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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §7.39.1-7.39.3

Agreement on the Senate's Deliberation under Oath

Passage 541 of 962 · Greek

Summary

Under Decius's advice, the other tribunes agree to allow the senate to make a preliminary decree, but demand that the senators deliberate and vote under oath, which the consuls accept.

§7.39.1ταῦτα τῶν ὑπάτων λεγόντων ὁ μὲν Σικίννιος οὐκ ἠνείχετο τῶν λόγων οὐδὲ ἠξίου τὴν βουλὴν οὐδενὸς ποιεῖν κυρίαν· οἱ δὲ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχοντες ἐξουσίαν ἐκείνῳ Δεκίου γνώμῃ χρησάμενοι συνεχώρουν γενέσθαι τὸ προβούλευμα, δικαίαν τινὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ ποιησάμενοι πρόκλησιν, ἣν οὐχ οἷόν τʼ ἦν μὴ §7.39.2δέξασθαι τοῖς ὑπάτοις.
When the consuls spoke thus, Sicinius indeed would not tolerate their words, nor would he allow the senate to be made master of anything; but the others, who had the same power as he, following the opinion of Decius, agreed that the preliminary decree should be made, having themselves also made a certain just proposal, which it was not possible for the consuls not to accept.
ἠξίουν γὰρ τοὺς βουλευτὰς λόγον ἀποδόντας αὐτοῖς τε τοῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ δήμου πράττουσι καὶ τοῖς συναγορεύειν ἢ τἀναντία λέγειν βουλομένοις, ἐπειδὰν ἀκούσωσιν ἁπάντων τῶν βουλομένων, ὅ τι ἂν αὐτοῖς φανῇ δίκαιόν τε καὶ τῷ κοινῷ συμφέρον ἀποφήνασθαι, φέρειν δὴ τὴν γνώμην ἅπαντας ὥσπερ ἐν δικαστηρίῳ τὸν νόμιμον ὅρκον ὀμόσαντας· ὅ τι δʼ ἂν αἱ πλείους γνῶμαι καθαιρῶσι, τοῦτʼ εἶναι κύριον.
For they demanded that the senators, after granting a hearing both to those who acted on behalf of the people and to those who wished to support them or to speak to the contrary, when they had heard all who wished to speak, should declare whatever should seem to them to be just and advantageous to the public; and that all, having taken the customary oath as in a court of justice, should give their votes; and that whatever the majority of votes should decide, this should be valid.
§7.39.3συγχωρησάντων δὲ τῶν ὑπάτων ὥσπερ ἠξίουν οἱ δήμαρχοι τὸ προβούλευμα γενέσθαι, τότε μὲν διελύθησαν· τῇ δὲ κατόπιν ἡμέρᾳ παρῆν μὲν εἰς τὸ συνέδριον ἡ βουλή· οἱ δʼ ὕπατοι δηλώσαντες αὐτῇ τὰ συγκείμενα τοὺς δημάρχους ἐκάλουν, καὶ περὶ ὧν ἥκουσιν ἐκέλευον λέγειν.
And when the consuls had agreed that the preliminary decree should be made just as the tribunes demanded, they dispersed for that time; but on the following day the senate was present at the council-chamber, and the consuls, having declared to them what had been agreed upon, called in the tribunes, and ordered them to speak concerning the matters for which they had come.
παρελθὼν δʼ ὁ Δέκιος ὁ συγχωρήσας τὸ προβούλευμα γενέσθαι τοιούτοις ἐχρήσατο λόγοις.
And Decius, who had agreed that the preliminary decree should be made, came forward and spoke as follows.

Notes

  1. 7.39.1ἣν οὐχ οἷόν τʼ ἦν μὴ δέξασθαι — A double negation structure featuring the impersonal expression of possibility οὐχ οἷόν τ' ἦν ('it was not possible') and the infinitive δέξασθαι, with the negative particle μή placed in between. It expresses strong necessity ('it was impossible not to accept' i.e., 'they had to accept'). The relative pronoun refers to the feminine noun πρόκλησιν. Note that the milestone boundary is located between μὴ and δέξασθαι.
  2. 7.39.2ἠξίουν γὰρ τοὺς βουλευτὰς ... φέρειν ... εἶναι — A long accusative-with-infinitive (Acl) construction introduced by the main verb ἠξίουν ('they demanded'). The accusative subject is τοὺς βουλευτὰς ('the senators'), on which the participles λόγον ἀποδόντας ('having granted a hearing') and ὀμόσαντας ('having taken an oath') depend, leading to the infinitive φέρειν ('to give [their votes]'). Furthermore, the subsequent εἶναι in τοῦτ' εἶναι κύριον is also part of the accusative-with-infinitive construction (or an infinitive of indirect discourse) governed by ἠξίουν, completing the series of demands.
  3. 7.39.2ὅ τι δʼ ἂν αἱ πλείους γνῶμαι καθαιρῶσι — A conditional relative clause with the subjunctive καθαιρῶσι. Although the verb καθαιρέω originally means 'to pull down' or 'destroy', here in the context of voting and judicial decisions it is used metaphorically as a technical term meaning 'to decide', 'resolve', or 'support by vote'. The subject is αἱ πλείους γνῶμαι ('the majority of votes').

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §7.39.1-7.39.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.39.1-7.39.3

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