§8.79.1ὁ μὲν οὖν πιθανώτερος τῶν παραδεδομένων ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς λόγων τοιόσδε ἐστίν· δεῖ δὲ καὶ τὸν ἧσσον πιθανόν, ἐπειδὴ κἀκεῖνος πεπίστευται ὑπὸ πολλῶν καὶ ἐν γραφαῖς ἀξιοχρέοις φέρεται, μὴ παρελθεῖν.
Now, the more plausible of the stories handed down about the man is of this kind; but it is necessary not to pass over also the less plausible one, since that too has been believed by many and is recorded in trustworthy writings.
λέγεται δή τισιν, ὡς ἀδήλου πᾶσιν οὔσης ἔτι τῆς ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ συσκευαζομένης τυραννίδος, πρῶτος ὑποπτεύσας ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ Κασσίου καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀκριβεστάτης βασάνου τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐξετάσας ἧκεν ἐπὶ τὴν βουλήν· ἔπειτα κελεύσας ἐλθεῖν τὸν υἱὸν μηνυτής τε καὶ κατήγορος αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο· καταγνούσης δὲ καὶ τῆς βουλῆς ἀγαγὼν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν ἀπέκτεινε.
It is indeed said by some that, while the tyranny being prepared by him was still obscure to all, the father of Cassius, being the first to suspect it and having investigated the matter by the most rigorous examination, came to the senate; then, having ordered his son to come, he became his informant and accuser; and when the senate also had condemned him, he led him to his house and put him to death.
§8.79.2τὸ μὲν οὖν πικρὸν καὶ ἀπαραίτητον τῆς τῶν πατέρων ὀργῆς εἰς υἱοὺς ἀδικοῦντας καὶ μάλιστʼ ἐν τοῖς τότε Ῥωμαίοις οὐδὲ ταύτην ἀπωθεῖται τὴν πρόφασιν· ἐπεὶ καὶ πρότερον Βροῦτος ὁ τοὺς βασιλεῖς ἐκβαλὼν ἀμφοτέρους τοὺς υἱοὺς ἐδικαίωσε κατὰ τὸν τῶν κακούργων νόμον ἀποθανεῖν, καὶ πελέκεσι τοὺς αὐχένας ἀπεκόπησαν, ὅτι συμπράττειν τοῖς βασιλεῦσιν ἐδόκουν τὴν κάθοδον.
Therefore, the severe and inexorable anger of fathers toward their wrongdoing sons, especially among the Romans of that time, does not reject even this explanation; for even earlier, Brutus, who had expelled the kings, judged it right for both his sons to die according to the law of malefactors, and they were beheaded with axes, because they were thought to be conspiring with the kings for their return.
καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα Μάλλιος τὸν Γαλατικὸν πόλεμον στρατηγῶν τὸν υἱὸν ἀριστεύοντα κατὰ πόλεμον τῆς μὲν ἀνδρείας ἕνεκα τοῖς ἀριστείοις στεφάνοις ἐκόσμησεν, ἀπείθειαν δʼ ἐπικαλῶν, ὅτι οὐκ ἐν ᾧ ἐτάχθη φρουρίῳ ἔμεινεν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἐπιταγὴν τοῦ ἡγεμόνος ἐξῆλθεν ἀγωνιούμενος, ὡς λιποτάκτην ἀπέκτεινε.
And after these things, Manlius, when commanding in the Gallic war, though he decorated his son, who had distinguished himself in the war, with the crowns of valor on account of his courage, yet, charging him with disobedience because he had not remained at the post where he had been stationed but had gone out to fight contrary to the command of the general, put him to death as a deserter.
§8.79.3καὶ ἄλλοι πολλοὶ πατέρες, οἱ μὲν ἐπὶ μείζοσιν αἰτίαις, οἱ δʼ ἐπʼ ἐλάττοσιν, οὔτε φειδὼ τῶν παίδων οὔτʼ ἔλεον ἔσχον.
And many other fathers, some on greater charges and others on lesser ones, showed neither sparing nor pity for their children.
κατὰ μὲν δὴ τοῦτʼ οὐκ ἀξιῶ, ὥσπερ ἔφην, προβεβλῆσθαι τὸν λόγον ὡς ἀπιθανόν· ἐκεῖνα δέ με ἀνθέλκει τεκμηρίων ὄντα οὔτʼ ἐλάχιστα οὔτʼ ἀπίθανα καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἑτέραν ἄγει συγκατάθεσιν, ὅτι μετὰ τὸν θάνατον τοῦ Κασσίου ἥ τʼ οἰκία κατεσκάφη, καὶ μέχρι τοῦδε ἀνεῖται ὁ τόπος αὐτῆς αἴθριος ἔξω τοῦ νεὼ τῆς Γῆς, ὃν ὑστέροις ἡ πόλις κατεσκεύασε χρόνοις ἐν μέρει τινὶ αὐτῆς κατὰ τὴν ἐπὶ Καρίνας φέρουσαν ὁδόν, καὶ τὰ χρήματα αὐτοῦ τὸ κοινὸν ἀνέλαβεν·
In this respect, indeed, I do not think, as I said, that the story should be set aside as implausible; but the following things pull me back, being neither the least nor implausible proofs, and lead me to assent to the other version: namely, that after the death of Cassius his house was razed to the ground, and to this day its site has been left open to the sky outside the temple of Earth, which the state built in later times on a certain part of it along the street leading to Carinae, and that the public confiscated his property.
ἐξ ὧν ἀπαρχὰς ἐν ἄλλοις τε ἱεροῖς ἀνέθηκε, καὶ δὴ καὶ τῇ Δήμητρι τοὺς χαλκέους ἀνδριάντας ἐπιγραφαῖς δηλοῦντας, §8.79.4ἀφʼ ὧν εἰσι χρημάτων ἀπαρχαί.
From this, the state dedicated first-fruits in other temples, and in particular to Demeter bronze statues showing by inscriptions from what property they were the first-fruits.
εἰ δέ γʼ ὁ πατὴρ μηνυτής τε καὶ κατήγορος καὶ κολαστὴς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, οὔτʼ ἂν ἡ οἰκία αὐτοῦ κατεσκάφη οὔτε ἡ οὐσία ἐδημεύθη.
But if, indeed, his father had been his informant, accuser, and punisher, his house would not have been razed, nor his property confiscated.
Ῥωμαίοις γὰρ οὐθὲν ἴδιόν ἐστι κτῆμα ζώντων ἔτι τῶν πατέρων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ χρήματα καὶ τὰ σώματα τῶν παίδων, ὅ τι βούλονται διατιθέναι, τοῖς πατράσιν ἀποδέδοται.
For among the Romans, while their fathers are still living, children have no private possession, but both the property and the persons of the children are surrendered to their fathers to dispose of in whatever way they wish.
ὥστʼ οὐκ ἂν δήπου τὴν τοῦ πατρὸς οὐσίαν τοῦ μηνύσαντος τὴν τυραννίδα ἐπὶ τοῖς τοῦ παιδὸς ἀδικήμασιν ἀφαιρεῖσθαι καὶ δημεύειν ἡ πόλις ἠξίου.
Therefore, the state would surely not have thought fit to take away and confiscate the property of the father who had informed against the tyranny because of the wrongdoings of his son.
διὰ μὲν δὴ ταῦτα τῷ προτέρῳ συγκατατίθεμαι τῶν λόγων μᾶλλον· ἔθηκα δʼ ἀμφοτέρους, ἵνα ἐξῇ τοῖς ἀναγνωσομένοις, ὁποτέρῳ βούλονται τῶν λόγων, προσέχειν.
For these reasons, then, I assent rather to the former of the stories; but I have set down both, so that it may be open to those who shall read them to give their attention to whichever of the stories they wish.