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

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus

  [63.1] While they were preparing everything that was necessary for the war and beginning to enrol their troops, they fell into great perplexity when they found that all the citizens did not show the same eagerness for the service. For the needy, and particularly those who were unable to discharge their debts to their creditors — and there were many such — when called to arms refused to obey and were unwilling to join with the patricians in any undertaking unless they passed a vote for the remission of their debts. On the contrary, some of them threatened even to leave the city and exhorted one another to give up their fondness for living in a city that allowed them no share in any thing that was good.

  [2] τέως μὲν οὖν παρακαλεῖν αὐτοὺς οἱ πατρίκιοι καὶ μεταπείθειν ἐπειρῶντο, ἐπεὶ δ᾽ οὐθὲν ἐγίνοντο μετριώτεροι πρὸς τὰς παρακλήσεις, οὕτω δὴ συνελθόντες εἰς τὸ βουλευτήριον ἐσκόπουν, τίς εὐπρεπεστέρα λύσις ἔσται τῆς κατεχούσης τὴν πόλιν ταραχῆς. ὅσοι μὲν οὖν [p. 235] ἐπιεικεῖς τὴν φύσιν καὶ μέτριοι τοῖς τιμήμασι τῶν βίων ἦσαν, παρῄνουν ἀφεῖναι τὰ χρέα τοῖς πένησι καὶ πρίασθαι πολιτικὴν εὔνοιαν ὀλίγου διαφόρου, μεγάλα μέλλοντας ἐξ αὐτῆς κερδανεῖν ἰδίᾳ τε καὶ δημοσίᾳ.

  [2] At first the patricians endeavoured by entreaties to prevail upon them to change their purpose, but finding that in response to their entreaties they showed no greater moderation, they then assembled in the senate-house to consider what would be the most seemly method of putting an end to the disturbance that was troubling the state. Those senators, therefore, who were fair-minded and of moderate fortunes advised them to remit the debts of the poor and to purchase for a small price the goodwill of their fellow-citizens, from which they were sure to derive great advantages both private and public.

  [1] ἦν δ᾽ ὁ ταύτης ἡγούμενος τῆς γνώμης Μάρκος Οὐαλέριος, υἱὸς Ποπλίου Οὐαλερίου, ἑνὸς τῶν καταλυσάντων τὴν τυραννίδα, τοῦ κληθέντος διὰ τὴν εἰς τὸ δημοτικὸν εὔνοιαν Ποπλικόλα, διδάσκων αὐτούς, ὅτι τοῖς μὲν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἴσων ἀγωνιζομένοις ἴσαι φιλοῦσιν ἐμφύεσθαι πρὸς τὰ ἔργα φιλοτιμίαι, τοῖς δὲ μηδὲν ἀπολαύειν μέλλουσιν ἀγαθὸν οὐδὲν ἐπέρχεται φρονεῖν γενναῖον: ἠρεθίσθαι τε λέγων ἅπαντας τοὺς ἀπόρους καὶ περιιόντας κατὰ τὴν ἀγορὰν λέγειν:

  [64.1] The author of this advice was Marcus Valerius, the son of Publius Valerius, one of those who had overthrown the tyranny and from his goodwill toward the common people had been called Publicola. He showed them that those who fight for equal rewards are apt to be inspired to action by an equal spirit of emulation, whereas it never occurs to those who are to reap no advantage to entertain any thought of bravery. He said that all the poor people were exasperated and were going about the Forum saying:

  [2] τί δ᾽ ἡμῖν ἔσται πλέον, ἐὰν νικήσωμεν τοὺς ἔξωθεν πολεμίους, εἰ τοῖς δανεισταῖς ἀγώγιμοι πρὸς τὰ χρέα γενησόμεθα καὶ τῇ πόλει τὴν ἡγεμονίαν κατασκευάσαντες αὐτοὶ μηδὲ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τοῖς σώμασι φυλάξαι δυνησόμεθα; κίνδυνόν τ᾽ οὐ τοῦτον μόνον ἐπαχθῆναι σφίσιν ἀποφαίνων, ἐὰν ἐκπολεμωθῇ πρὸς τὴν βουλὴν ὁ δῆμος, μὴ καταλίπῃ τὴν πόλιν ἐν τοῖς κινδύνοις, ὃ πάντας ὀρρωδεῖν χρὴ τοὺς τὰ κοινὰ σώζεσθαι βουλομένους, ἀλλὰ κἀκεῖνον τὸν ἔτι τούτου χαλεπώτερον, μὴ ταῖς παρὰ τῶν τυράννων φιλανθρωπίαις ἐξαπατηθεὶς κατὰ τῶν πατρικίων ἄρηται τὰ ὅπλα [p. 236]

  [2] “What advantage shall we gain by overcoming our foreign enemies if we are liable to be haled to prison for debt by the money-lenders, or by gaining the leadership for the commonwealth if we ourselves cannot maintain even the liberty of our own persons?” He then showed them that this was not the only danger which had been brought upon them in case the people should become hostile to the senate, namely, that they would abandon the city in the midst of its perils — a possibility at which all who desired the preservation of the commonwealth must shudder — but that there was the further danger, still more formidable than this, that, seduced by favours from the tyrants, they might take up arms against the patricians and aid in restoring Tarquinius to power.

  [3] καὶ συγκαταγάγῃ Ταρκύνιον ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχήν. ἕως οὖν ἔτι λόγους καὶ ἀπειλὰς εἶναι, πονηρὸν δ᾽ ἔργον μηδὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου γεγονέναι, φθάσαι τῇ βοηθείᾳ ταύτῃ τὸν δῆμον εἰς τὰ πράγματα προοικειωσαμένους παρῄνει, οὔτε πρώτους τὸ πολίτευμα τοῦτο καθισταμένους οὔτε αἰσχύνην τινὰ δι᾽ αὐτὸ μεγάλην ὀφλήσοντας, ἀλλὰ πολλοὺς ἔχοντας ἐπιδεῖξαι καὶ τοῦτο ὑπομείναντας καὶ ἄλλα πολλῷ τούτου χαλεπώτερα, ὅταν μηθὲν ἐξῇ πράττειν ἕτερον: τὰς γὰρ ἀνάγκας κρείττους εἶναι τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως, καὶ τὸ εὐπρεπὲς τότε ἀξιοῦν ἅπαντας σκοπεῖν, ὅταν ἔχωσιν ἤδη τὸ ἀσφαλές.

  [3] Accordingly, while it was still only a matter of words and threats, and no mischievous deed had been committed by the people as yet, he advised them to act in time and reconcile the people to the situation by affording them this relief; for they were neither the first to adopt such a measure nor would they incur any great disgrace on account of it, but could point to many others who had submitted, not only to this, but to other demands much more grievous, when they had no alternative. For necessity, he said, is stronger than human nature, and people insist on considering appearances only when they have already gained safety.

  [1] ἐξαριθμησάμενος δὲ πολλὰ καὶ ἐκ πολλῶν παραδείγματα πόλεων τελευταίαν παρέσχετο τὴν Ἀθηναίων πόλιν μεγίστου τότε τυγχάνουσαν ὀνόματος ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ, οὐ πρὸ πολλῶν χρόνων, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τοὺς πατέρας αὐτῶν ἄφεσιν χρεῶν ψηφισαμένην τοῖς ἀπόροις Σόλωνος καθηγησαμένου, καὶ οὐθένα τῇ πόλει τοῦ πολιτεύματος τούτου ἐπιτιμᾶν οὐδὲ τὸν εἰσηγησάμενον αὐτὸ δημοκόπον καὶ πονηρὸν ἀποκαλεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς πεισθεῖσι πολλὴν φρόνησιν ἅπαντας μαρτυρεῖν, καὶ

  [65.1] After he had enumerated many examples taken from many cities, he at last offered them that of the city of Athens, then in the greatest repute for wisdom, which not very long before, but in the time of their fathers, had under the guidance of Solon voted a remission of debts to the poor; and no one, he said, censured the city for this measure or called its author a flatterer of the people or a knave, but all bore witness both to the great prudence of those who were persuaded to enact it and to the great wisdom of the man who persuaded them do so.

  [2] τῷ πείσαντι μεγάλην σοφίαν. Ῥωμαίοις δ᾽, οἷς οὐ περὶ μικρῶν τὸν κίνδυνον εἶναι διαφορῶν, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὲρ τοῦ μ�
�� παραδοθῆναι πάλιν ὠμῷ καὶ παντὸς χείρονι θηρίου τυράννῳ, τίς τῶν νοῦν ἐχόντων ἐπιτιμήσειεν ἄν, ἐὰν τῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ ταύτῃ συμμάχους ἀντὶ πολεμίων [p. 237] τοὺς πένητας κατασκευάσωνται τῇ πόλει γενέσθαι;

  [2] As for the Romans, whose perilous situation was due to no trivial differences, but to the danger of being delivered up again to a cruel tyrant more savage than any wild beast, what man in his senses could blame them if by this instance of humanity they should cause the poor to become joint supporters, instead of enemies, of the commonwealth?

  [3] διεξελθὼν δὲ τὰ ξενικὰ παραδείγματα τελευταῖον τὸν ἐκ τῶν ἐπιχωρίων ἔργων προσελάμβανε: λόγον ὑπομιμνήσκων τὰς ἔναγχος κατασχούσας αὐτοὺς ἀνάγκας, ὅτε κρατουμένης σφῶν τῆς χώρας ὑπὸ Τυρρηνῶν τειχήρεις γενόμενοι καὶ εἰς πολλὴν τῶν ἀναγκαίων καταστάντες ἀπορίαν οὐκ ἔσχον ἀνθρώπων μεμηνότων καὶ θανατώντων ἀνοήτους λογισμούς, ἀλλ᾽ εἴξαντες τοῖς κατέχουσι καιροῖς καὶ τὴν ἀνάγκην διδάσκαλον τῶν συμφερόντων λαβόντες, ὅμηρα τε δοῦναι βασιλεῖ Πορσίνᾳ τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους παῖδας ὑπέμειναν, οὔπω πρότερον τοῦτο ὑπομείναντες, καὶ μέρει τῆς χώρας ζημιωθῆναι, τῶν Ἑπτὰ πάγων Τυρρηνοῖς ἀποστάντες, καὶ δικαστῇ χρήσασθαι τῷ πολεμίῳ, περὶ ὧν αὐτοῖς ὁ τύραννος ἐνεκάλει, διδόντες καὶ ἀγορὰν καὶ ὅπλα καὶ τἆλλα, ὅσων ἐδέοντο Τυρρηνοὶ παρασχεῖν ἐπὶ τῇ

  [3] After enumerating these foreign examples he ended with a reference to their own actions, reminding them of the straits to which they had been lately reduced when, their country being in the power of the Tyrrhenians and they themselves shut up within their walls and in great want of the necessaries of life, they had not taken the foolish resolutions of madmen courting death, but yielding to the emergency that was upon them and allowing necessity to teach them their interest, had consented to deliver up to King Porsena their most prominent children as hostages, a thing to which they had never submitted before, to be deprived of part of their territory by the cession of the Seven Districts to the Tyrrhenians, to accept the enemy as the judge of the accusations brought against them by the tyrant, and to furnish provisions, arms, and everything else the Tyrrhenians required as the condition of their putting an end to the war.

  [4] καταλύσει τοῦ πολέμου. τούτοις δὴ τοῖς παραδείγμασι χρησάμενος οὐ τῆς αὐτῆς φρονήσεως ἔργον ἀπέφαινεν εἶναι τοῖς μὲν πολεμίοις περὶ μηθενὸς ὧν ἠξίωσαν ἀντειπεῖν, τοῖς δ᾽ ἑαυτῶν πολίταις περὶ μικροῦ πολεμεῖν διαφόρου, οἳ πολέμους μὲν ἠγωνίσαντο καλοὺς καὶ πολλοὺς περὶ τῆς ἡγεμονίας, ὅτε κατεῖχον οἱ βασιλεῖς τὰ κοινά, μεγάλην δὲ προθυμίαν εἰς τὸ συνελευθερῶσαι τὴν πόλιν ἀπὸ τῶν τυράννων παρέσχοντο, ἔτι δὲ πλείονα παρέξεσθαι σπουδὴν ἔμελλον εἰς τὰ [p. 238]

  [4] Having made use of these examples, he went on to show that it was not the part of the same prudence first to refuse no terms insisted on by their enemies and then to make war over a trivial difference upon their own citizens who had fought many glorious battles for Rome’s supremacy while the kings held sway, and had shown great eagerness in assisting the patricians to free the state from the tyrants, and would show still greater zeal in what remained to be done, if invited to do so; for, though they lacked the means of existence, they would freely expose their persons and lives, which were all they had left, to any dangers for her sake.

  [5] λοιπὰ ἔργα παρακληθέντες, βίων μὲν σπανίζοντες, τὰ δὲ σώματα καὶ τὰς ψυχάς, ἃ μόνα περιῆν αὐτοῖς, ἀφειδῶς εἰς τοὺς περὶ αὐτῆς κινδύνους ἐπιδιδόντες. ἔφη δὲ τελευτῶν ὡς εἰ καὶ μηδὲν ἐπεχείρουν ἐκεῖνοι τοιοῦτον ὑπ᾽ αἰσχύνης κρατούμενοι λέγειν, μηδὲ ἀπαγγέλλειν, τοὺς πατρικίους ἐχρῆν λογισμὸν τὸν προσήκοντα περὶ αὐτῶν λαβόντας, ὧν ᾔδεσαν δεομένους καὶ κοινῇ καὶ καθ᾽ ἕνα ἕκαστον, ταῦτ᾽ ἐξ ἑτοίμου χαρίζεσθαι, ἐνθυμουμένους, ὅτι πρᾶγμα ὑπερήφανον ποιοῦσιν αἰτοῦντες μὲν παρ᾽ ἐκείνων τὰ σώματα, μὴ χαριζόμενοι δ᾽ αὐτοῖς τὰ χρήματα, καὶ λέγοντες μὲν πρὸς ἅπαντας, ὅτι τῆς κοινῆς ἐλευθερίας ἕνεκα πολεμοῦσι, τῶν δὲ συγκατακτησαμένων αὐτὴν ἀφαιρούμενοι, οὐ πονηρίαν ἔχοντες αὐτοῖς ὀνειδίζειν, ἀλλ᾽ ἀπορίαν, ἣν οἰκτείρεσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ μισεῖσθαι προσῆκε.

  [5] In conclusion he said that, even if these men from a sense of shame forbore to say or demand anything of this kind, the patricians ought to take proper account of them and to give them readily whatever they knew they needed, whether as a class or individually, bearing in mind that they, the patricians, were doing an arrogant thing in asking of them their persons while refusing them money, and in publishing to all the world that they were making war to preserve the common liberty even while they were depriving of liberty those who had assisted them in establishing it, though they could reproach them with no wrongdoing, but only with poverty, which deserved compassion rather than hatred.

  [1] τοιαῦτα τοῦ Οὐαλερίου λέγοντος καὶ πολλῶν τὴν γνώμην ἐπαινούντων Ἄππιος Κλαύδιος Σαβῖνος ἐν τῷ προσήκοντι κληθεὶς τόπῳ τἀναντία παρῄνει διδάσκων, ὅτι τὸ στασιάζον οὐκ ἐξαιρεθήσεται τῆς πόλεως, ἐὰν ψηφίσωνται χρεῶν ἀποκοπάς, ἀλλ᾽ ἔτι πονηρότερον ἔσται μεταχθὲν ἀπὸ τῶν πενήτων εἰς τοὺς εὐπόρους.

  [66.1] After Valerius had spoken to this effect and many had approved of his advice, Appius Claudius Sabinus, being called upon at the proper time, advised the opposite course, declaring that the seditious spirit would not be removed from the state if they decreed an abolition of debts, but would become more dangerous by being transferred from the poor to the rich.

  [2] δῆλον γὰρ δὴ πᾶσιν ὑπάρχειν, ὅτι χαλεπῶς οἴσουσιν οἱ μέλλοντες ἀποστερεῖσθαι τῶν χρημάτων πολῖταί τ᾽ ὄντες καὶ ἐπίτιμοι καὶ πάσας ἐστρατευμένοι τὰς ἐπιβαλούσας ὑπὲρ τῆς πόλεως στρατείας, [p. 239] οὐδ᾽ ἀξιοῦντες ἃ κατέλιπον αὐτοῖς οἱ πατέρες καὶ αὐτοὶ φιλεργοῦντες καὶ σωφρόνως ζῶντες ἐκτήσαντο δημεύεσθαι τοῖς πονηροτάτοις καὶ ἀργοτάτοις τῶν πολιτῶν. πολλῆς δ᾽ εἶναι μωρίας ἔργον τῷ χείρονι μέρει τοῦ πολιτεύματος χαρίζεσθαι βουλομένους τοῦ κρείττονος ὑπερορᾶν καὶ τοῖς ἀδικωτάτοις τῶν πολιτῶν τὰς ἀλλοτρίας δημεύοντας οὐσί�
�ς τῶν δικαίως αὐτὰς κτησαμένων ἀφαιρεῖσθαι.

  [2] For it was plain enough to everyone that those who were to be deprived of their money would resent it, as they were not only citizens in possession of all civil rights, but had also served their country in all the campaigns that fell to their lot, and would regard it as unjust that the money left them by their fathers, together with what they themselves had by their industry and frugality acquired, should be confiscated for the benefit of the most unprincipled and the laziest of the citizens. It would be the part of great folly for them, in their desire to gratify the worse part of the citizenry, to disregard the better element, and in confiscating the fortunes of others for the benefit of the most unjust of the citizens, to take them away from those who had justly acquired them.

  [3] ἐνθυμεῖσθαί τ᾽ αὐτοὺς ἠξίου, ὅτι οὐχ ὑπὸ τῶν πενήτων καὶ οὐδεμίαν ἰσχὺν ἐχόντων αἱ πόλεις ἀπόλλυνται τὰ δίκαια ποιεῖν ἀναγκαζομένων, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὸ τῶν εὐπόρων καὶ τὰ πολιτικὰ πράττειν δυναμένων, ὅταν ὑπὸ τῶν χειρόνων ὑβρίζωνται καὶ τῶν δικαίων μὴ τυγχάνωσιν. εἰ δὲ μηδὲν ἀγανακτήσειν μέλλοιεν οἱ τῶν συμβολαίων ἀποστερούμενοι, πρᾴως δέ πως καὶ ῥᾳθύμως οἴσειν τὰς βλάβας, οὐδ᾽ οὕτως ἔφη καλῶς ἕξειν σφίσιν οὐδ᾽ ἀσφαλῶς δωρεὰν τοῖς πένησι χαρίζεσθαι τοιαύτην, δι᾽ ἣν ἀσυνάλλακτος ὁ κοινὸς ἔσται βίος καὶ μισάλληλος καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαίων χρειῶν, ὧν χωρὶς οὐκ ἔνεστιν οἰκεῖσθαι τὰς πόλεις, ἐνδεής, οὔτε τὴν χώραν σπειρόντων ἔτι καὶ φυτευόντων τῶν γεωργῶν, οὔτε τὴν θάλατταν πλεόντων καὶ διαμειβομένων τὰς διαποντίους ἀγορὰς τῶν ἐμπόρων, οὔτε ἄλλην ἐργασίαν οὐδεμίαν δικαίαν ποιουμένων τῶν πενήτων.