§10.15.1συνέβη δὲ αὐτῷ πάντων διαμαρτεῖν ὧν ἤλπισεν οὔτε δούλων αὐτομολησάντων πρὸς αὐτὸν οὔτε φυγάδων κατελθόντων οὔτε ἀτίμων καὶ καταχρέων τὸ ἴδιον κέρδος ἀντὶ τοῦ κοινῇ συμφέροντος ἀλλαξαμένων, τῆς τε ἔξωθεν ἐπικουρίας οὐ λαβούσης χρόνον ἱκανὸν εἰς παρασκευὴν τοῦ πολέμου· τρισὶ γὰρ ἢ τέτταρσι ταῖς πρώταις ἡμέραις τέλος εἰλήφει τὰ πράγματα μέγα δέος καὶ πολλὴν ταραχὴν Ῥωμαίοις παρασχόντα.
But it happened to him to fail in all that he had hoped for, since neither did the slaves desert to him, nor did the exiles return, nor did the disenfranchised and those burdened with debt exchange their private gain for the common advantage, and the assistance from without did not receive sufficient time for the preparation of the war; for within the first three or four days the affair had come to an end, having caused great fear and much confusion to the Romans.
§10.15.2ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἑάλω τὰ φρούρια, κραυγῆς ἄφνω γενομένης καὶ φυγῆς τῶν περὶ ἐκείνους οἰκούντων τοὺς τόπους, ὅσοι μὴ παραχρῆμα ἐσφάγησαν, ἀγνοοῦντες οἱ πολλοὶ τὸ δεινὸν ὅ τι ποτʼ ἦν ἁρπάσαντες τὰ ὅπλα συνέτρεχον, οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τὰ μετέωρα χωρία τῆς πόλεως, οἱ δʼ εἰς τοὺς ἀναπεπταμένους αὐτῆς τόπους πολλοὺς σφόδρα ὄντας, οἱ δʼ εἰς τὰ παρακείμενα πεδία· ὅσοι δʼ ἡλικίας ἐν τῷ παρηκμακότι ἦσαν καὶ ῥώμης σώματος ἐν τῷ ἀδυνάτῳ, τὰ τέγη τῶν οἰκιῶν κατεῖχον ἅμα γυναιξὶν ὡς ἀπὸ τούτων ἀγωνιούμενοι πρὸς τοὺς εἰσεληλυθότας· ἅπαντα γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐδόκει μεστὰ εἶναι πολέμου.
For when the fortresses were taken, a cry having suddenly arisen and a flight of those who dwelt around those places, except as many as were immediately slaughtered, most of the people, not knowing what the danger might be, snatched up their arms and ran together, some to the high places of the city, others to its open spaces, which were very numerous, and others to the adjacent plains; and as many as were past their prime in age and unable in bodily strength occupied the roofs of the houses together with the women, as if to fight from there against those who had entered; for everything seemed to them to be full of war.
§10.15.3ἡμέρας δὲ γενομένης ὡς ἐγνώσθη τὰ κεκρατημένα τῆς πόλεως φρούρια καὶ ὅστις ἦν ὁ κατέχων ἀνὴρ τοὺς τόπους, οἱ μὲν ὕπατοι προελθόντες εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐκάλουν τοὺς πολίτας ἐπὶ τὰ ὅπλα, οἱ δὲ δήμαρχοι προσκαλεσάμενοι τὸν δῆμον εἰς ἐκκλησίαν ἔλεγον, ὅτι τῷ μὲν συμφέροντι τῆς πόλεως οὐδὲν ἀξιοῦσι πράττειν ἐναντίον, δίκαιον δὲ ὑπολαμβάνουσιν εἶναι τηλικοῦτον ἀγῶνα μέλλοντα τὸν δῆμον ὑπομένειν ἐπὶ ῥητοῖς τισι καὶ διωρισμένοις ἐπὶ τὸ §10.15.4κινδύνευμα χωρεῖν.
But when day came, and it was known that the fortresses of the city had been captured and who the man was who held those places, the consuls, having come forward into the forum, called the citizens to arms; but the tribunes, having summoned the people to an assembly, said that they did not think fit to do anything contrary to the advantage of the city, but they considered it just that when the people were about to undergo so great a struggle, they should go to the danger upon certain specified and defined terms.
εἰ μὲν οὖν, ἔφασαν λέγοντες, ὑπισχνοῦνταί τε ὑμῖν οἱ πατρίκιοι καὶ πίστεις βούλονται δοῦναι τὰς ἐπὶ θεῶν, ὅτι καταλυθέντος τοῦδε τοῦ πολέμου συγχωρήσουσιν ὑμῖν ἀποδεῖξαι νομοθέτας καὶ τὸν λοιπὸν χρόνον ἐν ἰσηγορίᾳ πολιτεύεσθαι, συνελευθερῶμεν αὐτοῖς τὴν πατρίδα· εἰ δὲ οὐθὲν ἀξιοῦσι ποιεῖν τῶν μετρίων, τί κινδυνεύομεν καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν προιέμεθα μηθενὸς ἀγαθοῦ μέλλοντες ἀπολαύσεσθαι; §10.15.5ταῦτα λεγόντων αὐτῶν καὶ τοῦ δήμου πειθομένου καὶ μηδὲ φωνὴν ὑπομένοντος ἀκούειν τῶν ἄλλο τι παραινούντων ὁ μὲν Κλαύδιος οὐθὲν ἠξίου δεῖσθαι τοιαύτης συμμαχίας, ἥτις οὐχ ἑκούσιος, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ μισθῷ καὶ οὐδὲ τούτῳ μετρίῳ βοηθεῖν βούλεται τῇ πατρίδι, ἀλλʼ αὐτοὺς ἔφη τοὺς πατρικίους ἑαυτῶν σώμασι καὶ τῶν συνόντων αὐτοῖς πελατῶν ὁπλισαμένους, καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο πλῆθος ἐθελούσιον αὐτοῖς συναρεῖται τοῦ πολέμου, μετὰ τούτων πολιορκεῖν τὰ φρούρια· ἐὰν δὲ μηδʼ οὕτως ἀξιόχρεως ἡ δύναμις αὐτοῖς εἶναι δοκῇ, Λατίνους τε καὶ Ἕρνικας παρακαλεῖν, ἐὰν δʼ ἀνάγκη, καὶ δούλοις ἐλευθερίαν ὑπισχνεῖσθαι καὶ πάντας μᾶλλον ἢ τοὺς ἐπὶ τοιούτων καιρῶν μνησικακοῦντας σφίσι παρακαλεῖν.
"If, therefore," they said, speaking, "the patricians promise you and are willing to give pledges in the presence of the gods, that when this war is ended they will permit you to appoint lawmakers and for the remaining time to live under equal rights of speech, let us help them to liberate the common fatherland; but if they do not think fit to do anything reasonable, why do we run risks and throw away our lives for them, when we are about to enjoy no good thing?" When they spoke thus, and the people were persuaded and did not endure to hear even the voice of those who advised otherwise, Claudius thought they should by no means need such an alliance, which was not voluntary, but for a reward, and that not a moderate one, wished to assist the fatherland, but he said that the patricians themselves, having armed their own bodies and those of the clients who were with them, and if any other multitude should voluntarily join with them in the war, should with these besiege the fortresses; and if even so the force should not seem to them to be sufficient, they should call upon the Latins and the Hernicians, and if there were need, even promise freedom to the slaves and call upon anyone rather than those who bore them malice at such times.
§10.15.6ὁ δʼ ἕτερος τῶν ὑπάτων Οὐαλέριος ἀντέλεγε πρὸς ταῦτα οὐκ οἰόμενος δεῖν ἠρεθισμένον τὸ δημοτικὸν ἐκπολεμῶσαι τελέως τοῖς πατρικίοις, εἶξαί τε συνεβούλευε τῷ καιρῷ καὶ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ἔξωθεν πολεμίους τά γε δίκαια ἀντιτάττειν, πρὸς δὲ τὰς πολιτικὰς διατριβὰς τὰ μέτρια καὶ εὐγνώμονα.
But Valerius, the other of the consuls, spoke against this, not thinking that they ought to make the excited plebeians completely hostile to the patricians, and he advised yielding to the occasion, and against the external enemies to oppose justice, and against the civil disputes to oppose moderate and reasonable measures.
§10.15.7ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῖς πλείοσι τῶν ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ τὰ κράτιστα ἐδόκει λέγειν, προελθὼν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ λόγον εὐπρεπῆ διεξελθὼν τελευτῶν τῆς δημηγορίας ὤμοσεν, ἐὰν ὁ δῆμος συνάρηται μετὰ προθυμίας τοῦ πολέμου καὶ καταστῇ τὰ πράγματα τῆς πόλεως, συγχωρήσειν τοῖς δημάρχοις προθεῖναι τῷ πλήθει τὴν περὶ τοῦ νόμου διάγνωσιν, ὃν εἰσέφερον ὑπὲρ τῆς ἰσονομίας, καὶ σπουδάσειν, ὅπως ἐπὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀρχῆς ἐπὶ τέλος ἀχθῇ τὰ δόξαντα τῷ δήμῳ.
And since he seemed to the majority of those in the senate to speak what was best, having come forward into the assembly and having delivered a fitting speech, at the end of his harangue he swore that, if the people should zealously join in the war and the affairs of the city should be settled, he would permit the tribunes to propose to the multitude the decision concerning the law which they were bringing in for equal rights, and would exert himself so that during his own magistracy the things resolved upon by the people should be brought to an end.
ἦν δὲ ἄρα οὐθὲν αὐτῷ πεπρωμένον ἐπιτελέσαι τῶν ὁμολογηθέντων πλησίον οὔσης τῆς τοῦ θανάτου μοίρας.
But after all, it was not fated for him to accomplish any of the things agreed upon, since the destiny of his death was near.