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

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus

  [4] The youths, therefore, not knowing the meaning of the oracle, agreed together to kiss their mother at the same time, desiring to possess the kingship jointly; but Brutus, understanding what the god meant, as soon as he landed in Italy, stooped to the earth and kissed it, looking upon that as the common mother of all mankind. Such, then, were the earlier events in the life of this man.

  [1] τότε δ᾽ ὡς ἤκουσε τοῦ Οὐαλερίου τὰ συμβάντα τῇ Λουκρητίᾳ καὶ τὴν ἀναίρεσιν αὐτῆς διηγουμένου τὰς χεῖρας ἀνατείνας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εἶπεν: ὦ Ζεῦ καὶ θεοὶ πάντες, ὅσοι τὸν ἀνθρώπινον ἐπισκοπεῖτε βίον, ἆρά γ᾽ ὁ καιρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἥκει νῦν, ὃν ἐγὼ περιμένων ταύτην τοῦ βίου τὴν προσποίησιν ἐφύλαττον; ἆρα πέπρωται Ῥωμαίοις ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ καὶ δι᾽ ἐμὲ τῆς ἀφορήτου τυραννίδος ἀπαλλαγῆναι;

  [70.1] On the occasion in question, when Brutus had heard Valerius relate all that had befallen Lucretia and describe her violent death, he lifted up his hands to Heaven and said: “O Jupiter and all ye gods who keep watch over the lives of men, has that time now come in expectation of which I have both keeping up this pretence in my manner of life? Has fate ordained that the Romans shall by me and through me be delivered from this intolerable tyranny?”

  [2] ταῦτ᾽ εἰπὼν ἐχώρει κατὰ σπουδὴν ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκίαν ἅμα τῷ Κολλατίνῳ τε καὶ Οὐαλερίῳ. ὡς δ᾽ εἰσῆλθεν ὁ μὲν Κολλατῖνος ἰδὼν τὴν Λουκρητίαν ἐν τῷ μέσῳ κειμένην καὶ τὸν πατέρα περικείμενον αὐτῇ μέγα ἀνοιμώξας καὶ περιλαβὼν τὴν [p. 115] νεκρὰν κατεφίλει καὶ ἀνεκαλεῖτο καὶ διελέγετο πρὸς αὐτὴν ὥσπερ ζῶσαν ἔξω τοῦ φρονεῖν γεγονὼς ὑπὸ

  [2] Having said this, he went in all haste to the house together with Collatinus and Valerius. When they came in Collatinus, seeing Lucretia lying in the midst and her father embracing her, uttered a loud cry and, throwing his arms about his wife’s body, kept kissing her and calling her name and talking to her as if she had been alive; for he was out of his mind by reason of his calamity.

  [3] τοῦ κακοῦ. πολλὰ δ᾽ αὐτοῦ κατολοφυρομένου καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐν μέρει καὶ τῆς οἰκίας ὅλης κλαυθμῷ καὶ θρήνοις κατεχομένης βλέψας εἰς αὐτοὺς ὁ Βροῦτος λέγει: μυρίους ἕξετε καιρούς, ὦ Λουκρήτιε καὶ Κολλατῖνε καὶ πάντες ὑμεῖς οἱ τῇ γυναικὶ προσήκοντες, ἐν οἷς αὐτὴν κλαύσετε, νυνὶ δ᾽ ὡς τιμωρήσομεν αὐτῇ,

  [3] While he and her father were pouring forth their lamentations in turn and the whole house was filled with wailing and mourning, Brutus, looking at them, said: “You will have countless opportunities, Lucretius, Collatinus, and all of you who are kinsmen of this woman, to bewail her fate; but now let us consider how to avenge her, for that is what the present moment calls for.”

  [4] σκοπῶμεν: τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ παρὼν καιρὸς ἀπαιτεῖ. ἐδόκει ταῦτ᾽ εἰκότα λέγειν, καὶ καθεζόμενοι καθ᾽ ἑαυτοὺς τόν τ᾽ οἰκετικὸν καὶ θητικὸν ὄχλον ἐκποδῶν μεταστήσαντες ἐβουλεύοντο, τί χρὴ πράττειν. πρῶτος δ᾽ ὁ Βροῦτος ἀρξάμενος ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ λέγειν, ὅτι τὴν δοκοῦσαν τοῖς πολλοῖς μωρίαν οὐκ εἶχεν ἀληθινήν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπίθετον, καὶ τὰς αἰτίας εἰπών, δι᾽ ἃς τὸ προσποίημα τοῦθ᾽ ὑπέμεινε, καὶ δόξας ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων εἶναι φρονιμώτατος, μετὰ τοῦτ᾽ ἔπειθεν αὐτοὺς τὴν αὐτὴν γνώμην ἅπαντας λαβόντας ἐξελάσαι Ταρκύνιόν τε καὶ τοὺς παῖδας ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, πολλὰ καὶ ἐπαγωγὰ εἰς τοῦτο διαλεχθείς. ἐπεὶ δὲ πάντας εἶδεν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς γνώμης ὄντας οὐ λόγων ἔφη δεῖν οὐδ᾽ ὑποσχέσεων, ἀλλ᾽ ἔργων, εἴ τι τῶν δεόντων μέλλει γενήσεσθαι: ἄρξειν δὲ τούτων αὐτὸς ἔφη.

  [4] His advice seemed good; and sitting down by themselves and ordering the slaves and attendants to withdraw, they consulted together what they ought to do. And first Brutus began to speak about himself, telling them that what was generally believed to be his stupidity was not real, but only assumed, and informing them of the reasons which had induced him to submit to this pretence; whereupon they regarded him as the wisest of all men. Next he endeavoured to persuade them all to be of one mind in expelling both Tarquinius and his sons from Rome; and he used many alluring arguments to this end. When he found they were all of the same mind, he told them that what was needed was neither words nor promises, but deeds, if any of the needful things were to be accomplished; and he declare days that he himself would take the lead in such deeds.

  [5] ταῦτ᾽ εἰπὼν καὶ λαβὼν τὸ ξιφίδιον, ᾧ διεχρήσατο ἑαυτὴν ἡ γυνή, καὶ τῷ πτώματι προσελθὼν αὐτῆς: ἔτι γὰρ ἔκειτο ἐν φανερῷ θέαμα οἴκτιστον: ὤμοσε τόν τ᾽ Ἄρη καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους θεοὺς πᾶν ὅσον [p. 116] δύναται πράξειν ἐπὶ καταλύσει τῆς Ταρκυνίων δυναστείας, καὶ οὔτ᾽ αὐτὸς διαλλαγήσεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς τυράννους οὔτε τοῖς διαλλαττομένοις ἐπιτρέψειν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐχθρὸν ἡγήσεσθαι τὸν μὴ ταὐτὰ βουλόμενον καὶ μέχρι θανάτου τῇ τυραννίδι καὶ τοῖς συναγωνιζομένοις αὐτῇ διεχθρεύσειν. εἰ δὲ παραβαίη τὸν ὅρκον τοιαύτην αὑτῷ τελευτὴν ἠράσατο τοῦ βίου γενέσθαι καὶ τοῖς αὑτοῦ παισίν, οἵας ἔτυχεν ἡ γυνή.

  [5] Having said this, he took the dagger with which Lucretia had slain herself, and going to the body (for it still lay in view, a most piteous spectacle), he swore by Mars and all the other gods that he would do everything in his power to overthrow the dominion of the Tarquinii and that he would neither be reconciled to the tyrants himself nor tolerate any who should be reconciled to them, but would look upon every man who thought otherwise as an enemy and till his death would pursue with unrelenting hatred both the tyranny and its abettors; and if he should violate his oath, he prayed that he and his children might meet with the same end as Lucretia.

  [1] ταῦτ᾽ εἰπὼν ἐκάλει καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἅπαντας ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ὅρκον: οἱ δ᾽ οὐδὲν ἔτι ἐνδοιάσαντες ἀνίσταντο καὶ τὸ ξίφος δεχόμενοι παρ᾽ ἀλλήλων ὤμνυον. γενομένων δὲ τῶν ὁρκωμοσιῶν μετὰ τοῦτ᾽ εὐθὺς ἐζήτουν, τίς ὁ τῆς ἐπιχειρήσεως ἔσται τρόπος. καὶ ὁ Βροῦτος αὐτοῖς ὑποτίθεται τοιάδε: πρῶτον μὲν διὰ φυλακῆς τὰς πύλας ἔχωμεν, ἵνα μηδὲν τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει λεγομένων τε καὶ πραττομένων κατὰ τῆς τυραννίδος αἴσθηται Ταρκύνιος, πρὶν ἢ τὰ παρ᾽ ἡμῶν εὐτρεπῆ

  [71.1] Having said this, he called upon all the rest also to take the same oath; and they, no longer hesitating, rose up, and receiving the dagger from one another, swore. After they had tak
en the oath they at once considered in what manner they should go about their undertaking. And Brutus advised them as follows: “First, let us keep the gates under guard, so that Tarquinius may have no intelligence of what is being said and done in the city against the tyranny till everything on our side is in readiness.

  [2] γενέσθαι. ἔπειτα κομίσαντες τὸ σῶμα τῆς γυναικὸς ὡς ἔστιν αἵματι πεφυρμένον εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν καὶ προθέντες ἐν φανερῷ συγκαλῶμεν τὸν δῆμον εἰς ἐκκλησίαν. ὅταν δὲ συνέλθῃ καὶ πλήθουσαν ἴδωμεν τὴν ἀγοράν, προελθὼν Λουκρήτιός τε καὶ Κολλατῖνος ἀποδυράσθωσαν τὰς ἑαυτῶν τύχας ἅπαντα τὰ γενόμενα φράσαντες.

  [2] After that, let us carry the body of this woman, stained as it is with blood, into the Forum, and exposing it to the public view, call an assembly of the people. When they are assembled and we see the Forum crowded, let Lucretius and Collatinus come forward and bewail their misfortunes, after first relating everything that has happened.

  [3] ἔπειτα τῶν ἄλλων ἕκαστος παριὼν κατηγορείτω τῆς τυραννίδος καὶ τοὺς πολίτας ἐπὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν [p. 117] παρακαλείτω. ἔσται δὲ πᾶσι Ῥωμαίοις κατ᾽ εὐχήν, ἐὰν ἴδωσιν ἡμᾶς τοὺς πατρικίους ἄρχοντας τῆς ἐλευθερίας: πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ δεινὰ πεπόνθασιν ὑπὸ τοῦ τυράννου καὶ μικρᾶς ἀφορμῆς δέονται. ὅταν δὲ λάβωμεν τὸ πλῆθος ὡρμημένον καταλῦσαι τὴν μοναρχίαν ψῆφόν τ᾽ αὐτοῖς ἀναδῶμεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μηκέτι Ῥωμαίων Ταρκύνιον ἄρξειν καὶ τὸ περὶ τούτων δόγμα πρὸς τοὺς ἐπὶ στρατοπέδου διαπεμψώμεθα ἐν τάχει.

  [3] Next, let each of the others come forward, inveigh against the tyranny, and summon the citizens to liberty. It will be what all Romans have devoutly wished if they see us, the patricians, making the first move on behalf of liberty. For they have suffered many dreadful wrongs at the hands of the tyrant and need but slight encouragement. And when we find the people ager to overthrow the monarchy, let us give them an opportunity to vote that Tarquinius shall no longer rule over the Romans, and let us send their decree to this effect to the soldiers in the camp in all haste.

  [4] καὶ γὰρ οἱ τὰ ὅπλα ἔχοντες, εἰ μάθοιεν, ὅτι τὰ ἐν τῇ πόλει πάντα τοῖς τυράννοις ἐστὶν ἀλλότρια, πρόθυμοι περὶ τὴν τῆς πατρίδος ἐλευθερίαν γενήσονται οὔτε δωρεαῖς ἔτι κατεχόμενοι ὡς πρότερον οὔτε τὰς ὕβρεις τῶν Ταρκυνίου παίδων τε καὶ κολάκων φέρειν δυνάμενοι.

  [4] For when those who have arms in their hands hear that the whole city is alienated from the tyrant they will become zealous for the liberty of their country and will no longer, as hitherto, be restrained by bribes or able to bear the insolent acts of the sons and flatterers of Tarquinius.”

  [5] ταῦτα λέξαντος αὐτοῦ παραλαβὼν τὸν λόγον Οὐαλέριος, Τὰ μὲν ἄλλα, ἔφησεν, ὀρθῶς ἐπιλογίζεσθαί μοι δοκεῖς, Ἰούνιε: περὶ δὲ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἔτι βούλομαι μαθεῖν, τίς ὁ καλέσων ἔσται αὐτὴν κατὰ νόμους καὶ τὴν ψῆφον ἀναδώσων ταῖς φράτραις. ἄρχοντι γὰρ ἀποδέδοται τοῦτο πράττειν: ἡμῶν δ᾽ οὐδεὶς οὐδεμίαν ἀρχὴν ἔχει. ὁ δ᾽ ὑπολαβών: ἐγώ, φησίν, ὦ Οὐαλέριε.

  [5] After he had spoken thus, Valerius took up the discussion and said: “In other respects you seem to me to reason well, Junius; but concerning the assembly of the people, I wish to know further who is to summon it according to law and propose the vote to the curiae. For this is the business of a magistrate and none of us holds a magistracy.”

  [6] τῶν γὰρ Κελερίων ἄρχων εἰμί, καὶ ἀποδέδοταί μοι κατὰ νόμους ἐκκλησίαν, ὅτε βουλοίμην, συγκαλεῖν. ἔδωκε δέ μοι τὴν ἀρχὴν ταύτην ὁ τύραννος μεγίστην οὖσαν ὡς ἠλιθίῳ καὶ οὔτ᾽ εἰσομένῳ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῆς οὔτ᾽, εἰ γνοίην, χρησομένῳ: καὶ τὸν κατὰ τοῦ τυράννου λόγον πρῶτος ἐγὼ διαθήσομαι. [p. 118]

  [6] To this Brutus answered: “I will, Valerius; for I am commander of the celeres and I have the power by law of calling an assembly of the people when I please. The tyrant gave me this most important magistracy in the belief that I was a fool and either would not be aware of the power attaching to it or, if I did recognize it, would not use it. And I myself will deliver the first speech against the tyrant.”

  [1] ὡς δὲ τοῦτ᾽ ἤκουσαν ἅπαντες, ἐπῄνεσάν τε καὶ ὡς ἀπὸ καλῆς ὑποθέσεως ἀρξάμενον καὶ νομίμου τὰ λοιπὰ λέγειν αὐτὸν ἠξίουν. κἀκεῖνος εἶπεν, Ἐπειδὴ ταῦτα οὕτω πράττειν ὑμῖν δοκεῖ, σκοπώμεθα πάλιν, τίς ἡ τὴν πόλιν ἐπιτροπεύσουσα ἀρχὴ γενήσεται μετὰ τὴν κατάλυσιν τῶν βασιλέων καὶ ὑπὸ τίνος ἀποδειχθεῖσα ἀνδρός, καὶ ἔτι πρότερον, ὅστις ἔσται πολιτείας κόσμος, ὃν ἀπαλλαττόμενοι τοῦ τυράννου καταστησόμεθα. βεβουλεῦσθαι γὰρ ἅπαντα βέλτιον, πρὶν ἐπιχειρεῖν ἔργῳ τηλικῷδε, καὶ μηδὲν ἀνεξέταστον ἀφεῖσθαι μηδὲ ἀπροβούλευτον. ἀποφαινέσθω δὴ περὶ

  [72.1] Upon hearing this they all applauded him for beginning with an honourable and lawful principle, and they asked him to tell the rest of his plans. And he continued: “Since you have resolved to follow this course, let us further consider what magistracy shall govern the commonwealth after the expulsion of the kings, and by what man it shall be created, and, even before that, what form of government we shall establish as we get rid of the tyrant. For it is better to have considered everything before attempting so important an undertaking and to have left nothing unexamined or unconsidered. Let each one of you, accordingly, declare his opinion concerning these matters.”

  [2] τούτων ἕκαστος ὑμῶν ἃ φρονεῖ. μετὰ τοῦτ᾽ ἐλέχθησαν πολλοὶ καὶ παρὰ πολλῶν λόγοι. ἐδόκει δὲ τοῖς μὲν βασιλικὴν αὖθις καταστήσασθαι πολιτείαν ἐξαριθμουμένοις, ὅσα τὴν πόλιν ἐποίησαν ἀγαθὰ πάντες οἱ πρότεροι βασιλεῖς: τοῖς δὲ μηκέτι ποιεῖν ἐφ᾽ ἑνὶ δυνάστῃ τὰ κοινὰ τὰς τυραννικὰς διεξιοῦσι παρανομίας, αἷς ἄλλοι τε πολλοὶ κατὰ τῶν ἰδίων πολιτῶν ἐχρήσαντο καὶ Ταρκύνιος τελευτῶν, ἀλλὰ τὸ συνέδριον τῆς βουλῆς ἁπάντων ἀποδεῖξαι κύριον ὡς ἐν πολλαῖς τῶν Ἑλληνίδων πόλεων:

  [2] After this many speeches were made by many different men. Some were any other the opinion that they ought to establish a monarchical government again, and they recounted the great benefits the state had received from all the former kings. Others believed that they ought no longer to entrust the government to a single ruler, and they enumerated the tyrannical excesses which many other kings and Tarquinius, last of all, had committed against their own people; but t
hey thought they ought to make the senate supreme in all matters, according to the practice of many Greek cities.

  [3] οἱ δὲ τούτων μὲν οὐδετέραν προῃροῦντο τῶν πολιτειῶν, δημοκρατίαν δὲ συνεβούλευον ὥσπερ Ἀθήνησι καταστῆσαι, τὰς ὕβρεις καὶ τὰς πλεονεξίας τῶν ὀλίγων προφερόμενοι καὶ τὰς στάσεις τὰς γινομένας τοῖς ταπεινοῖς πρὸς τοὺς ὑπερέχοντας [p. 119] ἐλευθέρᾳ τε πόλει τὴν ἰσονομίαν ἀποφαίνοντες ἀσφαλεστάτην οὖσαν καὶ πρεπωδεστάτην τῶν πολιτειῶν.

  [3] And still others liked neither of these forms of government, but advised them to establish a democracy like at Athens; they pointed to the insolence and avarice of the few and to the seditions usually stirred up by the lower classes against their superiors, and they declared that for a free commonwealth the equality of the citizens was of all forms of government the safest and the most becoming.

  [1] χαλεπῆς δὲ καὶ δυσκρίτου τῆς αἱρέσεως ἅπασι φαινομένης διὰ τὰς παρακολουθούσας ἑκάστῃ τῶν πολιτειῶν κακίας τελευταῖος παραλαβὼν τὸν λόγον ὁ Βροῦτος εἶπεν: ἐγὼ δ᾽, ὦ Λουκρήτιε καὶ Κολλατῖνε καὶ πάντες ὑμεῖς οἱ παρόντες ἄνδρες ἀγαθοὶ καὶ ἐξ ἀγαθῶν, καινὴν μὲν οὐδεμίαν οἴομαι δεῖν ἡμᾶς καθίστασθαι πολιτείαν κατὰ τὸ παρόν: ὅ τε γὰρ καιρός, εἰς ὃν συνήγμεθα ὑπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων, βραχύς, ἐν ᾧ μεθαρμόσασθαι πόλεως κόσμον οὐ ῥᾴδιον, ἥ τε πεῖρα τῆς μεταβολῆς, κἂν τὰ κράτιστα τύχωμεν περὶ αὐτῆς βουλευσάμενοι, σφαλερὰ καὶ οὐκ ἀκίνδυνος, ἐξέσται θ᾽ ἡμῖν ὕστερον, ὅταν ἀπαλλαγῶμεν τῆς τυραννίδος μετὰ πλείονος ἐξουσίας καὶ κατὰ σχολὴν βουλευομένοις τὴν κρείττονα πολιτείαν ἀντὶ τῆς χείρονος ἑλέσθαι, εἰ δή τις ἄρα ἔστι κρείττων, ἧς Ῥωμύλος τε καὶ Πομπίλιος καὶ πάντες οἱ μετ᾽ ἐκείνους βασιλεῖς καταστησάμενοι παρέδοσαν ἡμῖν, ἐξ ἧς μεγάλη καὶ εὐδαίμων καὶ πολλῶν ἄρχουσα ἀνθρώπων ἡ πόλις ἡμῶν διετέλεσεν.