§5.29.1καὶ ὁ Μούκιος οὔτε μεταβολῇ χρώματος οὔτε συννοίᾳ προσώπου τὸν ὀρρωδοῦντα διασημήνας οὔτʼ ἄλλο παθὼν οὐδέν, ὧν φιλοῦσι πάσχειν οἱ μέλλοντες ἀποθνήσκειν, λέγει πρὸς αὐτόν· ἐγὼ Ῥωμαῖος μέν εἰμι, καὶ οὐ τῶν ἐπιτυχόντων ἕνεκα γένους, ἐλευθερῶσαι δὲ τὴν πατρίδα τοῦ πολέμου βουληθεὶς ἦλθον ἐπὶ τὸ στρατόπεδον ὑμῶν ὡς τῶν αὐτομόλων τις, ἀποκτεῖναί σε βουλόμενος·
And Mucius, neither by a change of color nor by a troubled countenance showing any sign of fear, nor suffering any other thing of those which people who are about to die are wont to suffer, said to him: "I am a Roman, and not of ordinary birth, and wishing to free my country from the war, I came to your camp as one of the deserters, desiring to kill you.
οὐκ ἀγνοῶν μέν, ὅτι καὶ κατορθώσαντι καὶ διαμαρτόντι τῆς ἐλπίδος ἀποθανεῖν ὑπάρχει μοι, χαρίσασθαι δὲ τῇ γειναμένῃ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ ψυχὴν προαιρούμενος καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ θνητοῦ σώματος ἀθάνατον δόξαν καταλιπεῖν·
I was not ignorant, indeed, that whether I succeeded or failed in my hope, death was my lot, but I preferred to devote my life to the country that gave me birth and to leave behind an immortal glory in place of a mortal body.
ψευσθεὶς δὲ τῆς ἐλπίδος ἀντὶ σοῦ τὸν γραμματέα, ὃν οὐθὲν ἐδεόμην, ἀνῄρηκα τῇ τε πορφύρᾳ καὶ τῷ δίφρῳ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις τῆς ἐξουσίας συμβόλοις πλανηθείς.
But having been deceived in my hope, instead of you I have slain your secretary, for whom I had no use, having been misled by the purple robe, the chair, and the other symbols of authority.
§5.29.2τὸν μὲν οὖν θάνατον, ὃν αὐτὸς ἐμαυτοῦ κατεψηφισάμην, ὅτʼ ἐπὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν ἔμελλον ὁρμᾶν, οὐ παραιτοῦμαι·
Therefore, the death which I myself decreed against myself when I was about to set out upon the deed, I do not deprecate.
βασάνους δὲ καὶ τὰς ἄλλας ὕβρεις εἴ μοι παρείης, πίστεις δοὺς ἐπὶ θεῶν ὑπισχνοῦμαί σοι μέγα πρᾶγμα δηλώσειν καὶ πρὸς τὴν σωτηρίαν ἀνῆκόν σοι. §5.29.3ὁ μὲν δὴ ταῦτʼ ἔλεγε καταστρατηγῆσαι τὸν ἄνδρα διανοούμενος· ὁ δʼ ἔξω τοῦ φρονεῖν γεγονὼς καὶ ἅμα κινδύνους ἐκ πολλῶν μαντευόμενος ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ἀληθεῖς δίδωσιν αὐτῷ διʼ ὅρκων τὸ πιστόν.
But if you should spare me from torture and other outrages, upon giving me pledges by the gods, I promise to reveal to you a great matter, and one that concerns your safety." He, indeed, spoke thus with the intention of outwitting the man; but the latter, having lost his presence of mind and at the same time suspecting false dangers from many men, gave him his pledge by oaths.
μετὰ δὲ τοῦθʼ ὁ Μούκιος καινότατον ἐνθυμηθεὶς ἀπάτης τρόπον, ὃς ἐν ἀφανεῖ τὸν ἔλεγχον εἶχε, λέγει πρὸς αὐτόν· ὦ βασιλεῦ, Ῥωμαίων ἄνδρες τριακόσιοι τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχοντες ἡλικίαν ἐκ τοῦ γένους τοῦ τῶν πατρικίων ἅπαντες ἐβουλευσάμεθα συνελθόντες ἀποκτεῖναί σε καὶ τὸ πιστὸν ὅρκοις παρʼ §5.29.4ἀλλήλων ἐλάβομεν.
After this, Mucius, having devised a highly novel method of deception, the proof of which lay in obscurity, said to him: "O king, three hundred Roman men of the same age, all of the patrician class, met together and resolved to kill you, and we exchanged pledges of fidelity by oaths with one another.
ἔδοξε δʼ ἡμῖν βουλευομένοις ὅστις ὁ τῆς ἐπιβουλῆς ἦν τρόπος, μήθʼ ἅπαντας ἅμα χωρεῖν ἐπὶ τὸ ἔργον, ἀλλὰ καθʼ ἕνα, μήτε φράζειν ἕτερον ἑτέρῳ πότε καὶ πῶς καὶ ποῦ καὶ τίσιν ἀφορμαῖς χρησάμενος ἐπιθήσεταί σοι, ἵνα ῥᾷον ἡμῖν ὑπάρχῃ τὸ λαθεῖν.
And as we deliberated on what the manner of the plot should be, it seemed best to us neither to go all together to the task, but one by one, nor for one to tell another when, how, where, and by what opportunities he would attack you, in order that it might be easier for us to remain undetected.
ταῦτα διανοηθέντες ἐκληρωσάμεθα, καὶ πρῶτος ἄρξαι τῆς πείρας ἔλαχον ἐγώ.
Having resolved on these things, we cast lots, and I was the first to draw the lot to make the attempt.
προειδὼς οὖν, ὅτι πολλοὶ καὶ ἀγαθοὶ τὴν αὐτήν μοι διάνοιαν ἕξουσιν ἐπιθυμίᾳ δόξης, ὧν ὡς εἰκάσαι τις ἀμείνονι τύχῃ χρήσεται τῆς ἐμῆς, σκόπει, τίς ἔσται σοι πρὸς ἅπαντας ἀρκοῦσα φυλακή.
Knowing beforehand, therefore, that many brave men will have the same purpose as myself from desire of glory, some of whom, as one may conjecture, will meet with better fortune than mine, consider what defense will be sufficient for you against them all."