Texte grec :
[7,69] Ἡ δὲ βουλὴ δέους ἀνάπλεως ἐγένετο,
καὶ ἀχανὴς ἦν ἕκαστος οὐκ ἔχων συμβαλεῖν, ὅ τι τὸ
δηλούμενον ἦν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ τίς ποτε ὁ τῆς πομπῆς
ὀρχηστὴς προηγούμενος οὐ καλὸς αὐτῷ ἐφάνη. ἔπειτα
λέγει τις ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀναμνησθεὶς τὸ γενόμενον, καὶ
πάντες ἐμαρτύρησαν. ἦν δὲ τοιόνδε· ἀνὴρ Ῥωμαῖος
οὐκ ἀφανὴς θεράποντα ἴδιον ἐπὶ τιμωρίᾳ θανάτου
παραδοὺς τοῖς ὁμοδούλοις ἄγειν, ἵνα δὴ περιφανὴς ἡ
τιμωρία τοῦ ἀνθρώπου γένηται, δι´ ἀγορᾶς αὐτὸν ἐκέλευσε
μαστιγούμενον ἕλκειν καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος ἦν τῆς
πόλεως τόπος ἐπιφανὴς ἡγούμενον τῆς πομπῆς, ἣν
ἔστελλε τῷ θεῷ κατ´ ἐκεῖνον τὸν καιρὸν ἡ πόλις. οἱ
δ´ ἄγοντες τὸν θεράποντα ἐπὶ τὴν τιμωρίαν τὰς χεῖρας
ἀποτείναντες ἀμφοτέρας καὶ ξύλῳ προσδήσαντες παρὰ
τὰ στέρνα τε καὶ τοὺς ὤμους καὶ μέχρι τῶν καρπῶν
διήκοντι παρηκολούθουν ξαίνοντες μάστιξι γυμνὸν ὄντα.
ὁ δ´ ἐν τοιᾷδε ἀνάγκῃ κρατούμενος ἐβόα τε φωνὰς
δυσφήμους, ἃς ἡ ἀλγηδὼν ἐβούλετο, καὶ κινήσεις διὰ
τὴν αἰκίαν ἀσχήμονας ἐκινεῖτο. τοῦτον δὴ πάντες ἐνόμισαν
εἶναι τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ μηνυόμενον ὀρχηστὴν οὐ καλόν.
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Traduction française :
[7,69] Upon this the senators were filled with fear and everyone was speechless with
astonishment, being at a loss to guess what the god's message meant, and who was
the leader of the dance in the procession who appeared unacceptable to him. At least
one of them, recalling the incident, related it to the rest and all of them confirmed it
by their testimony. It was this. A Roman citizen of no obscure station, having ordered
one of his slaves to be put to death, delivered him to his fellow-slaves to be led away,
and in order that his punishment might be witnessed by all, directed them to drag
him through the Forum and every other conspicuous part of the city as they whipped
him, and that he should go ahead of the procession which the Romans were at that
time conducting in honour of the god. The men ordered to lead the slave to his
punishment, having stretched out both his arms and fastened them to a piece of wood
which extended across his breast and shoulders as far as his wrists, followed him,
tearing his naked body with whips. The culprit, overcome by such cruelty, not only
uttered ill-omened cries, forced from him by the pain, but also made indecent
movements under the blows. this man, accordingly, (p357) they all thought to be the
unacceptable dancer signified by the god.
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