§3.16.1δέχεται δὴ τὴν παραίνεσιν ὁ Τύλλος καὶ δεχημέρους ποιησάμενος ἀνοχάς, ἐν αἷς βουλεύσεταί τε καὶ μαθὼν τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν Ὁρατίων ἀποκρινεῖται παρῆν εἰς τὴν πόλιν.
Tullus accepted the advice, and having made a ten days' truce, during which he was to deliberate and reply after learning the mind of the Horatii, he returned to the city.
ταῖς δʼ ἑξῆς ἡμέραις βουλευσάμενος ἅμα τοῖς ἀρίστοις, ἐπειδὴ τοῖς πλείστοις ἔδοξε δέχεσθαι τὰς τοῦ Φουφεττίου προκλήσεις, μεταπέμπεται τοὺς τριδύμους ἀδελφοὺς καὶ λέγει πρὸς αὐτούς· §3.16.2ἄνδρες Ὁράτιοι, Φουφέττιος ὁ Ἀλβανὸς εἰς λόγους συνελθὼν ἐμοὶ τὴν τελευταίαν ἐπὶ στρατοπέδου σύνοδον ἔφη τοὺς προκινδυνεύσοντας ὑπὲρ ἑκατέρας πόλεως τρεῖς ἄνδρας ἀγαθοὺς κατὰ θείαν γεγενῆσθαι πρόνοιαν, ὧν οὐκ ἂν εὕροιμεν ἑτέρους οὔτε γενναιοτέρους οὔτε ἐπιτηδειοτέρους, Ἀλβανῶν μὲν Κορατίους, Ῥωμαίων δὲ ὑμᾶς·
On the following days, having deliberated together with the principal men, since it seemed best to the majority to accept the proposals of Fufetius, he sent for the triplet brothers and said to them: "My men Horatii, Fufetius the Alban, meeting with me in conference during the last assembly in the camp, said that the three brave men who are to face danger for each city had been provided by divine providence, and that we could not find others either more noble or more suitable—namely, the Curiatii on the part of the Albans, and you on the part of the Romans.
τοῦτό τε καταμαθὼν· αὐτὸς ἐξητακέναι πρῶτον εἰ βουλομένοις εἴη τοῖς ἀνεψιοῖς ὑμῶν ἐπιδοῦναι τὰ σώματα τῇ πατρίδι, μαθὼν δὲ αὐτοὺς ἀναδεχομένους τὸν ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων ἀγῶνα κατὰ πολλὴν προθυμίαν θαρρῶν εἰς μέσον ἐκφέρειν ἤδη τὸν λόγον, ἠξίου τε καὶ ἐμὲ πεῖραν ὑμῶν λαβεῖν, πότερον βουλήσεσθε προκινδυνεῦσαι τῆς πατρίδος ὁμόσε χωρήσαντες Κορατίοις ἢ §3.16.3παραχωρεῖτε τῆς φιλοτιμίας ταύτης ἑτέροις.
And having realized this, he said he himself had first tested whether your cousins were willing to offer their bodies for their country; and when he found that they undertook the contest on behalf of all with great eagerness, he now felt confident to bring the proposal into the open, and he urged me also to make trial of you, whether you would wish to face danger for your country by advancing to meet the Curiatii, or you yield this honor to others.
ἐγὼ δὲ ἀρετῆς μὲν ἕνεκα καὶ τῆς κατὰ χεῖρα γενναιότητος, ἣν οὐ λανθάνουσαν ἔχετε, πάντων μάλιστα δεξομένους ὑμᾶς τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀριστείων κίνδυνον ἄρασθαι, δεδοικὼς μὴ τὸ πρὸς τοὺς Ἀλβανοὺς τριδύμους συγγενὲς ἐμπόδιον ὑμῖν γένηται τῆς προθυμίας, χρόνον ᾐτησάμην εἰς βουλὴν ἀνακωχὰς δεχημέρους ποιησάμενος·
As for me, although because of your virtue and your well-known valor I was of all people most convinced that you would accept this danger for the prize of valor, yet fearing lest your kinship with the Alban triplets might prove an obstacle to your eagerness, I asked for time for deliberation, having made a ten days' truce.
ὡς δὲ ἀφικόμην δεῦρο τὴν βουλὴν συνεκάλεσα καὶ προὔθηκα περὶ τοῦ πράγματος ἐν κοινῷ σκοπεῖν·
When I arrived here, I called the senate together and proposed to examine the matter in common.
δόξαν δὲ ταῖς πλείοσι γνώμαις, εἰ μὲν ἑκόντες ἀναδέχοισθε τὸν ἀγῶνα καλὸν ὄντα καὶ προσήκοντα ὑμῖν, ὃν ἐγὼ πρόθυμος ἤμην μόνος ὑπὲρ ἁπάντων διαγωνίσασθαι, ἐπαινεῖν τε καὶ δέχεσθαι τὴν χάριν ὑμῶν, εἰ δὲ τὸ συγγενὲς ἐντρεπόμενοι μίασμα, οὐ γὰρ δὴ κακοὶ ψυχὴν ὁμολογοῦντες εἶναι, τοὺς ἔξω τοῦ γένους ἀξιώσαιτε καλεῖν, μηδεμίαν ὑμῖν ἀνάγκην προσφέρειν.
It was decided by the majority of opinions that, if you should voluntarily accept this contest, which is honorable and fitting for you (and which I was eager to fight out alone on behalf of all), we should praise you and accept your favor; but if, out of respect for the defilement of kindred blood—for you surely would not admit that you are cowardly in spirit—you should expect us to call upon those outside the kinship, we should apply no force to you.
ταῦτα τῆς· βουλῆς ψηφισαμένης καὶ οὔτε πρὸς ὀργὴν δεξομένης εἰ διʼ ὄκνου τὸ ἔργον λάβοιτε οὔτε μικρὰν χάριν εἰσομένης ὑμῖν εἰ τιμιωτέραν ἡγήσαισθε τῆς συγγενείας τὴν πατρίδα, τυγχάνετε εὖ βουλευσάμενοι.
Since the senate has decreed this, and will neither receive it with anger if you shrink from the task, nor feel a small debt of gratitude to you if you should regard your country as more precious than your kinship, you have an opportunity to deliberate well."