§6.58.1ὃς ἀναστὰς πρῶτον ὑπεμίμνησκε τὴν βουλὴν τῶν ἰδίων πολιτευμάτων, καὶ ὅτι πολλάκις αὐτοῦ προλέγοντος τὰ μέλλοντα συμβήσεσθαι δεινὰ διʼ ὀλιγωρίας ἐποιήσαντο τοὺς λόγους· ἔπειτα ἠξίου τοὺς ἐναντιουμένους ταῖς διαλλαγαῖς μὴ περὶ τῶν μετρίων νῦν ζητεῖν, ἀλλʼ ἐπεὶ τὴν στάσιν οὐκ εἴασαν ἐξαιρεθῆναι, ἡνίκα μικρὰ ἦν ἔτι τῇ πόλει τὰ διαφέροντα, νῦν γέ τοι σκοπεῖν, ὅπως διὰ ταχέων παύσεται καὶ μὴ προελθοῦσα ἔτι πορρωτέρω λήσει τάχα μὲν ἀνίατος, εἰ δὲ μὴ δυσίατος καὶ πολλῶν αἰτία σφίσι γενομένη κακῶν·
Who, rising, first reminded the senate of his own political actions, and that, although he had often foretold the terrible things that were about to happen, they had treated his words with neglect; then he urged those who opposed the reconciliation not to seek now for moderate terms, but since they had not allowed the sedition to be removed when the differences for the city were still small, now at least to consider how it might be stopped quickly, and lest, having advanced still further, it should escape their notice, becoming perhaps incurable, or at least hard to cure, and the cause of many evils to them.
τήν τε ἀξίωσιν τῶν δημοτικῶν οὐκέτι τὴν αὐτὴν ἀπέφαινεν ἐσομένην τῇ προτέρᾳ, οὐδʼ ἐπὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς εἴκαζε συμβήσεσθαι τὸν δῆμον ἀπαλλαγὴν μόνον τῶν χρεῶν αἰτούμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ βοηθείας δεήσεσθαί τινος ἴσως, ἀφʼ ἧς εἰς τὸν λοιπὸν χρόνον ἀσφαλὴς διατελέσει·
And he declared that the demand of the plebeians would no longer be the same as the former one, nor did he think the people would come to terms on the same conditions, asking only for a release from their debts, but that they would probably also need some protection, by which they might remain safe for the future.
§6.58.2καταλελύσθαι μὲν γὰρ ἀφʼ οὗ παρῆλθεν ἡ τοῦ δικτάτορος ἀρχὴ τὸν φύλακα τῆς ἐλευθερίας αὐτοῦ νόμον, ὃς οὔτε ἀποκτείνειν πολίτην ἄκριτον οὐδένα συνεχώρει τοῖς ὑπάτοις, οὐδέ γε τοὺς παρὰ τῇ κρίσει ἐλαττουμένους ὑπὸ τῶν πατρικίων δημοτικοὺς παραδίδοσθαι τοῖς καταδικασαμένοις, ἔφεσιν δὲ τοῖς βουλομένοις ἐδίδου μεταφέρειν τὰς κρίσεις ἐπὶ τὸν δῆμον ἀπὸ τῶν πατρικίων καὶ ὅ τι ἂν ὁ δῆμος γνῷ, τοῦτʼ εἶναι κύριον·
For he said that, since the office of dictator had been introduced, the law that was the guardian of their liberty had been subverted, which neither allowed the consuls to put to death any citizen without trial, nor indeed allowed those plebeians who were worsted in a trial by the patricians to be delivered up to those who had condemned them, but gave the right of appeal to those who wished to transfer their trials to the people from the patricians, and whatever the people should decide, this was to be valid.
ἀφῃρῆσθαι δὲ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἐξουσίαν τῶν δημοτικῶν ὀλίγου δεῖν πᾶσαν, ἧς ἐν τοῖς προτέροις χρόνοις ἦσαν κύριοι, ὅπου γε καὶ τὸν ἐκ τῶν πολέμων θρίαμβον οὐκ ἐξεγένετο αὐτοῖς εὑρέσθαι παρὰ τῆς βουλῆς ἀνδρὶ παρʼ ὁντιναοῦν ἄλλον ἐπιτηδείῳ ταύτης τυχεῖν τῆς τιμῆς, Ποπλίῳ Σερουιλίῳ §6.58.3Πρίσκῳ.
And he said that almost all the other power of the plebeians, of which they were masters in former times, had also been taken away, since they were not even able to obtain from the senate a triumph from the wars for a man more fit than any other to receive this honor, Publius Servilius Priscus.
ἐφʼ οἷς εἰκός τι πάσχοντας τοὺς πολλοὺς ἀθυμεῖν καὶ πονηρὰς ἔχειν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀσφαλείας ἐλπίδας, ἐπειδὴ οὔτε ὑπάτῳ οὔτε δικτάτορι κήδεσθαι αὐτῶν βουλομένοις ἐξεγένετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ προσαπήλαυσέ τις αὐτῶν ὕβρεως καὶ ἀτιμίας διὰ τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν πολλῶν σπουδὴν καὶ πρόνοιαν.
At which things it was natural for the multitude, suffering as they did, to be discouraged and to have poor hopes for their safety, since it had not been possible either for a consul or for a dictator who wished to care for them to do so, but on the contrary, some of them had even reaped insult and dishonor as a reward for their zeal and foresight on behalf of the multitude.
ταῦτα δʼ ἀπειργάσθαι συγκύψαντας οὐ τοὺς χαριεστάτους τῶν πατρικίων, ὑβριστὰς δέ τινας καὶ πλεονέκτας περὶ χρηματισμὸν ἄδικον δεινῶς ἐσπουδακότας, οἳ πρὸς πολὺ διάφορον καὶ ἐπὶ μεγάλοις δανεισθὲν τόκοις πολλὰ καταδουλωσάμενοι πολιτῶν σώματα, τούτοις τʼ ὠμὰς καὶ ὑπερηφάνους ἀνάγκας προσφέροντες, ἀλλότριον ἐποίησαν γενέσθαι τῆς ἀριστοκρατίας ἅπαν τὸ δημοτικόν, ἑταιρίαν τε συστησάμενοι καὶ ταύτης ἀναδείξαντες Ἄππιον Κλαύδιον ἡγεμόνα, μισόδημον ἄνδρα καὶ ὀλιγαρχικόν, διʼ ἐκείνου πάντα φύρουσι τὰ πράγματα τῆς πόλεως.
And he said that these things had been brought about, not by the collusion of the most respectable of the patricians, but by certain insolent and avaricious men, terribly eager for unjust gain, who, having enslaved many bodies of citizens for a great sum lent at high interest, and bringing cruel and haughty constraints upon them, had alienated the entire plebeian class from the aristocracy, and having formed a faction and set up Appius Claudius as its leader, a man who hated the people and favored oligarchy, they were throwing all the affairs of the city into confusion through him.
οἷς εἰ μὴ τὸ σωφρονοῦν μέρος τῆς βουλῆς ἐμποδὼν στήσεται, κινδυνεύειν ὑπὲρ ἀνδραποδισμοῦ τινος καὶ κατασκαφῆς τὴν πόλιν.
And unless the sober part of the senate should stand in their way, he said the city was in danger of some enslavement and destruction.
τελευτῶν δʼ ἀπεφήνατο συνδοκεῖν τῇ Μενηνίου χρῆσθαι γνώμῃ, καὶ τὴν πρεσβείαν ἠξίου πέμπειν διὰ ταχέων· τοὺς δʼ ἄνδρας ἀφικομένους πειρᾶσθαι μὲν ὡς βούλονται καταλύσασθαι τὴν στάσιν, εἰ δὲ μὴ διδοίη τις αὐτοῖς, ἃ βούλονται, δέχεσθαι τὰ διδόμενα.
And in conclusion he declared that he agreed to follow the opinion of Menenius, and urged that they send the embassy quickly; and that the men, when they arrived, should indeed try to settle the sedition as they wished, but if no one should grant them what they wished, they should accept what was offered.