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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §6.46.1-6.46.3

Exodus of the Plebeians and Turmoil in Rome

Passage 452 of 962 · Greek

Summary

News of the plebeian secession causes great tumult in Rome as the patricians try to stop them. Forcing past the guards, a mass of plebeians leaves the city, joined not only by debtors but also by various discontented groups.

§6.46.1ὡς δʼ ἠγγέλθη ταῦτα τοῖς ἐν τῇ πόλει, πολὺς θόρυβος καὶ οἰμωγὴ ἦν καὶ διὰ τῶν στενωπῶν δρόμος, τοῦ μὲν δήμου καταλιπεῖν τὴν πόλιν παρασκευαζομένου, τῶν δὲ πατρικίων ἀποτρέπειν ἀξιούντων καὶ βίαν τοῖς μὴ βουλομένοις προσφέρειν·
When these things were reported to those in the city, there was great tumult and lamentation, and running through the narrow streets; for the plebeians were preparing to abandon the city, and the patricians were determined to prevent them and even to offer violence to those who were unwilling to stay.
βοή τε περὶ τὰς πύλας καὶ πολὺς ἀνακλαυθμὸς ἦν λόγοι τε κατʼ ἀλλήλων ἐχθροὶ καὶ ἔργα πολεμίων ἐγίνοντο οὐκέτι διακρίνοντος οὐδενὸς οὔτε ἡλικίαν οὔτε ἑταιρίαν οὔτε ἀξίωσιν ἀρετῆς.
There was shouting about the gates and great wailing, and hostile words and deeds of enemies were exchanged, with no one any longer distinguishing age, companionship, or the merit of virtue.
§6.46.2ἐπειδὴ δʼ οἱ ταχθέντες ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς φρουρεῖν τὰς ἐξόδους· ἦσαν γὰρ δὴ ὀλίγοι καὶ οὐχ ἱκανοὶ ἔτι ἀντέχειν· ἐκβιασθέντες ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου κατέλιπον τὴν φυλακήν, τότε ἤδη τὸ δημοτικὸν πολὺ ἐξεχεῖτο, καὶ τὸ πάθος ἦν ἁλώσει πόλεως ἐμφερές, οἰμωγή τε τῶν ὑπομενόντων καὶ κατάμεμψις ἀλλήλων ἐγίνετο ἐρημουμένην τὴν πόλιν ὁρώντων.
And when those who had been stationed by the senate to guard the exits—for they were indeed few and no longer sufficient to hold out—having been forced by the plebeians, abandoned their guard, then at last the common people poured out in great numbers, and the disaster was like the capture of a city, with wailing from those who remained and mutual blame of one another as they saw the city being deserted.
μετὰ τοῦτο βουλαί τε συχναὶ καὶ κατηγορίαι τῶν αἰτίων τῆς ἀποστάσεως ἐγίνοντο.
After this, frequent council meetings and accusations of those responsible for the secession took place.
ἐν δὲ τῷ αὐτῷ καιρῷ καὶ τὰ πολέμια ἔθνη ἐπετίθεντο αὐτοῖς προνομεύοντα τὴν γῆν ἄχρι τῆς πόλεως.
At the same time, the hostile nations also attacked them, pillaging the land as far as the city.
οἱ μέντοι ἀποστάται τὸν ἀναγκαῖον ἐπισιτισμὸν ἐκ τῶν πλησίον ἀγρῶν λαμβάνοντες, ἄλλο δʼ οὐδὲν τὴν χώραν κακουργοῦντες, ἔμενον ὑπαίθριοι καὶ τοὺς προσιόντας ἐκ τῆς πόλεως καὶ τῶν πέριξ φρουρίων ὑπελάμβανον συχνοὺς ἤδη γινομένους.
The seceders, however, getting their necessary provisions from the neighboring fields but otherwise doing no damage to the country, remained in the open, and received those who came to them from the city and the surrounding forts, who were now already becoming numerous.
§6.46.3οὐ γὰρ μόνον οἱ τὰ χρέα καὶ τὰς καταδίκας καὶ τὰς προσδοκωμένας ἀνάγκας διαφυγεῖν προαιρούμενοι συνέρρεον ὡς αὐτούς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων, ὅσοις ὁ βίος ἦν ἀργὸς ἢ ῥᾴθυμος ἢ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις χορηγεῖν οὐχ ἱκανὸς ἢ πονηρῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων ζηλωτὴς ἢ φθονερὸς ταῖς ἑτέρων εὐτυχίαις ἢ διʼ ἄλλην τινὰ συμφορὰν ἢ αἰτίαν ἀλλοτρίως διακείμενος τῇ καθεστώσῃ πολιτείᾳ.
For not only did those who chose to escape their debts, judgments, and expected distresses flock to them, but also those of the others whose life was idle or sluggish, or insufficient to supply their desires, or who were emulators of evil practices, or envious of the fortunes of others, or from some other misfortune or cause were alienated from the established constitution.

Notes

  1. 6.46.1τοῦ μὲν δήμου καταλιπεῖν τὴν πόλιν παρασκευαζομένου, τῶν δὲ πατρικίων ἀποτρέπειν ἀξιούντων — Genitive absolute construction, explaining the cause or concurrent circumstances of the main clause 'there was great tumult and lamentation' (θόρυβος καὶ οἰμωγὴ ἦν).
  2. 6.46.2τῶν ὑπομενόντων καὶ κατάμεμψις ἀλλήλων ἐγίνετο ἐρημουμένην τὴν πόλιν ὁρώντων — The genitive present participle ὁρώντων agrees with and modifies the preceding τῶν ὑπομενόντων ('those who remained'). The entire genitive phrase functions as a subjective genitive modifying the nouns οἰμωγή ('wailing') and κατάμεμψις ('blame').
  3. 1145τῶν ἄλλων, ὅσοις — τῶν ἄλλων is a partitive genitive, where the antecedent (such as ἐκεῖνοι) is omitted and modified by the relative clause introduced by ὅσοις. Meaning 'those of the others who...', it stands in parallel with οἱ τὰ χρέα... as part of the subject of the verb συνέρρεον.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §6.46.1-6.46.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:6.46.1-6.46.3

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