[2] καὶ οἱ ὕπατοι αὐτοῖς συνελάμβανον ἀμφότεροι, Τιβέριος μὲν Αἰμίλιος κότον τινὰ παλαιὸν εἰς τὴν βουλὴν οὐκ ἄλογον ἀναφέρων, ὅτι τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ θρίαμβον αἰτουμένῳ κατάγειν οὐκ ἐπέτρεψεν, ὁ δὲ Οὐαλέριος ἀποθεραπεῦσαι τοῦ δήμου τὴν ὀργὴν βουλόμενος, ἣν εἶχε πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῷ Σπορίου Κασσίου θανάτῳ, ὃν ἀπέκτεινεν ὡς ἐπιχειροῦντα βασιλείᾳ ταμίας τότ᾽ ὢν Οὐαλέριος, ἄνδρα τῶν κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡλικίαν γενομένων ἐπιφανέστατον ἐν ἡγεμονίαις τε πολέμων καὶ πολιτικαῖς πράξεσιν, ὃς καὶ τὸ περὶ τῆς κληρουχίας πολίτευμα πρῶτος εἰσήγαγεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, καὶ δι᾽ αὐτὸ μάλιστα ὑπὸ τῶν πατρικίων, ὡς δῆμον ἀναιρούμενος πρὸ αὐτῶν, ἐμισήθη.
[2] Both consuls favoured their request, Tiberius Aemilius bringing up an old and not unreasonable grudge against the senate because it had refused a triumph to his father when he asked for it, and Valerius from a desire to heal the anger of the populace directed against him because of the death of Spurius Cassius, whom he, being quaestor at the time, had caused to be put to death for aiming at tyranny. Cassius had been the most distinguished of his contemporaries both in military commands and in civil affairs; moreover, he was the first to introduce into the commonwealth the measure concerning the allotment of lands and for that reason in particular was hated by the patricians as one who preferred the populace to them.
[3] τότε δ᾽ οὖν ὑποσχομένων τῶν ὑπάτων αὐτοῖς προθήσειν ἐν τῇ βουλῇ τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς διανομῆς τῶν δημοσίων κλήρων λόγον, καὶ τῆς ἐπικυρώσεως τοῦ νόμου συναρεῖσθαι, πιστεύσαντες αὐτοῖς οἱ δήμαρχοι παρῆσαν ἐπὶ τὴν βουλὴν καὶ λόγους διεξῆλθον ἐπιεικεῖς. οἷς οὐδὲν ἀντιλέξαντες οἱ ὕπατοι, ὡς μὴ φιλονεικίας δόξαν ἀπενέγκαιντο, γνώμην ἀποδείκνυσθαι τοὺς πρεσβυτάτους ἠξίουν.
[3] At the time in question, at any rate, when the consuls promised them to bring up in the senate the question of the division of the public lands and to assist in securing the ratification of the law, the tribunes trusted them, and going to the senate, they spoke with moderation. And the consuls, desiring to avoid any appearance of contention, said nothing in opposition, but asked the oldest senators to express their opinions.
[4] ἦν δ᾽ ὁ πρῶτος ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν κληθεὶς Λεύκιος Αἰμίλιος θατέρου τῶν ὑπάτων πατήρ: ὃς ἔφη δοκεῖν αὐτῷ καὶ δίκαιον καὶ συμφέρον ἔσεσθαι τῇ πόλει, πάντων εἶναι τὰ κοινὰ καὶ μὴ ὀλίγων, τῷ τε δήμῳ πείθοντι ὑπουργεῖν συνεβούλευεν, [p. 364] ἵνα χάρις ἡ παραχώρησις αὐτῶν γένηται. πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ ἄλλα μὴ δόντας αὐτῷ κατὰ προαίρεσιν, ὑπ᾽ ἀνάγκης συγκεχωρηκέναι: τούς τε κατέχοντας τὰς κτήσεις ὧν ἐκαρπώσαντο χρόνων λαθόντες ἠξίου χάριν εἰδέναι, κωλυομένους δὲ μὴ φιλοχωρεῖν.
[4] The first person called upon was Lucius Aemilius, the father of one of the consuls, who said it seemed to him that it would be both just and for the interest of the commonwealth that the possessions of the public should belong to all and not to a few, and he advised them to support the plea of the populace, in order that this concession on their part might be regarded as a favour; for many other things which they had not granted them by choice they had yielded through necessity. He felt also that those who were occupying these possessions ought to be grateful for the time they had enjoyed them without being detected, and when peeved from using them longer should not cling to them obstinately.
[5] ἔφη τε σὺν τῷ δικαίῳ, ὃ πάντες ὁμολογήσειαν ἰσχυρὸν εἶναι, τὰ μὲν δημόσια καινὰ πάντων εἶναι, τὰ δ᾽ ἴδια ἑκάστου τῶν νόμῳ κτησαμένων: καὶ ἀναγκαῖον ἤδη τὸ πρᾶγμα ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς γεγονέναι πρὸ ἐτῶν ἑπτακαίδεκα τὴν γῆν διανέμειν ψηφισαμένης. καὶ τοῦτ᾽ ἀπέφηνεν ἐπὶ τῷ συμφέροντι τότ᾽ αὐτὴν βεβουλεῦσθαι, ἵνα μήτε γῆ χέρσος ᾖ, καὶ ὁ τὴν πόλιν οἰκουρῶν πένης ὄχλος μὴ ἀργός, ὥσπερ νῦν τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ἀγαθοῖς φθονῶν, ἐπιτρέφηται δὲ τῇ πόλει νεότης ἐν ἐφεστίοις καὶ κλήροις πατρῴοις, ἔχουσά τι καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ καλῶς τεθράφθαι μέγα φρονεῖν:
[5] He added that, along with the principle of justice, the force of which all would acknowledge, according to which the public possessions are the common property of all and private possessions the property of the one who has acquired them according to law, the action had also become unavoidable now through the action of the senate, which seventeen years before had ordered that the land be divided. And he declared that it had reached this decision at that time in the public interest, to the end that neither the land should go uncultivated nor the multitude of poor people dwelling in the city should live in idleness, envying the advantages of the others, as was now the case, and that young men might be reared up for the state in the homes and on the lands of their fathers, deriving also some pride of spirit from the very rearing.
[6] ἐπεὶ τοῖς γ᾽ ἀκλήροις καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων κτημάτων, ἃ μισθοῦ ἐργάζονται, γλίσχρως διατρεφομένοις, ἢ ἀρχῆθεν μὴ ἐμφύεσθαι ἔρωτα γενεᾶς τέκνων, ἢ ἐμφύντα πονηρὸν ἐκφέρειν καρπὸν καὶ οὐδ᾽ εὐτυχῆ, ἐκ ταπεινῶν τε συμπορισθέντα οἷα εἰκὸς γάμων,
[6] For such as have no lands of their own and live miserably off the possessions of others which they cultivate for hire either do not feel any desire at all to beget children, or, if they do, produce a sorry and wretched offspring, such as might be expected of those who are the fruit of humble marriages and are reared in beggared circumstances.
[7] καὶ ἐν κατεπτωχευμέναις τραφέντα τύχαις. ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν, ἔφη, γνώμην ἀποδείκνυμαι, τά τε προβουλευθέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ συνεδρίου καὶ διὰ τὰς μεταξὺ ταραχὰς [p. 365] παρειλκυσμένα ἐμπεδοῦν τοὺς ὑπάτους, καὶ τοὺς ποιησομένους τὴν διανομὴν ἄνδρας ἀποδεικνύναι.
[7] “As for me, then,” he said, “the motion I make is that the consuls should carry out the preliminary decree which was then passed by the senate and has since been delayed by reason of the intervening disturbances, and appoint the men to divide the land.”
[1] ταῦτ᾽ εἰπόντος Αἰμιλίου δεύτερος κληθεὶς Ἄππιος Κλαύδιος, ὁ τῷ πρόσθεν ὑπατεύσας ἔτει, τὴν ἐναντίαν γνώμην ἀπεφήνατο διδάσκων, ὡς οὔθ᾽ ἡ βουλὴ διανεῖμαι τὰ δημόσια προαίρεσιν ἔσχε: πάλαι γὰρ ἂν εἰληφέναι τὰ δόξαντ᾽ αὐτῇ τέλος: ἀλλ᾽ εἰς χρόνον καὶ διάγνωσιν ἑτέραν ἀνεβάλετο, παῦσαι προθυμουμένη τὴν τότε κ�
�τασχοῦσαν στάσιν, ἣν εἰσῆγεν ὁ τῇ τυραννίδι ἐπιχειρῶν ὕπατος καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα δίκας δοὺς καλάς:
[52.1] Aemilius having spoken thus, Appius Claudius, who had been consul the preceding year, being the second person called upon, expressed the contrary opinion, pointing out that neither the senate had had any intention of dividing the public possessions — for in that case its decree would long since have been carried out — but had deferred it to a later time for further consideration, its concern being to put a stop to the sedition then raging, which had been stirred up by the consul who was aiming at tyranny and afterwards suffered deserved punishment;
[2] οὔθ᾽ οἱ μετὰ τὸ προβούλευμα λαχόντες ὕπατοι τέλος τοῖς ἐψηφισμένοις ἐπέθεσαν ὁρῶντες, ὅσων εἰσελεύσεται κακῶν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀρχὴ συνεθισθέντων τὰ κοινὰ τῶν πενήτων διαλαγχάνειν: αἵ τε μετ᾽ ἐκείνους πεντεκαίδεκα ὑπατεῖαι πολλῶν αὐταῖς ἐπαχθέντων ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου κινδύνων οὐδὲν ὑπέμειναν, ὃ μὴ συνέφερε τῷ κοινῷ πράττειν, διὰ τὸ μηδ᾽ ἐξεῖναι σφίσι κατὰ τὸ προβούλευμα τοὺς γεωμόρους ἀποδεικνύειν,
[2] nor had the first consuls chosen after the preliminary decree put the vote into effect, when they saw what a source of evils would be introduced into the state if the poor were once accustomed to get by allotment the public possessions; nor did the consuls of the following fifteen years, though they were threatened with many dangers from the populace, consent to do anything that was not in the public interest, for the reason that no authority even was given to them by the preliminary decree to appoint the land commissioners, but only to those first consuls.
[3] ἀλλὰ τοῖς πρώτοις ἐκείνοις ὑπάτοις. ὥστ᾽ οὐδ᾽ ὑμῖν, ἔφησεν, ὦ Οὐαλέριε, καὶ σὺ Αἰμίλιε, γῆς ἀναδασμοὺς εἰσφέρειν, οὓς οὐκ ἐπέταξεν ὑμῖν τὸ συνέδριον, οὔτε καλῶς ἔχει, προγόνων οὖσιν ἀγαθῶν, οὔτ᾽ ἀσφαλῶς. καὶ περὶ μὲν τοῦ προβουλεύματος, ὡς οὐ κρατεῖσθε ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ οἱ τοσούτοις ὕστερον ὑπατεύσαντες χρόνοις, [p. 366]
[3] “So that for you men also, Valerius, yes, and you too, Aemilius, to propose allotments of land which the senate did not direct you to carry out is neither honourable, descended as you are from worthy ancestors, nor is it safe. As regards the preliminary decree, then, let this suffice to show that you who have become consuls so many years afterwards are not bound by it.
[4] ταῦθ᾽ ἱκανά. περὶ δὲ τοῦ βιασαμένους τινὰς ἢ λαθόντας σφετερίσασθαι τὰ δημόσια βραχὺς ἀπαρκεῖ μοι λόγος. εἰ γάρ τις οἶδε καρπούμενόν τινα, ὧν οὐκ ἔχει κτῆσιν ἀποδεῖξαι νόμῳ, μήνυσιν ἀπενεγκάτω πρὸς τοὺς ὑπάτους καὶ κρινάτω κατὰ τοὺς νόμους, οὓς οὐ νεωστὶ δεήσει γράφειν: πάλαι γὰρ ἐγράφησαν, καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτοὺς ἠφάνικε χρόνος.
[4] As for any who may, either forcibly or stealthily, have appropriated to themselves the public possessions, a few words will serve my purpose. If anyone knows that another is enjoying the use of property to which he cannot support his title by law, let him give information of it to the consuls and prosecute him according to the laws, which will not have to be drawn up afresh; for they were drawn up long since, and no lapse of time has abrogated them.
[5] ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ περὶ τοῦ συμφέροντος ἐποιεῖτο λόγους Αἰμίλιος, ὡς ἐπὶ τῷ πάντων ἀγαθῷ τῆς κληρουχίας ἐσομένης, οὐδὲ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος ἀνέλεγκτον ἐᾶσαι βούλομαι. ἐμοὶ γὰρ δοκεῖ τὸ αὐτόθι μόνον οὗτός γ᾽ ὁρᾶν, τὸ δὲ μέλλον οὐ προσκοπεῖν, ὅτι μικρὸν εἶναι δοκοῦν ἐπὶ τῶν δημοσίων τοῖς ἀργοῖς καὶ
[5] But since Aemilius has spoken also about the advantage of this measure, asserting that the allotting of the land will be for the good of all, I do not wish to leave this point either unrefuted. For he, it seems to me, looks only to the present, and does not foresee the future, namely, that the granting of a portion of the public possessions to the idle and the poor, which now seems to him of small importance, will be the cause of many great evils,
[6] ἀπόροις πολλῶν ἔσται καὶ μεγάλων κακῶν αἴτιον. τὸ γὰρ ἔθος τὸ συνεισπορευόμενον ἅμα τούτῳ καὶ διαμένον ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ μέχρι παντὸς ὀλέθριον ἔσται καὶ δεινόν: οὐ γὰρ ἐξαιρεῖ τὰς πονηρὰς ἐπιθυμίας ἐκ τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ τυγχάνειν αὐτῶν, ἀλλ᾽ αὔξει καὶ πονηροτέρας ποιεῖ. τεκμήρια δ᾽ ὑμῖν γενέσθω τούτων τὰ ἔργα: τί γὰρ δεῖ τοῖς λόγοις ὑμᾶς τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἢ τοῖς Αἰμιλίου προσέχειν;
[6] since the custom thereby introduced will not only continue in the state, but will for all time prove pernicious and dangerous. For the gratification of evil desires does not eradicate them from the soul, but rather strengthens them and renders them still more evil. Let the facts convince you of this; for why should you pay any attention to words, either mine or those of Aemilius?
[1] ἴστε δήπου πάντες, ὅσους ἐχειρωσάμεθα πολεμίους, καὶ ὅσην γῆν προὐνομεύσαμεν, καὶ ὅσα λάφυρα ἐκ τῶν ἁλόντων χωρίων ἐλάβομεν, ὧν οἱ πολέμιοι στερόμενοι τέως εὐδαίμονες ὄντες ἐν πολλῇ νῦν [p. 367] καθεστήκασιν ἀπορίᾳ: καὶ ὅτι τούτων οὐδενὸς ἀπηλάσθησαν οὐδὲ μεῖον ἐκτήσαντο ἐν ταῖς διανομαῖς οἱ τὴν ἀπορίαν ὀδυρόμενοι.
[53] “You all know, to be sure, how many enemies we have overcome, how much territory we have ravaged, and how great spoils we have taken from the towns we have captured, the loss of which has reduced the enemy from their former prosperity to great want, and that those who now bewail their poverty were excluded from none of these spoils nor had less than their share in the distribution of them.
[2] ἆρ᾽ οὖν διὰ ταύτας τὰς ἐπικτήσεις ἐπανορθωσάμενοι φαίνονταί τι τῆς παλαιᾶς τύχης καὶ προεληλυθότες εἰς ἐπιφάνειαν τοῖς βίοις; ἐβουλόμην μὲν ἂν καὶ θεοῖς εὐξάμην, ἵνα ἧττον ἦσαν ἐπίσκηνοι λυπηροὶ τῇ πόλει, νῦν δ᾽ ὁρᾶτε γὰρ καὶ ἀκούετε αὐτῶν ὀδυρομένων, ὅτι ἐν ἐσχάτῃ εἰσὶν ἀπορίᾳ. ὥστ᾽ οὐδ᾽ εἰ ταῦτα, ἃ νῦν αἰτοῦνται, καὶ ἔτι πλείω τούτων λάβοιεν, ἐπανορθώσονται τοὺς βίους.
[2] Do they appear, then, to have improved their former condition at all by these further acquisitions or to have attained to any distinction in their lives? I could wish and have prayed to the gods that they might do so, in order that they might have been to a less extent mere transients, a nuisance to the city. But as it is, you see and hear them complaining that they are in the direst want. So that not even if you should receive what they now ask for — aye, still more than that — will they effect any improvement in their lives.
[3] οὐ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς τύχαις αὐτῶν ἐνοι
κεῖ τὸ ἄπορον, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν τοῖς τρόποις: οὓς οὐχ οἷον ὁ βραχὺς οὗτος ἐκπληρώσει κλῆρος, ἀλλ᾽ οὐδ᾽ αἱ σύμπασαι βασιλέων τε καὶ τυράννων δωρεαί. δράσομέν τ᾽, εἰ καὶ ταῦτα συγχωρήσομεν αὐτοῖς, ὅμοια τοῖς πρὸς ἡδονὴν θεραπεύουσι τοὺς κάμνοντας ἰατροῖς. οὐ γὰρ τὸ νοσοῦν ὑγιασθήσεται τῆς πολιτείας μέρος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ ὑγιαῖνον ἀπολαύσει τῆς νόσου. καθόλου τ᾽, ὦ βουλή, πολλῆς ὑμῖν δεῖ ἐπιμελείας τε καὶ φροντίδος, ὅπως ἂν σώσητε πάσῃ προθυμίᾳ διαφθειρόμενα τὰ ἤθη τῆς πόλεως.
[3] For their poverty is not inherent in their condition in life, but in their character; and not only will this small portion of land not supply their lack of that, but not even all the largesses of kings and despots would do so. If we make this concession also to them, we shall be like those physicians whose treatment of the sick is to tickle their palates. For the diseased part of the commonwealth will not be cured, but even the sound part will catch the disease. In general, senators, you need to take much care and thought how you may preserve with all possible zeal the morals of the commonwealth which are being corrupted.
[4] ὁρᾶτε γάρ, εἰς ἃ προελήλυθεν ἡ τοῦ δήμου ἀκοσμία, καὶ ὡς οὐκέτι ἄρχεσθαι πρὸς τῶν ὑπάτων ἀξιοῖ: ᾧ γ᾽ οὐ μετεμέλησε τῶν ἐνθάδε πραττομένων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ στρατοπέδου τὴν αὐτὴν ἀπεδείξατο ἀκοσμίαν, ὅπλα τε ῥίψας καὶ τάξεις ἐκλιπὼν καὶ [p. 368] σημεῖα πολεμίοις προέμενος καὶ φυγῇ πρὶν εἰς χεῖρας ἐλθεῖν ἐπονειδίστῳ χρησάμενος, ὥσπερ ἐμοῦ μόνον ἀφαιρησόμενος τὴν ἐκ τῆς νίκης δόξαν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐχὶ καὶ τῆς πατρίδος τὸ κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν πάθος.
Delphi Complete Works of Dionysius of Halicarnassus (Illustrated) (Delphi Ancient Classics Book 79) Page 652