Texte grec :
| [17,4] Ὅτι Ποστόμιος ὁ ὕπατος τῆς διαδοχῆς
αὐτοῦ ἐγγισάσης μέγα φρονῶν ἐφ´ ἑαυτῷ τῆς
τ´ ἀξιώσεως τοῦ γένους ἕνεκα, καὶ ὅτι διτταῖς ὑπατείαις
ἤδη κεκοσμημένος ἦν. ἐφ´ οἷς ὁ συνύπατος αὐτοῦ
καταρχὰς μὲν ὡς ἀπελαυνόμενος τῶν ἴσων ἠγανάκτει
καὶ πολλάκις ἐπὶ τῆς βουλῆς τὰ δίκαια πρὸς αὐτὸν
ἔλεγεν, ὕστερον δὲ συγγνοὺς ἑαυτῷ κατά τε προγόνων
ὄγκον καὶ φίλων πλῆθος καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἄλλας δυνάμεις
ἐλάττονα ἰσχὺν ἔχοντι—δημοτικὸς γὰρ ἦν καὶ τῶν
νεωστὶ παρελθόντων εἰς γνῶσιν—εἶξέ τε τῷ συνυπάτῳ
καὶ παρεχώρησε τοῦ Σαυνιτικοῦ πολέμου τὴν
ἡγεμονίαν. πρῶτον μὲν δὴ τοῦτο διαβολὴν ἤνεγκε τῷ
Ποστομίῳ κατὰ πολλὴν αὐθάδειαν γενόμενον καὶ ἕτερον
αὖθις ἐπὶ τούτῳ βαρύτερον ἢ ὡς κατὰ Ῥωμαῖον
ἡγεμόνα. ἐπιλεξάμενος γὰρ ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ στρατιᾶς
περὶ τοὺς δισχιλίους ἄνδρας εἰς τοὺς ἰδίους ἀγροὺς
ἀπήγαγεν, οἷς ἄνευ σιδήρου δρυμὸν ἐκέλευσε κείρειν.
καὶ μέχρι πολλοῦ κατέσχε τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς
θητῶν ἔργα καὶ θεραπόντων ὑπηρετοῦντας. Τοσαύτῃ
δὲ αὐθαδείᾳ πρὸ τῆς ἐξόδου χρησάμενος ἔτι
βαρύτερος ἐφάνη τοῖς κατ´ αὐτὴν τὴν στρατείαν ἐπιτελεσθεῖσι καὶ παρέσχε τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῷ δήμῳ μίσους
ἀφορμὰς δικαίου. τὸν γὰρ ὑπατεύσαντα τῷ πρόσθεν
ἐνιαυτῷ καὶ νικήσαντα Σαυνιτῶν τοὺς καλουμένους
Πέντρους Φάβιον τῆς βουλῆς ψηφισαμένης μένειν ἐπὶ
τοῦ στρατοπέδου, καὶ τὴν ἀνθύπατον ἀρχὴν ἔχοντα
πρὸς 〈ταύτην〉 τὴν μερίδα τῶν Σαυνιτῶν πολεμεῖν,
γράμματα πέμπων ἐκχωρεῖν ἐκ τῆς Σαυνίτιδος ἐκέλευσεν,
ὡς αὐτῷ μόνῳ τῆς ἡγεμονίας προσηκούσης. καὶ
πρὸς τοὺς ἀποσταλέντας ὑπὸ τῶν συνέδρων πρέσβεις
ἀξιοῦντας μὴ κωλύειν τὸν ἀνθύπατον ἐπὶ τοῦ στρατοπέδου μένειν μηδ´ ἀντιπράττειν τοῖς ἐψηφισμένοις
ὑφ´ ἑαυτῶν, ὑπερηφάνους καὶ τυραννικὰς ἔδωκεν ἀποκρίσεις, οὐ τὴν βουλὴν ἄρχειν ἑαυτοῦ φήσας, ἕως
ἐστὶν ὕπατος, ἀλλ´ αὐτὸν τῆς βουλῆς. ἀπολύσας δὲ
τοὺς πρέσβεις ἐπὶ τὸν Φάβιον ἦγε τὴν στρατιάν, ὡς,
εἰ μὴ βούλοιτο ἑκὼν παραχωρεῖν τῆς ἀρχῆς, τοῖς ὅπλοις
προσαναγκάσων. καταλαβὼν δὲ τοῦτον Κομινίῳ πόλει
προσκαθήμενον ἐξεπίεσεν ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου κατὰ
πολλὴν ὑπεροψίαν τῶν ἀρχαίων ἐθισμῶν καὶ δεινὴν
ὑπερηφανίαν. Φάβιος μὲν αὐτοῦ εἴξας τῇ μανίᾳ τῆς
ἡγεμονίας ἐξεχώρησεν.
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Traduction française :
| [17,4] (16.15) Postumius the consul, now that his succession to his father's estate was
imminent, thought very highly of himself both because of the reputation of his family
and because he had already been honoured with two consulships. 2 His colleague was
at first indignant at this, feeling that he was being excluded from an equal share of
honours, and he frequently presented his claims against him before the senate; but
later, recognizing that in dignity of (p335) ancestry, the number of his friends, and in
other sources of influence he was inferior to the other (for he was a plebeian and one
of those who had but recently come to public notice), he yielded to his colleague and
let him have the command of the Samnite war. 3 This was the first thing that aroused
prejudice against Postumius, occasioned as it was by his great arrogance; and on top
of it came another action that was too offensive for a Roman commander. He chose,
namely, about two thousand men out of his army, and taking them to his own estate,
ordered them to cut down a thicket without axes; and for a long time he kept the men
on his estate performing the tasks of labourers and slaves. 4 (16) After displaying
such arrogance before setting out on the campaign, he showed himself even more
domineering in the acts which he committed in the course of the campaign itself, thus
affording the senate and the people grounds for just hatred. For though the senate
had voted that Fabius, who had been consul the year before and had conquered the
Samnite tribe called the Pentrians, should remain in the camp and, holding the
proconsular power, make war against that part of the Samnites, Postumius
nevertheless sent him a letter ordering him to evacuate the Samnite country, on the
ground that the command belonged to him alone. 5 And to the envoys sent by the
senators to demand that he should not hinder the proconsul from remaining in the
camp nor act in opposition to their decrees he gave a haughty answer worthy of a
tyrant, declaring that the senate did (p337) not govern him, so long as he was consul, but
that he governed the senate. 6 Then, having dismissed the envoys, he led his army
against Fabius, intending, in case he were not willing to give up command
voluntarily, to force him by arms to do so. And coming upon Fabius as he was
besieging the town of Cominium, he drove him out of the camp, showing a vast
contempt for the ancient usages and an outrageous arrogance. Fabius, accordingly,
yielded to his madness and relinquished the command.
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