§8.61.1ἐκείνῳ γʼ οὖν ταύτας ὁ δαίμων τὰς ἀρετὰς χαρισάμενος ἑτέρας οὐκ εὐτυχεῖς κῆράς τε καὶ ἄτας προσῆψε.
At any rate, the deity, having granted him these virtues, attached to him other unhappy fates and ruins.
τὸ γὰρ πρᾳὺ καὶ φαιδρὸν οὐκ ἐπῆν αὐτοῦ τοῖς τρόποις, οὐδὲ τὸ θεραπευτικὸν τῶν πέλας ἔν τʼ ἀσπασμοῖς καὶ προσαγορεύσεσιν, οὐδὲ δὴ τὸ εὐδιάλλακτον καὶ μετριοπαθές, ὁπότε διʼ ὀργῆς τῳ γένοιτο, οὐδὲ ἡ πάντα τὰ ἀνθρώπινα ἐπικοσμοῦσα χάρις· ἀλλʼ §8.61.2ἀεὶ πικρὸς καὶ χαλεπὸς ἦν.
For gentleness and cheerfulness were not present in his character, nor consideration for those near him in greetings and addresses, nor indeed readiness to reconcile and moderation, whenever he might be angry with anyone, nor the grace that adorns all human affairs; but he was always bitter and harsh.
ταῦτά τε δὴ αὐτὸν ἐν πολλοῖς ἔβλαψε, καὶ πάντων μάλιστα ἡ περὶ τὰ δίκαια καὶ τὴν φυλακὴν τῶν νόμων ἄκρατός τε καὶ ἀπαράπειστος καὶ οὐθὲν τῷ ἐπιεικεῖ διδοῦσα ἀποτομία·
Indeed, these things harmed him in many ways, and most of all, his unmixed, unpersuadable severity, yielding nothing to equity, concerning justice and the preservation of the laws.
ἔοικέ τʼ ἀληθὲς εἶναι τὸ ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχαίων λεγόμενον φιλοσόφων, ὅτι μεσότητές εἰσιν, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀκρότητες αἱ τῶν ἠθῶν ἀρεταί, μάλιστα δʼ ἡ δικαιοσύνη.
And it seems to be true, what is said by the ancient philosophers, that the virtues of character are medians, and not extremes, and especially justice.
οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἐλλείπουσα τοῦ μετρίου πέφυκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπερβάλλουσα αὐτοῖς τʼ οὐ λυσιτελής, ἀλλʼ ἔστιν ὅτʼ αἰτία μεγάλων συμφορῶν, καὶ εἰς θανάτους οἰκτροὺς καὶ §8.61.3λύμας ἀνηκέστους καταστρέφουσα.
For not only when falling short of the moderate is it by nature unbeneficial, but also when exceeding, it is not advantageous to men themselves, but is sometimes the cause of great misfortunes, ending in miserable deaths and incurable ruins.
Μάρκιόν γʼ οὐδὲν ἦν ἕτερον ἄρα, ὃ τῆς πατρίδος ἐξήλασε καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀγαθῶν ἀνόνητον ἐποίησεν, ἢ τὸ ἀκριβὲς καὶ ἄκρον δίκαιον.
It was, then, nothing else indeed that drove Marcius from his native country and made him derive no benefit from his other blessings than his precise and extreme justice.
τοῖς τε γὰρ δημόταις εἴκειν τὰ μέτρια δέον καὶ ἐφιέναι τι ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις καὶ τὰ πρῶτα φέρεσθαι παρʼ αὐτοῖς, οὐκ ἠβουλήθη, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἅπαντα τὰ μὴ δίκαια ἀντιλέγων μῖσος ἤγειρε καὶ ἐξηλάσθη πρὸς αὐτῶν· τῆς τε Οὐολούσκων στρατηγίας εὐθὺς ἅμα τῷ διαλῦσαι τὸν πόλεμον ἀπαλλαγῆναι παρὸν καὶ μετενέγκασθαι τὴν οἴκησιν ἑτέρωσέ ποι, τέως ἂν ἡ κάθοδος αὐτῷ δοθῇ ὑπὸ τῆς πατρίδος, καὶ μὴ παρασχεῖν αὑτὸν ἐχθρῶν ἐπιβουλαῖς καὶ ὄχλων ἀμαθίαις σκοπόν, οὐκ ἠξίωσεν, ἀλλʼ ὑπεύθυνον οἰόμενος δεῖν τὸ σῶμα παρασχεῖν τοῖς πεπιστευκόσι τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ λόγον ἀποδοὺς ὧν ἔπραξε κατὰ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν, εἴ τι φαίνοιτο ἀδικῶν τὴν κατὰ νόμους ὑποσχεῖν δίκην, τῆς ἄκρας δικαιοσύνης οὐ καλοὺς ἀπέλαβε μισθούς.
For whereas he ought to have yielded in moderate things to the plebeians and conceded something to their desires and held the first place among them, he was unwilling to do so, but by opposing everything that was not just, he aroused hatred and was driven out by them; and although it was possible for him to resign the command of the Volscians immediately upon ending the war and to transfer his residence elsewhere, until a return should be granted to him by his country, and not to present himself as a target to the plots of enemies and the ignorance of crowds, he did not deign to do so; but, thinking that he ought to present his body to account to those who had entrusted him with the command, and having rendered an account of what he did during his leadership, if he should appear to be doing any wrong, to undergo the punishment according to the laws, he received no beautiful rewards for his extreme justice.