Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §7.31.1-7.31.4

Exhortation to Moderation through Reversed Perspective

Passage 533 of 962 · Greek

Summary

The speaker urges the plebeians to view the situation from the senate's perspective to realize how unjust their own demands would appear, advising them to act with moderation rather than anger.

§7.31.1ἵνα δὲ μᾶλλον ὑμῖν γένηται φανερόν, ὅτι οὐθὲν οὔτε μέτριον οὔτε δίκαιον ἀξιοῦσιν οἱ δημαγωγοί, ἀλλὰ παρανόμων τε καὶ ἀδυνάτων ἐφίενται μετενέγκαντες τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐφʼ ἑαυτούς, οὕτω σκοπεῖτε καὶ ὑπολάβετε τοὺς μετέχοντας τοῦ συνεδρίου τοῖς ἐν ὑμῖν πολιτευομένοις ἐγκαλεῖν, ὅτι πονηροὺς κατὰ τῆς βουλῆς διατίθενται λόγους ἐν ὑμῖν καὶ καταλύουσι τὴν πάτριον ἀριστοκρατίαν, καὶ διαστασιάζουσι τὴν πόλιν, ἅπαντα ταῦτα λέγοντας ἀληθῆ· ποιοῦσι γὰρ ταῦτα· καὶ τὸ πάντων χαλεπώτατον, ὅτι δυναστείαν περιβάλλονται μείζονα τῆς συγκεχωρημένης αὐτοῖς ἄκριτον ἀποκτείνειν ἐπιχειροῦντες ὃν ἂν ἐθέλωσιν ἐξ ἡμῶν, καὶ ὅτι δεῖ §7.31.2τοὺς ταῦτα ποιοῦντας τεθνάναι νηποινί.

But in order that it may become more manifest to you that the demagogues demand nothing moderate or just, but desire what is illegal and impossible, if you transfer the case to yourselves, consider and suppose in this way: that the members of the senate are accusing those who govern among you of spreading evil reports against the senate among you, of dissolving the ancestral aristocracy, and of throwing the state into faction, speaking the truth in all these things (for they do these things); and, what is most intolerable of all, that they are assuming a power greater than what has been granted to them by attempting to put to death without trial whomever they wish among us, and that it is necessary for those who do these things to be put to death with impunity.

πῶς ἂν ὑμεῖς ἐνέγκαιτε τὴν αὐθάδειαν τοῦ συνεδρίου;

How would you bear such arrogance from the senate?

καὶ τί ἂν εἴποιτε;

And what would you say?

ἆρʼ οὐκ ἂν ἀγανακτήσαιτε καὶ δεινὰ φαίητε πάσχειν, εἰ τὴν παρρησίαν ἀφαιρήσεταί τις ὑμᾶς καὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐσχάτων κίνδυνον ἐπιθεὶς τοῖς ἐλευθέραν φωνὴν ὑπὲρ τοῦ δήμου φθεγξαμένοις;

Would you not be indignant and say that you are suffering terrible things, if someone should strip you of your free speech and your liberty, by imposing the ultimate danger upon those who have uttered a free voice on behalf of the people?

§7.31.3οὐκ ἔνεστʼ ἄλλως εἰπεῖν.

There is no other way to say it.

ἔπειθʼ ἃ παθεῖν οὐκ ἂν ὑπομείναιτε αὐτοί, ταῦθʼ ἑτέρους πάσχοντας ἀνέχεσθαι δικαιοῦτε;

Then do you think it just to tolerate others suffering what you yourselves would not endure to suffer?

πολιτικά γʼ, ὦ δημόται, καὶ μέτρια ὑμῶν τὰ βουλεύματα.

How public-spirited indeed, citizens, and moderate are your counsels!

τοιαῦτʼ ἀξιοῦντες οὐκ αὐτοὶ βεβαιοῦτε τὰς καθʼ ἑαυτῶν διαβολὰς ἀληθεῖς εἶναι, καὶ τοὺς συμβουλεύοντας τὴν παράνομον ὑμῶν δυναστείαν μὴ περιορᾶν αὐξομένην, τὰ δίκαια τῷ κοινῷ §7.31.4φρονοῦντας ἀποδείκνυτε;

By demanding such things, do you not yourselves confirm that the slanders against you are true, and prove that those who advise not to overlook your illegal power as it increases are thinking what is just for the common good?

ἐμοὶ μὲν γὰρ δοκεῖ.

For to me indeed it seems so.

ἀλλʼ εἴ γε τἀναντία βούλεσθε ὧν διαβέβλησθε ποιεῖν, ἐμοὶ συμβούλῳ χρησάμενοι μετριάσατε καὶ τοὺς λόγους, ἐφʼ οἷς ἄχθεσθε, πολιτικῶς καὶ μὴ δυσοργήτως ἐνέγκατε.

But if you wish to do the opposite of what you have been slandered for, take me as your adviser, become moderate, and bear the words at which you are vexed in a public-spirited and not wrathful manner.

περιέσται γὰρ ὑμῖν μέν, εἰ τοῦτο ποιήσετε, ἀγαθοῖς εἶναι δοκεῖν, τοῖς δʼ ἀπεχθῶς διακειμένοις πρὸς ὑμᾶς μετανοεῖν.

For if you do this, it will result for you in appearing to be good men, and for those who are hostilely disposed toward you in repenting.

Notes

7.31.1μετενέγκαντες τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐφʼ ἑαυτούς — The aorist active participle `μετενέγκαντες` modifies the implied subject of the main imperative verbs `σκοπεῖτε καὶ ὑπολάβετε` (second person plural, the plebeians). Although `ἐφ' ἑαυτούς` is grammatically the third person plural reflexive pronoun, it is used here to urge the audience to put themselves in the other's shoes and treat the matter as their own.
7.31.1ὑπολάβετε τοὺς μετέχοντας τοῦ συνεδρίου τοῖς ἐν ὑμῖν πολιτευομένοις ἐγκαλεῖν — The imperative `ὑπολάβετε` ("suppose") governs an accusative and infinitive (A.C.I.) construction with `τοὺς μετέχοντας τοῦ συνεδρίου` ("the members of the senate") as the subject accusative and `ἐγκαλεῖν` ("to accuse") as the infinitive. The verb `ἐγκαλεῖν` takes the dative `τοῖς ἐν ὑμῖν πολιτευομένοις` ("those who govern among you") as its object, followed by `ὅτι` clauses explaining the grounds of the accusation, which extend up to `τεθνάναι` in §7.31.2.
7.31.2τοὺς ταῦτα ποιοῦντας τεθνάναι νηποινί — `τεθνάναι` is the perfect active infinitive of `θνῄσκω` ("to die"), here serving as the infinitive governed by the impersonal verb `δεῖ` (from `καὶ ὅτι δεῖ` at the end of §7.31.1). Its subject accusative is `τοὺς ταῦτα ποιοῦντας` ("those who do these things"), expressing the senate's accusation that "those who do these things ought to be put to death (with impunity)."
7.31.3πολιτικά γʼ, ὦ δημόται, καὶ μέτρια ὑμῶν τὰ βουλεύματα — The adjectives `πολιτικά` ("public-spirited/civic") and `μέτρια` ("moderate") stand in the predicate position modifying the noun `τὰ βουλεύματα` ("counsels/resolutions"), with the copula `ἐστί` omitted. This expression is highly ironical, accusing the plebeians' demands of being, in fact, extremely uncivic and immoderate.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §7.31.1-7.31.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.31.1-7.31.4

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