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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §3.29.1-3.29.7

Tullus Orders the Destruction of Alba and Its Migration

Passage 200 of 962 · Greek

Summary

King Tullus dismisses the excuses of the Albans, but decides to demolish Alba Longa and integrate its population into Rome, granting them citizenship, in order to ensure permanent peace.

§3.29.1ταῦτα δʼ αὐτοῦ λέγοντος οἰμωγαί τε τῶν Ἀλβανῶν ἐγίνοντο καὶ παντοδαπαὶ δεήσεις τοῦ μὲν δήμου μηδὲν ἐγνωκέναι λέγοντος ὧν ὁ Μέττιος ἐμηχανᾶτο, τῶν δὲ τὰς ἡγεμονίας ἐχόντων οὐ πρότερον πεπύσθαι τὰς ἀπορρήτους βουλὰς σκηπτομένων ἢ ἐν αὐτῷ γενέσθαι τῷ ἀγῶνι, ἡνίκα οὔτε κωλύειν οὔτε μὴ πράττειν τὰ κελευόμενα ἐν δυνατῷ σφίσιν ἦν, ἤδη δέ τινων καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἀκούσιον ἀνάγκην ἀναφερόντων τὸ πρᾶγμα διὰ κηδείαν ἢ διὰ συγγένειαν·
While he was saying this, there arose lamentations on the part of the Albans and all kinds of entreaties, the common people saying they knew nothing of what Mettius had been plotting, and those who held the magistracies pleading that they had not been informed of the secret designs until they were in the midst of the battle itself, at which time it was not in their power either to prevent them or to refuse to perform what was commanded; and some were already attributing the matter to involuntary necessity arising from intermarriage or kinship.
§3.29.2οἷς ὁ βασιλεὺς σιωπῆσαι κελεύσας ἔλεξεν· οὐδʼ ἐμὲ λέληθεν, ἄνδρες Ἀλβανοί, τούτων ὧν ἀπολογεῖσθε οὐθέν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν πλῆθος ὑμῶν ἀγνοεῖν τὴν προδοσίαν οἴομαι τεκμαιρόμενος ὅτι πολλῶν συνειδότων οὐδὲ τὸν ἐλάχιστον πέφυκε τἀπόρρητα σιωπᾶσθαι χρόνον, τῶν δὲ ταξιαρχῶν τε καὶ λοχαγῶν βραχύ τι μέρος ἡγοῦμαι τὸ συνεπιβουλεῦσαν ἡμῖν γενέσθαι, τὸ δὲ πλεῖστον ἐξηπατῆσθαι καὶ εἰς ἀκουσίους ἀνάγκας ἀφῖχθαι.
Having ordered them to be silent, the king said: "Men of Alba, none of these things which you offer in your defense has escaped me; but I believe that the main body of you was ignorant of the treachery, judging from the fact that, when many are privy to a secret, it is not in its nature to be kept silent for even the shortest time. And of the captains and centurions, I think only a small part joined in plotting against us, while the greatest part was deceived and brought to involuntary necessity.
§3.29.3εἰ δέ γε τούτων μηδὲν ἀληθὲς ἦν, ἀλλὰ πάντας εἰσῆλθεν Ἀλβανοὺς καὶ τοὺς ἐνθάδε ὄντας ὑμᾶς καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῇ πόλει καταλειπομένους ἡ τοῦ κακῶς ποιεῖν ἡμᾶς ἐπιθυμία, καὶ τοῦτο οὐ νῦν πρῶτον, ἀλλʼ ἐκ πολλοῦ πάνυ χρόνου δεδογμένον ὑμῖν ἦν, τῆς συγγενείας ἕνεκα πολλὴ Ῥωμαίοις ἀνάγκη καὶ §3.29.4ταῦθʼ ὑμῶν τἀδικήματα φέρειν.
But even if none of these things were true, and the desire to do us harm had entered into all the Albans—both you who are here and those left behind in the city—and this had been resolved upon by you, not now for the first time, but for a very long time past, yet because of our kinship there would be a great necessity for Romans to bear even these injuries of yours.
ἵνα δὲ μηθὲν βουλεύσητε ἔτι καθʼ ἡμῶν ἄδικον μήτε δὴ βιασθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν ἡγουμένων τῆς πόλεως μήτε παρακρουσθέντες μία φυλακὴ καὶ πρόνοιά· ἐστιν, εἰ τῆς αὐτῆς πόλεως πολῖται γενοίμεθα πάντες καὶ μίαν ἡγοίμεθα πατρίδα, ἧς εὖ τε καὶ χεῖρον φερομένης τὸ ἐπιβάλλον μέρος ἕκαστος οἴσεται τῆς τύχης·
However, that you may no longer plot anything unjust against us, either being forced by the leaders of your city or being deceived, there is one security and precaution: if we should all become citizens of the same city and regard one country as our own, of which, whether it fares well or ill, each one will bear his allotted portion of fortune.
ἕως δʼ ἂν ἐκ διαφόρου γνώμης, ὥσπερ νῦν ἔχει, τό τε πλεῖον καὶ τοὔλαττον ἐπικρίνωμεν ἑκάτεροι, οὐκ ἔσται βέβαιος ἡμῖν ἡ πρὸς ἀλλήλους φιλία, ἄλλως τε καὶ εἰ μέλλοιεν οἱ μὲν πρότεροι ἐπιβουλεύσαντες τοῖς ἑτέροις ἢ κατορθώσαντες πλεῖον ἕξειν ἢ σφαλέντες ἐν μηδενὶ δεινῷ ἔσεσθαι διὰ τὸ συγγενές, καθʼ ὦν δʼ ἂν αἱ ἐπιχειρήσεις γένωνται ὑποχείριοι καταστάντες τὰ ἔσχατα παθεῖν καὶ διαφυγόντες μηθὲν ὥσπερ ἐχθροὶ §3.29.5μνησικακεῖν, ὅπερ καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι γέγονεν.
But as long as we, from different views, as is now the case, each judge of the more and the less, our friendship for one another will not be secure, especially if those who first plotted against the others are to have more if they succeed, or if they fail are to be in no danger because of kinship, while those against whom the attempts are made, if they are brought into subjection, are to suffer the worst, and if they escape, are not to bear any resentment, like enemies—which is exactly what has happened in the present case.
ἴστε δὴ ταῦτα δεδογμένα Ῥωμαίοις τῇ παρελθούσῃ νυκτὶ συναγαγόντος ἐμοῦ τὴν βουλὴν καὶ τὰ δόξαντα τοῖς συνέδροις γραψαμένου, τὴν μὲν πόλιν ὑμῶν καθαιρεθῆναι καὶ μήτε τῶν δημοσίων μήτε τῶν ἰδιωτικῶν κατασκευασμάτων ὀρθόν τι ἐᾶσαι διαμένειν μηθὲν ἔξω τῶν ἱερῶν· §3.29.6τοὺς δʼ ἐν αὐτῇ πάντας ἔχοντας οὓς καὶ νῦν ἔχουσι κλήρους ἀνδραπόδων τε καὶ βοσκημάτων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων χρημάτων μηθὲν ἀφαιρεθέντας ἐν Ῥώμῃ τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦδε χρόνον οἰκεῖν· ὅσην τε τὸ κοινὸν ὑμῶν ἐκέκτητο γῆν τοῖς μηθένα κλῆρον ἔχουσιν Ἀλβανῶν διαμερισθῆναι χωρὶς τῶν ἱερῶν κτημάτων, ἐξ ὧν αἱ θυσίαι τοῖς θεοῖς ἐγίνοντο. οἴκων δὲ κατασκευῆς, ἐν οἷς τοὺς βίους ἱδρύσεσθε οἱ μετανιστάμενοι, καθʼ οὓς ἔσονται τῆς πόλεως τόπους, ἐμὲ ποιήσασθαι πρόνοιαν συλλαμβάνοντα τοῖς ἀπορωτάτοις ὑμῶν τῆς εἰς τὰ ἔργα δαπάνης. §3.29.7καὶ τὸ μὲν ἄλλο πλῆθος ὑμῶν μετὰ τῶν παρʼ ἡμῖν δημοτικῶν συντελεῖν εἰς φυλὰς καὶ φράτρας καταμερισθέν, βουλῆς δὲ μετέχειν καὶ ἀρχὰς λαμβάνειν καὶ τοῖς πατρικίοις προσνεμηθῆναι τούσδε τοὺς οἴκους· Ἰουλίους, Σερουϊλίους, Κορατίους, Κοϊντιλίους, Κλοιλίους, Γεγανίους, Μετιλίους· Μέττιον δὲ καὶ τοὺς σὺν τούτῳ βουλεύσαντας τὴν προδοσίαν δίκας ὑποσχεῖν, ἃς ἂν ἡμεῖς τάξωμεν δικασταὶ περὶ ἑκάστου τῶν ὑπαιτίων καθεζόμενοι· οὐθένα γὰρ ἀποστερήσομεν κρίσεως οὐδὲ λόγου.
Know, then, that these things were resolved upon by the Romans last night, when I assembled the senate and wrote down the decisions of the council: that your city is to be demolished, and that of neither the public nor the private structures is any to be left standing upright, except the temples; and that all those in it are to dwell in Rome for the future, without being deprived of any of the allotments of land, slaves, cattle, and other property which they now possess; and that all the land which your commonwealth owned is to be distributed among those of the Albans who have no allotments, except the sacred possessions from which the sacrifices were offered to the gods; and as for the building of houses in which you who migrate are to establish your lives, and in what parts of the city they shall be, I will take foresight, helping the poorest of you with the expense for the work; and that the rest of your multitude is to be enrolled in tribes and curiae, being distributed among our plebeians, but that the following houses are to share in the senate, hold magistracies, and be added to the patricians: the Julii, the Servilii, the Curiatii, the Quinctilii, the Cloelii, the Geganii, and the Metilii; and that Mettius and those who with him plotted the treachery are to undergo such punishment as we, sitting as judges over each of the accused, shall appoint; for we shall deprive no one of a trial or a hearing."

Notes

  1. 3.29.1τοῦ μὲν δήμου μηδὲν ἐγνωκέναι λέγοντος — The phrases τοῦ μὲν δήμου ... λέγοντος, τῶν δὲ ... σκηπτομένων, and ἤδη δέ τινων ... ἀναφερόντων are parallel genitive absolute constructions explaining the circumstances and reactions of the different groups accompanying the main action. The infinitive phrase μηδὲν ἐγνωκέναι is the object of λέγοντος.
  2. 3.29.2τὸ συνεπιβουλεῦσαν ἡμῖν γενέσθαι — In the accusative with infinitive construction dependent on ἡγοῦμαι, the articular participle τὸ συνεπιβουλεῦσαν (the part that joined in the plot) is the subject of the infinitive γενέσθαι, and βραχύ τι μέρος (a small part) is its predicate accusative.
  3. 3.29.4μηδὲν ὥσπερ ἐχθροὶ μνησικακεῖν — This infinitive phrase occurs within the long conditional clause introduced by εἰ μέλλοιεν. The antecedent of the relative clause καθʼ ὦν δʼ ἂν αἱ ἐπιχειρήσεις γένωνται (those against whom the attempts were made, i.e., the Romans) serves as the subject of the infinitive μνησικακεῖν (to bear a grudge). The clause describes the absurd situation where the victims are expected not to hold resentments as if they were enemies.
  4. 3.29.5ἴστε δὴ ταῦτα δεδογμένα — The verb ἴστε is the second-person plural imperative of οἶδα (to know). The participle δεδογμένα (resolved/decreed) functions as a supplementary participle with ἴστε, translating as "Know, then, that these things were resolved." The subsequent infinitives (καθαιρεθῆναι, οἰκεῖν, διαμερισθῆναι, etc.) specify the contents of these decrees in the form of indirect commands.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §3.29.1-3.29.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:3.29.1-3.29.7

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