§6.11.1## ϝ. δε ρομανορυμ ρε πυβλιξα φλορεντε
ὅτι ἀπὸ τῆς Ξέρξου διαβάσεως εἰς τὴν Ἑλλάδα καὶ τριάκοντα ἔτεσιν ὕστερον ἀπὸ τούτων τῶν καιρῶν ἀεὶ τῶν κατὰ μέρος προδιευκρινουμένων ἦν καὶ κάλλιστον καὶ τέλειον ἐν τοῖς Ἀννιβιακοῖς καιροῖς, ἀφʼ ὧν ἡμεῖς εἰς ταῦτα τὴν ἐκτροπὴν ἐποιησάμεθα.
¦v. de romanorum re publica florente¦ That from the crossing of Xerxes into Greece, and thirty years after those times, with the particular points always being pre-adjusted, the constitution was at its best and most perfect state in the times of the Hannibalic War, from which we made our digression to these matters.
§6.11.2διὸ καὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς συστάσεως αὐτοῦ λόγον ἀποδεδωκότες πειρασόμεθα νῦν ἤδη διασαφεῖν ὁποῖόν τι κατʼ ἐκείνους ὑπῆρχε τοὺς καιρούς, ἐν οἷς λειφθέντες τῇ περὶ Κάνναν μάχῃ τοῖς ὅλοις ἔπταισαν πράγμασιν.
Therefore, having already delivered our discourse on its establishment, we shall now endeavor to make clear what sort of state it was in during those times, when, having been defeated in the battle of Cannae, they stumbled in their entire fortunes.
§6.11.3οὐκ ἀγνοῶ δὲ διότι τοῖς ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς πολιτείας ὁρμωμένοις ἐλλιπεστέραν φανησόμεθα ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἐξήγησιν, ἔνια παραλιπόντες τῶν κατὰ μέρος·
And I am not unaware that to those who spring from the constitution itself, we shall appear to make our explanation rather incomplete, by leaving out some of the particular details.
§6.11.4πᾶν γὰρ ἐπιγινώσκοντες καὶ παντὸς πεῖραν εἰληφότες διὰ τὴν ἐκ παίδων τοῖς ἔθεσι καὶ νομίμοις συντροφίαν οὐ τὸ λεγόμενον θαυμάσουσιν ἀλλὰ τὸ παραλειπόμενον ἐπιζητήσουσιν, §6.11.5οὐδὲ κατὰ πρόθεσιν ὑπολήψονται τὸν γράφοντα παραλιπεῖν τὰς μικρὰς διαφοράς, ἀλλὰ κατʼ ἄγνοιαν παρασιωπᾶν τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰ συνέχοντα τῶν πραγμάτων.
For knowing everything and having experience of everything because of their lifelong familiarity from childhood with the customs and institutions, they will not admire what is said, but will search for what is left out; nor will they suppose that the writer has left out the minor differences by intention, but that through ignorance he has passed over in silence the origins and the vital parts of the matters.
§6.11.6καὶ ῥηθέντα μὲν οὐκ ἂν ἐθαύμαζον ὡς ὄντα μικρὰ καὶ πάρεργα, παραλειπόμενα δʼ ἐπιζητοῦσιν ὡς ἀναγκαῖα, βουλόμενοι δοκεῖν αὐτοὶ πλέον εἰδέναι τῶν συγγραφέων.
And if these had been mentioned, they would not have admired them, regarding them as small and trivial, but when they are left out, they search for them as necessary, wishing to appear to know more than the writers themselves.
§6.11.7δεῖ δὲ τὸν ἀγαθὸν κριτὴν οὐκ ἐκ τῶν παραλειπομένων δοκιμάζειν τοὺς γράφοντας, ἀλλʼ ἐκ τῶν λεγομένων, §6.11.8κἂν μὲν ἐν τούτοις τι λαμβάνῃ ψεῦδος, εἰδέναι διότι κἀκεῖνα παραλείπεται διʼ ἄγνοιαν, ἐὰν δὲ πᾶν τὸ λεγόμενον ἀληθὲς ᾖ, συγχωρεῖν διότι κἀκεῖνα παρασιωπᾶται κατὰ κρίσιν, οὐ κατʼ ἄγνοιαν. [εχξ. ϝατ. π. 371μ. 25, 6η; δεῖ δὲ τὸν λιν. 12 — ἄγνοιαν λιν. 18 ηαβετ ξοδ. υρβ. φολ. 65 ξυμ ϝι, 10, 14 αρξτε ξοηαερεντια; εχξ. αντ. π. 177. ] §6.11.9ταῦτα μὲν οὖν εἰρήσθω μοι πρὸς τοὺς φιλοτιμότερον ἢ δικαιότερον ἐπιτιμῶντας τοῖς συγγραφεῦσιν. [εχξ. ϝατ. π. 372μ. 25, 30η. ] §6.11.10ὅτι πᾶν πρᾶγμα σὺν καιρῷ θεωρούμενον ὑγιεῖς λαμβάνει καὶ τὰς συγκαταθέσεις καὶ τὰς ἐπιτιμήσεις· μεταπεσόντος δὲ τούτου καὶ πρὸς τὰς ἄλλας περιστάσεις συγκρινόμενον οὐχ οἷον αἱρετόν, ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ἀνεκτὸν ἂν φανείη τὸ κράτιστα καὶ ἀληθινώτατα πολλάκις ὑπὸ τῶν συγγραφέων εἰρημένον. [ιβιδ. ] §6.11.11ἦν μὲν δὴ τρία μέρη τὰ κρατοῦντα τῆς πολιτείας, ἅπερ εἶπα πρότερον ἅπαντα· οὕτως δὲ πάντα κατὰ μέρος ἴσως καὶ πρεπόντως συνετέτακτο καὶ διῳκεῖτο διὰ τούτων ὥστε μηδένα ποτʼ ἂν εἰπεῖν δύνασθαι βεβαίως μηδὲ τῶν ἐγχωρίων πότερʼ ἀριστοκρατικὸν τὸ πολίτευμα σύμπαν ἢ δημοκρατικὸν ἢ μοναρχικόν.
But a good critic ought to judge writers not from what is left out, but from what is said; and if indeed in these latter he finds any falsehood, he should know that those former things also are left out through ignorance, but if everything said is true, he should admit that those things also are passed over in silence by judgment, and not through ignorance. [εχξ. ϝατ. π. 371μ. 25, 6η; δεῖ δὲ τὸν λιν. 12 — ἄγνοιαν λιν. 18 ηαβετ ξοδ. υρβ. φολ. 65 ξυμ ϝι, 10, 14 αρξτε ξοηαερεντια; εχξ. αντ. π. 177.] Let these things, then, be said by me to those who censure writers more from ambition than from justice. [εχξ. ϝατ. π. 372μ. 25, 30η.] That every matter, when viewed in its proper season, receives both sound approvals and censures; but when this season changes and it is compared with other circumstances, what has often been said in the best and truest manner by writers would appear not only undesirable, but not even tolerable. [ιβιδ.] Now there were three parts that controlled the state, all of which I mentioned before; and all things were so equally and properly ordered and administered in detail by these, that no one, not even of the native citizens, could ever have said for certain whether the constitution as a whole was aristocratic, democratic, or monarchical.
§6.11.12καὶ τοῦτʼ εἰκὸς ἦν πάσχειν.
And it was natural to experience this.
ὅτε μὲν γὰρ εἰς τὴν τῶν ὑπάτων ἀτενίσαιμεν ἐξουσίαν, τελείως μοναρχικὸν ἐφαίνετʼ εἶναι καὶ βασιλικόν, ὅτε δʼ εἰς τὴν τῆς συγκλήτου, πάλιν ἀριστοκρατικόν· καὶ μὴν εἰ τὴν τῶν πολλῶν ἐξουσίαν θεωροίη τις, ἐδόκει σαφῶς εἶναι δημοκρατικόν.
For whenever we should look at the power of the consuls, it appeared to be completely monarchical and kingly; but when at that of the senate, again aristocratic; and indeed, if one should contemplate the power of the multitude, it seemed clearly to be democratic.
§6.11.13ὧν δʼ ἕκαστον εἶδος μερῶν τῆς πολιτείας ἐπεκράτει, καὶ τότε καὶ νῦν ἔτι πλὴν ὀλίγων τινῶν ταῦτʼ ἐστίν.
And the matters which each form of the parts of the constitution controlled, both then and still now except for some few, are as follows.