§4.80.1ἀλλὰ τί τούτοις ἐπιτιμῶ τοσαύτας ἔχων αὐτοῦ παρανομίας κατηγορεῖν ἔξω τῶν εἰς τοὺς συγγενεῖς καὶ κηδεστὰς γενομένων, τὰς εἰς τὴν πατρίδα καὶ πάντας ἡμᾶς ἐπιτελεσθείσας, εἰ δὴ καὶ παρανομίας δεῖ καλεῖν αὐτάς, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀνατροπὰς καὶ ἀφανισμοὺς ἁπάντων τῶν τε νομίμων καὶ τῶν ἐθῶν;
But why do I censure these things, when I can accuse him of so many illegalities, quite apart from those committed against his relatives and connections by marriage, namely, those perpetrated against our country and all of us—if indeed we must call them "illegalities" and not rather the subversion and destruction of all laws and customs?
αὐτίκα τὴν ἡγεμονίαν, ἵνʼ ἀπὸ ταύτης ἄρξωμαι, πῶς παρέλαβεν;
For example, how did he receive the sovereign power, to begin with this?
ἆρά γʼ ὡς οἱ πρὸ αὐτοῦ γενόμενοι βασιλεῖς;
Was it indeed like the kings who lived before him?
πόθεν;
Far from it!
§4.80.2πολλοῦ γε καὶ δεῖ.
Indeed, it is very far from that.
ἐκεῖνοι μέντοι πάντες ὑφʼ ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τὰς δυναστείας παρήγοντο κατὰ τοὺς πατρίους ἐθισμοὺς καὶ νόμους· πρῶτον μὲν ψηφίσματος ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς γραφέντος, ᾗ περὶ πάντων ἀποδέδοται τῶν κοινῶν προβουλεύειν· ἔπειτα μεσοβασιλέων αἱρεθέντων, οἷς ἐπιτρέπει τὸ συνέδριον ἐκ τῶν ἀξίων τῆς ἀρχῆς διαγνῶναι τὸν ἐπιτηδειότατον· μετὰ ταῦτα ψῆφον ἐπενέγκαντος ἐν ἀρχαιρεσίαις τοῦ δήμου, μέθʼ ἧς ἅπαντα ἐπικυροῦσθαι βούλεται τὰ μέγιστα ὁ νόμος· ἐφʼ ἅπασι δὲ τούτοις οἰωνῶν καὶ σφαγίων καὶ τῶν ἄλλων σημείων καλῶν γενομένων, ὧν χωρὶς οὐδὲν ἂν γένοιτο τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης σπουδῆς καὶ προνοίας ὄφελος.
For all of those kings were brought to their powers by you in accordance with ancestral customs and laws: first, after a decree was drafted by the senate, to which it is committed to deliberate beforehand on all public matters; next, after interreges were chosen, to whom the senate entrusts the duty of deciding the most suitable candidate from among those worthy of the office; after these, after the people cast their votes in the assembly, by which the law wills that all the greatest matters be ratified; and upon all these, after favorable omens from flights of birds, sacrifices, and other signs appeared, without which there would be no benefit from human zeal and foresight.
§4.80.3φέρε δὴ τί τούτων οἶδέ τις ὑμῶν γενόμενον, ὅτε τὴν ἀρχὴν Ταρκύνιος ἐλάμβανε;
Come now, does any of you know of any of these things having occurred when Tarquinius was taking the power?
ποῖον προβούλευμα συνεδρίου;
What preliminary decree of the senate was there?
τίνα μεσοβασιλέων διάγνωσιν;
What decision of interreges?
ποίαν δήμου ψηφοφορίαν;
What voting of the people?
ποίους οἰωνοὺς αἰσίους;
What favorable omens?
οὐ λέγων ταῦτα πάντα, καίτοι δέον, εἰ γοῦν ἔμελλεν ἕξειν καλῶς, μηδὲν τῶν ἐν ἔθει κατὰ τοὺς νόμους παραλελεῖφθαι, ἀλλʼ ἐάν τις ἓν μόνον ἔχῃ τούτων ἐπιδεῖξαι γεγονός, οὐκ ἀξιῶ τὰ παραλειφθέντα συκοφαντεῖν.
I do not say all these things—although it was necessary, if indeed it was to be well, that nothing of the customary rites according to the laws should be omitted—but if anyone can show even one of these things to have happened, I do not think it right to make false charges about those that were omitted.
πῶς οὖν παρῆλθεν ἐπὶ τὴν δυναστείαν;
How then did he come to the power?
ὅπλοις καὶ βίᾳ καὶ πονηρῶν ἀνθρώπων συνωμοσίαις, ὡς τυράννοις ἔθος, ἀκόντων ὑμῶν καὶ δυσχεραινόντων.
By arms, by violence, and by conspiracies of wicked men, as is the custom of tyrants, while you were unwilling and displeased.
§4.80.4φέρε, ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ κατέσχε τὴν δυναστείαν ὁπωσδήποτε λαβών, ἆρα βασιλικῶς αὐτῇ κέχρηται ζηλῶν τοὺς προτέρους ἡγεμόνας, οἳ λέγοντές τε καὶ πράττοντες τοιαῦτα διετέλουν, ἐξ ὧν εὐδαιμονεστέραν τε καὶ μείζω τὴν πόλιν τοῖς ἐπιγινομένοις παρέδοσαν, ἧς αὐτοὶ παρέλαβον;
Come, but since he secured the power, however he got it, did he indeed use it in a kingly manner, emulating the former rulers, who continued saying and doing such things by which they handed down a happier and greater city to their successors than they themselves had received?
καὶ τίς ἂν ὑγιαίνων ταῦτα φήσειεν, ὁρῶν ὡς οἰκτρῶς καὶ κακῶς ἅπαντες ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ διατεθείμεθα;
And who in their right mind would say this, seeing how wretchedly and badly we have all been treated by him?