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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §3.14.1-3.14.3

Proposal for the Triplets' Duel as Divine Will

Passage 182 of 962 · Greek

Summary

The Alban general proposes to King Tullus of Rome that the triplet brothers from both sides should represent their respective cities in the contest for the hegemony, arguing that this arrangement is a clear design of divine providence.

§3.14.1θεός τις ἔοικεν, ὦ Τύλλε, προνοούμενος τῶν πόλεων ἑκατέρας ἐν ἄλλοις τε πολλοῖς καὶ δὴ καὶ κατὰ τόνδε τὸν ἀγῶνα φανερὰν τὴν εὔνοιαν πεποιῆσθαι.
Some god, O Tullus, seems, in providing for each of our cities both in many other matters and especially in this contest, to have made his goodwill manifest.
τὸ γὰρ εὑρεθῆναι τοὺς ἀγωνιουμένους ὑπὲρ πάντων γένει τε μηδενὸς χείρονας καὶ τὰ πολέμια ἀγαθοὺς ὀφθῆναί τε καλλίστους, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἐξ ἑνὸς πεφυκότας πατρὸς καὶ ὑπὸ μιᾶς γεγεννημένους μητρὸς καὶ τὸ θαυμασιώτατον ἐν μιᾷ προελθόντας εἰς φῶς γενέσει, παρʼ ὑμῖν μὲν Ὁρατίους, παρʼ ἡμῖν δὲ Κορατίους, θαυμαστῇ τινι καὶ θείᾳ παντάπασιν ἔοικεν εὐεργεσίᾳ.
For that there should be found those who will fight on behalf of all, in birth inferior to none, brave in war and most beautiful to look upon, and moreover, born of one father and brought forth by one mother, and, what is most wonderful, having come forth into the light in a single birth—namely, the Horatii among you, and the Curiatii among us—seems altogether like a wondrous and divine favor.
§3.14.2τί οὖν οὐ δεχόμεθα τὴν τοσαύτην τοῦ δαιμονίου πρόνοιαν καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν ἐπὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡγεμονίας ἀγῶνα τοὺς τριδύμους ἀδελφοὺς ἑκάτεροι;
Why, then, do we not accept such great providence of the deity, and each of us call upon the triplet brothers to the contest for the hegemony?
τά τε γὰρ ἄλλʼ, ὅσα ἐν τοῖς ἄριστα μαχησομένοις βουλοίμεθʼ ἂν εἶναι, κἀν τούτοις ἔνεστι τοῖς ἀνδράσι, καὶ τὸ μὴ προλιπεῖν τοὺς παρασπιστὰς κάμνοντας τούτοις μᾶλλον ὑπάρξει ἀδελφοῖς οὖσι παρʼ οὕστινας ἄλλους Ῥωμαίων τε καὶ Ἀλβανῶν, ἥ τε φιλοτιμία τῶν ἄλλων νέων χαλεπὴ λυθῆναι διʼ ἑτέρου τινὸς οὖσα τρόπου ταχεῖαν ἕξει τὴν κρίσιν.
For all other qualities, as many as we would wish to be in those who are to fight best, are present also in these men; and not to desert their comrades when hard pressed will belong to them, since they are brothers, more than to any others of the Romans and Albans; and the rivalry of the other young men, which would be difficult to resolve in any other way, will have a speedy decision.
§3.14.3τεκμαίρομαι γάρ τινα καὶ παρʼ ὑμῖν χάριν ἐν πολλοῖς εἶναι τῶν ἀντιποιουμένων ἀρετῆς, ὥσπερ καὶ παρʼ Ἀλβανοῖς· οὓς εἰ διδάσκοιμεν ὅτι θεία τις ἔφθακε τύχη τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας σπουδὰς αὐτῆς παρασχούσης τοὺς ἐξ ἴσου τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν πόλεων ἀγῶνα ποιησομένους, οὐ χαλεπῶς πείσομεν.
For I infer that also among you there is a certain partiality among many of those who lay claim to valor; just as there is also among the Albans; whom, if we should show that a divine fortune has anticipated human strivings, she herself having provided those who will on equal terms wage the contest on behalf of the cities, we shall persuade without difficulty.
οὐ γὰρ ἀρετῇ λείπεσθαι δόξουσι τῶν τριδύμων ἀδελφῶν, ἀλλὰ φύσεως εὐκληρίᾳ καὶ τύχης ἰσορρόπου πρὸς τὸ ἀντίπαλον ἐπιτηδειότητι.
For they will not seem to be surpassed by the triplet brothers in valor, but by a good fortune of birth and by the suitability of an equal balance of fortune against the opponent.

Notes

  1. 3.14.1θεός τις ἔοικεν — The verb ἔοικα ('seems') is used in a personal construction with the perfect infinitive πεποιῆσθαι, where the subject θεός τις ('some god') is directly construed as the subject of ἔοικεν, unlike the impersonal 'it seems that...'.
  2. 3.14.1τὸ γὰρ εὑρεθῆναι ... ἔοικεν εὐεργεσίᾳ — This notes the framework of the long sentence. The articular infinitive phrase τὸ εὑρεθῆναι ('to have been found') serves as the subject of the verb ἔοικεν, which in turn governs the dative εὐεργεσίᾳ ('favor'). The accusatives Ὁρατίους and Κορατίους function as predicate accusatives in apposition to the logical subject of the passive infinitive.
  3. 3.14.2χαλεπὴ λυθῆναι — The passive infinitive λυθῆναι ('to be resolved') is used epexegetically (as an explanatory infinitive) modifying the adjective χαλεπή ('difficult'), meaning 'difficult to resolve'.
  4. 3.14.3αὐτῆς παρασχούσης — A genitive absolute construction. The feminine singular genitive pronoun αὐτῆς refers back to the nominative noun phrase θεία τις ... τύχη ('a certain divine fortune') and acts as the logical subject of the participle παρασχούσης ('having provided').
  5. 3.14.3φύσεως εὐκληρίᾳ καὶ τύχης ἰσορρόπου πρὸς τὸ ἀντίπαλον ἐπιτηδειότητι — The datives εὐκληρίᾳ ('good fortune') and ἐπιτηδειότητι ('suitability') are parallel in construction to the dative of respect ἀρετῇ ('in valor') in the preceding clause. They function as datives of cause or means modifying the infinitive λείπεσθαι ('to be surpassed'), explaining the reason for their being set aside.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §3.14.1-3.14.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.14.1-3.14.3

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