§introτὰς ἀρχαίας ἱστορίας διὰ τὰ παράδοξα τῆς πράξεως οἱ πλεῖστοι νομίζουσι πλάσματα καὶ μύθους τυγχάνειν εὑρὼν δʼ ἐγὼ καὶ ἐν τοῖς νῦν χρόνοις γεγονότα ὅμοια, τὰ ἐν τοῖς Ῥωμαϊκοῖς καιροῖς συμβεβηκότα ἐξελεξάμην, καὶ ἑκάστῳ πράγματι ἀρχαίῳ νεωτέραν ὁμοίαν διήγησιν ὑπέταξα, ἀναγράψας καὶ τοὺς ἱστορήσαντας ἄνδρας.
Most people, on account of the incredible nature of the events, believe that ancient histories are fictions and myths. But I, having found that similar events have occurred even in present times, selected those things that happened in Roman times, and under each ancient event I placed a similar, more recent account, having also recorded the men who related them.
§1Δάτις ὁ Περσῶν σατράπης μετὰ τριάκοντα μυριάδων εἰς Μαραθῶνα παραγενόμενος, πεδίον τῆς Ἀττικῆς, καὶ στρατοπεδευσάμενος πόλεμον τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις κατήγγειλεν· Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ τοῦ βαρβαρικοῦ πλήθους καταφρονήσαντες ἐνακισχιλίους ἔπεμψαν, στρατηγοὺς ποιήσαντες Κυνέγειρον Πολύζηλον Καλλίμαχον Μιλτιάδην.
Datis, the satrap of the Persians, having arrived at Marathon, a plain of Attica, with three hundred thousand men, and having encamped, declared war against the inhabitants; but the Athenians, despising the barbarian multitude, sent nine thousand men, having made Cynaegirus, Polyzelus, Callimachus, and Miltiades generals.
συμβληθείσης δὲ τῆς παρατάξεως, Πολύζηλος μὲν ὑπεράνθρωπον φαντασίαν θεασάμενος τὴν ὅρασιν ἀπέβαλε καὶ τυφλὸς ἐγένετο· Καλλίμαχος δὲ πολλοῖς περιπεπαρμένος δόρασι καὶ νεκρὸς ἐστάθη· Κυνέγειρος δὲ Περσικὴν ἀναγομένην ναῦν κατασχὼν ἐχειροκοπήθη.
When the battle was joined, Polyzelus indeed, having beheld a superhuman vision, lost his sight and became blind; Callimachus, pierced with many spears, stood upright even though dead; and Cynaegirus, having grasped a Persian ship that was putting out to sea, had his hand cut off.
Ἀσδρούβας βασιλεὺς Σικελίαν καταλαβόμενος πόλεμον Ῥωμαίοις κατήγγειλε· Μέτελλος δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς συγκλήτου στρατηγὸς χειροτονηθεὶς ἐγκρατὴς ἐγένετο τῆς νίκης ταύτης, ἐν ᾗ Λεύκιος Γλαύκων εὐγενὴς ἀνήρ, τὴν Ἀσδρούβα κατέχων ναῦν, ἀμφοτέρας ἀπέβαλε τὰς χεῖρας· καθάπερ ἱστορεῖ Ἀριστείδης Μιλήσιος ἐν πρώτῃ Σικελικῶν, παρʼ οὗ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ἔμαθε Διονύσιος ὁ Σικελιώτης.
Hasdrubal the king, having seized Sicily, declared war against the Romans; but Metellus, having been elected general by the senate, gained possession of this victory, in which Lucius Glaucon, a noble man, grasping Hasdrubal's ship, lost both his hands; just as Aristides the Milesian relates in the first book of the Sicilian History, from whom Dionysius the Sicilian learned the subject.
§2Ξέρξης μετὰ πεντακοσίων μυριάδων Ἀρτεμισίῳ προσορμίσας πόλεμον τοῖς ἐγχωρίοις κατήγγειλεν· Ἀθηναῖοι δὲ συγκεχυμένοι κατάσκοπον ἔπεμψαν Ἀγησίλαον, τὸν Θεμιστοκλέους ἀδελφόν, καίπερ Νεοκλέους τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ κατʼ ὄναρ ἑωρακότος ἀμφοτέρας ἀποβεβληκότα τὰς χεῖρας.
Xerxes, having anchored at Artemisium with five million men, declared war against the inhabitants; but the Athenians, being thrown into confusion, sent Agesilaus, the brother of Themistocles, as a spy, although Neocles his father had seen in a dream that he had lost both his hands.
παραγενόμενος δὲ εἰς τοὺς βαρβάρους ἐν σχήματι Περσικῷ Μαρδόνιον ἕνα τῶν σωματοφυλάκων ἀνεῖλεν ὑπολαμβάνων Ξέρξην εἶναι.
Having arrived among the barbarians in Persian dress, he slew Mardonius, one of the bodyguards, supposing him to be Xerxes.
συλληφθεὶς δὲ πρὸς τῶν πέριξ δέσμιος ἤχθη πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα.
Having been arrested by those around, he was led bound to the king.
βουθυτεῖν δὲ τοῦ προειρημένου μέλλοντος ἐπὶ τῷ τοῦ ἡλίου βωμῷ, τὴν δεξιὰν ἐπέθηκε χεῖρα, καὶ ἀστενάκτως ὑπομείνας τὴν ἀνάγκην τῶν βασάνων ἠλευθερώθη τῶν δεσμῶν εἰπών,
πάντες ἐσμὲν τοιοῦτοι Ἀθηναῖοι· εἰ δʼ ἀπιστεῖς, καὶ τὴν ἀριστερὰν ἐπιθήσω. φοβηθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ξὲρξης φρουρεῖσθαι αὐτὸν προσέταξε καθάπερ ἱστορεῖ Ἀγαθαρχίδης Σάμιος δευτέρᾳ τῶν Περσικῶν.
When the aforesaid was about to sacrifice oxen at the altar of the Sun, Agesilaus placed his right hand upon it, and having endured the necessity of the tortures without groaning, he was freed from his bonds, saying: "We Athenians are all such men; and if you do not believe, I will place my left hand on it also." And Xerxes, being afraid, ordered him to be kept under guard; just as Agatharchides of Samos relates in the second book of the Persian History.
Πορσίνας Τούσκων βασιλεὺς πέραν ποταμοῦ Θύμβρεως στρατεύσας ἐπολέμησε Ῥωμαίοις, καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ σιτίων φερομένην εὐθηνίαν Ῥωμαίοις μέσην λαβὼν λιμῷ τοὺς προειρημένους ἔτρυχε.
Porsena, the king of the Tuscans, having campaigned across the river Thymbris, made war against the Romans, and having cut off in the middle the supply of food brought to the Romans, afflicted the aforesaid with hunger.
τῆς δὲ συγκλήτου συγκεχυμένης, Μούκιος τῶν ἐπισήμων ἀνὴρ λαβὼν τετρακοσίους ἀπὸ τῶν ὑπάτων ὁμήλικας ἐν ἰδιωτικῷ σχήματι τὸν ποταμὸν διῆλθεν.
When the senate was thrown into confusion, Mucius, a distinguished man, taking four hundred companions of his own age from the consuls, crossed the river in private dress.
ἰδὼν δὲ τὸν σωματοφύλακα τοῦ τυράννου τὰ ἐπιτήδεια διαδιδόντα τοῖς στρατηγοῖς, ὑπολαβὼν αὐτὸν τὸν Πορσίναν εἶναι ἀνεῖλεν.
Seeing the bodyguard of the tyrant distributing provisions to the generals, and supposing him to be Porsena himself, he slew him.
ἀχθεὶς δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν βασιλέα τοῖς ἐμπύροις ἐπέθηκε τὴν δεξιὰν χεῖρα καὶ στέξας τὰς ἀλγηδόνας εὐψύχως ἐμειδίασεν εἰπών,
βάρβαρε, λέλυμαι, κἂν μὴ θέλῃς· καὶ ἴσθι ἡμᾶς καρὰ σοῦ τετρακοσίους ὄντας ἐν τῷ στρατοπέδῳ, οἵ σε ἀνελεῖν ζητοῦμεν. ὁ δὲ φοβηθεὶς σπονδὰς πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἐποιήσατο· καθάπερ ἱστορεῖ Ἀριστείδης ὁ Μιλήσιος ἐν τρίτῃ ἱστοριῶν.
Being led before the king, he placed his right hand upon the burning coals, and having endured the pains with noble spirit, he smiled, saying: "Barbarian, I am released, even if you do not wish it; and know that there are four hundred of us in your camp who seek to slay you." And he, being afraid, made a treaty with the Romans; just as Aristides the Milesian relates in the third book of the Histories.
§3ἀργεῖν καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων ὑπὲρ Θυρεάτιδος χώρας πολεμούντων, οἱ Ἀμφικτύονες ἔκριναν πολεμῆσαι τριακοσίους ἑκατέρων καὶ τῶν νικησάντων εἶναι τὴν χώραν.
When the Argives and the Lacedaemonians were at war over the territory of Thyreatis, the Amphictyons decided that three hundred of each should fight, and that the territory should belong to the victors.
Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὲν οὖν Ὀθρυάδην ἐποίησαν στρατηγὸν Ἀργεῖοι δὲ Θέρσανδρον.
The Lacedaemonians, therefore, made Othryades general, and the Argives, Thersander.
πολεμούντων δὲ δύο ἐκ τῶν Ἀργείων περιελείφθησαν, Ἀγήνωρ καὶ Χρόμιος οἵτινες εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἤγγειλαν τὴν νίκην.
As they fought, two of the Argives survived, Agenor and Chromius, who reported the victory to their city.
ἐρημίας δʼ ὑπαρχούσης ὁ Ὀθρυάδης ἐπιζήσας καὶ ἡμικλάστοις δόρασιν ἐπερειδόμενος τὰς τῶν νεκρῶν ἁρπάζων ἀσπίδας περιείλετο· καὶ τρόπαιον στήσας ἐκ τοῦ ἰδίου αἵματος ἐπέγραψε
Διὶ τροπαιούχῳ. καὶ τῶν δύο στάσιν ἐχόντων, οἱ Ἀμφικτύονες αὐτόπται γενόμενοι Λακεδαιμονίους προκρίνουσι· καθάπερ Χρύσερμος ἐν τρίτῳ Πελοποννησιακῶν.
But when the field was deserted, Othryades, who was still alive and supporting himself on half-broken spears, stripped and gathered the shields of the dead; and having erected a trophy, he wrote with his own blood: "To Zeus, Giver of Victory." And when both sides disputed, the Amphictyons, having become eyewitnesses, decided in favor of the Lacedaemonians; just as Chrysermus relates in the third book of the Peloponnesian History.
Ῥωμαῖοι πρὸς Σαμνίτας πόλεμον ἔχοντες στρατηγὸν ἐχειροτόνησαν Ποστούμιον Ἀλβῖνον.
The Romans, having a war against the Samnites, elected Postumius Albinus general.
οὗτος κατὰ τὰς καλουμένας φορκούλας Καυδίνας ἔστι δὲ τόπος στενώτατος ἐνεδρευθεὶς τρεῖς ἀπέβαλε λεγεῶνας καὶ αὐτὸς καιρίως τρωθεὶς ἔπεσε.
He, having been ambushed at the so-called Caudine Forks, which is a very narrow place, lost three legions, and he himself fell, mortally wounded.
βαθείας δὲ νυκτὸς ὀλίγον ἐπιζήσας περιείλετο τῶν ἀνῃρημένων πολεμίων τὰς ἀσπίδας, καὶ εἰς τὸ αἷμα τὴν χεῖρα βαπτίσας ἔστησε τρόπαιον ἐπιγράψας
Ῥωμαῖοι κατὰ Σαμνιτῶν Διὶ τροπαιούχῳ. Μάξιμος δὲ ὁ ἐπικληθεὶς Λαίμαργος, στρατηγὸς πεμφθεὶς καὶ παραγενόμενος ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον, ἰδὼν τὸ τρόπαιον τὸν οἰωνὸν ἀσμένως ἐδέξατο· καὶ συμβαλὼν ἐνίκησε καὶ αἰχμάλωτον λαβὼν τὸν βασιλέα εἰς Ῥώμην ἔπεμψεν· ὡς Ἀριστείδης ὁ Μιλήσιος ἐν τρίτῃ Ἰταλικῶν.
Surviving a little into the deep night, he stripped the shields of the slain enemies, and having dipped his hand in blood, he erected a trophy, inscribing: "The Romans against the Samnites, to Zeus, Giver of Victory." And Maximus, surnamed Laimargos, being sent as general and arriving at the place, gladly accepted the omen upon seeing the trophy; and having joined battle, he conquered, and taking the king captive, sent him to Rome; as Aristides the Milesian relates in the third book of the Italian History.