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

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus

  [4] μέγιστον δ᾽ ὑμῖν γενέσθω τεκμήριον, ὅτι οὔθ᾽ ὁ νόμος οὔθ᾽ αἱ συνθῆκαι κατ᾽ ἀνδρὸς πατρικίου δικάζειν τῷ δήμῳ δεδώκασιν ἐξουσίαν, ὃ ποιεῖ νῦν αὐτὸς ὁ δῆμος. αἰτεῖται γὰρ αὐτὸ παρ᾽ ὑμῶν τήμερον, ὡς πρότερόν γ᾽ οὐκ ἔχων: οὐδεὶς δ᾽ ἂν ἀξιώσειέ τι παρ᾽ ἄλλων λαμβάνειν,

  [4] But let the greatest indication to you that neither this law nor the compact has given the populace the power of trying a patrician be the present behaviour of the populace themselves. For they ask this power of you today, as not having possessed it hitherto; yet no one would ask to receive from others anything to which he is entitled by law.

  [5] ὧν ἐστι νόμῳ κύριος. δίκαιον δὲ φύσεως ἀνομοθέτητον, ὦ βουλή, πῶς ἂν εἴη τοῦτο: καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο Δέκιος ὑμᾶς ᾤετο δεῖν σκοπεῖν: τοῖς μὲν δημόταις, ἅς τ᾽ ἂν φύγωσι δίκας ὑπὸ τῶν πατρικίων καὶ ἃς ἂν ἐκείνους διώκωσι, τὸν δῆμον δικάζειν, τοῖς δὲ πατρικίοις μήθ᾽ ὅταν ἐπάγωσί τινα τῶν δημοτικῶν δίκην μήθ᾽ ὅταν αὐτοὶ κινδυνεύσωσι τοὺς πατρικίους τὰ νείκη διαιτᾶν, ἀλλὰ τούτοις μὲν ἀμφότερα ἐξεῖναι πλεονεκτεῖν,

  [5] And how can this, senators, be a natural, unwritten right — for Decius thought you ought to consider this — that the populace shall try all causes in which the plebeians are involved, whether the actions are brought against them by the patricians, or by them against the latter, while patricians, whether plaintiffs or defendants in any suit with the plebeians, shall not decide those controversies, but the plebeians shall be given the advantage in both cases, while we enjoy neither right?

  [6] ἡμῖν δ᾽ οὐδετέρου τῶν δικαίων μετέχειν; εἰ [p. 80] δέ τι Μάρκιος ἀδικεῖ τὸν δῆμον, ἢ καὶ ἄλλος τῶν πατρικίων ὁστισοῦν καὶ δίκαιός ἐστιν ἀποθανεῖν ἢ τῆς πόλεως ἐκπεσεῖν, μὴ παρ᾽ αὐτοῖς, ἀλλ᾽ ἐνθάδε κριθεὶς διδότω δίκας, ὥσπερ ἐστὶ νόμιμον. εἰ μὴ ἄρα, ὦ Δέκιε, ὁ μὲν δῆμος ἴσος ἔσται δικαστὴς καὶ οὐθὲν ἂν χαρίσαιτο αὑτῷ πρὸς ἀνδρὸς ἐχθροῦ τὴν ψῆφον ἐπιφέρων: οὗτοι δ᾽ εἰ γένοιντο τῆς ψήφου κύριοι τὸν ἀδικοῦντα περὶ πλείονος ποιήσονται τῆς ἀδικουμένης ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ πόλεως, μέλλοντες ἀρὰν καὶ ἐπιορκίαν καὶ μῖσος μὲν παρ᾽ ἀνθρώπων, χόλον δὲ παρὰ θεῶν ἐκ τῆς δίκης ἀποίσεσθαι καὶ μετὰ πονηρῶν ἐλπίδων ζῆν.

  [6] But if Marcius or any other patrician whatsoever has injured the people and deserves either death or banishment, let him be punished after being tried, not by them, but here, as the law directs. Unless, forsooth, Decius, the populace will be impartial judges and would not show any favour to themselves when giving their votes concerning an enemy, whereas these senators, if they are empowered to vote in his case, will regard the wrong-doer as of more importance than the commonwealth that suffers from his wrongdoing, when as the result of their verdict they are sure to draw upon themselves a curse, the guilt of perjury, the detestation of mankind, and the anger of the gods, and to go through life haunted by dismal hopes!

  [7] οὐκ ἀξιῶ ταῦτα περὶ τῆς βουλῆς ὑμᾶς, ὦ δημόται, σκοπεῖν, ᾗ τιμὰς καὶ ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰ κράτιστα τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει παραχωρεῖν ὁμολογεῖτε δι᾽ ἀρετήν, καὶ πολλὰς χάριτας εἰδέναι φατὲ τῆς προθυμίας, ἣν ἀπεδείξατο περὶ τὴν κάθοδον ὑμῶν. μάχεται ταῦτ᾽ ἀλλήλοις: καὶ οὐκ ἔχει λόγον, οὓς ἐπαινεῖτε, τούτους φοβεῖσθαι καὶ ἅμα τοῖς αὐτοῖς περὶ μὲν τῶν μειζόνων ἐπιτρέπειν, περὶ δὲ

  [7] It is unworthy of you, plebeians, to entertain these suspicions about the senate, to whom you acknowledge that you concede honours, magistracies, and the most important powers in the commonwealth on the basis of merit, and to whom you say you feel very grateful for the zeal they showed for your return. These sentiments are inconsistent with one another; and it is not reasonable that you should fear those you commend and entrust the same persons with the more serious responsibilities while at the same time distrusting them in those of less consequence.

  [8] τῶν ἄλλων ἀπιστεῖν. τί δ᾽ οὐχὶ μιᾷ χρώμενοι γνώμῃ ἢ πάντα πιστεύετε αὐτοῖς ἢ περὶ πάντων ἀπιστεῖτε; ἀλλὰ προβουλεῦσαι μὲν αὐτοὺς τὰ δίκαια ἱκανοὺς εἶναι νομίζετε, δικάσαι δὲ περὶ αὐτῶν τούτων ὧν προβουλεύουσιν οὐχ ἱκανούς. πολλὰ καὶ ἄλλα περὶ τῶν δικαίων εἶχον, ὦ βουλή, λέγειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῦθ᾽ ἱκανά.

  [8] Why do you not keep to one uniform judgment, either trusting them in everything or distrusting them in everything? But, on the contrary, you think them capable of passing a preliminary decree about principles of right, but not of sitting in judgment concerning these very principles involved in that decree. I had many other things to say concerning the rights of this matter, senators; but let this suffice.

  [1] ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ περὶ τοῦ συμφέροντος ἐπειρᾶτο λέγειν Δέκιος, ὡς ἀγαθὸν μὲν ὁμόνοια, δεινὸν [p. 81] δὲ στάσις, καὶ θεραπεύοντες μὲν τὸν δῆμον ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ πολιτευσόμεθα, κωλύσαντες δ᾽ οὓς βούλονται τῶν πατρικίων ἀνδρηλατεῖν ἢ μιαιφονεῖν εἰς πόλεμον ἐμφύλιον καταστησόμεθα, πολλὰ λέγειν ἔχων ὀλίγοις πάνυ χρήσομαι.

  [53.1] “But since Decius undertook to speak also on the subject of advantage, pointing out how excellent a thing harmony is and how terrible a thing sedition, and that, if we cultivate the populace, we shall live together in harmony, but if we hinder them from banishing whomsoever of the patricians they wish or murdering them, we shall be involved in a civil war, though I have many things to say upon this head, I shall content myself with very few.

  [2] πρῶτον μὲν οὖν θαυμάσαι ἔχω Δέκιον τῆς εἰρωνείας: οὐ γὰρ ἠλιθιότητός γε: εἰ κρεῖττον οἴεται τὰ συμφέροντα τῷ κοινῷ φρονεῖν ἑαυτόν, ὃς ἄρτι παρελήλυθεν εἰς πολιτικὰς πράξεις, ἡμῶν τῶν καταγεγηρακότων ἐν αὐταῖς καὶ μεγάλην ἐκ μικρᾶς πεποιηκότων τὴν πόλιν. ἔπειτ᾽ εἰ πείσειν ὑπέλαβεν ὑμᾶς, ὡς χρὴ παραδοῦναί τινα ἔκδοτον ἐπὶ τιμωρίᾳ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς καὶ ταῦτα πολίτην ὑμέτερον καὶ οὐχὶ τῶν ἀφανῶν τινα πολιτῶν ἢ φαύλων, ἀλλ᾽ ὃν αὐτοὶ καὶ τὰ πολέμια λαμπρότατον ἡγεῖσθε εἶναι καὶ τὸν βίον σωφρονέστατον τά τε πολιτικὰ πράττειν οὐθενὸς χείρονα.

  [2] And first I have to marvel at the dissimulation — surely it is not lack of sense — of Decius, if he imagines that he is a better judge of the interests of the state, though he has just entered upon the administration of public affairs, than we who ha
ve grown old in it and have made the city a great from a small one; and, in the next place, if he supposed that he could persuade you that you had to deliver up any man to his enemies to be punished, particularly a fellow-citizen of yours and one who is not a person of no consequence or merit, but one whom you yourselves look upon as most brilliant in war, most exemplary in his private life, and inferior to none in handling public affairs.

  [3] καὶ ταῦτ᾽ ἐτόλμησεν εἰπεῖν εἰδὼς ὑμᾶς πλείστην αἰδῶ ποιουμένους ἱκετῶν, καὶ μηδὲ πολεμίων τοὺς καταφεύγοντας ἐνθάδε ταύτης ἀποκλείοντας τῆς φιλανθρωπίας. εἰ δὲ τἀναντία ἡμᾶς ἐγίγνωσκες ἐπιτηδεύοντας, ὦ Δέκιε, ἀνόσια μὲν φρονοῦντας περὶ θεούς, ἄδικα δὲ πράττοντας πρὸς ἀνθρώπους, τί ἂν ἡμῖν τούτου συνεβούλευες ἔργον ὑπομεῖναι δεινότερον, ἀφ᾽ οὗ πρόρριζοι καὶ πανώλεις, μισηθέντες θεοῖς τε καὶ ἀνθρώποις, διαφθαρησόμεθα;

  [3] And these things he has dared to say, though he knows street you show the greatest respect for suppliants and do not exclude them from such humanity even those of your enemies who flee hither for refuge. Indeed, if you knew we practised the very contrary of all this, Decius, entertaining impious ideas about the gods and practising injustice towards men, what deed more dreadful than this could you have advised us to commit, by which we shall incur the hatred of both gods and men and be utterly and totally destroyed?

  [4] οὐ δεόμεθά σου συμβούλου, Δέκιε, οὔτε περὶ πολιτῶν ἐκδόσεως οὔτε περὶ ἄλλου χρήματος ὧν ἡμῖν πρακτέον οὐδενός: οὐδὲ ὀθνείᾳ φρονήσει νέων ἀνδρῶν τὰ οἰκεῖα συμφέροντα κρίνειν οἰόμεθα δεῖν οἱ [p. 82] μέχρι τῆσδε τῆς ἡλικίας διὰ πολλῆς πείρας κακῶν τε καὶ ἀγαθῶν ἐληλυθότες. πολέμου δ᾽ ἀπειλάς, αἷς χρώμενοι φοβεῖτε ἡμᾶς, οὐ νῦν πρῶτον ἐπαγομένας ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν, ἀλλὰ πολλάκις ἤδη καὶ ὑπὸ πολλῶν ἐπανασεισθείσας τῇ συνήθει πρᾳότητι παραδόντες ἀκαταπλήκτως οἴσομεν.

  [4] We have no need of your advice, Decius, either about delivering up any of our citizens or about any other business we have to transact. Nor do we believe that, in judging of our own interests, we should use a borrowed wisdom of youths — we who, through long experience of both good and evil fortune, have come to our present age. As for the threats of war with which you endeavour to terrify us — not now employed by you for the first time, but flaunted often in the past by many — leaving them to our habitual mildness to deal with, we shall bear them with intrepidity.

  [5] καὶ εἰ δήπερ δράσετε τὰ ὅμοια οἷς λέγετε, ἀμυνούμεθα θεούς τε συναγωνιστὰς ἔχοντες, οἳ νεμεσῶσι τοῖς ἄρχουσι πολέμου ἀδίκου, καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἕξοντες χεῖρα οὐκ ὀλίγην σύμμαχον. Λατῖνοί τε γὰρ ἅπαντες, οἷς νεωστὶ τὴν ἰσοπολιτείαν δεδώκαμεν, σὺν ἡμῖν στήσονται, ὡς περὶ πατρίδος ἤδη τῆς πόλεως τῆσδε ἀγωνιζόμενοι, αἵ τ᾽ ἐνθένδε ἀποικισθεῖσαι πόλεις πολλαὶ καὶ ἀγαθαὶ περὶ παντὸς ποιούμεναι σώζεσθαι τὴν μητρόπολιν ἀμυνοῦσιν αὐτῇ.

  [5] And if you indeed try to do anything like what you threaten, we shall defend ourselves with the assistance both of the gods, who are always wroth with the aggressors in an unjust war, and of men, no small number of whom will be our allies. For all the Latins, to whom we lately granted equal rights of citizenship, will be on our side, fighting for this commonwealth as for a country now their fatherland, and the many flourishing cities colonized from Rome, counting it imperative that their mother-city should be saved, will come to her defence.

  [6] εἰ δ᾽ εἰς ἀνάγκην ἡμᾶς κατακλείσετε τῆς πανταχόθεν ἐπικουρίας περιέχεσθαι, ὑπομενοῦμεν, ὦ Δέκιε, καὶ θεράποντας εἰς ἐλευθερίαν προκαλούμενοι καὶ πολεμίους εἰς φιλίαν καὶ πάντας ἀνθρώπους εἰς κοινωνίαν τῶν ἐκ τῆς νίκης ἐλπίδων ὁμόσε χωρεῖν ὑμῖν. μηθενὸς δὲ τούτων δεήσειεν, ὦ Ζεῦ καὶ θεοὶ πάντες οἱ πόλιν τὴν Ῥωμαίων κατέχοντες, ἀλλ᾽ εἴη μέχρι λόγων τὰ φοβερὰ ταῦτ᾽ ἐλθεῖν, ἔργον δὲ μηθὲν ἐξ αὐτῶν γένοιτ᾽ ἄχαρι.

  [6] And if you reduce us to the necessity of embracing every kind of assistance, Decius, we shall submit to inviting even our slaves to liberty, our enemies to friendship, and all mankind to a share in our hopes of victory, and then join issue with you. But, O Jupiter and all ye gods who guard the Roman state, may there be no occasion for anything of this kind! Rather may these terrible threats go no farther than words and result in no deplorable act!”

  [1] ταῦτα μὲν Ἄππιος εἶπεν. Μάνιος δὲ Οὐαλέριος ὁ δημοτικώτατος τῶν ἐκ τοῦ συνεδρίου καὶ περὶ [p. 83] τὰς διαλλαγὰς πλείστην ἀποδειξάμενος προθυμίαν φανερῶς καὶ τότε τῷ δήμῳ συνελάμβανε καὶ λόγον διεξῆλθε μετὰ πολλῆς συγκείμενον φροντίδος, ἐπιτιμῶν μὲν τοῖς οὐκ ἐῶσι μίαν εἶναι τὴν πόλιν, ἀλλὰ διαιροῦσι τὸ δημοτικὸν ἀπὸ τῶν πατρικίων καὶ διὰ μικρὰς προφάσεις πολέμους ἀναζωπυροῦσιν ἐμφυλίους: ἐπαινῶν δὲ τοὺς ἓν τὸ συμφέρον καὶ κοινὸν ἡγουμένους καὶ πάντ᾽ ἐλάττω τῆς ὁμονοίας τιθεμένους, διδάσκων, ὡς, εἰ γένοιτο τῆς δίκης ὁ δῆμος, ὥσπερ ἀξιοῖ, κύριος, καὶ ταύτην παρὰ τοῦ συνεδρίου τὴν χάριν ἑκόντος λάβοι, τάχα μὲν οὐδ᾽ ἐπέξεισιν ἄχρι τέλους, ἀλλ᾽ ἀρκεσθεὶς αὐτῷ τῷ κεκρατηκέναι τοῦ σώματος ἐπιεικέστερον μᾶλλον ἢ χαλεπώτερον αὐτῷ χρήσεται.

  [54.1] Thus Appius spoke. Then Manius Valerius, who was the greatest friend to the plebeians of all the senators and had shown the greatest zeal for the accommodation, upon this occasion also openly espoused their cause and delivered a speech, composed with much thought, in which he censured those senators who would not permit the commonwealth to remain united, but sought to divide the plebeians from the patricians and for trifling causes to rekindle the flames of strife. He then commended those who held that there was but one advantage to be considered and that the common advantage, and regarded everything else as secondary to harmony; and he showed them that, if the populace obtained the right to try this man, as they demanded, and received this privilege also with the consent of the senate, possibly they would not even press the prosecution to the end but, satisfied with having got him in their power, would treat him with lenity rather than severity.

  [2] εἰ δ᾽ ἄρα ἐκ παντὸς οἰομένων τρόπου τῶν δημάρχων τέλος ἐπιθεῖναι δεῖν νόμιμον τῇ δίκῃ τῆς ψήφου γενήσεται κύριος, ἀπολύσει τὸν ἄνδρα τῆς αἰτίας αἰδούμενος μὲν αὐτὸ τὸ κινδυνεῦον σῶμα, οὗ πολλὰ καὶ καλὰ ἔργα ἔχει μεμνῆσθαι, ἀνταποδι�
�οὺς δὲ ταύτην τὴν χάριν τῇ παρασχούσῃ τὴν ἐξουσίαν αὐτῷ βουλῇ καὶ πρὸς μηδὲν ἐναντιωθείσῃ

  [2] And even if the tribunes should believe it to be necessary by all means to carry the case through to its lawful conclusion and the populace should thus be empowered to give their votes concerning him, they would acquit him of the charge, partly out of respect for the defendant himself, and partly by way of making this return to the senate for the favour it had granted by giving them this power and by opposing them in nothing that was reasonable.

  [3] τῶν μετρίων. παρεῖναι μέντοι τῇ δίκῃ συνεβούλευε καὶ συναπολογεῖσθαι τῷ ἀνδρὶ καὶ τὸν δῆμον ἀξιοῦν μηθὲν διαγνῶναι περὶ αὐτοῦ χαλεπὸν τούς θ᾽ ὑπάτους καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τοῦ συνεδρίου πάντας καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους πατρικίους κατὰ πλῆθος ἀφικομένους: συνοίσειν [p. 84] γὰρ οὐ μικρὰ τῷ κινδυνεύοντι καὶ τούτους εἰς σωτηρίας ῥοπήν: καὶ μὴ μόνον αὐτοὺς οὕτως ἔχειν ταῖς γνώμαις, ἀλλὰ καὶ πελάτας ἕκαστον τοὺς αὑτοῦ παρακαλεῖν καὶ φίλους συνάγειν, καὶ εἴ τινας οἰκείως ἔχειν σφίσι τῶν δημοτικῶν δι᾽ εὐεργεσίας ὑπολαμβάνουσι, καὶ τούτους νυνὶ τὴν πρότερον ὀφειλομένην χάριν ἐπὶ

  [3] Nevertheless, he advised that not only the consuls, but all the senators and the rest of the patricians as well should be present in a body at the trial and assist Marcius in making his defence and entreat the people to come to no harsh decision concerning him, assure and them that the presence of these men also would contribute not a little toward turning the scales on the side of the defendant’s acquittal’ and he advised that they should not only thus assist him themselves by expressing their views, but that each of them should summon his own clients and assemble his friends, and if they thought that any of the plebeians were attached to them as the result of benefits they had received from them, they should ask these too to show their gratitude for former favours now when they were to give their votes.