§10.13.1ταῦτα τὰ βουλεύματα ἦν αὐτῶν, ὦ βουλή, καὶ τὸν μεταξὺ χρόνον ὃν ἑωρᾶτε συνεδρεύοντας αὐτούς, οὗτος ὁ δόλος ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ὑφαίνετο ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀρίστοις ὑμῶν, καὶ τοῦτο τὸ δίκτυον κατὰ τῶν εὐγενεστάτων ἱππέων ἐπλέκετο.
These were their plans, senators; and during the intervening time that you saw them meeting together, this plot was being woven by them against the best of you, and this net was being woven against the most noble of the knights.
καὶ ὅτι ἀληθῆ ταῦτʼ §10.13.2ἐστί, βραχέος μοι πάνυ δεῖ λόγου.
And that these things are true, I need but a very short speech.
φέρε γὰρ εἴπατέ μοι, Οὐεργίνιε, οἱ τὰ δεινὰ πεισόμενοι, παρὰ τίνων ἐδέξασθε τὰ γράμματα ξένων;
For come, tell me, Verginius, and you who are to suffer these terrible things, from what foreigners did you receive the letters?
τῶν ποῦ κατοικούντων, ἢ πόθεν ὑμᾶς εἰδότων, ἢ πῶς τἀνθάδε συνεδρευόμενα ἐπισταμένων;
Where do they live, or how do they know you, or how are they acquainted with what is being deliberated here?
τί ἀναβάλλεσθε καὶ μετὰ ταῦτʼ ἐρεῖν αὐτοὺς ὑπισχνεῖσθε, ἀλλʼ οὐ πάλαι λέγετε;
Why do you delay and promise to name them hereafter, instead of telling us long ago?
τίς δʼ ὁ τὰ γράμματα κομίσας ὑμῖν ἀνήρ ἐστι;
And who is the man who brought the letters to you?
τί οὐ κατάγετε αὐτὸν εἰς μέσον, ἵνʼ ἀπʼ ἐκείνου πρῶτον ἀρξώμεθα ζητεῖν, εἴτε ἀληθῆ ταῦτʼ ἐστίν, εἴτε ὡς ἐγώ φημι πλάσματα ὑμέτερα;
Why do you not bring him into the midst, so that we may begin the investigation first from him, whether these things are true, or, as I say, they are your inventions?
§10.13.3αἱ δὲ δὴ συνᾴδουσαι τοῖς ξενικοῖς γράμμασι μηνύσεις παρὰ τῶν ἐνθάδε τίνες τʼ εἰσὶ καὶ ὑπὸ τίνων γενόμεναι;
And what indeed are the disclosures from the people here that agree with the foreign letters, and by whom were they made?
τί κρύπτετε τὰς πίστεις, ἀλλʼ οὐκ εἰς τὸ ἐμφανὲς ἄγετε;
Why do you hide the proofs instead of bringing them into the open?
ἀλλʼ οἶμαι τῶν μήτε γενομένων μήτε ἐσομένων ἀδύνατον εὑρεθῆναι πίστιν.
But, I suppose, it is impossible for proof to be found of things that have neither happened nor are ever to happen.
§10.13.4ταῦτʼ ἐστίν, ὦ βουλή, μηνύματα οὐ κατὰ τούτων συνωμοσίας, ἀλλὰ καθʼ ὑμῶν δόλου καὶ πονηρᾶς γνώμης, ᾗ κέχρηνται κρύψαντες οὗτοι· τὰ γὰρ πράγματα αὐτὰ βοᾷ.
These, senators, are indications not of a conspiracy against them, but of a plot and an evil design against you, which these men have employed in secret; for the facts themselves cry out.
αἴτιοι δʼ ὑμεῖς οἱ τὰ πρῶτα ἐπιτρέψαντες αὐτοῖς καὶ τὸ ἀνόητον τῆς ἀρχῆς μεγάλῃ καθοπλίσαντες ἐξουσίᾳ, ὅτε Κοίντιον Καίσωνα τῷ παρελθόντι ἐνιαυτῷ κρίνειν ἐπʼ αἰτίαις ψευδέσιν εἰάσατε, καὶ τοσοῦτον φύλακα τῆς ἀριστοκρατίας ἀναρπαζόμενον ὑπʼ αὐτῶν περιείδετε.
And you are to blame, who yielded the first things to them and armed the foolishness of their office with great power, when in the past year you permitted Caeso Quinctius to be tried on false accusations, and looked on while so great a protector of the aristocracy was being snatched away by them.
τοιγαροῦν οὐκέτι μετριάζουσιν οὐδὲ καθʼ ἕνα τῶν εὐγενῶν περικόπτουσιν, ἀλλʼ ἀθρόους ἤδη περιβαλόντες τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς ἐλαύνουσιν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως·
Therefore they no longer keep within bounds, nor do they cut off the noblemen one by one, but having now encompassed the good men in a body, they are driving them from the city.
§10.13.5καὶ πρὸς τοῖς ἄλλοις κακοῖς οὐδʼ ἀντειπεῖν αὐτοῖς ἀξιοῦσιν οὐθένα ὑμῶν, ἀλλʼ εἰς ὑποψίας καὶ διαβολὰς ἄγοντες ὡς κοινωνοῦντα τῶν ἀπορρήτων δεδίττονται καὶ μισόδημον εὐθὺς εἶναί φασι, καὶ προλέγουσιν ἥκειν ἐπὶ τὸν δῆμον ὑφέξοντα τῶν ἐνθάδε ῥηθέντων δίκας.
And in addition to their other evils, they do not even deign to let any of you speak against them, but leading you into suspicions and slanders on the ground of sharing in secret matters, they terrify you and immediately declare you to be an enemy of the people, and they warn you to appear before the people to undergo punishment for what has been said here.
§10.13.6ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ μὲν τούτων ἕτερος ἔσται καιρὸς ἐπιτηδειότερος τοῖς λόγοις, νυνὶ δὲ συντεμῶ τὸν λόγον καὶ παύσομαι τὰ πλείω διατεινόμενος· φυλάττεσθαι ὑμῖν παραινῶ τούσδε τοὺς ἄνδρας ὡς συνταράττοντας τὴν πόλιν καὶ μεγάλων ἐκφέροντας ἀρχὰς κακῶν καὶ οὐκ ἐνθάδε μὲν ταῦτα λέγω, πρὸς δὲ τὸν δῆμον ἀποκρύψομαι, ἀλλὰ κἀκεῖ παρρησίᾳ δικαίᾳ χρήσομαι, διδάσκων ὡς οὐδὲν αὐτοῖς ἐπικρέμαται δεινόν, ὅτι μὴ κακοὶ καὶ δόλιοι προστάται πολεμίων ἔργα ἐν προσποιήματι φίλων διαπραττόμενοι.
But concerning these matters there will be another more suitable time for speech, and now I will cut short my discourse and cease from speaking at greater length; I advise you to guard against these men as those who are throwing the city into confusion and bringing about the beginnings of great evils. And I do not speak these things here and then conceal them from the people, but there too I will use just frankness, showing them that no danger hangs over them, except their wicked and deceitful leaders who, under the pretense of being friends, are performing the deeds of enemies.
§10.13.7ταῦτʼ εἰπόντος τοῦ ὑπάτου κραυγή τε καὶ πολὺς ἔπαινος ἐκ τῶν παρόντων ἐγένετο, καὶ οὐδὲ λόγου τοῖς δημάρχοις ἔτι μεταδόντες διέλυσαν τὸν σύλλογον.
When the consul had said this, there was a shout and great praise from those present, and without even giving the tribunes an opportunity to speak, they dismissed the meeting.
ἔπειθʼ ὁ μὲν Οὐεργίνιος ἐκκλησίαν συναγαγὼν κατηγόρει τῆς τε βουλῆς καὶ τῶν ὑπάτων, ὁ δὲ Κλαύδιος ἀπελογεῖτο τοὺς αὐτοὺς λόγους διεξιών, οὓς εἶπεν ἐπὶ τῆς βουλῆς.
Then Verginius, having assembled an assembly, accused both the senate and the consuls, while Claudius defended himself by repeating the same arguments which he had spoken before the senate.
οἱ μὲν οὖν ἐπιεικέστεροι τῶν δημοτικῶν κενὸν ὑπώπτευον εἶναι τὸν φόβον, οἱ δʼ εὐηθέστεροι πιστεύοντες ταῖς φήμαις ἀληθῆ· ὅσοι δὲ κακοήθεις ἦσαν ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ μεταβολῆς ἀεὶ δεόμενοι, τοῦ μὲν ἐξετάζειν τἀληθὲς ἢ ψεῦδος οὐκ εἶχον πρόνοιαν, ἀφορμὴν δὲ διχοστασίας ἐζήτουν καὶ θορύβου.
Now the more moderate of the plebeians suspected that the fear was groundless, but the more simple-minded, believing the rumors, thought it was true; while those among them who were malicious and always desirous of a change had no thought of examining the truth or falsehood of the matter, but were seeking an opportunity for division and tumult.