§15.3.1ὅτι Κοίντου Σερουιλίου τὸ τρίτον καὶ Γαίου Μαρκίου Ῥουτίλου ὑπατευόντων κίνδυνοι τὴν Ῥώμην χαλεποὶ καὶ ἀπροσδόκητοι κατέσχον, οὓς εἰ μὴ θεία τις πρόνοια διεσκέδασε, δυεῖν κακῶν θάτερον ἂν αὐτῇ συνέπεσεν, ἢ δόξαν αἰσχίστην ἐνεγκεῖν ξενοκτονίας ἢ φόνων ἅψασθαι πολιτικῶν.
That when Quintus Servilius was consul for the third time and Gaius Marcius Rutilus was his colleague, severe and unexpected dangers gripped Rome, which, had not some divine providence dispersed them, one of two evils would have befallen her: either to bear the most shameful reputation of guest-murder, or to engage in civil bloodshed.
ἀφʼ ἧς δʼ αἰτίας εἰς τούτους ἦλθε τοὺς κινδύνους, μικρὰ τῶν πρόσθεν ἀναλαβὼν διʼ ὀλίγων πειράσομαι διελθεῖν.
From what cause she came into these dangers, I shall attempt to relate briefly, resuming a little of what went before.
§15.3.2ἐν τῷ παρελθόντι ἐνιαυτῷ τὸν Σαυνιτικὸν πόλεμον ὑπὲρ ἁπάσης Καμπανίας ἡ τῶν Ῥωμαίων πόλις ἀραμένη καὶ τρισὶ νικήσασα μάχαις τοὺς ἀντιταχθέντας ἐβούλετο μὲν ἁπάσας ἀπάγειν τὰς δυνάμεις ὡς οὐθενὸς ἔτι κινδύνου ταῖς πόλεσι καταλειπομένου·
In the preceding year, the Roman state, having undertaken the Samnite war on behalf of all Campania and having defeated their opponents in three battles, wished to withdraw all its forces, believing that no danger was any longer left to the cities.
δεομένων δὲ τῶν Καμπανῶν μὴ καταλιπεῖν αὐτοὺς συμμάχων ἐρήμους ὡς ἐπιθησομένων σφίσι τῶν Σαυνιτῶν, εἰ μηδεμίαν ἔχοιεν ξενικὴν βοήθειαν, ἔγνω τὸν ἀπαλλάξαντα τοῦ πολέμου τὰς πόλεις ὕπατον Μάρκον Οὐαλέριον ὅσην ἂν αὐτοὶ βουληθῶσι τρέφειν στρατιὰν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι καταλιπεῖν.
But since the Campanians begged them not to leave them destitute of allies, on the ground that the Samnites would attack them if they had no foreign aid, they resolved that the consul Marcus Valerius, who had freed the cities from the war, should leave in the cities as large an army as they themselves were willing to maintain.
§15.3.3γενόμενος δὲ τῆς ἐξουσίας ταύτης κύριος ὁ ὕπατος, ὅσοις ἦν βουλομένοις ὀψώνια καὶ μισθοὺς φέρεσθαι τῆς φυλακῆς, τούτους καθίστησιν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν· ἐν οἷς ἦν τὸ πλεῖον μέρος ἀνεστίων καὶ καταχρέων καὶ τὴν οἴκοι πενίαν καὶ ἀγνωσίαν ἀσμένως ἀποδιδρασκόντων.
The consul, having become master of this authority, stationed in the cities all those who wished to receive rations and pay for garrison duty; among whom the greater part were homeless and debt-ridden, gladly escaping from their poverty and obscurity at home.
§15.3.4τούτους οἱ Καμπανοὶ ταῖς οἰκίαις ἀναλαμβάνοντες τραπέζαις τε ὑπεδέχοντο λαμπραῖς καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις ἐξένιζον φιλοφροσύναις.
The Campanians received these men into their houses, welcomed them with splendid tables, and entertained them with all other kinds of hospitality.
πολυτελὴς δὲ καὶ ἁβροδίαιτος ἱκανῶς τοῖς Καμπανίαν οἰκοῦσι καὶ νῦν ἐστι καὶ τότε ἦν ὁ βίος καὶ πάντα τὸν λοιπὸν ἔσται χρόνον, πολύκαρπόν τε πεδιάδα καὶ πολύβοτον καὶ πρὸς ὑγίειαν ἀνθρώποις γεωργοῦσιν ἀρίστην οὖσαν.
A luxurious and sufficiently soft life was, is now, and will be for all time to come, the lot of those who inhabit Campania, which is a plain extremely fertile and rich in pasture, and excellent for the health of those who till it.
§15.3.5κατʼ ἀρχὰς μὲν οὖν ἀγαπητῶς οἱ φρουροὶ τὴν φιλοξενίαν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐλάμβανον, ἔπειτα διαφθειρόμενοι τὰς ψυχὰς ὑπὸ τοῦ κόρου τῶν ἀγαθῶν πονηροὺς ὑπολογισμοὺς κατὰ μικρὸν ἐλάμβανον καὶ συνιόντες ἀλλήλοις ἔλεγον, ὡς ἀνοήτων ἀνθρώπων ποιήσουσιν ἔργον, εἰ τοσαύτην καταλιπόντες εὐδαιμονίαν ἐπὶ τὸν ἐν Ῥώμῃ βίον ἀνακάμψουσιν, ἔνθα λυπρὰ μὲν ἡ γῆ, πολλαὶ δὲ εἰσφοραί, πολέμων δὲ καὶ κακῶν ἀνάπαυσις οὐδεμία, τὰ δὲ τῶν κοινῶν πόνων ἆθλα παρʼ ὀλίγοις.
At first, then, the guards accepted the hospitality of the people with gratitude, but afterwards, their minds being corrupted by the satiety of good things, they gradually conceived evil designs and, meeting together, said to one another that they would act like foolish men if, leaving so great prosperity, they should return to the life in Rome, where the land is barren, the taxes heavy, and there is no respite from wars and evils, while the rewards of their common labors are in the hands of a few.
§15.3.6οἱ δὲ ἀσθενεῖς τοῖς βίοις καὶ τῶν καθʼ ἡμέραν ἀναγκαίων ἀποροῦντες καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον οἱ τὰ χρέα μὴ δυνάμενοι διαλῦσαι τοῖς συμβαλοῦσι καὶ τὴν ἀνάγκην ἀποχρῶσαν εἶναι σύμβουλον τῶν συμφερόντων σφίσιν ἀποφαίνοντες ἄνευ τοῦ καλοῦ, οὐδʼ εἰ πάντες νόμοι τε καὶ ἄρχοντες τὰς ἐσχάτας τιμωρίας ἀπειλοῖεν αὐτοῖς Καμπανοῖς ἔτι μεθήσεσθαι τῆς παρούσης εὐδαιμονίας ἔλεγον καὶ τελευτῶντες εἰς τοσαύτην ἀπόνοιαν ἦλθον, ὥστε καὶ λέγειν ἐτόλμων· §15.3.7τί δὴ καὶ δράσομεν δεινόν, ἐὰν Καμπανοὺς ἐκβαλόντες τὰς ἐκείνων πόλεις κατάσχωμεν;
Those who were weak in their circumstances and lacked the daily necessaries of life, and still more those who were unable to discharge their debts to their creditors, declaring that necessity was a sufficient adviser of what was to their interest without regard to honor, said that not even if all the laws and magistrates should threaten them with the extreme punishments would they ever part with their present prosperity to the Campanians; and at last they came to such madness that they even dared to say: "What dreadful thing indeed shall we do if, having expelled the Campanians, we keep possession of their cities?
οὗτοι γὰρ αὐτοὶ πρότερον οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ δικαίου κτησάμενοι τὴν γῆν κατέσχον, ἀλλʼ ἐπιξενωθέντες Τυρρηνοῖς τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν αὐτὴν καὶ τοὺς ἄνδρας ἅπαντας διαφθείραντες τάς τε γυναῖκας αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς βίους καὶ τὰς πόλεις καὶ τὴν περιμάχητον χώραν παρέλαβον· ὥστε σὺν δίκῃ πείσονται πᾶν ὅ τι ἂν πάθωσιν αὐτοὶ τῆς παρανομίας κατάρξαντες καθʼ ἑτέρων.
For they themselves did not formerly acquire this land justly when they occupied it, but having been received as guests by the Etruscans who inhabited it, they destroyed all the men and took possession of their wives, their property, their cities, and this highly contested land; so that they will suffer with justice whatever they themselves may suffer, having been the first to practice lawlessness against others.
§15.3.8τί δὴ καὶ τὸ κωλῦσον ἡμᾶς ἔσται ταῦτα μέχρι τοῦ παντὸς χρόνου καρποῦσθαι τἀγαθά;
What indeed will there be to prevent us from enjoying these goods for all time?
Σαυνῖται μέν γε καὶ Σιδικῖνοι καὶ Αὔσονες καὶ πάντες οἱ περίοικοι τοσούτου δεήσουσι Καμπανοῖς τιμωροῦντες ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς γε στρατεύειν, ὥστε ἀποχρῆν ὑπολήψονταί σφισιν, εἰ τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἐάσομεν ἑκάστοις ἔχειν.
For the Samnites, the Sidicini, the Ausones, and all the neighboring peoples will be so far from marching against us to avenge the Campanians that they will think it enough for themselves if we allow each of them to keep what is their own."