§4.73.1χαλεπῆς δὲ καὶ δυσκρίτου τῆς αἱρέσεως ἅπασι φαινομένης διὰ τὰς παρακολουθούσας ἑκάστῃ τῶν πολιτειῶν κακίας τελευταῖος παραλαβὼν τὸν λόγον ὁ Βροῦτος εἶπεν· ἐγὼ δʼ, ὦ Λουκρήτιε καὶ Κολλατῖνε καὶ πάντες ὑμεῖς οἱ παρόντες ἄνδρες ἀγαθοὶ καὶ ἐξ ἀγαθῶν, καινὴν μὲν οὐδεμίαν οἴομαι δεῖν ἡμᾶς καθίστασθαι πολιτείαν κατὰ τὸ παρόν·
As the choice appeared difficult and hard to decide for all because of the evils accompanying each of the constitutions, Brutus, being the last to receive the floor, said: "I, O Lucretius and Collatinus, and all you who are present, good men and descended from good men, think that we ought to establish no new constitution at the present time.
ὅ τε γὰρ καιρός, εἰς ὃν συνήγμεθα ὑπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων, βραχύς, ἐν ᾧ μεθαρμόσασθαι πόλεως κόσμον οὐ ῥᾴδιον, ἥ τε πεῖρα τῆς μεταβολῆς, κἂν τὰ κράτιστα τύχωμεν περὶ αὐτῆς βουλευσάμενοι, σφαλερὰ καὶ οὐκ ἀκίνδυνος, ἐξέσται θʼ ἡμῖν ὕστερον, ὅταν ἀπαλλαγῶμεν τῆς τυραννίδος μετὰ πλείονος ἐξουσίας καὶ κατὰ σχολὴν βουλευομένοις τὴν κρείττονα πολιτείαν ἀντὶ τῆς χείρονος ἑλέσθαι, εἰ δή τις ἄρα ἔστι κρείττων, ἧς Ῥωμύλος τε καὶ Πομπίλιος καὶ πάντες οἱ μετʼ ἐκείνους βασιλεῖς καταστησάμενοι παρέδοσαν ἡμῖν, ἐξ ἧς μεγάλη καὶ εὐδαίμων καὶ πολλῶν ἄρχουσα ἀνθρώπων ἡ πόλις ἡμῶν διετέλεσεν.
For both the time into which we have been brought by circumstances is short, in which it is not easy to reorganize the order of the city, and the trial of change, even if we should happen to have deliberated best concerning it, is unstable and not without danger, and it will be possible for us later, when we are rid of the tyranny, deliberating with greater authority and at leisure, to choose the better constitution instead of the worse, if indeed there is any better than that which Romulus and Pompilius and all the kings after them established and handed down to us, under which our city has continued to be great and prosperous and ruling over many people.
§4.73.2ἃ δὲ παρακολουθεῖν εἴωθε ταῖς μοναρχίαις χαλεπά, ἐξ ὧν εἰς τυραννικὴν ὠμότητα περιίστανται καὶ διʼ ἃ δυσχεραίνουσιν ἅπαντες αὐτάς, ταῦθʼ ὑμῖν ἐπανορθώσασθαί τε καὶ νῦν καὶ ἵνα μηδʼ ἐξ ὑστέρου γένηταί §4.73.3ποτε φυλάξασθαι παραινῶ.
But those difficulties which are accustomed to accompany monarchies, from which they turn into tyrannical cruelty and because of which all men dislike them, these I advise you to correct both now, and to guard against so that they may never arise in the future.
τίνα δʼ ἐστὶ ταῦτα;
And what are these?
πρῶτον μὲν ἐπειδὴ τὰ ὀνόματα τῶν πραγμάτων οἱ πολλοὶ σκοποῦσι καὶ ἀπὸ τούτων ἢ προσίενταί τινα τῶν βλαβερῶν ἢ φεύγουσι τῶν ὠφελίμων, ἐν οἷς καὶ τὴν μοναρχίαν εἶναι συμβέβηκε, μεταθέσθαι τοὔνομα τῆς πολιτείας ὑμῖν παραινῶ καὶ τοὺς μέλλοντας ἕξειν τὴν ἁπάντων ἐξουσίαν μήτε βασιλεῖς ἔτι μήτε μονάρχους καλεῖν, ἀλλὰ μετριωτέραν τινὰ καὶ φιλανθρωποτέραν ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς θέσθαι προσηγορίαν.
First, since the multitude look to the names of things and by these either admit some of the harmful things or flee from some of the beneficial things—among which it has happened that monarchy also is—I advise you to change the name of the government, and no longer to call those who are going to have the power of all either kings or monarchs, but to place upon them some more moderate and more humane title.
§4.73.4ἔπειτα μὴ ποιεῖν μίαν γνώμην ἁπάντων κυρίαν, ἀλλὰ δυσὶν ἐπιτρέπειν ἀνδράσι τὴν βασιλικὴν ἀρχήν, ὡς Λακεδαιμονίους πυνθάνομαι ποιεῖν ἐπὶ πολλὰς ἤδη γενεάς, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ πολιτεύματος ἁπάντων μάλιστα τῶν Ἑλλήνων εὐνομεῖσθαί τε καὶ εὐδαιμονεῖν·
Secondly, not to make a single opinion master of all things, but to entrust the royal power to two men, as I understand the Lacedaemonians have been doing for many generations already, and because of this form of constitution they are, of all the Greeks, the best governed and most prosperous.
ἧττον γὰρ ὑβρισταὶ καὶ βαρεῖς ἔσονται διαιρεθείσης τῆς ἐξουσίας διχῇ καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχοντος ἰσχὺν ἑκατέρου· αἰδώς τʼ ἀλλήλων καὶ κώλυσις τοῦ καθʼ ἡδονὴν ζῆν φιλοτιμία τε πρὸς ἀρετῆς δόκησιν ἐκ ταύτης γένοιτʼ ἂν ἑκάστῳ τῆς ἰσοτίμου δυναστείας μάλιστα.
For they will be less insolent and oppressive if the power is divided in two, and each has the same strength; and mutual respect, and the prevention of living according to one's pleasure, and emulation for the reputation of virtue would, from this equal authority, arise most of all in each."