§4.1οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἔστιν ἐν τούτοις τὸν Νικίαν ἐπαινεῖν ἢ ψέγειν τὸν Κράσσον.
Nevertheless, in these matters it is more possible to praise Nicias than to blame Crassus.
ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐμπειρίᾳ καὶ λογισμῷ χρησάμενος ἡγεμόνος ἔμφρονος οὐ συνηπατήθη ταῖς ἐλπίσι τῶν πολιτῶν, ἀλλʼ ἀπεῖπε καὶ ἀπέγνω λήψεσθαι Σικελίαν· ὁ δʼ ὡς ἐπὶ ῥᾷστον ἔργον τὸν Παρθικὸν ὁρμήσας πόλεμον ἥμαρτεν.
For the former, using the experience and calculation of a wise leader, was not deceived along with the hopes of his fellow citizens, but refused and despaired of taking Sicily; whereas the latter, having rushed into the Parthian war as if it were the easiest of tasks, made a blunder.
§4.2ὠρέχθη δὲ μεγάλων, Καίσαρος τὰ ἑσπέρια καὶ Κελτοὺς καὶ Γερμανοὺς καταστρεφομένου καὶ Βρεττανίαν, αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τὴν ἕω καὶ τὴν Ἰνδικὴν ἐλάσαι θάλασσαν καὶ προσεργάσασθαι τὴν Ἀσίαν οἷς Πομπήιος ἐπῆλθε καὶ Λούκουλλος ἀντέσχεν, ἄνδρες εὐμενεῖς καὶ πρὸς πάντας ἀγαθοὶ διαμείναντες, προελόμενοι δʼ ὅμοια Κράσσῳ καὶ τὰς αὐτὰς ὑποθέσεις λαβόντες, §4.3ἐπεὶ καὶ Πομπηΐῳ τῆς ἀρχῆς διδομένης ἡ σύγκλητος ἠναντιοῦτο, καὶ Καίσαρα μυριάδας τριάκοντα Γερμανῶν τρεψάμενον συνεβούλευεν ὁ Κάτων ἐκδοῦναι τοῖς ἡττημένοις καὶ τρέψαι τὸ μήνιμα τοῦ παρασπονδήματος εἰς ἐκεῖνον ὁ δὲ δῆμος ἐρρῶσθαι φράσας Κάτωνι, πεντεκαίδεκα ἡμέρας ἔθυεν ἐπινίκια καὶ περιχαρὴς ἦν.
He desired great things: while Caesar was subduing the western regions, the Celts, the Germans, and Britain, he himself wished to march to the East and the Indian Sea, and to annex Asia to those regions which Pompey had overrun and Lucullus had contended with—men who remained mild and good to all, yet chose things similar to Crassus and adopted the same designs; for indeed, when command was being given to Pompey, the senate opposed it; and when Caesar routed three hundred thousand Germans, Cato advised that they should deliver him up to those whom he had defeated, and turn the wrath for his breach of treaty upon him; but the people, telling Cato to go and be hanged, offered sacrifices of thanksgiving for fifteen days and were full of joy.
§4.4πῶς οὖν ἂν διετέθη καὶ πόσας ἔθυσεν ἡμέρας, εἰ Κράσσος ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος ἔγραψε νικᾶν, εἶτʼ ἐπελθὼν Μηδίαν, Περσίδα, Ὑρκανούς, Σοῦσα, Βάκτρα, Ῥωμαίων ἐπαρχίας ἀπέδειξεν;
How, then, would they have been disposed, and how many days of sacrifice would they have celebrated, if Crassus had written from Babylon that he was victorious, and then, invading Media, Persia, Hyrcania, Susa, and Bactria, had declared them to be Roman provinces?
εἴπερ γὰρ ἀδικεῖν χρή, κατὰ τὸν Εὐριπίδην, ἡσυχίαν ἄγειν μὴ δυναμένους μηδὲ χρῆσθαι τοῖς παροῦσιν ἀγαθοῖς εἰδότας, οὐ Σκάνδειαν, οὐ Μένδην ἐκκοπτέον, οὐδὲ φεύγοντας Αἰγινήτας ἀπολελοιπότας τὴν ἑαυτῶν,
For if indeed one must do injustice, as Euripides says, when men are unable to keep quiet and do not know how to enjoy their present blessings, they should not destroy Scandeia or Mende, nor hunt down the fleeing Aeginetans who have abandoned their own land, as if they were birds hidden in another country; rather, they should value doing injustice highly, not throwing away justice lightly or for any chance object, as if it were something trivial or small.
§4.5ὥσπερ ὄρνιθας εἰς ἑτέραν χώραν ἀποκεκρυμμένους, ἐκθηρατέον, ἀλλὰ πολλοῦ τιμητέον τὸ ἀδικεῖν, μὴ ῥᾳδίως μηδʼ ἐπὶ τοῖς τυχοῦσιν, ὥς τι φαῦλον ἢ μικρὸν, προϊεμένους τὸ δίκαιον, οἱ δὲ τὴν μὲν τῆς Ἀλεξάνδρου στρατείας ὁρμὴν ἐπαινοῦντες, τὴν δὲ Κράσσου ψέγοντες, οὐκ εὖ τὰ πρῶτα κρίνουσιν ἀπὸ τῶν τελευταίων.
But those who praise the impulse of Alexander's campaign while blaming that of Crassus do not judge the beginning well by the end.