§7.30.1περὶ μὲν δὴ τῶν κοινῶν ἀδικημάτων, ἐφʼ οἷς τὴν βουλὴν οἱ δήμαρχοι διέβαλον, ἀποχρῆν οἴομαι τοσαῦτʼ εἰρῆσθαι.
Concerning the public wrongs, therefore, for which the tribunes slandered the senate, I think enough has been said.
ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ καθʼ ἕνα ἕκαστον ἡμῶν, περὶ ὧν ἂν εἴπωμεν ἐν τῇ βουλῇ, συκοφαντοῦσι, καὶ διιστάναι τὴν πόλιν αἰτιῶνται, καὶ νῦν Γάιον Μάρκιον, ἄνδρα φιλόπολιν, ἐλευθέρᾳ φωνῇ χρησάμενον ὑπὲρ τῶν κοινῶν ἀποκτεῖναι ζητοῦσιν ἢ φυγάδα ποιῆσαι τῆς πατρίδος, βούλομαι καὶ περὶ τούτου τὰ δίκαια εἰπεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς· καὶ σκοπεῖτε, εἰ μετρίους καὶ ἀληθεῖς ἐρῶ· §7.30.2τοὺς λόγους.
But since they also bring false accusations against each one of us individually concerning whatever we may say in the senate, and accuse us of dividing the state, and now seek to put to death or make an exile from his fatherland Gaius Marcius, a patriotic man who used free speech on behalf of the public interest, I wish to speak what is just to you concerning this matter also; and consider whether I shall speak moderate and true\n words.
ὑμεῖς, ὦ δημόται, διαλλαττόμενοι πρὸς τὴν βουλὴν ἀποχρῆν ὑμῖν ᾤεσθε τῶν δανείων ἀφεῖσθαι, καὶ βοηθείας ἕνεκα τῶν κατισχυομένων πενήτων ἄρχοντας ἐξ αὑτῶν ᾐτήσασθε ἀποδεικνύναι, καὶ ταῦτʼ ἀμφότερα πολλὴν εἰδότες ἡμῖν χάριν ἐλάβετε·
You, citizens, when you were reconciled to the senate, thought it sufficient for you to be released from your debts, and for the sake of helping the oppressed poor, you asked to appoint magistrates from among yourselves, and you received both of these with great gratitude to us.
καταλῦσαι δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν ὑπάτων ἢ τὴν βουλὴν ἄκυρον ποιῆσαι τῆς ὑπὲρ τῶν κοινῶν προστασίας καὶ τὴν τάξιν ἀνατρέψαι τῆς πατρίου πολιτείας οὔτʼ ᾐτήσασθε οὔτε μέλλετε. §7.30.3τί οὖν παθόντες ἐπιχειρεῖτε πάντα συγχεῖν ταῦτα νυνί;
But to abolish the office of the consuls, or to render the senate powerless in its protection of the public interests, and to overturn the order of our ancestral constitution, you neither asked nor intend to do.\n What, then, has possessed you to attempt to throw all these things into confusion now?
καὶ τίνι δικαίῳ πιστεύοντες τὰς τιμὰς ἡμῶν ζητεῖτε ἀφαιρεῖσθαι;
And relying on what right do you seek to strip away our privileges?
εἰ γὰρ τοῖς μετέχουσι τῆς βουλῆς φοβερὸν ποιήσετε τὸ μετὰ παρρησίας ἃ φρονοῦσι λέγειν, τί ἂν εἴποιεν οἱ προεστηκότες ὑμῶν ἐπιεικές;
For if you make it a terrifying thing for those who share in the senate to speak their minds with frankness, what reasonable thing could your leaders say?
ἢ ποίῳ χρησάμενοι νόμῳ θανάτῳ ζημιοῦν ἢ φυγῇ τῶν πατρικίων τινὰς ἀξιώσουσιν;
Or by what law will they claim, the right to punish any of the patricians with death or exile?
οὔτε γὰρ οἱ παλαιοὶ νόμοι ταύτην διδόασιν ὑμῖν τὴν ἐξουσίαν, οὔθʼ αἱ νεωστὶ γενόμεναι πρὸς τὴν βουλὴν ὁμολογίαι. §7.30.4τὸ δʼ ἐκβαίνειν τοὺς νομίμους ὅρους καὶ τὴν βίαν κρείττονα ποιεῖν τῆς δίκης οὐκέτι δημοτικόν ἐστιν, ἀλλʼ εἰ τἀληθῆ βούλεσθε ἀκούειν τυραννικόν.
For neither do the ancient laws give you this power, nor the agreements recently made with the senate.\n But to transgress the lawful limits and to make violence stronger than justice is no longer democratic, but, if you wish to hear the truth, tyrannical.
ἐγὼ δὴ παραινέσαιμʼ ἂν ὑμῖν, ὧν μὲν εὕρεσθε παρὰ τῆς βουλῆς φιλανθρώπων μηδενὸς ἀφίστασθαι, ὧν δʼ οὐκ ἠξιώσατε διαλυόμενοι τὴν ἔχθραν τότε τυχεῖν μηδὲ νῦν ἀντιποιεῖσθαι.
I would indeed advise you not to give up any of the favors you obtained from the senate, but not to lay claim now to those things which you did not think fit to obtain when you were settling your hostility then.