§8.32.1ἆρʼ οὐ φανερόν, ὅτι καλλιλογεῖτε καὶ εἰρωνεύεσθε, ὦ Μηνύκιε, ὄνομα καλὸν ἔργῳ περιθέντες ἀνοσίῳ;
Is it not clear, Minucius, that you are speaking finely and dissembling, by wrapping an unholy deed in a beautiful name?
οὐ γὰρ δὴ κάθοδόν μοι δίδοτε, ἀλλὰ σφάγιόν με τῷ δήμῳ κατάγετε, τάχα μὲν καὶ βεβουλευμένοι τοῦτο πράττειν· οὐθὲν γὰρ ἔτι μοι χρηστὸν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν ἐπέρχεται φρονεῖν·
For you are not giving me a return, but are bringing me back as a victim for the people, perhaps even planning to do this; for no good thought about you comes to my mind any longer.
εἰ δὲ βούλεσθε — τίθημι γάρ — §8.32.2οὐδὲν ὧν πείσομαι προορώμενοι, τί οὖν ἔσται μοι τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀγνοίας ἢ μωρίας ὄφελος, κωλύειν μὲν οὐδὲν οὐδʼ ἂν οἷοι ἦτε δυνησομένων, χαρίζεσθαι δὲ καὶ τοῦτο τῷ δήμῳ σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀναγκαζομένων;
Or, if you prefer—for I will grant it— foreseeing nothing of what I shall suffer, what benefit then will I have from your ignorance or folly, since you will be able to prevent nothing, even if you were able, and will be forced to yield this too to the people along with the rest?
ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὅτι μὲν οὐ συνοίσει μοι πρὸς ἀσφάλειαν ἥδε, ἣν ὑμεῖς μὲν κάθοδον καλεῖτε, ἐγὼ δὲ ταχεῖαν ὁδὸν ἐπὶ τὸν ὄλεθρον, οὐ πολλῶν οἴομαι δεῖν ἔτι λόγων·
But indeed, that this return, as you call it, but which I call a quick road to destruction, will not contribute to my safety, I think no more words are needed.
ὅτι δʼ οὐδὲ πρὸς εὐδοξίαν ἢ τιμὴν ἢ πρὸς εὐσέβειαν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ σὺ τούτων, ὦ Μηνύκιε, πρόνοιαν ἔχειν με ἠξίους, εὖ ποιῶν, ἀλλʼ αἴσχιστά μοι καὶ ἀνοσιώτατα πραχθήσεται πεισθέντι ὑμῖν, ἄκουσον ἐν τῷ μέρει.
And that it is not conducive to good reputation or honor or piety either—since you too, Minucius, rightly expected me to have regard for these things—but that the most shameful and unholy deeds will be committed by me if I yield to you, hear now in turn.
§8.32.3ἐγὼ πολέμιος ἐγενόμην τούτοις καὶ πολλὰ ἠδίκησα αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, τῇ πατρίδι πράττων ἡγεμονίαν καὶ ἰσχὺν καὶ κλέος.
I became an enemy to these people and did them many wrongs in the war, securing hegemony, power, and glory for my fatherland.
οὐκοῦν προσῆκέ μοι τιμᾶσθαι μὲν ὑπὸ τῶν εὖ πεπονθότων, μισεῖσθαι δʼ ὑπὸ τῶν ἠδικημένων;
Was it not fitting for me to be honored by those who benefited, and to be hated by those who were wronged?
εἰ γοῦν τι τῶν εἰκότων ἐγένετο.
If, at least, anything of what is reasonable had happened.
ἀνέτρεψε δʼ ἀμφότερα ταῦθʼ ἡ τύχη, καὶ εἰς τἀναντία μετέθηκε τὰς ἀξιώσεις.
But fortune overturned both of these, and transferred our expectations to the opposite.
ὑμεῖς μὲν γάρ, ὑπὲρ ὧν τούτοις ἐχθρὸς ἦν, ἀφείλεσθέ με πάντα τἀμὰ καὶ τὸ μηδὲν ποιήσαντες ἐρρίψατε· οὗτοι δʼ οἱ τὰ δεινὰ ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ παθόντες, τὸν ἄπορον καὶ ἀνέστιον καὶ ταπεινὸν καὶ §8.32.4ἄπολιν ὑπεδέξαντό με ταῖς ἑαυτῶν πόλεσι.
For you, on whose behalf I was an enemy to these, stripped me of all my possessions and cast me out, making me as nothing; while they, who had suffered terrible things at my hands, received me—impoverished, homeless, humbled, and stateless as I was—into their own cities.
καὶ οὐκ ἀπέχρη αὐτοῖς τοῦτο ποιήσασι μόνον οὕτω λαμπρὸν καὶ μεγαλόψυχον ἔργον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολιτείαν ἔδοσάν μοι ἐν ἁπάσαις ταῖς ἑαυτῶν πόλεσι καὶ ἀρχὰς καὶ τιμάς, αἳ μέγισται παρʼ αὐτοῖς εἰσιν.
And it did not suffice for them merely to perform this so glorious and magnanimous a deed, but they also gave me citizenship in all their cities, and offices and honors, which are the greatest among them.
ἐῶ τἆλλα· ἀλλὰ νυνὶ στρατηγὸν ἀποδεδείχασί με αὐτοκράτορα τῆς ὑπερορίου στρατιᾶς καὶ πάντα τὰ κοινὰ ἐπʼ ἐμοὶ πεποιήκασι μόνῳ.
I omit other things; but now they have appointed me general with absolute power over the expeditionary army, and have placed all public affairs in my hands alone.
§8.32.5φέρε δή, τίνα λαβὼν καρδίαν προδοίην ἂν ἔτι τούτους, ὑφʼ ὧν τηλικαύταις κεκόσμημαι τιμαῖς, οὐθὲν οὔτε μεῖζον οὔτʼ ἔλαττον ἀδικηθείς;
Come now, with what kind of heart could I betray these people, by whom I have been adorned with such great honors, having suffered no wrong from them, neither greater nor lesser?
εἰ μὴ ἄρα αἱ χάριτες αὐτῶν ἀδικοῦσί με, ὥσπερ ὑμᾶς αἱ ἐμαί·
Unless indeed their favors do me wrong, just as my favors did you wrong.
καλήν γε δόξαν οἴσει μοι παρὰ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις γνωσθεῖσα ἡ παλιμπροδοσία.
A fine reputation indeed will this repeated betrayal bring me among all men, when it becomes known!
τίς δʼ ἂν ἐπαινέσειέ με ἀκούσας, ὅτι τοὺς μὲν φίλους, ὑφʼ ὧν εὖ πάσχειν μοι προσῆκε, πολεμίους εὑρών, τοὺς δʼ ἐχθρούς, ὑφʼ ὧν ἐχρῆν με ἀπολωλέναι, φίλους, ἀντὶ τοῦ μισεῖν μὲν τὰ μισοῦντα, φιλεῖν δὲ τὰ φιλοῦντα, τὴν ἐναντίαν γνώμην ἔσχον;
And who would praise me upon hearing that—having found enemies in friends, by whom it was fitting for me to be well treated, and friends in enemies, by whom I ought to have been destroyed—instead of hating what hates and loving what loves, I held the opposite mind?