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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §17_18.5.1-17_18.5.4

Unauthorized Triumph and Condemnation of Postumius

Passage 927 of 962 · Greek

Summary

Although Postumius captured Cominium and Venusia, he was snubbed by the Senate; in anger, he distributed the spoils to his soldiers, disbanded his army early, and celebrated an unauthorized triumph, leading to his prosecution and a heavy fine by the tribunes after his term.

§17_18.5.1ὅτι ὁ αὐτὸς Ποστόμιος πρῶτον μὲν τὸ Κομίνιον ἐκ πολιορκίας παραλαμβάνει χρόνον οὐ πολὺν ἐν ταῖς προσβολαῖς διατρίψας, ἔπειτα Οὐενουσίαν πολυάνθρωπον καὶ ἄλλας πόλεις πλείστας ὅσας, ἐξ ὧν μύριοι μὲν ἐσφάγησαν, ἑξακισχίλιοι δὲ καὶ §17_18.5.2διακόσιοι τὰ ὅπλα παρέδοσαν.
That the same Postumius first took Cominium by siege, having spent not much time in the assaults, and then Venusia, a populous city, and very many other cities, from which ten thousand were slain, and six thousand and two hundred surrendered their arms.
ταῦτα διαπραξάμενος οὐχ ὅπως χάριτος ἢ τιμῆς τινος ἠξιώθη παρὰ τῆς βουλῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν προυπάρχουσαν ἀξίωσιν ἀπέβαλεν.
Having accomplished these things, not only was he not deemed worthy of any gratitude or honor by the Senate, but he even lost his pre-existing dignity.
ἀποστελλομένων γὰρ εἰς μίαν τῶν ἁλουσῶν ὑπʼ ἐκείνου πόλεων, τὴν καλουμένην Οὐενουσίαν, δισμυρίων ἐποίκων ἕτεροι τῆς ἀποικίας ᾑρέθησαν ἡγεμόνες· ὁ δὲ τὴν πόλιν ἐξελὼν καὶ τὴν γνώμην τῆς ἀποστολῆς τῶν κληρούχων εἰσηγησάμενος οὐδὲ ταύτης ἄξιος ἐφάνη τῆς τιμῆς.
For when twenty thousand colonists were being sent to Venusia, one of the cities captured by him, others were chosen as leaders of the colony; while he, who had taken the city and proposed the plan of sending the settlers, did not seem worthy of even this honor.
§17_18.5.3εἰ μὲν οὖν σώφρονι λογισμῷ τὰ συμβάντα ἤνεγκε καὶ τὸ χαλεπὸν τοῦ συνεδρίου λόγων τε καὶ ἔργων χρηστῶν θεραπείαις ἐπράυνεν, οὐδεμιᾶς ἂν ἔτι συμφορᾶς εἰς ἀτιμίαν φερούσης ἐπειράθη.
If, therefore, he had borne what happened with sober judgment and had softened the harshness of the Senate with the remedies of good words and deeds, he would have experienced no further misfortune leading to disgrace.
νῦν δʼ ἀγανακτῶν καὶ ἀντιχαλεπαίνων τάς τʼ ὠφελείας ἃς ἔλαβεν ἐκ τῶν πολεμίων ἁπάσας τοῖς στρατιώταις ἐχαρίσατο, καὶ πρὶν ἀποσταλῆναι τὸν διάδοχον τῆς ἀρχῆς ἀπέλυσεν ἀπὸ τῶν σημείων τὰς δυνάμεις, καὶ τελευτῶν ὃν οὔτε ἡ βουλὴ οὔτε ὁ δῆμος συνεχώρησεν αὐτῷ θρίαμβον ἀπὸ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ γνώμης κατήγαγεν.
But as it was, being indignant and hostile in return, he gave all the spoils which he took from the enemy to the soldiers, and before his successor in office was sent, he disbanded the forces from their standards, and finally, he celebrated on his own authority the triumph which neither the Senate nor the people had granted him.
§17_18.5.4ἐφʼ οἷς ἅπασιν ἔτι μείζονος ἐξ ἁπάντων μίσους ἐκκαυθέντος ἅμα τῷ παραδοῦναι τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῖς μεθʼ ἑαυτὸν ὑπάτοις εἰς δίκην ὑπάγεται δημοσίαν ὑπὸ δυεῖν δημάρχων.
Because of all these things, an even greater hatred being kindled on all sides, at the same time as handing over his office to the consuls after him, he was brought to public trial by two tribunes of the plebs.
καὶ κατηγορηθεὶς ἐν τῷ δήμῳ πάσαις ταῖς φυλαῖς κατακρίνεται, τίμημα τῆς εἰσαγγελίας ἐχούσης χρηματικὸν πέντε μυριάδας ἀργυρίου.
And having been accused before the people, he was condemned by all the tribes, the fine of the impeachment being a monetary one of fifty thousand pieces of silver.

Notes

  1. 17_18.5.1πλείστας ὅσας — An idiomatic expression formed by the superlative adjective πλείστας combined with the relative pronoun ὅσας, meaning 'very many' or 'countless.' It originates from the phrasing ὅσας πλείστας ('as many as possible') and became fixed as a single adjectival unit.
  2. 17_18.5.2οὐχ ὅπως — Used in combination with the following 'ἀλλὰ καί' to form an idiomatic expression meaning 'not only not... but even...', representing a strong negation and contrast. Here, it establishes the context: 'not only was he not deemed worthy of gratitude, but he even lost his pre-existing dignity.'
  3. 17_18.5.3εἰ μὲν οὖν σώφρονι λογισμῷ τὰ συμβάντα ἤνεγκε ... οὐδεμιᾶς ἂν ἔτι συμφορᾶς εἰς ἀτιμίαν φερούσης ἐπειράθη — A past contrary-to-fact conditional sentence. Both the verbs in the protasis (ἤνεγκε and ἐπράυνεν) and the verb in the apodosis (ἂν ... ἐπειράθη) are in the past indicative (aorist), representing a hypothetical situation contrary to past reality ('if he had..., he would not have...').
  4. 17_18.5.4τίμημα τῆς εἰσαγγελίας ἐχούσης χρηματικὸν πέντε μυριάδας ἀργυρίου — 'τίμημα' (fine, assessment) is in the nominative case, functioning as a kind of apposition to the action of the main clause (sentence apposition) or a nominative absolute. 'τῆς εἰσαγγελίας ἐχούσης' is a genitive absolute construction adding a circumstantial detail ('the impeachment having...').

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §17_18.5.1-17_18.5.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:17_18.5.1-17_18.5.4

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