[2] ἐῶ γὰρ λέγειν, ὅτι τοιαύτας ἀρετὰς ἀποδειξάμενος, ἐξόν μοι λαβεῖν ἐκ τῶν λαφύρων πολὺν μὲν χρυσόν, πολὺν δ᾽ ἄργυρον ἀνδράποδά τε καὶ ὑποζύγια καὶ βοσκήματα καὶ γῆν πολλὴν καὶ ἀγαθὴν οὐκ ἠξίωσα, ἀλλ᾽ ἀνεπίφθονον ὡς μάλιστα βουληθεὶς ἐμαυτὸν παρασχεῖν, πολεμιστὴν ἵππον ἕνα μόνον ἐκ τῶν λαφύρων ἔλαβον καὶ τὸν ἐμαυτοῦ ξένον ἐκ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων, τὸν δ᾽ ἄλλον πλοῦτον [p. 168]
[2] I refrain from adding that after I had given such proofs of my valour, when I might have received out of the spoils a large amount of gold and silver, as well as slaves, beasts of burden and cattle, and much fertile land, I refused, but desiring to secure myself as far as possible against envy, took only a single war-horse out of the spoils and my personal friend from among the captives, and all the rest of the wealth I brought and turned over to the state.
[3] εἰς τὸ κοινὸν ἔθηκα φέρων. πότερον οὖν τιμωρίας ἄξιος ἦν ἐπὶ τούτοις ὑπέχειν, ἢ τιμὰς λαμβάνειν, καὶ πότερον ὑπὸ τοῖς κακίστοις γενέσθαι τῶν πολιτῶν, ἢ τὰ δίκαια τάττειν αὐτὸς τοῖς ἥττοσιν; ἀλλ᾽ οὐ διὰ ταῦτά με ἀπήλασεν ὁ δῆμος, ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι περὶ τὸν ἄλλον βίον ἀκόλαστος καὶ πολυτελὴς καὶ παράνομος ἦν; καὶ τίς ἂν ἔχοι δεῖξαί τινα διὰ τὰς ἐμὰς παρανόμους ἡδονὰς ἢ τὴν πατρίδα φεύγοντα ἢ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἀπολωλεκότα ἢ χρημάτων στερόμενον ἢ ἄλλῃ τινὶ συμφορᾷ χρησάμενον; ἀλλ᾽ οὐδὲ τῶν ἐχθρῶν με οὐδεὶς πώποτε ᾐτιάσατο οὐδὲ διέβαλεν ἐπ᾽ οὐδενὶ τούτων, ἀλλ᾽ ὑπὸ πάντων ἐμαρτυρεῖτό μοι καὶ ὁ καθ᾽ ἡμέραν ἀνεπίληπτος εἶναι βίος.
[3] Did I, then, for these actions deserve to suffer punishments, or to receive honours? To become subject to the basest of the citizens, or myself to issue orders to my inferiors? Or perhaps it was not for these reasons that the populace banished me, but rather because in my private life I was unrestrained, extravagant and lawless? And yet who can point to anyone who because of my lawless pleasures has either been banished from his country, or lost his liberty, or been deprived of his money, or met with any other misfortune? On the contrary, no one even of my enemies ever accused or charged me any of these things, but all bore witness that even my daily life was irreproachable.
[4] ἀλλ᾽ ἡ προαίρεσις, νὴ Δία, φαίη τις ἄν, ἡ τῶν πολιτευμάτων σου μισηθεῖσα ταύτην ἐξειργάσατό σοι τὴν συμφοράν. ἐξὸν γὰρ ἑλέσθαι τὴν κρείττω μερίδα τὴν χείρονα εἵλου καὶ διετέλεις ἅπαντα καὶ λέγων καὶ πράττων, ἐξ ὧν καταλυθήσεται μὲν ἡ πάτριος ἀριστοκρατία, κύριος δ᾽ ἔσται τῶν κοινῶν ὄχλος ἀμαθὴς καὶ πονηρός. ἀλλ᾽ ἔγωγε τἀναντία ἔπραττον, ὦ Μηνύκιε, καὶ ὅπως ἡ βουλὴ τῶν κοινῶν διὰ παντὸς ἐπιμελήσεται καὶ ὁ πάτριος διαμενεῖ κόσμος τῆς πολιτείας προὐνοούμην.
[4] ‘But, great heavens, man,’ some one may say, ‘it was your political principles that aroused hatred and brought this misfortune upon you. For when you had it in your power to choose the better side, you chose the worse, and you continued to say and do everything calculated to effect the overthrow of the established aristocracy and to put the whole power of the commonwealth into the hands of an ignorant and base municipal.’ But I, Minucius, pursued a course the very reverse of that, and sought to provide that the senate should always administer the public business and that the established constitution should be maintained.
[5] ἀντὶ τούτων μέντοι τῶν καλῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων, ἃ τοῖς προγόνοις ἡμῶν ζηλωτὰ εἶναι ἐδόκει, τὰς εὐτυχεῖς ταύτας καὶ μακαρίας κεκόμισμαι παρὰ τῆς πατρίδος ἀμοιβάς, οὐχ ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου μόνον ἐξελασθείς, ὦ Μηνύκιε, ἀλλὰ πολὺ πρότερον [p. 169] ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς, ἣ κατ᾽ ἀρχὰς ἐπαίρουσά με κεναῖς ἐλπίσιν, ἡνίκα τοῖς δημάρχοις τυραννίδα περιβαλλομένοις ἠναντιούμην, ὡς αὐτὴ παρέξουσα τὸ ἀσφαλές, ἐπειδὴ κίνδυνόν τιν᾽ ἐκ τῶν δημοτικῶν ὑπείδετο,
[5] In return, however, for these honourable principles, which our forefathers thought worthy of emulation, I have received this happy, this blessed reward from my country — to have been banished, not by the populace alone, Minucius, but, long before that, by the senate, which encouraged me at first with vain hopes while I was opposing the tribunes in their efforts to establish a tyranny, promising that it would itself provide for my security, and then, upon the first suspicion of any danger from the plebeians, abandoned me and delivered me up to my enemies!
[6] ἀπέστη καὶ παρέδωκέ με τοῖς ἐχθροῖς. σὺ μέντοι τότ᾽ αὐτὸς ὕπατος ἦσθα, ὦ Μηνύκιε, ὅτι τὸ προβούλευμα τὸ περὶ τῆς δίκης ἐγένετο, καὶ ἡνίκα Οὐαλέριος ὁ παραδιδόναι με τῷ δήμῳ παραινῶν σφόδρα ἐπὶ τοῖς λόγοις εὐδοκίμει, κἀγὼ δεδιώς, μὴ ψήφου δοθείσης ὑπὸ τῶν συνέδρων ἁλῶ, συνέγνων καὶ παρέξειν ἐμαυτὸν ὑπεσχόμην ἑκόντα ἐπὶ τὴν δίκην.
[6] But you yourself were consul at the time, Minucius, when the senate passed the preliminary decree concerning my trial and when Valerius, who advised delivering me up to the populace, gained great applause by his speech, and I, fearing that, if the question were put, I should be condemned by the senators, acquiesced and promised of appear voluntarily for trial.
[1] ἴθι δή μοι, Μηνύκιε, ἀπόκριναι, πότερα καὶ τῇ βουλῇ τῆς τιμωρίας ἄξιος ἐφάνην εἶναι, ὅτι τὰ κράτιστα ἐπολιτευόμην τε καὶ ἔπραττον, ἢ τῷ δήμῳ μόνῳ; εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἅπασι ταὐτὰ ἐδόκει τότε καὶ πάντες με ἀπηλάσατε, φανερὸν ὅτι πάντες οἱ ταῦτα βουληθέντες ἀρετὴν μισεῖτε, καὶ τόπος οὐδείς ἐστιν ἐν τῇ πόλει δεχόμενος καλοκαγαθίαν: εἰ δὲ βιασθεῖσα ἡ βουλὴ συνεχώρησε τῷ δήμῳ καὶ τὸ ἔργον αὐτῆς ἀνάγκης ἦν, οὐ γνώμης, ὁμολογεῖτε δήπου πονηροκρατεῖσθαι καὶ μηδενὸς εἶναι τὴν βουλὴν ὧν ἂν προέληται κυρίαν.
[31.1] “Come, answer me, Minucius, did I seem to the senate also to deserve punishment for having promoted and pursued the best measures, or to the populace only? For if you were all of the same opinion at that time and if all of you banished me, it is plain that all of you who were of this mind hate virtue and that there is no place in your city for loyalty to principle. But if the senate was forced to yield to the populace and its action was the result of compulsion, not of conviction, you senators admit, I take it, that you are governed by the baser element and that the senate has not the power to act in any matter as it thinks fit.
[2] ἔπειτ᾽ εἰς τοιαύτην ἀξιοῦτέ με κατελθεῖν π�
�λιν, ἐν ᾗ τὸ κρεῖττον μέρος ὑπὸ τοῦ χείρονος ἄρχεται; πολλὴν ἄρα κατεγνώκατέ μου μανίαν. φέρε, καὶ δὴ πέπεισμαι καὶ διαλυσάμενος τὸν πόλεμον, ὥσπερ ἀξιοῦτε, κατελήλυθα, τίς ἡ μετὰ ταῦτ᾽ ἔσται μου διάνοια καὶ τίνα βίον ζήσομαι; πότερα τἀσφαλὲς καὶ ἀκίνδυνον [p. 170] αἱρούμενος ἀρχάς τε καὶ τιμὰς καὶ τἆλλα ἀγαθά, ὧν ἄξιον ἐμαυτὸν ἡγοῦμαι, μετιὼν θεραπεύειν ὑπομενῶ τὸν ἔχοντα τὴν τούτων ἐξουσίαν ὄχλον; πονηρὸς ἄρα ἐξ ἀγαθοῦ γενήσομαι, καὶ οὐδὲν ἔσται μοι τῆς προτέρας ἀρετῆς ὄφελος.
[2] After this do you ask me to return to such a city, in which the better element is governed by the worse? Then you have judged me capable of an act of sheer madness! But come, suppose that I have been persuaded, and having put an end to the war as you desire, have returned home; what sentiments shall I entertain after this, and what manner of life shall I live? Shall I choose the safe and secure course, and, in order to obtain magistracies, honours and the other advantages of which I think myself worthy, consent to court the mob which has the power of bestowing them? In that case I shall change from a worthy to a base citizen and shall reap no benefit from my former virtue.
[3] ἀλλ᾽ ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἤθεσι μένων καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν προαίρεσιν τῆς πολιτείας φυλάττων ἐναντιώσομαι τοῖς μὴ ταὐτὰ προαιρουμένοις; εἶτα οὐ πρόδηλον, ὅτι πολεμήσει μοι πάλιν ὁ δῆμος καὶ δίκας ἑτέρας πάλιν ἀξιώσει λαμβάνειν, τοῦτ᾽ αὐτὸ πρῶτον ἔγκλημα ποιούμενος, ὅτι τῆς καθόδου δι᾽ ἐκείνου τυχὼν οὐ τὰ πρὸς ἡδονὴν αὐτῷ πολιτεύομαι; οὐκ ἔνεστ᾽ ἄλλως εἰπεῖν.
[3] Or, maintaining the same character and observing the same political principles, shall I oppose those who do not make the same choice? Then is it not obvious that the populace will again make war upon me and insist on exacting fresh penalties, making this very point their first charge against me, that after obtaining my return at their hands I do not humour them in the measures I pursue? You cannot deny it.
[4] ἔπειτ᾽ ἀναφανήσεταί τις ἕτερος Ἰκιλίῳ παραπλήσιος ἢ Δεκίῳ θρασὺς δημαγωγός, ὃς αἰτιάσεταί με διιστάναι τοὺς πολίτας ἀπ᾽ ἀλλήλων ἢ κατὰ τοῦ δήμου πράττειν ἐπιβουλὴν ἢ προδιδόναι τοῖς πολεμίοις τὴν πόλιν ἢ τυραννίδι, ὥσπερ καὶ Δέκιος ᾐτιάσατο, ἐπιχειρεῖν ἢ ἄλλο ἀδικεῖν, ὁτιδήποτ᾽ ἂν αὐτῷ
[4] Then some other bold demagogue, an Icilius or a Decius, will appear who will accused me of setting the citizens at variance with one another, of forming a plot against the populace, of betraying the commonwealth to the enemy, or of aiming at tyranny, even as Decius charged me, or of any other crime that may occur to him; for hatred will never be at a loss to find an accusation.
[5] φανῇ: οὐ γὰρ ἀπορήσει τὸ μισοῦν αἰτίας. ἥξει τε πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐγκλήμασι καὶ ταυτὶ φερόμενα οὐκ εἰς μακράν, ὅσα ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ πέπρακταί μοι τούτῳ, ὅτι χώραν ὑμῶν τέτμηκα καὶ λείαν ἀπελήλακα καὶ πόλεις ἀφῄρημαι καὶ τοὺς ὑπὲρ τούτων ἀμυνομένους τοὺς μὲν πεφόνευκα, τοὺς δὲ τοῖς πολεμίοις παραδέδωκα. ταῦτ᾽ ἐὰν οἱ κατήγοροι λέγωσι, τί φήσω πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀπολογούμενος ἢ τίνι βοηθείᾳ χρήσομαι;
[5] And, besides the other charges, there will also be brought up presently all the things I have done in this war — that I have laid waste your country, driven off booty, taken your towns, slain some of those who defended them and delivered up others to the enemy. If my accusers charge me with these things, what shall I say to them in my defence, or on what assistance shall I rely?
[1] ἆρ᾽ οὐ φανερόν, ὅτι καλλιλογεῖτε καὶ εἰρωνεύεσθε, ὦ Μηνύκιε, ὄνομα καλὸν ἔργῳ περιθέντες ἀνοσίῳ; οὐ γὰρ δὴ κάθοδόν μοι δίδοτε, ἀλλὰ σφάγιόν [p. 171] με τῷ δήμῳ κατάγετε, τάχα μὲν καὶ βεβουλευμένοι τοῦτο πράττειν: οὐθὲν γὰρ ἔτι μοι χρηστὸν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐπέρχεται φρονεῖν: εἰ δὲ βούλεσθε — τίθημι γάρ —
[32.1] “Is it not therefore plain, Minucius, that your envoys are indulging in fair words and dissimulation, cloaking with a specious name a wicked design? For surely it is not my restoration that you are offering me, but you are taking me back to the populace as a sacrificial victim, perhaps because you have actually planned to do this (for it no longer occurs to me to hold any good opinion of you);
[2] οὐδὲν ὧν πείσομαι προορώμενοι, τί οὖν ἔσται μοι τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀγνοίας ἢ μωρίας ὄφελος, κωλύειν μὲν οὐδὲν οὐδ᾽ ἂν οἷοι ἦτε δυνησομένων, χαρίζεσθαι δὲ καὶ τοῦτο τῷ δήμῳ σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀναγκαζομένων; ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὅτι μὲν οὐ συνοίσει μοι πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν ἥδε, ἣν ὑμεῖς μὲν κάθοδον καλεῖτε, ἐγὼ δὲ ταχεῖαν ὁδὸν ἐπὶ τὸν ὄλεθρον, οὐ πολλῶν οἴομαι δεῖν ἔτι λόγων: ὅτι δ᾽ οὐδὲ πρὸς εὐδοξίαν ἢ τιμὴν ἢ πρὸς εὐσέβειαν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ σὺ τούτων, ὦ Μηνύκιε, πρόνοιαν ἔχειν με ἠξίους, εὖ ποιῶν, ἀλλ᾽ αἴσχιστά μοι καὶ ἀνοσιώτατα πραχθήσεται πεισθέντι ὑμῖν, ἄκουσον ἐν τῷ μέρει.
[2] but if you wish it so — I am merely assuming this — that it is because you do not foresee any of the things that I shall suffer, what advantage shall I gain from your ignorance or folly, since you will not be able to prevent anything even if you are so disposed, but are compelled to gratify the populace in this too, as in everything else? Now to show that from the point of view of my safety there will be no gain to me in this— ‘restoration,’ as you call it, but I a quick road to destruction, not many more words are called for, I think; but to prove that I will not enhance my reputation, either, or my honour, or my piety — for you, Minucius, asked me to take these into consideration, and rightly — but that, on the contrary, I shall be acting in a most shameful and impious manner if I follow your advice, pray hear in turn what I have to say.
[3] ἐγὼ πολέμιος ἐγενόμην τούτοις Οὐολούσκοις καὶ πολλὰ ἠδίκησα αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, τῇ πατρίδι πράττων ἡγεμονίαν καὶ ἰσχὺν καὶ κλέος. οὐκοῦν προσῆκέ μοι τιμᾶσθαι μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν εὖ πεπονθότων, μισεῖσθαι δ᾽ ὑπὸ τῶν ἠδικημένων; εἰ γοῦν τι τῶν εἰκότων ἐγένετο. ἀνέτρεψε δ᾽ ἀμφότερα ταῦθ᾽ ἡ τύχη, καὶ εἰς τἀναντία μετέθηκε τὰς ἀξιώσεις. ὑμεῖς μὲν γάρ, ὑπὲρ ὧν τούτοις ἐχθρὸς ἦν, ἀφείλεσθέ με πάντα τἀμὰ καὶ τὸ μηδὲν ποιήσαντες ἐρρίψατε: οὗτοι δ᾽ οἱ τὰ δεινὰ ὑπ᾽ ἐμοῦ [p. 172] παθόντες, τὸν ἄπορον καὶ ἀνέστιον καὶ ταπεινὸν κα�
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[3] I became an enemy to these men here and did them many injuries during the war while I was acquiring sovereignty, power and glory for my country. Was it not fitting, therefore, that I should be honoured by those I had benefited and hated by those I had injured? Certainly, if what one could reasonably expect had happened. But Fortune upset both these expectations and reversed the two principles. For you Romans, on whose account I was an enemy to these men, deprived me of all my possessions, and making a nobody of me, cast me off; while they, who had suffered those dire evils at my hands, received me into their cities, the resourceless, homeless, humbled outcast.
[4] ἄπολιν ὑπεδέξαντό με ταῖς ἑαυτῶν πόλεσι. καὶ οὐκ ἀπέχρη αὐτοῖς τοῦτο ποιήσασι μόνον οὕτω λαμπρὸν καὶ μεγαλόψυχον ἔργον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολιτείαν ἔδοσάν μοι ἐν ἁπάσαις ταῖς ἑαυτῶν πόλεσι καὶ ἀρχὰς καὶ τιμάς, αἳ μέγισται παρ᾽ αὐτοῖς εἰσιν. ἐῶ τἆλλα: ἀλλὰ νυνὶ στρατηγὸν ἀποδεδείχασί με αὐτοκράτορα τῆς ὑπερορίου στρατιᾶς καὶ πάντα τὰ κοινὰ ἐπ᾽ ἐμοὶ πεποιήκασι μόνῳ.
[4] And not content with doing this only, an action so splendid and magnanimous, they also conferred on me citizenship in all their cities, as well as the magistracies and honours that in their country are highest. To omit the rest, they have now appointed me supreme commander of the expeditionary force and have committed to me alone all the interests of their state.
[5] φέρε δή, τίνα λαβὼν καρδίαν προδοίην ἂν ἔτι τούτους, ὑφ᾽ ὧν τηλικαύταις κεκόσμημαι τιμαῖς, οὐθὲν οὔτε μεῖζον οὔτ᾽ ἔλαττον ἀδικηθείς; εἰ μὴ ἄρα αἱ χάριτες αὐτῶν ἀδικοῦσί με, ὥσπερ ὑμᾶς αἱ ἐμαί: καλήν γε δόξαν οἴσει μοι παρὰ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις γνωσθεῖσα ἡ παλιμπροδοσία. τίς δ᾽ οὐκ ἂν ἐπαινέσειέ με ἀκούσας, ὅτι τοὺς μὲν φίλους, ὑφ᾽ ὧν εὖ πάσχειν μοι προσῆκε, πολεμίους εὑρών, τοὺς δ᾽ ἐχθρούς, ὑφ᾽ ὧν ἐχρῆν με ἀπολωλέναι, φίλους, ἀντὶ τοῦ μισεῖν μὲν τὰ μισοῦντα, φιλεῖν δὲ τὰ φιλοῦντα, τὴν ἐναντίαν γνώμην ἔσχον;
Delphi Complete Works of Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Illustrated) (Delphi Ancient Classics Book 79) Page 612