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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §15.10.1-15.10.2

Rome's War Vote and Swift Invasion of Samnium

Passage 916 of 962 · Greek

Summary

After the breakdown of negotiations, the Samnites expected the Romans to act slowly and delayed their own actions, whereas the Romans immediately voted for war and rapidly dispatched their armies into Samnite territory before the enemy noticed.

§15.10.1ὡς διελύθησαν ἐκ τοῦ συλλόγου καὶ τὰ λεχθέντα ἐδήλωσαν ἑκάτεροι ταῖς ἑαυτῶν πόλεσι, τὰς ἐναντίας ἔσχον ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων δόξας ἀμφότεροι, Σαυνῖται μὲν βραδύτερα τὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἔσεσθαι νομίζοντες, ὥσπερ αὐτοῖς ἔθος ἐστὶ ποιεῖν, ὅτε μέλλοιεν ἄρχειν πολέμου, Ῥωμαῖοι δʼ ἐν ὀλίγῳ τὴν Σαυνιτῶν στρατιὰν ἥξειν ἐπὶ τοὺς αὑτῶν ἀποίκους Φρεγελλάνους οἰόμενοι.
When they had dissolved from the assembly and each reported the things said to their own cities, both held opposite expectations concerning one another: the Samnites indeed, thinking that the affairs of the Romans would be slower, just as it is their custom to do when they are about to begin a war; but the Romans, thinking that the army of the Samnites would come in a short time against their own colonists at Fregellae.
ἔπειτʼ αὐτοῖς τὰ εἰκότα παθεῖν συνέβη.
Consequently, it happened to them to suffer what was expected.
§15.10.2οἱ μὲν γὰρ παρασκευαζόμενοι καὶ μέλλοντες ἀπώλεσαν τοὺς καιροὺς τῶν πράξεων, Ῥωμαῖοι δʼ ἐν ἑτοίμῳ πᾶσαν ἔχοντες παρασκευὴν ἅμα τῷ πυθέσθαι τὰς ἀποκρίσεις τόν τε πόλεμον ἐψηφίσαντο καὶ τοὺς ὑπάτους ἀπέστειλαν ἀμφοτέρους·
For the former, while preparing and delaying, lost the opportunities for action; but the Romans, having all preparation ready, as soon as they learned the replies, both voted for war and dispatched both consuls.
καὶ πρὶν αἰσθέσθαι τοὺς πολεμίους τὴν ἔξοδον, ἥ τε νεωστὶ καταγραφεῖσα καὶ ἡ περὶ Οὐολούσκους χειμερίζουσα δύναμις, ἣν εἶχε Κορνήλιος, ἐντὸς ἦν τῶν Σαυνιτικῶν ὅρων.
And before the enemy perceived their departure, both the newly levied force and the force wintering around the Volscians, which Cornelius had, were already within the Samnite borders.

Notes

  1. 14ὥσπερ αὐτοῖς ἔθος ἐστὶ ποιεῖν, ὅτε μέλλοιεν ἄρχειν πολέμου — Since the main governing clauses are in the past tense, μέλλοιεν is in the optative of oblique clause. The pronoun αὐτοῖς is best understood as referring to the Romans (from the preceding τὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων), indicating that the Samnites expected the Romans to act slowly because of their custom when preparing for war.
  2. 2328παρασκευαζόμενοι καὶ μέλλοντες — The participle μέλλοντες is used here not in its common sense of 'being about to do,' but in the sense of 'delaying' or 'hesitating.' Coupled with παρασκευαζόμενοι, it describes the Samnites' hesitation and postponement of action while still in the middle of their preparations.
  3. 2328πρὶν αἰσθέσθαι τοὺς πολεμίους τὴν ἔξοδον — This is a standard construction of πρὶν with an infinitive phrase when the main clause is affirmative. τοὺς πολεμίους is the accusative subject of the infinitive αἰσθέσθαι, and τὴν ἔξοδον is its direct object, meaning 'before the enemy perceived the departure.'

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §15.10.1-15.10.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:15.10.1-15.10.2

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