[2] δέξασθαι τοῖς ὑπάτοις. ἠξίουν γὰρ τοὺς βουλευτὰς λόγον ἀποδόντας αὐτοῖς τε τοῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ δήμου πράττουσι [p. 59] καὶ τοῖς συναγορεύειν ἢ τἀναντία λέγειν βουλομένοις, ἐπειδὰν ἀκούσωσιν ἁπάντων τῶν βουλομένων, ὅ τι ἂν αὐτοῖς φανῇ δίκαιόν τε καὶ τῷ κοινῷ συμφέρον ἀποφήνασθαι, φέρειν δὴ τὴν γνώμην ἅπαντας ὥσπερ ἐν δικαστηρίῳ τὸν νόμιμον ὅρκον ὀμόσαντας: ὅ τι δ᾽ ἂν αἱ πλείους γνῶμαι καθαιρῶσι, τοῦτ᾽ εἶναι κύριον.
[2] They asked, namely, that the senators should grant a hearing to them, who were acting for the people, as well as to those who wished to speak in support of or against the accused, and that after hearing all parties who desired to express their views regarding what they thought just and advantageous to the commonwealth, they should then all give their opinions as in a court of justice, after taking the oath appointed by law; and whatever the majority of the votes determined, should be valid.
[3] συγχωρησάντων δὲ τῶν ὑπάτων ὥσπερ ἠξίουν οἱ δήμαρχοι τὸ προβούλευμα γενέσθαι, τότε μὲν διελύθησαν: τῇ δὲ κατόπιν ἡμέρᾳ παρῆν μὲν εἰς τὸ συνέδριον ἡ βουλή: οἱ δ᾽ ὕπατοι δηλώσαντες αὐτῇ τὰ συγκείμενα τοὺς δημάρχους ἐκάλουν, καὶ περὶ ὧν ἥκουσιν ἐκέλευον λέγειν. παρελθὼν δ᾽ ὁ Δέκιος ὁ συγχωρήσας τὸ προβούλευμα γενέσθαι τοιούτοις ἐχρήσατο λόγοις.
[3] The tribunes having consented that the senate should pass the preliminary decree as the consuls desired, the meeting was dismissed for the time being. The next day the senate met in the senate-house, and after the consuls had acquainted them with the terms of the agreement they had made, they called the tribunes and bade them state why they were present. Thereupon Decius, who had consented that the preliminary decree should be passed, came forward and spoke as follows:
[1] οὐ λανθάνει μὲν ἡμᾶς, ὦ βουλή, τὸ συμβησόμενον, ὅτι δι᾽ αἰτίας ἐσόμεθα παρὰ τῷ δήμῳ τῆς εἰς ὑμᾶς ἀφίξεως ἕνεκα, καὶ κατήγορον ἕξομεν τοῦ προβουλεύματος ἄνδρα τὴν αὐτὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔχοντα ἡμῖν, ὃς οὐκ ᾤετο δεῖν, ἃ δίδωσιν ἡμῖν ὁ νόμος, ταῦτα παρ᾽ ὑμῶν αἰτεῖν, οὐδ᾽ ἐν εὐεργεσίας μέρει τὸ δίκαιον λαμβάνειν. κίνδυνον δ᾽ οὐ τὸν ἐλάχιστον ἀναρρίψομεν εἰς δίκην ὑπαχθέντες, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς αὐτόμολοι καὶ προδόται καταγνωσθέντες τὰ αἴσχιστα πεισόμεθα.
[40.1] “We are not ignorant, senators, of what will happen, namely, that we shall be censured before the people for coming to you, and shall have as our accuser in the matter of the preliminary decree a man who is possessed of the same power as ourselves and who did not think we ought to ask of you that which the law gives us or to receive as a favour that which is our right. And if we are tried for this, we shall run no hazard, but shall be condemned as deserters and traitors and suffer the worst of punishments.
[2] ἀλλὰ καίπερ ἐπιστάμενοι ταῦτα, ὅμως ὑπεμείναμεν εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐλθεῖν [p. 60] τῷ τε δικαίῳ πεποιθότες καὶ τοῖς ὅρκοις ἐπιτρέψαντες, οἷς ὀμόσαντες οἴσετε τὰς γνώμας. φαῦλοι μὲν οὖν ἡμεῖς γ᾽ ὡς περὶ τηλικούτων καὶ τοσούτων λέγειν καὶ πολὺ τοῦ προσήκοντος ἐνδεέστεροι, τὰ δὲ πράγματα οὐ φαῦλα, ὑπὲρ ὧν λέξομεν. τούτοις οὖν προσέχετε τὸν νοῦν, καὶ ἐὰν ὑμῖν δόξῃ δίκαιά τε καὶ συμφέροντα τῷ κοινῷ, προσθήσω δ᾽ ὅτι καὶ ἀναγκαῖα, συγχωρήσατε ἡμῖν αὐτῶν τυχεῖν ἑκόντες.
[2] But though sensible of these things, we have consented to come to you, relying on the justice of our cause and trusting to the oaths under which you will express your opinions. We are indeed unimportant men to treat of such great and important subjects, and are far from equal to what the situation demands; but the matters we shall discuss are not unimportant. Attend, therefore, to these, and if they shall seem to you just and advantageous to the commonwealth — and, I may add, even necessary — permit us to obtain them of your own free will.
[1] ἐρῶ δὲ περὶ τοῦ δικαίου πρῶτον. ὑμεῖς δή, ὦ βουλή, ὅτε τοὺς βασιλεῖς ἀπηλλάξατε συμμάχους ἔχοντες ἡμᾶς καὶ τὴν πολιτείαν, ἐν ᾗ νῦν ἐσμεν, κατεστήσατε, ἣν οὐ ψέγομεν, μειονεκτοῦντας ἐν ταῖς δίκαις τοὺς δημοτικοὺς ὁρῶντες, ὁπότε συμβαίη τι διάφορον αὐτοῖς πρὸς τοὺς πατρικίους: πολλὰ δ᾽ ἦν ταῦτα: νόμον ἐκυρώσατε Ποπλίου Οὐαλερίου θατέρου τῶν ὑπάτων γνώμῃ χρησάμενοι, ἐξεῖναι τοῖς κατισχυομένοις ὑπὸ τῶν πατρικίων δημόταις προκαλεῖσθαι τὰς κρίσεις ἐπὶ τὸν δῆμον: καὶ παρ᾽ οὐδὲν οὕτως ἕτερον ὡς τὸν νόμον τόνδε τήν τε πόλιν ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ διεφυλάξατε καὶ
[41.1] “I shall speak first concerning the point of justice. After you had got rid of the kings with our assistance, senators, and had established our present constitution, with which we find no fault, you observed that the plebeians had always the worse of it in their suits whenever they had any difference with the patricians, which frequently happened; and you accordingly sanctioned a law, on the advice of Publius Valerius, one of the consuls, permitting the plebeians, when oppressed by the patricians, to appeal their cases to the people; and by means of this law more than by any other measure you both preserved the harmony of the commonwealth and repulsed the attacks of the kings.
[2] τοὺς βασιλεῖς ἐπιόντας ἀπεώσασθε. τοῦτον δὴ προφερόμενοι τὸν νόμον, ὑπὲρ ὧν ἅπαντες ἀδικεῖσθαί τε καὶ κατισχύεσθαι λέγομεν ὑπὸ Γαΐου Μαρκίου τουδί, καλοῦμεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸν δῆμον καὶ τὰ δίκαια παραγγέλλομεν ἐκεῖ λέγειν. καὶ προβουλεύματος ἐνταῦθ᾽ οὐκ ἔδει. περὶ ὧν γὰρ οὐκ εἰσὶ νόμοι, περὶ τούτων ὑμεῖς τοῦ [p. 61] προβουλεύεσθαι κύριοι καὶ ὁ δῆμος ἐπιψηφίσαι: νόμου δ᾽ ὄντος ἀκινήτου, κἂν μηδὲν ὑμεῖς προβουλεύσητε,
[2] It is in virtue of this law that we summon Gaius Marcius here to appear before the people because of the injustice and oppression which we all declare we have suffered at his hands, and we call upon him to make his defence before them. And in this case a preliminary decree was not necessary. For whereas in matters concerning which there are no laws you have the right to pass such a decree and the people have the right to ratify it, yet when there is an inviolable law, even though you pass no decree, that law must of course be observed.
[3] τούτῳ δήπου χρηστέον. οὐ γὰρ δὴ τοῦτό γ᾽ ἂν εἴποι τις, ὅτι τῶν μὲν ἰδιωτῶν ὄντων οἷς τὸ μειονεκτεῖν συμβαίνει περὶ τὰς κρίσεις κυρίαν εἶναι δεῖ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸν δῆμον πρόκλησιν, ἡμῖν δὲ �
�οῖς δημάρχοις ἄκυρον. νόμου μὲν δὴ συγχωρήματι τῷδε ἰσχυριζόμενοι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο παρακινδυνεύσαντες ὑφ᾽ ὑμῖν γενέσθαι δικασταῖς ἥκομεν.
[3] For surely no one will say that this appeal to the people must be allowed in the case of private citizens who have got the worst of it in their trials, but not in the case of us, the tribunes.
[4] ἐπ᾽ ἀγράφῳ δὲ καὶ ἀνομοθετήτῳ φύσεως δικαίῳ τόδε ἀξιοῦμεν, ὦ βουλή, μήτε πλέον ἔχειν ὑμῶν τὸν δῆμον μήτε μεῖον, ἐν γοῦν τῷ δικαίῳ, οἱ πολλοὺς καὶ μεγάλους συνδιενέγκαντες ὑμῖν πολέμους καὶ περὶ τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν τῶν πολέμων πλείστην ἐπιδειξάμενοι προθυμίαν, καὶ τοῦ μηδενὶ τὸ κελευόμενον ποιεῖν τὴν πόλιν, ἀλλ᾽ αὐτὴν ἑτέροις ἐπιτάττειν τὰ δίκαια, οὐκ ἐλαχίστην μοῖραν παρασχόμενοι.
[4] Firmly relying, therefore, upon this concession of the law, and thus encouraged to run the risk of submitting our cause to you as our judges, we have come before you. And in virtue of an unwritten and unenacted natural right we make this demand of you, senators, that we may be in neither a better nor a worse condition than you at least in the matter of justice, inasmuch as we have assisted you in carrying on many important wars and have shown the greatest zeal in getting rid of the tyrants, and have had no small part in enabling the commonwealth to take orders from none but to give laws to others.
[5] οὕτω δ᾽ ἂν ἡμῖν τὸ μὴ μεῖον ἔχειν τῶν δικαίων ἀποδοίητε, ὦ πατέρες, εἰ τοὺς ἐπιχειροῦντας εἰς τὰ σώματα ἡμῶν καὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν παρανομεῖν κωλύοιτε τὸν ἐκ [p. 62] τῆς δίκης ἐφιστάντες αὐτοῖς φόβον. ἀρχὰς μὲν δὴ καὶ προεδρίας καὶ τιμὰς τοῖς ἀρετῇ καὶ τύχῃ προὔχουσιν ἡμῶν οἰόμεθα δεῖν ἀπονέμειν: τὸ δὲ μηδὲν ἀδικεῖσθαι καὶ τὸ δίκας ὧν ἄν τις πάθῃ προσηκούσας λαμβάνειν ἴσα καὶ κοινὰ τοῖς ἅμα πολιτευομένοις εἶναι δικαιοῦμεν.
[5] Now the most effectual means you could take, fathers, to put us in no worse a condition than yourselves in point of rights would be to stop those who are making illegal attempts against our persons and our liberty, by placing before their eyes the fear of a trial. So far as magistracies, special privileges, and offices are concerned, we believe we should bestow them upon those who excel us in merit and fortune; but to suffer no wrong, and to receive justice adequate to any wrongs one may sustain, are rights, we hold, which should be equal and common to all who live under the same government.
[6] ὥσπερ οὖν τῶν λαμπρῶν καὶ μεγάλων ἀφιστάμεθ᾽ ὑμῖν, οὕτως τῶν ἴσων καὶ κοινῶν οὐ μεθιέμεθα. ἱκανὰ ταῦτ᾽ εἰρήσθω περὶ τοῦ δικαίου πολλῶν ἐνόντων καὶ ἄλλων λέγεσθαι.
[6] Accordingly, just as we yield to you the privileges that are illustrious and great, so we do not intend to give up those that are equal and common to all. Let this suffice concerning the point of justice, though there are many other things that might be said.
[1] ὡς δὲ καὶ συνοίσει τῷ κοινῷ ταῦθ᾽ ὡς ὁ δῆμος ἀξιοῖ γινόμενα, μικρὰ διεξιόντος ἀνέχεσθέ μου. φέρε γάρ, εἴ τις ὑμᾶς ἔροιτο, τί μέγιστον οἴεσθε εἶναι τῶν καταλαμβανόντων κακῶν τὰς πόλεις, καὶ τοῦ ταχίστου τῶν ὀλέθρων αἴτιον, ἆρ᾽ οὐχὶ τὴν διχοστασίαν εἴποιτ᾽ ἄν; ἐμοὶ γοῦν δοκεῖ.
[42] “Bear with me now while I explain to you in a few words how these demands of the people will also be advantageous to the commonwealth. For, come now, if anyone should ask you what you regard as the greatest of the evils that befall states and the cause of the swiftest destruction, would you not say it is discord? I, at least, think you would.
[2] τίς γὰρ ὑμῶν οὕτως ἠλίθιός ἐστιν ἢ σκαιὸς ἢ πέρα τοῦ μετρίου μισῶν τὴν ἰσηγορίαν, ὃς οὐκ οἶδεν, ὅτι δοθείσης ἐξουσίας τῷ δήμῳ κρίνειν ἃς ἔξεστιν αὐτῷ δίκας κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ πολιτευσόμεθα,εἰ δὲ τἀναντία γνοίητε καὶ ἀφέλοισθ᾽ ἡμῶν τὴν ἐλευθερίαν: ἐλευθερίαν γὰρ ἀφαιρήσεσθε δίκην καὶ νόμον ἀφαιρούμενοι: στασιάζειν ἡμᾶς αὖθις ἀναγκάσετε καὶ πολεμεῖν ὑμῖν; ἐξ ἧς γὰρ ἂν ἐξελασθῇ πόλεως δίκη καὶ νόμος, εἰς ταύτην στάσις εἰσπορεύεσθαι φιλεῖ καὶ πόλεμος.
[2] For who is there among you so stupid, so perverse, and immoderate a hater of equality as not to know that if the people are allowed to render judgment in causes in which the law gives them the authority, we shall live in harmony, whereas, if you decide to the contrary and deprive us of our liberty — for you will be depriving us of liberty if you deprive us of justice and law — you will drive us again into sedition and civil war? For if justice and law are banished from a state, sedition and war are wont to enter there.
[3] καὶ ὅσοι μὲν οὐκ [p. 63] ἦλθον εἰς πεῖραν ἐμφυλίων διαφορῶν, οὐδὲν θαυμαστόν, εἰ δι᾽ ἀπειρίαν τῶν κακῶν μήτ᾽ ἄχθονται τοῖς γεγονόσι δεινοῖς μήτε κωλύουσιν ἐκ πολλοῦ τὰ μέλλοντα. ὅσοι δ᾽ ὥσπερ ὑμεῖς εἰς τοὺς ἐσχάτους κινδύνους καταστάντες ἀγαπητῶς ἀπηλλάγησαν, ἣν ὁ καιρὸς ἀπῄτει ποιησάμενοι τῶν κακῶν λύσιν, τίς εὐπρεπὴς ἢ μετρία πρόφασις ἀπολείπεται τούτοις, ἐὰν ἔτι ταῖς αὐταῖς συμφέρωνται τύχαις;
[3] Now in the case of those who have had no experience of civil calamities, it is no wonder if, because of inexperience of those evils, they neither grieve over the misfortunes that are past nor take early precautions to prevent others in the future; but for those who, when exposed as you were, to the gravest perils, thought themselves happy to be rid of them by making such a settlement of the evils as the situation demanded, what specious or reasonable excuse is left them if they meet again with the same misfortunes?
[4] τίς δ᾽ οὐκ ἂν ὑμῶν καταγνοίη πολλὴν ἄνοιαν καὶ μανίαν ἐνθυμούμενος, ὅτι μικρὸν μὲν ἔμπροσθεν ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ στασιάζειν τοὺς δημότας πολλὰ παρὰ γνώμην ὑπεμείνατε, ὧν ἔνια οὔτε κάλλιστα ἦν ἴσως οὔτε λυσιτελέστατα: νῦν δ᾽ οὔτ᾽ εἰς χρήματα βλάπτεσθαι μέλλοντες οὔτ᾽ εἰς εὐδοξίαν οὔτ᾽ εἰς ἄλλο τῶν κοινῶν οὐδ᾽ ὁτιοῦν, ἵνα χαρίζησθε τοῖς μισοδημοτάτοις, τὸ δημοτικὸν αὖθις ἐκπολεμώσετε; οὔκ,
[4] Who would not consider you guilty of great folly and madness when he calls to mind that although just a short time ago, in order to appease a sedition of the plebeians, you submitted to many things against your will, some of which were neither very honourable, perhaps, nor very advantageous, yet now, when you are not destined to be injured in either your fortunes or your reputation or, for that matter, in any of your public interests whatever, you are going to goad
all plebeians into war again, to oblige the bitterest foes of democracy? No, not if you are wise.
[5] ἐάν γε σωφρονῆτε. ἡδέως δ᾽ ἂν ὑμᾶς ἐροίμην, τίνα γνώμην λαβόντες τότε τὴν κάθοδον ἡμῖν συνεχωρήσατε ἐφ᾽ οἷς ἠξιοῦμεν, πότερα λογισμῷ προϊδόμενοι τὸ κράτιστον ἢ τῇ ἀνάγκῃ εἴξαντες; εἴπερ γὰρ ταῦθ᾽ ὑπελαμβάνετε ὠφελιμώτατα εἶναι τῇ πόλει, τί οὐ μένετε καὶ νῦν ἐν αὐτοῖς; εἰ δ᾽ ἀναγκαῖα καὶ οὐκ ἐνδεχόμενα ἄλλως γενέσθαι, τί χαλεπαίνετε γενομένοις; τὴν ἀρχὴν [p. 64] γὰρ ἴσως ἔδει μὴ συγχωρῆσαι, εἰ δύναμις ἦν ὑμῖν, συγχωρήσαντας δὲ μηκέτι τοῖς πεπραγμένος ἐγκαλεῖν.
[5] But I should like to ask you what motive induced you at the time to consent to our return upon the terms we desired. Did you foresee in the light of reason what was best, or did you yield to necessity? For if you thought those concessions to be of the greatest advantage to the commonwealth, why do you not adhere to them at present also? And if they were necessary and unavoidable, why are you disgruntled now that they have been made? Possibly you ought not to have granted them in the first place, if you could have avoided it, but once having granted them, you ought no longer to find fault with what is done.
[1] ἐμοὶ μὲν γὰρ δοκεῖτε, ὦ βουλή, περὶ μὲν τὰς διαλύσεις γνώμῃ τῇ βελτίστῃ κεχρῆσθαι ... οἷς ἀνάγκη εἴκειν ... τοῦ βέβαια τηρεῖν τὰ συγκείμενα. θεοὺς γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐγγυητὰς ἐδώκατε τῶν ὁμολογιῶν, πολλὰ καὶ δεινὰ ἐπαρασάμενοι τοῖς παραβᾶσι τὰς συνθήκας αὐτοῖς τε καὶ ἐγγόνοις εἰς τὸν ἀεὶ χρόνον. ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι μὲν δὴ τά τε δίκαια ἀξιοῦμεν καὶ τὰ συμφέροντα, ἃ καὶ πολλὴ ἀνάγκη ποιεῖν ὑμᾶς μεμνημένους τῶν ὅρκων, ὡς πρὸς εἰδότας ἅπαντας οὐκ οἶδ᾽ ὅ τι δεῖ πλείω λέγοντα ἐνοχλεῖν.
Delphi Complete Works of Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Illustrated) (Delphi Ancient Classics Book 79) Page 590