Plutarch, Parallela minora, Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator), 3

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[3] When Argives and Spartans were contending for the Thyreatis, the Amphictyonic Assembly decreed that three hundred of each should fight, and the country should belong to the victors. The Spartans accordingly made Othryades their general, and the Argives made Thersander theirs. In the battle two of the Argives survived, Agenor and Chromius, who brought to their city the report of their victory. But when the battlefield was deserted, Othryades revived and, supporting himself on spear-shafts broken in two, despoiled and stripped the corpses of their shields; and when he had erected a trophy, he wrote with his own blood upon it: To Zeus, Guardian of Trophies. And when the two peoples still disputed over the victory, the Amphictyonic Assembly, after a personal inspection of the battlefield, decided in favour of the Spartans.¹ Thus Chrysermus in the third book of his Peloponnesian History.

The Romans in a war with the Samnites elected Postumius Albinus general.² He was ambushed at a place called the Caudine Forks (it is a very narrow pass) and lost three legions, and himself fell mortally wounded. But in the dead of night he revived for a little and despoiled the enemy’s corpses of their shields. With these he set up a trophy and, dipping his hand in his blood, wrote upon it: The Romans from the Samnites to Jupiter Feretrius. But Maximus, surnamed the Glutton,³ was dispatched as general and when he had come to the place and had seen the trophy, he gladly accepted the omen. He attacked the enemy and conquered, and taking their king prisoner, sent him to Rome. Thus Aristeides the Milesian in the third book of his Italian Histories.

Parallela minora. Plutarch. Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator). Cambridge, MA. 1936.

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Current edition Perseus

Greek and Roman Parallel Stories (English) (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. 4. Babbitt, Frank Cole, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).)

Editions (2)

Συναγωγὴ ἱστοριῶν παραλλήλων Ἑλληνικῶν καὶ Ῥωμαϊκῶν Perseus (Plutarch. Moralia, Vol. 4. Babbitt, Frank Cole, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1936 (printing).) — 3 focus

[3] ἀργεῖν καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων ὑπὲρ Θυρεάτιδος χώρας πολεμούντων, οἱ Ἀμφικτύονες ἔκριναν πολεμῆσαι τριακοσίους ἑκατέρων καὶ τῶν νικησάντων εἶναι τὴν χώραν. Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὲν οὖν Ὀθρυάδην ἐποίησαν στρατηγὸν Ἀργεῖοι δὲ Θέρσανδρον. πολεμούντων δὲ δύο ἐκ τῶν Ἀργείων περιελείφθησαν 306b , Ἀγήνωρ καὶ Χρόμιος οἵτινες εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἤγγειλαν τὴν νίκην. ἐρημίας δʼ ὑπαρχούσης ὁ Ὀθρυάδης ἐπιζήσας καὶ ἡμικλάστοις δόρασιν ἐπερειδόμενος τὰς τῶν νεκρῶν ἁρπάζων ἀσπίδας περιείλετο· καὶ τρόπαιον στήσας ἐκ τοῦ ἰδίου αἵματος ἐπέγραψε Διὶ τροπαιούχῳ. καὶ τῶν δύο στάσιν ἐχόντων, οἱ Ἀμφικτύονες αὐτόπται γενόμενοι Λακεδαιμονίους προκρίνουσι· καθάπερ Χρύσερμος ἐν τρίτῳ Πελοποννησιακῶν.

Ῥωμαῖοι πρὸς Σαμνίτας πόλεμον ἔχοντες στρατηγὸν ἐχειροτόνησαν Ποστούμιον Ἀλβῖνον. οὗτος κατὰ τὰς καλουμένας φορκούλας Καυδίνας ἔστι δὲ 306c τόπος στενώτατος ἐνεδρευθεὶς τρεῖς ἀπέβαλε λεγεῶνας καὶ αὐτὸς καιρίως τρωθεὶς ἔπεσε. βαθείας δὲ νυκτὸς ὀλίγον ἐπιζήσας περιείλετο τῶν ἀνῃρημένων πολεμίων τὰς ἀσπίδας, καὶ εἰς τὸ αἷμα τὴν χεῖρα βαπτίσας ἔστησε τρόπαιον ἐπιγράψας Ῥωμαῖοι κατὰ Σαμνιτῶν Διὶ τροπαιούχῳ. Μάξιμος δὲ ὁ ἐπικληθεὶς Λαίμαργος, στρατηγὸς πεμφθεὶς καὶ παραγενόμενος ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον, ἰδὼν τὸ τρόπαιον τὸν οἰωνὸν ἀσμένως ἐδέξατο· καὶ συμβαλὼν ἐνίκησε καὶ αἰχμάλωτον λαβὼν τὸν βασιλέα εἰς Ῥώμην ἔπεμψεν· ὡς Ἀριστείδης ὁ Μιλήσιος ἐν τρίτῃ Ἰταλικῶν.

Συναγωγὴ ἱστοριῶν παραλλήλων Ἑλληνικῶν καὶ Ῥωμαϊκῶν Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarchi Chaeronensis Moralia, Vol 2. Vernardakēs, Grēgorios N., editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1889.) — 3 focus

[3] ἀργεῖν καὶ Λακεδαιμονίων ὑπὲρ Θυρεάτιδος χώρας πολεμούντων, οἱ Ἀμφικτύονες ἔκριναν πολεμῆσαι ἑκατέρους καὶ τῶν νικησάντων εἶναι τὴν χώραν. Λακεδαιμόνιοι μὲν οὖν Ὀθρυάδην ἐποίησαν 20 στρατηγὸν Ἀργεῖοι δὲ Θέρσανδρον. πολεμούντων δέ, δύο ἐκ τῶν Ἀργείων περιελείφθησαν, Ἀγήνωρ ¹ 306b καὶ Χρόμιος, οἵτινες εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἤγγειλαν τὴν νίκην. ἠρεμίας δʼ ὑπαρχούσης, ὁ Ὀθρυάδης ἐπιζήσας καὶ ἡμικλάστοις δόρασιν ἐπερειδόμενος τὰς τῶν νεκρῶν 25 ἁπάντων ἀσπίδας περιείλετο· καὶ τρόπαιον στήσας ἐκ τοῦ ἰδίου αἵματος ἐπέγραψε Διὶ τροπαιούχῳ καὶ τῶν δύο στάσιν ἐχόντων, οἱ Ἀμφικτύονες αὐτόπται γενόμενοι Λακεδαιμονίους προκρίνουσι· καθάπερ ² Χρύσερμος ³ ἐν τρίτῳ Πελοποννησιακῶν. Ῥωμαῖοι πρὸς Σαμνίτας πόλεμον ἔχοντες στρατηγὸν 5 ἐχειροτόνησαν Μισθύνιον Ἀμβλιρηνόν. ⁴ οὗτος κατὰ τὰς καλουμένας φορκούλας Καυδίνας ⁵ ἔστι δὲ 306c τόπος στενώτατος ἐνεδρευθεὶς τρεῖς ἀπέβαλε λεγεῶνας καὶ αὐτὸς καιρίως τρωθεὶς ἔπεσε. βαθείας δὲ νυκτὸς ὀλίγον ἐπιζήσας, περιείλετο τῶν ἀνῃρημένων 10 πολεμίων τὰς ἀσπίδας, καὶ εἰς τὸ αἷμα τὴν χεῖρα βαπτίσας ἔστησε τρόπαιον ἐπιγράψας Ῥωμαῖοι κατὰ Σαμνιτῶν Διὶ τροπαιούχῳ Μάιος ⁶ δὲ ὁ ἐπικληθεὶς Λαίμαργος, στρατηγὸς πεμφθεὶς καὶ παραγενόμενος ἐπὶ τὸν τόπον, ἰδὼν τὸ τρόπαιον, τὸν οἰωνὸν ἀσμένως 15 ἐδέξατο· καὶ συμβαλὼν ἐνίκησε καὶ αἰχμάλωτον λαβὼν τὸν βασιλέα εἰς Ῥώμην ἔπεμψεν· ὡς ⁷ Ἀριστείδης ⁸ ὁ Μιλήσιος ἐν τρίτῃ Ἰταλικῶν.

Translations (1)

Parallels, or a comparison between the Greek and Roman Histories. Perseus (Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals, Vol. 5. Goodwin, William W., editor; Oswald, John, translator. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company; Cambridge: Press of John Wilson and Son, 1874.) — 3 focus

[3] There happened a dispute betwixt the Argives and Lacedaemonians about a claim to the possession of Thyreatis. The Amphictyons gave their opinion for a trial of it by battle, so many and so many of a side, and the possession to go to the victor. The Lacedaemonians made choice of Othryades for their captain, and the Argives of Thersander. The battle was fought, and the only two survivors that appeared were Agenor and Chromius, both Argives, who carried their city the news of the victory. In this interim, Othryades, who was not as yet quite dead, made a shift to raise himself by the help of broken lances, gathered the shields of the dead together, and erected a trophy with this inscription upon it in his own blood. To Jupiter the Guardian of Trophies. The controversy still depended, till the Amphictyons, upon an ocular examination of the matter, gave it for the Lacedaemonians.— This is according to Chrysermus, in his Third Book of the Peloponnesian History.

In a war that the Romans had with the Samnites, they made Posthumius Albinus their general. He was surprised in the difficult pass called the Caudine Forks, where he was hemmed in and lost three legions, he himself likewise falling upon the place grievously wounded. In the dead of the night, finding himself near his end, he gathered together the targets of his dead enemies, and raised a trophy with them, which he inscribed with his hand dipped in blood, Erected by the Romans to Jupiter, Guardian of the Trophies, for a victory over the Samnites. But Fabius Gurges, that was despatched away with troops under his command, so soon as he came to the place and saw the trophy, took up an auspicious omen upon it, fought the enemy, and overcame them, took their king prisoner, and sent him to Rome.— This is in the Third Book of Aristides Milesius’s Italian History.

Notes on the current edition

Greek and Roman Parallel Stories

1. Cf. Herodotus, i. 82; Stobaeus, Florilegium, vii. 68 (iii. p. 333, Hense); Valerius Maximus, iii. 2. ext. 4. Stobaeus quotes the story on the authority of Theseus, and, while his account has quite the same context, there is a great difference in wording.

2. He as consul 321 b.c. accodring to Livy, ix. 1. ff., but his death after his defeat was not so dramatic as is here depicted.

3. Gurges; cf. Macrobius, Saturnalia, iii. 13. 6.

Plutarch Parallela minora 3

Frank Cole Babbitt (Translator)

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