§3.23.16δεινὴ δʼ ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις καὶ ἡ διὰ κενῆς ἐμπίπτουσα προδοσίας συμμάχων ἢ πολεμίων ἄλλων ἐφόδου δόκησις, καὶ πολλὰ ἤδη στρατεύματα μεγάλα ὑπʼ οὐδενὸς οὕτως ἑτέρου φοβεροῦ παθήματος ὡς ὑπὸ δόξης κενῆς ἴσμεν πανώλεθρα διαφθαρέντα.
And terrible in wars is also the illusion, arising groundlessly, of a betrayal by allies or of an attack by other enemies, and we know that many great armies have already been utterly destroyed, by no other so fearful disaster as by a groundless illusion.
τὸ δʼ ἡμέτερον οὐ λόγος ἔσται κενὸς οὐδʼ ἀφανὲς δεῖμα, ἀλλʼ ἔργον ἁπάσης ὄψεως καὶ πείρας φοβερώτερον.
But our case will not be a groundless rumor nor an unseen terror, but a deed more terrible than any sight and experience.
§3.23.17ἐὰν δʼ ἄρα τἀναντία τῶν λελογισμένων γινόμενα ὁρῶ ʽλεγέσθω γὰρ καὶ τὰ παρὰ τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας δόξας εἰωθότα ἀπαντᾶν, ἐπειδὴ πολλὰ καὶ τὰ μὴ εἰκότα οἱ βίοι φέρουσἰ τἀναντία καὶ αὐτὸς ὧν προὐθέμην ἐπιχειρήσω ποιεῖν.
And if, after all, I should see happening the opposite of what has been calculated (for let those things also be mentioned which are accustomed to happen contrary to human expectations, since lives bring many things that are even improbable), I myself will also attempt to do the opposite of what I proposed.
ἄξω γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἅμα Ῥωμαίοις καὶ συλλήψομαι αὐτοῖς τῆς νίκης τήν τε κατάληψιν τῶν ὑψηλῶν πεποιῆσθαι σκήψομαι τῆς κυκλώσεως τῶν ἀντιτεταγμένων ἕνεκα.
For I will lead you against the enemy along with the Romans and will help them win the victory, and I will pretend that the occupation of the heights was made for the sake of surrounding those drawn up against them.
γενήσεται δέ μου πιστὸς ὁ λόγος ἔργα ὁμολογούμενα τῇ σκήψει παρεσχημένου, ὥσθʼ ἡμᾶς τῶν μὲν δεινῶν μηδετέροις κοινωνῆσαι, τῆς δʼ ἀμείνονος τύχης παρʼ ἀμφοτέρων μεταλαβεῖν.
And my word will be believed, since I will have performed deeds that agree with the pretense, so that we shall share in the dangers with neither side, but partake of the better fortune from both.
§3.23.18ἐγὼ μὲν δὴ ταῦτα ἔγνωκά τε καὶ δράσω σὺν θεοῖς κράτιστα ὄντα οὐ μόνον Ἀλβανοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις Λατίνοις, ὑμᾶς δὲ χρὴ σιγὴν μὲν πρῶτον φυλάττοντας, ἔπειτα κόσμον τε σώζοντας καὶ τοῖς παραγγελλομένοις ὀξέως ὑπηρετοῦντας προθύμους ἀγωνιστὰς γίνεσθαι καὶ τοὺς ὑφʼ αὑτοῖς προθύμους παρέχειν, ἐνθυμουμένους ὅτι οὐχ ὅμοιός ἐστιν ἡμῖν τε καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις ὁ περὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίας ἀγών, οἷς2τισιν ἐν ἔθει καθέστηκεν ἄρχεσθαι ὑφʼ ἑτέρων καὶ ὅσοις τοιαύτην πολιτείαν οἱ πατέρες παρέδοσαν.
Indeed, I have resolved on these things and will do them with the help of the gods, they being best not only for the Albans but also for the other Latins. But you must, first keeping silence, then maintaining order and quickly obeying what is commanded, become eager combatants and make those under you eager, reflecting that the struggle for freedom is not the same for us as for other men—namely, those for whom it has become customary to be ruled by others, and those to whom their fathers handed down such a constitution.
§3.23.19ἐλεύθεροι γὰρ ἐξ ἐλευθέρων ἔφυμεν καὶ ἄρχειν τῶν προσοίκων παρέδοσαν ἡμῖν οἱ πατέρες ὁμοῦ τι πεντακόσια ἔτη τοῦτο τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ βίου διαφυλάξαντες, οὗ μὴ ἀποστερήσωμεν ἡμεῖς τοὺς ἐκγόνους.
For we were born free from free ancestors, and our fathers handed down to us to rule over our neighbors, having preserved this manner of life for almost five hundred years; let us not deprive our descendants of this.
παραστῇ δὲ μηδενὶ ὑμῶν δέος ἂν ταῦτα ἐθέλῃ πράττειν μὴ συνθήκας τε λύσῃ καὶ ὅρκους τοὺς ἐπʼ αὐταῖς γενομένους παραβῇ, ἀλλʼ ἐννοείσθω διότι τὰς ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων λελυμένας εἰς τὸ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀποκαταστήσει καὶ οὐ τάς γε ἐλαχίστου ἀξίας, ἀλλʼ ἃς ἥ τε φύσις ἡ ἀνθρωπεία κατεστήσατο καὶ ὁ πάντων κοινὸς Ἑλλήνων τε καὶ βαρβάρων βεβαιοῖ νόμος, ἄρχειν καὶ τὰ δίκαια τάττειν τοὺς πατέρας τοῖς ἐκγόνοις καὶ τὰς μητροπόλεις ταῖς ἀποικίαις.
And let no fear occur to any of you, if he wishes to do these things, lest he should break the treaty and violate the oaths made upon them, but let him consider that he will restore to their original state those relations which have been broken by the Romans—and not those of the least value, but those which human nature has established and the common law of all men, both Greeks and barbarians, confirms: namely, that fathers should rule and ordain what is just for their descendants, and mother cities for their colonies.
§3.23.20ταύτας δὴ τὰς συνθήκας οὐδέποτε ἀναιρεθησομένας ἐκ τῆς ἀνθρωπείας φύσεως οὐχ ἡμεῖς οἱ κυρίας ἀξιοῦντες αἰεὶ διαμένειν παρασπονδοῦμεν, οὐδʼ ἄν τις ἡμῖν θεῶν ἢ δαιμόνων νεμεσήσειεν ὡς ἀνόσια πράττουσιν εἰ δουλεύειν τοῖς ἰδίοις ἐκγόνοις δυσανασχετοῦμεν, ἀλλʼ οἱ καταλύσαντες αὐτὰς ἀρχῆθεν καὶ ἔργῳ ἐπιχειρήσαντες ἀθεμίτῳ κρείττω ποιῆσαι τοῦ θείου νόμου τὸν ἀνθρώπινον·
It is not we, who think they ought always to remain in force, who violate these treaties, which will never be removed from human nature, nor would any of the gods or spirits be angry with us as acting impiously if we are indignant at being enslaved to our own descendants; but those who have destroyed them from the beginning and have attempted, by an unlawful deed, to make human law superior to divine law.
καὶ ὅ τε δαιμόνιος χόλος οὐχ ἡμῖν, ἀλλὰ τούτοις ἐναντιώσεται κατὰ τὸ εἰκός, καὶ ἡ παρʼ ἀνθρώπων νέμεσις εἰς τούτους ἀνθʼ ἡμῶν κατασκήψει.
And divine wrath will, as is likely, oppose not us but them, and the indignation of men will fall upon them instead of us.
§3.23.21εἰ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα κράτιστα πᾶσιν ὑμῖν ἔσεσθαι δοκεῖ, πράττωμεν αὐτὰ θεοὺς καὶ δαίμονας ἀρωγοὺς ἐπικαλεσάμενοι, εἰ δέ τις ὑμῶν τἀναντία ἔγνωκε καὶ δυεῖν θάτερον ἢ μηδέποτε ἀνασώσασθαι τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἀξίωμα τῆς πόλεως οἴεται δεῖν, ἢ καιρὸν ἕτερόν τινα ἐπιτηδειότερον περιμένων ἀναβάλλεται τὸν παρόντα, μὴ κατοκνείτω φέρειν εἰς μέσον ἃ φρονεῖ· ὅ τι γὰρ ἂν ἅπασιν ὑμῖν κράτιστον φανῇ βούλευμα τούτῳ χρησόμεθα.
If, then, these things seem to all of you to be best, let us do them, calling upon gods and spirits as helpers, but if any of you has decided the opposite, and thinks either one of two things: that we must never recover the ancient dignity of our city, or, waiting for some other more suitable opportunity, postpones the present one, let him not hesitate to bring into the open what he thinks; for whatever plan appears best to all of you, this we shall follow.