§9.52.1ταῦτʼ εἰπόντος Αἰμιλίου δεύτερος κληθεὶς Ἄππιος Κλαύδιος, ὁ τῷ πρόσθεν ὑπατεύσας ἔτει, τὴν ἐναντίαν γνώμην ἀπεφήνατο διδάσκων, ὡς οὔθʼ ἡ βουλὴ διανεῖμαι τὰ δημόσια προαίρεσιν ἔσχε· πάλαι γὰρ ἂν εἰληφέναι τὰ δόξαντʼ αὐτῇ τέλος· ἀλλʼ εἰς χρόνον καὶ διάγνωσιν ἑτέραν ἀνεβάλετο, παῦσαι προθυμουμένη τὴν τότε κατασχοῦσαν στάσιν, ἣν εἰσῆγεν ὁ τῇ τυραννίδι ἐπιχειρῶν ὕπατος καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα δίκας δοὺς καλάς· §9.52.2οὔθʼ οἱ μετὰ τὸ προβούλευμα λαχόντες ὕπατοι τέλος τοῖς ἐψηφισμένοις ἐπέθεσαν ὁρῶντες, ὅσων εἰσελεύσεται κακῶν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀρχὴ συνεθισθέντων τὰ κοινὰ τῶν πενήτων διαλαγχάνειν· αἵ τε μετʼ ἐκείνους πεντεκαίδεκα ὑπατεῖαι πολλῶν αὐταῖς ἐπαχθέντων ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου κινδύνων οὐδὲν ὑπέμειναν, ὃ μὴ συνέφερε τῷ κοινῷ πράττειν, διὰ τὸ μηδʼ ἐξεῖναι σφίσι κατὰ τὸ προβούλευμα τοὺς γεωμόρους ἀποδεικνύειν,
After Aemilius had said this, Appius Claudius, being called upon second, who had been consul the year before, expressed the opposite opinion, showing that neither did the senate have the intention to distribute the public lands; for otherwise what had been decided by it would have reached its fulfillment long ago; but it had postponed it to another time and examination, being eager to stop the sedition that then prevailed, which was introduced by the consul who aimed at tyranny and afterward paid a fitting penalty; nor did the consuls who obtained office after the preliminary decree put into execution what had been voted, seeing how great evils would enter the city as a beginning if the poor were accustomed to divide the public property among themselves; and the fifteen consulships after them, though many dangers were brought upon them by the people, submitted to nothing that was not advantageous to the public to do, because it was not even permitted to them according to the preliminary decree to appoint the land-distributors, but only to those first consuls.
§9.52.3ἀλλὰ τοῖς πρώτοις ἐκείνοις ὑπάτοις. ὥστʼ οὐδʼ ὑμῖν, ἔφησεν, ὦ Οὐαλέριε, καὶ σὺ Αἰμίλιε, γῆς ἀναδασμοὺς εἰσφέρειν, οὓς οὐκ ἐπέταξεν ὑμῖν τὸ συνέδριον, οὔτε καλῶς ἔχει, προγόνων οὖσιν ἀγαθῶν, οὔτʼ ἀσφαλῶς.
"So that," he said, "for you, Valerius, and you, Aemilius, to introduce redistributions of land which the senate did not command you, is neither honorable, since you are of noble ancestors, nor safe.
καὶ περὶ μὲν τοῦ προβουλεύματος, ὡς οὐ κρατεῖσθε ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ οἱ τοσούτοις ὕστερον ὑπατεύσαντες χρόνοις, §9.52.4ταῦθʼ ἱκανά.
And as for the preliminary decree, showing that you are not bound by it, who are consuls so many years later, this is sufficient.
περὶ δὲ τοῦ βιασαμένους τινὰς ἢ λαθόντας σφετερίσασθαι τὰ δημόσια βραχὺς ἀπαρκεῖ μοι λόγος.
But concerning some having by force or by stealth appropriated the public property, a brief word is sufficient for me.
εἰ γάρ τις οἶδε καρπούμενόν τινα, ὧν οὐκ ἔχει κτῆσιν ἀποδεῖξαι νόμῳ, μήνυσιν ἀπενεγκάτω πρὸς τοὺς ὑπάτους καὶ κρινάτω κατὰ τοὺς νόμους, οὓς οὐ νεωστὶ δεήσει γράφειν· πάλαι γὰρ ἐγράφησαν, καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτοὺς ἠφάνικε χρόνος.
For if anyone knows that someone is enjoying what he cannot show a legal title to hold, let him bring information to the consuls and let him prosecute according to the laws, which there will be no need to write newly; for they were written long ago, and no length of time has obliterated them.
§9.52.5ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ περὶ τοῦ συμφέροντος ἐποιεῖτο λόγους Αἰμίλιος, ὡς ἐπὶ τῷ πάντων ἀγαθῷ τῆς κληρουχίας ἐσομένης, οὐδὲ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος ἀνέλεγκτον ἐᾶσαι βούλομαι.
And since Aemilius also made speeches about utility, as if the allotment of land would be for the good of all, I do not wish to leave this part also unrefuted.
ἐμοὶ γὰρ δοκεῖ τὸ αὐτόθι μόνον οὗτός γʼ ὁρᾶν, τὸ δὲ μέλλον οὐ προσκοπεῖν, ὅτι μικρὸν εἶναι δοκοῦν ἐπὶ τῶν δημοσίων τοῖς ἀργοῖς καὶ §9.52.6ἀπόροις πολλῶν ἔσται καὶ μεγάλων κακῶν αἴτιον.
For to me he seems to see only what is immediate, and not to foresee the future, namely, that what seems a small thing in the case of public property for the idle and needy will be the cause of many and great evils.
τὸ γὰρ ἔθος τὸ συνεισπορευόμενον ἅμα τούτῳ καὶ διαμένον ἐν τῇ πόλει καὶ μέχρι παντὸς ὀλέθριον ἔσται καὶ δεινόν· οὐ γὰρ ἐξαιρεῖ τὰς πονηρὰς ἐπιθυμίας ἐκ τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ τυγχάνειν αὐτῶν, ἀλλʼ αὔξει καὶ πονηροτέρας ποιεῖ.
For the custom which enters along with this and remains in the city will be destructive and terrible for all time; for obtaining one's evil desires does not remove them from the soul, but increases them and makes them more wicked.
τεκμήρια δʼ ὑμῖν γενέσθω τούτων τὰ ἔργα· τί γὰρ δεῖ τοῖς λόγοις ὑμᾶς τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἢ τοῖς Αἰμιλίου προσέχειν;
Let the deeds be your proofs of these things; for why is there any need for you to attend to my words or to those of Aemilius?