Humanitext Reader

Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §11.40.1-11.40.8

Verginius Arrives at the Camp and Addresses the Army

Passage 840 of 962 · Greek

Summary

Verginius, after slaying his daughter, arrives at the camp near Mount Algidus covered in blood. Standing before the soldiers, he denounces the cruelties and lawlessness of the Decemvirs and exhorts them to unite and liberate their country.

§11.40.1τὰ μὲν δὴ κατὰ πόλιν ἐν τοιαύταις ἦν ταραχαῖς.
The affairs in the city, indeed, were in such a state of confusion.
Οὐεργίνιος δʼ, ὃν ἔφην αὐτόχειρα γενέσθαι τῆς ἑαυτοῦ θυγατρός, ἀπὸ ῥυτῆρος ἐλαύνων τὸν ἵππον ἀφικνεῖται περὶ λύχνων ἁφὰς ἐπὶ τὸν πρὸς Ἀλγιδῷ χάρακα, τοιοῦτος οἷος ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐξέδραμεν, αἵματι πεφυρμένος ἅπας καὶ τὴν μαγειρικὴν σφαγίδα διὰ §11.40.2χειρὸς ἔχων.
And Verginius, who, as I said, had with his own hand slain his daughter, riding his horse at full speed, arrived about the time of lighting the lamps at the camp near Algidus, in the same condition as when he had fled from the city, all covered with blood and holding the butcher's knife in his hand.
ἰδόντες δʼ αὐτὸν οἱ πρὸ τοῦ στρατοπέδου τὰς φυλακὰς φυλάττοντες ἐν ἀπόρῳ τʼ ἦσαν ὅ τι πέπονθεν εἰκάσαι, καὶ παρηκολούθουν ὡς ἀκουσόμενοι μέγα πρᾶγμα καὶ δεινόν.
And those who were keeping guard in front of the camp, seeing him, were at a loss to conjecture what had happened to him, and followed him in the expectation of hearing of some great and terrible event.
ὁ δὲ τέως μὲν ἐπορεύετο κλαίων καὶ διασημαίνων τοῖς ὁμόσε χωροῦσιν ἀκολουθεῖν· ἐξέτρεχον δʼ ἐκ τῶν σκηνῶν ἃς διεπορεύετο μεταξὺ δειπνοῦντες ἅπαντες ἀθρόοι φανοὺς ἔχοντες καὶ λαμπάδας, ἀγωνίας πλήρεις καὶ θορύβου περιεχόμενοι §11.40.3περὶ αὐτὸν ἠκολούθουν.
For a while he went along weeping and motioning to those who came near him to follow; and they all ran out from the tents past which he was going, in the midst of their supper, in a body, carrying torches and lamps, and full of anxiety and confusion, they surrounded and followed him.
ἐπεὶ δʼ εἰς τὸν ἀναπεπταμένον τοῦ στρατοπέδου τόπον ἦλθεν, ἐπὶ μετεώρου τινὸς στάς, ὥσθʼ ὑπὸ πάντων ὁρᾶσθαι, διηγεῖτο τὰς καταλαβούσας αὐτὸν συμφοράς, μάρτυρας τῶν λόγων παρεχόμενος τοὺς σὺν αὐτῷ παρόντας ἐκ τῆς πόλεως.
When he came to an open space in the camp, standing on some high ground so that he might be seen by all, he related the misfortunes that had befallen him, producing as witnesses of his words those who had accompanied him from the city.
ὡς δὲ κατέμαθεν ὀλοφυρομένους τε πολλοὺς καὶ δακρύοντας, εἰς ἱκεσίας καὶ δεήσεις αὐτῶν ἐτράπετο, μὴ περιιδεῖν μήτʼ αὐτὸν ἀτιμώρητον γενόμενον μήτε τὴν πατρίδα προπηλακιζομένην.
And when he perceived that many were lamenting and shedding tears, he turned to entreaties and supplications, begging them not to permit either himself to go unavenged or their country to be insulted.
λέγοντι δʼ αὐτῷ ταῦτα πολὺ τὸ βουλόμενον ἐξ ἁπάντων ἀκούειν καὶ ἐπικελευόμενον λέγειν ἐγίνετο.
While he was saying this, there arose from all a great desire to hear him and they urged him to speak.
§11.40.4τοιγάρτοι καὶ θρασύτερον ἤδη καθήπτετο τῆς ὀλιγαρχίας διεξιών, ὡς πολλῶν μὲν ἀφείλοντο τὰς οὐσίας οἱ δέκα, πολλῶν δὲ πληγαῖς ᾐκίσαντο τὰ σώματα, παμπόλλους δὲ φυγεῖν ἠνάγκασαν ἐκ τῆς πατρίδος οὐδὲν ἀδικήσαντας, γυναικῶν τε ὕβρεις καὶ παρθένων ἐπιγάμων ἁρπαγὰς καὶ παίδων ἐλευθέρων προπηλακισμοὺς καὶ τὰς ἄλλας αὐτῶν παρανομίας τε καὶ ὠμότητας ἐκλογιζόμενος·
Therefore, he now attacked the oligarchy more boldly, relating how the Decemvirs had deprived many of their property, had scourged the bodies of many, and had forced very many innocent people to flee from their country, enumerating the outrages committed against women, the abductions of maidens of marriageable age, the insults offered to free-born children, and their other lawless acts and cruelties.
§11.40.5καὶ ταῦτʼ, ἔφη, προπηλακίζουσιν ἡμᾶς οἱ μήτε νόμῳ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔχοντες μήτε ψηφίσματι βουλῆς ἢ δήμου συγχωρήματι λαβόντες, — ὁ γὰρ ἐνιαύσιος αὐτοῖς τῆς ἀρχῆς χρόνος, ὃν ἐχρῆν αὐτοὺς ἄρξαντας ἑτέροις παραδοῦναι τὰ κοινά, παρελήλυθεν, — ἀλλʼ ἐκ τοῦ βιαιοτάτου τῶν τρόπων, πολλὴν δειλίαν καὶ μαλακίαν καταγνόντες ἡμῶν ὥσπερ γυναικῶν.
"And they insult us thus," he said, "who have no authority by law, nor have received it by a decree of the senate or the consent of the people—for the year's term of their office, at the expiration of which they ought to have surrendered the public affairs to others, has passed—but hold it by the most violent means, having condemned us for great cowardice and weakness, as if we were women.
§11.40.6εἰσελθέτω δὴ λογισμὸς ἕκαστον ὑμῶν ὧν τʼ αὐτὸς πέπονθε καὶ ὧν οἶδεν ἑτέρους παθόντας·
Let each of you, therefore, reflect both on what he himself has suffered and on what he knows others to have endured.
καὶ εἴ τις ὑμῶν δελεαζόμενος ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ἡδοναῖς τισιν ἢ χάρισιν οὐ πεφόβηται τὴν ὀλιγαρχίαν οὐδὲ δέδοικε, μὴ καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ἔλθοι ποτὲ σὺν χρόνῳ τὰ δεινά, μαθὼν ὅτι τυράννοις οὐδέν ἐστι πιστόν, οὐδʼ ἀπʼ εὐνοίας αἱ τῶν κρατούντων δίδονταί τισι χάριτες, καὶ §11.40.7πάντα τὰ ὅμοια τούτοις, μεταγνώτω·
And if any of you, being enticed by some pleasures or favors from them, does not fear the oligarchy nor dread lest in time these terrible things should some day come upon him also, let him learn that to tyrants nothing is trustworthy, nor are the favors of rulers given to anyone out of goodwill, and all other things of this kind, and let him change his mind.
καὶ μιᾷ διανοίᾳ χρησάμενοι πάντες ἐλευθεροῦτε ἀπὸ τῶν τυράννων τὴν πατρίδα, ἐν ᾗ θεῶν τε ὑμῖν ἱερὰ ἵδρυται καὶ θῆκαι προγόνων εἰσίν, οὓς ὑμεῖς τιμᾶτε μετὰ θεούς, καὶ γηραιοὶ πατέρες τροφεῖα πολλὰ καὶ ἄξια τῶν πόνων ἀπαιτοῦντες, γυναῖκές τε κατὰ νόμους ἐγγυηθεῖσαι καὶ· θυγατέρες ἐπίγαμοι φροντίδος οὐ μικρᾶς δεόμεναι τοῖς ἔχουσι καὶ γοναὶ παίδων ἀρρένων, οἷς ὀφείλεται τὰ §11.40.8δίκαια φύσεως προγόνων.
And all of you, acting with one resolve, deliver from the tyrants your country, in which you have the temples of the gods established, and the tombs of your ancestors, whom you honor next to the gods, and aged fathers demanding many returns for their rearing, worthy of their labors, and wives betrothed according to the laws, and daughters of marriageable age who require no small care from those who have them, and the offspring of male children, to whom the just rights of nature from their ancestors are due.
οἰκίας γὰρ δὴ καὶ κλήρους καὶ χρήματα σὺν πολλοῖς κτηθέντα πόνοις ὑπὸ πατέρων καὶ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν σιωπῶ· ὧν οὐδὲν ὑμῖν ἔξεστι βεβαίως ἔχειν, ἕως ἂν ὑπὸ τῶν δέκα τυραννῆσθε.
For as to houses, estates, and money, acquired with many labors by your fathers and yourselves, I remain silent; none of these things is it permitted you to possess securely, as long as you are ruled by the tyrants."

Notes

  1. 11.40.1ἀπὸ ῥυτῆρος — This phrase literally means "from the rein," but in the context of horsemanship, it is an idiomatic expression meaning "at full speed," implying riding with loose reins.
  2. 11.40.2ὡς ἀκουσόμενοι — The conjunction ὡς modifying the future participle ἀκουσόμενοι (future active participle of ἀκούω, nominative masculine plural) expresses the subjective intention or expectation of the guards ("expecting that they would hear").
  3. 11.40.3λέγοντι δʼ αὐτῷ ταῦτα πολὺ τὸ βουλόμενον ἐξ ἁπάντων ἀκούειν καὶ ἐπικελευόμενον λέγειν ἐγίνετο — The phrase λέγοντι δʼ αὐτῷ ταῦτα is a dative participle construction ("as he was saying these things"). The subjects of ἐγίνετο are the substantivized neuter participles τὸ βουλόμενον ("the desire [to hear]") and [τὸ] ἐπικελευόμενον ("the urging [to speak]"), which govern the infinitives ἀκούειν and λέγειν respectively.
  4. 11.40.6δέδοικε, μὴ καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ἔλθοι — This is a μὴ clause of fear dependent on the verb δέδοικε. Although the main verb is in the primary tense (perfect with present meaning), the optative ἔλθοι is used instead of the subjunctive to present the feared event as a remote or hypothetical future possibility ("lest it might some day come upon him").
  5. 11.40.8οἰκίας γὰρ δὴ ... σιωπῶ — This is a classic rhetorical figure of paralipsis (or praeteritio), where the speaker claims to pass over a topic in silence (using the verb σιωπῶ, "I remain silent," with direct objects in the accusative: οἰκίας, κλήρους, χρήματα) but thereby actually emphasizes it to the audience.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §11.40.1-11.40.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:11.40.1-11.40.8

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