§4.9.1πολλή με ἀνάγκη κατείληφεν, ἄνδρες πολῖται, κήδεσθαι τῶν παιδίων τούτων καὶ νηπίων.
A great necessity has constrained me, fellow citizens, to care for these children and infants.
Ταρκύνιος γὰρ ὁ πάππος αὐτῶν ἀπάτορα καὶ ἄπολιν ὄντα με παραλαβὼν ἐξέθρεψεν οὐδὲν ἐνδεέστερον ἄγων τῶν αὑτοῦ τέκνων καὶ τὴν ἑτέραν τῶν θυγατέρων ἔδωκέ μοι γυναῖκα, καὶ παρὰ πάντα τὸν τοῦ βίου χρόνον ὥσπερ ἐξ αὑτοῦ γεγονότα τιμῶν καὶ φιλῶν, ὡς καὶ ὑμεῖς ἴστε, διετέλεσε, καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὰ περὶ τὴν ἐπιβουλὴν αὐτῷ συνέπεσεν, εἴ τι πάθοι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων,
For Tarquinius, their grandfather, took me in when I was fatherless and without a city, reared me in no way inferior to his own children, and gave me one of his daughters as my wife; and through all his life, as you also know, he continued to honor and love me as if I were his own offspring.
§4.9.2ἐμοὶ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τῶν παιδίων ἐπίστευσε.
And when the conspiracy against him occurred, in case he should suffer any human fate, he entrusted to me the care of the children.
τίς οὖν ἢ πρὸς θεοὺς ὅσιον ἢ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους δίκαιον ὑπολήψεταί με, ἐὰν ἐγκαταλίπω καὶ προδῶ τοὺς ὀρφανούς, οἷς τοσαύτας ὀφείλω χάριτας;
Who then, either before the gods as holy or before men as just, will regard me if I abandon and betray the orphans to whom I owe so many favors?
ἀλλʼ οὔτε τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ προδώσω πίστιν οὐδὲ τὴν τῶν παιδίων ἐρημίαν ἐγκαταλείψω κατὰ δύναμιν τὴν ἐμήν.
Nay, neither will I betray my own good faith, nor will I abandon the friendless state of the children, to the best of my power.
δίκαιοι δʼ ἐστὲ καὶ ὑμεῖς διαμεμνῆσθαι τὰς εὐεργεσίας, ἃς ὁ πάππος αὐτῶν τὸ κοινὸν εὐηργέτησεν ὑποτάξας μὲν ὑμῖν τὰς Λατίνων τοσαύτας πόλεις ἀντιποιουμένας τῆς ἀρχῆς, ὑπηκόους δὲ ποιήσας Τυρρηνοὺς ἅπαντας μέγιστον τῶν περιοίκων δυναμένους, ἀναγκάσας δὲ τὸ Σαβίνων ἔθνος ὑποχείριον ὑμῖν γενέσθαι, μετὰ πολλῶν ἅκαντα ταῦτα καὶ μεγάλων κινδύνων κατεργασάμενος.
And it is just that you too should remember the benefits which their grandfather bestowed upon the commonwealth, having subjected to you so many cities of the Latins that disputed your rule, having made subjects of all the Etruscans, who were the most powerful of your neighbors, and having compelled the nation of the Sabines to become subject to you, having accomplished all these things through many and great dangers.
§4.9.3ὅσον μὲν οὖν αὐτὸς ἔζη χρόνον, ἐκείνῳ κροσῆκεν ὑμᾶς τὰς ὑπὲρ τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν χάριτας εἰδέναι, ἐπειδὴ δὲ τετελεύτηκε τὸν βίον τοῖς ἐγγόνοις αὐτοῦ τὰς ἀμοιβὰς ἀποτίνειν, καὶ μὴ συγκατορύττειν ἅμα τοῖς σώμασι τῶν εὐεργετῶν καὶ τὴν μνήμην τῶν ἔργων.
As long, therefore, as he himself lived, it was fitting for you to feel gratitude to him for his benefits; but now that he has ended his life, it is fitting to pay the return to his descendants, and not to bury the memory of his deeds together with the bodies of your benefactors.
δόξατε οὖν κοινῇ πάντες ἐπίτροποι καταλελεῖφθαι τῶν παιδίων καὶ βεβαιοῦτε αὐτοῖς ἣν ὁ πάππος κατέλιπεν ἀρχήν.
Consider yourselves, therefore, all in common to have been left as guardians of the children, and secure for them the rule which their grandfather left.
οὐδὲν γὰρ τοσοῦτον ἀπολαύσειαν ἂν ἐκ τῆς ἐμῆς ἑνὸς ὄντος προστασίας, ὅσον ἐκ τῆς κοινῆς ἁπάντων ὑμῶν βοηθείας.
For they would derive no such benefit from my protection alone, as from the common assistance of you all.
§4.9.4ταῦτα δʼ εἰπεῖν ἠνάγκασμαι συνισταμένους τινὰς ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς αἰσθόμενος καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἑτέροις παραδοῦναι βουλομένους.
And I have been forced to say these things because I perceive that certain men are forming a conspiracy against them and wish to hand over the rule to others.
ἀξιῶ δʼ ὑμᾶς, ἄνδρες Ῥωμαῖοι, καὶ τῶν ἐμῶν μεμνημένους ἀγώνων, οὓς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡγεμονίας ἠγωνισάμην, οὔτε μικρῶν ὄντων οὔτʼ ὀλίγων, οὓς οὐδὲν δέομαι πρὸς εἰδότας ὑμᾶς λέγειν, τὰς ἀντὶ τούτων ὀφειλομένας ἐμοὶ χάριτας τοῖς παιδίοις ἀκοδοῦναι τούτοις.
And I ask you, Romans, remembering also my own struggles which I fought for the hegemony—struggles which were neither small nor few, and which I have no need to speak of to you who know them—to render to these children the gratitude owed to me in return for those deeds.
οὐ γὰρ ἰδίαν ἀρχὴν ἐμαυτῷ κατασκευαζόμενος, ἧς οὐδενὸς ἧττον ἄξιος ἦν βουληθεὶς τυγχάνειν, ἀλλὰ τῷ Ταρκυνίου γένει βοηθῶν τὰ κοινὰ πράττειν προῄρημαι.
For I have chosen to manage public affairs not to establish a private rule for myself—of which, had I wished to obtain it, I was no less worthy than anyone else—but to assist the family of Tarquinius.
§4.9.5ἱκέτης δʼ ὑμῶν γίνομαι μὴ τοὺς ὀρφανοὺς ἐγκαταλιπεῖν νῦν μὲν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀρχῆς κινδυνεύοντας, εἰ δʼ ἡ πρώτη πεῖρα τοῖς ἐχθροῖς αὐτῶν χωρήσει κατὰ νοῦν, καὶ ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ἐξελαθησομένους.
And I become your suppliant, begging you not to abandon the orphans, who are now in danger concerning their rule, and who, if the first attempt of their enemies succeeds according to their mind, will also be driven out of the city.
ἀλλʼ ὑπὲρ μὲν τούτων ὡς ἐγνωκόσιν ὑμῖν τὰ δέοντα καὶ ποιήσουσιν, ὅσα προσήκει, οὐδὲν δέομαι πλείω λέγειν· ἃ δὲ παρεσκεύασμαι ποιεῖν ὑμᾶς αὐτὸς ἀγαθὰ καὶ ὧν χάριν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν συνεκάλεσα, ἀκούσατέ μου.
But concerning these matters, since I know that you understand what is necessary and will do all that is fitting, I have no need to say more; but listen to me concerning the good things which I myself am prepared to do for you, and for the sake of which I called the assembly.
§4.9.6ὅσοι μὲν ὑμῶν ὀφείλοντες ἤδη χρέα διὰ πενίαν ἀδύνατοί εἰσιν ἀποδοῦναι, τούτοις βοηθεῖν προθυμούμενος, ἐπειδὴ πολῖταί τʼ εἰσι καὶ πολλοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρίδος ἀνηντλήκασι πόνους, ἵνα μὴ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀφαιρεθῶσιν ἐλευθερίαν οἱ τὴν κοινὴν βεβαιώσαντες, ἐκ τῶν ἐμαυτοῦ
As many of you as already owe debts and because of poverty are unable to pay them, since I am eager to help them, because they are citizens and have endured many hardships for the fatherland, so that those who secured the common liberty may not be deprived of their private liberty, I give from my own money to discharge their debts.
§4.9.7χρημάτων δίδωμι διαλύσασθαι τὰ χρέα. ὅσοι δʼ ἂν μετὰ ταῦτα δανείσωνται, τούτους οὐκ ἐάσω πρὸς τὰ χρέα ἀπάγεσθαι καὶ νόμον θήσομαι μηδένα δανείζειν ἐπὶ σώμασιν ἐλευθέροις ἱκανὸν ἡγούμενος τοἱς δανεισταῖς τῆς οὐσίας τῶν συμβαλόντων κρατεῖν.
And as many as shall borrow after this, I will not permit them to be led away for their debts, and I will pass a law that no one shall lend on the security of free bodies, thinking it sufficient for the creditors to hold the property of those who contract.
ἵνα δὲ καὶ τὰς εἰς τὸ δημόσιον γινομένας εἰσφοράς, διʼ ἃς οἱ πένητες ἐπιβαροῦνταί τε καὶ ἀναγκάζονται δανείσματα ποιεῖν, κουφοτέρας εἰς τὸ λοιπὸν φέρητε, τιμήσασθαι τὰς οὐσίας ἅπαντας κελεύσω καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ τιμήματος ἕκαστον εἰσφέρειν τὸ ἐπιβάλλον, ὡς ἐν ταῖς μεγίσταις καὶ εὐνομωτάταις πόλεσι πυνθάνομαι γινόμενον, δίκαιόν τε καὶ συμφέρον τῷ κοινῷ τοῦθʼ ἡγούμενος τοὺς μὲν πολλὰ κεκτημένους πολλὰ εἰσφέρειν, τοὺς δʼ ὀλίγα ἔχοντας ὀλίγα.
And in order that you may for the future bear more lightly the contributions made to the public treasury, because of which the poor are burdened and forced to contract loans, I will order all to have their property valued and each to contribute his proportion from the valuation, as I understand is done in the greatest and best-governed cities, deeming this just and advantageous to the commonwealth, that those who possess much should contribute much, and those who have little should contribute little.
§4.9.8δοκεῖ δέ μοι καὶ τῆς δημοσίας γῆς, ἣν διὰ τῶν ὅπλων κτησάμενοι κατέχετε, μὴ τοὺς ἀναιδεστάτους ὥσπερ νῦν κρατεῖν οὔτε χάριτι λαβόντας οὔτʼ ὠνῇ κτησαμένους, ἀλλὰ τοὺς μηδένα κλῆρον ἔχοντας ὑμῶν, ἵνα μὴ θητεύητε ὄντες ἐλεύθεροι μηδὲ τὰς ἀλλοτρίας κτήσεις, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἰδίας γεωργῆτε· οὐ γὰρ ἂν γένοιτο φρόνημα εὐγενὲς ἐν ἀνδράσιν ἀπορουμένοις τῶν καθʼ ἡμέραν ἀναγκαίων.
And it seems to me also that of the public land, which you possess having acquired it by arms, not the most shameless should hold it as now, having obtained it neither by favor nor having acquired it by purchase, but those of you who have no allotment of land, so that you may not be day-laborers though being free, nor cultivate the properties of others, but your own; for there can be no noble spirit in men who are in want of the daily necessities of life.
§4.9.9ὑπὲρ ἅπαντα δὲ ταῦτʼ ἔγνων καὶ ἴσην καὶ κοινὴν ποιεῖν τὴν πολιτείαν καὶ τὰ δίκαια πᾶσι πρὸς ἅπαντας ὅμοια.
And above all these things, I have resolved to make the government equal and common, and the rights of all similar toward all.
εἰς τοῦτο γὰρ ἥκουσί τινες αὐθαδείας, ὥσθʼ ὑβρίζειν εἰς τὸ δημοτικὸν ἀξιοῦσι καὶ μηδʼ ἐλευθέρους ἡγεῖσθαι τοὺς πένητας ὑμῶν.
For some have reached such a pitch of arrogance that they deem it right to insult the common people and not even to regard the poor among you as free men.
ἵνα δὲ καὶ λαμβάνωσι τὰ δίκαια καὶ ὑπέχωσιν οἱ μείζους τοῖς ἐλάττοσιν ἐξ ἴσου, νόμους θήσομαι κωλυτὰς μὲν τῆς βίας, φύλακας δὲ τῆς δικαιοσύνης καὶ αὐτὸς οὐδένα χρόνον ἀνήσω τῆς ἁπάντων προνοούμενος ἰσηγορίας.
But in order that the greater may both receive justice and submit to it to the smaller on equal terms, I will pass laws to prevent violence and to guard justice, and I myself will never cease at any time providing for the equal right of speech for all.