§6.9.1καὶ τόδε, ὦ πολῖται, τοῦ μήτʼ ὀρρωδεῖν μήτʼ ἐκτρέπεσθαι τὰ δεινὰ μέγιστον παρακέλευσμα, ὅτι πάντες οἱ πρωτεύοντες τοῦ βουλευτικοῦ συνεδρίου πάρεισιν, ὥσπερ ὁρᾶτε, κοινὰς ὑμῖν ποιησόμενοι τὰς τοῦ πολέμου τύχας, οἷς ἀφεῖσθαι στρατείας ὅ τε χρόνος §6.9.2ὁ τῆς ἡλικίας ἀποδέδωκε καὶ ὁ νόμος.
And this too, O citizens, is the greatest encouragement for neither fearing nor turning away from dangers: that all the leading members of the senate are present, as you see, intending to share the fortunes of war with you, to whom both the time of their age and the law have granted exemption from military service.
οὐκοῦν αἰσχρὸν μὲν ὑμᾶς τοὺς ἐν ἀκμῇ φεύγειν τὰ δεινά, τούτους δὲ τοὺς ὑπὲρ ἡλικίαν διώκειν, καὶ τὸ μὲν τῶν γερόντων πρόθυμον, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἀποκτεῖναί τινα δύναται τῶν πολεμίων, ἀποθνήσκειν γε ὑπὲρ τῆς πατρίδος ἐθέλειν, τὸ δʼ ὑμέτερον ἀκμάζον, οἷς ἔξεστιν εὐτυχήσασι μὲν ἀμφότερα σῶσαι καὶ νικᾶν ἀσφαλῶς, εἰ δὲ καὶ μὴ μετὰ τοῦ δρᾶσαί τι γενναῖον καὶ παθεῖν, μήτε τῆς τύχης πεῖραν λαβεῖν, μήτε τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς δόξαν καταλιπεῖν;
Is it not, therefore, shameful that you who are in your prime should flee from dangers, while these who are past the age should pursue them, and that the enthusiastic part of the old men, since they cannot kill any of the enemy, should at least wish to die on behalf of their country, whereas your part in its prime—who, if you are fortunate, are able both to save both (yourself and the state) and to conquer safely, or even if not, to suffer after performing something noble—should neither make trial of fortune nor leave behind the glory of virtue?
§6.9.3οὐ πρὸς ὑμῶν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ῥωμαῖοι, τὰ μὲν πολλὰ ὑπάρχειν καὶ θαυμαστὰ ἔργα παρʼ ἑτέροις, οὓς οὐδεὶς ὑμνήσει λόγος ἀξίως; πολλὰς δὲ καὶ περιβοήτους πράξεις οἰκείας τὸ ἐξ ὑμῶν καρπώσεται γένος, ἢν τοῦτον ἔτι κατορθώσητε τὸν πόλεμον.
Is it not worthy of you, O Roman men, that while many and wonderful deeds belong to others (whom no speech will praise worthily), your own race springing from you shall reap the fruit of many and celebrated actions of your own, if you bring this war also to a successful conclusion?
ἵνα δὲ καὶ τοῖς τὰ κράτιστα ὑμῶν ἐγνωκόσι τὸ γενναῖον μὴ ἀκερδὲς γένηται καὶ τοῖς πέρα τοῦ δέοντος τὰ δεινὰ πεφοβημένοις μὴ ἀζήμιον ᾖ, πρὶν εἰς ταῦτα ἐλθεῖν, οἵων ἑκατέροις συμβήσεται τυχεῖν, ἀκούσατέ μου.
But in order that, for those of you who have resolved on the best course, their nobility may not go unrewarded, and for those who have feared dangers beyond what is necessary, their cowardice may not go unpunished, before we come to these things, listen to me concerning what kind of fortune is to fall to each of the two groups.
§6.9.4ᾧ μὲν ἄν τι καλὸν ἢ γενναῖον ἐν τῇ μάχῃ διαπραξαμένῳ μαρτυρήσωσιν οἱ τὰ ἔργα συνειδότες τάς τʼ ἄλλας ἀποδώσω παραχρῆμα τιμάς, ἃς ἐκ τῶν πατρίων ἑκάστοις ἐθισμῶν ὑπάρχει φέρεσθαι, καὶ γῆς ἔτι προσθήσω κλῆρον, ἧς κέκτηται τὸ δημόσιον, ἱκανὸν ποιῆσαι ὡς μηδενὸς τῶν ἀναγκαίων δεηθῆναι·
To anyone who performs some beautiful or noble deed in the battle, to which those who witnessed the deeds shall bear testimony, I will immediately pay the other honors which, according to ancestral customs, belong to each to receive, and I will also add a portion of the land which the public possesses, sufficient to make him stand in need of none of the necessaries of life.
ᾧ δʼ ἂν ἡ κακὴ καὶ θεοβλαβὴς διάνοια φυγῆς ἀσχήμονος ἐπιθυμίαν ἐμβάλῃ, τούτῳ τὸν φευγόμενον ἀγχοῦ παραστήσω θάνατον· κρείττων γὰρ ἂν ἑαυτῷ τε καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις γένοιτο τοιοῦτος πολίτης ἀποθανών· καὶ περιέσται τοῖς οὕτως ἀποθανοῦσι μήτε ταφῆς μήτε τῶν ἄλλων νομίμων μεταλαβεῖν, ἀλλʼ ἀζήλοις ἀκλαύστοις ὑπʼ οἰωνῶν τε καὶ θηρίων διαφορηθῆναι.
But to anyone into whom an evil and god-blinded mind shall instill a desire for shameful flight, to him I will present near at hand that very death which he is fleeing; for such a citizen would be better off both for himself and for others by dying; and it will be the lot of those who die in this way neither to partake of burial nor of the other customary rites, but, unenvied and unwept, to be torn to pieces by birds of prey and wild beasts.
§6.9.5ταῦτα δὴ προεγνωκότες ἴτε προθύμως ἅπαντες ἐπὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα, λαβόντες καλὰς ἐλπίδας ἔργων καλῶν ἡγεμόνας, ὡς ἐν ἑνὶ τῷδε κινδύνῳ τὸ κράτιστον καὶ κατʼ εὐχὴν ἅπασι τέλος λαβόντι τὰ μέγιστα ἕξοντες ἀγαθά, φόβου τυράννων ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς ἐλευθερώσοντες, πόλει τῇ γειναμένῃ τροφείων δικαίας ἀπαιτούσῃ χάριτας ἀποδώσοντες, παῖδας, ὅσοις εἰσὶν ὑμῶν ἔτι νήπιοι, καὶ γαμετὰς γυναῖκας οὐ περιοψόμενοι παθεῖν πρὸς ἐχθρῶν ἀνήκεστα, γηραιούς τε πατέρας τὸν ὀλίγον ἔτι χρόνον ἥδιστον βιῶναι παρασκευάσοντες.
Knowing these things beforehand, go forward enthusiastically, all of you, to the contest, taking good hopes as leaders of good deeds, with the conviction that in this single danger, if it obtains the best and prayed-for end for all, you will possess the greatest goods, liberating yourselves from the fear of tyrants, repaying just thanks for your rearing to the city that gave you birth, not permitting your children— as many of you as still have infants—and your wedded wives to suffer incurable things from the enemies, and preparing for your aged fathers to live the little remaining time in the greatest pleasure.
§6.9.6ὦ μακάριοι μέν, οἷς ἂν ἐκγένηται τὸν ἐκ τοῦδε τοῦ πολέμου θρίαμβον καταγαγεῖν, ὑποδεχομένων ὑμᾶς τέκνων καὶ γυναικῶν καὶ πατέρων· εὐκλεεῖς δὲ καὶ ζηλωτοὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς οἱ τὰ σώματα χαριούμενοι τῇ πατρίδι.
O blessed indeed are they to whom it shall be granted to bring back the triumph from this war, while children, wives, and fathers receive you; and glorious and envied for their virtue are those who will present their bodies to their country.
ἀποθανεῖν μὲν γὰρ ἅπασιν ἀνθρώποις ὀφείλεται, κακοῖς τε καὶ ἀγαθοῖς· καλῶς δὲ καὶ ἐνδόξως μόνοις τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς.
For to die is owed by all men, both the bad and the good; but to die beautifully and gloriously is owed only to the good.