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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §11.35.1-11.35.5

Sympathy of the People and Outrageous Speech of Appius

Passage 835 of 962 · Greek

Summary

While the onlookers weep in sympathy for the beautiful but unfortunate girl and realize the threat to their own liberties, Appius, consumed by lust, responds to their compassion with anger and utters a shameless speech that reveals his own tyrannical scheme.

§11.35.1ταῦτα καὶ πολλὰ τούτοις ὅμοια παρεχομένων αὐτῶν ἰσχυρὰ καὶ οὐδένα λόγον ἐναντίον δέξασθαι δυνάμενα καὶ πολὺν ἐν ταῖς συμφοραῖς τῆς κόρης ἔλεον καταχεομένων, οἱ μὲν ἄλλοι πάντες, ὅσοι συνήκουον τῶν λόγων, τῆς τε μορφῆς οἶκτον ἐλάμβανον, §11.35.2ὁπότʼ εἰς τὴν παρθένον ἴδοιεν· καὶ γὰρ ἐν ἐσθῆτι οὖσα πιναρᾷ καὶ κατηφὲς ὁρῶσα καὶ τὸ καλὸν τῶν ὀμμάτων ἐκτήκουσα τὰς ἁπάντων ἥρπαζεν ὄψεις, οὕτως ὑπεράνθρωπός τις ὥρα περὶ αὐτὴν καὶ χάρις ἦν· καὶ τὸ τῆς τύχης ἀνεκλαίοντο παράλογον, εἰς οἵας ὕβρεις καὶ προπηλακισμοὺς ἐλεύσοιτο ἐξ οἵων ἀγαθῶν.
While they were offering these and many similar strong proofs which were capable of receiving no argument to the contrary, and pouring out much pity upon the misfortunes of the girl, all the others who heard their words felt compassion for her appearance, whenever they looked at the maiden; for she, being in soiled clothing, looking downcast, and melting the beauty of her eyes, attracted the gaze of all, so superhuman was a certain beauty and grace about her; and they lamented the inconsistency of fortune, to see from what blessings into what insults and outrages she was about to come.
§11.35.3εἰσῄει τʼ αὐτοὺς λογισμός, ὅτι τοῦ περὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίας νόμου καταλυθέντος οὐδὲν ἔσται τὸ κωλῦον καὶ τὰς αὐτῶν γυναῖκας καὶ θυγατέρας τὰ αὐτὰ ἐκείνῃ παθεῖν.
And a reflection entered their minds, that if the law concerning liberty should be destroyed, there would be nothing to prevent their own wives and daughters from suffering the same fate as she.
ταῦτά τε δὴ καὶ πολλὰ τούτοις ὅμοια ἐπιλογιζόμενοι καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλους διαλαλοῦντες ἔκλαιον.
Reflecting indeed upon these and many similar things and talking among themselves, they wept.
§11.35.4ὁ δὲ Ἄππιος, οἷα δὴ φύσιν τε οὐ φρενήρης ἀνὴρ καὶ ὑπὸ μεγέθους ἐξουσίας διεφθαρμένος, οἰδῶν τε τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ ζέων τὰ σπλάγχνα διὰ τὸν ἔρωτα τῆς παιδός, οὔτε τοῖς λόγοις τῶν ἀπολογουμένων προσεῖχεν οὔτε τοῖς δάκρυσιν αὐτῆς ἐπεκλᾶτο, τήν τε συμπάθειαν τῶν παρόντων διʼ ὀργῆς ἐλάμβανεν, ὡς αὐτὸς δὴ πλείονος ὢν ἄξιος ἐλέου καὶ δεινότερα ὑπὸ τῆς δεδουλωμένης αὐτὸν εὐμορφίας πεπονθώς.
But Appius, being by nature not a man of sound mind and corrupted by the greatness of his power, swelling in his soul and boiling in his breast because of his passion for the girl, neither paid attention to the words of those who defended her nor was moved by her tears; and he received the sympathy of those present with anger, as if he himself were indeed worthy of greater pity and had suffered more terrible things at the hands of the beauty that had enslaved him.
§11.35.5διὰ δὴ ταῦτα πάντα οἰστρῶν λόγον τε ὑπέμεινεν εἰπεῖν ἀναίσχυντον, ἐξ οὗ καταφανὴς ἐγένετο τοῖς ὑπονοοῦσιν, ὅτι τὸ συκοφάντημα κατὰ τῆς κόρης αὐτὸς ἔγραψε καὶ ἔργον ἐτόλμησε τυραννικὸν πρᾶξαι καὶ ὠμόν.
Driven mad indeed by all these things, he went so far as to utter a shameless speech, from which it became clear to those who had suspicions that he himself had drafted the false accusation against the girl and had dared to commit a tyrannical and cruel deed.

Notes

  1. 11.35.1παρεχομένων αὐτῶν — Genitive absolute construction. The subject is `αὐτῶν` (referring to the father and relatives of the girl in the previous section), which goes with the two parallel middle participles `παρεχομένων` and `καταχεομένων`. `ἰσχυρὰ` is a predicative adjective modifying the object `ταῦτα καὶ πολλὰ τούτοις ὅμοια` ("presenting them as strong").
  2. 11.35.2ὁπότʼ εἰς τὴν παρθένον ἴδοιεν — The temporal conjunction `ὁπότε` combined with the optative `ἴδοιεν` (from `ὁράω`) expresses iterative action in the past ("whenever they looked"). This corresponds with the imperfect `ἐλάμβανον` in the main clause.
  3. 11.35.3οὐδὲν ἔσται τὸ κωλῦον καὶ τὰς αὐτῶν γυναῖκας καὶ θυγατέρας τὰ αὐτὰ ἐκείνῃ παθεῖν — `τὸ κωλῦον` is a substantivized participle meaning "that which prevents." It is followed by an accusative and infinitive clause introduced by `καὶ` (subject: `τὰς αὐτῶν γυναῖκας καὶ θυγατέρας`, verb: `παθεῖν`, object: `τὰ αὐτὰ`), meaning "there will be nothing to prevent their own wives... from suffering." `ἐκείνῃ` is a dative of association with `τὰ αὐτὰ` ("the same things as she").
  4. 11.35.4ὡς αὐτὸς δὴ πλείονος ὢν ἄξιος ἐλέου — The construction of `ὡς` with the participles `ὢν` and `πεπονθώς` expresses a subjective reason or pretext. It reveals Appius's self-righteous inner thoughts ("under the impression that he himself was worthy of greater pity").

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §11.35.1-11.35.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:11.35.1-11.35.5

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