Texte grec :
| [10,15] Συνέβη δὲ αὐτῷ πάντων διαμαρτεῖν ὧν ἤλπισεν
οὔτε δούλων αὐτομολησάντων πρὸς αὐτὸν οὔτε
φυγάδων κατελθόντων οὔτε ἀτίμων καὶ καταχρέων τὸ
ἴδιον κέρδος ἀντὶ τοῦ κοινῇ συμφέροντος ἀλλαξαμένων,
τῆς τε ἔξωθεν ἐπικουρίας οὐ λαβούσης χρόνον
ἱκανὸν εἰς παρασκευὴν τοῦ πολέμου· τρισὶ γὰρ ἢ
τέτταρσι ταῖς πρώταις ἡμέραις τέλος εἰλήφει τὰ πράγματα
μέγα δέος καὶ πολλὴν ταραχὴν Ῥωμαίοις παρασχόντα.
ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἑάλω τὰ φρούρια, κραυγῆς ἄφνω
γενομένης καὶ φυγῆς τῶν περὶ ἐκείνους οἰκούντων
τοὺς τόπους, ὅσοι μὴ παραχρῆμα ἐσφάγησαν, ἀγνοοῦντες
οἱ πολλοὶ τὸ δεινὸν ὅ τι ποτ´ ἦν ἁρπάσαντες τὰ
ὅπλα συνέτρεχον, οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ τὰ μετέωρα χωρία τῆς
πόλεως, οἱ δ´ εἰς τοὺς ἀναπεπταμένους αὐτῆς τόπους
πολλοὺς σφόδρα ὄντας, οἱ δ´ εἰς τὰ παρακείμενα
πεδία· ὅσοι δ´ ἡλικίας ἐν τῷ παρηκμακότι ἦσαν καὶ
ῥώμης σώματος ἐν τῷ ἀδυνάτῳ, τὰ τέγη τῶν οἰκιῶν
κατεῖχον ἅμα γυναιξὶν ὡς ἀπὸ τούτων ἀγωνιούμενοι
πρὸς τοὺς εἰσεληλυθότας· ἅπαντα γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐδόκει
μεστὰ εἶναι πολέμου. ἡμέρας δὲ γενομένης ὡς ἐγνώσθη τὰ κεκρατημένα τῆς πόλεως
φρούρια καὶ ὅστις
ἦν ὁ κατέχων ἀνὴρ τοὺς τόπους, οἱ μὲν ὕπατοι προελθόντες εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐκάλουν
τοὺς πολίτας ἐπὶ τὰ
ὅπλα, οἱ δὲ δήμαρχοι προσκαλεσάμενοι τὸν δῆμον εἰς
ἐκκλησίαν ἔλεγον, ὅτι τῷ μὲν συμφέροντι τῆς πόλεως
οὐδὲν ἀξιοῦσι πράττειν ἐναντίον, δίκαιον δὲ ὑπολαμβάνουσιν εἶναι τηλικοῦτον
ἀγῶνα μέλλοντα τὸν δῆμον
ὑπομένειν ἐπὶ ῥητοῖς τισι καὶ διωρισμένοις ἐπὶ τὸ
κινδύνευμα χωρεῖν. Εἰ μὲν οὖν, ἔφασαν λέγοντες,
ὑπισχνοῦνταί τε ὑμῖν οἱ πατρίκιοι καὶ πίστεις βούλονται δοῦναι τὰς ἐπὶ θεῶν, ὅτι
καταλυθέντος τοῦδε
τοῦ πολέμου συγχωρήσουσιν ὑμῖν ἀποδεῖξαι νομοθέτας
καὶ τὸν λοιπὸν χρόνον ἐν ἰσηγορίᾳ πολιτεύεσθαι, συνελευθερῶμεν αὐτοῖς τὴν
πατρίδα· εἰ δὲ οὐθὲν ἀξιοῦσι
ποιεῖν τῶν μετρίων, τί κινδυνεύομεν καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς
ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν προιέμεθα μηθενὸς ἀγαθοῦ μέλλοντες
ἀπολαύσεσθαι; Ταῦτα λεγόντων αὐτῶν καὶ τοῦ δήμου
πειθομένου καὶ μηδὲ φωνὴν ὑπομένοντος ἀκούειν τῶν
ἄλλο τι παραινούντων ὁ μὲν Κλαύδιος οὐθὲν ἠξίου
δεῖσθαι τοιαύτης συμμαχίας, ἥτις οὐχ ἑκούσιος, ἀλλ´
ἐπὶ μισθῷ καὶ οὐδὲ τούτῳ μετρίῳ βοηθεῖν βούλεται
τῇ πατρίδι, ἀλλ´ αὐτοὺς ἔφη τοὺς πατρικίους ἑαυτῶν
σώμασι καὶ τῶν συνόντων αὐτοῖς πελατῶν ὁπλισαμένους, καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο πλῆθος
ἐθελούσιον αὐτοῖς συναρεῖται τοῦ πολέμου, μετὰ τούτων πολιορκεῖν τὰ
φρούρια· ἐὰν δὲ μηδ´ οὕτως ἀξιόχρεως ἡ δύναμις αὐτοῖς εἶναι δοκῇ, Λατίνους τε καὶ
Ἕρνικας παρακαλεῖν,
ἐὰν δ´ ἀνάγκη, καὶ δούλοις ἐλευθερίαν ὑπισχνεῖσθαι
καὶ πάντας μᾶλλον ἢ τοὺς ἐπὶ τοιούτων καιρῶν μνησικακοῦντας σφίσι παρακαλεῖν.
ὁ δ´ ἕτερος τῶν ὑπάτων Οὐαλέριος ἀντέλεγε πρὸς ταῦτα οὐκ οἰόμενος δεῖν
ἠρεθισμένον τὸ δημοτικὸν ἐκπολεμῶσαι τελέως τοῖς
πατρικίοις, εἶξαί τε συνεβούλευε τῷ καιρῷ καὶ πρὸς
μὲν τοὺς ἔξωθεν πολεμίους τά γε δίκαια ἀντιτάττειν,
πρὸς δὲ τὰς πολιτικὰς διατριβὰς τὰ μέτρια καὶ εὐγνώμονα. ἐπειδὴ δὲ τοῖς πλείοσι τῶν
ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ τὰ
κράτιστα ἐδόκει λέγειν, προελθὼν εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν
καὶ λόγον εὐπρεπῆ διεξελθὼν τελευτῶν τῆς δημηγορίας
ὤμοσεν, ἐὰν ὁ δῆμος συνάρηται μετὰ προθυμίας τοῦ
πολέμου καὶ καταστῇ τὰ πράγματα τῆς πόλεως, συγχωρήσειν τοῖς δημάρχοις
προθεῖναι τῷ πλήθει τὴν
περὶ τοῦ νόμου διάγνωσιν, ὃν εἰσέφερον ὑπὲρ τῆς
ἰσονομίας, καὶ σπουδάσειν, ὅπως ἐπὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀρχῆς
ἐπὶ τέλος ἀχθῇ τὰ δόξαντα τῷ δήμῳ. ἦν δὲ ἄρα οὐθὲν αὐτῷ πεπρωμένον ἐπιτελέσαι
τῶν ὁμολογηθέντων
πλησίον οὔσης τῆς τοῦ θανάτου μοίρας.
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Traduction française :
| [10,15] It so happened, however, that all his hopes were disappointed; for neither the
slaves deserted to him nor did the exiles return nor did the unfranchised and the
debtors seek their private advantage at the expense of the public good, and the
reinforcements from outside did not have time enough to prepare (p213) for war, since
within three or four days all told the affair was at an end, after causing the Romans
great fear and turmoil. For upon the capture of the fortresses, followed by a sudden
outcry and flight of all those living near those places — save those who were slain at
once — the mass of the citizens, not knowing what the peril was, seized their arms
and rushed together, some hastening to the heights of the city, others to the open
places, which were very numerous, and still others to the plains near by. Those who
were past the prime of life and were incapacitated in bodily strength occupied the
roofs of the houses together with the women, thinking to fight from there against the
invaders; for they imagined that every part of the city was full of fighting. But when
it was day and it came to be known what fortresses of the city were taken and who the
person was who had possession of them, the consuls, going into the Forum, called the
citizens to arms. The tribunes, however, summoned the populace to an assembly and
declared that, while they did not care to do anything opposed to the advantage of the
commonwealth, they thought it just, when the populace were going to undertake so
great a struggle, that they should go and meet the danger upon fixed and definite
terms. "If, therefore," they went on to say, "the patricians will promise you, and are
willing to give pledges, confirmed by oaths, that as soon as this war is over they will
allow you to appoint lawgivers and for the future to enjoy equal rights in the
government, let us assist them in freeing the fatherland. But if they consent to no
reasonable conditions, why do we incur danger and give up our lives for them, when
we are to reap (p215) no advantage?" While they were speaking thus and the people
were persuaded and would not listen to even a word from those who offered any
other advice, Claudius declared that he had no use for such allies, who were not
willing to come to the aid of the fatherland voluntarily, but only for a reward, and that
no moderate one; but the patricians by themselves, he said, taking up arms in their
own persons and in the persons of the clients who adhered to them, joined also by
any of the plebeians who would voluntarily assist them in the war, must with these
besiege the fortresses. And if even so their force should seem to them inadequate,
they must call on the Latins and the Hernicans, and, if necessary, must promise
liberty to the slaves and invite all sorts of people rather than those who harboured a
grudge against them in times like these. But the other consul, Valerius, opposed
this, believing that they ought not to render the plebeians, who were already
exasperated, absolutely implacable against the patricians; and he advised them to
yield to the situation, and while arraying against their foreign foes the demands of
strict justice, to combat the long-winded discourses of their fellow citizens with terms
of moderation and reasonableness. When the majority of the senators decided that
this advice was the best, he appeared before the popular assembly and made a
decorous speech, at the end of which he swore that if the people would assist in this
war with alacrity and conditions in the city should become settled, he would permit
the tribunes to lay before the populace for decision the law which they were trying to
introduce concerning an equality (p217) of laws, and would use his utmost endeavours
that their vote should be carried into effect during his consulship. But it was fated, it
seems, that he should perform none of these promises, the doom of death being near
at hand for him.
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