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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §2.33.1-2.33.2

Attack of Caenina and Romulus's Victory

Passage 124 of 962 · Greek

Summary

Impatient with the Sabines' delay, the three cities resolve to wage war on Rome by themselves, but Caenina launches an early attack. Romulus surprises their forces, captures the city of Caenina, and personally kills its king.

§2.33.1Επεὶ δʼ οὐδὲν ἐπέραινον ἀντικαθισταμένων αὐταῖς τῶν παρὰ τοῦ Ῥωμύλου πρεσβειῶν καὶ θεραπευουσῶν λόγοις τε καὶ ἔργοις τὸ ἔθνος, ἀχθόμεναι τῇ τριβῇ τοῦ χρόνου μελλόντων ἀεὶ τῶν Σαβίνων καὶ ἀναβαλλομένων εἰς χρόνους μακροὺς τὴν περὶ τοῦ πολέμου βουλὴν αὐταὶ καθʼ ἑαυτὰς ἔγνωσαν τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις πολεμεῖν, ἀποχρῆν οἰόμεναι τὴν οἰκείαν δύναμιν, εἰ καθʼ ἓν αἱ τρεῖς γένοιντο, μίαν ἄρασθαι πόλιν οὐ μεγάλην.
But when they accomplished nothing, as the embassies from Romulus opposed them and courted the nation by words and deeds, being vexed at the waste of time while the Sabines were always hesitating and postponing their consultation about the war to a distant time, they resolved by themselves to make war on the Romans, thinking that their own power, if the three should unite, would be sufficient to make war against a single city that was not large.
ἐβουλεύσαντο μὲν ταῦτα, συνελθεῖν δʼ οὐκ ἔφθησαν εἰς ἓν ἅπασαι στρατόπεδον προεξαναστάντων προχειρότερον τῶν ἐκ τῆς Καινίνης, §2.33.2οἵπερ καὶ μάλιστα ἐδόκουν τὸν πόλεμον ἐνάγειν.
They indeed planned this, but they did not succeed in gathering into one camp before those from Caenina set out beforehand with greater readiness, who indeed seemed most of all to instigate the war.
ἐξεστρατευμένων δὲ τούτων καὶ δῃούντων τὴν ὅμορον ἐξαγαγὼν τὴν δύναμιν ὁ Ῥωμύλος, ἀφυλάκτοις οὖσιν ἔτι τοῖς πολεμίοις ἀπροσδοκήτως ἐπιτίθεται καὶ τοῦ τε χάρακος αὐτῶν ἀρτίως ἱδρυμένου γίνεται κύριος τοῖς τε φεύγουσιν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἐκ ποδὸς ἑπόμενος οὐδέπω τῶν ἔνδον πεπυσμένων τὴν περὶ τοὺς σφετέρους συμφορὰν τεῖχός τε ἀφύλακτον εὑρὼν καὶ πύλας ἀκλείστους αἱρεῖ τὴν πόλιν ἐξ ἐφόδου καὶ τὸν βασιλέα τῶν Καινινιτῶν ὑπαντήσαντα σὺν καρτερᾷ χειρὶ μαχόμενος αὐτοχειρίᾳ κτείνει καὶ τὰ ὅπλα ἀφαιρεῖται.
When these had taken the field and were plundering the neighboring territory, Romulus, leading out his force, fell unexpectedly upon the enemy while they were still off their guard; and he made himself master of their camp which had just been pitched, and following on the heels of those who were fleeing into the city, before those inside had yet learned of the disaster that had befallen their own men, finding the wall unguarded and the gates open, he captured the city at the first assault, and fighting, he killed with his own hand the king of the Caeninenses who met him with a strong force, and stripped him of his arms.

Notes

  1. 305ἀποχρῆν — Present infinitive of the impersonal verb `ἀποχράω`, forming an accusative-and-infinitive construction (with the subject `τὴν οἰκείαν δύναμιν` 'their own power') dependent on the participle `οἰόμεναι`. The infinitive `μίαν ἄρασθαι πόλιν` ('to engage with a single city') functions as the subject or a limiting specification of `ἀποχρῆν`.
  2. 305συνελθεῖν δʼ οὐκ ἔφθησαν — The verb `φθάνω` (to anticipate, be beforehand) combined with the infinitive `συνελθεῖν` and the negative `οὐκ` indicates that they were anticipated in coming together—that is, they did not succeed in gathering before the Caenina forces acted. While `φθάνω` usually takes a participle, here it is used with an infinitive.
  3. 306σὺν καρτερᾷ χειρὶ — Although the noun `χείρ` (hand) is singular, it is used here in a figurative sense to mean 'force' or 'troops'. Translating it as 'with a strong force' fits the context where the king personally opposed Romulus, who then slew him 'with his own hand' (`αὐτοχειρίᾳ`).

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §2.33.1-2.33.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:2.33.1-2.33.2

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