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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §4.71.1-4.71.6

Brutus's Plan of Revolt and Authority over the Assembly

Passage 315 of 962 · Greek

Summary

Brutus proposes a specific plan to expel Tarquinius, suggesting they expose the deceased woman's body in the forum to incite the populace. When Valerius questions the legality of calling an assembly, Brutus reveals that he holds the authority to do so as the commander of the Celeres.

§4.71.1ταῦτʼ εἰπὼν ἐκάλει καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἅπαντας ἐπὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ὅρκον· οἱ δʼ οὐδὲν ἔτι ἐνδοιάσαντες ἀνίσταντο καὶ τὸ ξίφος δεχόμενοι παρʼ ἀλλήλων ὤμνυον.
Having said this, he called upon all the others to take the same oath; and they, no longer hesitating at all, rose up and, receiving the sword from one another, took the oath.
γενομένων δὲ τῶν ὁρκωμοσιῶν μετὰ τοῦτʼ εὐθὺς ἐζήτουν, τίς ὁ τῆς ἐπιχειρήσεως ἔσται τρόπος.
When the oaths had been taken, immediately after this they sought what the manner of their enterprise should be.
καὶ ὁ Βροῦτος αὐτοῖς ὑποτίθεται τοιάδε· πρῶτον μὲν διὰ φυλακῆς τὰς πύλας ἔχωμεν, ἵνα μηδὲν τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει λεγομένων τε καὶ πραττομένων κατὰ τῆς τυραννίδος αἴσθηται Ταρκύνιος, πρὶν ἢ τὰ παρʼ ἡμῶν εὐτρεπῆ §4.71.2γενέσθαι.
And Brutus suggested to them as follows: "First, let us keep the gates under guard, so that Tarquinius may perceive nothing of what is said and done in the city against the tyranny, before our preparations are complete.
ἔπειτα κομίσαντες τὸ σῶμα τῆς γυναικὸς ὡς ἔστιν αἵματι πεφυρμένον εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν καὶ προθέντες ἐν φανερῷ συγκαλῶμεν τὸν δῆμον εἰς ἐκκλησίαν.
Next, having carried the body of the woman, defiled with blood just as it is, into the forum and exposed it to public view, let us summon the people to an assembly.
ὅταν δὲ συνέλθῃ καὶ πλήθουσαν ἴδωμεν τὴν ἀγοράν, προελθὼν Λουκρήτιός τε καὶ Κολλατῖνος ἀποδυράσθωσαν τὰς ἑαυτῶν τύχας ἅπαντα τὰ γενόμενα φράσαντες.
And when they have come together and we see the forum full, let Lucretius and Collatinus come forward and bewail their own misfortunes, telling all that has happened.
§4.71.3ἔπειτα τῶν ἄλλων ἕκαστος παριὼν κατηγορείτω τῆς τυραννίδος καὶ τοὺς πολίτας ἐπὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν παρακαλείτω.
Then let each of the others in turn come forward and accuse the tyranny, and exhort the citizens to liberty.
ἔσται δὲ πᾶσι Ῥωμαίοις κατʼ εὐχήν, ἐὰν ἴδωσιν ἡμᾶς τοὺς πατρικίους ἄρχοντας τῆς ἐλευθερίας· πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ δεινὰ πεπόνθασιν ὑπὸ τοῦ τυράννου καὶ μικρᾶς ἀφορμῆς δέονται.
And it will be according to the wish of all Romans, if they see us patricians taking the lead in winning liberty; for they have suffered many terrible things at the hands of the tyrant and need only a small impulse.
ὅταν δὲ λάβωμεν τὸ πλῆθος ὡρμημένον καταλῦσαι τὴν μοναρχίαν ψῆφόν τʼ αὐτοῖς ἀναδῶμεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μηκέτι Ῥωμαίων Ταρκύνιον ἄρξειν καὶ τὸ περὶ τούτων δόγμα πρὸς τοὺς ἐπὶ στρατοπέδου διαπεμψώμεθα ἐν τάχει.
And when we find the multitude eager to overthrow the monarchy, let us put the vote to them that Tarquinius shall no longer rule the Romans, and let us quickly send the decree concerning these matters to those in the camp.
§4.71.4καὶ γὰρ οἱ τὰ ὅπλα ἔχοντες, εἰ μάθοιεν, ὅτι τὰ ἐν τῇ πόλει πάντα τοῖς τυράννοις ἐστὶν ἀλλότρια, πρόθυμοι περὶ τὴν τῆς πατρίδος ἐλευθερίαν γενήσονται οὔτε δωρεαῖς ἔτι κατεχόμενοι ὡς πρότερον οὔτε τὰς ὕβρεις τῶν Ταρκυνίου παίδων τε καὶ κολάκων φέρειν δυνάμενοι.
For those who are under arms, if they should learn that everything in the city is hostile to the tyrants, will be eager for the liberty of their country, being no longer held by gifts as before, nor able to bear any longer the insolence of Tarquinius' sons and flatterers.
§4.71.5ταῦτα λέξαντος αὐτοῦ παραλαβὼν τὸν λόγον Οὐαλέριος, Τὰ μὲν ἄλλα, ἔφησεν, ὀρθῶς ἐπιλογίζεσθαί μοι δοκεῖς, Ἰούνιε· περὶ δὲ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἔτι βούλομαι μαθεῖν, τίς ὁ καλέσων ἔσται αὐτὴν κατὰ νόμους καὶ τὴν ψῆφον ἀναδώσων ταῖς φράτραις.
When he had said this, Valerius, taking up the discourse, said: "In other respects, Junius, you seem to me to reason correctly; but concerning the assembly, I still wish to learn who will be the one to call it according to the laws and present the vote to the curiae.
ἄρχοντι γὰρ ἀποδέδοται τοῦτο πράττειν· ἡμῶν δʼ οὐδεὶς οὐδεμίαν ἀρχὴν ἔχει. ὁ δʼ ὑπολαβών· ἐγώ, φησίν, ὦ Οὐαλέριε.
For to perform this is assigned to a magistrate, but none of us holds any office." And he, interrupting, said: "I will, Valerius.
§4.71.6τῶν γὰρ Κελερίων ἄρχων εἰμί, καὶ ἀποδέδοταί μοι κατὰ νόμους ἐκκλησίαν, ὅτε βουλοίμην, συγκαλεῖν.
For I am the commander of the Celeres, and it is assigned to me by the laws to call an assembly whenever I wish.
ἔδωκε δέ μοι τὴν ἀρχὴν ταύτην ὁ τύραννος μεγίστην οὖσαν ὡς ἠλιθίῳ καὶ οὔτʼ εἰσομένῳ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῆς οὔτʼ, εἰ γνοίην, χρησομένῳ· καὶ τὸν κατὰ τοῦ τυράννου λόγον πρῶτος ἐγὼ διαθήσομαι.
And the tyrant gave this office to me, very great though it is, as to a fool who would neither know its power nor, if he did know, make use of it; and I will be the first to deliver the speech against the tyrant."

Notes

  1. §4.71.1πρὶν ἢ τὰ παρʼ ἡμῶν εὐτρεπῆ γενέσθαι — The conjunction πρὶν ἤ (or πρὶν) introduces the infinitive γενέσθαι, meaning "before...". The subject accusative of the infinitive is τὰ παρʼ ἡμῶν ("our affairs" or "our preparations"), with εὐτρεπῆ acting as its predicate adjective (accusative neuter plural).
  2. §4.71.3ἔσται δὲ πᾶσι Ῥωμαίοις κατʼ εὐχήν — The dative πᾶσι Ῥωμαίοις functions as a dative of reference ("for all Romans"). The prepositional phrase κατʼ εὐχήν means "according to [their] prayer/wish" and works predicatively with the copula (ἔσται) to mean "it will be as they wish" or "it will be desirable."
  3. §4.71.5τίς ὁ καλέσων ἔσται αὐτὴν κατὰ νόμους καὶ τὴν ψῆφον ἀναδώσων ταῖς φράτραις — The future participles with the definite article (ὁ καλέσων and [ὁ] ἀναδώσων) are used with the future copula (ἔσται) to designate the person who is destined to perform the action ("who will be the one who calls... and presents...").
  4. §4.71.6ὡς ἠλιθίῳ καὶ οὔτʼ εἰσομένῳ τὴν δύναμιν αὐτῆς οὔτʼ, εἰ γνοίην, χρησομένῳ — The particle ὡς marks the tyrant's subjective view of Brutus, governing the dative future participles οὔτʼ εἰσομένῳ ("who would not know") and οὔτʼ... χρησομένῳ ("nor use"). The inserted conditional clause εἰ γνοίην (present optative) represents a remote future-less-vivid condition from the past perspective: "even if I should know it."

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §4.71.1-4.71.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:4.71.1-4.71.6

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