§7.41.1ἐρῶ δὲ περὶ τοῦ δικαίου πρῶτον.
And I shall speak about justice first.
ὑμεῖς δή, ὦ βουλή, ὅτε τοὺς βασιλεῖς ἀπηλλάξατε συμμάχους ἔχοντες ἡμᾶς καὶ τὴν πολιτείαν, ἐν ᾗ νῦν ἐσμεν, κατεστήσατε, ἣν οὐ ψέγομεν, μειονεκτοῦντας ἐν ταῖς δίκαις τοὺς δημοτικοὺς ὁρῶντες, ὁπότε συμβαίη τι διάφορον αὐτοῖς πρὸς τοὺς πατρικίους· πολλὰ δʼ ἦν ταῦτα· νόμον ἐκυρώσατε Ποπλίου Οὐαλερίου θατέρου τῶν ὑπάτων γνώμῃ χρησάμενοι, ἐξεῖναι τοῖς κατισχυομένοις ὑπὸ τῶν πατρικίων δημόταις προκαλεῖσθαι τὰς κρίσεις ἐπὶ τὸν δῆμον· καὶ παρʼ οὐδὲν οὕτως ἕτερον ὡς τὸν νόμον τόνδε τήν τε πόλιν ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ διεφυλάξατε καὶ §7.41.2τοὺς βασιλεῖς ἐπιόντας ἀπεώσασθε.
You indeed, senators, when you expelled the kings, having us as allies, and established the constitution in which we now are (which we do not find fault with), seeing that the plebeians were at a disadvantage in trials whenever any dispute arose between them and the patricians—and these were many— enacted a law, following the proposal of Publius Valerius, one of the consuls, that it should be permitted to the plebeians who were oppressed by the patricians to appeal the judgments to the people; and by nothing so much as this law did you preserve the city in harmony and repel the kings who were attacking.
τοῦτον δὴ προφερόμενοι τὸν νόμον, ὑπὲρ ὧν ἅπαντες ἀδικεῖσθαί τε καὶ κατισχύεσθαι λέγομεν ὑπὸ Γαΐου Μαρκίου τουδί, καλοῦμεν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὸν δῆμον καὶ τὰ δίκαια παραγγέλλομεν ἐκεῖ λέγειν.
Producing this very law, concerning the matters in which we all say we are wronged and oppressed by this Gaius Marcius here, we summon him before the people and command him to plead his cause there.
καὶ προβουλεύματος ἐνταῦθʼ οὐκ ἔδει.
And there was no need of a preliminary decree here.
περὶ ὧν γὰρ οὐκ εἰσὶ νόμοι, περὶ τούτων ὑμεῖς τοῦ προβουλεύεσθαι κύριοι καὶ ὁ δῆμος ἐπιψηφίσαι· νόμου δʼ ὄντος ἀκινήτου, κἂν μηδὲν ὑμεῖς προβουλεύσητε, §7.41.3τούτῳ δήπου χρηστέον.
For concerning matters for which there are no laws, you are masters of making preliminary decrees and the people of voting; but when an unalterable law exists, even if you make no preliminary decree, it must surely be used.
οὐ γὰρ δὴ τοῦτό γʼ ἂν εἴποι τις, ὅτι τῶν μὲν ἰδιωτῶν οἷς τὸ μειονεκτεῖν συμβαίνει περὶ τὰς κρίσεις κυρίαν εἶναι δεῖ τὴν ἐπὶ τὸν δῆμον πρόκλησιν, ἡμῖν δὲ τοῖς δημάρχοις ἄκυρον.
For no one, indeed, would say this: that while the appeal to the people must be valid for private individuals who happen to suffer disadvantage in trials, it is invalid for us, the tribunes.
νόμου μὲν δὴ συγχωρήματι τῷδε ἰσχυριζόμενοι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο παρακινδυνεύσαντες ὑφʼ ὑμῖν γενέσθαι δικασταῖς ἥκομεν.
Relying, then, on this concession of the law, and because of this having run the risk of coming under you as judges, we are here.
§7.41.4ἐπʼ ἀγράφῳ δὲ καὶ ἀνομοθετήτῳ φύσεως δικαίῳ τόδε ἀξιοῦμεν, ὦ βουλή, μήτε πλέον ἔχειν ὑμῶν μήτε μεῖον, περὶ τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν τῶν πολέμων πλείστην ἐπιδειξάμενοι προθυμίαν, καὶ τοῦ μηδενὶ τὸ κελευόμενον ποιεῖν τὴν πόλιν, ἀλλʼ αὐτὴν ἑτέροις ἐπιτάττειν τὰ δίκαια, οὐκ ἐλαχίστην μοῖραν παρασχόμενοι.
But on the unwritten and unlegislated justice of nature, we demand, senators, to have neither more nor less than you, since we have displayed the greatest zeal for deliverance from wars, and have contributed no small share to the city's not doing what is ordered by anyone, but itself dictating what is just to others.
§7.41.5οὕτω δʼ ἂν ἡμῖν τὸ μὴ μεῖον ἔχειν τῶν δικαίων ἀποδοίητε, ὦ πατέρες, εἰ τοὺς ἐπιχειροῦντας εἰς τὰ σώματα ἡμῶν καὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν παρανομεῖν κωλύοιτε τὸν ἐκ τῆς δίκης ἐφιστάντες αὐτοῖς φόβον.
And in this way you would restore to us our equal share of justice, fathers, if you should prevent those who attempt to violate our persons and freedom, by imposing on them the fear arising from trial.
ἀρχὰς μὲν δὴ καὶ προεδρίας καὶ τιμὰς τοῖς ἀρετῇ καὶ τύχῃ προὔχουσιν ἡμῶν οἰόμεθα δεῖν ἀπονέμειν· τὸ δὲ μηδὲν ἀδικεῖσθαι καὶ τὸ δίκας ὧν ἄν τις πάθῃ προσηκούσας λαμβάνειν ἴσα καὶ κοινὰ τοῖς ἅμα πολιτευομένοις εἶναι δικαιοῦμεν.
Offices, first seats, and honors we think ought to be assigned to those of us who excel in virtue and fortune; but that we should suffer no wrong and should receive fitting satisfaction for whatever one may suffer, we claim to be equal and common to all who live under the same constitution.
§7.41.6ὥσπερ οὖν τῶν λαμπρῶν καὶ μεγάλων ἀφιστάμεθʼ ὑμῖν, οὕτως τῶν ἴσων καὶ κοινῶν οὐ μεθιέμεθα.
Just as, therefore, we withdraw from glorious and great things in your favor, so we do not let go of equal and common things.
ἱκανὰ ταῦτʼ εἰρήσθω περὶ τοῦ δικαίου πολλῶν ἐνόντων καὶ ἄλλων λέγεσθαι.
Let these things suffice to have been said about justice, although many other things could be said.