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

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus

  [4] καὶ χεὶρ ἤδη περὶ αὐτὸν ἦν καρτερά. δόξαντες δ᾽ οἱ Γάβιοι μέγα προσγεγονέναι σφίσι πλεονέκτημα πολλῶν ὡς αὐτοὺς ἀφικομένων καὶ οὐ διὰ μακροῦ τὴν Ῥώμην ὑποχείριον ἕξειν ἐλπίσαντες καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐξαπατηθέντες ὑφ᾽ ὧν ἔπραττεν ὁ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀποστάτης συνεχῶς ἐπὶ τὴν χώραν ἐξιὼν καὶ πολλὰς περιβαλλόμενος ὠφελείας: παρεσκεύασε γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ αὐτῷ προειδὼς εἰς οὓς παρέσται τόπους, τήν τε λείαν ἄφθονον καὶ τὰ χωρία ἀφύλακτα, καὶ τοὺς ἀπολουμένους ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ συνεχῶς ἔπεμπεν, ἐπιλεγόμενος ἐκ τῶν πολιτῶν, οὓς ἐν ὑποψίαις εἶχεν: ἐξ ἁπάντων τε τούτων δόξαντες φίλον τε πιστὸν εἶναί σφισι τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ στρατηλάτην ἀγαθόν, πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ χρήμασιν ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ δεκασθέντες, ἐπὶ τὴν αὐτοκράτορα παράγουσιν ἀρχήν.

  [4] The Gabini looked upon the large numbers who came over to them as a great accession of strength and made no doubt of reducing Rome in a short time. Their delusion was further increased by the actions of this rebellious son, who continually made incursions into his father’s territory and captured much booty; for his father, knowing beforehand what parts he would visit, took care that there should be plenty of plunder there and that the places should be unguarded, and he kept sending men to be destroyed by his son, selecting from among the citizens those whom he held in suspicion. In consequence of all this the Gabini, believing the man to be their loyal friend and an excellent general — and many of them had also been bribed by him — promoted him to the supreme command.

  [1] τοσαύτης δὴ γενόμενος ἐξουσίας ὁ Σέξτος κύριος δι᾽ ἀπάτης καὶ φενακισμοῦ τῶν θεραπόντων τινὰ λαθὼν τοὺς Γαβίους πέμπει πρὸς τὸν πατέρα τήν τ᾽ ἐξουσίαν, ἣν εἰληφὼς ἦν, δηλώσοντα καὶ πευσόμενον,

  [56.1] After Sextus had obtained so great power by deception and trickery, he sent one of his servants to his father, without the knowledge of the Gabini, both to inform him of the power he had gained and to inquire what he should now do.

  [2] τί χρὴ ποιεῖν. ὁ δὲ Ταρκύνιος οὐδὲ τὸν θεράποντα γινώσκειν βουλόμενος, ἃ τὸν υἱὸν ἐκέλευσε [p. 95] ποιεῖν, ἄγων τὸν ἄγγελον προῆλθεν εἰς τὸν παρακείμενον τοῖς βασιλείοις κῆπον: ἔτυχον δὲ μήκωνες ἐν αὐτῷ πεφυκυῖαι πλήρεις ἤδη τοῦ καρποῦ καὶ συγκομιδῆς ὥραν ἔχουσαι: διεξιὼν δὴ διὰ τούτων τῆς ὑπερεχούσης ἀεὶ μήκωνος τῷ σκήπωνι παίων τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀπήραττε.

  [2] Tarquinius, who did not wish even the servant to learn the instructions that he sent his son, led the messenger into the garden that lay beside the palace. It happened that in this garden there were poppies growing, already full of heads and ready to be gathered; and walking among these, he kept striking and knocking off the heads of all the tallest poppies with his staff.

  [3] ταῦτα ποιήσας ἀπέστειλε τὸν ἄγγελον οὐδὲν ἀποκρινάμενος τῷ πολλάκις ἐπερωτῶντι, τὴν Θρασυβούλου τοῦ Μιλησίου διάνοιαν ὡς ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ μιμησάμενος: καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος Περιάνδρῳ ποτὲ τῷ Κορινθίων τυράννῳ πυνθανομένῳ διὰ τοῦ πεμφθέντος ἀγγέλου, πῶς ἂν ἐγκρατέστατα τὴν ἀρχὴν κατάσχοι, λόγον μὲν οὐδένα ἀπέστειλεν, ἀκολουθεῖν δὲ τὸν ἥκοντα παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ κελεύσας, ἦγε δι᾽ ἀρούρας σιτοσπόρου καὶ τοὺς ὑπερέχοντας τῶν σταχύων ἀποθραύων ἐρρίπτει χαμαὶ διδάσκων, ὅτι δεῖ τῶν ἀστῶν τοὺς δοκιμωτάτους κολούειν τε καὶ διαφθείρειν.

  [3] Having done this, he sent the messenger away without giving any answer to his repeated inquiries. Herein, it seems to me, he imitated the thought of Thrasybulus the Milesian. For Thrasybulus returned no verbal answer to Periander, the tyrant of Corinth, by the messenger Periander once sent him to inquire how he might most securely establish his power; but, ordering the messenger to follow him into a field of wheat and breaking off the ears that stood above the rest, he threw them upon the ground, thereby intimating that Periander ought to lop off and destroy the most illustrious of the citizens.

  [4] τὸ παραπλήσιον δὴ καὶ τοῦ Ταρκυνίου τότε ποιήσαντος συνεὶς τὴν διάνοιαν τοῦ πατρὸς ὁ Σέξτος, ὅτι κελεύει τοὺς ὑπερέχοντας τῶν Γαβίων ἀναιρεῖν, συνεκάλεσεν εἰς ἐκκλησίαν τὸ πλῆθος καὶ πολὺν ὑπὲρ αὑτοῦ λόγον διαθέμενος, ὅτι καταπεφευγὼς εἰς τὴν ἐκείνων πίστιν ἅμα τοῖς ἑταίροις κινδυνεύει συλληφθεὶς ὑπό τινων τῷ πατρὶ παραδοθῆναι, τήν τ᾽ ἀρχὴν ἕτοιμος ἦν ἀποθέσθαι, καὶ πρὶν ἢ παθεῖν τι δεινὸν ἀπαίρειν ἐκ τῆς [p. 96] πόλεως ἐβούλετο δακρύων ἅμα καὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ τύχην κατολοφυρόμενος, ὥσπερ οἱ κατ᾽ ἀλήθειαν ὑπὲρ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀγωνιῶντες.

  [4] When, therefore, Tarquinius did a like thing on this occasion, Sextus understood his father’s meaning and knew that he was ordering him to put to death the most eminent of the Gabini. He accordingly called an assembly of the people, and after saying a great deal about himself he told them that, having fled to them with his friends upon the assurance they had given him, he was in danger of being seized by certain persons and delivered up to his father and that he was ready to resign his power and desired to quit their city before any mischief befell him; and while saying this he wept and lamented his fate as those do who are in very truth in terror of their lives.

  [1] ἠρεθισμένου δὲ τοῦ πλήθους καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς. προθυμίας πυνθανομένου, τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ μέλλοντες αὐτὸν προδιδόναι, τὸν ἐπιφανέστατον τῶν Γαβίων Ἀντίστιον Πέτρωνα ὠνόμασεν, ὃς ἐν εἰρήνῃ τε πολλὰ καὶ σπουδαῖα πολιτευσάμενος καὶ στρατηγίας πολλὰς τετελεκὼς ἐπιφανέστατος ἁπάντων ἐγεγόνει: ἀπολογουμένου δὲ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ διὰ τὸ μηδὲν ἑαυτῷ συνειδέναι πᾶσαν ἐξέτασιν ὑπομένοντος ἔφη βούλεσθαι τὴν οἰκίαν αὐτοῦ διερευνῆσαι πέμψας ἑτέρους, αὐτὸς δ᾽ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας σὺν ἐκείνῳ, τέως ἂν οἱ πεμφθέντες ἔλθωσι, μένειν.

  [57.1] When the people became incensed at this and were eagerly demanding to know who the men were who were intending to betray them, he named Antistius Petro, who not only had been the author of many excellent measures in time of peace but had also often commanded their armies and had thus become the most distinguished of all the citizens. And when this man endeavoured to clear himself and, from the consciousness of his innocence, offered to submit to any examination whatever, Sextus said he wished to send some others to search Petro’s house, but that he himself would stay with
him in the assembly till the persons sent should return.

  [2] ἔτυχε δὲ διεφθαρκὼς αὐτοῦ τῶν θεραπόντων τινὰς ἀργυρίῳ τὰς ἐπὶ τὸν ὄλεθρον τοῦ Πέτρωνος κατασκευασθείσας ἐπιστολὰς σεσημειωμένας τῇ τοῦ πατρὸς σφραγῖδι λαβόντας ἔνδον ἀποθέσθαι. ὡς δ᾽ οἱ πεμφθέντες ἐπὶ τὴν ἔρευναν: οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀντεῖπεν ὁ Πέτρων, ἀλλ᾽ ἐφῆκε τὴν οἰκίαν ἐρευνᾶν: εὑρόντες, ἔνθα ἦν ἀποκεκρυμμένα τὰ γράμματα, παρῆσαν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἄλλας τε πολλὰς φέροντες ἐπιστολὰς ἐπισεσημασμένας καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Ἀντίστιον γραφεῖσαν, ἐπιγινώσκειν φήσας τὴν σφραγῖδα τοῦ πατρὸς ὁ Σέξτος ἔλυσε, καὶ τῷ γραμματεῖ δοὺς ἐκέλευσεν 19 ἀναγινώσκειν.

  [2] It seems that he had bribed some of the servants of Petro to take the letters prepared for Petro’s destruction and sealed with the seal of Tarquinius and to hide them in their master’s house. And when the men sent to make the search (for Petro made no objection but gave permission for his house to be searched), having discovered the letters in the place where they had been hidden, appeared in the assembly with many sealed letters, among them the one addressed to Antistius, Sextus declared he recognized his father’s seal, and breaking open the letter, he gave it to the secretary and ordered him to read it.

  [3] ἐγέγραπτο δ᾽ ἐν αὐτῇ, μάλιστα μὲν [p. 97] ζῶντα παραδοῦναι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῷ καὶ κομίζεσθαι τοὺς διωμολογημένους μισθούς, ἐὰν δ᾽ ἀδύνατος ᾖ τοῦτο τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀποτεμόντα πέμψαι. ταῦτα δὲ ποιήσαντι αὐτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς συλλαβομένοις τοῦ ἔργου χωρὶς τῶν ἄλλων μισθῶν, οὓς πρότερον ὑπέσχητο, πολιτείαν τε τὴν ἐν Ῥώμῃ δώσειν ἔφη καὶ εἰς τὸν τῶν πατρικίων ἀριθμὸν ἅπαντας ἐγγράψειν οἰκίας τε καὶ κλήρους καὶ

  [3] The purport of the letter was that Antistius should, if possible, deliver up his son to him alive, but if he could not do this, that he should cut off his head and send it. In return for this Tarquinius said that, besides the rewards he had already promised, he would grant Roman citizenship both to him and those who had assisted him in the business, and would admit them all into the number of the patricians, and furthermore bestow on them houses, allotments of land and many other fine gifts.

  [4] ἄλλας δωρεὰς πολλὰς ἐπιθήσειν καὶ μεγάλας. ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἐρεθισθέντες οἱ Γάβιοι τὸν μὲν Ἀντίστιον ἐκπεπληγότα ἐπὶ τῇ παραδόξῳ συμφορᾷ καὶ οὐδὲ φωνὴν ὑπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ ῥῆξαι δυνάμενον ἀποκτείνουσι βάλλοντες λίθοις: τὴν δὲ κατὰ τῶν ἄλλων ζήτησίν τε καὶ τιμωρίαν τῶν ταὐτὰ τῷ Πέτρωνι βουλευσαμένων ἐπέτρεψαν τῷ Σέξτῳ ποιήσασθαι. ὁ δὲ τοῖς ἰδίοις ἑταίροις τὴν φυλακὴν ἐπιτρέψας τῶν πυλῶν, ἵνα μὴ διαφύγοιεν αὐτὸν οἱ ἐν ταῖς αἰτίαις, πέμπων ἐπὶ τὰς οἰκίας τῶν ἐπιφανεστάτων ἀνδρῶν ἀπέκτεινε πολλοὺς τῶν Γαβίων καὶ ἀγαθούς.

  [4] Thereupon the Gabini became so incensed against Antistius, who was thunderstruck at this unexpected calamity and unable in his grief to utter a word, that they stoned him to death and appointed Sextus to inquire into and punish the crimes of his accomplices. Sextus committed the guarding of the gates to his own followers, lest any of the accused should escape him; and sending to the houses of the most prominent of the Gabini, he put many good men to death.

  [1] ἐν ᾧ δὲ ταῦτ᾽ ἐπράττετο, θορύβου κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ὄντος ὡς ἐπὶ τοσούτῳ κακῷ μαθὼν τὰ γινόμενα διὰ γραμμάτων ὁ Ταρκύνιος παρῆν ἄγων τὴν δύναμιν καὶ περὶ μέσον νυκτὸς ἀγχοῦ τῆς πόλεως γενόμενος ἀνοιχθεισῶν τῶν πυλῶν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπὶ τοῦτο [p. 98] παρεσκευασμένων εἰσελθὼν δίχα πόνου κύριος ἐγεγόνει τῆς πόλεως.

  [58.1] While these things were going on and all the city was in an uproar, as was natural in consequence of so great a calamity, Tarquinius, having been informed by letter of all that was passing, marched thither with his army, approached the city about the middle of the night, and then, when the gates had been opened by those appointed for the purpose, entered with his forces and made himself master of the city without any trouble.

  [2] ὡς δ᾽ ἐγνώσθη τὸ πάθος ἁπάντων κατοδυρομένων ἑαυτοὺς οἵα πείσονται, σφαγάς τε καὶ ἀνδραποδισμοὺς καὶ πάντα ὅσα καταλαμβάνει δεινὰ τοὺς ὑπὸ τυράννων ἁλόντας προσδοκώντων, εἰ δὲ τὰ κράτιστα πράξειαν, δουλείας τε καὶ χρημάτων ἀφαιρέσεις καὶ τὰ ὅμοια τούτοις κατεψηφικότων, οὐδὲν ὁ Ταρκύνιος ὧν προσεδόκων τε καὶ ἐδεδοίκεσαν καίτοι πικρὸς ὀργὴν καὶ περὶ τὰς τιμωρίας τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀπαραίτητος 20 ὢν ἔδρασεν.

  [2] When this disaster became known, all the citizens bewailed the fate awaiting them; for they expected slaughter, enslavement and all the horrors that usually befall those captured by tyrants, and, as the best that could happen to them, had already condemned themselves to slavery, the loss of their property and like calamities. However, Tarquinius did none of the things that they were expecting and dreading even though he was harsh of temper and inexorable in punishing his enemies.

  [3] οὔτε γὰρ ἀπέκτεινεν οὐδένα Γαβίων οὔτ᾽ ἐξήλασε τῆς πόλεως οὔτ᾽ εἰς ἀτιμίαν ἢ χρημάτων ἀφαίρεσιν ἐζημίωσε, συγκαλέσας δ᾽ εἰς ἐκκλησίαν τὸ πλῆθος καὶ βασιλικὸν ἐκ τυραννικοῦ τρόπου μεταλαβὼν τήν τε πόλιν αὐτοῖς ἔφη τὴν ἰδίαν ἀποδιδόναι καὶ τὰς οὐσίας, ἃς ἔχουσι, συγχωρεῖν καὶ σὺν τούτοις τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἰσοπολιτείαν ἅπασι χαρίζεσθαι, οὐ δι᾽ εὔνοιαν τὴν πρὸς τοὺς Γαβίους, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν ἐγκρατέστερον κατέχῃ ταῦτα πράττων: κρατίστην ἡγούμενος ἔσεσθαι φυλακὴν ἑαυτοῦ τε καὶ τῶν παίδων τὴν ἐκ τῶν παρ᾽ ἐλπίδας σεσωσμένων καὶ τὰ ἴδια πάντα κεκομισμένων πίστιν.

  [3] For he neither put any of the Gabini to death, nor banished any from the city, nor punished any of them with disfranchisement or the loss of their property; but calling an assembly of the people and changing to the part of a king from that of a tyrant, he told them that he not only restored their own city to them and allowed them to keep the property they possessed, but in addition granted to all of them the rights of Roman citizens. It was not, however, out of goodwill to the Gabini that he adopted this course, but in order to establish more securely his mastery over the Romans. For he believed that the strongest safeguard both for himself and for his family would be the loyalty of those who, contrary to their expectation, had been preserved and had recovered all their possessions.

  [4] καὶ ἵνα μηδ�
�ν αὐτοῖς ἔτι δεῖμα περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος ὑπάρχῃ χρόνου μηδ᾽ ἐνδοιάζωσιν, εἰ βέβαια ταῦτα σφίσι διαμενεῖ, γράψας ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἔσονται δικαίοις φίλοι, τὰ περὶ τούτων ὅρκια συνετέλεσεν ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας [p. 99] παραχρῆμα καὶ διωμόσατο κατὰ τῶν σφαγίων. τούτων ἐστὶ τῶν ὁρκίων μνημεῖον ἐν Ῥώμῃ κείμενον ἐν ἱερῷ Διὸς Πιστίου, ὃν Ῥωμαῖοι Σάγκον καλοῦσιν, ἀσπὶς ξυλίνη βύρσῃ βοείᾳ περίτονος τοῦ σφαγιασθέντος ἐπὶ τῶν ὁρκίων τότε βοός, γράμμασιν ἀρχαϊκοῖς ἐπιγεγραμμένη τὰς γενομένας αὐτοῖς ὁμολογίας. ταῦτα πράξας καὶ βασιλέα τῶν Γαβίων τὸν υἱὸν Σέξτον ἀποδείξας ἀπῆγε τὴν δύναμιν. ὁ μὲν δὴ πρὸς Γαβίους πόλεμος τοιούτου τέλους ἔτυχεν.

  [4] And, in order that they might no longer have any fear regarding the future or any doubt of the permanence of his concessions, he ordered the terms upon which they were to be friends to be set down in writing, and then ratified the treaty immediately in the assembly and took an oath over the victims to observe it. There is a memorial of this treaty at Rome in the temple of Jupiter Fidius, whom the Romans call Sancus; it is a wooden shield covered with the hide of the ox that was sacrificed at the time they confirmed the treaty by their oaths, and upon it are inscribed in ancient characters the terms of the treaty. After Tarquinius had thus settled matters and appointed his son Sextus king of the gabini, he led his army home. Such was the outcome of the war with the Gabini.