§6.77.1ἔναγχος δὲ δὴ τοῦ χρόνου· τουτὶ γὰρ ἔτι προσθεὶς τῷ περὶ τοῦ δικαίου λόγῳ παύσομαι· ὅθʼ ὑμῖν Αἰκανοί τε καὶ Σαβῖνοι καὶ Οὐολοῦσκοι μιᾷ γνώμῃ χρησάμενοι αὐτοί τʼ ἐπανίσταντο καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους παρεκάλουν, οὐκ ἐφʼ ἡμᾶς ἠναγκάσθητε καταφυγεῖν τοὺς ταπεινοὺς καὶ φαύλους οἱ σεμνοὶ καὶ βαρεῖς, πάντα ὑπισχνούμενοι ὑπὲρ τῆς τότε σωτηρίας;
And indeed, to speak of recent times—for by adding this one thing more to my discourse on justice, I shall make an end—when the Aequi, Sabines, and Volscians, acting with one mind, were themselves revolting and calling upon the others to join them, were you not, you the grand and oppressive, forced to flee for refuge to us, the humble and mean, promising everything for your safety at that time?
καὶ ἵνα μὴ ἐξαπατᾶν ἡμᾶς αὖθις δοκῆτε, ὃ πολλάκις ἐποιήσατε, προκάλυμμα τῆς ἀπάτης Μάνιον Οὐαλέριον τουτονὶ τὸν φιλοδημότατον ἄνδρα εὕρεσθε·
And so that you might not seem to be deceiving us again, which you have done many times, you found as a cover for your deceit this Manius Valerius here, the most public-spirited of men.
ᾧ πιστεύσαντες ἡμεῖς ὡς οὐκ ἂν ὑπὸ δικτάτορός τε καὶ ταῦτα χρηστοῦ περὶ ἡμᾶς ἀνδρὸς φενακισθησόμενοι συνηράμεθα ὑμῖν καὶ τοῦδε τοῦ πολέμου καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἐνικῶμεν οὐ μικροὺς οὐδʼ ὀλίγους οὐδʼ ἀφανεῖς ἀγῶνας ὑπομείναντες.
Trusting in him, and believing that we would not be deceived by a dictator, and that too one who was well-disposed toward us, we joined with you in this war also and conquered the enemy, after enduring struggles that were neither small nor few nor inglorious.
§6.77.2θᾶττον δʼ ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἁπάντων ἐλπίδα τέλος εἰληφότος τὸ κάλλιστον τοῦ πολέμου τοσοῦτον ἀπέσχετε τοῦ χαίρειν καὶ πολλὴν εἰδέναι τῷ δήμῳ χάριν, ὥστε κατέχειν ἡμᾶς ἔτι ἠξιοῦτε ἄκοντας ὑπὸ ταῖς σημαίαις ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις, ἵνα παρέλθητε τὰς ὑποσχέσεις ὥσπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς διέγνωτε.
And when the war had reached its most glorious end more quickly than anyone had expected, you were so far from rejoicing and feeling great gratitude toward the plebs, that you even expected to keep us under the standards, in arms and against our will, so that you might bypass your promises just as you had resolved from the beginning.
οὐχ ὑπομένοντος δὲ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς τὸν φενακισμὸν οὐδὲ τὴν αἰσχύνην τοῦ ἔργου, ἀλλʼ εἰσενέγκαντος εἰς τὴν πόλιν τὰ σημεῖα καὶ διαφέντος ἐπὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα τὰς δυνάμεις, πρόφασιν ποιησάμενοι ταύτην τοῦ μὴ τὰ δίκαια ποιεῖν τοῦτον ὑβρίσατε, τῶν δὲ πρὸς ἡμᾶς ὁμολογιῶν οὐδεμίαν ἐφυλάξατε, ἀλλʼ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ τρία τὰ μέγιστα παρηνομήσατε, τὸ ἀξίωμα τῆς βουλῆς καταλύσαντες καὶ τὴν πίστιν τοῦ ἀνδρὸς διαφθείραντες καὶ τοῖς εὐεργέταις ἀνόνητον ποιήσαντες τὴν χάριν τῶν πόνων.
But when the man would not tolerate the deception nor the shame of the act, but brought the standards into the city and dismissed the forces to their homes, you made this an excuse for not doing what was just, insulted him, and kept none of your agreements with us. Instead, at one and the same time you committed three of the greatest violations of law: destroying the dignity of the senate, ruining the credit of the man, and rendering the gratitude for the labors of your benefactors of no avail.
§6.77.3ταῦτα δὴ καὶ ἄλλα πρὸς τούτοις ὅμοια πολλὰ ἔχοντες λέγειν πρὸς ὑμᾶς οὐκ ἀξιοῦμεν, ὦ πατρίκιοι, πρὸς ἱκεσίας καὶ δεήσεις ὑμῶν τραπέσθαι, οὐδʼ ὥσπερ οἱ τὰ δεινὰ δεδρακότες ἐπʼ ἀδείᾳ καὶ ἀμνηστίᾳ κάθοδον λαμβάνειν.
Though we have these and many other similar things to say to you, patricians, we do not think it right to turn to entreaties and supplications to you, nor, like those who have committed terrible deeds, to receive our return under indemnity and amnesty.
οὐ μὴν ἀκριβολογεῖσθαί γε περὶ τούτων ἐν τῷ παρόντι οἰόμεθα χρῆναι, ἐπειδὴ περὶ ὁμονοίας διαλεξόμενοι συνεληλύθαμεν, ἀλλʼ ἀμελείᾳ καὶ λήθῃ παραδόντες αὐτὰ φέρομεν.
Indeed, we do not think we ought to argue minutely about these matters at present, since we have met to discuss harmony; but, committing them to neglect and oblivion, we bear them.