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Dionysius of Halicarnassus · Roman Antiquities §9.38.1-9.38.3

Death of Genucius and the Harsh Consular Levy

Passage 707 of 962 · Greek

Summary

The tribune Genucius appoints a day for the trial of the consuls, but dies mysteriously in his bed the day before, leading to the dismissal of the trial. Freed from danger, the consuls become arrogant and enforce a harsh levy, provoking the plebeians once again.

§9.38.1ταῦτʼ εἰπὼν καὶ παρακαλέσας ἅπαντας ἥκειν ἐπὶ τὴν δίκην, καθʼ ἱερῶν τʼ ὀμόσας ἦ μὴν ἐμμένειν τοῖς ἐγνωσμένοις καὶ πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ τῶν ἀνδρῶν κατηγορεῖν, ἡμέραν προεῖπεν, ἐν ᾗ τὴν δίκην ἔμελλεν ἐπιτελέσειν.
Having said this and urged everyone to attend the trial, and having sworn by the sacred objects that he would indeed abide by his resolved purposes and with all zeal prosecute the men, he appointed a day on which he was to bring the case to trial.
τοὺς δὲ πατρικίους, ὡς ἔμαθον ταῦτα, πολὺ δέος εἰσέρχεται καὶ φροντίς, ὅτῳ χρὴ τρόπῳ τούς τʼ ἄνδρας ἐκλύσασθαι τῆς αἰτίας καὶ τοῦ δημαγωγοῦ τὸ θράσος ἐπισχεῖν.
But when the patricians learned of this, great fear and anxiety entered into them as to in what way they should deliver the men from the charge and check the boldness of the demagogue.
καὶ δὴ ἐδέδοκτο αὐτοῖς, εἴ τι ψηφίσαιτο κατὰ τῆς ἀρχῆς τῶν ὑπάτων ὁ δῆμος, μὴ ἐπιτρέπειν αὐτῷ κατὰ τὸ καρτερὸν ἐνισταμένους καὶ εἰ δέοι καὶ εἰς ὅπλα χωροῦντας. §9.38.2οὐ μὴν ἐδέησέ γε τῶν βιαίων οὐδενὸς αὐτοῖς ταχεῖαν λαβόντος τοῦ κινδύνου καὶ παράδοξον τὴν λύσιν· μιᾶς γὰρ ἡμέρας οὔσης ἔτι λοιπῆς τῇ δίκῃ νεκρὸς Γενύκιος ἐπὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κοίτης εὑρέθη, σημεῖον οὐδὲν ἔχων οὔτε σφαγῆς οὔτʼ ἀγχόνης οὔτε φαρμάκου οὔτʼ ἄλλου τῶν ἐξ ἐπιβουλῆς θανάτων οὐδενός.
Indeed, they had resolved that, if the people should vote anything against the authority of the consuls, they would not permit it, opposing them with all their might and, if necessary, even resorting to arms.\n However, they had no need of any violent measures, as the danger received a swift and unexpected solution; for when there was still one day remaining before the trial, Genucius was found dead upon his bed, showing no sign of stabbing, hanging, poison, or any other death by foul play.
ὡς δʼ ἐγνώσθη τὸ πάθος, καὶ προηνέχθη τὸ σῶμα εἰς τὴν ἀγοράν, δαιμόνιόν τι κωλύσεως συγκύρημα ἔδοξεν εἶναι, καὶ αὐτίκα ἡ δίκη §9.38.3διελέλυτο.
When the calamity became known and the body was brought out into the forum, it seemed to be a divine coincidence of intervention, and immediately the trial \n was dissolved.
τῶν γὰρ ἄλλων οὐδεὶς ἐτόλμα δημάρχων ἀνακαλεῖν τὴν στάσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ Γενυκίου κατεγίνωσκον πολλὴν μανίαν.
For none of the other tribunes dared to revive the sedition, but they even condemned Genucius for great madness.
εἰ μὲν οὖν μηδὲν ἔτι πολυπραγμονοῦντες οἱ ὕπατοι διετέλεσαν, ἀλλʼ ἀφῆκαν ὡς ὁ δαίμων ἐκοίμησε τὴν στάσιν, οὐδεὶς ἂν αὐτοὺς ἔτι κατέλαβε κίνδυνος, νῦν δʼ εἰς αὐθάδειαν καὶ καταφρόνησιν τοῦ δημοτικοῦ τραπόμενοι καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς κράτος, ὅσον ἐστίν, ἐπιδεῖξαι βουλόμενοι, κακὰ ἐξειργάσαντο μεγάλα.
If, then, the consuls had continued without meddling any further, but had let the matter rest as heaven had quieted the sedition, no danger would have overtaken them further. But as it was, turning to insolence and contempt for the plebeians, and wishing to display how great was the power of their office, they wrought great evils.
προθέντες γὰρ στρατολογίαν καὶ τοὺς οὐχ ὑπακούοντας ταῖς τʼ ἄλλαις ζημίαις καὶ πληγαῖς ῥάβδων προσαναγκάζοντες εἰς ἀπόνοιαν ἐποίησαν τραπέσθαι τοῦ δημοτικοῦ τὸ πλέον, ἀπὸ τοιαύτης μάλιστ̓αἰτίας.
For having proclaimed a levy, and compelling those who did not obey with other penalties and blows of rods, they caused the greater part of the plebeians to turn to desperation, chiefly from the following cause.

Notes

  1. §9.38.1ὅτῳ χρὴ τρόπῳ — Introduces an indirect question explaining the content of the preceding nouns 'fear and anxiety' (δέος ... καὶ φροντίς), meaning 'in what way they should...'.
  2. §9.38.2ταχεῖαν λαβόντος τοῦ κινδύνου καὶ παράδοξον τὴν λύσιν — Genitive absolute construction (τοῦ κινδύνου ... λαβόντος ... τὴν λύσιν). The adjectives ταχεῖαν and παράδοξον are in the predicative position modifying the object τὴν λύσιν, meaning 'since the danger received a swift and unexpected solution'.
  3. §9.38.3εἰ μὲν οὖν ... οὐδεὶς ἂν ... κατέλαβε — A contrary-to-fact conditional sentence, where the protasis is formed by εἰ with the aorist indicative (διετέλεσαν) and a participle (πολυπραγμονοῦντες), and the apodosis contains ἄν with the aorist indicative (κατέλαβε), representing a past hypothesis contrary to fact.

Cite this passage

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities §9.38.1-9.38.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0081.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.38.1-9.38.3

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