§7.13.1ταῦτα τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις μαθοῦσι τῆς μὲν συμφορᾶς οἶκτος εἰσῄει, καὶ οὐδὲν ᾤοντο δεῖν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἐπὶ τοιαύταις τύχαις μνησικακεῖν, ὡς ἱκανὰς δεδωκόσι τοῖς θεοῖς ὑπὲρ σφῶν δίκας ἀνθʼ ὧν ἔμελλον δράσειν·
When the Romans learned this, they felt pity for their disaster, and they thought there was no need to bear a grudge against their enemies in such a plight, believing that they had paid a sufficient penalty to the gods on their behalf for what they had been about to do.
Οὐελίτρας δὲ παραλαμβάνειν ἐδόκει κληρούχων οὐκ ὀλίγων ἀποστολῇ πολλὰ τὰ συμφέροντα ἐκ τοῦ πράγματος ἐπιλογιζομένοις.
On the other hand, it seemed best to take over Velitrae by sending out no small number of colonists, as they calculated many advantages from the undertaking.
§7.13.2τό τε γὰρ χωρίον ἱκανὸν εἶναι ἐφαίνετο φυλακῇ ἀξιόχρεῳ καταληφθὲν οἷς ἂν νεωτερίζειν ἢ παρακινεῖν τι βουλομένοις ᾖ μέγα κώλυμα καὶ ἐμπόδιον εἶναι· ἥ τʼ ἀπορία τῆς τροφῆς ἡ κατέχουσα τὴν πόλιν οὐ παρʼ ὀλίγον μετριωτέρα γενήσεσθαι ὑπωπτεύετο, εἰ μετασταίη τις ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ πλήθους μοῖρα ἀξιόλογος.
For the place appeared to be sufficient, if occupied by an adequate garrison, to be a great obstacle and hindrance to any who might wish to revolt or cause a disturbance; and the scarcity of food that gripped the city was expected to become not a little lighter, if a considerable part of the multitude should migrate from it.
μάλιστα δʼ ἡ στάσις ἀναρριπιζομένη, πρὶν ἢ πεπαῦσθαι καλῶς ἔτι τὴν προτέραν, §7.13.3ἐνῆγεν αὐτοὺς ψηφίζεσθαι τὸν ἀπόστολον.
But above all, the civil strife, which was being fanned into flame again before the previous one had been properly settled, urged them to vote for the sending out of the colony.
πάλιν γάρ, ὥσπερ καὶ πρότερον, ὁ δῆμος ἠρεθίζετο καὶ διʼ ὀργῆς εἶχε τοὺς πατρικίους, πολλοί τε καὶ χαλεποὶ κατʼ αὐτῶν ἐγίνοντο λόγοι τῶν μὲν ὀλιγωρίαν ἐγκαλούντων καὶ ῥᾳθυμίαν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐκ πολλοῦ προείδοντο τὴν ἐσομένην τοῦ σίτου σπάνιν καὶ προὐμηχανήσαντο τὰ πρὸς τὴν συμφορὰν ἀλεξήματα, τῶν δʼ ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς ὑπʼ αὐτῶν γεγονέναι τὴν σιτοδείαν ἀποφαινόντων διʼ ὀργήν τε καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν τοῦ κακῶσαι τὸ δημοτικὸν ἀναμνήσει τῆς ἀποστάσεως.
For again, just as before, the plebeians were being irritated and felt anger toward the patricians, and many harsh charges were being made against them, some accusing them of negligence and laziness because they had not foreseen from afar the coming scarcity of grain and prepared remedies against the disaster, while others declared that the scarcity of food had been brought about by them of design, out of anger and a desire to afflict the plebeians in remembrance of their secession.
§7.13.4διὰ ταύτας μὲν δὴ τὰς αἰτίας ἡ τῶν κληρούχων ἀποστολὴ ταχεῖα ἐγίνετο τριῶν ἀποδειχθέντων ἀνδρῶν ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς ἡγεμόνων.
For these reasons, then, the sending out of the colonists was made with speed, three men being appointed by the senate as leaders.
τῷ δήμῳ δὲ κατʼ ἀρχὰς μὲν ἦν ἀσμένῳ τοὺς κληρούχους διαλαγχάνειν ὡς λιμοῦ τʼ ἀπαλλαχθησομένῳ καὶ χώραν οἰκήσοντι εὐδαίμονα· ἔπειτʼ ἐνθυμουμένῳ τὸν λοιμόν, ὃς. ἐν τῇ μελλούσῃ αὐτὸν ὑποδέχεσθαι πόλει πολὺς γενόμενος τούς τʼ οἰκήτορας διεφθάρκει καὶ δέος παρεῖχε, μὴ καὶ τοὺς ἐποίκους ταὐτὸν ἐργάσηται, μεθίστατο κατὰ μικρὸν εἰς τἀναντία ἡ γνώμη, ὥστʼ οὐ πολλοί τινες ἐφάνησαν οἱ μετέχειν βουλόμενοι τῆς ἀποικίας, ἀλλὰ πολὺ ἐλάττους ὧν ἡ βουλὴ ἐψηφίσατο, καὶ οὗτοι δʼ ἤδη σφῶν αὐτῶν κατεγνώκεσαν ὡς κακῶς βεβουλευμένων καὶ ὑπανεδύοντο τὴν ἔξοδον.
Now at first the plebeians were glad to draw lots for the colony, as they expected to be rid of the famine and to inhabit a fertile land; but later, when they reflected on the plague, which had raged in the city that was about to receive them and had destroyed its inhabitants, and had caused fear lest it might do the same to the colonists, their opinion gradually changed to the opposite, so that not many appeared who wished to share in the colony, but far fewer than the senate had voted for; and even these had already condemned themselves for having made a bad decision, and were trying to withdraw from the departure.
§7.13.5κατελήφθη μέντοι τοῦτο τὸ μέρος καὶ τὸ ἄλλο τὸ μὴ ἑκουσίως συναιρόμενον τῆς ἐξόδου ψηφισαμένης τῆς βουλῆς ἐξ ἁπάντων γενέσθαι Ῥωμαίων κλήρῳ τὴν ἔξοδον, κατὰ δὲ τῶν λαχόντων, εἰ μὴ ἐξίοιεν, χαλεπὰς καὶ ἀπαραιτήτους θεμένης ζημίας.
However, this group, as well as the other group which did not willingly join the departure, was constrained by the senate voting that the departure should be decided by lot from among all the Romans, and laying heavy and inexorable penalties upon those who, having drawn the lot, should not go out.
οὗτός τε δὴ ὁ στόλος εἰς Οὐελίτρας εὐπρεπεῖ ἀνάγκῃ καταληφθεὶς ἀπεστάλη, καὶ ἕτερος αὖθις οὐ πολλαῖς ἡμέραις ὕστερον εἰς Νώρβαν πόλιν, ἥ ἐστι τοῦ Λατίνων ἔθνους οὐκ ἀφανής.
And so this expedition, constrained by a decent necessity, was sent to Velitrae; and another not many days later to the city of Norba, which is an illustrious city of the Latin nation.