§7.35.1τοιγάρτοι λέγοντός τʼ αὐτοῦ μεταξὺ πολὺς θόρυβος ἐγίνετο τῇδε καὶ τῇδε θαμινὰ μεθελκομένοις, ὡς ἐν διαφόροις, πλήθεσι καὶ οὐ ταὐτὰ βουλομένοις, τῶν μὲν ἡδομένων ἐπὶ τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ, τῶν δὲ πάλιν ἀχθομένων.
Therefore, even while he was speaking, a great uproar arose here and there, as is natural among multitudes that are divided and do not desire the same things, being repeatedly dragged this way and that, some indeed rejoicing at his words, and others on the contrary being vexed.
καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἐπαύσατο λέγων, ἔτι πλείων ἀνέστη βοὴ καὶ θόρυβος.
And when he ceased speaking, an even greater shouting and uproar arose.
§7.35.2οἱ μὲν γὰρ πατρίκιοι κράτιστον ἀνδρῶν λέγοντες ἐπῄνουν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῇ παρρησίᾳ καὶ μόνον ἀπέφαινον ἐξ ἁπάντων σφῶν ἐλεύθερον, ὃς οὔτε πολεμίων ἔδεισεν ἐπιόντων ὄχλον οὔτε πολιτῶν αὐθάδεις καὶ παρανόμους ἐκολάκευσεν ὁρμάς· οἱ δὲ δημοτικοὶ δυσανασχετοῦντες ἐπὶ τοῖς ὀνειδισμοῖς βαρὺν καὶ πικρὸν καὶ πολεμίων ἁπάντων ἔχθιστον αὐτὸν ἀπεκάλουν.
For the patricians praised him for his frankness of speech, calling him the best of men, and declared him to be the only free man among them all, who neither feared the multitude of enemies advancing nor flattered the arrogant and unlawful impulses of the citizens; but the plebeians, being highly displeased at his reproaches, called him oppressive and bitter, and the most hateful of all enemies.
§7.35.3προθυμίαν δὲ πολλὴν εἶχόν τινες ἤδη, οἷς πολὺ προσῆν τὸ εὐχερές, ἐν χειρῶν αὐτὸν διαφθεῖραι νόμῳ.
And some, in whom there was a great deal of recklessness, already had a great eagerness to destroy him by the law of hands.
συνήργουν δʼ αὐτοῖς εἰς τοῦτο καὶ συνελάμβανον οἱ δήμαρχοι, καὶ μάλιστα Σικίννιος ἐνεδίδου τοῖς βουλήμασι τὰς ἡνίας.
The tribunes co-operated with them in this and assisted them, and especially Sicinius gave free rein to their desires.
τελευτῶν γοῦν, ἐπειδὴ πολλὴν αὐτοῦ καταδρομὴν ἐποιήσατο καὶ τοὺς θυμοὺς ἐξέκαυσε τῶν δημοτῶν, πολὺς ἐμπνεύσας τῇ κατηγορίᾳ τέλος ἐξήνεγκεν, ὅτι θάνατον αὐτοῦ καταψηφίζεται τὸ ἀρχεῖον τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἀγορανόμους ὕβρεως ἕνεκεν, οὓς τῇ προτέρᾳ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἄγειν αὐτὸν κελευσθέντας ὑφʼ αὑτῶν τύπτων ἀπήλασεν· οὐ γὰρ ἑτέρων τινῶν εἶναι τὸν προπηλακισμὸν τὸν εἰς τοὺς ὑπηρέτας σφῶν γενόμενον ἢ τῶν κελευσάντων.
At last, indeed, when he had made a long attack upon him and had inflamed the anger of the plebeians, having infused great force into his accusation, he pronounced the verdict that the college of tribunes condemned him to death on account of his insult to the aediles, whom, when they had been ordered by the tribunes on the preceding day to lead him away, he had driven away with blows; for the insult offered to their servants belonged to no others than to those who had given the orders.
§7.35.4καὶ ταῦτʼ εἰπὼν ἐπέταξεν ἄγειν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸν ὑπερκείμενον τῆς ἀγορᾶς λόφον· ἔστι δὲ τὸ χωρίον κρημνὸς ἐξαίσιος, ὅθεν αὐτοῖς ἔθος ἦν βάλλειν τοὺς ἐπιθανατίους.
And having said this, he ordered them to lead him to the hill overlooking the forum; now the place is a sheer precipice, from which it was their custom to cast down those condemned to death.
οἱ μὲν οὖν ἀγορανόμοι προσῄεσαν ὡς ἐπιληψόμενοι τοῦ σώματος, οἱ δὲ πατρίκιοι μέγα ἐμβοήσαντες ὥρμησαν ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς ἀθρόοι· ἔπειθʼ ὁ δῆμος ἐπὶ τοὺς πατρικίους· καὶ ἦν πολλὴ μὲν ἔργων ἀκοσμία, πολλὴ δὲ λόγων ὕβρις παρʼ ἀμφοῖν, §7.35.5ὠθισμοί τε καὶ χειρῶν ἐπιβολαί.
So the aediles approached as if to seize his person, but the patricians, setting up a great shout, rushed upon them in a body; then the plebeians rushed upon the patricians; and there was great disorder in deeds and great insolence in words on both sides, and there was pushing and laying on of hands.
κατελήφθη δὲ καὶ σωφρονεῖν ἠναγκάσθη τὰ παρακινοῦντα ὑπὸ τῶν ὑπάτων βιασαμένων εἰς μέσους καὶ τοῖς ῥαβδούχοις ἀναστέλλειν κελευσάντων τοὺς ὄχλους· τοσαύτη ἄρα τῆς ἀρχῆς αἰδὼς ἦν τοῖς τότε ἀνθρώποις, καὶ οὕτω τίμιον τὸ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἐξουσίας μίμημα.
But the disturbances were checked and forced to behave with moderation by the consuls, who forced their way into the midst of them and ordered their lictors to push back the crowds; so great, then, was the reverence for the magistracy among the men of those times, and so honored was this imitation of kingly power.
ἐφʼ οἷς ὁ Σικίννιος ἀδημονῶν καὶ διαταραττόμενος εὐλαβείας τε μεστὸς ὤν, μὴ προσαναγκάσῃ τοὺς διαφόρους τοῖς βιαίοις τὰ βίαια λῦσαι, ἀποστῆναι τʼ οὐκ ἀξιῶν τοῦ ἐγχειρήματος, ἐπειδὴ ἅπαξ ἐπεβάλετο, καὶ μένειν ἐφʼ οἷς ἔκρινεν οὐ δυνατὸς ὤν, πολὺς ἐν τῷ σκοπεῖν, ὅ τι πρακτέον ἦν.
At this Sicinius, being distressed and throwing into confusion, and being full of apprehension lest he should compel his opponents to repel force with force, yet not deigning to desist from the enterprise since he had once undertaken it, and being unable to persist in what he had decided, was much occupied in considering what was to be done.