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

by Dionysius of Halicarnassus

  [1] ὡς δὲ καθῆκεν ὁ χρόνος, ἐν ᾧ τὸ προβούλευμα ἔδει γενέσθαι, συγκαλέσαντες οἱ ὕπατοι τὴν βουλὴν καὶ πολλὰς ὑπὲρ ὁμονοίας καὶ εὐκοσμίας ποιησάμενοι [p. 204] παρακλήσεις πρώτοις ἀπέδωκαν λέγειν τοῖς εἰσηγησαμένοις δημάρχοις τὸν νόμον.

  [57.1] When the time had come for the preliminary decree to be passed, the consuls assembled the senate and after many exhortations to harmony and good order they gave leave to the tribunes who had proposed the law to speak first.

  [2] καὶ παρελθὼν εἷς ἐξ αὐτῶν Γάϊος Κανολήιος περὶ μὲν τοῦ δίκαιον ἢ συμφέροντα εἶναι τὸν νόμον οὔτ᾽ ἐδίδασκεν οὔτ᾽ ἐμέμνητο: θαυμάζειν δ᾽ ἔφη τῶν ὑπάτων, ὅτι βεβουλευμένοι τε καὶ κεκρικότες ἤδη κατὰ σφᾶς αὐτοὺς ἃ δεῖ πράττειν, ὥσπερ ἀδοκίμαστον πρᾶγμα καὶ βουλῆς δεόμενον εἰς τὸ συνέδριον ἐπεχείρησαν εἰσφέρειν, καὶ λόγον ἀπέδωκαν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ τοῖς προαιρουμένοις, εἰρωνείαν εἰσάγοντες οὔτε ταῖς ἑαυτῶν ἡλικίαις ἁρμόττουσαν, οὔτε τῷ μεγέθει τῆς ἀρχῆς προσήκουσαν.

  [2] Then Gaius Canuleius, one of these, came forward and, without trying to show that the law was either just or advantageous or even mentioning that topic, said that he wondered at the consuls, who, after already consulting and deciding by themselves what should be done, had attempted to bring it before the senate as if it were a matter that had not been examined and required consideration, and had then given all who so chose leave to speak about it, thereby introducing a dissimulation unbecoming both to their age and to the greatness of their magistracy.

  [3] πονηρῶν τ᾽ ἀρχὰς ἔφη πολιτευμάτων αὐτοὺς εἰσάγειν ἀπόρρητα βουλευτήρια συνάγοντας ἐν ἰδίαις οἰκίαις, καὶ οὐδ᾽ ἅπαντας τοὺς βουλευτὰς εἰς ταῦτα παρακαλοῦντας, ἀλλὰ τοὺς σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ἐπιτηδειοτάτους. τῶν μὲν οὖν ἄλλων συνέδρων τῶν ἀπελαθέντων τῆς κατοικιδίου βουλῆς ἧττον ἔφη θαυμάζειν, Μάρκου δὲ Ὁρατίου καὶ Λευκίου Οὐαλερίου τῶν καταλυσάντων τὴν ὀλιγαρχίαν, ὑπατικῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ οὐδενὸς ἧττον ἐπιτηδείων τὰ κοινὰ βουλεύειν, τὴν ἀπαξίωσιν τῆς εἰς τὸ συνέδριον παρακλήσεως ἐκπεπλῆχθαι, καὶ οὐ δύνασθαι συμβάλλειν ἐπὶ τίνι λόγῳ δικαίῳ, εἰκάζειν δὲ μίαν αἰτίαν, ὅτι πονηρὰς καὶ ἀσυμφόρους γνώμας εἰσηγεῖσθαι μέλλοντες κατὰ τῶν δημοτικῶν οὐκ ἐβούλοντο παρακαλεῖν εἰς ταῦτα τὰ συνέδρια τοὺς φιλοδημοτάτους, ἀγανακτήσοντας δηλονότι καὶ οὐ περιοψομένους [p. 205] οὐδὲν ἄδικον πολίτευμα κατὰ τοῦ δήμου γινόμενον.

  [3] He said that they were introducing the beginnings of evil policies by assembling secret councils in private houses and by summoning to them not even all the senators, but only such as were most attached to themselves. He was not so greatly surprised, he said, that the other members had been excluded from this senatorial house party, but was astounded that Marcus Horatius and Lucius Valerius, who had overthrown the oligarchy, were ex-consuls and were as competent as anyone for deliberating about the public interests, had not been thought worthy to be invited to the meeting. He could not imagine on what just ground this had been done, but he could guess one reason, namely that, as they intended to introduce wicked measures prejudicial to the plebeians, they were unwilling to invite to these councils the greatest friends of the populace, who would be sure to express their indignation at such proposals and would not permit any unjust measure to be adopted against the interests of the people.

  [1] τοιαῦτα Γαΐου Κανοληίου μετὰ πολλοῦ σχετλιασμοῦ λέγοντος καὶ τῶν μὴ παραληφθέντων εἰς τὸ συνέδριον βουλευτῶν πρὸς ὀργὴν δεξαμένων τὸ πρᾶγμα παρελθὼν ἅτερος τῶν ὑπάτων Γενύκιος ἀπολογεῖσθαι καὶ πραΰνειν τὰς ὀργὰς αὐτῶν ἐπειρᾶτο διδάσκων, ὅτι τοὺς μὲν φίλους παραλάβοιεν, οὐχ ἵνα τι κατὰ τοῦ δήμου διαπράξαιντο, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα μετὰ τῶν ἀναγκαιοτάτων βουλεύσαιντο, τί πράττοντες οὐδ᾽ ὁποτέραν δόξουσιν ἐλαττοῦν τῶν αἱρέσεων, πότερον ταχεῖαν ἀποδιδόντες τῇ βουλῇ περὶ τοῦ νόμου διάγνωσιν ἢ

  [58.1] When Canuleius had spoken thus with great indignation and the senators who had not been summoned to the council resented their treatment, Genucius, one of the consuls, came forward and endeavoured to justify himself and his colleague and to appease the anger of the others by telling them that they had called in their friends, not in order to carry out any design against the populace, but in order to consult with their closest intimates by what course they might appear to do nothing prejudicial to either one of the parties, whether by referring the consideration of the law to the senate promptly or doing so later.

  [2] χρονιωτέραν. Ὁράτιον δὲ καὶ Οὐαλέριον οὐκ ἄλλης τινὸς χάριν αἰτίας μὴ παραλαβεῖν εἰς τὸ συνέδριον, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα μή τις ὑποψία περὶ αὐτῶν παρ᾽ ἀξίαν ᾖ τοῖς δημοτικοῖς, ὡς μεταβεβλημένων τὴν προαίρεσιν τῆς πολιτείας, ἐὰν ἄρα ἐπὶ τῆς ἑτέρας γένωνται γνώμης, τῆς ἀξιούσης ἀναβαλέσθαι τὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ νόμου διάγνωσιν εἰς ἕτερον καιρὸν ἐπιτηδειότερον. ἐπειδὴ δ᾽ ἅπασι τοῖς παραληφθεῖσιν ἡ συντομωτέρα διάγνωσις ἀμείνων ἔδοξεν εἶναι τῆς βραδυτέρας, πράττειν ὡς ἐκείνοις ἐφάνη.

  [2] As for Valerius and Horatius, he said their only reason for not inviting them to the council had been to prevent the plebeians from entertaining any unwarranted suspicion of them as of men who had changed their political principles, in case they should embrace the other opinion, which called for putting off the consideration of the law to a more suitable occasion. But since all who had been invited to the meeting had felt that a speedy decision was preferable to a delayed one, the consuls were following the course thus favoured.

  [3] ταῦτ᾽ εἰπὼν καὶ θεοὺς ἐπομοσάμενος ἦ μὴν τἀληθῆ λέγειν καὶ τοὺς παρακληθέντας ἐκ τῶν βουλευτῶν, ἔφη, πᾶσαν ἀπολύσεσθαι διαβολὴν οὐ λόγοις,

  [3] Having spoken thus and sworn by the gods that he was indeed speaking the truth, and appealing for confirmation to the senators who had been invited to the meeting, he said that he would clear himself of every imputation, not by his words, but by his actions.

  [4] ἀλλ᾽ ἔργοις. ὅταν γὰρ οἱ βουλόμενοι κατηγορεῖν καὶ ἀπολογεῖσθαι περὶ τοῦ νόμου διεξέλθωσι τὰ δίκαια, [p. 206] πρώτους ἐπὶ τὴν ἐρώτησιν τῆς γνώμης καταλέγειν οὐχὶ τοὺς πρεσβυτάτους καὶ τιμιωτάτους τῶν βουλευτῶν, οἷς ἐκ τῶν πατρίων ἐθι�
�μῶν καὶ τοῦτ᾽ ἀποδεδόσθαι τὸ γέρας, οὐδὲ τοὺς δι᾽ ὑποψίας ὄντας παρὰ τοῖς δημοτικοῖς, ὡς οὐδὲν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν χρηστὸν οὔτε λέγοντας οὔτε φρονοῦντας, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ τῶν νεωτέρων τοὺς δοκοῦντας εἶναι φιλοδημοτάτους.

  [4] For after all who desired to speak in opposition to the law or in favour of it had given their reasons, he would first call for questioning as to their opinions, not the oldest and the most honoured of the senators, to whom this privilege among others was accorded by established usage, nor those who were suspected by the plebeians of neither saying nor thinking anything that was to their advantage, but rather such of the younger senators as seemed to be most friendly to the populace.

  [1] ὑποσχόμενος δὲ ταῦτα καὶ δοὺς ἐξουσίαν τοῖς βουλομένοις λέγειν, ἐπειδὴ οὔτε κατηγορήσων οὔτ᾽ ἀπολογησόμενος οὐδεὶς ὑπὲρ τοῦ νόμου παρῄει, παρελθὼν αὖθις ἐρωτᾷ πρῶτον Οὐαλέριον, τί τῷ κοινῷ συμφέρει, καὶ τί προβουλεῦσαι τοῖς συνέδροις παραινεῖ.

  [59.1] After making these promises he gave leave to any who so desired to speak; and when no one came forward either to censure the law or to defend it, he came forward again, and beginning with Valerius, asked him what was to the interest of the public and what preliminary vote he advised the senators to pass.

  [2] ὁ δ᾽ ἀναστὰς καὶ πολλοὺς διεξελθὼν ὑπὲρ αὑτοῦ τε καὶ τῶν προγόνων λόγους ὡς ἐπὶ τῷ συμφέροντι τῆς πόλεως τοῦ δημοτικοῦ μέρους προϊσταμένων, καὶ καταριθμησάμενος ἅπαντας ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοὺς κατασχόντας τὴν πόλιν κινδύνους ἐκ τῶν τἀναντία πολιτευομένων, τοῖς τ᾽ ἀπεχθῶς ἐσχηκόσι πρὸς τὸ δημοτικὸν ἅπασιν ἀλυσιτελὲς γενόμενον ἀποδείξας τὸ μισόδημον, ἐπαίνους τε πολλοὺς περὶ τοῦ δήμου ποιησάμενος, ὡς αἰτιωτάτου τῇ πόλει γεγονότος οὐ μόνον τῆς ἐλευθερίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἡγεμονίας, ἐπεὶ ταῦτα καὶ παραπλήσια τούτοις διεξῆλθε, τελευτῶν ἔφη μὴ δύνασθαι πόλιν ἐλευθέραν εἶναι, ἐξ ἧς ἄν τις τὴν ἰσότητ᾽ ἀνέλῃ:

  [2] Valerius, rising up, made a long speech concerning both himself and his ancestors, who, he said, had always been champions of the plebeian party to the advantage of the commonwealth. He enumerated all the dangers from the beginning which had been brought upon it by those who pursued the contrary measures and showed that a hatred for the populace had been unprofitable to all those who had been actuated by it. He then said many things in praise of the people, alleging that they had been the principal cause not only of the liberty but also of the supremacy of the commonwealth. After enlarging upon this and similar themes, he ended by saying that no state could be free from which equality was banished;

  [3] ἔφη τε δοκεῖν ἑαυτῷ τὸν μὲν νόμον [p. 207] δίκαιον εἶναι τὸν ἀξιοῦντα πᾶσι μετεῖναι Ῥωμαίοις τῆς ὑπατικῆς ἀρχῆς, τοῖς γε δὴ βίον ἀνεπίληπτον ἐσχηκόσι καὶ πράξεις ἀποδεδειγμένοις τῆς τιμῆς ταύτης ἀξίας, τὸν δὲ καιρὸν οὐκ ἐπιτήδειον εἰς τὴν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ διάγνωσιν ἐν πολεμικαῖς ὑπαρχούσης ταραχαῖς τῆς πόλεως:

  [3] and he declared that to him the law, indeed, seemed just which gave a share in the consulship to all Romans, — to all, that is, who had led irreproachable lives and had performed actions worthy of that honour, — but he thought the occasion was not suitable for the consideration of this law when the commonwealth was in the midst of war’s disturbances.

  [4] συνεβούλευέ τε τοῖς μὲν δημάρχοις ἐᾶν τὴν καταγραφὴν γενέσθαι τῶν στρατιωτῶν καὶ τὴν ἔξοδον μὴ κωλύειν τῶν καταγραφέντων, τοῖς δ᾽ ὑπάτοις, ὅταν τὸ κράτιστον τέλος ἐπιθῶσι τῷ πολέμῳ, πρῶτον ἁπάντων τὸ περὶ τοῦ νόμου προβούλευμα εἰς τὸν δῆμον ἐξενεγκεῖν. ταῦτα δὲ γραφῆναί τ᾽ ἤδη καὶ διομολογηθῆναι πρὸς ἀμφοτέρων.

  [4] He advised the tribunes to permit the enrolling of the troops and not to hinder them when enrolled from taking the field; and he advised the consuls, when they had ended the war in the most successful manner, first of all things to lay before the people the preliminary decree concerning the law. These proposals, he urged, should be reduced to writing at once and agreed to by both parties.

  [5] ταύτην ἀποδειξαμένου τὴν γνώμην Οὐαλερίου καὶ μετὰ τοῦτον Ὁρατίου — δευτέρῳ γὰρ τούτῳ λόγον ἀπέδωκαν οἱ ὕπατοι — ταὐτὸ πάθος ἅπασι τοῖς παροῦσι συνέβη. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἀνελεῖν τὸν νόμον βουλόμενοι τὴν ἀναβολὴν τῆς περὶ αὐτοῦ διαγνώσεως ἀγαπητῶς ἀκούσαντες, τὸ μετὰ τὸν πόλεμον ἐπάναγκες εἶναι σφίσι προβουλεῦσαι περὶ αὐτοῦ χαλεπῶς ἀπεδέξαντο: οἱ δὲ κύριον ὑπὸ τοῦ συνεδρίου κριθῆναι προαιρούμενοι τὸ μὲν ὡμολογημένον δίκαιον εἶναι τὸν νόμον ἀσμένως ἤκουον, τὸ δ᾽ εἰς ἑτέρους ἐκπίπτειν χρόνους τὸ προβούλευμα πρὸς ὀργὴν ἐλάμβανον.

  [5] This opinion of Valerius, which was supported by Horatius (For the consuls gave him leave to speak next), had the same effect upon all who were present. For those who desired to do away with the law, though pleased to hear that its consideration was postponed, nevertheless accepted with anger the necessity of passing a preliminary decree concerning it after the war; while the others, who preferred to have the law approved by the senate, though glad to hear it acknowledged as just, were at the same time angry that the preliminary decree was put off to another time.

  [1] θορύβου δέ, ὅπερ εἰκός, ἐπὶ τῇ γνώμῃ γενομένου διὰ τὸ μὴ πᾶσι τοῖς μέρεσιν αὐτῆς εὐαρεστεῖν [p. 208] ἀμφοτέρους παρελθὼν ὁ ὕπατος τρίτον ἠρώτα Γάϊον Κλαύδιον, ὃς ἐδόκει τῶν προεστηκότων τῆς ἑτέρας τάξεως τῆς ἐναντιουμένης τοῖς δημοτικοῖς αὐθαδέστατος εἶναι καὶ δυνατώτατος.

  [60.1] An uproar having broken out as the result of this opinion, as was to be expected, since neither side was pleased with all parts of it, the consul, coming forward, asked in the third place the opinion of Gaius Claudius, who had the reputation of being the most haughty and the most powerful of all the leaders of the other party, which opposed the plebeians.

  [2] οὗτος ἐκ παρασκευῆς διεξῆλθε λόγον κατὰ τῶν δημοτικῶν, πάνθ᾽ ὅσα ἔδοξε πώποτε ἐναντία τοῖς καλοῖς καὶ πατρίοις ἐθισμοῖς ὑπομιμνήσκων, οὗ κεφάλαιον ἦν, εἰς ὃ κατέσκηπτεν ἡ γνώμη, μηδεμίαν ἀποδιδόναι τῇ βουλῇ διάγνωσιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ νόμου τοὺς ὑπάτους, μήτ᾽ ἐν τῷ παρόντι χρόνῳ μήθ᾽ ὕστερον, ὡς ἐπὶ καταλύσει τῆς ἀριστοκρατίας εἰσφερομένου καὶ σ
υγχεῖν μέλλοντος ἅπαντα τὸν κόσμον τῆς πολιτείας.

  [2] This man delivered a prepared speech against the plebeians in which he called to mind all the things the populace had ever done contrary, as he thought, to the excellent institutions of their ancestors. The climax with which he ended his speech was the motion that the consuls should not permit to the senate any consideration of the law at all, either at that time or later, since it was being introduced for the purpose of overthrowing the aristocracy and was bound to upset the whole order of their government.

  [3] γενομένου δὲ πρὸς τὴν γνώμην ἔτι πλείονος θορύβου τέταρτος ἀνίσταται κληθεὶς Τίτος Γενύκιος, ἀδελφὸς θατέρου τῶν ὑπάτων: ὃς ὀλίγα διαλεχθεὶς ὑπὲρ τῶν κατεχόντων καιρῶν τὴν πόλιν, ὅτι δυεῖν ἀνάγκη τῶν χαλεπωτάτων θάτερον αὐτῇ συμπεσεῖν, ἢ διὰ τὰς πολιτικὰς ἔριδας καὶ φιλοτιμίας ἰσχυρὰ τὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ποιῆσαι πράγματα, ἢ τοὺς ἔξωθεν ἐπιφερομένους ἀποτρέψασθαι βουλομένῃ κακῶς τὸν οἰκεῖον καὶ πολιτικὸν διαλύσασθαι πόλεμον:

  [3] When even more of an uproar was caused by this motion, Titus Genucius, who was brother to one of the consuls, was called upon in the fourth place. He, rising up, spoke briefly about the emergencies confronting the city, how it was inevitable that one or the other of two most grievous evils should befall it, either through its civil strifes and rivalries to strengthen the cause of its enemies, or, from a desire to avert the attacks from the outside, to settle ignominiously the domestic and civil war;