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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §4.10.1-4.10.6

Tullius' Reforms and Patrician Opposition to His Election

Passage 254 of 962 · Greek

Summary

Tullius implements reforms, including debt relief and the redistribution of public land, earning immense popularity. The patricians, fearing the loss of senatorial power, try to prevent a lawful election of a king, but Tullius outmaneuvers them by presenting himself as the victim of a conspiracy to gather the people.

§4.10.1τοιαῦτα λέγοντος αὐτοῦ πολὺς ἔπαινος ἐκ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐγένετο τῶν μέν, ὅτι πιστὸς ἦν καὶ δίκαιος περὶ τοὺς εὐεργέτας, ἐπαινούντων, τῶν δʼ, ὅτι φιλάνθρωπος καὶ μεγαλόψυχος εἰς τοὺς ἀπόρους, τῶν δʼ, ὡς μέτριος καὶ δημοτικὸς πρὸς τοὺς ταπεινοτέρους, ἁπάντων δʼ, ὅτι νόμιμος καὶ δίκαιος ἄρχων, ἀγαπώντων §4.10.2τε καὶ τεθαυμακότων.
As he spoke these words, great praise arose from the assembly, some praising him because he was faithful and just toward his benefactors, others because he was benevolent and magnanimous toward the needy, others because he was moderate and democratic toward the humbler sort, and all loving and admiring him because he was a lawful and just ruler.
διαλυθείσης δὲ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ταῖς ἑξῆς ἡμέραις ἀπογράφεσθαι κελεύσας τοὺς ὑποχρέους, ὅσοι τὴν πίστιν ἀδύνατοι ἦσαν φυλάττειν, τίσιν ὀφείλουσι καὶ πόσον ἕκαστος, ἐπειδὴ τὰς ἀπογραφὰς ἔλαβε, τραπέζας θεὶς ἐν ἀγορᾷ πάντων ὁρώντων ἀπηρίθμει τοῖς δανεισταῖς τὰ χρέα.
When the assembly was dissolved, he ordered the debtors who were unable to maintain their credit to register during the following days to whom they owed money and how much each, and when he received the registrations, he placed tables in the forum in the sight of all and counted out the debts to the creditors.
§4.10.3ταῦτα διαπραξάμενος ἐξέθηκεν ἐν φανερῷ διάταγμα βασιλικόν, ἐκχωρεῖν τῆς δημοσίας γῆς τοὺς καρπουμένους τε καὶ ἰδίᾳ κατέχοντας αὐτὴν ἐν ὡρισμένῳ τινὶ χρόνῳ, καὶ τοὺς οὐδένα κλῆρον ἔχοντας τῶν πολιτῶν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἀπογράφεσθαι· νόμους τε συνέγραφεν οὓς μὲν ἐκ τῶν ἀρχαίων καὶ παρημελημένων ἀνανεούμενος, οὓς Ῥωμύλος τʼ εἰσηγήσατο καὶ Νόμας Πομπίλιος, οὓς δʼ §4.10.4αὐτὸς καθιστάμενος.
Having accomplished these things, he published openly a royal edict commanding those who were enjoying the fruits of the public land and holding it in private to withdraw from it within a specified time, and those of the citizens who had no allotment of land to register themselves with him; and he drew up laws, renewing some of the ancient and neglected ones which Romulus and Numa Pompilius had introduced, and establishing others himself.
ταῦτα δʼ αὐτοῦ πολιτευομένου χαλεπῶς ἔφερον οἱ πατρίκιοι καταλυομένην τὴν δυναστείαν τῆς βουλῆς ὁρῶντες καὶ λογισμοὺς οὐκέτι τοὺς αὐτούς, ἀλλʼ ἐναντίους τοῖς προτέροις ἐλάμβανον.
But while he was administering the state in this manner, the patricians bore it with difficulty, seeing the power of the senate being dissolved, and they no longer entertained the same designs, but others contrary to the former.
§4.10.5ἐν ἀρχαῖς μὲν γὰρ ὥρμησαν ἀφελέσθαι τὴν παράνομον αὐτοῦ δυναστείαν ἀποδείξαντες μεσοβασιλεῖς καὶ διʼ ἐκείνων ἑλέσθαι τὸν κατὰ νόμους ἕξοντα τὴν ἀρχήν· τότε δὲ στέργειν ἐπὶ τοῖς παροῦσιν ᾤοντο δεῖν καὶ μηδὲν πολυπραγμονεῖν.
For in the beginning, they were eager to deprive him of his unlawful power by appointing interreges and through them choosing one who should hold the office according to the laws; but then they thought they ought to acquiesce in the present circumstances and not to busy themselves.
εἰσῄει γὰρ αὐτοῖς λογισμός, ὅτι τῆς μὲν βουλῆς, ὃν αὐτὴ προῃρεῖτο, παραγούσης ἐπὶ τὰ πράγματα ὁ δῆμος ἐναντιώσεται τὴν ψῆφον ἀναλαβών· ἐὰν δʼ ἐπὶ τῷ δήμῳ ποιήσωσι τὴν τοῦ βασιλέως προαίρεσιν, ἅπασαι τὸν Τύλλιον ψηφοφορήσουσιν αἱ φρᾶτραι, καὶ περιέσται τῷ ἀνδρὶ τὸ δοκεῖν κατὰ νόμους ἄρχειν.
For the reflection occurred to them that if the senate brought forward to public affairs the man whom it had chosen, the people would oppose it when they took up their vote; but if they left the choice of the king to the people, all the curiae would vote for Tullius, and the man would gain the appearance of ruling according to the laws.
ἔδοξεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ἄμεινον εἶναι κλέπτοντα τὴν ἀρχὴν τὸν ἄνδρα καὶ παρακρουόμενον τοὺς πολίτας μᾶλλον ἢ πείσαντα καὶ φανερῶς λαβόντα κατέχειν.
It seemed better to them, therefore, that the man should hold the power by stealing it and deceiving the citizens rather than by persuading them and receiving it openly.
§4.10.6ἀλλʼ οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς ἐγένετο προὔργου τῶν λελογισμένων· οὕτω κατεστρατήγησεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Τύλλιος καὶ κατέσχε τὴν βασιλείαν ἀκόντων ἐκείνων.
But none of their calculations proved to be of any service to them; so completely did Tullius outgeneral them and retain the kingship against their will.
κατασκευάσας γὰρ ἐκ πολλοῦ φήμας λέγεσθαι κατὰ πόλιν. ὡς ἐπιβουλευόντων αὐτῷ τῶν πατρικίων προῆλθεν εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐσθῆτα πιναρὰν περιβεβλημένος καὶ κατηφὴς συνούσης αὐτῷ καὶ τῆς μητρὸς Ὀκρισίας καὶ τῆς Ταρκυνίου γυναικὸς Τανακυλίδος καὶ τῆς συγγενείας τῆς βασιλικῆς ὅλης.
For having long before arranged that rumors should be spread through the city that the patricians were plotting against him, he went out into the forum dressed in squalid garments and dejected, accompanied by his mother Ocrisia, by Tarquinius' wife Tanaquil, and by the whole royal family.
ὄχλου δὲ συνδραμόντος πολλοῦ πρὸς τὸ παράδοξον τῆς ὄψεως ἐκκλησίαν συγκαλέσας προῆλθεν ἐπὶ τὸ βῆμα καὶ διεξῆλθε τοιοῦτόν τινα λόγον.
And when a great crowd had run together at the strangeness of the sight, he called an assembly, came forward to the rostra, and delivered a speech of this kind.

Notes

  1. 4.10.1τῶν μέν... ἐπαινούντων... τῶν δʼ... τῶν δʼ... ἁπάντων δʼ... ἀγαπώντων — A series of genitive absolutes parallel to the main clause πολὺς ἔπαινος... ἐγένετο ('great praise arose'), categorizing the praising subjects into four groups. The verb ἐπαινούντων is omitted after the second and third occurrences of τῶν δʼ, and the sequence concludes with ἁπάντων δʼ ... ἀγαπώντων τε καὶ τεθαυμακότων.
  2. 4.10.5τῆς μὲν βουλῆς... παραγούσης... ὁ δῆμος ἐναντιώσεται — A contrastive structure within the ὅτι clause. The first part, τῆς μὲν βουλῆς... παραγούσης, is a genitive absolute expressing a condition ('if the senate brings forward...'), which connects to the subject ὁ δῆμος and the future verb ἐναντιώσεται. This is contrasted with the conditional sentence in the second part using the future indicative: ἐὰν δʼ... ποιήσωσι... ψηφοφορήσουσιν.
  3. 4.10.6οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς ἐγένετο προὔργου τῶν λελογισμένων — The adverbial/adjectival expression προὔργου, derived from the prepositional phrase πρὸ ἔργου ('useful, advantageous'), combines with οὐδὲν to mean 'of no use' or 'in vain.' The subsequent genitive τῶν λελογισμένων is a genitive of comparison or relation ('of the things they had calculated') indicating the scope of this expression.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §4.10.1-4.10.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.10.1-4.10.6

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