Texte grec :
| [9,67] Τῷ δὲ κατόπιν ἔτει Λευκίου Αἰβουτίου
καὶ Ποπλίου Σερουιλίου Πρίσκου παρειληφότων τὴν
ἀρχὴν οὐδὲν οὔτε κατὰ πολέμους ἔργον ἀπεδείξαντο
Ῥωμαῖοι λόγου ἄξιον οὔτε πολιτικόν, ὑπὸ νόσου
κακωθέντες ὡς οὔπω πρότερον λοιμικῆς· ἣ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον
ἵππων τε φορβάδων καὶ βοῶν ἀγέλαις προσῆλθεν,
ἀπὸ δὲ τούτων εἴς τ´ αἰπόλια καὶ ποίμνας κατέσκηψε,
καὶ διέφθειρεν ὀλίγου δεῖν πάντα τὰ τετράποδα· ἔπειτα
τῶν νομέων τε καὶ γεωργῶν ἥψατο, καὶ διελθοῦσα
διὰ πάσης τῆς χώρας εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἐνέπεσε. θεραπόντων
μὲν οὖν καὶ θητῶν καὶ τοῦ πένητος ὄχλου
πλῆθος ὅσον διέφθειρεν, οὐ ῥᾴδιον ἦν εὑρεῖν. κατ´
ἀρχὰς μὲν γὰρ ἐφ´ ἁμάξαις σωρηδὸν οἱ θνήσκοντες
ἀπεκομίζοντο, τελευτῶντες δ´, ὧν ἐλάχιστος ἦν ὁ λόγος,
εἰς τὸ τοῦ παραρρέοντος ποταμοῦ ῥεῖθρον ὠθοῦντο.
τῶν δ´ ἐκ τοῦ βουλευτικοῦ συνεδρίου τὸ τέταρτον
μέρος συνελογίσθη διεφθαρμένον, ἐν οἷς ἦσαν οἵ θ´
ὕπατοι ἀμφότεροι καὶ τῶν δημάρχων οἱ πλείους.
ἤρξατο μὲν οὖν ἡ νόσος περὶ τὰς καλάνδας τοῦ
Σεπτεμβρίου μηνός, διέμεινε δὲ τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν ἐκεῖνον ὅλον,
ἅπασαν ὁμοίως καταλαμβάνουσα καὶ διεργαζομένη φύσιν
τε καὶ ἡλικίαν. γενομένης δὲ τοῖς πλησιοχώροις
γνώσεως τῶν κατεχόντων τὴν Ῥώμην κακῶν, καλὸν
ἡγησάμενοι καιρὸν εἶναι Αἰκανοί τε καὶ Οὐολοῦσκοι
καταλῦσαι τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτῆς, συνθήκας τε καὶ ὅρκους
ἐποιήσαντο πρὸς ἀλλήλους περὶ συμμαχίας· καὶ
παρασκευασάμενοι τὰ εἰς πολιορκίαν ἐπιτήδεια, ὡς εἶχον
ἀμφότεροι τάχους, ἐξῆγον τὰς δυνάμεις. ἵνα δὲ τὴν
ἀπὸ τῶν συμμάχων ἀφέλοιντο τῆς Ῥώμης ἐπικουρίαν
εἰς τὴν Λατίνων τε καὶ Ἑρνίκων γῆν πρῶτον ἐνέβαλον.
ἀφικομένης δὲ πρεσβείας ἐπὶ τὴν βουλὴν ἀφ´ ἑκατέρου
τῶν πολεμουμένων ἐθνῶν ἐπὶ συμμαχίας παράκλησιν
ὁ μὲν ἕτερος τῶν ὑπάτων Λεύκιος Αἰβούτιος ἐκείνην
ἔτυχε τὴν ἡμέραν τεθνηκώς, Πόπλιος δὲ Σερουίλιος
ἐγγὺς ὢν τοῦ θανάτου· ὃς ἔτι ὀλίγον ἐμπνέων συνεκάλει
τὴν βουλήν. τῶν δ´ οἱ πλείους ἡμιθνῆτες ἐπὶ
κλινιδίων κομισθέντες καὶ συνεδρεύσαντες ἀπεκρίναντο
τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀγγέλλειν τοῖς σφετέροις, ὅτι διὰ τῆς
ἑαυτῶν ἀρετῆς τοὺς πολεμίους ἀμύνεσθαι ἡ βουλὴ
αὐτοῖς ἐπιτρέπει, μέχρις ἂν ὁ ὕπατος ῥαίσῃ, καὶ ἡ
συναγωνιουμένη δύναμις αὐτοῖς συναχθῇ. ταῦτα
Ῥωμαίων ἀποκριναμένων Λατῖνοι μὲν ὅσα ἠδυνήθησαν
ἐκ τῶν ἀγρῶν εἰς τὰς πόλεις ἀνασκευασάμενοι φυλακὴν
ἐποιοῦντο τῶν τειχῶν, τὰ δ´ ἄλλα περιεώρων
ἀπολλύμενα. Ἕρνικες δὲ δυσανασχετοῦντες ἐπὶ τῇ
λύμῃ καὶ διαρπαγῇ τῶν ἀγρῶν, ἀναλαβόντες τὰ ὅπλα
ἐξῆλθον. ἀγωνισάμενοι δὲ λαμπρῶς καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν
ἀποβαλόντες τῶν σφετέρων, πολλῷ δ´ ἔτι πλείους
ἀποκτείναντες τῶν πολεμίων, ἐκβιασθέντες εἰς τὰ τείχη
κατέφυγον, καὶ οὐκέτι μάχης ἐπειρῶντο.
|
|
Traduction française :
| [9,67] The next year, when Lucius Aebutius and Publius Servilius Priscus had assumed
office, the Romans accomplished nothing worthy of mention either in war or at home,
as they were afflicted by a pestilence more severely than ever before. It first attacked
the studs of mares and herds of cattle and then seize upon the flocks of goats and
sheep and destroyed almost all the live-stock. After that it fell upon the herdsmen and
husbandmen, and having spread through the whole country, it invaded the city. It
was no easy matter to discover the number of servants, labourers and poor people
who were carried off by it. For at first the dead bodies were carried away heaped up in
carts and at last the persons of least account were shoved into the river that flows past
the city. Of the senate the fourth (p149) part was estimated to have perished, including
not only both consuls but also most of the tribunes. The pestilence began about the
calends of September and continued all that year, seizing and destroying people
without distinction of sex or age. When the neighbouring peoples learned of the evils
that were afflicting Rome, the Aequians and the Volscians, thinking they had an
excellent opportunity to overthrow her supremacy, concluded a treaty of alliance with
each other, confirmed by oaths; and after making the preparations necessary for a
siege, both led out their forces as speedily as possible. In order to deprive Rome of
the assistance of her allies, they first invaded the territories of the Latins and the
Hernicans. When envoys from the two nations which were attacked came to the
senate to beg assistance, it chanced that one of the consuls, Lucius Aebutius, had died
that very day, while Publius Servilius was at the point of death. Though he could
barely breathe, he convened the senate, of whom the larger part were brought in half
dead in litters; and after deliberating, they instructed the envoys to report to their
countrymen that the senate gave them leave to repulse the enemy by their own
courage till the consul should recover and the army that was to participate with them
in the conflict should be assembled. When the Romans had garden this answer, the
Latins removed everything they could out of the country into their cities, and keeping
their walls under (p151) guard, permitted everything else to be destroyed. But the
Hernicans, resenting the ruin and desolation of their lands, took up their arms and
marched out. And though they fought brilliantly and, while losing many of their own
men, slew many more of the enemy, they were forced to take refuge inside their walls
and no longer risked an engagement.
|
|
