§6.68.1μετὰ τοῦτον ἀνίσταντο καλούμενοι καθʼ ἡλικίαν οἱ τὴν ὑπατικὴν ἐσχηκότες ἀρχήν, οἷς ἅπασιν ἐδόκει τῇ Μενηνίου χρῆσθαι γνώμῃ, τέως καθῆκεν ὁ λόγος εἰς τὸν Ἄππιον.
After him, those who had held the consulship rose when called upon according to age, all of whom thought it best to adopt the opinion of Menenius, until the turn to speak came down to Appius.
ὁ δʼ ἀναστάς, ὁρῶ μέν, ἔφησεν, ὅτι καὶ τοῖς ὑπάτοις ἐστὶ κεχαρισμένον, ὦ βουλή, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὑμῖν ὀλίγου δεῖν πᾶσι κατάγειν τὸν δῆμον, ἐφʼ οἷς ἂν αὐτὸς ἀξιοῖ· καὶ μόνος ἐξ ἁπάντων ἐγὼ λείπομαι τῶν ἐναντιωθέντων πρὸς τὰς διαλύσεις ἐκείνοις τʼ ἀπεχθὴς διαμένων καὶ ὑμῖν οὐδὲν ἔτι χρήσιμος ὤν.
And he, rising, said: "I see, indeed, O senate, that it is agreeable both to the consuls and to almost all the rest of you to bring back the plebeians on whatever terms they themselves demand; and I alone of all those who opposed the reconciliation am left behind, remaining hateful to them and being no longer of any use to you.
§6.68.2οὐ μὴν διὰ ταῦτά γʼ ἀποστήσομαι τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐγνωσμένων οὐδὲ καταλείψω τὴν τάξιν τῆς πολιτείας ἑκών.
Yet not for these reasons will I depart from what I resolved from the beginning, nor will I willingly desert my post in the commonwealth.
ὅσῳ δʼ ἂν ἐρημότερος γένωμαι τῶν τὰ αὐτά μοι προελομένων, τοσούτῳ τιμιώτερος ὑμῖν ἔσομαί ποτʼ ἐν χρόνῳ, καὶ περιέσται μοι ζῶντι μὲν ἔπαινος, τελευτήσαντι δʼ ἡ παρὰ τῶν ἐπιγινομένων μνήμη.
The more I am left solitary by those who chose the same course as I, so much the more valuable shall I be to you in time, and there will remain to me praise while living, and memory from posterity when dead.
εἴη μὲν οὖν, ὦ Καπετώλιε Ζεῦ καὶ θεοὶ πόλεως ἐπίσκοποι τῆς ἡμετέρας ἥρωές τε καὶ δαίμονες, ὅσοι γῆν τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἐφορᾶτε, καλὴ καὶ συμφέρουσα πᾶσιν ἡ τῶν φυγάδων κάθοδος, καὶ ψευσθείην ἐγὼ τῶν ἐλπίδων, §6.68.3ἃς ὑπὲρ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἔχω χρόνου.
May, then, O Capitoline Jupiter and gods who protect our city, heroes and spirits, as many as look down upon the land of the Romans, the return of the fugitives be honorable and advantageous to all, and may I be deceived in my expectations, which I have concerning the future.
ἐὰν δέ τι δεινὸν ἐκ τούτων καταλάβῃ τῶν βουλευμάτων τὴν πόλιν· ἔσται δὲ τοῦτο φανερὸν οὐκ εἰς μακράν· τούτοις μὲν ταχεῖαν ἐπανόρθωσιν αὐτοὶ δοίητε καὶ σωτηρίαν τοῖς πράγμασιν ἀσφαλῆ, ἐμοὶ δʼ, ὃς οὔτʼ ἐν ἄλλῳ καιρῷ πώποτε τὰ ἥδιστα εἱλόμην λέγειν ἀντὶ τῶν ὠφελιμωτάτων οὔτε νῦν προδίδωμι τὸ κοινὸν ἰδίαν καταπραττόμενος ἀσφάλειαν, §6.68.4εὐμενεῖς εἴητε καὶ μειλίχιοι.
But if any dreadful thing should overtake the city from these counsels—and this will be manifest before long—may you yourselves grant a speedy correction to these evils and a safe preservation to our affairs; and to me, who neither at any other time ever chose to say what was most pleasant instead of what was most useful, nor now betray the common interest in securing my private safety, may you be favorable and merciful.
θεοῖς μὲν δὴ ταῦτα εὔχομαι, λόγων γὰρ οὐδὲν ἔτι δεῖ· γνώμην δʼ, ἣν καὶ πρότερον ἀποφαίνομαι, τοὺς μὲν ἐν τῇ πόλει διαμένοντας τῶν δημοτικῶν ἀφίεσθαι χρεῶν, τοῖς δʼ ἀποστάταις πολεμεῖν ἁπάσῃ προθυμίᾳ, τέως ἂν ἔτι διαμένωσιν ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις.
Indeed, to the gods I make these prayers, for there is no longer any need of words; but as for my opinion, which I also declared before, it is that those of the common people who remain in the city be released from their debts, but that we war against the seceders with all zeal, as long as they still remain in arms."