§10.10.1ὅσον μὲν χρόνον οὐθὲν ἀκριβὲς ἡμῖν ἐφαίνετο τῶν προσαγγελλομένων δεινῶν, ἀλλὰ φῆμαι μετέωροι, καὶ τὸ βεβαιῶσον αὐτὰς οὐθὲν ἦν, ὠκνοῦμεν, ὦ βουλή, φέρειν τοὺς περὶ αὐτῶν λόγους εἰς μέσον, ταραχάς τε ὑποπτεύοντες ἔσεσθαι μεγάλας, οἷα εἰκὸς ἐπὶ δεινοῖς ἀκούσμασι, καὶ διʼ εὐλαβείας ἔχοντες, μὴ ταχύτερα δόξωμεν ὑμῖν βεβουλεῦσθαι μᾶλλον ἢ φρονιμώτερα.
"As long as nothing certain of the reported dangers appeared to us, but they were suspended rumors, and there was nothing to confirm them, we hesitated, senators, to bring the discussions about them into the open, suspecting that there would be great disturbances, as is natural upon hearing terrifying things, and acting with caution, lest we should seem to you to have planned too hastily rather than wisely.
§10.10.2οὐ μὴν ὀλιγωρίᾳ γʼ αὐτὰ παραδόντες ἀφήκαμεν, ἀλλʼ ὅση δύναμις ἡμῖν ἦν ἐπιμελῆ ζήτησιν ἐποιούμεθα τῆς ἀληθείας.
Indeed, we did not let them pass with neglect, but to the best of our power we made a careful search for the truth.
ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ τοῦ δαιμονίου πρόνοια, ὑφʼ ἧς ἀεὶ σωζόμεθα κοινῇ, καλῶς ποιοῦσα τὰ κεκρυμμένα βουλεύματα καὶ τὰς ἀνοσίους ἐπιχειρήσεις τῶν θεοῖς ἐχθρῶν εἰς φῶς ἄγει, καὶ γράμματα πάρεστιν ἡμῖν, ἃ δεδέγμεθα νεωστὶ παρὰ ξένων εὔνοιαν ἡμῖν ἐνδεικνυμένων, οὓς ὕστερον ἀκούσεσθε, καὶ συντρέχει τε καὶ συνᾴδει τοῖς ἔξωθεν ἐπιστελλομένοις τὰ ἐνθένδε μηνυόμενα, καὶ τὰ πράγματα οὐκέτι μέλλησιν οὐδʼ ἀναβολὴν ἐν χερσὶν ὄντα ἐπιδέχεται, πρὶν εἰς τὸν δῆμον ἐξενεγκεῖν, ὑμῖν πρώτοις ὥσπερ ἐστὶ δίκαιον ἀπαγγεῖλαι διέγνωμεν αὐτά.
But since the providence of the divine power, by which we are always preserved together, doing well, brings to light the hidden plans and the unholy undertakings of those hostile to the gods, and we have letters which we have recently received from strangers who show goodwill toward us, whose names you shall hear later, and what is reported from here runs parallel to and agrees with what was written from abroad, and the matters, being at hand, no longer admit of delay or postponement, we resolved, before bringing them out to the people, to report them to you first, as is just.
§10.10.3ἴστε δὴ συνωμοσίαν ἐπὶ τῷ δήμῳ γεγενημένην ὑπʼ ἀνδρῶν οὐκ ἀφανῶν, ἐν οἷς ἐνεῖναι μέν τι λέγεται μέρος οὐ πολὺ καὶ τῶν εἰς τόδε συλλεγομένων τὸ συνέδριον πρεσβυτέρων, τὸ δὲ πλεῖστον ἐκ τῶν ἔξω τῆς βουλῆς ἱππέων, οὓς οὔπω καιρὸς οἵτινές εἰσιν ὑμῖν λέγειν.
Know indeed that a conspiracy has been formed against the people by men of no obscure standing, among whom it is said that a not large part consists of the elders who assemble in this council, but the majority is from the knights outside the senate, whose names it is not yet the time to tell you.
§10.10.4μέλλουσι δʼ οὖν, ὡς πυνθανόμεθα, σκοταίαν φυλάξαντες νύκτα κοιμωμένοις ἡμῖν ἐπιχειρεῖν, ἡνίκα οὔτε προιδεῖν τι τῶν γινομένων οὔτε φυλάξασθαι καθʼ ἓν γενόμενοι δυνάμεθα· ἐπιπεσόντες δὲ ταῖς οἰκίαις τούς τε δημάρχους ἡμᾶς κατασφάττειν καὶ τῶν δημοτῶν ἄλλους ἐναντιωθέντας ποτὲ αὐτοῖς περὶ ἐλευθερίας ἢ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐναντιωσομένους.
In any case, they intend, as we learn, having watched for a dark night, to attack us while we are asleep, when we can neither foresee any of the things that are happening nor guard ourselves by coming together; and having fallen upon our houses, to slaughter us tribunes and those of the plebeians who once opposed them for freedom or will oppose them in the future.
ὅταν δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐκποδὼν ποιήσωνται, τότʼ ἤδη κατὰ πολλὴν ἀσφάλειαν ἡγοῦνται διαπράξασθαι παρʼ ὑμῶν τὰ λοιπὰ ἀναιρεθῆναι διὰ κοινοῦ ψηφίσματος τὰς γενομένας ὑμῖν πρὸς τὸν δῆμον ὁμολογίας.
And when they have put us out of the way, then at last they think they will achieve from you in great safety the rest, namely, that the agreements made by you with the people be abolished by a common decree.
§10.10.5ὁρῶντες δέ, ὅτι ξενικῆς αὐτοῖς χειρὸς εἰς τὰ πράγματα δεῖ κρύφα παρασκευασθείσης καὶ οὐδὲ ταύτης μετρίας, ἄνδρα προσειλήφασιν εἰς ταῦτα τῶν ὑμετέρων φυγάδων Καίσωνα Κοίντιον ἡγεμόνα, ὃν ἐπὶ φόνοις πολιτῶν καὶ διαστάσει τῆς πόλεως ἐξελεγχθέντα διεπράξαντό τινες τῶν ἐνθάδε μὴ δοῦναι δίκην, ἀλλʼ ἀθῷον ἀπελθεῖν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, κάθοδόν τε πράξειν ὑπέσχηνται καὶ ἀρχὰς προτείνονται καὶ τιμὰς καὶ ἄλλους μισθοὺς τῆς ὑπουργίας.
And seeing that they need a foreign force secretly prepared for these matters, and that not a moderate one, they have taken as their leader for this purpose Caeso Quinctius, one of your exiles, whom, though convicted of the murder of citizens and the division of the city, some of those here managed to escape punishment and depart from the city unharmed; and they have promised to effect his return and offer him offices, honors, and other rewards for his service.
§10.10.6κἀκεῖνος ὑπέσχηται στρατιὰν αὐτοῖς Αἰκανῶν καὶ Οὐολούσκων ἄξειν ἐπίκουρον, ὅσης ἂν δεηθῶσιν· ἥξει τε οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν αὐτὸς μὲν ἐπαγόμενος τοὺς εὐτολμοτάτους κρύφα κατʼ ὀλίγους εἰσάγων καὶ σποράδας, ἡ δʼ ἄλλη δύναμις, ὅταν οἱ τοῦ δήμου προεστηκότες ἡμεῖς διαφθαρῶμεν, ἐπὶ τὸ ἄλλο πλῆθος τῶν πενήτων χωρήσει, ἐάν τινες ἄρα περιέχωνται τῆς ἐλευθερίας.
And he has promised to bring them an auxiliary army of the Aequians and Volscians, as large as they may need; and he will come before long, bringing the most daring men himself, introducing them secretly in small numbers and scattered, while the rest of the force, when we, the leaders of the people, have been destroyed, will proceed against the remaining multitude of the poor, if indeed any of them still cling to freedom.
§10.10.7ταῦτʼ ἐστίν, ἃ βεβούλευνται ὑπὸ σκότους καὶ μέλλουσι δρᾶν, ὦ βουλή, δεινὰ καὶ ἀνόσια ἔργα, οὔτε θεῖον φοβηθέντες χόλον οὔτε ἀνθρωπίνην ἐντραπέντες νέμεσιν.
These are the things, senators, which they have planned in darkness and are about to do, terrible and unholy deeds, having neither feared divine wrath nor respected human retribution."