§10.19.1καταστάντος δὲ τοῦ θορύβου δικαστήριά τε ἀπεδίδου τοῖς δεομένοις ἐκ πολλῶν παρειλκυσμένα χρόνων, καὶ τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν ἐγκλημάτων αὐτὸς ἴσως καὶ δικαίως διέκρινε διʼ ὅλης ἡμέρας ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος καθεζόμενος, εὐπρόσοδόν τε καὶ πρᾷον καὶ φιλάνθρωπον τοῖς ἐπὶ τὴν δικαιοδοσίαν ἀφικνουμένοις ἑαυτὸν παρεῖχε καὶ παρεσκεύασεν ἀριστοκρατικὴν οὕτως φανῆναι τὴν πολιτείαν, ὥστε μήτε δημάρχων δεηθῆναι τοὺς διὰ πενίαν ἢ δυσγένειαν ἢ ἄλλην τινὰ ταπεινότητα ὑπὸ τῶν κρειττόνων κατισχυομένους, μήτε καινῆς νομοθεσίας πόθον ἔχειν ἔτι τοὺς ἐν ἰσηγορίᾳ πολιτεύεσθαι βουλομένους, ἀλλʼ ἀγαπᾶν τε καὶ χαίρειν ἅπαντας ἐπὶ τῇ τότε κατασχούσῃ τὴν πόλιν εὐνομίᾳ.
When the disturbance was quieted, he restored the courts, which had been delayed for a long time, to those who needed them, and sat upon the tribunal all day long, deciding most of the accusations himself with equity and justice, and showed himself accessible, mild, and humane to those who came for justice, and made the government appear so aristocratic that those who were oppressed by the more powerful because of poverty, low birth, or any other low estate had no need of tribunes, nor did those who wished to live under an equal freedom of speech have any further desire for new legislation, but all loved and rejoiced in the good order that then prevailed in the city.
§10.19.2ταῦτά τε δὴ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐπῃνεῖτο ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου, καὶ ἐπεὶ τὸν ὡρισμένον ἐτέλεσε τῆς ἀρχῆς χρόνον τὸ μὴ δέξασθαι τὴν ὑπατείαν διδομένην τὸ δεύτερον μηδὲ §10.19.3ἀγαπῆσαι τηλικαύτην λαμβάνοντα τιμήν.
These acts of the man were praised by the people, and when he completed the prescribed term of his office, his refusal to accept the consulship when offered a second time, and his lack of desire to receive so great an honor, were also praised.
κατεῖχε γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῆς ὑπατικῆς ἐξουσίας ἡ βουλὴ πολλὰς προσφέρουσα δεήσεις, ἐπεὶ τὸ τρίτον οἱ δήμαρχοι διεπράξαντο μὴ ἀποθέσθαι τὴν ἀρχήν, ὡς ἐναντιωσόμενον αὐτοῖς καὶ παύσοντα τῶν καινῶν πολιτευμάτων, τὰ μὲν αἰδοῖ, τὰ δὲ φόβῳ, τὸν δὲ δῆμον ὁρῶσα οὐκ ἀναινόμενον ὑπʼ ἀνδρὸς ἀγαθοῦ ἄρχεσθαι.
For the senate, making many entreaties, tried to retain him in his consular power, since the tribunes had managed for the third time not to lay down their office; expecting that he would oppose them and stop their novel political measures, partly by respect, and partly by fear, and seeing that the people did not refuse to be ruled by a good man.
ὁ δʼ οὔτε τῶν δημάρχων ἐπαινεῖν ἔφη τὸ ἀπαραχώρητον τῆς ἐξουσίας οὔτε αὐτὸς εἰς ὁμοίαν ἐκείνοις ἥξειν διαβολήν.
But he said that he neither praised the tribunes' refusal to surrender their power, nor would he himself incur a similar censure.
§10.19.4συναγαγὼν δὲ τὸν δῆμον εἰς ἐκκλησίαν καὶ πολλὴν κατηγορίαν τῶν οὐκ ἀποτιθεμένων τὰς ἀρχὰς διαθέμενος ὅρκους τε διομοσάμενος ἰσχυροὺς περὶ τοῦ μὴ λήψεσθαι πάλιν τὴν ὑπατείαν, πρὶν ἀποθέσθαι τὴν προτέραν ἀρχήν, προεῖπεν ἀρχαιρεσίων ἡμέραν· ἐν ᾗ καταστήσας ὑπάτους ἀπῄει πάλιν εἰς τὸ μικρὸν ἐκεῖνο καλύβιον καὶ τὸν αὐτουργὸν ἔζη βίον ὡς πρότερον.
And having assembled the people in an assembly and made a long accusation against those who did not lay down their offices, and having taken solemn oaths that he would not accept the consulship again before laying down his former office, he proclaimed the day for the elections; on which day, having appointed consuls, he went back again to that small cottage and lived the life of a peasant-farmer as before.