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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §11.46.1-11.46.5

Impeachment of the Decemvirs and Fate of Appius

Passage 846 of 962 · Greek

Summary

The tribunes impeached the decemvirs individually; Appius died in prison before his trial, Oppius died on the day of his conviction, and the rest went into exile. Marcus Claudius, who tried to abduct the maiden, was exiled for life, while other collaborators were granted amnesty to restore order.

§11.46.1τούτου κυρωθέντος ὑπὸ τῶν ὑπάτων τοῦ νόμου σὺν ἄλλοις τισὶν ὥσπερ ἔφην δημοτικοῖς εὐθὺς οἱ δήμαρχοι καιρὸν ἐπιτήδειον ἥκειν νομίζοντες, ἐν ᾧ τιμωρήσονται τοὺς περὶ τὸν Ἄππιον, εἰσαγγελίας ᾤοντο δεῖν ποιήσασθαι κατʼ αὐτῶν, οὐχ ἅμα πάντας ὑπάγοντες ὑπὸ τὴν δίκην, ἵνα μηδὲν ἀλλήλους ὠφελῶσιν, ἀλλὰ καθʼ ἕνα· ῥᾷον γὰρ οὕτως ὑπελάμβανον εὐμεταχειρίστους ἔσεσθαι.
When this law had been ratified by the consuls, together with certain other popular laws as I have said, the tribunes immediately, thinking that a suitable opportunity had come for punishing Appius and his associates, believed they ought to bring impeachments against them, not bringing them all under trial at the same time lest they should help one another, but one by one; for they supposed that in this way they would be more easily managed.
§11.46.2σκοπούμενοι δʼ ἀπὸ τίνος ἂν ἄρξαιντο ἐπιτηδειοτάτου, τὸν Ἄππιον πρῶτον ἔγνωσαν εὐθύνειν τῶν τʼ ἄλλων ἀδικημάτων ἕνεκα μισούμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου, καὶ τῶν νεωστὶ περὶ τὴν παρθένον γενομένων παρανομιῶν.
And in considering with whom it would be most suitable to begin, they decided to call Appius to account first, since he was hated by the people both for his other injustices and for the recent lawless acts committed in relation to the maiden.
ἑλόντες μὲν γὰρ τοῦτον εὐπετῶς ἐδόκουν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων κρατήσειν, εἰ δʼ ἀπὸ τῶν ταπεινοτέρων ἄρξαιντο, μαλακωτέρας ὑπελάμβανον τὰς ὀργὰς τῶν πολιτῶν πρὸς τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους καὶ τελευταίους κρινομένους ἔσεσθαι, συντονωτέρας οὔσας ἐπὶ τοῖς προτέροις ἀγῶσιν, ὃ §11.46.3πολλάκις ἤδη συνέβη.
For they thought that if they successfully convicted him, they would easily overcome the others as well, but if they began with those of lower rank, they supposed that the anger of the citizens would become milder towards the most illustrious who were to be tried last, whereas it was more intense during the first trials, which had already happened many times.
ταῦτα βουλευσάμενοι συνέσχον τοὺς ἄνδρας, Ἀππίου δὲ Οὐεργίνιον ἔταξαν ἄνευ κλήρου κατηγορεῖν.
Having thus resolved, they arrested the men, and appointed Verginius to accuse Appius without drawing lots.
εἰσαγγέλλεται δὴ μετὰ τοῦτο εἰς τὸν δῆμον Ἄππιος ὑπὸ τοῦ Οὐεργινίου κατηγορηθεὶς ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ αἰτεῖται χρόνον εἰς ἀπολογίαν.
After this, Appius was indeed impeached before the people, being accused by Verginius in the assembly, and he requested time for his defense.
ἀπαχθεὶς δʼ εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον, ἵνα φυλάττηται μέχρι δίκης — οὐ γὰρ ἐδόθη διεγγύησις αὐτῷ — πρὶν ἐπιστῆναι τὴν ἀποδειχθεῖσαν ἡμέραν τῆς κρίσεως ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς ἀποθνήσκει, ὡς μὲν ἡ τῶν πολλῶν ὑπόληψις ἦν ἐξ ἐπιταγῆς τῶν δημάρχων, ὡς δʼ οἱ τὴν αἰτίαν ἀπολύσασθαι βουλόμενοι διεφήμιζον, αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν ἀναρτησάμενος βρόχῳ.
Having been led away to prison to be kept until his trial—for bail was not granted to him—he died in chains before the day appointed for his trial arrived, according to the suspicion of the multitude, by the command of the tribunes, but as those who wished to clear them of the blame rumored, by hanging himself with a halter.
§11.46.4μετʼ ἐκεῖνον Σπόριος Ὄππιος εἰσαχθεὶς εἰς τὸν δῆμον ὑφʼ ἑτέρου τῶν δημάρχων Ποπλίου Νομιτωρίου καὶ τυχὼν ἀπολογίας ἁπάσαις ἁλίσκεται ταῖς ψήφοις καὶ παραδοθεὶς εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον αὐθημερὸν ἀποθνήσκει.
After him, Spurius Oppius, being brought before the people by another of the tribunes, Publius Numitorius, and having received a trial, was convicted by all the votes, and being delivered to prison, died on the very same day.
οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ τῶν δέκα πρὶν εἰσαγγελθῆναι φυγαῖς αὑτοὺς ἐζημίωσαν.
The rest of the decemvirs, before they could be impeached, condemned themselves to exile.
τὰς δʼ οὐσίας τῶν ἀνῃρημένων καὶ τῶν πο. . . οἱ ταμίαι τῆς πόλεως ἀνέλαβον εἰς τὸ δημόσιον.
The quaestors of the city confiscated to the public treasury the property of those who had been put to death and of those who...
§11.46.5εἰσαγγέλλεται δὲ καὶ Μάρκος Κλαύδιος ὁ τὴν παρθένον ἐπιβαλόμενος ὡς δούλην ἀπάγειν ὑπὸ τοῦ μνηστῆρος αὐτῆς Ἰκιλίου· καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν εἰς τὸν ἐπιτάξαντα παρανομεῖν Ἄππιον ἀναφέρων θανάτου μὲν ἀπολύεται, φυγῇ δʼ ἀιδίῳ ζημιοῦται, τῶν δʼ ἄλλων τῶν ὑπηρετησάντων τι παράνομον τοῖς ὀλιγάρχαις οὐδεὶς ἔσχεν ἀγῶνα δημόσιον, ἀλλὰ πᾶσιν ἄδεια ἐδόθη.
Marcus Claudius also, who had attempted to carry off the maiden as a slave, was impeached by her betrothed, Icilius; and by throwing the blame on Appius who had ordered him to commit the lawless act, he was acquitted of the death penalty but was punished with perpetual exile. Of the others who had rendered any lawless service to the oligarchs, no one was subjected to a public trial, but impunity was granted to all.
ὁ δὲ τοῦτο τὸ πολίτευμα εἰσηγησάμενος ἦν Μάρκος Δοέλλιος ὁ δήμαρχος ἀχθομένων ἤδη τῶν πολιτῶν καὶ τῶν πολεμίων γενέσθαι προσδοκώντων.
The one who introduced this measure was Marcus Duillius the tribune, since the citizens were already weary of the trials and expected that enemies would attack them.

Notes

  1. 11.46.2ἂν ἄρξαιντο — The potential optative with ἄν is retained in the indirect question (introduced by ἀπὸ τίνος) despite the historical tense of the main verb (ἔγνωσαν). It expresses the potentiality and deliberation of 'whom they might most suitably start with.'
  2. 11.46.2 — The neuter singular relative pronoun ὃ refers back not to a specific preceding noun, but to the entire situation described in the previous clause (namely, that the anger of the citizens is more intense during the first trials and grows milder in subsequent ones).
  3. 11.46.5τὸν ἐπιτάξαντα παρανομεῖν Ἄππιον — The proper noun Ἄππιον serves as the object of the participle ἐπιτάξαντα, which in turn takes the complementary infinitive παρανομεῖν ('to act illegally'), meaning 'Appius who had ordered [him] to act illegally.'

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §11.46.1-11.46.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:11.46.1-11.46.5

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