§745Ἰαπύγων δʼ ἐν πόλει Σαλαπίᾳ, Λιβύων ὑπηκόῳ, δύο ἤστην ἄνδρε τῶν μὲν ἄλλων γένει καὶ πλούτῳ καὶ δυνάμει διαφέροντε, ἀλλήλοιν δʼ ἐκ πολλοῦ διαφόρω.
Among the Iapygians, in the city of Salapia, which was subject to the Libyans, there were two men who excelled the others in birth, wealth, and power, but had long been at variance with each other.
τούτοιν Δάσιος μὲν τὰ Λιβύων ᾑρεῖτο, Βλάτιος δὲ τὰ Ῥωμαίων.
Of these, Dasius favored the cause of the Libyans, and Blatius that of the Romans.
ἕως μὲν οὖν ἤκμαζε τὰ Ἀννίβου, ἐφʼ ἡσυχίας ἦν ὁ Βλάτιος· ἐπεὶ δὲ ἠγείρετο τὸ Ῥωμαίων καὶ τὰ πολλὰ τῆς ἐσφετερισμένης ἀρχῆς ἀνελάμβανον, ἔπειθεν ὁ Βλάτιος τὸν ἐχθρὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρίδος αὑτῷ συμφρονῆσαι μόνης, μή τι πάθοι, Ῥωμαίων αὐτὴν βίᾳ λαβόντων, ἀνήκεστον.
Now, as long as Hannibal's power was at its height, Blatius remained quiet; but when the power of the Romans began to rise, and they were recovering most of their usurped empire, Blatius tried to persuade his enemy to join him in thinking only of their homeland, lest it should suffer some incurable disaster if the Romans took it by force.
ὁ δʼ ὑποκρινάμενος συντίθεσθαι, κατεμήνυσε τοῦτο Ἀννίβᾳ.
The other, pretending to agree, denounced this to Hannibal.
καὶ ἐδίκαζεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἀννίβας, Δασίου μὲν κατηγοροῦντος, Βλατίου δʼ ἀπολογουμένου καὶ συκοφαντεῖσθαι διὰ τὴν ἔχθραν λέγοντος· ὃ καὶ τέως ἄρα προορῶν ἐτόλμησεν ἐχθρῷ προσενεγκεῖν λόγον τοιόνδε, ὡς ἀπίστῳ κατηγόρῳ διὰ τὴν ἔχθραν ἐσομένῳ.
And Hannibal sat in judgment over them, while Dasius accused and Blatius defended himself, saying that he was being falsely accused because of their enmity; which indeed he had foreseen all along, and therefore had dared to address such a proposal to his enemy, since he would be an untrustworthy accuser on account of their enmity.
Ἀννίβας δʼ οὔτε ἀπορρῖψαι τὸ ἔργον οὔτε τῷ παρʼ ἐχθροῦ πιστεῦσαι ῥᾳδίως ἀξιῶν, μεθίστατο αὐτοὺς ὡς σκεψόμενος ἐφʼ ἑαυτοῦ.
Hannibal, thinking it right neither to dismiss the matter nor to believe easily an accusation coming from an enemy, dismissed them, intending to consider the matter by himself.
στενῆς δὲ τῆς ἐξόδου πάμπαν οὔσης, ὁ Βλάτιος ἔφη τῷ Δασίῳ, τοὺς ἄλλους λαθών,
οὐ σώσεις, ὦ ἀγαθέ, τὴν πατρίδα; ὁ δὲ καὶ τοῦτʼ εὐθὺς ἐκβοήσας ἐμήνυεν.
Since the exit was very narrow, Blatius, unnoticed by the others, said to Dasius: 'Will you not save our homeland, my good friend?' And the other, immediately shouting this out also, denounced it.
§746καὶ ὁ Βλάτιος οἰκτισάμενος τότε μάλιστα ἀξιοπίστως εἶπεν ὡς ἐπιβουλεύοιτο ὑπʼ ἐχθροῦ τεχνίτου.
And Blatius, lamenting, spoke then most persuasively, saying that he was being plotted against by a crafty enemy.
τοῦτο δʼ,
ἔφη,
τὸ νῦν ἐπιβούλευμα καὶ τῆς πρότερον ἀμφιλογίας, εἴ τις ἦν, ῥύσεταί με.
'And this present plot,' he said, 'will deliver me even from the former dispute, if there was any.
τίς γὰρ ἂν ἢ πρότερον ἐχθρῷ περὶ τοιῶνδε διεπίστευσεν, ἢ νῦν, εἰ καὶ τέως ἐπεπλάνητο, ἀπίστῳ καὶ κατηγόρῳ περὶ ἐκεῖνα γεγενημένῳ, κινδυνεύων ἔτι καὶ κρινόμενος καὶ ἀρνούμενος, αὖθις ἂν τὰ δεύτερα ταῦτʼ ἐθάρρησεν εἰπεῖν, καὶ μάλιστʼ ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ, πολλῶν μὲν ἀκοῦσαι δυναμένων, τοῦ δὲ κατηγόρου καὶ τόδε μέλλοντος εὐθὺς ὁμοίως ἐρεῖν;
For who, either beforehand, would have trusted an enemy about such matters, or now—even if he had been delated before—when that enemy has shown himself untrustworthy and an accuser in those very things, and while he himself is still in danger, on trial, and denying the charge, would have dared to say these second words again, and that too in the courtroom itself, where many could hear, and where the accuser was immediately going to report this likewise?
εἰ δὲ δὴ καὶ ἐγεγένητο,
ἔφη,
χρηστὸς ἐξαίφνης καὶ φίλος, τί μοι συλλαβεῖν ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρίδος ἔτι δυνατὸς ἦν;
And even if,' he said, 'he had suddenly become good and a friend, how would he still have been able to help me on behalf of our homeland?
τί δʼ ἂν ἐδεόμην ἐγὼ μηδὲν ἐπικουρεῖν δυναμένου; ἅ μοι δοκεῖ προϊδὼν πάλιν ὁ Βλάτιος ψιθύρως ἐντυχεῖν τῷ Δασίῳ, καὶ ἐς ἀπιστίαν αὐτὸν ἐμβαλεῖν μείζονα, ἐπαγαγέσθαι δʼ ἐκ τοῦδε καὶ Ἀννίβαν ἐς ἀπιστίαν τῶν πρότερον εἰρημένων.
And why should I have needed one who was unable to give any assistance?' Foreseeing all these things, Blatius, in my opinion, had purposely spoken to Dasius in a whisper, in order to throw him into greater discredit, and thereby to lead Hannibal also to disbelieve what had been said before.
οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ ἐκφυγὼν τὴν δίκην ὁ Βλάτιος ἀφίστατο μὴ μεταπείθειν τὸν ἐχθρόν, καταφρονῶν ἄρα ὡς ἐς πάντα γεγονότος ἀπίστου.
Nevertheless, even after escaping the trial, Blatius did not cease trying to win over his enemy, utterly despising him as one who had become completely untrustworthy.
ὁ δὲ αὖθις ὑπεκρίνετο συντίθεσθαι, καὶ τὴν ἐπίνοιαν τῆς ἀποστάσεως ᾔτει μαθεῖν.
And Dasius again pretended to agree, and asked to learn the plan of the revolt.
ὁ δὲ οὐδὲν ὀκνήσας ἔφη,
διαδραμοῦμαι μὲν ἐπί τι τῶν στρατοπέδων ἐγὼ τῶν Ῥωμαϊκῶν (μηνύσας αὐτῷ τὸ πάνυ πορρωτάτω) καὶ στρατιὰν ἄξω λαβών· ἔστι γάρ μοι φίλος ὁ στρατηγὸς ἐκείνου τοῦ στρατοῦ·
And Blatius, without any hesitation, said: 'I will run to one of the Roman camps' (naming to him the one that was furthest away) 'and bring back an army; for the general of that army is a friend of mine.
σὺ δʼ ὑπομένειν μοι δεῦρο, καὶ τὰ ἔνδον ἐπιτηρεῖν. §747ὁ μὲν εἶπεν οὕτω, καὶ εὐθὺς ἐξέδραμε, λαθὼν Δάσιον, οὐκ ἐς ἐκεῖνο τὸ στρατόπεδον ἀλλʼ ἐς Ῥώμην, ὁδὸν ἐλάσσονα.
You, meanwhile, wait for me here and watch over matters inside.' So he spoke, and immediately hastened away, without Dasius's knowledge, not to that camp but to Rome, which was a shorter journey.
καὶ δοὺς τῇ βουλῇ τὸν υἱὸν ὅμηρον, ἱππέας ᾔτει χιλίους, μεθʼ ὧν ἠπείγετο κατὰ σπουδήν, τὸ μέλλον ἔσεσθαι προορώμενος.
And having given his son to the Senate as a hostage, he asked for a thousand horsemen, with whom he hastened back in speed, anticipating what would happen.
ὁ δὲ Δάσιος ταῖς ἐπιούσαις ἡμέραις τὸν ἐχθρὸν οὐχ ὁρῶν, εἴκασεν αὐτὸν ἐγχειρεῖν τοῖς ἐγνωσμένοις ὡς ἤδη πιστεύοντα αὐτῷ.
And Dasius, not seeing his enemy during the following days, guessed that he was setting about the plans they had agreed on, believing that Blatius now trusted him.
νομίσας οὖν ἐς ἐκεῖνο τῷ ὄντι τὸ πορρωτέρω στρατόπεδον αὐτὸν οἴχεσθαι, διέδραμε πρὸς Ἀννίβαν, καταφρονῶν ὅτι φθάσει ἐκεῖνον ἐπανελθών, καὶ
νῦν μέν,
ἔφη,
παραδώσω σοι τὸν Βλάτιον ἐπʼ αὐτοφώρῳ στρατιὰν ἐπάγοντα τῇ πόλει. καὶ τὸ γεγονὸς ἐκθέμενος, καὶ λαβών τινας, ἐπανῆγεν ἐς τὴν πατρίδα μετὰ σπουδῆς ὡς οὔπω τοῦ Βλατίου πλησιάζοντος.
Thinking, therefore, that Blatius had indeed gone to that more distant camp, he hastened to Hannibal, confidently expecting that he would return before him, and said: 'Now I will deliver Blatius to you in the very act of bringing an army against the city.' And having explained what had happened, and taking some men with him, he returned to his homeland in haste, thinking that Blatius was not yet near.
ὁ δʼ ἔνδον τε ἦν ἄρτι, καὶ τὴν φρουρὰν τὴν Λιβύων ὀλίγην οὖσαν ἀνελὼν ἐφύλασσε μηδένα παρελθεῖν, καὶ πύλας τὰς μὲν ἄλλας ἐκεκλείκει, τὰς δʼ ἐς τὴν ἐπάνοδον Δασίου μόνας εἴασεν ἀνεῷχθαι.
But Blatius was already inside, and having destroyed the Libyan garrison, which was small, he took care that no one should pass, and had closed the other gates, leaving open only the one meant for Dasius's return.
καὶ τὸ κατʼ ἐκείνας μέρος ἅπαν εἶχεν ἀνυπόπτως· τὰ δʼ ἐντὸς ἐξετετάφρευτο καὶ διείληπτο, ὡς μὴ δύνασθαι τοὺς ἐμπεσόντας ἐς ὅλην διαδραμεῖν.
And everything in that quarter looked unsuspected; but the interior had been ditched and barricaded, so that those who fell into it would not be able to run through the whole city.
Δάσιος δὲ ἐπεὶ τὰς πύλας εἶδεν ἀνεῳγμένας, ἥσθη νομίσας προλαβεῖν τὸν ἐχθρόν, καὶ ἐσήλατο γεγηθώς.
And Dasius, when he saw the gates open, was delighted, thinking he had beaten his enemy, and rushed inside with joy.
ὁ δʼ ἐπικλείσας διέφθειρεν αὐτόν τε καὶ τοὺς ἐσδραμόντας, ὠθουμένους ἐν στενῷ καὶ διαδρομὴν διὰ τὰς τάφρους οὐκ ἔχοντας.
But Blatius, having shut the gates behind him, destroyed both him and those who had rushed in with him, as they were crowded in a narrow space and had no way of escape because of the ditches.
ὀλίγοι δʼ αὐτῶν διὰ τοῦ τείχους ἐξαλόμενοι διέφυγον.
And a few of them escaped by leaping over the wall.