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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §6.30.1-6.30.3

Execution of Hostages and Servilius' Triumph without the Senate

Passage 436 of 962 · Greek

Summary

Appius Claudius executes the Volscian hostages, while opposing the Senate's granting of a triumph to his colleague Servilius. In response, Servilius appeals to the people and celebrates his triumph without senatorial approval.

§6.30.1ὡς δὲ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις τεταπεινωμένα ἦν τὰ τῶν Οὐολούσκων πράγματα, προαγαγὼν τοὺς ὁμήρους αὐτῶν εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν ὁ ἕτερος τῶν ὑπάτων Ἄππιος Κλαύδιος ἄνδρας τριακοσίους, ἵνα διʼ εὐλαβείας ἔχοιεν οἱ προσθέμενοι σφίσι πίστεις ὁμηρειῶν μὴ παρασπονδεῖν, μάστιξί τε ᾐκίσατο πάντων ὁρώντων καὶ τοὺς αὐχένας αὐτῶν ἐκέλευσεν ἀποκόψαι.
When the affairs of the Volscians had been humbled by the Romans, Appius Claudius, one of the two consuls, brought their hostages, three hundred men, into the forum, so that those who had joined them might be cautious not to violate their pledges of hostage-sharing, and scourged them in the sight of all and ordered their necks to be cut off.
§6.30.2ἀφικομένου τε ἀπὸ τῆς στρατείας οὐ πολλαῖς ὕστερον ἡμέραις τοῦ συνυπάτου καὶ τὸν εἰωθότα δίδοσθαι θρίαμβον ἀπὸ τῆς βουλῆς τοῖς ἀγῶνα λαμπρὸν ἀγωνισαμένοις στρατηγοῖς ἀξιοῦντος λαβεῖν, ἐμποδὼν ἐγένετο στασιαστὴν ἀποκαλῶν καὶ πολιτείας πονηρᾶς ἐραστήν, μάλιστα δʼ αὐτοῦ κατηγορῶν, ὅτι ἐκ τῶν τοῦ πολέμου λαφύρων οὐδεμίαν μοῖραν εἰς τὸ δημόσιον ἀνήνεγκεν, ἀλλʼ οἷς αὐτὸς ἐβούλετο κατεχαρίσατο· καὶ ἔπεισε τὴν βουλὴν μὴ δοῦναι τῷ ἀνδρὶ τὸν θρίαμβον.
And when, not many days later, his colleague returned from the campaign and demanded to receive from the Senate the triumph that was customarily given to generals who had fought a brilliant struggle, Appius stood in his way, calling him a demagogue and a lover of a corrupt constitution, and accusing him especially because he had brought no part of the spoils of the war into the public treasury, but had gratified those whom he himself pleased; and he persuaded the Senate not to grant the man his triumph.
ὁ δὲ Σερουίλιος ὑβρίσθαι δοκῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ συνεδρίου εἰς αὐθάδειαν οὐκ εἰωθυῖαν Ῥωμαίοις ἐτράπετο· καλέσας γὰρ εἰς ἐκκλησίαν τὸν δῆμον ἐν τῷ πρὸ τῆς πόλεως πεδίῳ καὶ διεξελθὼν τὰ πραχθέντα κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον καὶ τοῦ συνάρχοντος τὸν φθόνον καὶ τῆς βουλῆς τὸν προπηλακισμὸν διηγησάμενος, ἔφη παρὰ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ πράξεων καὶ τοῦ συναγωνισαμένου στρατεύματος ἔχειν τὴν τοῦ πομπεύειν ἐπὶ καλοῖς τε καὶ εὐτυχέσιν ἔργοις ἐξουσίαν.
But Servilius, thinking he had been insulted by the senate, turned to a boldness unusual for Romans; for having called the people to an assembly in the plain before the city, and having gone through the events of the war and related the envy of his colleague and the insult of the Senate, he said that from his own deeds and the army that had fought alongside him, he held the authority to march in triumph for noble and fortunate deeds.
§6.30.3ταῦτʼ εἰπὼν στεφανῶσαι τὰς ῥάβδους ἐκέλευσε καὶ αὐτὸς στεφανωσάμενος ἔχων τὴν θριαμβικὴν ἐσθῆτα προῆγεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου παντὸς προπεμπόμενος, ἕως εἰς τὸ Καπιτώλιον ἀνέβη καὶ τὰς εὐχὰς ἀπέδωκε καὶ τὰ σκῦλα ἀνέθηκεν.
Having said these things, he ordered the rods to be wreathed, and having wreathed himself and wearing the triumphal dress, he proceeded into the city, escorted by all the people, until he ascended the Capitol, paid his vows, and dedicated the spoils.
ἐκ δὲ τούτου φθόνον μὲν ἔτι μείζονα παρὰ τῶν πατρικίων ἐπεσπάσατο, οἰκεῖον δʼ ἑαυτῷ παρεσκευάσατο τὸ δημοτικόν.
From this he incurred even greater envy from the patricians, but made the plebeians his own.

Notes

  1. 1110ἵνα διʼ εὐλαβείας ἔχοιεν οἱ προσθέμενοι σφίσι πίστεις ὁμηρειῶν μὴ παρασπονδεῖν — The idiomatic expression `διʼ εὐλαβείας ἔχειν` (to hold in caution, be careful) is combined with the reflexive pronoun `σφίσι` (referring to the Romans) and the participle `οἱ προσθέμενοι` (those who joined them). The infinitive phrase `μὴ παρασπονδεῖν` limits `πίστεις ὁμηρειῶν` (pledges of hostage-sharing), expressing 'not to violate their treaties'.
  2. p.v.2p.308ἀφικομένου τε ἀπὸ τῆς στρατείας οὐ πολλαῖς ὕστερον ἡμέραις τοῦ συνυπάτου καὶ τὸν εἰωθότα δίδοσθαι θρίαμβον ἀπὸ τῆς βουλῆς τοῖς ἀγῶνα λαμπρὸν ἀγωνισαμένοις στρατηγοῖς ἀξιοῦντος λαβεῖν — A long genitive absolute construction where two participles, `ἀφικομένου` and `ἀξιοῦντος`, share the subject `τοῦ συνυπάτου` (his colleague, namely Servilius). This construction is used because the subject of the main clause (Appius) is different.
  3. 1111ἔφη παρὰ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ πράξεων καὶ τοῦ συναγωνισαμένου στρατεύματος ἔχειν τὴν τοῦ πομπεύειν ἐπὶ καλοῖς τε καὶ εὐτυχέσιν ἔργοις ἐξουσίαν — In this accusative-with-infinitive (AcI) construction, the subject of the infinitive `ἔχειν` (Servilius himself) is omitted. The noun phrase `τὴν ... ἐξουσίαν` (the authority) contains a hyperbaton, where the genitive gerundial phrase `τοῦ πομπεύειν ἐπὶ καλοῖς τε καὶ εὐτυχέσιν ἔργοις` (to march in triumph for noble and fortunate deeds) is inserted between the article and the noun.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §6.30.1-6.30.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.30.1-6.30.3

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