§2.72.1ἡ δὲ ἑβδόμη μοῖρα τῆς ἱερᾶς νομοθεσίας τῷ συστήματι προσετέθη τῶν καλουμένων φετιαλίων.
And the seventh part of the sacred legislation was added to the college of those called fetiales.
οὗτοι δʼ ἂν εἴησαν κατὰ τὴν Ἑλληνικὴν καλούμενοι διάλεκτον εἰρηνοδίκαι.
These would be called, in the Greek tongue, peace-judges.
εἰσὶ δʼ ἐκ τῶν ἀρίστων οἴκων ἄνδρες ἐπίλεκτοι διὰ παντὸς ἱερώμενοι τοῦ βίου, Νόμα τοῦ βασιλέως πρώτου καὶ τοῦτο Ῥωμαίοις τὸ ἱερὸν ἀρχεῖον καταστησαμένου·
They are select men from the best families, serving as priests for their whole lives, King Numa having first established this sacred office also for the Romans.
§2.72.2εἰ μέντοι παρὰ τῶν καλουμένων Αἰκικλῶν τὸ παράδειγμα ἔλαβεν ὥσπερ οἴονταί τινες, ἢ παρὰ τῆς Ἀρδεατῶν πόλεως ὡς γράφει Γέλλιος οὐκ ἔχω λέγειν, ἀπόχρη δὲ μοι τοσοῦτο μόνον εἰπεῖν, ὅτι πρὸ τῆς Νόμα ἀρχῆς οὔπω τὸ τῶν εἰρηνοδικῶν σύστημα παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις ἦν.
Whether, however, he took the pattern from those called Aequicoli, as some think, or from the city of the Ardeates, as Gellius writes, I cannot say; but it is enough for me to say only this: that before the reign of Numa, the college of peace-judges did not yet exist among the Romans.
§2.72.3κατεστήσατο δʼ αὐτὸ Νόμας ὅτε Φιδηνάταις ἔμελλε πολεμεῖν λῃστείας καὶ καταδρομὰς τῆς χώρας αὐτοῦ ποιησαμένοις, εἰ βούλοιντο συμβῆναι δίχα πολέμου πρὸς αὐτόν, ὅπερ εἰς ἀνάγκην καταστάντες ἐποίησαν.
And Numa established it when he was about to make war on the Fidenates, who had carried out plundering and raids in his territory, in case they wished to reach an agreement with him without war—which indeed, having been brought to necessity, they did.
οἴομαι δʼ ἐπειδήπερ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπιχώριον Ἕλλησι τὸ περὶ τοὺς εἰρηνοδίκας ἀρχεῖον ἀναγκαῖον εἶναί μοι πόσων καὶ πηλίκων ἐστὶ πραγμάτων κύριον διελθεῖν, ἵνα τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσι τὴν Ῥωμαίων εὐσέβειαν, ἣν οἱ τότε ἄνδρες ἐπετήδευον, μὴ παράδοξον εἶναι φανῇ τὸ πάντας αὐτοῖς τὸ κάλλιστον λαβεῖν τοὺς πολέμους τέλος.
And since the office concerning the peace-judges is not native to the Greeks, I deem it necessary for me to describe of how many and how great matters it has control, so that it may not appear strange to those who are ignorant of the piety of the Romans, which the men of those times practiced, that all their wars obtained the finest end.
§2.72.4ἁπάντων γὰρ αὐτῶν τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰς ὑποθέσεις εὐσεβεστάτας φανήσονται ποιησάμενοι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μάλιστα τοὺς θεοὺς ἐσχηκότες ἐν τοῖς κινδύνοις εὐμενεῖς.
For they will be seen to have made the beginnings and pretexts of all of them most pious, and for this reason especially to have had the gods favorable in times of danger.
ἅπαντα μὲν οὖν ὅσα ἀνάκειται τούτοις τοῖς εἰρηνοδίκαις ἐπελθεῖν διὰ πλῆθος οὐ ῥᾴδιον, κεφαλαιώδει δʼ ὑπογραφῇ δηλῶσαι τοιάδʼ ἐστι· φυλάττειν ἵνα μηδένα Ῥωμαῖοι πόλεμον ἐξενέγκωσι κατὰ μηδεμιᾶς ἐνσπόνδου πόλεως ἄδικον, ἀρξάντων δὲ παρασπονδεῖν εἰς αὐτοὺς ἑτέρων πρεσβεύεσθαί τε καὶ τὰ δίκαια πρῶτον αἰτεῖν λόγῳ, ἐὰν δὲ μὴ πείθωνται τοῖς ἀξιουμένοις, §2.72.5τότʼ ἐπικυροῦν τὸν πόλεμον.
Now, to go through all the duties entrusted to these peace-judges is not easy because of their multitude, but to show them in a general outline, they are as follows: to watch that the Romans carry out no unjust war against any city allied by treaty; and if others begin to violate treaty obligations toward them, to send embassies and first demand justice by word of mouth; and if they do not comply with the demands, then to sanction the war.
ὁμοίως δὲ κἂν ἀδικεῖσθαί τινες ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων ἔνσπονδοι λέγοντες τὰ δίκαια αἰτῶσι, τούτους διαγινώσκειν τοὺς ἄνδρας εἴ τι πεπόνθασιν ἔκσπονδον καὶ ἐὰν δόξωσι τὰ· προσήκοντα ἐγκαλεῖν τοὺς ἐνόχους ταῖς αἰτίαις συλλαβόντας ἐκδότους τοῖς ἀδικηθεῖσι παραδιδόναι τά τε περὶ τοὺς πρεσβευτὰς ἀδικήματα δικάζειν καὶ τὰ περὶ τὰς συνθήκας ὅσια φυλάττειν εἰρήνην τε ποιεῖσθαι καὶ γεγενημένην, ἐὰν μὴ κατὰ τοὺς ἱεροὺς δόξῃ πεπρᾶχθαι νόμους, ἀκυροῦν καὶ τὰς τῶν στρατηγῶν παρανομίας, ὅσαι περί τε ὅρκους καὶ σπονδὰς ἐπιτελοῦνται, διαγινώσκοντας ἀφοσιοῦσθαι, περὶ ὧν κατὰ §2.72.6τοὺς οἰκείους καιροὺς ποιήσομαι τον λόγον.
Likewise, if any treaty partners, claiming to be wronged by Romans, demand justice, these men are to decide whether they have suffered anything contrary to treaty, and if they are judged to bring appropriate complaints, to arrest those responsible for the charges and deliver them up to the wronged parties; and to judge offenses concerning ambassadors, and to preserve sacred obligations concerning treaties, and to make peace, and if a peace that has been made is judged not to have been concluded according to sacred laws, to annul it; and having judged the illegal acts of generals, as many as are committed regarding oaths and treaties, to expiate them; concerning which things I shall make mention in their proper places.
τὰ δὲ περὶ τὰς ἐπικηρυκείας ὑπʼ αὐτῶν γινόμενα, ὅτε τὴν δόξασαν ἀδικεῖν πόλιν αἰτοῖεν δίκας ʽἄξιον γὰρ μηδὲ ταῦτʼ ἀγνοεῖν κατὰ πολλὴν φροντίδα τῶν ὁσίων καὶ δικαίων γινόμενἀ τοιαῦτα παρέλαβον· εἷς μὲν ἐκ τῶν εἰρηνοδικῶν, ὃν οἱ λοιποὶ προχειρίσαιντο, κεκοσμημένος ἐσθῆτι καὶ φορήμασιν ἱεροῖς, ἵνα διάδηλος ᾖ παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους, εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀδικούντων παρεγίνετο πόλιν· ἐπιστὰς δὲ τοῖς ὁρίοις τόν τε Δία καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐπεκαλεῖτο θεοὺς μαρτυρόμενος ὅτι δίκας αἰτῶν ἥκει περὶ τῆς Ῥωμαίων πόλεως·
As for the procedures of embassy and demand performed by them when they demanded satisfaction from a city deemed to have done wrong (for it is not right that even these should be unknown), being performed with great care for what is sacred and just, I have received them as follows: one of the peace-judges, whom the rest selected, adorned with sacred dress and emblems so that he might be clearly distinguished from others, would proceed to the city of the wrongdoers; and standing at the borders, he would call upon Zeus and the other gods, calling them to witness that he had come seeking satisfaction on behalf of the city of Rome.
§2.72.7ἔπειτα ὀμόσας ὅτι πρὸς ἀδικοῦσαν ἔρχεται πόλιν καὶ ἀρὰς τὰς μεγίστας εἰ ψεύδοιτο ἐπαρασάμενος ἑαυτῷ τε καὶ τῇ Ῥώμῃ, τότʼ ἐντὸς ᾔει τῶν ὅρων·
Then, having sworn that he was coming to a city that had committed wrong, and having invoked the greatest curses upon himself and Rome if he spoke falsely, he then went within the borders.
ἔπειτα ὅτῳ πρώτῳ περιτύχοι τοῦτον ἐπιμαρτυράμενος, εἴτε τῶν ἀγροίκων εἴτε τῶν πολιτικῶν εἴη, καὶ τὰς αὐτὰς προσθεὶς ἀρὰς πρὸς τὴν πόλιν ᾤχετο, κᾆτα πρὶν εἰς τὴν πόλιν παρελθεῖν τὸν πυλωρὸν ἢ τὸν πρῶτον ἀπαντήσαντα ἐν ταῖς πύλαις τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἐπιμαρτυράμενος εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν προῄει·
Then, calling to witness whomever he first met, whether a countryman or a citizen, and adding the same curses, he went toward the city; and then, before entering the city, calling to witness the gatekeeper or the first person he met at the gates in the same manner, he proceeded to the forum.
ἐκεῖ δὲ καταστὰς τοῖς ἐν τέλει περὶ ὧν ἥκοι διελέγετο πανταχῇ τούς τε ὅρκους καὶ §2.72.8τὰς ἀρὰς προστιθείς.
And standing there, he spoke to the magistrates about the matters for which he had come, everywhere adding the oaths and curses.
εἰ μὲν οὖν ὑπέχοιεν τὰς δίκας παραδιδόντες τοὺς ἐν ταῖς αἰτίαις, ἀπῄει τοὺς ἄνδρας ἀπάγων φίλος τε ἤδη γεγονὼς καὶ παρὰ φίλων·
If, then, they submitted to justice, delivering up those who were accused, he departed leading the men away, having already become a friend and departing from friends.
εἰ δὲ χρόνον εἰς βουλὴν αἰτήσαιντο δέκα διδους ἡμέρας παρεγίνετο πάλιν καὶ μέχρι τρίτης αἰτήσεως ἀνεδέχετο.
But if they requested time for deliberation, giving them ten days, he would come again, and he waited until the third request.
διελθουσῶν δὲ τῶν. τριάκοντα ἡμερῶν, εἰ μὴ παρεῖχεν αὐτῷ τὰ δίκαια ἡ πόλις, ἐπικαλεσάμενος τούς τε οὐρανίους καὶ καταχθονίους θεοὺς ἀπῄει, τοσοῦτο μόνον εἰπὼν ὅτι βουλεύσεται περὶ αὐτῶν ἡ Ῥωμαίων πόλις ἐφʼ ἡσυχίας.
And when the thirty days had passed, if the city did not perform justice toward him, having called upon both the celestial and infernal gods, he departed, saying only this: that the city of the Romans would deliberate about them at leisure.
§2.72.9καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἀπέφαινεν εἰς τὴν βουλὴν ἅμα τοῖς ἄλλοις εἰρηνοδίκαις παραγενόμενος ὅτι πέπρακται πᾶν αὐτοῖς ὅσον ἦν ὅσιον ἐκ τῶν ἱερῶν νόμων καὶ εἰ βούλοιντο ψηφίζεσθαι πόλεμον οὐδὲν ἔσται τὸ κωλῦσον ἀπὸ θεῶν.
And after this, returning together with the other peace-judges, he declared to the senate that everything that was sacred according to the holy laws had been performed by them, and that if they wished to vote for war, there would be no hindrance from the gods.
εἰ δέ τι μὴ γένοιτο τούτων οὔτε ἡ βουλὴ κυρία ἦν ἐπιψηφίσασθαι πόλεμον οὔτε ὁ δῆμος.
But if any of these things did not take place, neither the senate nor the assembly had the authority to vote for war.
περὶ μὲν οὖν τῶν εἰρηνοδικῶν τοσαῦτα παρελάβομεν.
Concerning the peace-judges, then, this is what we have received.