§7.58.1ὁ μὲν δὴ ταῦτʼ ἔλεγε δοκῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς λόγοις, οἷς εἶπεν ἐν τῇ βουλῇ, τὴν δίκην ὑφέξειν, καὶ βουλόμενος ὁμολογῆσαι τοὺς δημάρχους, ὅτι ταύτης ἕνεκα τῆς αἰτίας μέλλουσιν αὐτοῦ κατηγορεῖν.
He said these things, indeed, thinking that he would stand trial because of the words he had spoken in the senate, and wishing the tribunes to acknowledge that they were going to accuse him on this charge.
οἱ δὲ δήμαρχοι βουλευσάμενοι κατὰ σφᾶς τυραννίδι ἐπιβουλεύειν αὐτὸν ᾐτιάσαντο καὶ πρὸς ταύτην ἐκέλευον ἥκειν τὴν αἰτίαν ἀπολογησόμενον, οὐ βουλόμενοι τὸ ἔγκλημα εἰς μίαν αἰτίαν κατακλεῖσαι καὶ ταύτην οὔτʼ ἰσχυρὰν οὔτε τῇ βουλῇ κεχαρισμένην, ἀλλʼ ἑαυτοῖς τε πράττοντες ἐξουσίαν ὅσα βούλονται ἐγκαλεῖν, καὶ βοήθειαν ἀφαιρήσεσθαι τοῦ Μαρκίου τὴν ἐκ τῶν συνέδρων οἰόμενοι.
But the tribunes, after consulting among themselves, accused him of plotting for tyranny and commanded him to come to answer this charge, not wishing to confine the accusation to a single charge, and that one neither strong nor pleasing to the senate, but rather securing for themselves the authority to accuse him of as many things as they wished, and thinking that they would deprive Marcius of the assistance from the senators.
καὶ ὁ Μάρκιος εἶπεν· ἀλλʼ ἤτοι, εἰ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ γε κριθήσομαι τῇ διαβολῇ, δίδωμι ἐμαυτὸν ὑπόδικον τοῖς δημόταις, καὶ μηδὲν ἔστω τὸ κωλῦον γράφεσθαι τὸ §7.58.2προβούλευμα.
And Marcius said: "Well then, if I am to be tried indeed on this charge, I deliver myself to stand trial before the preliminary decree.
ἐγένετο δὲ καὶ τοῖς πλείστοις τῶν συνέδρων ἀσμένοις ἐπὶ τούτῳ γενέσθαι τῷ ἐγκλήματι τὴν δίκην κατʼ ἀμφότερα, καὶ ὅτι οὐκ ἔσται τὸ λέγειν ἃ φρονεῖ τις ἐν τοῖς συνέδροις ὑπαίτιον, καὶ ὅτι ῥᾳδίως ἀπολύσεται τὴν διαβολὴν ὁ ἀνὴρ βίον ἐζηκὼς σώφρονα καὶ ἀνεπίληπτον.
And it was pleasing to most of the senators that the trial should be held on this charge for both reasons, both because speaking one's mind in the senate would not be subject to accusation, and because a man who had lived a temperate and blameless life would easily clear himself of the charge.
§7.58.3γράφεται τὸ προβούλευμα μετὰ ταῦθʼ ὑπὲρ τῆς δίκης, καὶ χρόνος εἰς παρασκευὴν τῆς ἀπολογίας ὁρίζεται τῷ ἀνδρὶ μέχρι τῆς τρίτης ἀγορᾶς·
After this, the preliminary decree concerning the trial was drawn up, and the time for the preparation of his defense was set for him until the third market day.
αἱ δʼ ἀγοραὶ Ῥωμαίοις ἐγίνοντο ὡς καὶ μέχρι τῶν καθʼ ἡμᾶς χρόνων διʼ ἡμέρας ἐνάτης.
And these market days occurred among the Romans, as indeed down to our own times, every ninth day.
ἐν δὲ ταύταις συνιόντες ἐκ τῶν ἀγρῶν εἰς τὴν πόλιν οἱ δημοτικοὶ τάς τʼ ἀμείψεις ἐποιοῦντο τῶν ὠνίων καὶ τὰς δίκας παρʼ ἀλλήλων ἐλάμβανον, τά τε κοινά, ὅσων ἦσαν κύριοι κατὰ τοὺς νόμους καὶ ὅσα ἡ βουλὴ ἐπιτρέψειεν αὐτοῖς,ψῆφον ἀναλαμβάνοντες ἐπεκύρουν· τὰς δὲ μεταξὺ τῶν ἀγορῶν ἑπτὰ ἡμέρας αὐτουργοί τʼ ὄντες οἱ §7.58.4πολλοὶ καὶ πένητες ἐν τοῖς ἀγροῖς διέτριβον.
On these days, the plebeians, coming from the countryside into the city, made exchanges of their commodities, settled their lawsuits with one another, and ratified public matters, such as they had authority over according to the laws and such as the senate might refer to them, by taking up the vote; but during the seven days between the market days, since most of them were peasant farmers and poor, they spent their time in the fields.
ἐπειδὴ δὲ τὸ προβούλευμα ἔλαβον οἱ δήμαρχοι, προελθόντες εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν συνεκάλεσαν εἰς ἐκκλησίαν τὸν δῆμον καὶ πολλὰ ἐγκώμια τῆς βουλῆς διελθόντες καὶ τὰ δόγματα αὐτῆς ἀναγνόντες προεῖπον ἡμέραν, ἐν ᾗ τὴν δίκην ἔμελλον ἐπιτελεῖν, εἰς ἣν ἅπαντες ἠξίουν ἥκειν τοὺς πολίτας ὡς ὑπὲρ τῶν μεγίστων διαγνωσομένους.
And when the tribunes received the preliminary decree, they went forward into the forum, called the people together to an assembly, and after delivering many praises of the senate and reading its decrees, they announced the day on which they were to hold the trial, on which they urged all the citizens to attend as men who were to decide on the most important matters.