§18.35.1ἐγὼ δὲ κατὰ μὲν τοὺς ἀνωτέρω χρόνους καὶ κοινὴν ἂν ποιούμενος ἀπόφασιν ἐθάρρησα περὶ πάντων Ῥωμαίων εἰπεῖν ὡς οὐδὲν ἂν πράξαιεν τοιοῦτον, λέγω δὲ πρότερον ἢ τοῖς διαποντίοις αὐτοὺς ἐγχειρῆσαι πολέμοις, ἕως ἐπὶ τῶν ἰδίων ἐθῶν καὶ νομίμων ἔμενον.
But as for former times, even if I were making a general statement, I would have had the courage to say of all Romans that they would never do such a thing; I mean before they entered upon overseas wars, as long as they remained true to their own customs and laws.
§18.35.2ἐν δὲ τοῖς νῦν καιροῖς περὶ πάντων μὲν οὐκ ἂν τολμήσαιμι τοῦτʼ εἰπεῖν· κατʼ ἰδίαν μέντοι γε περὶ πλειόνων ἀνδρῶν ἐν Ῥώμῃ θαρρήσαιμʼ ἂν ἀποφήνασθαι διότι δύνανται τὴν πίστιν ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει διαφυλάττειν.
But in the present times I would not venture to say this of them all; nevertheless, speaking of them individually, I would confidently assert of many men in Rome that they are able to preserve their integrity in this regard.
§18.35.3μαρτυρίας δὲ χάριν ὁμολογούμενα δύʼ ὀνόματα τοῦ μὴ δοκεῖν ἀδύνατα λέγειν.
By way of testimony, in order that I may not seem to be speaking of impossibilities, here are two names that are universally acknowledged.
§18.35.4Λεύκιος μὲν γὰρ Αἰμίλιος ὁ Περσέα νικήσας, κύριος γενόμενος τῆς Μακεδόνων βασιλείας, ἐν ᾗ τῆς ἄλλης χωρὶς κατασκευῆς καὶ χορηγίας ἐν αὐτοῖς εὑρέθη τοῖς θησαυροῖς ἀργυρίου καὶ χρυσίου πλείω τῶν ἑξακισχιλίων ταλάντων, §18.35.5οὐχ οἷον ἐπεθύμησε τούτων τινός, ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ αὐτόπτης ἠβουλήθη γενέσθαι, διʼ ἑτέρων δὲ τὸν χειρισμὸν ἐποιήσατο τῶν προειρημένων, καίτοι κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον βίον οὐ περιττεύων τῇ χορηγίᾳ, τὸ δʼ ἐναντίον ἐλλείπων μᾶλλον.
For Lucius Aemilius, who defeated Perseus and became master of the kingdom of Macedonia, where, besides all other furniture and resources, more than six thousand talents of gold and silver were found in the treasuries themselves, not only did not covet any of these, but did not even wish to be an eyewitness to them, but left the management of the aforesaid wealth to others, although in his own private life he was far from having a superabundance of resources, but on the contrary was rather lacking.
§18.35.6μεταλλάξαντος γοῦν αὐτοῦ τὸν βίον οὐ πολὺ κατόπιν τοῦ πολέμου, βουληθέντες οἱ κατὰ φύσιν υἱοὶ Πόπλιος Σκιπίων καὶ Κόιντος Μάξιμος ἀποδοῦναι τῇ γυναικὶ τὴν φερνήν, εἴκοσι τάλαντα καὶ πέντε, ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ἐδυσχρηστήθησαν ὡς οὐδʼ εἰς τέλος ἐδυνήθησαν, εἰ μὴ τὴν ἐνδουχίαν ἀπέδοντο καὶ τὰ σώματα καὶ σὺν τούτοις ἔτι τινὰς τῶν κτήσεων.
At all events, when he departed this life not long after the war, his natural sons, Publius Scipio and Quintus Maximus, wishing to pay back his wife's dowry of twenty-five talents, were in such difficulties that they were absolutely unable to do so until they had sold his furniture, slaves, and even some of his estates besides.
§18.35.7εἰ δέ τισιν ἀπίστῳ τὸ λεγόμενον ἐοικέναι δόξει, ῥᾴδιον ὑπὲρ τούτου λαβεῖν πίστιν·
And if to some people what is said seems incredible, it is easy to obtain confirmation on this point.
§18.35.8πολλῶν γὰρ ἀμφισβητουμένων παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις καὶ μάλιστα περὶ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος διὰ τὰς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀντιπαραγωγάς, ὅμως τὸ νῦν εἰρημένον ὑφʼ ἡμῶν ὁμολογούμενον εὑρήσει παρὰ πᾶσιν ὁ ζητῶν.
For though many things are disputed among the Romans, and especially on this subject because of their rivalries with one another, yet anyone who inquires will find that what I have just said is acknowledged by all.
§18.35.9καὶ μὴν Πόπλιος Σκιπίων, ὁ τούτου μὲν κατὰ φύσιν υἱός, Ποπλίου δὲ τοῦ μεγάλου κληθέντος κατὰ θέσιν υἱωνός, κύριος γενόμενος τῆς Καρχηδόνος, ἥτις ἐδόκει πολυχρημονεστάτη τῶν κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην εἶναι πόλεων, ἁπλῶς τῶν ἐξ ἐκείνης οὐδὲν εἰς τὸν ἴδιον βίον μετήγαγεν, οὔτʼ ὠνησάμενος οὔτʼ ἄλλῳ τρόπῳ κτησάμενος οὐδέν, §18.35.10καίπερ οὐχ ὅλως εὐπορούμενος κατὰ τὸν βίον, ἀλλὰ μέτριος ὢν κατὰ τὴν ὕπαρξιν, ὡς Ῥωμαῖος.
And indeed Publius Scipio, who was his natural son, and the adopted grandson of Publius surnamed the Great, on becoming master of Carthage, which was considered to be the wealthiest city in the world, absolutely brought nothing from it into his private possession, neither by purchase nor by acquisition in any other way, although he was by no means well-off in his private life, but of moderate fortune for a Roman.
§18.35.11οὐχ οἷον δὲ τῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς Καρχηδόνος ἀπέσχετο μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ καθόλου τῶν ἐκ τῆς Λιβύης οὐδὲν ἐπιμιχθῆναι πρὸς τὸν ἴδιον εἴασε βίον.
He not only abstained from the spoils of Carthage itself, but also absolutely refused to allow anything from Libya to be mixed with his own private property.
§18.35.12περὶ δὲ τούτου πάλιν τἀνδρὸς ὁ ζητῶν ἀληθινῶς ἀναμφισβήτητον εὑρήσει παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις τὴν περὶ τοῦτο τὸ μέρος δόξαν.
And with regard to this man again, anyone who inquires will find his reputation in this respect truly undisputed among the Romans.