§9.32.1περὶ δὲ τῆς βουλῆς καὶ τῶν πατρικίων, ἐπειδὴ τὸ κοινὸν ὑμῶν μῖσος, ὃ διὰ τὴν κωλυθεῖσαν κληρουχίαν ἔχετε, καὶ ἐμὲ λυπεῖ, καὶ οὐδὲ ὁ κατήγορος αὐτὸ ἀπεκρύψατο, ἀλλὰ μέρος οὐκ ἐλάχιστον ἐποιήσατο τῆς ἐμῆς κατηγορίας, βούλομαι βραχέα εἰπεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς.
Concerning the senate and the patricians, since your common hatred, which you have on account of the prevention of the land distribution, also distresses me, and since even the accuser did not conceal it, but made it no small part of my accusation, I wish to say a few words to you.
§9.32.2ἔσται δὲ μετὰ παρρησίας ὁ λόγος· ἄλλως γὰρ οὔτʼ ἂν ἐγὼ δυναίμην λέγειν οὔθʼ ὑμῖν ἀκούειν συμφέρει.
My speech will be with frankness; for otherwise I would neither be able to speak nor is it of advantage for you to hear.
οὐ δίκαια ποιεῖτε οὐδʼ ὅσια, ὦ δημόται, τῶν μὲν εὐεργεσιῶν, ἃς εὕρεσθε παρὰ τῆς βουλῆς, πολλῶν οὐσῶν καὶ μεγάλων οὐκ εἰδότες αὐτῇ χάριν· εἰ δέ τι δεομένοις ὑμῖν, ἐξ οὗ συγχωρηθέντος μεγάλα βλάπτοιτʼ ἂν τὸ κοινόν, οὐ φθονοῦσα ὑμῖν, ἀλλὰ τὸ συμφέρον τῆς πόλεως ὁρῶσα, ἠναντιώθη, τοῦτο διʼ ὀργῆς λαμβάνοντες.
You do what is neither just nor holy, citizens, by not being grateful to the senate for its benefits, which are many and great; and if, when you made some demand from which, if granted, the commonwealth would be greatly harmed, she opposed you, not out of envy toward you, but because she saw the interest of the city, you receive this with anger.
§9.32.3ἔδει δʼ ὑμᾶς μάλιστα μὲν ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ κρατίστου τὰ βουλεύματα αὐτῆς γενόμενα καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ πάντων ἀγαθῷ δεχομένους ἀποστῆναι τῆς σπουδῆς· εἰ δʼ ἀδύνατοι ἦτε κατασχεῖν ἀσύμφορον ἐπιθυμίαν λογισμῷ σώφρονι, μετὰ τοῦ πείθειν τῶν αὐτῶν ἀξιοῦν τυγχάνειν, §9.32.4ἀλλὰ μὴ μετὰ τοῦ βιάζεσθαι.
It behooved you above all, indeed, receiving her counsels as proceeding from the best intention and for the good of all, to desist from your eagerness; but if you were unable to restrain an unprofitable desire by sober reasoning, you ought to have sought to obtain the same things with persuasion, and not with violence.
αἱ γὰρ ἑκούσιοι δωρεαὶ τοῖς τε προεμένοις ἡδίους τῶν ἠναγκασμένων εἰσί, καὶ τοῖς λαμβάνουσι βεβαιότεραι τῶν μὴ τοιούτων.
For voluntary gifts are more pleasant than forced ones to those who give them, and more secure than such to those who receive them.
ὃ μὰ τοὺς θεοὺς οὐ λογίζεσθε ὑμεῖς, ἀλλʼ ὑπὸ τῶν δημαγωγῶν, ὥσπερ θάλαττα ὑπʼ ἀνέμων ἄλλων ἐπʼ ἄλλοις ἐπανισταμένων, ἀνακινούμενοί τε καὶ ἀγριαινόμενοι οὐδὲ τὸν ἐλάχιστον χρόνον ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ καὶ γαλήνῃ διακεῖσθαι τὴν πόλιν ἐᾶτε.
This, by the gods, you do not consider, but being stirred up and rendered savage by the demagogues, like a sea by winds rising one after another, you do not permit the city to remain in peace and calm even for the shortest time.
τοιγάρτοι παρέστη ἡμῖν κρείττονα ἡγεῖσθαι τῆς εἰρήνης τὸν πόλεμον· ὅταν μέν γε πολεμῶμεν, τοὺς ἐχθροὺς κακῶς ποιοῦμεν, ὅταν δʼ εἰρήνην ἄγωμεν, τοὺς φίλους.
Therefore it has come to pass that we consider war better than peace; for when indeed we make war, we do harm to our enemies, but when we keep peace, to our friends.
καίτοι, ὦ δημόται, εἰ μὲν ἅπαντα τὰ βουλεύματα τοῦ συνεδρίου καλὰ καὶ συμφέροντα ἡγεῖσθʼ εἶναι, ὥσπερ ἐστί, τί οὐχὶ καὶ §9.32.5τοῦθʼ ἓν ἐξ αὐτῶν ὑπολαμβάνετʼ εἶναι;
And yet, citizens, if you indeed consider all the counsels of the senate to be noble and advantageous, as they are, why do you not also take this to be one of them?
εἰ δὲ μηδὲν ἁπλῶς τὴν βουλὴν τῶν δεόντων οἴεσθε φρονεῖν, ἀλλʼ αἰσχρῶς καὶ κακῶς τὴν πόλιν ἐπιτροπεύειν, τί δή ποτʼ οὐχὶ μεταστησάμενοι αὐτὴν ἀθρόαν, αὐτοὶ ἄρχετε καὶ βουλεύετε καὶ τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡγεμονίας πολέμους ἐκφέρετε, ἀλλὰ περικνίζετε αὐτὴν καὶ κατὰ μικρὰ διαλύετε τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους ἀναρπάζοντες ἐν ταῖς δίκαις;
But if you think that the senate has absolutely no regard for what is necessary, but governs the city shamefully and badly, why on earth do you not remove her all at once, and yourself rule, deliberate, and carry on the wars for supremacy, instead of nibbling at her and dissolving her little by little by snatching away the most illustrious men in trials?
ἄμεινον γὰρ ἦν ἅπασιν ἡμῖν κοινῇ πολεμεῖσθαι, ἢ §9.32.6καθʼ ἕνα ἕκαστον ἰδίᾳ συκοφαντεῖσθαι.
For it would be better for all of us to be warred against in common than to be slandered individually.
ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐχ ὑμεῖς αἴτιοι τούτων, ὥσπερ ἔφην, ἀλλʼ οἱ συνταράττοντες ὑμᾶς δημαγωγοὶ οὔτʼ ἄρχεσθαι ὑπομένοντες οὔτʼ ἄρχειν εἰδότες.
But indeed you are not the cause of these things, as I said, but the demagogues who throw you into confusion, neither enduring to be ruled nor knowing how to rule.
καὶ ὅσον μὲν ἐπὶ τῇ τούτων ἀφροσύνῃ τε καὶ ἀπειρίᾳ πολλάκις ἂν ὑμῖν τόδε τὸ σκάφος ἀνετράπη, νῦν δʼ ἡ τὰ τούτων σφάλματα ἐπανορθοῦσα καὶ ἐν ὀρθῇ παρέχουσα ὑμῖν τῇ πόλει πλεῖν, ἡ πλεῖστα δεινὰ ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ἀκούουσά ἐστι βουλή.
And as far as the foolishness and inexperience of these men are concerned, this vessel of yours would have been capsized many times, but now it is the senate that corrects their errors and provides for you to sail in a city that is kept upright, though she hears the most terrible things from them.
§9.32.7ταῦτʼ εἴθʼ ἡδέα ἐστὶν ὑμῖν ἀκούειν εἴτʼ ἀνιαρά, μετὰ πάσης ἀληθείας εἴρηταί μοι καὶ τετόλμηται· καὶ μᾶλλον αἱροίμην ἂν παρρησίᾳ συμφερούσῃ τῷ κοινῷ χρώμενος ἀποθανεῖν, ἢ τὰ πρὸς ἡδονὴν ὑμῖν λέγων σεσῶσθαι.
Whether these things are pleasant for you to hear or painful, they have been spoken and dared by me with all truth; and I would rather choose to die, using frankness that is advantageous to the commonwealth, than to be saved by saying what is to your pleasure.