§8.53.1ἐὰν δὲ προπηλακίσῃς τὴν σεαυτοῦ μητέρα καὶ ἄτιμον ἀπολύσῃς, ὅ τι μὲν αὐτῷ σοι συμβήσεται διὰ ταῦτα παθεῖν, οὐκ ἔχω λέγειν, μαντεύομαι δʼ οὐδὲν εὐτυχές.
But if you insult your own mother and send her away in dishonor, what it will fall to your lot to suffer because of this I cannot say, but I prophesy nothing fortunate.
ὅτι δʼ ἐὰν καὶ τἆλλα πάντα εὐδαιμονῇς, ἔστω γάρ, ἡ διʼ ἐμὲ καὶ τὰς ἐμὰς συμφορὰς παρακολουθήσουσά σοι καὶ οὐδέποτε ἀνήσουσα τὴν ψυχὴν ὀδύνη πάντων ἀγαθῶν σοι ἀνόνητον ποιήσει τὸν βίον, εὖ οἶδα.
However, even if you are prosperous in all other respects—for let it be so—I know full well that the pain which will follow you because of me and my misfortunes, and will never release your soul, will make your life useless to you in respect of all good things.
§8.53.2οὐ γὰρ ἀνέξεται Οὐετουρία τὴν δεινὴν καὶ ἀνήκεστον ὕβριν ἐν τοσούτοις μάρτυσιν ὑβρισθεῖσα τὸν ἐλάχιστον βιῶναι χρόνον, ἀλλʼ ἐν τοῖς ἁπάντων ὑμῶν φίλων τε καὶ ἐχθρῶν ὄμμασιν ἐμαυτὴν διαχρήσομαι, βαρεῖαν ἀρὰν καὶ δεινὰς ἐρινύας ἀντʼ ἐμαυτῆς καταλιποῦσά σοι τιμωρούς.
For Veturia will not endure to live even the shortest time, having been insulted with such terrible and irremediable insolence in the presence of so many witnesses, but in the eyes of all of you, both friends and enemies, I shall dispatch myself, leaving behind, instead of myself, a heavy curse and the dread Furies as your punishers.
§8.53.3ὧν μὴ δεήσειεν, ὦ θεοὶ τῆς Ῥωμαίων φύλακες ἡγεμονίας, ἀλλʼ εὐσεβεῖς καὶ καλοὺς δοίητε Μαρκίῳ λογισμούς·
May there be no need of these things, O gods, guardians of the Roman empire, but may you grant Marcius pious and noble thoughts.
καὶ ὥσπερ ἄρτι προσιούσῃ μοι τούς τε πελέκεις ἀπέθετο καὶ τὰς ῥάβδους ἔκλινε καὶ τὸν δίφρον ἀπὸ τοῦ βήματος ἔθηκε χαμαὶ δῆλον ἅπασι βουλόμενος ποιῆσαι, ὅτι τῶν μὲν ἄλλων ἄρχειν αὐτῷ προσῆκεν, ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς μητρὸς ἄρχεσθαι· οὕτω καὶ νῦν τιμίαν καὶ περίβλεπτόν με ποιήσετε, καὶ χαρισάμενος τὴν κοινὴν πατρίδα ἀντὶ κακοδαιμονεστάτης εὐδαιμονεστάτην ἀποδείξειέ με πασῶν γυναικῶν.
And just as recently, when I approached, he laid aside the axes and lowered the rods and placed his chair on the ground from the tribunal, wishing to make it clear to all that while it was fitting for him to rule over others, he should be ruled by his mother; so also now may you make me honored and admired, and by granting our common fatherland, may he show me to be the happiest of all women instead of the most wretched.
§8.53.4εἰ δὲ ὅσιόν ἐστι καὶ θεμιτὸν υἱοῦ γόνασι μητέρα προσκυλίεσθαι, καὶ τοῦτο καὶ πᾶν ἄλλο ταπεινὸν σχῆμα καὶ λειτούργημα ὑπομενῶ σωτηρίας ἕνεκα τῆς πατρίδος.
And if it is holy and lawful for a mother to prostrate herself at her son's knees, I shall endure both this and every other humble posture and service for the sake of the salvation of our fatherland.