§8.35.1περὶ δὲ τῆς μετριότητος, ἐφʼ ἣν παρακαλεῖτέ με, καὶ τοῦ μὴ πρόρριζον ἀνελεῖν τὸ Ῥωμαίων γένος μηδʼ ἐκ βάθρων ὅλην ἀναστῆσαι τὴν πόλιν, εἶχον μέν, ὦ Μηνύκιε, λέγειν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐγὼ τούτου κύριος οὐδὲ πρὸς ἐμὲ ὁ περὶ τούτων ἐστὶ λόγος, ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ στρατηγός εἰμι τῆς δυνάμεως, πολέμου δὲ καὶ εἰρήνης οὗτοι κύριοι· ὥστε παρὰ τούτων αἰτεῖσθέ γʼ §8.35.2ἀνοχὰς ἐπὶ διαλλαγαῖς, ἀλλὰ μὴ παρʼ ἐμοῦ.
Concerning the moderation to which you exhort me, and your plea not to destroy the Roman race root and branch, nor to erase the entire city from its foundations, I could indeed have said, Minucius, that I am not the master of this matter, nor is the speech about these things addressed to me, but that I am the general of the army, while they are the masters of war and peace; so that you should ask from them, truces for reconciliation, and not from me.
οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ θεοὺς σέβων τοὺς πατρῴους καὶ τάφους αἰδούμενος προγόνων καὶ γῆν, ἐξ ἧς ἔφυν, γυναῖκάς τε καὶ παῖδας ὑμῶν ἐλεῶν, οἷς οὐκ ἐπιτηδείοις οὖσι τὰ πατέρων καὶ ἀνδρῶν ἥξει σφάλματα, καὶ οὐχ ἥκιστα τῶν ἄλλων καὶ δι’ ὑμᾶς, ὦ Μηνύκιε, τοὺς προχειρισθέντας ὑπὸ τῆς πόλεως, τάδε ἀποκρίνομαι· ἐὰν ἀποδῶσι Ῥωμαῖοι Οὐολούσκοις χώραν τε ὅσην αὐτοὺς ἀφῄρηνται καὶ πόλεις ὅσας κατέχουσιν ἀνακαλεσάμενοι τοὺς ἐποίκους, φιλίαν τε ποιήσωνται πρὸς αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν ἀεὶ χρόνον καὶ ἰσοπολιτείας μεταδῶσιν ὥσπερ Λατίνοις ὅρκους καὶ ἀρὰς κατὰ τῶν παραβαινόντων τὰ συγκείμενα ποιησάμενοι, διαλύσομαι πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὸν πόλεμον, πρότερον δὲ οὔ.
Nevertheless, respecting the ancestral gods, revering the tombs of my forefathers, loving the land from which I sprang, and pitying your wives and children, upon whom—though they do not deserve it—the errors of their fathers and husbands will come, and not least among the rest also because of you, Minucius, who have been chosen by the city, I make this reply: If the Romans restore to the Volscians all the land they have taken from them and all the cities they hold, recalling their colonists, and make friendship with them for all time, and grant them equal citizenship just as to the Latins, having made oaths and curses against those who violate the agreement, I will end the war against them, but not before.
§8.35.3ταῦτʼ οὖν ἀπαγγέλλετε αὐτοῖς, καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ὅνπερ πρὸς ἐμὲ καὶ πρὸς ἐκείνους περὶ τοῦ δικαίου πάνυ ἐπιστρεφῶς ταῦτα διαλέγεσθε· καλόν τοι τὰς ἰδίας ἕκαστον ἔχοντα κτήσεις ἐν εἰρήνῃ ζῆν, καὶ πολλοῦ ἄξιον τὸ μηθένα δεδοικέναι μήτʼ ἐχθρὸν μήτε καιρόν, αἰσχρὸν δὲ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων περιεχομένους οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον πόλεμον ὑπομένειν, ἐν ᾧ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἰδίων ἁπάντων κινδυνεύσουσιν ἀγαθῶν·
Report these things, therefore, to them, and in the same manner as you did to me, discourse very earnestly on justice to them also; indeed, it is a noble thing for each to live in peace keeping his own possessions, and of great value to fear neither enemy nor crisis, but it is shameful for those who cling to what belongs to others to endure an unnecessary war, in which they will also risk all their own goods.
τά τʼ ἆθλα ἐπιδείκνυτε αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἴσα κατορθοῦσί τε καὶ μὴ τυχοῦσι γινόμενα γῆς ἀλλοτρίας γλιχομένοις, εἰ δὲ βούλεσθε, προστίθετε καὶ τὰς πόλεις τῶν ἠδικημένων προσλαβεῖν βουλομένοις, ἐὰν μὴ κρατῶσι, καὶ τὴν ἑαυτῶν γῆν τε καὶ πόλιν ἀφαιρεθῆναι, καὶ ἔτι πρὸς τούτῳ γυναῖκας ἐπιδεῖν τὰ αἴσχιστα πασχούσας καὶ παῖδας εἰς ὕβριν ἀγομένους καὶ γονεῖς δούλους ἀντʼ ἐλευθέρων ἐπὶ γήρως ὀδῷ γινομένους.
Show them that the prizes are not equal for those who, coveting the land of others, either succeed or fail; and if you wish, add that those who desire to acquire the cities of those they have wronged, if they do not conquer, will be deprived of both their own land and city, and moreover, they will see their wives suffering the most shameful treatment, their children led away into outrage, and their parents becoming slaves instead of free people on the threshold of old age.
§8.35.4καὶ ἅμα διδάσκετε τὴν βουλήν, ὅτι τούτων τῶν κακῶν οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιεν αἰτιάσασθαι Μάρκιον, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀφροσύνην.
And at the same time instruct the senate that for these evils they would not be able to blame Marcius, but rather their own folly.
παρὸν γὰρ αὐτοῖς τὰ δίκαια ποιεῖν καὶ μηδενὶ δεινῷ περιπεσεῖν τὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐσχάτων κίνδυνον ἀναιρήσονται μέχρι παντὸς φιλοχωροῦντες τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις.
For although it is possible for them to do what is just and fall into no danger, they will take upon themselves the risk of extreme ruin by clinging to what belongs to others to the very end.
§8.35.5ἔχετε τὰς ἀποκρίσεις· τούτων οὐθὲν ἂν εὕροισθε παρʼ ἐμοῦ πλέον, ἀλλʼ ἄπιτε καὶ σκοπεῖτε, ὅ τι πρακτέον ὑμῖν·
You have your answers; you can obtain nothing more than this from me, but depart and consider what you must do.
ἕως δὲ βουλεύσησθε, δίδωμι χρόνον ὑμῖν ἡμερῶν τριάκοντα.
While you deliberate, I grant you a period of thirty days.
ἐν δὲ τῷ μεταξὺ χρόνῳ σήν τε χάριν, ὦ Μηνύκιε, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὑμῶν ἕνεκα τὴν στρατιὰν ἐκ τῆς χώρας ἀπάξω· μεγάλα γὰρ ἂν βλάπτοισθε μενούσης αὐτῆς ἐνθάδε.
And in the meantime, for your sake, Minucius, and for the sake of the rest of you, I will withdraw the army from the territory; for you would suffer great damage if it remained here.
τῇ δὲ τριακοστῇ προσδέχεσθέ με ἡμέρᾳ τὰς ἀποκρίσεις ληψόμενον.
And on the thirtieth day, expect me to return to receive your answers.