§10.29.1ταῦτα καὶ πολλὰ τούτοις ὅμοια εἰπὼν παρεστήσατο τοὺς πρεσβυτάτους τῶν πατρικίων κλαίοντας, οὓς ἰδόντες πολλοὶ τῶν δημοτικῶν οὐδʼ αὐτοὶ κατέχειν τὰ δάκρυα ἐδύναντο.
Having said these things and many others like them, he brought forward the eldest of the patricians weeping, at the sight of whom many of the plebeians could not themselves restrain their tears.
γενομένης δὲ πολλῆς συμπαθείας πρός τε τὰς ἡλικίας τῶν ἀνδρῶν καὶ πρὸς §10.29.2τὰς ἀξίας μικρὸν ἐπισχὼν ὁ ὕπατος· οὐκ αἰσχύνεσθε, ἔφησεν, ὦ πολῖται, οὐδὲ κατὰ γῆς δύεσθε, εἰ οἵδε οἱ γέροντες ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν τῶν νέων τὰ ὅπλα ἀναλήψονται, ἀλλʼ ὑπομενεῖτε ἀπολειφθῆναι τούτων ἡγουμένων, οὓς ἀεὶ πατέρας ἐκαλεῖτε;
When great sympathy arose both for the age of the men and for their dignity, the consul, having paused for a moment, said: "Are you not ashamed, O citizens, and do you not wish to sink into the earth, if these old men are to take up arms on behalf of you who are young, and will you endure to be left behind while these lead, whom you always call fathers?
ὦ σχέτλιοι ὑμεῖς καὶ οὐδὲ πολῖται ταύτης ἄξιοι λέγεσθαι τῆς γῆς, ἣν ἔκτισαν οἱ τοὺς πατέρας ἐπὶ τῶν ὤμων ἐνέγκαντες, οἷς καὶ διʼ ὅπλων καὶ διὰ πυρὸς ὁδοὺς ἀσφαλεῖς θεοὶ παρέσχον.
O wretched you, and not even worthy to be called citizens of this land, which was founded by those who carried their fathers on their shoulders, for whom the gods provided safe passages both through weapons and through fire.
§10.29.3ὡς δὲ κατέμαθεν ὁ Οὐεργίνιος ἀγόμενον τὸν δῆμον ὑπὸ τῶν λόγων, δεδοικώς, μὴ παρὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γνώμην κοινωνεῖν ὑπομείνῃ τοῦ πολέμου, παρελθὼν εἶπεν· ἡμεῖς οὔτʼ ἐγκαταλείπομεν οὔτε προδίδομεν ὑμᾶς, ὦ πατέρες, οὐδʼ ἂν ἀπολειφθείημεν ὑμῶν, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ πρότερον ἠξιώσαμεν οὐδεμιᾶς ἀπολειφθῆναι στρατείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ζῆν αἱρούμεθα σὺν ὑμῖν καὶ πάσχειν, ὅ τι ἂν τῷ §10.29.4δαίμονι δοκῇ, μεθʼ ὑμῶν.
But when Virginius perceived that the people were being swayed by his words, fearing lest they should submit to take part in the war contrary to his own judgment, he came forward and said: 'We neither desert nor betray you, O fathers, nor would we be left behind by you, just as previously we did not think fit to be left out of any campaign; but we choose both to live with you and to suffer whatever may seem good to the deity, together with you.
πρόθυμοι δʼ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ περὶ ὑμᾶς γεγονότες ἀξιοῦμεν μετρίας παρʼ ὑμῶν τυχεῖν χάριτος, ὥσπερ τῶν κοινῶν κινδύνων ἰσομοιροῦμεν ὑμῖν, οὕτως καὶ τῶν δικαίων τὸ ἴσον ἔχειν, νόμους καταστησάμενοι φύλακας τῆς ἐλευθερίας, οἷς ἅπαντες ἀεὶ χρησόμεθα.
And having been eager on your behalf at all times, we deem it right to obtain a moderate favor from you, so that, just as we share equally with you in common dangers, we may likewise have an equal share of rights, by establishing laws as guardians of liberty, which we all shall always use.
§10.29.5εἰ δὲ προσίσταται τοῦθʼ ὑμῖν, καὶ οὐκ ἀξιοῦτε τοῖς ἑαυτῶν πολίταις ταύτην συγχωρῆσαι τὴν χάριν, ἀλλὰ θανάτου τιμᾶσθε τὸ μεταδοῦναι τῷ δήμῳ τῆς ἰσηγορίας, οὐκέτι φιλονεικοῦμεν ὑμῖν· αἰτησόμεθα δʼ ἑτέραν παρʼ ὑμῶν χάριν, ἧς τυχόντες ἴσως ἂν οὐδὲ καινῶν ἔτι δεηθείημεν νόμων.
But if this is repugnant to you, and you do not deem it right to grant this favor to your own citizens, but rate the sharing of equal speech with the people as equivalent to death, we no longer contend with you; and we shall ask another favor from you, which if we obtain, we might perhaps no longer need new laws.
εἰσέρχεται δʼ ἡμᾶς εὐλάβεια, μή ποτε οὐδὲ ταύτης τύχωμεν, ἐξ ἧς τῇ βουλῇ μὲν οὐδὲν ἔσται βλάβος, τῷ δὲ δήμῳ τιμή τις ὑπάρξει καὶ φιλανθρωπία.
Yet an apprehension enters us, lest we should not even obtain this, from which there will be no harm to the senate, but to the people there will be some honor and kindness.'