§11.41.1οὔτε σωφρόνων οὔτε γενναίων ἐστὶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ μὲν ἀλλότρια κτᾶσθαι διʼ ἀνδραγαθίαν, τὰ δʼ οἰκεῖα περιορᾶν ἀπολλύμενα διὰ μαλακίαν οὐδὲ πρὸς μὲν Αἰκανοὺς καὶ Οὐολούσκους καὶ Σαβίνους καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους περιοίκους ἅπαντας πολεμεῖν μακροὺς καὶ ἀδιαλείπτους πολέμους ὑπὲρ ἀρχῆς καὶ δυναστείας, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς παρὰ νόμον ἄρχοντας ὑμῶν μὴ θέλειν ἄρασθαι τὰ ὅπλα ὑπὲρ ἀσφαλείας τε καὶ ἐλευθερίας.
It is the part of neither wise nor noble men to acquire the property of others through bravery, while permitting their own to be lost through weakness, nor, on the one hand, to wage long and unceasing wars for the sake of empire and dominion against the Aequi, Volsci, Sabines, and all their other neighbors, while, on the other hand, refusing to take up arms for safety and liberty against those who rule you contrary to the law.
§11.41.2οὐκ ἀναλήψεσθε τὸ φρόνημα τῆς πατρίδος;
Will you not recover the spirit of your country?
οὐ παραστήσεται λογισμὸς ὑμῖν τῆς ἀρετῆς τῶν γονέων ἄξιος, οἳ διὰ μιᾶς γυναικὸς ὕβριν ὑφʼ ἑνὸς τῶν Ταρκυνίου παίδων ὑβρισθείσης καὶ διὰ τὴν συμφορὰν ταύτην ἑαυτὴν διαχρησαμένης, οὕτως ἠγανάκτησαν ἐπὶ τῷ πάθει καὶ παρωξύνθησαν καὶ κοινὴν ἀπάντων ἡγήσαντο τὴν ὕβριν, ὥστʼ οὐ μόνον Ταρκύνιον ἐξέβαλον ἐκ τῆς πόλεως, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ βασιλικὸν πολίτευμα κατέλυσαν, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἀπεῖπον μηδένα Ῥωμαίων ἄρχειν διὰ βίου τὴν ἀνυπεύθυνον ἀρχήν, αὐτοί τε τοὺς μεγίστους ὀμόσαντες ὅρκους, καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἐγγόνων ἀράς, §11.41.3ἐάν τι παρὰ ταῦτα ποιῶσι, καταρασάμενοι;
Will there not arise in you a resolution worthy of the virtue of your ancestors, who, because of the outrage committed against a single woman, she having been outraged by one of the sons of Tarquinius and having put an end to her own life because of this misfortune, were so indignant at the suffering and so provoked, and considered the outrage common to all, that they not only expelled Tarquinius from the city but also abolished the royal government, and for the future forbade any Roman to hold irresponsible office for life, having themselves sworn the greatest oaths and having invoked curses upon their descendants, if they should do anything contrary to this, having cursed them?
ἔπειτʼ ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ἑνὸς οὐκ ἤνεγκαν ἀκολάστου μειρακίου τυραννικὴν ὕβριν εἰς ἓν σῶμα ἐλεύθερον γενομένην, ὑμεῖς δὲ πολυκέφαλον τυραννίδα πάσῃ παρανομίᾳ τε καὶ ἀσελγείᾳ χρωμένην καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον χρησομένην, §11.41.4ἐὰν νῦν ἀνάσχησθε, ὑπομενεῖτε;
And then, while those men did not tolerate the tyrannical outrage of a single licentious youth committed against a single free person, will you submit to a many-headed tyranny that practices every lawlessness and licentiousness, and will practice even more, if you now tolerate it?
οὐκ ἐμοὶ μόνῳ θυγάτηρ ἐγένετο διαφέρουσα τὴν ὄψιν ἑτέρων, ἣν ἀπὸ τοῦ φανεροῦ βιάζεσθαι καὶ προπηλακίζειν Ἄππιος ἐπεβάλετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑμῶν εἰσι πολλαὶ τοῖς μὲν θυγατέρες, τοῖς δὲ γαμεταί, τοῖς δὲ νεανίαι παῖδες εὐπρεπεῖς, οὓς τί κωλύσει πρὸς ἄλλου τινὸς τῶν δέκα τυράννων ἢ πρὸς αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἀππίου ταὐτὰ παθεῖν;
It was not to me alone that a daughter was born, surpassing others in beauty, whom Appius attempted openly to violate and insult, but you also have many daughters, some of you wives, and others handsome young sons. What will prevent them from suffering the same treatment from some other of the Decemvirs or from Appius himself?
εἰ μή τις ἄρα θεῶν ἐστιν ἐγγυητής, ὡς, ἐὰν τὰς ἐμὰς ταύτας συμφορὰς ἀτιμωρήτους ἐάσητε, οὐκ ἐφʼ ὑμῶν πολλοὺς τὰ ὅμοια δεινὰ ἥξει, ἀλλὰ μέχρι τῆς ἐμῆς θυγατρὸς ὁ τυραννικὸς ἔρως προελθὼν στήσεται, καὶ περὶ τὰ λοιπὰ σώματα παίδων τε καὶ παρθένων σωφρονήσει.
Unless, indeed, some god is a surety to you that, if you leave these misfortunes of mine unavenged, similar terrible things will not come upon many of you, but that this tyrannical lust, having proceeded as far as my daughter, will stop, and will behave with moderation toward the remaining bodies of your children and maidens.
πολλῆς μέντοι μωρίας καὶ σκαιότητος, σαφῶς ἴστε, τὰ νοούμενα ταῦθʼ ὡς οὐκ ἔσται λέγειν.
Know clearly, however, that it is the part of great folly and perversity to say that these things which are imagined will not happen.
§11.41.5ἀόριστοι γὰρ αἱ τῶν τυράννων ἐπιθυμίαι κατὰ τὸ εἰκός, οἷα δὴ μήτε νόμον ἔχουσαι κωλυτὴν μήτε φόβον.
For the desires of tyrants are naturally boundless, having neither law to restrain them nor fear.
ἐμοί τε δὴ πράττοντες τιμωρίαν δικαίαν καὶ ὑμῖν αὐτοῖς ἀσφάλειαν, ἵνα μὴ ταὐτὰ πάθητε, παρασκευαζόμενοι διαρρήξατε ἤδη ποτὲ τοὺς χαλινούς, ὦ σχέτλιοι·
Therefore, both by exacting a just vengeance for me and by securing safety for yourselves, so that you may not suffer the same things, break at last the reins, O wretched men!
§11.41.6ἀναβλέψατε ὀρθοῖς ὄμμασι πρὸς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν.
Look up with straight eyes toward liberty.
ἐπὶ τίνι γὰρ ἑτέρᾳ προφάσει μᾶλλον ἀγανακτήσετε ἢ ταύτῃ, ὅτε τὰς τῶν πολιτῶν θυγατέρας ὡς δούλας ἀπάγουσιν οἱ τύραννοι καὶ μετὰ μαστίγων νυμφαγωγοῦσιν;
For on what other pretext will you show greater indignation than on this, when the tyrants drag away the daughters of the citizens like slaves and lead them as brides with whips?
ἐν ποίῳ δὲ τὸ ἐλεύθερον φρόνημα ἀναλήψεσθε καιρῷ τὸν νῦν παρέντες, ἐν ᾧ τὰ ὅπλα περὶ τοῖς σώμασιν ἔχετε;
At what other time will you recover your free spirit, if you let slip the present opportunity, when you have arms about your bodies?