§5.1τῶν τοίνυν ἐγκλημάτων τῶν κατὰ Τιβερίου μέγιστόν ἐστιν ὅτι τὸν συνάρχοντα τῆς δημαρχίας ἐξέβαλε καὶ δευτέραν αὐτὸς δημαρχίαν μετῄει· Γαΐῳ δὲ τὸν Ἀντυλλίου φόνον οὐ δικαίως οὐδὲ ἀληθῶς προσετρίβοντο διεφθάρη γὰρ ἄκοντος αὑτοῦ καὶ ἀγανακτοῦντος.
Therefore, among the accusations against Tiberius, the greatest is that he deposed his colleague in the tribuneship and himself sought a second tribuneship; while to Gaius they attributed the murder of Antyllius neither justly nor truly, for he was slain against his will and to his indignation.
Κλεομένης δέ, ἵνα τὰς σφαγὰς τῶν ἐφόρων ἐάσωμεν, ἠλευθέρωσε μὲν ἅπαντας τοὺς οἰκέτας, §5.2ἐβασίλευσε δὲ τῷ μὲν ἔργῳ μόνος, τῶ δὲ ὀνόματι δεύτερος, Εὐκλείδαν τὸν αοελφὸν? ἐκ μιᾶς οἰκίας αὑτῷ προσελόμενος, Ἀρχίδαμον δέ, ᾧ προσῆκον ἦν ἀπὸ τῆς ἑτέρας οἰκίας ὄντι συμβασιλεύειν, ἔπεισε μὲν ἐκ Μεσσήνης κατελθεῖν, ἀποθανόντος δὲ τὸν φόνον οὐκ ἐπεξελθών ἐβεβαίωσε τὴν αἰτίαν καθʼ αὑτοῦ τῆς ἀναιρέσεως.
But Cleomenes, to say nothing of his slaughter of the ephors, set free all the slaves, and ruled in fact alone, though in name as second, having chosen his brother Eucleidas from the same house as his colleague; and as for Archidamus, who, being of the other house, had a right to reign with him, he persuaded him to return from Messene, but when he was killed, by not prosecuting his murder he confirmed the accusation of the assassination against himself.
§5.3καίτοι Λυκοῦργος, ὃν προσεποιεῖτο μιμεῖσθαι, τὴν μὲν βασιλείαν ἑκὼν ἀπέδωκε τῷ παιδὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Χαρίλλῳ, φοβούμενος δὲ μή, κἂν ἄλλως ἀποθάνῃ τὸ μειράκιον, αἰτία τις ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ἔλθῃ, πολὺν χρόνον ἔξω πλανηθεὶς οὐ πρότερον ἐπανῆλθεν ἢ παῖδα τῷ Χαρίλλῳ γενέσθαι διάδοχον τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἀλλὰ Λυκούργῳ μὲν οὐδὲ ἄλλος τις Ἑλλήνων παραβλητὸς οὐδείς· ὅτι δὲ τοῖς Κλεομένους πολιτεύμασι καινοτομίαι καὶ παρανομίαι μείζονες ἔνεισι, δεδήλωται.
And yet Lycurgus, whom he pretended to imitate, voluntarily restored the kingdom to his brother’s son, Charillus, and fearing lest, even if the youth should die from some other cause, some suspicion might fall upon himself, he wandered abroad for a long time, and did not return until a son had been born to Charillus to succeed to the rule. But indeed, no other of the Greeks is comparable to Lycurgus; and that in the political measures of Cleomenes there were greater innovations and lawless acts, has been shown.
§5.4καὶ μὴν οἵ γε τὸν τρόπον αὑτῶν ψέγοντες τούτοις μὲν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τυραννικὸν καὶ πολεμοποιὸν αἰτιῶνται γενέσθαι, τῇ δὲ ἐκείνων φύσει φιλοτιμίας ἀμετρίαν, ἄλλο δὲ οὐδέν οἱ φθονοῦντες ἐπικαλεῖν εἶχον ἐκριπισθέντας δὲ τῷ πρὸς τοὺς ἐνισταμένους ἀγῶνι καὶ θυμῷ παρὰ τὴν αὑτῶν φύσιν ὥσπερ πνοαῖς, ἐφεῖναι περὶ τὰ ἔσχατα τὴν πολιτείαν ὡμολόγουν.
Moreover, those who censure their character accuse the former of having been from the start tyrannical and warlike, but as for the nature of the latter, even those who envied them had nothing else to object to but an excess of ambition; and they admitted that, being swept away by the conflict against their opponents and by anger, as if by gusts of wind, contrary to their own nature, they abandoned the state to extreme dangers.
§5.5ἐπεὶ τῆς γε πρώτης ὑποθέσεως τί κάλλιον ἢ δικαιότερον ἦν, εἰ μὴ κατὰ βίαν καὶ δυναστείαν ἐπιχειρήσαντες ἐξῶσαι τὸν νόμον οἱ πλούσιοι περιέστησαν ἀμφοτέροις ἀγῶνας, τῷ μὲν φοβουμένῳ ὑπὲρ αὑτοῦ, τῷ δὲ ἐκδικοῦντι τὸν ἀδελφόν ἄνευ δίκης καὶ δόγματος οὐδὲ ὑπʼ ἄρχοντος ἀναιρεθέντα;
For as to their first proposal, what was more beautiful or more just, if the rich, attempting by violence and power to thrust out the law, had not brought struggles upon them both, the one fearing for his own life, and the other avenging his brother, who had been slain without trial or decree, and not even by a magistrate?
§5.6Συνορᾷς μὲν οὖν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων τὴν διαφοράν εἰ δὲ δεῖ καὶ καθʼ ἕκαστον ἀποφήνασθαι, Τιβέριον μὲν ἀρετῇ πεπρωτευκέναι τίθημι πάντων, ἐλάχιστα δὲ ἡμαρτηκέναι τὸ μειράκιον Ἆγιν, πράξει δὲ καὶ τόλμῃ Γάϊον οὐκ ὀλίγῳ Κλεομένους ὕστερον γεγονέναι.
You see, then, for yourself the difference from what has been said; and if I must declare my opinion on each, I hold that Tiberius held the first place of all in virtue, and that the youth Agis erred the least, while in action and boldness Gaius was not a little behind Cleomenes.