§11.19.1ὡς δʼ αἱ πλείους γνῶμαι διηγορεύθησαν, καὶ παρὰ πολὺ κρατεῖν ἐδόκουν οἱ τὸν πόλεμον ἐπικυροῦντες τῶν ἑτέρων, τότε Λεύκιον Οὐαλέριον ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις ἐκάλουν, ὃν ἔφην εὐθὺς ἐν ἀρχαῖς βουλόμενόν τι λέγειν κεκωλῦσθαι πρὸς αὐτῶν.
When the majority of the opinions had been declared, and those who favored ratifying the war seemed to prevail by far over the others, then they called upon Lucius Valerius among the last, whom I said had been prevented by them at the very beginning when he wished to say something.
ὁ δὲ ἀναστὰς τοιούτους διεξῆλθε λόγους· §11.19.2τὴν μὲν ἐπιβουλὴν τῶν δέκα ὁρᾶτε, ὦ πατέρες, οἳ κατʼ ἀρχάς τʼ οὐκ ἐπέτρεψάν μοι λέγειν ὅσα προῃρούμην πρὸς ὑμᾶς, καὶ νῦν ἐν τοῖς ὑστάτοις ἀποδεδώκασι λόγον ἐνθυμηθέντες, ὅπερ εἰκός, ὅτι τῇ τε Κλαυδίου γνώμῃ προσθέμενος οὐδὲν ὠφελήσω τὸ κοινὸν ὀλίγων αὐτῇ συνειρηκότων· ἑτέραν τε γνώμην παρὰ τὰς εἰρημένας αὐτοῖς ἀποφηνάμενος, κἂν τὰ κράτιστα ὑποθῶμαι, διακενῆς ἐρραψῳδηκὼς ἔσομαι.
And he, rising, delivered a speech to this effect: "You see, fathers, the machination of the ten, who at the beginning did not permit me to say what I intended to you, and now, among the last, have given me the floor, having reflected, as is natural, that if I agree with the opinion of Claudius, I shall do no good to the public, since only a few have spoken in support of it; and if I declare another opinion different from those expressed by them, even if I suggest the best course, I shall have spoken in vain.
§11.19.3εὐαρίθμητοι γάρ τινές εἰσιν οἱ μετʼ ἐμὲ ἀναστησόμενοι, οὓς ἐὰν ἅπαντας ὁμογνώμονας λάβω, τί γενήσεταί μοι πλέον οὐδὲ πολλοστὴν ἕξοντι μοῖραν τῶν Κορνηλίῳ συναγορευόντων;
For those who will rise after me are but few in number, whom even if I find to be entirely of one mind with me, what advantage will it be to me, who will not have even a tiny fraction of the number of those supporting Cornelius?
οὐ μὴν ἐγὼ ταῦθʼ ὑφορώμενος ὀκνήσω τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ γνώμην εἰπεῖν.
Yet, despite these suspicions, I shall not hesitate to declare my own opinion.
ὅταν γὰρ ἀκούσητε πάντων, ἐφʼ ὑμῖν ἔσται τὰ κράτιστα ἑλέσθαι.
For when you have heard all, it will be in your power to choose the best.
§11.19.4περὶ μὲν οὖν τῆς δεκαδαρχίας, ὃν τρόπον ἐπιμελεῖται τῶν κοινῶν, ὅσα Κλαύδιος ὁ βέλτιστος εἶπε, καὶ ἐμοὶ νομίσατε εἰρῆσθαι, καὶ ὅτι δεῖ νέας ἀρχὰς ἀποδειχθῆναι, πρὶν ἢ τὸ περὶ τοῦ πολέμου γενέσθαι ψήφισμα· καὶ γὰρ ταῦτα εἴρηται τῷ §11.19.5ἀνδρὶ κατὰ τὸ βέλτιστον.
Therefore, as to the decemvirate and the manner in which it administers public affairs, consider everything that the excellent Claudius said as having been said by me also, and that new magistrates must be appointed before the decree concerning the war is passed; for these things too were said by that man in the best possible manner.
ἐπεὶ δὲ Κορνήλιος εἰς τὸ ἀδύνατον ἀπάγειν ἐπειρᾶτο τὴν γνώμην πολλοὺς τοὺς μεταξὺ χρόνους ἀποφαίνων ταῖς πολιτικαῖς οἰκονομίαις γενησομένους ἐν χερσὶν ὄντος τοῦ πολέμου, καὶ χλευάζειν ἐπεχείρει πράγματα οὐκ ἐπιτήδεια χλευασμῶν, οἷς παρακρουσάμενος ὑμᾶς τοὺς πολλοὺς ᾤχετο φέρων, ἐγὼ καὶ περὶ τοῦ μὴ ἀδύνατον εἶναι τὴν Κλαυδίου γνώμην διαλέξομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς· ὡς μὲν γὰρ ἀσύμφορος, οὐδὲ τῶν διασυράντων αὐτὴν οὐδεὶς ἐτόλμησεν εἰπεῖν·
But since Cornelius tried to reduce that opinion to an impossibility, by showing that a great deal of intervening time would be required for the civil administrations while the war was on their hands, and attempted to mock matters not suited for mockery, by which, having deceived you, the majority, he carried you away, I shall discourse with you also concerning the fact that Claudius's opinion is not impossible; for as being disadvantageous, not even any of those who disparaged it dared to say so.
καὶ διδάξω, πῶς ἂν ἥ τε χώρα διʼ ἀσφαλείας γένοιτο, καὶ δίκην δοῖεν οἱ τολμήσαντες αὐτὴν κακῶς ποιεῖν, καὶ τὴν πάτριον ἀπολάβοιμεν ἀριστοκρατίαν, καὶ ταῦθʼ ἅμα γένοιτο συναγωνιζομένων ἁπάντων τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ μηδενὸς τἀναντία πράττειν ἀξιοῦντος, σοφίαν οὐδεμίαν ἀποδεικνύμενος ὑμῖν, τὰ δὲ πραχθέντα ὑφʼ ὑμῶν αὐτῶν παραδείγματα φέρων.
And I shall show how the territory might be made safe, and those who dared to ravage it might pay the penalty, and we might recover our ancestral aristocracy, and how these things might be achieved at the same time, with everyone in the city struggling together and no one deeming it right to act to the contrary, exhibiting no cleverness to you, but bringing forward examples of things performed by yourselves.
ἔνθα γὰρ ἡ πεῖρα διδάσκει τὸ συμφέρον, τί δεῖ στοχασμῶν ἐκεῖ;
For where experience teaches what is useful, what need is there of conjectures?"