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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §7.21.1-7.21.4

Marcius's Defeat and the Opening of His Senate Speech

Passage 523 of 962 · Greek

Summary

The context of Marcius Coriolanus's hatred towards the plebeians—stemming from his defeat in the consular election—is explained, and he begins his anti-popular speech in the senate when the turn to speak reaches the younger members.

§7.21.1τούτων ἦν τῶν ὀλιγαρχικῶν καὶ ὁ Μάρκιος ἐκεῖνος ὁ Κοριολάνος ἐπικληθείς, οὐχ ὥσπερ οἱ λοιποὶ κρύφα καὶ διʼ εὐλαβείας τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γνώμην ἀποφαινόμενος, ἀλλʼ ἄντικρυς καὶ θρασέως, ὥστε πολλοὺς ἀκοῦσαι καὶ τῶν δημοτικῶν.
Among these oligarchs was also that Marcius who was surnamed Coriolanus, who, unlike the rest, did not declare his opinion secretly and with caution, but openly and boldly, so that many even of the plebeians heard him.
εἶχε γάρ τινας ἔξω τῶν κοινῶν ἐγκλημάτων καὶ ἰδίας προφάσεις νεωστὶ γενομένας, ἐξ ὧν εἰκότως ἐδόκει μισεῖν τοὺς δημοτικούς.
For he had, besides the common grievances, certain private reasons of recent origin, from which he was reasonably thought to hate the plebeians.
§7.21.2ὑπατείαν γὰρ αὐτῷ μετιόντι ταῖς ἔγγιστα γενομέναις ἀρχαιρεσίαις καὶ τοὺς πατρικίους ἔχοντι συναγωνιζομένους ὁ δῆμος ἐναντιωθεὶς οὐκ εἴασε δοῦναι τὴν ἀρχὴν τήν τε λαμπρότητα τοῦ ἀνδρὸς καὶ τὴν τόλμαν δι’ εὐλαβείας ἔχων, μή τι διὰ ταῦτα νεωτερίσῃ περὶ τὴν τῶν δημάρχων κατάλυσιν, καὶ μάλιστα δεδιώς, ὅτι συνελάμβανεν αὐτῷ πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ τὸ τῶν πατρικίων πλῆθος ὡς οὐδενὶ τῶν πρότερον.
For when he was suing for the consulship at the election recently held, and had the patricians supporting him, the people opposed him and did not permit the office to be given to him, being cautious of the man's brilliance and daring, lest on account of these he should make some innovation regarding the abolition of the tribunes, and especially fearing because the multitude of the patricians was assisting him with all zeal as they had assisted no one before.
§7.21.3ταύτης τʼ οὖν τῆς ὕβρεως ὀργῇ ἐπαρθεὶς ὁ ἀνὴρ καὶ τὴν μεταβολὴν τοῦ πολιτεύματος εἰς τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς κόσμον ἀποκαταστῆσαι προθυμούμενος αὐτός τʼ ἀναφανδόν, ὥσπερ καὶ πρότερον ἔφην, ἔπραττε τὴν τοῦ δήμου κατάλυσιν, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐνῆγεν.
Aroused, therefore, with anger at this insult, and desiring to restore the alteration of the government to its original order, he himself openly, as I said before, set about the abolition of the people's power, and incited the others.
ἦν δὲ περὶ αὐτὸν ἑταιρία μεγάλη νέων εὐγενῶν, οἷς ἦν τὰ μέγιστα τιμήματα βίων καὶ πελάται συχνοὶ συνεστηκότες ἐπὶ ταῖς ἐκ τῶν πολέμων ὠφελείαις· οἷς ἐπαιρόμενος ἐφρυάττετο καὶ λαμπρὸς ἦν καὶ προῆλθεν ἐπὶ μήκιστον ἐπιφανείας.
And there was about him a great association of noble youths, who possessed the largest fortunes and had many clients bound to them by the advantages of the wars; elated by these, he assumed a haughty air, made a brilliant figure, and advanced to the highest pitch of distinction.
§7.21.4οὐ μὴν εὐτυχοῦς γε διὰ ταῦτα καταστροφῆς ἔτυχε· συναχθείσης γὰρ ὑπὲρ τούτων βουλῆς καὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων, ὡς ἔθος ἦν αὐτοῖς, πρώτων ἀποφηναμένων τὰς ἑαυτῶν διανοίας, ἐν οἷς οὐ πολλοί τινες ἦσαν οἱ τὰς κατὰ τοῦ δήμου γνώμας ἄντικρυς ἀγορεύσαντες, ἐπειδὴ καθῆκεν εἰς τοὺς νεωτέρους ὁ λόγος, αἰτησάμενος ἐξουσίαν παρὰ τῶν ὑπάτων εἰπεῖν ὅσα βούλεται, καὶ τυχὼν ἐπισημασίας τε μεγάλης καὶ προσοχῆς λόγον διεξῆλθε κατὰ τοῦ δήμου τοιόνδε.
Yet he did not meet with a happy end on this account; for when the senate was assembled concerning these matters, and the elders, as was their custom, first declared their opinions, among whom there were not many who openly spoke opinions against the people, when the turn to speak came down to the younger members, having asked permission of the consuls to say whatever he wished, and having met with great applause and attention, he delivered a speech against the people of this sort.

Notes

  1. 1361ὑπατείαν γὰρ αὐτῷ μετιόντι ταῖς ἔγγιστα γενομέναις ἀρχαιρεσίαις καὶ τοὺς πατρικίους ἔχοντι συναγωνιζομένους — The dative present participle phrase `αὐτῷ μετιόντι ... καὶ ... ἔχοντι` functions as the dative object of the participle `ἐναντιωθεὶς` ('opposing') which modifies the main subject `ὁ δῆμος`.
  2. 1362αἰτησάμενος ἐξουσίαν παρὰ τῶν ὑπάτων εἰπεῖν ὅσα βούλεται — The subject of the participle `αἰτησάμενος` is contextually Coriolanus (Marcius), though grammatically it does not agree with the preceding subject `ὁ λόγος` ('the turn to speak'). This is an instance of anacoluthon where the nominative participle agrees with the logical subject rather than the grammatical one.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §7.21.1-7.21.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.21.1-7.21.4

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