§10.22.1τῷ δʼ ἑξῆς ἐνιαυτῷ Γάιος Ναύτιος τὸ δεύτερον αἱρεθεὶς καὶ Λεύκιος Μηνύκιος παραλαβόντες τὴν ὕπατον ἀρχὴν τέως μὲν ὑπὲρ τῶν πολιτικῶν δικαίων πόλεμον ἐντὸς τείχους ἐπολέμουν πρὸς τοὺς ἅμα Οὐεργινίῳ δημάρχους τοὺς τέταρτον ἔτος ἤδη τὴν αὐτὴν κατασχόντας ἀρχήν.
In the following year, Gaius Nautius, elected for the second time, and Lucius Minucius, having entered upon the consulship, were for some time waging a war within the walls over civic rights against the tribunes of the plebs who, together with Verginius, were already holding the same office for the fourth year.
§10.22.2ἐπεὶ δʼ ἀπὸ τῶν πλησιοχώρων ἐθνῶν πόλεμος ἐπεγένετο τῇ πόλει, καὶ δέος ἦν, μὴ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀφαιρεθῶσιν, ἀσμένως δεξάμενοι τὸ συμβὰν ἀπὸ τῆς τύχης τὸν στρατιωτικὸν ἐποιοῦντο κατάλογον καὶ μερισάμενοι τριχῇ τάς τε οἰκείας καὶ τὰς παρὰ τῶν συμμάχων δυνάμεις μίαν μὲν ἐν τῇ πόλει μοῖραν κατέλιπον, ἧς ἡγεῖτο Κόιντος Φάβιος Οὐιβολανός, τὰς δὲ λοιπὰς αὐτοὶ παραλαβόντες ἐξῄεσαν διὰ ταχέων, ἐπὶ μὲν Σαβίνους Ναύτιος, ἐπὶ δʼ §10.22.3Αἰκανοὺς Μηνύκιος.
But when war from the neighboring nations came upon the city, and there was a fear that they might be deprived of their office, gladly welcoming this occurrence of fortune, they made a military levy. Dividing their own forces and those from the allies into three parts, they left one division in the city, which Quintus Fabius Vibulanus commanded, and taking the remaining forces, they themselves went out in haste, Nautius against the Sabines, and Minucius against the Aequi.
ἀμφότερα γὰρ ταῦτα τὰ ἔθνη κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν χρόνον ἀφειστήκει τῆς Ῥωμαίων ἀρχῆς, Σαβῖνοι μὲν ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ, καὶ μέχρι Φιδήνης πόλεως ἤλασαν, ἧς ἐκράτουν Ῥωμαῖοι — τετταράκοντα δʼ εἰσὶν οἱ διὰ μέσου τῶν πόλεων στάδιοι — Αἰκανοὶ δὲ λόγῳ μὲν φυλάττοντες τὰ τῆς νεωστὶ γενομένης συμμαχίας δίκαια, ἔργῳ δὲ καὶ οὗτοι πράττοντες τὰ τῶν πολεμίων.
For both these nations had revolted from the Roman rule at the same time, the Sabines openly, and they marched as far as the city of Fidenae, which the Romans held—the distance between the cities being forty stades—and the Aequi, while in words maintaining the obligations of the recently formed alliance, yet in deed they too were acting as enemies.
§10.22.4ἐπὶ γὰρ τοὺς συμμάχους αὐτῶν Λατίνους ἐστράτευσαν, ὡς οὐ γενομένων αὐτοῖς πρὸς ἐκείνους ὁμολογιῶν περὶ φιλίας.
For they marched against their allies, the Latins, on the pretext that no treaties of friendship had been made between themselves and them.
ἡγεῖτο δὲ τῆς στρατιᾶς Γράγχος Κοίλιος, ἀνὴρ δραστήριος ἀρχῇ κοσμηθεὶς αὐτοκράτορι, ἣν ἐπὶ τὸ βασιλικώτερον ἐξήγαγεν.
The commander of the army was Gracchus Coelius, an active man adorned with supreme power, which he exercised in a rather kingly fashion.
ἐλάσας δὲ μέχρι Τύσκλου πόλεως, ἣν Αἰκανοὶ τῷ πρόσθεν ἐνιαυτῷ καταλαβόμενοι καὶ διαρπάσαντες ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ἐξεκρούσθησαν, ἀνθρώπους τε πολλοὺς ἐκ τῶν ἀγρῶν συνήρπασε καὶ βοσκήματα, ὅσα κατέλαβε, καὶ τοὺς καρποὺς τῆς γῆς ἐν ἀκμῇ ὄντας ἔφθειρεν.
Having marched as far as the city of Tusculum, which the Aequi had captured and plundered the previous year but were driven out of by the Romans, he carried off many people from the fields and whatever cattle he found, and destroyed the crops of the land which were in their prime.
§10.22.5ἀφικομένης δὲ πρεσβείας, ἣν ἀπέστειλεν ἡ Ῥωμαίων βουλὴ μαθεῖν ἀξιοῦσα, τί παθόντες Αἰκανοὶ πολεμοῦσι τοῖς Ῥωμαίων συμμάχοις, φιλίας τʼ αὐτοῖς ὀμωμοσμένης νεωστὶ καὶ οὐδενὸς ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ χρόνῳ γενομένου προσκρούσματος τοῖς ἔθνεσι, καὶ παραινούσης τῷ Κοιλίῳ τούς τʼ αἰχμαλώτους αὐτῶν οὓς εἶχεν ἀφιέναι καὶ τὴν στρατιὰν ἀπάγειν καὶ περὶ ὧν ἠδίκησεν ἢ κατέβλαψε Τυσκλάνους δίκην ὑποσχεῖν, πολὺν μὲν χρόνον διέτριψεν ὁ Γράγχος οὐδʼ εἰς λόγους τοῖς πρεσβευταῖς ἐρχόμενος, ὡς ἐν ἀσχολίαις δή §10.22.6τισι γεγονώς.
And when an embassy arrived, which the Roman senate had sent, asking to learn what had happened to the Aequi that they were making war on the allies of the Romans, since friendship had been sworn between them recently and no conflict had occurred between the nations in the meantime, and advising Coelius to release those of their captives whom he held, to lead away his army, and to submit to trial for the wrongs and injuries he had done to the Tusculans, Gracchus delayed for a long time, not even coming to parley with the ambassadors, pretending to be occupied with some business.
ἐπεὶ δʼ οὖν ἔδοξεν αὐτῷ προσάγειν τοὺς πρέσβεις, κἀκεῖνοι τοὺς ἐπισταλέντας ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς λόγους διεξῆλθον· θαυμάζω. φησίν, ὑμῶν, ὦ Ῥωμαῖοι, τί δή ποτʼ αὐτοὶ μὲν ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους ἡγεῖσθε πολεμίους, καὶ ὑφʼ ὧν οὐδὲν κακὸν πεπόνθατε, ἀρχῆς καὶ τυραννίδος ἕνεκα, Αἰκανοῖς δʼ οὐ συγχωρεῖτε παρὰ τουτωνὶ Τυσκλάνων ἐχθρῶν ὄντων ἀναπράττεσθαι δίκας, οὐθενὸς ἡμῖν διωμολογημένου περὶ αὐτῶν, §10.22.7ὅτε τὰς πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐποιούμεθα συνθήκας.
But when at last he decided to admit the ambassadors, and they had delivered the words entrusted to them by the senate, he said: "I wonder at you, O Romans, why indeed you yourselves consider all men as enemies, even those from whom you have suffered no harm, for the sake of empire and tyranny, but do not permit the Aequi to exact satisfaction from these Tusculans here who are our enemies, when nothing was agreed upon concerning them between us when we made the treaty with you.
εἰ μὲν οὖν τῶν ὑμετέρων ἰδίων ἀδικεῖσθαί τι ἢ βλάπτεσθαι λέγετε ὑφʼ ἡμῶν, τὰ δίκαια ὑφέξομεν ὑμῖν κατὰ τὰς ὁμολογίας· εἰ δὲ περὶ Τυσκλάνων ἀναπραξόμενοι δίκας ἥκετε, οὐθείς ἐστιν ὑμῖν πρὸς ἐμὲ περὶ τούτων λόγος, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ταύτην λαλεῖτε τὴν φηγόν· δείξας αὐτοῖς τινα πλησίον πεφυκυῖαν.
If, therefore, you say that any of your own property has been wronged or damaged by us, we will submit to justice according to the agreements; but if you have come to exact satisfaction for the Tusculans, you have no business with me concerning these matters, but speak to this oak tree," pointing out to them one that grew near by.