§5.4.12περὶ δὲ Σαυνιτῶν καὶ τοιοῦτός τις λόγος φέρεται, διότι πολεμοῦντες Σαβῖνοι πολὺν χρόνον πρὸς τοὺς Ὀμβρικοὺς εὔξαντο, καθάπερ τῶν Ἑλλήνων τινές, τὰ γενόμενα τῷ ἔτει τούτῳ καθιερῶσαι, νικήσαντες δὲ τῶν γενομένων τὰ μὲν κατέθυσαν τὰ δὲ καθιέρωσαν·
Among the Samnites, a story of this kind is also told, that when the Sabines were at war with the Umbrians for a long time, they vowed, just as some of the Greeks do, to dedicate all that was born in that year; and having won, they sacrificed some of the things that were born, and dedicated others.
ἀφορίας δὲ γενηθείσης, εἶπέ τις ὡς ἐχρῆν καθιερῶσαι καὶ τὰ τέκνα.
But when a dearth occurred, someone said that they ought to have dedicated the children as well.
οἱ δʼ ἐποίησαν τοῦτο καὶ τοὺς γενομένους τότε παῖδας Ἄρεως ἐπεφήμισαν, ἀνδρωθέντας δʼ ἔστειλαν εἰς ἀποικίαν, ἡγήσατο δὲ ταῦρος·
So they did this, and dedicated the children born at that time to Ares, and when these grew to manhood they sent them out to found a colony, and a bull led the way.
ἐν δὲ τῇ τῶν Ὀπικῶν κατευνασθέντος (ἐτύγχανον δὲ κωμηδὸν ζῶντες) ἐκβαλόντες ἐκείνους ἱδρύθησαν αὐτόθι καὶ τὸν ταῦρον ἐσφαγίασαν τῷ Ἄρει τῷ δόντι αὐτὸν ἡγεμόνα κατὰ τὴν τῶν μάντεων ἀπόφασιν.
And when the bull lay down in the land of the Opici (who happened to be living in villages), they expelled them and settled there, and sacrificed the bull to Ares, who had given it to them as a leader, according to the declaration of the seers.
εἰκὸς δὲ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ Σαβέλλους αὐτοὺς ὑποκοριστικῶς ἀπὸ τῶν γονέων προσαγορευθῆναι, Σαμνίτας δʼ ἀπʼ ἄλλης αἰτίας, οὓς οἱ Ἕλληνες Σαυνίτας λέγουσι.
And it is reasonable to suppose that because of this they were called Sabelli, by a diminutive name derived from their parents, but Samnites from another cause—whom the Greeks call Saunitae.
τινὲς δὲ καὶ Λάκωνας συνοίκους αὐτοῖς γενέσθαι φασὶ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ φιλέλληνας ὑπάρξαι, τινὰς δὲ καὶ Πιτανάτας καλεῖσθαι.
Some say that Laconians also became co-dwellers with them, and that for this reason they became Philhellenes, and that some of them were even called Pitanatae.
δοκεῖ δὲ καὶ Ταραντίνων πλάσμα τοῦτʼ εἶναι, κολακευόντων ὁμόρους καὶ μέγα δυναμένους ἀνθρώπους καὶ ἅμα ἐξοικειουμένων, οἵ γε καὶ ὀκτὼ μυριάδας ἔστελλόν ποτε τῆς πεζῆς στρατιᾶς, ἱππέας δʼ ὀκτακισχιλίους.
And this seems to be a fiction of the Tarentines, who flattered neighbors who were a people of great power, and at the same time wished to claim kinship with them, seeing that they could once send out eighty thousand infantry and eight thousand cavalry.
φασὶ δὲ νόμον εἶναι παρὰ τοῖς Σαυνίταις καλὸν καὶ προτρεπτικὸν πρὸς ἀρετήν· οὐ γὰρ ἔξεστι διδόναι τὰς θυγατέρας οἷς ἂν ἐθέλωσιν, ἀλλὰ κρίνεσθαι κατὰ ἔτος δέκα μὲν παρθένους δέκα δὲ τῶν νέων τοὺς ἀρίστους καὶ τὰς ἀρίστας· τούτων τῷ πρώτῳ τὴν πρώτην δίδοσθαι, τῷ δευτέρῳ τὴν δευτέραν καὶ ἑξῆς οὕτως· ἐὰν δʼ ὁ λαβὼν τὸ γέρας μεταβαλόμενος γένηται πονηρός, ἀτιμάζουσι καὶ ἀφαιροῦνται τὴν δοθεῖσαν.
And they say that there is a law among the Samnites which is honorable and encouraging to virtue: for it is not permitted to give their daughters to whomever they wish, but every year ten virgins and ten of the young men, the best of the males and the best of the females, are selected; of these, the first female is given to the first male, the second to the second, and so on in order; but if he who received the prize changes and becomes wicked, they dishonor him and take away the woman who was given to him.
ἑξῆς δʼ εἰσὶν Ἱρπῖνοι, καὐτοὶ Σαυνῖται· τοὔνομα δʼ ἔσχον ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡγησαμένου λύκου τῆς ἀποικίας· ἵρπον γὰρ καλοῦσιν οἱ Σαυνῖται τὸν λύκον· συνάπτουσι δὲ Λευκανοῖς τοῖς μεσογαίοις.
Next in order are the Hirpini, and they too are Samnites; they received their name from the wolf that led their colony, for the Samnites call the wolf 'hirpos'; and they border on the Lucanians in the interior.
περὶ μὲν Σαυνιτῶν ταῦτα.
So much for the Samnites.
§5.4.13καμπανοῖς δὲ συνέβη διὰ τὴν τῆς χώρας εὐδαιμονίαν ἐπʼ ἴσον ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαῦσαι καὶ κακῶν.
For the Campanians, it happened because of the fertility of their country that they enjoyed an equal measure of good things and bad.
ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἐξετρύφησαν ὥστʼ ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ἐκάλουν πρὸς ζεύγη μονομάχων, ὁρίζοντες ἀριθμὸν κατὰ τὴν τῶν δείπνων ἀξίαν.
For they grew so luxurious that they would invite pairs of gladiators to dinner, fixing the number according to the value of the dinners.
Ἀννίβα δʼ ἐξ ἐνδόσεως λαβόντος αὐτούς, δεξάμενοι χειμαδίοις τὴν στρατιὰν οὕτως ἐξεθήλυναν ταῖς ἡδοναῖς ὥσθʼ ὁ Ἀννίβας ἔφη νικῶν κινδυνεύειν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἐχθροῖς γενέσθαι, γυναῖκας ἀντὶ τῶν ἀνδρῶν τοὺς στρατιώτας ἀπολαβών.
And when Hannibal took them through their surrender, they received his army into winter quarters and so effeminated them with pleasures that Hannibal said that, though victorious, he was in danger of falling into the power of his enemies, since he was taking back women instead of men as his soldiers.
Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ κρατήσαντες πολλοῖς κακοῖς ἐσωφρόνισαν αὐτούς, ὕστατα δὲ καὶ κατεκληρούχησαν τὴν γῆν.
But the Romans, when they conquered them, brought them to their senses by many afflictions, and finally even distributed their land by lot.
νυνὶ μέντοι μετʼ εὐπραγίας διάγουσι τοῖς ἐποίκοις ὁμονοήσαντες, καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα φυλάττουσι τὸ ἀρχαῖον καὶ τῷ μεγέθει τῆς πόλεως καὶ κατʼ εὐανδρίαν.
Now, however, they live in prosperity, being in harmony with the settlers, and they preserve their ancient dignity both in the size of the city and in the abundance of its men.
μετὰ δὲ τὴν Καμπανίαν καὶ τὴν Σαυνῖτιν ἐπὶ μὲν τῇ Τυρρηνικῇ θαλάττῃ τὸ τῶν Πικέντων ἔθνος οἰκεῖ, μικρὸν ἀπόσπασμα τῶν ἐν τῷ Ἀδρίᾳ Πικεντίνων, ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων μετῳκισμένον εἰς τὸν Ποσειδωνιάτην κόλπον, ὃς νῦν Παιστανὸς καλεῖται, καὶ ἡ πόλις ἡ Ποσειδωνία Παιστός, ἐν μέσῳ τῷ κόλπῳ κειμένη.
After Campania and Samnium, on the Tyrrhenian Sea, dwells the tribe of the Picentes, a small detachment of the Picentini on the Adriatic, who were resettled by the Romans in the Poseidonian Gulf, which is now called Paestanus, and the city of Poseidonia is called Paestum, situated in the middle of the gulf.
μεταξὺ δὲ τῶν Σειρηνουσσῶν καὶ τῆς Ποσειδωνίας Μαρκῖνα, Τυρρηνῶν κτίσμα οἰκούμενον ὑπὸ Σαυνιτῶν.
And between the Sirenussae and Poseidonia is Marcina, a foundation of the Tyrrhenians which is inhabited by Samnites.
ἐντεῦθεν εἰς Πομπηίαν διὰ Νουκερίας οὐ πλειόνων ἑκατὸν καὶ εἴκοσι σταδίων ἐστὶν ὁ ἰσθμός.
From here to Pompeia, through Nuceria, the isthmus is not more than one hundred and twenty stadia.
διήκουσι δʼ οἱ Πίκεντες μέχρι τοῦ Σιλάριδος ποταμοῦ τοῦ ὁρίζοντος ἀπὸ ταύτης τῆς χώρας τὴν ἀρχαίαν Ἰταλίαν, ἐφʼ οὗ τοῦτʼ ἴδιον ἱστοροῦσιν περὶ τοῦ ὕδατος ὄντος ποτίμου, τὸ καθιέμενον εἰς αὐτὸ φυτὸν ἀπολιθοῦσθαι φυλάττον τὴν χρόαν καὶ τὴν μορφήν.
And the Picentes extend as far as the river Silaris, which defines ancient Italy from this country; concerning which river they relate this peculiar property of its water, which is drinkable, that any plant thrown into it petrifies, while preserving its color and shape.
τῶν δὲ Πικέντων ὑπῆρχε μητρόπολις Πικεντία, νυνὶ δὲ κωμηδὸν ζῶσιν ἀπωσθέντες ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων διὰ τὴν πρὸς Ἀννίβαν κοινωνίαν· ἀντὶ δὲ στρατείας ἡμεροδρομεῖν καὶ γραμματοφορεῖν ἀπεδείχθησαν ἐν τῷ τότε δημοσίᾳ, καθάπερ καὶ Λευκανοὶ καὶ Βρέττιοι κατὰ τὰς αὐτὰς αἰτίας· ἐπετείχισαν δʼ αὐτοῖς Σάλερνον Ῥωμαῖοι φρουρᾶς χάριν μικρὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς θαλάττης· εἰσὶ δʼ ἀπὸ Σειρηνουσσῶν ἐπὶ Σίλαριν στάδιοι διακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα.
The metropolis of the Picentes was Picentia, but now they live in villages, having been driven out by the Romans because of their alliance with Hannibal; and instead of military service, they were appointed at that time, as public servants, to be couriers and letter-carriers, just as the Lucanians and Bruttians were for the same reasons; and the Romans built Salernum as a stronghold over them, slightly above the sea; and the distance from the Sirenussae to the Silaris is two hundred and sixty stadia.