Λεῖξαι

lixae, camp-followers, sutlers

Translated by Nick Nicholas1 Apr 2009Vetting: high4 revisions

3 notes · 148 words

This is what soldiers used to be called.¹ "This was the category of laboring and camp-following fellows, which was outside of any regiment and used to pay no attention to either a tribune or a general, because people didn't know that they made their profit by any means, justly and unjustly. So being unhindered, they would think up every sort of evil, and would make use of any trickery in this direction. They were not up to either making warlike assault or taking it, as they had neither weapons nor trustworthiness. So they were forced to share their machinations with the soldiers, and demonstrate these machinations with them. That way they could receive the soldiers' aid, and use them as accomplices in their profitmaking and murdering. And everyone became greedy, and the whole army was filled up with scheming and cunning."² Hence also [sc. arises the term] "gluttony".³

Greek original · Adler’s text

Λεῖξαι· οὕτως ἐκαλοῦντο στρατιῶται. τοῦτο δ' ἦν τὸ γένος τῶν ἐργαστικῶν καὶ παραστρατευομένων ἀνθρώπων, ὃ πάσης τάξεως ἐκτὸς ὑπάρχον οὔτε χιλιάρχου λόγον οὔτε στρατηγοῦ ἐποιεῖτο διὰ τὸ μὴ γινώσκεσθαι τῷ κερδαίνειν ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου, δικαίως καὶ ἀδίκως. διόπερ ἀπερίσπαστον ὂν πᾶν γένος ἐπινοεῖ κακίας καὶ πᾶσαν εἰσφέρεται μηχανὴν πρὸς τοῦτο τὸ μέρος. ἱκανὸν δ' ὑπάρχον οὔτε πρὸς τὰς πολεμικὰς ἐπιβολὰς οὔτε πρὸς τὰς καθ' αὑτῶν διὰ τὸ μήθ' ὅπλα μήτε πίστιν ἔχειν ἀναγκάζεται κοινοῦσθαι τοῖς στρατιώταις καὶ συναποδεικνύειν τούτοις τὰς ἐπινοίας, χάριν τοῦ προσλαμβάνειν τὴν ἐκ τούτων ἐπικουρίαν, καὶ χρῆσθαι συνεργοῖς τούτοις κερδῶν καὶ φόνων. καὶ ἐγένοντο πάντες λίχνοι, καὶ πᾶν ἐπληρώθη τὸ στράτευμα ῥαδιουργίας καὶ πονηρίας. ὅθεν καὶ λειξούρα.

Betacode

*lei=cai: ou(/tws e)kalou=nto stratiw=tai. tou=to d' h)=n to\ ge/nos tw=n e)rgastikw=n kai\ parastrateuome/nwn a)nqrw/pwn, o(\ pa/shs ta/cews e)kto\s u(pa/rxon ou)/te xilia/rxou lo/gon ou)/te strathgou= e)poiei=to dia\ to\  mh\ ginw/skesqai tw=| kerdai/nein e)k panto\s tro/pou, dikai/ws kai\ a)di/kws. dio/per a)peri/spaston o)\n pa=n ge/nos e)pinoei= kaki/as kai\ pa=san ei)sfe/retai mhxanh\n pro\s tou=to to\ me/ros. i(kano\n d' u(pa/rxon ou)/te pro\s ta\s polemika\s e)pibola\s ou)/te pro\s ta\s kaq' au(tw=n dia\ to\ mh/q' o(/pla mh/te pi/stin e)/xein a)nagka/zetai koinou=sqai toi=s stratiw/tais kai\ sunapodeiknu/ein tou/tois ta\s e)pinoi/as, xa/rin tou= proslamba/nein th\n e)k tou/twn e)pikouri/an, kai\ xrh=sqai sunergoi=s tou/tois kerdw=n kai\ fo/nwn. kai\ e)ge/nonto pa/ntes li/xnoi, kai\ pa=n e)plhrw/qh to\ stra/teuma r(adiourgi/as kai\ ponhri/as. o(/qen kai\ leicou/ra.

Notes (3)

The headword lei=cai, otherwise unparalleled in Greek writers, is a straight transliteration of the Latin lixae. See generally Lewis & Short, A Latin Dictionary s.v., with references.
1As the following excerpt outlines, the lixae were camp followers; according to Roth (1999:93ff), the lixae were sutlers (merchants to soliders) or military servants. ↩
2Quotation (from a morally-loaded historical writer) unidentifiable. (Adler notes the 'rash' attribution to Polybius by 'Ursin[us], i.e. the scholar and antiquarian Fulvio Orsini [1529-1600].) ↩
3This word appears to be repeated as the unglossed lemma of lambda 368 (q.v.). Adler notes that ms.F gives this final word of the present entry as leicouri/a, under which 'Reines. (= Thomas Reinesius of Gotha, 1587-1667) was tempted to see lurking the term luxuria; but the reading leicou/ra seems the more secure.

↩

References

Roth, Jonathan. 1999. The Logistics of the Roman Army at War (264 B.C.-A.D. 235) Leiden: Brill.

Linked from2 entries

Neighbouring entries

λ365Λειμωνήρηςbelonging to a meadow λ366Λειμωνίαleimonia λ367Λεῖξαιlixae, camp-followers, sutlers λ368Λειξούραgluttony λ369Λειόβατοςsmooth-trodden

Revision history4 revisions · last 30 Apr 2020

30 Apr 2020tweaked translation — Catharine Roth
17 Apr 2013Revised — David Whitehead
1 Apr 2009more for note 3 — David Whitehead
1 Apr 2009augmented notes and keywords; tweaks — David Whitehead
1 Apr 2009Translated — Nick Nicholas

Greek original · Adler’s text

Betacode

*lei=cai: ou(/tws e)kalou=nto stratiw=tai. tou=to d' h)=n to\ ge/nos tw=n e)rgastikw=n kai\ parastrateuome/nwn a)nqrw/pwn, o(\ pa/shs ta/cews e)kto\s u(pa/rxon ou)/te xilia/rxou lo/gon ou)/te strathgou= e)poiei=to dia\ to\  mh\ ginw/skesqai tw=| kerdai/nein e)k panto\s tro/pou, dikai/ws kai\ a)di/kws. dio/per a)peri/spaston o)\n pa=n ge/nos e)pinoei= kaki/as kai\ pa=san ei)sfe/retai mhxanh\n pro\s tou=to to\ me/ros. i(kano\n d' u(pa/rxon ou)/te pro\s ta\s polemika\s e)pibola\s ou)/te pro\s ta\s kaq' au(tw=n dia\ to\ mh/q' o(/pla mh/te pi/stin e)/xein a)nagka/zetai koinou=sqai toi=s stratiw/tais kai\ sunapodeiknu/ein tou/tois ta\s e)pinoi/as, xa/rin tou= proslamba/nein th\n e)k tou/twn e)pikouri/an, kai\ xrh=sqai sunergoi=s tou/tois kerdw=n kai\ fo/nwn. kai\ e)ge/nonto pa/ntes li/xnoi, kai\ pa=n e)plhrw/qh to\ stra/teuma r(adiourgi/as kai\ ponhri/as. o(/qen kai\ leicou/ra.

Notes (3)

The headword lei=cai, otherwise unparalleled in Greek writers, is a straight transliteration of the Latin lixae. See generally Lewis & Short, A Latin Dictionary s.v., with references.

1As the following excerpt outlines, the lixae were camp followers; according to Roth (1999:93ff), the lixae were sutlers (merchants to soliders) or military servants. ↩

2Quotation (from a morally-loaded historical writer) unidentifiable. (Adler notes the 'rash' attribution to Polybius by 'Ursin[us], i.e. the scholar and antiquarian Fulvio Orsini [1529-1600].) ↩

3This word appears to be repeated as the unglossed lemma of lambda 368 (q.v.). Adler notes that ms.F gives this final word of the present entry as leicouri/a, under which 'Reines. (= Thomas Reinesius of Gotha, 1587-1667) was tempted to see lurking the term luxuria; but the reading leicou/ra seems the more secure.

Translation

Greek original · Adler’s text

Notes (3)

References

Linked from2 entries

Neighbouring entries

Translation

Greek original · Adler’s text

Notes (3)

References

Linked from2 entries

Neighbouring entries