§11.20.1μέμνησθε, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτῶν τούτων ἐθνῶν ὥσπερ νῦν δυνάμεις ἐνέβαλον, αἱ μὲν εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν γῆν, αἱ δʼ εἰς τὴν τῶν συμμάχων ἡμῶν, κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν ἀμφότεραι χρόνον Γαΐου Ναυτίου καὶ Λευκίου Μινυκίου τὴν ὑπατείαν ἐχόντων, ἔνατον ἢ δέκατον ἔτος οἶμαι τουτί.
"You remember, that from these very same nations, just as now, forces made an incursion, some into our land, and others into that of our allies, both at the same time, when Gaius Nautius and Lucius Minucius held the consulship, this being, I think, the ninth or tenth year ago.
§11.20.2τότε τοίνυν ἀποστειλάντων ὑμῶν νεότητα πολλὴν καὶ ἀγαθὴν ἐπʼ ἀμφότερα τὰ ἔθνη τῷ μὲν ἑτέρῳ τῶν ὑπάτων εἰς δυσχωρίας ἀναγκασθέντι κατακλεῖσαι τὸ στρατόπεδον πρᾶξαι μὲν οὐδὲν ἐξεγένετο, πολιορκεῖσθαι δʼ ἐν τῷ χάρακι καὶ κινδυνεύειν σπάνει τῶν ἐπιτηδείων ἁλῶναι·
At that time, therefore, although you had sent out a large and brave body of youth against both nations, for one of the consuls, who was forced to shut up his camp in difficult ground, it was not possible to achieve anything, but he was besieged within his rampart and was in danger of being captured through a lack of provisions.
Ναυτίῳ δʼ ἀντικαθημένῳ Σαβίνων μάχας ἀναγκαῖον ἦν τίθεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς αὐτοὺς συνεχεῖς καὶ μηδʼ οἵῳ τʼ εἶναι τοῖς κάμνουσι τῶν σφετέρων βοηθεῖν.
While Nautius, encamped opposite the Sabines, was obliged to engage in continuous battles against the same enemies, and was not even able to assist those of his own men who were hard-pressed.
ἦν τ οὐκ ἄδηλον, ὅτι τῆς ἐν Αἰκανοῖς στρατιᾶς ἀναρπασθείσης οὐδʼ ἡ Σαβίνους πολεμοῦσα ἀνθέξει συνελθόντων εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ §11.20.3τῶν πολεμίων ἀμφοτέρων.
And it was not unclear that, if the army among the Aequians were destroyed, not even the one fighting the Sabines would hold out, once both enemies had united in the same place.
τοιούτων δὴ κινδύνων τὴν πόλιν περιστάντων καὶ οὐδὲ τῶν ἐντὸς τείχους ὁμονοούντων τίνα βοήθειαν εὕρασθε ὑμεῖς περὶ μέσας νύκτας εἰς τὸ βουλευτήριον συνελθόντες;
When such dangers surrounded the city, and not even those within the walls were of one mind, what remedy did you find, when you assembled in the senate-house about midnight?
ἥπερ ὤνησεν ὁμολογουμένως πάντα τὰ πράγματα καὶ φερομένην τὴν πόλιν εἰς ἀτυχὲς πτῶμα ὤρθωσεν, ἀρχὴν ἀπεδείξατε μίαν αὐτοκράτορα πολέμου καὶ εἰρήνης, ἁπάσας τὰς ἄλλας καταλύσαντες ἀρχάς, καὶ πρὶν ἡμέραν γενέσθαι δικτάτωρ ἀπεδέδεικτο Λεύκιος Κοίντιος ὁ βέλτιστος, §11.20.4οὐδʼ ἐν τῇ πόλει τότʼ ὤν, ἀλλʼ ἐν ἀγρῷ.
The very one which admittedly saved all affairs and set upright the city as it was drifting toward a disastrous fall: you appointed a single magistracy with absolute power over war and peace, having suspended all the other magistracies, and before day dawned, the excellent Lucius Quinctius had been declared dictator, who was not even in the city at the time, but in the country.
τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα ἴστε δήπου τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἔργα, ὅτι καὶ δυνάμεις ἀξιοχρέους παρεσκευάσατο καὶ τὸ κινδυνεῦον στρατόπεδον ἐρρύσατο καὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἐτιμωρήσατο καὶ τὸν στρατηγὸν αὐτῶν αἰχμάλωτον ἔλαβε· καὶ ταῦτα ἐν ἡμέραις τεσσαρεσκαίδεκα μόναις ἅπαντα διαπραξάμενος καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο σαθρὸν ἦν τῆς πολιτείας ἐπανορθωσάμενος ἀπέθετο τὰς ῥάβδους·
His deeds after this you surely know: that he prepared sufficient forces, rescued the endangered camp, punished the enemy, and took their general prisoner; and having accomplished all this in only fourteen days, and having corrected whatever else was unsound in the commonwealth, he laid down his rods.
καὶ τὸ κωλῦον οὐδὲν ἐγένετο νέαν ἀρχὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κυρωθῆναι μιᾷ βουλομένων ὑμῶν.
And there was nothing to prevent a new magistracy from being ratified in a single day, if you so wished.
τοῦτο δὴ τὸ παράδειγμα μιμησαμένους ἡμᾶς οἴομαι δεῖν, ἐπειδὴ οὐδὲν ἄλλο ποιεῖν δυνάμεθα, δικτάτορα ἑλέσθαι, πρὶν ἐντεῦθεν ἐξελθεῖν· ἐὰν γὰρ ὑπερβαλώμεθα τοῦτον τὸν καιρόν, οὐκέτι συνάξουσιν ἡμᾶς οἱ δέκα βουλευσομένους ὑπὲρ οὐδενός·
It is this example, I think, that we ought to imitate, since we can do nothing else, and choose a dictator before we depart from here; for if we let this opportunity pass, the ten will no longer assemble us to deliberate on anything.
§11.20.5ἵνα δὲ καὶ κατὰ νόμους ἡ τοῦ δικτάτορος ἀνάρρησις γένηται, τὴν μεσοβασίλειον ἀρχὴν ἑλέσθαι, τὸν ἐπιτηδειότατον ἐκλέξαντας τῶν πολιτῶν· ὃ ποιεῖν σύνηθές ἐστιν ὑμῖν, ὅταν μήτε βασιλεῖς ἔχητε μήτε ὑπάτους μήτʼ ἄλλην νόμιμον ἀρχὴν μηδεμίαν, ὥσπερ νῦν οὐκ ἔχετε.
And in order that the declaration of the dictator may also be according to the laws, we should choose the office of interrex, electing the most suitable of the citizens; which is customary for you to do whenever you have neither kings, nor consuls, nor any other legal magistracy, just as you have none now.
τοῖς γὰρ ἀνδράσι τούτοις παρελήλυθεν ὁ τῆς ἀρχῆς χρόνος, §11.20.6καὶ τὰς ῥάβδους αὐτῶν ὁ νόμος ἀφῄρηται.
For, for these men, the term of their office has expired, and the law has stripped them of their rods.
ταῦτʼ ἔστιν ἃ παραινῶ πράττειν, ὦ πατέρες, ὑμῖν, καὶ συμφέροντα καὶ δυνατά.
These are the things, fathers, which I advise you to do, both advantageous and possible.
ἣν δὲ Κορνήλιος εἰσηγεῖται γνώμην, κατάλυσις ὁμολογουμένη τῆς ἀριστοκρατίας ὑμῶν ἐστιν.
But the opinion which Cornelius proposes is admittedly the destruction of your aristocracy.
ἐὰν γὰρ ἅπαξ ὅπλων οἱ δέκα γένωνται κύριοι τῇδε τῇ προφάσει τοῦ πολέμου, δέδοικα μὴ καθʼ ἡμῶν αὐτοῖς χρήσωνται.
For if once the ten become masters of arms under this pretext of war, I fear lest they may use them against us.
οἱ γὰρ οὐκ ἀξιοῦντες ἀποθέσθαι τὰς ῥάβδους, ἦ που γε τὰ ὅπλα ἀποθήσονται;
For will those who do not deign to lay down their rods, surely lay down their arms?
λογιζόμενοι δὴ ταῦτα φυλάττεσθε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, καὶ πᾶσαν ἀπάτην αὐτῶν προβλέπετε.
Reflecting, then, on these things, guard against these men, and foresee all their deception.
κρείττων γὰρ ἡ πρόνοια τῆς μεταμελείας καὶ τὸ μὴ πιστεύειν τοῖς πονηροῖς σωφρονέστερον τοῦ προπιστεύσαντας κατηγορεῖν.
For foresight is better than regret, and not trusting the wicked is wiser than accusing them after having trusted them first."