Texte grec :
| [9,50] Καὶ μετ´ οὐ πολὺ στρατιὰς ἐδόκει Ῥωμαίοις
καταγράφειν καὶ τοὺς ὑπάτους ἐκπέμπειν ἀμφοτέρους
ἐπί τ´ Αἰκανοὺς καὶ Οὐολούσκους. δυνάμεις γὰρ ἐξ
ἑκατέρων τῶν ἐθνῶν ἐξεληλυθέναι ἠγγέλλοντο μεγάλαι
καὶ προνομεύειν τοὺς Ῥωμαίων συμμάχους.
παρασκευασθεισῶν δὲ τῶν δυνάμεων σὺν τάχει Κοίντιος
μὲν Αἰκανοῖς πολεμήσων ᾤχετο, Ἄππιος δὲ Οὐολούσκοις,
κλήρῳ διαλαχόντες τὰς ἀρχάς. συνέβη δὲ τῶν ὑπάτων
ἑκατέρῳ τὰ εἰκότα πάσχειν· ἡ μὲν γὰρ τῷ Κοιντίῳ
προσνεμηθεῖσα στρατιὰ τὴν ἐπιείκειάν τε καὶ μετριότητα
τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀσπαζομένη πρόθυμος ἦν εἰς ἅπαντα
τὰ ἐπιταττόμενα, καὶ τὰ πλεῖστα αὐτοκέλευστος ὑφίστατο
κινδυνεύματα δόξαν τῷ ἡγεμόνι καὶ τιμὴν πράττουσα· καὶ
διεξῆλθε πολλὴν τῆς Αἰκανῶν χώρας λεηλατοῦσα οὐ
τολμώντων εἰς χεῖρας ἐλθεῖν τῶν πολεμίων,
ἐξ ἧς λάφυρα πολλὰ καὶ ὠφελείας μεγάλας ἐκτήσατο.
χρόνον δ´ οὐ πολὺν ἐν τῇ πολεμίᾳ διατρίψασα παρῆν
εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀπαθὴς κακῶν, λαμπρὸν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἔργοις
τὸν στρατηγὸν ἄγουσα. ἡ δὲ τῷ Ἀππίῳ συνεξελθοῦσα
δύναμις μίσει τῷ πρὸς αὐτὸν πολλὰ ὑπερεῖδε τῶν
πατρίων. τά τε γὰρ ἄλλα ἐθελοκακοῦσα ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ
στρατείᾳ καὶ ὀλιγωροῦσα τοῦ ἡγεμόνος διετέλεσε, καὶ
ἐπειδὴ μάχεσθαι ἔδει τῇ Οὐολούσκων στρατιᾷ, κατασταθεῖσα
ὑπὸ τῶν ἡγεμόνων εἰς τάξιν οὐκ ἠξίωσε τοῖς πολεμίοις
εἰς χεῖρας ἰέναι· ἀλλ´ οἵ τε λοχαγοὶ καὶ οἱ πρόμαχοι
αὐτῶν, οἱ μὲν τὰ σημεῖα ῥίψαντες, οἱ δὲ τὴν τάξιν
ἐγκαταλιπόντες ἐπὶ τὸν χάρακα ἔφευγον. καὶ εἰ μὴ
θαυμάσαντες τὸ παράλογον τῆς φυγῆς αὐτῶν οἱ πολέμιοι
καὶ δείσαντες, μὴ ἐνέδρα τις ᾖ, τῆς ἐπὶ πλεῖον
διώξεως ἀπετράποντο, τὸ πλεῖον ἂν μέρος τῶν Ῥωμαίων
διέφθαρτο. ἐποίουν δὲ ταῦτα φθόνῳ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος, ἵνα μὴ
καλὸν ἀγώνισμα ὁ ἀνὴρ διαπραξάμενος
θριάμβῳ τε καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις ἐπιλαμπρυνθῇ τιμαῖς. τῇ
δὲ κατόπιν ἡμέρᾳ τὰ μὲν ἐπιτιμῶντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ ὑπάτου
τῆς ἀδόξου φυγῆς, τὰ δὲ παρακαλοῦντος αἴσχιστον
ἔργον ἀναλύσασθαι καλῷ ἀγῶνι, τὰ δ´ ἀπειλοῦντος, εἰ
μὴ στήσονται παρὰ τὰ δεινά, χρήσεσθαι τοῖς νόμοις,
ἀπειθείᾳ τε διεχρῶντο καὶ καταβοῇ καὶ ἀπάγειν σφᾶς
ἐκέλευον ἐκ τῆς πολεμίας ὡς ἀδύνατοι ἔτι ὄντες ὑπὸ
τραυμάτων ἀντέχειν· κατεδήσαντο γὰρ αὐτῶν οἱ πολλοὶ
τοὺς ὑγιεῖς χρῶτας ὡς τραυματίαι· ὥστε ὁ Ἄππιος
ἠναγκάσθη ἀπάγειν τὸν στρατὸν ἐκ τῆς πολεμίας, καὶ
οἱ Οὐολοῦσκοι ἀπιοῦσιν ἑπόμενοι πολλοὺς αὐτῶν
ἀπέκτειναν. ὡς δ´ ἐν τῇ φιλίᾳ ἐγένοντο, συναγαγὼν
εἰς ἐκκλησίαν αὐτοὺς ὁ ὕπατος καὶ πολλὰ ὀνειδίσας
ἔφη χρήσεσθαι τῇ κατὰ τῶν λιποτακτῶν κολάσει. καὶ
πολλὰ δεομένων τῶν πρεσβευτῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν
ἐν τέλει μετριάσαι, καὶ μὴ συμφορὰν ἐπὶ συμφορᾷ
προσθεῖναι τῇ πόλει, λόγον οὐδενὸς αὐτῶν ποιησάμενος
ἐκύρωσε τὴν κόλασιν. καὶ μετὰ τοῦθ´ οἱ λοχαγοί τε,
ὧν οἱ λόχοι ἔφυγον, καὶ οἱ πρόμαχοι τῶν σημείων,
ὅσοι τὰ σημεῖα ἀπολωλέκεσαν, οἱ μὲν πελέκει τοὺς
αὐχένας ἀπεκόπησαν, οἱ δὲ ξύλοις παιόμενοι
διεφθάρησαν· ἐκ δὲ τοῦ ἄλλου πλήθους ἀπὸ δεκάδος
ἑκάστης εἷς ἀνὴρ ὁ λαχὼν κλήρῳ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἀπέθνησκεν.
αὕτη Ῥωμαίοις πάτριός ἐστι κατὰ τῶν λιπόντων τὰς
τάξεις ἢ προεμένων τὰς σημαίας ἡ κόλασις. καὶ μετὰ
ταῦτ´ αὐτός τε μισούμενος ὁ στρατηγὸς καὶ τῆς στρατιᾶς
ὅσον ἔτι περιῆν κατηφὲς καὶ ἄτιμον ἐπαγόμενος,
τῶν ἀρχαιρεσίων καθηκόντων ἀνέστρεψεν εἰς τὴν πατρίδα.
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Traduction française :
| [9,50] Not long afterwards the Romans decided to enrol armies and to send out both
consuls against the Aequians and the Volscians; for it was reported that large forces
from both these nations had taken the field and were then pillaging the territories of
the Romans' allies. The armies being soon ready, Quintius (p87) set out to make war
against the Aequians and Appius against the Volscians, these commands having
fallen to them by lot. And the fortunes of each of the consuls were such as might have
been expected. The army assigned to Quintius, pleased with the fairness and
moderation of their general, were eager to carry out all his orders, and undertook
most of the hazards unbidden, thereby achieving glory and honour for their
commander. They overran a large part of the country of the Aequians and plundered
it, the enemy not daring to come to an engagement; and from it they acquired great
booty and rich spoils. After tarrying a short time in the enemy's country they returned
to the city without any losses, bringing their general home illustrious because of his
exploits. But the army that went out with Appius because of their hatred of him
disregarded many of the principles of their ancestors. in fact, during the whole
campaign they not only played the coward deliberately and treated their general with
contempt, but particularly when they were to engage the army of the Volscians and
their commanders had drawn them up in order of battle, they refused to come to
grips with the enemy, but both the centurions and the antesignani, some throwing
away their standards and others quitting their posts, fled to the camp. And if the
enemy, wondering at their unexpected flight and fearing there might be an ambush,
had not turned back from pursuing them farther, the greater part of the Romans
would have been destroyed. The troops acted thus because of the grudge they bore to
their general, lest he should (p89) win a brilliant engagement and so obtain the
distinction of a triumph and the other honours.And the following day, when the
consul alternately upbraided them for their inglorious flight, exhorted them to
redeem their most disgraceful conduct by a noble effort, and threatened to invoke the
laws against them if they would than stand firm in the face of danger, they broke out
into disobedience, clamoured against him and bade him lead them out of the enemy's
country, alleging that they were no longer able to hold out by reason of their wounds;
for most of them had bound up the sound parts of their bodies as if they had been
wounded. Hence Appius was obliged to withdraw his army from the enemy's country,
and the Volscians, pursuing them as they retreated, killed many of them.As soon as
they were in friendly territory, the consul assembled the troops, and after uttering
many reproaches said that he would inflict upon them the punishment ordained
against those who quit their posts. And though the legates and the other officers
earnestly besought him to use moderation and not to heap one calamity after another
upon the commonwealth, he paid no heed to any of them but confirmed the
punishment.Thereupon the centurions whose centuries had run away and the
antesignani who had lost their standards were either beheaded with an axe or beaten
to death with rods; as for the rank and file, one man chosen by lot out of every ten
was put to death for the rest. This is the traditional punishment among the Romans
for those who desert their posts or yield their standards. Afterwards, the general, an
object of hatred himself and leading back, dejected and disgraced, what was left of his
army, (p91) the elections being now at hand, returned to the fatherland.
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