§8.49.1φέρε, ἀλλὰ δόξαν αἰσχρὰν οἴσεσθαι δέδοικας, ἐὰν ἃ παρακαλῶ σε πράττῃς, ὡς ἀχάριστος εἰς τοὺς εὐεργέτας ἐξελεγχθησόμενος, οἵ σε πολέμιον ὄντα ὑποδεξάμενοι πάντων μετέδωκαν ὧν τοῖς φύσει πολίταις μέτεστιν ἀγαθῶν·
Come now, but do you fear that you will win a shameful reputation, if you do what I exhort you to do, as one who will be proved ungrateful to your benefactors, who, welcoming you when you were an enemy, shared with you all the goods which are shared by natural citizens?
ταῦτα γάρ ἐστιν, ἃ μεγάλα ποιεῖς τοῖς λόγοις ἀεί.
For these are the things which you always make much of in your speeches.
§8.49.2οὐκ ἀποδέδωκας οὖν αὐτοῖς πολλὰς καὶ καλὰς ἀμοιβὰς καὶ νενίκηκας ἀπείρῳ δή τινι μεγέθει καὶ πλήθει χαρίτων τὰς ἐξ ἐκείνων εὐεργεσίας;
Have you not, then, rendered them many beautiful returns, and surpassed their benefactions by an infinitely great measure and multitude of favors?
οὓς ἀγαπητὸν ἡγουμένους καὶ πάντων μέγιστον ἀγαθῶν, ἐὰν ἐλευθέρας οἰκῶσι τὰς πατρίδας, οὐ μόνον ἑαυτῶν κυρίους εἶναι βεβαίως παρεσκεύακας, ἀλλὰ καὶ πεποίηκας ἤδη σκοπεῖν, πότερα καταλῦσαι τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἀρχὴν αὐτοῖς ἄμεινον, ἢ μετέχειν αὐτῆς §8.49.3ἐξ ἴσου κοινὴν καταστησαμένους πολιτείαν.
Who, while they considered it a beloved thing and the greatest of all goods if they should dwell in free fatherlands, you have not only made them securely masters of themselves, but have also already made them consider whether it is better for them to destroy the Roman rule, or to share in it on equal terms, having established a common commonwealth.
ἐῶ γὰρ λέγειν, ὅσοις κεκόσμηκας ἐκ τοῦ πολέμου λαφύροις τὰς πόλεις αὐτῶν, καὶ πηλίκους κεχάρισαι τοῖς συστρατευσαμένοις πλούτους.
For I refrain from mentioning with how many spoils from the war you have adorned their cities, and how great wealth you have granted to your fellow soldiers.
τοὺς δὴ τοσούτους διὰ σὲ γενομένους καὶ ἐπὶ τηλικαύτης βεβηκότας εὐτυχίας οὐ δοκεῖς ἀγαπήσειν οἷς ἔχουσιν ἀγαθοῖς, ἀλλʼ ὀργιεῖσθαί σοι καὶ ἀγανακτήσειν, ἐὰν μὴ καὶ τὸ τῆς πατρίδος αἷμα ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτῶν ἐπισπείσῃς;
Do you think, then, that those who have become so great through you and have reached such height of fortune will not be content with the goods they possess, but will be angry with you and resentful, unless you also pour out the blood of your fatherland with their hands?
ἐγὼ μὲν οὐκ οἴομαι.
For my part, I do not think so.
§8.49.4εἷς ἔτι μοι καταλείπεται λόγος ἰσχυρὸς μέν, ἐὰν λογισμῷ κρίνῃς αὐτόν, ἀσθενὴς δʼ, ἐὰν μετʼ ὀργῆς, ὁ περὶ τῆς οὐ δικαίως μισουμένης ὑπὸ σοῦ πατρίδος.
One argument still remains to me—powerful, if you judge it with reason, but weak, if with anger—that concerning the fatherland which is unjustly hated by you.
οὔτε γὰρ ὑγιαίνουσα καὶ τῷ πατρίῳ κόσμῳ πολιτευομένη τὴν οὐ δικαίαν κατὰ σοῦ κρίσιν ἐξήνεγκεν, ἀλλὰ νοσοῦσα καὶ ἐν πολλῷ κλύδωνι σαλευομένη, οὔτε πᾶσα τὴν αὐτὴν γνώμην τότʼ ἔσχεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ κάκιον ἐν αὐτῇ μέρος πονηροῖς προστάταις χρησάμενον.
For she did not pass the unjust judgment against you when she was healthy and governing in accordance with her ancestral order, but when she was diseased and tossed about in a great tempest; nor did all the citizens then have the same mind, but the worse part in her, employing evil leaders.
§8.49.5εἰ δὲ δὴ μὴ τοῖς κακίστοις μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασιν ἐδόκει ταῦτα, καὶ ὡς οὐ τὰ κράτιστα πολιτευόμενος ἀπηλάθης ὑπʼ αὐτῶν, οὐδʼ οὕτω σοι προσῆκε μνησικακεῖν πρὸς τὴν σεαυτοῦ πατρίδα.
But if indeed this seemed best not only to the worst citizens but also to all the others, and you were driven out by them as one who did not conduct public affairs in the best manner, not even so was it fitting for you to bear a grudge against your own fatherland.
πολλοῖς γὰρ δὴ καὶ ἄλλοις τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ βελτίστου πολιτευομένων τὰ παραπλήσια συνέβη παθεῖν· καὶ σπάνιοι δή τινές εἰσιν, οἷς οὐκ ἀντέπνευσε πρὸς τὴν δοκοῦσαν ἀρετὴν §8.49.6φθόνος ἐκ τῶν συμπολιτευομένων ἄδικος.
For to many others also of those who conducted public affairs with the best intentions, it happened to suffer similar things; and rare indeed are some against whose apparent virtue unjust envy from their fellow citizens did not blow in opposition.
ἀλλʼ ἀνθρωπίνως, ὦ Μάρκιε, φέρουσι καὶ μετρίως ἅπαντες οἱ γενναῖοι τὰς συμφοράς, καὶ πόλεις μεταλαμβάνουσιν, ἐν αἷς οἰκήσαντες οὐθὲν λυπήσουσι τὰς πατρίδας· ὥσπερ καὶ Ταρκύνιος ἐποίησεν ὁ Κολλατῖνος ἐπικαλούμενος· ὃς συνελευθερώσας ἀπὸ τῶν τυράννων τοὺς πολίτας, ἔπειτα διαβληθεὶς πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὡς συμπράττων πάλιν τοῖς τυράννοις τὴν κάθοδον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐξελασθεὶς αὐτὸς ἐκ τῆς πατρίδος, οὐκ ἐμνησικάκει πρὸς τοὺς ἐκβαλόντας αὐτόν, οὐδʼ ἐπεστράτευε τῇ πόλει τοὺς τυράννους ἐπαγόμενος, οὐδʼ ἐποίει τεκμήρια τῶν διαβολῶν τὰ ἔργα, ἀλλʼ εἰς τὴν μητρόπολιν ἡμῶν Λαουΐνιον ἀπελθὼν ἐκεῖ πάντα τὸν λοιπὸν ἐβίω χρόνον εὔνους ὢν τῇ πατρίδι καὶ φίλος.
But, Marcius, all noble men bear their misfortunes in a human and moderate manner, and they change to other cities, in which by dwelling they will in no way grieve their fatherlands; just as Tarquinius, surnamed Collatinus, also did, who, having helped to free the citizens from the tyrants, and then having been slandered to them as collaborating with the tyrants for their return, and on this account being himself driven out from his fatherland, did not bear a grudge against those who cast him out, nor did he march against the city leading the tyrants, nor did he make his deeds proofs of the slanders, but departing to our mother city Lavinium, he lived there all the rest of his time, being well-disposed and friendly to his fatherland.