Humanitext Reader

Plutarch · Life of Sertorius §25.1-25.4

Perpenna's Instigation and Retaliation against Hostages

Passage 25 of 27 · Greek

Summary

With the improvement of their prospects, envy arises among the Roman nobles around Sertorius, fueled by Perpenna's instigations. Their mistreatment of the natives leads to widespread rebellions, prompting Sertorius to retaliate cruelly against the native children kept at Osca.

§25.1ἐν δʼ Ἰβηρίᾳ τῶν περὶ Σερτώριον συγκλητικῶν καὶ ἰσοτίμων, ὡς πρῶτον εἰς ἀντίπαλον ἐλπίδα κατέστησαν, ἐπανέντος τοῦ φόβου, φθόνος ἥπτετο καὶ ζῆλος ἀνόητος τῆς ἐκείνου δυνάμεως, ἐνῆγε δὲ Περπέννας διʼ εὐγένειαν ἐπαιρόμενος φρονήματι κενῷ πρὸς τὴν ἡγεμονίαν, καὶ λόγους μοχθηροὺς διεδίδου κρύφα τοῖς ἐπιτηδείοις· §25.2τίς ἄρα πονηρὸς ἡμᾶς ὑπολαβὼν ἐκ κακῶν εἰς χείρονα φέρει δαίμων, οἳ Σύλλᾳ μὲν ὁμοῦ τι συμπάσης ἄρχοντι γῆς καὶ θαλάττης ποιεῖν τὸ προσταττόμενον οὐκ ἠξιοῦμεν οἴκοι μένοντες, δεῦρο δὲ φθαρέντες ὡς ἐλεύθεροι βιωσόμενοι δουλεύομεν ἑκουσίως τὴν Σερτωρίου δορυφοροῦντες φυγήν, ὄνομα χλευαζόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκουόντων, σύγκλητος, ὄντες, ὕβρεις δὲ καὶ προστάγματα καὶ πόνους οὐκ ἐλάττονας Ἰβήρων καὶ Λυσιτανῶν ὑπομένοντες; §25.3τοιούτων ἀναπιμπλάμενοι λόγων οἱ πολλοὶ φανερῶς μὲν οὐκ ἀφίσταντο, δεδοικότες αὐτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν, κρύφα δὲ τάς τε πράξεις ἐλυμαίνοντο, καὶ τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐκάκουν κολάζοντες πικρῶς καὶ δασμολογοῦντες, ὡς Σερτωρίου κελεύοντος.
In Iberia, among the senators and those of equal rank around Sertorius, as soon as they first came to a hope of rivaling [the enemy], and as their fear relaxed, envy and foolish jealousy of his power began to take hold of them. Perpenna, in particular, puffed up by his noble birth with a vain pride toward the leadership, incited them and secretly spread malicious words among his associates: "What evil deity, then, has taken us in hand to carry us from bad to worse? We, who when staying at home did not deign to do what was commanded by Sylla, who ruled over almost the whole land and sea, have come to ruin here, intending to live as free men, yet voluntarily serve as bodyguards of Sertorius's exile. Though we are 'the Senate,' a name mocked by those who hear it, we endure insults, commands, and hardships no less than the Iberians and Lusitanians." Filled with such words, the majority did not openly revolt, fearing his power, but secretly ruined his undertakings and ill-treated the barbarians by punishing them severely and levying taxes, pretending that Sertorius ordered it.
ἐξ ὧν ἀποστάσεις ἐγίνοντο καὶ ταραχαὶ περὶ τάς πόλεις.
From these things, rebellions and disturbances arose among the cities.
§25.4οἱ δὲ πεμπόμενοι ταῦτα θεραπεύειν καὶ ἀποπραΰνειν ἐπανήρχοντο πλείονας ἐξειργασμένοι πολέμους καὶ τάς ὑπαρχούσας ηὐξηκότες ἀπειθείας, ὥστε τὸν Σερτώριον ἐκ τῆς προτέρας ἐπιεικείας καὶ πρᾳότητος μεταβαλόντα περὶ τοὺς ἐν Ὄσκῃ τρεφομένους παρανομῆσαι παῖδας τῶν Ἰβήρων, τοὺς μὲν ἀνελόντα, τοὺς δὲ ἀποδόμενον.
And those who were sent to remedy and appease these troubles returned having worked up more wars and increased the existing disobedience, so that Sertorius, changing from his former leniency and mildness, acted lawlessly toward the children of the Iberians who were being brought up at Osca, killing some and selling others into slavery.

Notes

  1. §25.1τῶν περὶ Σερτώριον συγκλητικῶν καὶ ἰσοτίμων — Genitive governed by the verb ἥπτετο (imperfect of ἅπτομαι, "to touch, take hold of"). Positioned at the beginning of the sentence, it emphasizes the logical subject experiencing the envy.
  2. §25.2ὄνομα χλευαζόμενον ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκουόντων, σύγκλητος, ὄντες — The participle ὄντες (nominative plural of εἰμί) agrees with the relative pronoun οἳ, with σύγκλητος ("Senate") serving as its complement. The phrase ὄνομα ... ("a name mocked...") acts as an appositive to σύγκλητος.
  3. §25.3ὡς Σερτωρίου κελεύοντος — The combination of the conjunction ὡς with the genitive absolute (Σερτωρίου κελεύοντος) expresses an alleged or subjective reason ("under the pretext that Sertorius ordered it"), rather than an objective fact.
  4. §25.4περὶ τοὺς ἐν Ὄσκῃ τρεφομένους παρανομῆσαι παῖδας τῶν Ἰβήρων — The infinitive παρανομῆσαι ("to act lawlessly") is used here with περί and the accusative (τοὺς ... παῖδας) to mean "to commit lawless acts against..." or "to mistreat..."

Cite this passage

Plutarch, Life of Sertorius §25.1-25.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg042.humanitext-grc2:25.1-25.4

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