§7.34.1εἰπὼν δὲ ταῦτα καὶ δόξας μέτριος ὀργὴν εἶναι καὶ διαλλακτικὸς ἐπιστρέφει πρὸς τὸν Μάρκιον παρεστηκότα τοῖς ὑπάτοις καὶ λέγει· σὺ δέ, τί οὐκ ἀπολογῇ πρὸς τοὺς σαυτοῦ πολίτας, ὦ γενναῖε, περὶ ὧν εἶπας ἐν τῇ βουλῇ;
And having said this, and seeming to be moderate in his anger and conciliatory, he turned to Marcius, who was standing by the consuls, and said: "But you, why do you not make your defense to your fellow-citizens, noble sir, concerning those things you said in the senate?
μᾶλλον δὲ τί οὐκ ἀντιβολεῖς καὶ παραιτῇ τὰς ὀργὰς αὐτῶν, ἵνα μετριωτέραν ἐπιθῶσί σοι ζημίαν;
Or rather, why do you not entreat them and deprecate their anger, so that they may impose on you a more moderate penalty?
ἀρνεῖσθαι μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἂν ἀξιώσαιμί σε τοσούτων ἀνδρῶν εἰδότων οὐδʼ εἰς ἀναισχύντους καταφεύγειν ἀπολογίας, Μάρκιον ὄντα καὶ φρόνημα μεῖζον ἢ κατʼ ἰδιώτην ἔχοντα· εἰ μὴ ἄρα τοῖς μὲν ὑπάτοις καὶ τοῖς πατρικίοις καλῶς ἔχει πείθειν ὑπὲρ σοῦ τὸν δῆμον, σοὶ δʼ οὐκ ἄρα καλῶς ἕξει ταὐτὸ §7.34.2τοῦτο περὶ σεαυτοῦ ποιήσαντι; ταῦτα δʼ ἔλεγεν οὐκ ἀγνοῶν, ὅτι μεγαλόφρων ἀνὴρ οὐχ ὑπομενεῖ κατήγορος ἑαυτοῦ γενόμενος ὡς ἡμαρτηκὼς ἄφεσιν αἰτεῖσθαι τῆς τιμωρίας, οὐδʼ εἰς ὀλοφυρμοὺς καὶ δεήσεις καταφεύξεται παρὰ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ τρόπον, ἀλλʼ ἤτοι καὶ τὸ παράπαν ἀπαξιώσει τὴν ἀπολογίαν, ἢ τὴν ἔμφυτον αὐθάδειαν φυλάττων οὐθὲν ὑποθωπεύσει τὸν δῆμον μετριάσας περὶ τοὺς λόγους· ὅπερ καὶ συνέβη.
For I should not think it worthy of you to deny it, when so many men know it, nor to flee to shameless defenses, since you are Marcius and possess a spirit greater than that of a private citizen—unless, indeed, it is well for the consuls and the patricians to persuade the people on your behalf, but it will not be well for you to do this very same thing concerning yourself?" And he said this, not ignorant that a high-minded man would not endure to become his own accuser and ask for release from punishment as if he had erred, nor would he flee to lamentations and entreaties contrary to his own character, but would either reject defense altogether, or, preserving his inborn arrogance, would not flatter the people at all by moderating his words; which is exactly what happened.
§7.34.3γενομένης γὰρ ἡσυχίας καὶ πολλῆς ἐμπεσούσης ὀλίγου δεῖν πᾶσι τοῖς δημοτικοῖς προθυμίας ἀπολύειν αὐτόν, εἰ τὸν παρόντα θεραπεύσειε καιρόν, τοιαύτην αὐθάδειαν ἐπεδείξατο λόγων, καὶ τοσοῦτον αὐτῶν κατεφρόνησεν, ὥστε παρελθὼν ἔξαρνος μὲν ὑπὲρ οὐθενὸς ἦν τῶν πρὸς τὴν βουλὴν εἰρημένων κατὰ τοῦ πλήθους, οὐδʼ ὡς μεταγινώσκων ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς εἰς οἴκτους καὶ παραιτήσεις ἐτρέπετο· ἀρχὴν δʼ οὐδὲ δικασταῖς αὐτοῖς ἠξίου χρῆσθαι περὶ οὐδενὸς πράγματος, ὡς οὐδεμίαν ἔχουσιν ἐξουσίαν νόμιμον· εἰ δὲ βουλήσεταί τις ἐπὶ τῶν ὑπάτων αὐτοῦ κατηγορεῖν εἴτʼ ἔργων εὐθύνας ἀπαιτῶν εἴτε λόγων, §7.34.4ἔνθα νόμος ἐστὶν ἕτοιμος εἶναι δίκην ὑπέχειν.
For when silence had fallen and a great eagerness had come upon almost all the common people to acquit him, if he would only handle the present opportunity well, he displayed such arrogance in his words, and so despised them, that when he came forward, he denied none of the things said against the multitude in the senate, nor did he turn to laments and deprecations as if repenting of them; and he did not even deign to use them as judges in any matter whatsoever, on the ground that they had no lawful authority; but if anyone wished to accuse him before the consuls, whether demanding an accounting of his deeds or his words, where there was law, he said he was ready to undergo trial.
παρεληλυθέναι δὲ πρὸς τοὺς δημότας ἔλεγεν, ἐπειδὴ καλοῦσιν αὐτοί, τὰ μὲν ἐπιτιμήσων ταῖς παρανομίαις αὐτῶν καὶ πλεονεξίαις, αἷς ἐχρήσαντο περί τε τὴν ἀπόστασιν καὶ μετὰ τὴν κάθοδον· τὰ δὲ συμβουλεύσων ἐπισχεῖν ἤδη ποτὲ καὶ συστεῖλαι τὰς ἀδίκους ἐπιθυμίας.
And he said he had come before the citizens, since they themselves were calling him, partly to censure their transgressions and greed, which they had displayed during the secession and after their return, and partly to advise them to restrain at last and contract their unjust desires.
§7.34.5καὶ μετὰ τοῦτʼ ἐπιστρεφῶς πάνυ καὶ θρασέως ἁπάντων αὐτῶν καθήπτετο καὶ μάλιστα τῶν δημάρχων.
And after this, very sharply and boldly, he attacked them all, and especially the tribunes.
προσῆν δʼ αὐτοῦ τοῖς λόγοις οὐχ ὡς πολίτου δῆμον ἀναδιδάσκοντος εὐλόγιστος αἰδώς, οὐδʼ ὡς ἰδιώτου πολλοῖς ἀπεχθομένου σώφρων εὐλάβεια πρὸς τὰς τοῦ κρατοῦντος ὀργάς, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἐχθροῦ προπηλακίζοντος ἀδεῶς τοὺς ὑπὸ χεῖρας ἄκρατός τις χολὴ καὶ βαρεῖα τοῦ κακῶς πάσχοντος ὑπεροψία.
And there was not in his words the reasonable respect of a citizen instructing the people, nor the prudent caution of a private citizen hated by many toward the anger of the ruling power, but like an enemy fearlessly insulting those under his hand, there was a kind of unmixed wrath and heavy contempt for those who were suffering.