Humanitext Reader

Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §4.12.1-4.12.3

Tullius' Election to the Kingship by the People

Passage 256 of 962 · Greek

Summary

When Tullius attempted to withdraw, the people implored him to remain and make himself king. Seizing the opportunity, he held an election and assumed the kingship solely through the support of the common people, bypassing the senate's confirmation.

§4.12.1ταῦτα λέγοντος αὐτοῦ καὶ παραχωρεῖν οἵου τε ὄντος ἀπὸ τοῦ βήματος κραυγή τε παρὰ πάντων ἐξαίσιος ἐγίνετο καὶ δεήσεις μεμιγμέναι δάκρυσιν, ἵνα μένῃ τε καὶ διακατέχῃ τὰ πράγματα μηδένα δεδοικώς.
While he was saying these things and was about to withdraw from the rostrum, a tremendous shout arose from everyone, and entreaties mingled with tears, that he should remain and keep control of affairs, fearing no one.
ἔπειτʼ ἐγκέλευστοί τινες διειληφότες τὴν ἀγορὰν βασιλέα ποιεῖν αὐτὸν ἐβόων καὶ συγκαλεῖν τὰς φράτρας ἠξίουν καὶ ψῆφον ᾔτουν.
Then certain men, who had been suborned and distributed throughout the forum, cried out to make him king, and demanded that he convoke the curiae and asked for a vote.
ἀρξαμένων δὲ τούτων εὐθὺς ὁ δῆμος ἅπας ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς προαιρέσεως ἐγεγόνει.
When these had begun, immediately the entire people came to be of the same mind.
§4.12.2τοῦτο καταμαθὼν ὁ Τύλλιος οὐκέτι παρῆκε τὸν καιρόν, ἀλλὰ πολλὰς αὐτοῖς εἰδέναι φήσας χάριτας, ὅτι μέμνηνται τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν, καὶ ἔτι πλείονα ὑποσχόμενος ἀγαθὰ ποιήσειν, ἐὰν αὐτὸν ἀποδείξωσι βασιλέα, προεῖπεν ἡμέραν ἀρχαιρεσιῶν, εἰς ἣν ἐκέλευσε καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τῶν ἀγρῶν ἅπαντας παρεῖναι.
Tullius, having perceived this, no longer let the opportunity pass, but after expressing many thanks to them because they remembered his benefits, and promising to do still greater good things if they should declare him king, he announced a day for the elections, on which he ordered everyone from the countryside also to be present.
§4.12.3συνελθόντος δὲ τοῦ δήμου καλῶν τὰς φράτρας κατὰ μίαν ἀνεδίδου τὰς ψήφους.
When the people had assembled, he called the curiae one by one and distributed the ballots.
ἁπάσαις δὲ ταῖς φράτραις κριθεὶς τῆς βασιλείας ἄξιος παραλαμβάνει τότε τὴν ἀρχὴν παρὰ τοῦ δημοτικοῦ πλήθους πολλὰ χαίρειν τῇ βουλῇ φράσας, ἣν οὐκ ἠξίωσεν ἐπικυρῶσαι τὰ τοῦ δήμου κρίματα, ὥσπερ αὐτῇ ποιεῖν ἔθος ἦν.
Having been judged by all the curiae to be worthy of the kingship, he then received the power from the common crowd, having bidden a long farewell to the senate, which he did not deign to ask to confirm the decisions of the people, as had been its custom to do.
τοῦτον δὲ τὸν τρόπον ἐπὶ τὴν βασιλείαν παρελθὼν πολλῶν μὲν καὶ ἄλλων πολιτευμάτων εἰσηγητὴς ἐγένετο, μέγαν δὲ καὶ λόγου ἄξιον ἐπολέμησε πρὸς Τυρρηνοὺς πόλεμον.
Having come to the kingship in this manner, he became the introducer of many other political institutions, and waged a great and noteworthy war against the Etruscans.
ποιήσομαι δὲ περὶ τῶν πολιτευμάτων αὐτοῦ πρῶτον τοὺς λόγους.
But I shall make my account concerning his political institutions first.

Notes

  1. 667παραχωρεῖν οἵου τε ὄντος — Part of a genitive absolute construction. The genitive adjective phrase οἵου τε ὄντος, coordinated with the preceding genitive participle λέγοντος, takes the infinitive παραχωρεῖν (expressing imminent or attempted action) to mean 'while he was about to withdraw'.
  2. 668πολλὰ χαίρειν τῇ βουλῇ φράσας — A participial form of the idiom χαίρειν φράζω, meaning 'to bid farewell to' or 'to dismiss/disregard'. Although literally translated as 'having said many greetings to the senate', it contextually signifies that Tullius bypassed or ignored the senate in assuming power.
  3. 668ἣν οὐκ ἠξίωσεν ἐπικυρῶσαι τὰ τοῦ δήμου κρίματα — The relative pronoun in the accusative, ἣν, refers back to βουλῇ (the senate). The verb ἠξίωσεν ('to deign', 'to think fit') takes ἣν as the subject of the infinitive ἐπικυρῶσαι ('to confirm'), meaning 'which he did not think fit to confirm...' or 'which he did not deign to ask to confirm...'.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §4.12.1-4.12.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.12.1-4.12.3

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