μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα Λικιννίου Στόλωνος ἐν τῇ πόλει τὴν μεγάλην στάσιν ἐγείροντος, ἣν ὁ δῆμος ἐστασίαζε πρὸς τὴν σύγκλητον βιαζόμενος δυεῖν ὑπάτων καθισταμένων τὸν ἕτερον πάντως ἐκ δημοτῶν εἶναι καὶ μὴ συναμφοτέρους πατρικίους, δήμαρχοι μὲν ᾑρέθησαν, τὰς δʼ ὑπατικὰς ἀρχαιρεσίας ἐπιτελεσθῆναι διεκώλυσαν οἱ πολλοί.
After this, Licinius Stolo stirred up the great dissension in the city which brought the people into collision with the Senate. The people insisted that, when two consuls were appointed, one of them must certainly be a plebeian, and not both patricians. Tribunes of the people were chosen, but the multitude prevented the consular elections from being duly held.
καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων διʼ ἀναρχίας φερομένων ἐς μείζονας ταραχάς ἀποδείκνυται δικτάτωρ ὁ Κάμιλλος ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς ἄκοντι τῷ δήμῳ τὸ τέταρτον, οὐδʼ αὐτὸς ὢν πρόθυμος οὐδὲ βουλόμενος ἐναντιοῦσθαι πρὸς ἀνθρώπους παρρησίαν ἔχοντας ἀπὸ πολλῶν καὶ μεγάλων ἀγώνων πρὸς αὐτόν, ὡς πλείονα μετʼ αὐτῶν διαπεπραγμένος ἐν στρατηγίαις ἢ μετὰ τῶν πατρικίων ἐν πολιτείαις, καὶ νῦν διὰ φθόνον ἐκείνων ᾑρημένος ὑπʼ αὐτῶν, ὅπως ἢ καταλύσειε τὸν δῆμον ἰσχύσας ἢ καταλυθείη μὴ κρατήσας.
Owing to this lack of magistrates, matters were getting more and more confused, and so Camillus was for the fourth time appointed dictator by the Senate, though much against the wishes of the people. He was not eager for the office himself, nor did he wish to oppose men whose many and great struggles gave them the right to say boldly to him: Your achievements have been in the field with us, rather than in politics with the patricians; it is through hate and envy that they have now made you dictator; they hope that you will crush the people if you prevail, or be crushed yourself if you fail.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ πειρώμενος ἀμύνειν τοῖς παροῦσι, τὴν ἡμέραν γνοὺς, ἐν ᾗ νομοθετεῖν οἱ δήμαρχοι διενοοῦντο, προέγραψε στρατιᾶς κατάλογον καὶ μετεκάλει τὸν δῆμον ἐκ τῆς ἀγορᾶς εἰς τὸ πεδίον μεγάλας ζημίας ἀπειλῶν κατὰ τοῦ μὴ ὑπακούσαντος.
However, he tried to ward off the threatening evils. Having learned the day on which the tribunes intended to propose their law, he issued proclamation making it a day of general muster, and summoned the people from the forum into the Campus Martius, with threats of heavy fines upon the disobedient.
τῶν δὲ δημάρχων ἐκεῖθεν αὖ πάλιν ἀντανισταμένων ταῖς ἀπειλαῖς καὶ διομνυμένων πέντε μυριάσιν ἀργυρίου ζημιώσειν, εἰ μὴ παύσαιτο τοῦ δήμου τὸν νόμον ἀφαιρούμενοις καὶ τὴν ψῆφον, εἴτε δείσας φυγὴν ἑτέραν καὶ καταδίκην, ὡς ἀνδρὶ πρεσβύτῃ καὶ κατειργασμένῳ μεγάλα μὴ πρέπουσαν, εἴτε τοῦ δήμου τὴν βίαν ἄμαχον οὖσαν καὶ δυσνίκητον ὑπερβαλέσθαι μὴ δυνάμενος μηδὲ βουλόμενος, τότε μὲν ὑπεχώρησεν οἴκαδε· ταῖς δʼ ἑξῆς ἡμέραις σκηψάμενος ἀρρωστεῖν ἐξωμόσατο τὴν ἀρχήν.
The tribunes, on the contrary, for their part, opposed his threats with solemn oaths that they would fine him fifty thousand silver drachmas if he did not cease trying to rob the people of its vote and its law. Then, either because he feared a second condemnation to exile, a penalty unbecoming to a man of his years and achievements, or because he was not able, if he wished, to overcome the might of the people which was now become resistless and invincible, he withdrew to his house, and after alleging sickness for several days, resigned his office.
ἡ δὲ σύγκλητος ἕτερον δικτάτορα κατέστησε· κἀκεῖνος ἀποδείξας ἵππαρχον αὐτὸν τὸν ἡγεμόνα τῆς στάσεως Στόλωνα παρῆκεν ἐπικυρῶσαι τὸν νόμον τὸν μάλιστα λυποῦντα τοὺς πατρικίους, ἐκέλευσε δʼ οὗτος μηδένα πλέθρων πεντακοσίων πλείονα χώραν κεκτῆσθαι. τότε μὲν οὖν λαμπρὸς ὁ Στόλων ἐγεγόνει τῇ ψήφῳ κρατήσας· ὀλίγῳ δʼ ὕστερον αὐτὸς ἑάλω κεκτημένος ὅσην ἔχειν ἐκώλυεν ἑτέρους, καὶ κατὰ τὸν αὑτοῦ νόμον δίκην ἔδωκεν.
But the Senate appointed another dictator, and he, after making Stolo himself, the very leader of the sedition, his master of horse, suffered the law to be enacted. It was a most vexatious law for the patrician, for it prohibited anyone from owning more than five hundred acres of land. At that time, then, Stolo was a resplendent figure, owing to his victory at the polls; but a little while after, he himself was found to be possessed of what he forbade others to own, and so paid the penalty fixed by his own law.
ὑπολειπομένης δὲ τῆς περὶ τῶν ὑπατικῶν ἀρχαιρεσιῶν φιλονεικίας, ὃ δὴ χαλεπώτατον τῆς στάσεως ἦν καὶ πρῶτον ἦρξε καὶ πλεῖστα πράγματα τῇ βουλῇ παρέσχε διαφερομένῃ πρὸς τὸν δῆμον, ἀγγελίαι προσέπεσον σαφεῖς, Κελτοὺς αὖθις ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀδριατικῆς ἄραντας θαλάσσης μυριάσι πολλαῖς ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥώμην ἐλαύνειν.
There remained, however, the strife over the consular elections, which was the main problem in the dissensions, as it was its first cause, and gave the Senate most concern in its contention with the people. But suddenly clear tidings came that the Gauls had once more set out from the Adriatic Sea, many myriads strong, and were marching on Rome.
ἅμα δὲ τῷ λόγῳ καὶ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ πολέμου παρῆν πορθουμένης τῆς χώρας καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅσοις μὴ ῥᾴδιον ἦν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην καταφυγεῖν, ἀνὰ τὰ ὄρη σκεδαννυμένων. οὗτος ὁ φόβος κατέπαυσε τὴν στάσιν, καὶ συνελθόντες εἰς ταὐτὸ τοῖς πολλοῖς οἱ κράτιστοι καὶ τῇ βουλῇ τὸ δημοτικὸν εἵλοντο πάντες ἐκ μιᾶς γνώμης δικτάτορα τὸ πέμπτον Κάμιλλον.
With the word, the actual deeds of war kept pace. The country was ravaged, and its population, all who could not more easily fly to Rome for refuge, scattered among the mountains. This terror put an end to the dissension in the city, and brought together into conference both the rich and the poor, the Senate and the people. All with one mind chose Camillus dictator for the fifth time.
ὁ δʼ ἦν μὲν σφόδρα γέρων καὶ μικρὸν ἀπέλειπεν ὀγδοήκοντα ἔτη γεγονέναι συνορῶν δὲ τὴν ἀνάγκην καὶ τὸν κίνδυνον, οὔτε ὑποτίμησιν εἰπών, ὡς πρότερον, οὔτε προφάσει χρησάμενος, ἀλλʼ αὐτόθεν ὑποστὰς τὴν στρατηγίαν κατέλεγε τοὺς μαχησομένους. εἰδὼς δὲ τῆς τῶν βαρβάρων ἀλκῆς τὴν βιαιοτάτην ἐν ταῖς μαχαίραις οὖσαν, ἃς βαρβαρικῶς καὶ σὺν οὐδεμιᾷ τέχνῃ καταφέροντες ὤμους μάλιστα καὶ κεφαλὰς διέκοπτον,
He was now quite old, lacking little of eighty years; but recognizing the peril and the necessity which it laid upon him, he neither made excuse, as before, nor resorted to pretext, but instantly took upon him the command and went to levying his soldiers. Knowing that the prowess of the Barbarians lay chiefly in their swords, which they plied in true barbaric fashion, and with no skill at all, in mere slashing blows at head and shoulders,
ἐχαλκεύσατο μὲν κράνη τοῖς πλείστοις ὁλοσίδηρα καὶ λεῖα ταῖς περιφερείαις, ὡς ἀπολισθαίνειν ἢ κατάγνυσθαι τὰς μαχαίρας, τοῖς δὲ θυρεοῖς κύκλῳ περιήρμοσε λεπίδα χαλκῆν, τοῦ ξύλου καθʼ αὑτὸ τὰς πληγὰς μὴ στέγοντος· αὐτοὺς δὲ τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐδίδαξε τοῖς ὑσσοῖς μακροῖς διὰ χειρὸς χρῆσθαι καὶ τοῖς ξίφεσι τῶν πολεμίων ὑποβάλλοντας ἐκδέχεσθαι τὰς καταφοράς.
he had helmets forged for most of his men which were all iron and smooth of surface, that the enemy’s swords might slip off from them or be shattered by them. He also had the long shields of his men rimmed round with bronze, since their wood could not of itself ward off the enemy’s blows. The soldiers themselves he trained to use their long javelins like spears,—to thrust them under the enemy’s swords and catch the downward strokes upon them.
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