§11.13.1ἀλλὰ δέδοικα, μὴ πρόφασις μὲν οὐκ ἀληθὴς ὁ κίνδυνος ᾖ τοῦ μὴ παραχωρεῖν τῆς ἀρχῆς — μυρίοις γοῦν ὑπῆρξε τυραννίδας ἀποθεμένοις μηδὲν δεινὸν ὑπὸ τῶν πολιτῶν παθεῖν —, αἱ δʼ ἀληθεῖς ὦσιν αἰτίαι φιλοτιμία κενὴ τὴν εἰκόνα τῆς δόξης διώκουσα καὶ πόθος ἡδονῶν ὀλεθρίων, ἃς οἱ τυραννικοὶ φέρουσι βίοι.
But I fear lest the danger be an untrue pretext for not giving up the rule—at any rate, it was possible for countless people who laid down their tyrannies to suffer nothing terrible from the citizens—and the true causes be vain ambition pursuing the image of glory and a desire for destructive pleasures, which tyrannical lives bring.
§11.13.2εἰ δὲ βούλει μὴ τὰ εἴδωλα καὶ τὰς σκιὰς τῶν τιμῶν καὶ τῶν εὐημεριῶν διώκειν, ἀλλʼ αὐτὰς καρποῦσθαι τὰς ἀληθεῖς τιμάς, ἀπόδος τὴν ἀριστοκρατίαν τῇ πατρίδι καὶ τιμὰς λάμβανε παρὰ τῶν ἴσων καὶ ζήλου τύγχανε παρὰ τῶν ἐπιγιγνομένων καὶ κλέος ἀθάνατον ἀντὶ τοῦ θνητοῦ σώματος κατάλιπε τοῖς ἐγγόνοις.
But if you wish not to pursue the images and shadows of honors and successes, but to enjoy the true honors themselves, restore the aristocracy to the fatherland, and receive honors from your equals, and obtain emulation from posterity, and leave immortal glory to your descendants in place of a mortal body.
αὗται γάρ εἰσι βέβαιοι καὶ ἀληθεῖς τιμαὶ καὶ ἀναφαίρετοι χαριέστατοί §11.13.3τε καὶ ἀμεταμέλητοι.
For these are secure and true honors, and cannot be taken away, being most delightful and causing no regret.
τρέφε τὴν ψυχὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τῆς πατρίδος ἡδόμενος, ὧν οὐκ ἐλαχίστη μοῖρα δόξεις γεγονέναι δυναστείαν βαρεῖαν αὐτῆς ἀφελόμενος.
Nourish your soul, rejoicing in the good fortunes of the fatherland, of which you will be thought to have been no small part, having removed its heavy tyranny.
ποίησαι δὲ τούτων παραδείγματα τοὺς προγόνους ἐνθυμηθείς, ὅτι τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκείνων οὐδεὶς ἐπεθύμησεν ἐξουσίας δεσποτικῆς οὐδὲ ταῖς ἐπονειδίστοις τοῦ σώματος ἐδούλευσεν ἡδοναῖς.
And make the ancestors your examples of these things, reflecting that none of those men desired despotic power, nor slaved to the shameful pleasures of the body.
τοιγάρτοι καὶ ζῶσιν αὐτοῖς ὑπῆρχε τιμᾶσθαι καὶ τελευτήσασιν ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπιγινομένων ἐπαινεῖσθαι.
For this very reason, it was possible for them to be honored while living and to be praised by posterity after they had died.
§11.13.4μαρτυρεῖται γάρ τοι παρὰ πάντων αὐτοῖς, ὅτι τῆς ἀριστοκρατίας, ἣν ἐκβαλοῦσα τοὺς βασιλεῖς ἡμῶν ἡ πόλις κατεστήσατο, βεβαιότατοι φύλακες ἐγένοντο.
For indeed it is testified to them by all that they became the most steadfast guardians of the aristocracy, which our city established after expelling the kings.
καὶ μηδὲν τῶν σεαυτοῦ λαμπροτάτων λόγων τε καὶ πράξεων ἐπιλανθάνου.
And do not forget any of your own most brilliant words and deeds.
καλαὶ γὰρ αἱ πρῶταί σου τῶν πολιτικῶν ἔργων ὑποθέσεις ἐγένοντο καὶ μεγάλας ἐπέθρεψαν ἡμῖν ἀρετῆς ἐλπίδας, αἷς ἀκολούθως καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ πράττειν σʼ ἅπαντες ἀξιοῦμεν.
For noble were the first undertakings of your political actions, and they nourished in us great hopes of virtue, in accordance with which we all deem it right that you should perform the rest of your actions.
§11.13.5ἀναχώρει δὴ πάλιν εἰς τὴν σεαυτοῦ φύσιν, Ἄππιε τέκνον, καὶ γίνου τῇ προαιρέσει τῶν πολιτευμάτων μὴ τυραννικός, ἀλλʼ ἀριστοκρατικὸς καὶ φεῦγε τοὺς πρὸς ἡδονὴν ὁμιλοῦντας, διʼ οὓς ἐξέβης τῶν χρηστῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων καὶ παρεπλάγχθης τῆς ὀρθῆς ὁδοῦ.
Return, then, back to your own nature, child Appius, and become in the choice of your political principles not tyrannical, but aristocratic; and flee those who associate with you for pleasure, because of whom you departed from honorable pursuits and strayed from the right path.
οὐ γὰρ ἔχει λόγον, ὑφʼ ὧν ἂν γένηταί τις ἐξ ἀγαθοῦ κακός, ὑπὸ τούτων πάλιν αὐτὸν ἐκ πονηροῦ γενέσθαι χρηστόν.
For it is not reasonable that, by those through whom someone became bad from being good, he should by these same people become good again from being bad.