Humanitext Reader

Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §8.14.1-8.14.4

Surrender of Circeii and Internal Discord in Rome

Passage 592 of 962 · Greek

Summary

Marcius swiftly takes the city of Circeii without bloodshed and departs after leaving a small garrison. When this news reaches Rome, mutual recriminations break out between the patricians and the plebeians, paralyzing their military preparations.

§8.14.1καὶ ὁ Μάρκιος οὐθὲν ἔτι διαμελλήσας ἧκεν ἄγων τὴν δύναμιν ἐπὶ Κιρκαίαν πόλιν, ἐν ᾗ κληροῦχοι Ῥωμαίων ἦσαν ἅμα τοῖς ἐπιχωρίοις πολιτευόμενοι, καὶ παραλαμβάνει τὴν πόλιν ἐξ ἐφόδου.
And Marcius, without any further delay, came leading his army against the city of Circeii, in which Roman colonists were living as citizens together with the local inhabitants; and he took the city at the first onset.
ὡς γὰρ ἔγνωσαν οἱ Κιρκαῖοι κρατουμένην σφῶν τὴν χώραν καὶ προσάγουσαν τῷ τείχει τὴν στρατιάν, ἀνοίξαντες τὰς πύλας ἐξῄεσαν ὁμόσε τοῖς πολεμίοις ἄνοπλοι παραλαβεῖν τὴν πόλιν ἀξιοῦντες· ὅπερ αὐτοῖς αἴτιον τοῦ μηδὲν παθεῖν ἀνήκεστον ἐγένετο.
For when the Circeians realized that their territory was being occupied and that the army was approaching the wall, they opened the gates and went out to meet the enemy unarmed, asking them to take over the city; which very thing was the reason why they suffered no irreparable harm.
§8.14.2οὔτε γὰρ αὐτῶν ἀπέκτεινεν ὁ στρατηγὸς οὐδένα, οὔτʼ ἐξήλασεν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως· ἐσθῆτα δὲ τοῖς στρατιώταις καὶ τροφὰς εἰς μῆνα ἱκανὰς καὶ ἀργύριόν τι μέτριον λαβὼν ἀπῆγε τὴν δύναμιν ὀλίγην μοῖραν ἐν τῇ πόλει καταλιπὼν τῆς τʼ ἀσφαλείας τῶν ἐνοικούντων ἕνεκα, μή τι ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων πάθωσι κακόν, §8.14.3καὶ τοῦ μηδὲν ὕστερον νεωτερίσαι.
For the general neither put any of them to death nor expelled them from the city; but having received clothing for his soldiers, provisions sufficient for a month, and a moderate sum of money, he led his army away, leaving a small force in the city, both for the safety of the inhabitants, lest they should suffer any harm at the hands of the Romans, and to prevent them from making any rebellion later.
εἰς δὲ τὴν Ῥώμην ὡς ἠγγέλθη τὰ γενόμενα πολὺ πλείων ταραχὴ καὶ θόρυβος ἦν τῶν μὲν πατρικίων τὸν δῆμον ἐχόντων διʼ αἰτίας, ὅτι πολεμιστὴν ἄνδρα καὶ δραστήριον καὶ φρονήματος εὐγενοῦς μεστὸν ψευδεῖ περιβαλόντες αἰτίᾳ τῆς πόλεως ἀπήλασαν καὶ παρεσκεύασαν ἡγεμόνα Οὐολούσκοις γενέσθαι· §8.14.4τῶν δὲ προεστηκότων τοῦ δήμου κατηγορίας τοῦ συνεδρίου ποιουμένων καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ὅλον ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς ὑπʼ ἐκείνων κατεσκευάσθαι λεγόντων τόν τε πόλεμον οὐ κοινὸν ἅπασιν, ἀλλὰ σφίσι μόνοις ἐπάγεσθαι σκηπτομένων· καὶ ἦν τὸ κακοηθέστατον τοῦ δήμου μέρος ἅμα τούτοις.
When these events were reported in Rome, there was a much greater confusion and tumult, with the patricians, on the one hand, blaming the plebeians because, by casting a false charge upon a man who was a warrior, active, and full of noble spirit, they had driven him from the city and had caused him to become the leader of the Volscians; while the leaders of the people, on the other hand, made accusations against the senate and said that the whole business had been engineered by them out of a conspiracy, alleging that the war was not common to all, but was being brought upon themselves alone; and the most ill-disposed part of the people sided with them.
στρατιὰς δὲ καταγράφειν ἢ καλεῖν τοὺς συμμάχους ἢ παρασκευάσασθαι τὰ κατεπείγοντα διὰ τὰ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔχθη καὶ τὰς ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις κατηγορίας οὐδʼ εἰς νοῦν ἐλάμβανον.
But because of their mutual hatreds and the accusations in the assemblies, they did not even take into their minds to levy armies, or to call upon their allies, or to make preparations for the urgent necessities.

Notes

  1. 1531ὅπερ — The relative pronoun ὅπερ is neuter singular, referring back to the entire preceding clause as its antecedent (the fact that the Circeians opened the gates and came out unarmed to ask them to take over the city). It indicates that this very action was the cause of their escape from ruin.
  2. 1531τοῦ μηδὲν παθεῖν ἀνήκεστον — A genitive articular infinitive modifying αἴτιον (as a noun or substantived adjective). The negative is μηδέν, standard for infinitives. Literally, 'the cause of [their] suffering nothing irreparable.'
  3. 1531τοῦ μηδὲν ὕστερον νεωτερίσαι — An articular infinitive in the genitive expressing purpose or precaution, continuing from `τῆς τʼ ἀσφαλείας τῶν ἐνοικούντων ἕνεκα, μή τι...` at the end of section 8.14.2. The preposition `ἕνεκα` can be understood as governing this infinitive as well ('for the sake of [preventing them] from making any rebellion later').
  4. 1531τῶν μὲν πατρικίων τὸν δῆμον ἐχόντων διʼ αἰτίας — A genitive absolute construction, standing in contrast (μέν... δέ) with `τῶν δὲ προεστηκότων...` in the next section (8.14.4). The idiom `ἔχω τινὰ δι' αἰτίας` means 'to blame someone' or 'to hold someone responsible,' here expressing the patricians' blame of the plebeians.
  5. 1532τόν τε πόλεμον οὐ κοινὸν ἅπασιν, ἀλλὰ σφίσι μόνοις ἐπάγεσθαι σκηπτομένων — The participle `σκηπτομένων` (part of the genitive absolute) governs an accusative and infinitive construction (`τόν τε πόλεμον... ἐπάγεσθαι`). The middle voice `ἐπάγεσθαι` means 'to bring upon oneself.' Here it indicates that the popular leaders alleged that the war was directed not at the whole state but specifically at themselves (the plebeians) as a conspiracy.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §8.14.1-8.14.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:8.14.1-8.14.4

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.