§6.83.1ὡς δʼ ἐπαύσατο, πάντες οἱ παρόντες ἐπεθορύβησαν ὡς τὰ δέοντα λελογισμένῳ συγκατατιθέμενοι καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ἡσυχίας γενομένης Μενήνιος Ἀγρίππας, ὅσπερ καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῇ βουλῇ λόγους ὑπὲρ τοῦ δήμου διέθετο καὶ τοῦ πεμφθῆναι τὴν αὐτοκράτορα πρεσβείαν τὴν γνώμην ἀποφηνάμενος αἰτιώτατος ἦν, διεσήμηνεν ὅτι βούλεται καὶ αὐτὸς εἰπεῖν.
When he had finished speaking, all those present shouted their approval, agreeing that he had reasoned as was necessary; and after this, when silence had been restored, Menenius Agrippa—who had also spoken in the senate on behalf of the people and, by declaring his opinion that an embassy with full powers should be sent, had been the chief author of its sending—signaled that he too wished to speak.
τοῖς δὲ κατʼ εὐχὴν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐφάνη καὶ νυνί γέ τοι λόγων ὑπέλαβον ἀκούσεσθαι συμβάσεις ἀληθινὰς καὶ γνώμας σωτηρίους ἀμφοῖν ἐχόντων.
This appeared to them just as they had wished, and they expected that they would now at least hear words containing a true reconciliation and thoughts bringing salvation to both parties.
§6.83.2καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐπερρόθησαν ἅπαντες βοῇ μεγάλῃ λέγειν κελεύοντες· ἔπειτα ἐπέσχον, καὶ σιγὴ τοσαύτη κατέλαβε τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, ὥστε μηθὲν διαλλάξαι τὸν τόπον ἐρημίας.
And at first, they all shouted with a great cry, bidding him speak; then they held back, and such a silence came over the assembly that the place differed in no way from a desert.
ὁ δὲ τά τε ἄλλα, ὡς οἷόν τε ἦν, πιθανωτάτοις ἔδοξε χρήσασθαι λόγοις καὶ τοῦ βουλήματος τῶν ἀκουόντων ἐστοχασμένοις, τελευτῶν δὲ τῆς δημηγορίας λέγεται μῦθόν τινα εἰπεῖν εἰς τὸν Αἰσώπειον τρόπον συμπλάσας πολλὴν ὁμοιότητα πρὸς τὰ πράγματα ἔχοντα, καὶ τούτῳ μάλιστʼ αὐτοὺς ἑλεῖν·
He seemed to use, for the rest, as far as was possible, the most persuasive words and those aimed at the desire of his audience; and at the end of his speech, he is said to have told a certain fable, fashioned after the Aesopic manner, having a great resemblance to the circumstances, and by this especially to have won them over.
ὅθεν καὶ μνήμης ἀξιοῦται ὁ λόγος καὶ φέρεται ἐν ἁπάσαις ταῖς ἀρχαίαις ἱστορίαις.
Hence the speech is deemed worthy of memory and is carried in all ancient histories.
ἦν δὲ τὰ λεχθέντα ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ τοιάδε.
The words spoken by him were as follows.
§6.83.3ἡμεῖς ἀπεστάλημεν ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς, ὦ δημόται, πρὸς ὑμᾶς οὔτε ἀπολογησόμενοι ὑπὲρ ἐκείνης οὔτε ὑμῶν κατηγορήσοντες· οὐ γὰρ ἐδόκει ταῦτα καιρὸν ἔχειν οὐδʼ εἶναι ταῖς κατεχούσαις τὸ κοινὸν τύχαις πρόσφορα·
"We have been sent by the senate, citizens, to you, neither to make an apology on its behalf nor to accuse you; for these things did not seem to be timely nor suitable for the fortunes that possess the state.
ἀλλὰ διαλύσοντες ἁπάσῃ προθυμίᾳ καὶ μηχανῇ τὴν στάσιν καὶ καταστήσοντες εἰς τὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς κόσμον τὴν πολιτείαν, ἔχοντες δὲ τούτου τὴν ἐξουσίαν αὐτοκράτορα.
Rather, we came to put an end to the discord with all zeal and by every means, and to restore the constitution to its original order, having full powers for this.
ὥστε περὶ μὲν τῶν δικαίων οὐδὲν ἂν οἰόμεθα δεῖν, ὅπερ Ἰούνιος ἐποίησεν οὑτοσί, εἰς μακρὸν ἐκμηκύνειν χρόνον· ἐφʼ οἷς δὲ φιλανθρώποις διαλῦσαι τὴν στάσιν οἰόμεθα δεῖν, καὶ τίς ἡ βεβαιώσουσα τὰς ὁμολογίας ἡμῶν ἔσται πίστις, περὶ τούτων, §6.83.4ἃ διεγνώκαμεν, ἐροῦμεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς.
Consequently, as to the question of justice, we do not think there is any need to spin it out to great length, as this Junius here has done; but on what humane conditions we think the discord should be resolved, and what pledge there will be to secure our agreements, on these matters, which we have decided upon, we shall speak to you.
ἡμῖν ἐνθυμουμένοις, ὅτι πᾶσα θεραπεύεται στάσις ἐξ ἁπάσης πόλεως, ὅταν ἐξαιρεθῶσιν αἱ παρασχοῦσαι τὴν διαφορὰν αἰτίαι, ἀναγκαῖον ἔδοξεν εἶναι τὰς ἀρχηγοὺς τῆς διχοστασίας προφάσεις γνῶναί τε καὶ παῦσαι.
When we considered that every discord is cured in every city when the causes that produced the dispute are removed, it seemed to be necessary to know and to end the leading pretexts of the dissension.
εὑρόντες δὲ τὰς ἀποτόμους τῶν δανείων ἀναπράξεις τῶν παρόντων κακῶν αἰτίας γεγονυίας, οὕτως αὐτὰς διορθούμεθα.
And finding that the harsh exactions of debts were the causes of the present evils, we correct them as follows.
τοὺς ὀφείλοντας χρία καὶ μὴ δυναμένους διαλύσασθαι πάντας ἀφεῖσθαι τῶν ὀφλημάτων δικαιοῦμεν· καὶ εἴ τινων ἤδη τὰ σώματα ὑπερημέρων ὄντων ταῖς νομίμοις προθεσμίαις κατέχεται, καὶ ταῦτʼ ἐλεύθερα εἶναι κρίνομεν· ὅσοι τε δίκαις ἁλόντες ἰδίαις παρεδόθησαν τοῖς καταδικασαμένοις, καὶ τούτους ἐλευθέρους εἶναι βουλόμεθα, καὶ τὰς καταγνώσεις αὐτῶν ἀκύρους ποιοῦμεν.
We deem it right that all those who owe debts and are unable to pay them should be released from their obligations; and if the bodies of any persons, being overdue according to the legal terms, are already held in custody, we adjudge that these also should be free; and as many as were convicted in private suits and delivered to those who condemned them, we wish them also to be free, and we make their convictions void.
§6.83.5περὶ μὲν δὴ τῶν ἐκ τοῦ παρεληλυθότος χρόνου συμβολαίων, ἃ τὴν ἀπόστασιν ἔδοξεν ἡμῖν ποιῆσαι, τοῦτον ἐπανορθούμεθα τὸν τρόπον· περὶ δὲ τῶν ὕστερον ἐσομένων, ὡς ἂν ὑμῖν τε τῷ δήμῳ καὶ τοῖς ἐκ τοῦ συνεδρίου κοινῇ βουλευσομένοις φανῇ, νόμου κυρωθέντος, οὕτως ἐχέτω.
As to the contracts of the past, then, which seemed to us to have caused the secession, we correct them in this manner; but as to those of the future, let them be as it shall seem fit to you, the people, and to those of the senate consulting in common, after a law has been ratified.
οὐχὶ ταῦτα μέντοι τὰ διαστήσαντα ὑμᾶς ἦν ἀπὸ τῶν πατρικίων, ὦ δημόται, καὶ τούτων εἰ τύχοιτε ἀποχρῆν ὑμῖν ᾤεσθε καὶ οὐδενὸς ἄλλου ὠρέγεσθε;
And yet, was it not these things, citizens, that separated you from the patricians, and did you not think that if you obtained these, it would be sufficient for you, and did you not desire anything else?
δίδοται νῦν ὑμῖν· ἄπιτε ἤδη χαίροντες εἰς τὴν πατρίδα.
They are now granted to you; depart now rejoicing to your country."