνδραμόντος ὄχλου κωλυόμενος ὅποι προῃρεῖτο τὴν κόρην ἄγειν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν παρα- γίνεται. ἐκάθητο δ᾽ ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος τηνικαῦτα μόνος Ἄππιος χρηματίζων τε καὶ δικάζων τοῖς δεομένοις. βουλομένου δ᾽ αὐτοῦ λέγειν κραυγή τε καὶ ἀγανάκτησις ἦν ἐκ τοῦ περιεστῶτος ὄχλου, πάντων ἀξιούντων περι- μένειν, ἕως ἔλθωσιν οἱ συγγενεῖς τῆς κόρης: καὶ ὁ
[6] And Claudius, going to the school, seized the maiden and attempted to lead her away openly through the forum; but when an outcry was raised and a great crowd gathered, he was prevented from taking her whither he intended, and so betook himself to the magistracy. Seated at the time on the tribunal was Appius alone, hearing causes and administering justice to those who applied for it. When Claudius wished to speak, there was an outcry and expressions of indignation on the part of the crowd standing about the tribunal, all demanding that he wait till the relations of the girl should be present; and Appius ordered it should be so.
[7] Ἄππιος οὕτως ἐκέλευσε ποιεῖν. ὡς δ᾽ ὀλίγος ὁ μεταξὺ χρόνος ἐγεγόνει, καὶ παρῆν ὁ πρὸς μητρὸς θεῖος τῆς παρθένου Πόπλιος Νομιτώριος φίλους τε πολλοὺς ἐπαγόμενος καὶ συγγενεῖς, ἀνὴρ ἐκ τῶν δημοτικῶν ἐμφανής, καὶ μετ᾽ οὐ πολὺ Λεύκιος, ὁ παρὰ τοῦ πα- τρὸς ἐνεγγυημένος τὴν κόρην, χεῖρα περὶ αὑτὸν ἔχων νέων δημοτικῶν καρτεράν. ὡς δὲ τῷ βήματι προσ- ῆλθεν, ἀσθμαίνων ἔτι καὶ μετέωρος τὸ πνεῦμα λέγειν ἠξίου, τίς ἐστιν ὁ τολμήσας ἅψασθαι παιδὸς ἀστῆς καὶ τί βουλόμενος.
[7] After a short interval Publius Numitorius, the maiden’s maternal uncle, a man of distinction among the plebeians, appeared with many of his friends and relations; and not long afterwards came Lucius, to whom she had been betrothed by her father, accompanied by a strong body of young plebeians. As he came up to the tribunal still panting and out of breath, he demanded to know who it was that had dared to lay hands upon a girl who was a Roman citizen and what his purpose was.
[1] σιωπῆς δὲ γενομένης Μάρκος Κλαύδιος ὁ τῆς παιδὸς ἐπιλαβόμενος τοιοῦτον διεξῆλθε λόγον: οὐδὲν οὔτε προπετὲς οὔτε βίαιον πέπρακταί μοι περὶ τὴν κόρην, Ἄππιε Κλαύδιε: κύριος δ᾽ αὐτῆς ὢν κατὰ τοὺς νόμους ἄγω. ὃν δὲ τρόπον ἐστὶν ἐμή, μάθε. [p. 162]
[29.1] When silence had been obtained, Marcus Claudius, who had seized the girl, spoke to this effect: “I have done nothing either rash or violent in regard to the girl, Appius Claudius; but, as I am her master, I am taking her according to the laws. Hear now by what means she is mine.
[2] μοι θεράπαινα πατρικὴ πολλοὺς πάνυ δουλεύουσα χρόνους. ταύτην κύουσαν ἡ Οὐεργινίου γυνὴ συνήθη καὶ εἰσοδίαν οὖσαν ἔπεισεν ἐὰν τέκῃ, δοῦναι τὸ παιδίον αὐτῇ. κἀκείνη φυλάττουσα τὰς ὑποσχέσεις γενομένης αὐτῇ ταύτης τῆς θυγατρὸς πρὸς μὲν ἡμᾶς ἐσκήψατο νεκρὸν τεκεῖν, τῇ δὲ Νομιτωρίᾳ δίδωσι τὸ παιδίον: ἡ δὲ λαβοῦσα ὑποβάλλεται καὶ τρέφει παίδων οὔτ᾽ ἀρρένων οὔτε θηλειῶν οὖσα μήτηρ.
[2] I have a female slave who belonged to my father and has served a great many years. This slave, being with child, was persuaded by the wife of Verginius, whom she was acquainted with and used to visit, to give her the child when she should bear it. And she, keeping her promise, when this daughter was born, pretended to us that she had given birth to a dead child, but she gave the babe to Numitoria; and the latter, taking the child, palmed it off as her own and reared it, although she was the mother of no children either male or female.
[3] πρότερον οὖν ἐλάνθανέ με ταῦτα, νῦν δὲ διὰ μηνύσεως ἐπιγνοὺς καὶ μάρτυρας ἔχων πολλοὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς καὶ τὴν θεράπαιναν ἐξητακὼς ἐπὶ τὸν κοινὸν ἁπάντων καταφεύγω νόμον, ὃς οὐ τῶν ὑποβαλλομένων, ἀλλὰ τῶν μητέρων εἶναι τὰ ἔκγονα δικαιοῖ, ἐλευθέρων μὲν οὐσῶν ἐλεύθερα, δούλων δὲ δοῦλα, τοὺς αὐτοὺς ἔχοντα κυρίους,
[3] Hitherto I was ignorant of all this; but now, having learned of it through information given me and having many credible witnesses and having also examined the slave, I have recourse to the law, common to all mankind, which declares it right that the offspring belong, not to those who palm off others’ children as their own, but to their mothers, the children of freeborn mothers being free, and those of slave mothers slaves, having the same masters as their mothers.
[4] οὓς ἂν καὶ αἱ μητέρες αὐτῶν ἔχωσι. κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν νόμον ἀξιῶ τὴν θυγατέρα τῆς ἐμῆς θεραπαίνης ἄγειν καὶ δίκας ὑπέχειν βουλόμενος, ἐὰν ἀντιποιῆταί
τις ἐγγυητὰς καθιστὰς ἀξιοχρέους ἄξειν αὐτὴν ἐπὶ τὴν δίκην: εἰ δὲ ταχεῖαν βούλεταί τις γενέσθαι τὴν διάγνωσιν, ἕτοιμος ἐπὶ σοῦ λέγειν τὴν δίκην αὐτίκα μάλα, καὶ μὴ διεγγυᾶν τὸ σῶμα μηδ᾽ ἀναβολὰς τῷ πράγματι προσάγειν: ὁποτέραν δ᾽ ἂν οὗτοι βουληθῶσι τῶν αἱρέσεων, ἑλέσθωσαν. [p. 163]
[4] In virtue of this law I claim the right to take the daughter of my slave woman, consenting to submit to a trial and, if anyone puts in a counter claim, offering sufficient securities that I will produce her at the trial. But if anyone wishes to have the decision rendered speedily, I am ready to plead my cause before you at once, instead of offering pledges for her person and interposing delays to the action. Let these claimants choose whichever of these alternatives they wish.”
[1] τοιαῦτ᾽ εἰπόντος Κλαυδίου καὶ πολλὴν προσθέντος δέησιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μηδὲν ἐλαττωθῆναι τῶν ἀντιδίκων, ὅτι πελάτης ἦν καὶ ταπεινός, παραλαβὼν τὸν λόγον ὁ τῆς κόρης θεῖος ὀλίγα καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ πρὸς τὸν ἄρχοντα εἰρῆσθαι προσήκοντα εἶπε: πατέρα μὲν οὖν εἶναι τῆς κόρης λέγων Οὐεργίνιον ἐκ τῶν δημοτικῶν, ὃν ἀποδημεῖν στρατευόμενον ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως: μητέρα δὲ γενέσθαι Νομιτωρίαν τὴν ἀδελφὴν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, σώφρονα καὶ ἀγαθὴν γυναῖκα, ἣν οὐ πολλοῖς πρότερον ἐνιαυτοῖς ἀποθανεῖν: τραφεῖσαν δὲ τὴν παρθένον, ὡς ἐλευθέρᾳ καὶ ἀστῇ προσῆκεν, ἁρμοσθῆναι κατὰ νόμον Ἰκιλίῳ, καὶ τέλος ἂν ἐσχηκέναι τὸν γάμον,
Delphi Complete Works of Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Illustrated) (Delphi Ancient Classics Book 79) Page 691