§6.56.1καὶ μὴν τὰ περὶ τοὺς χρηματισμοὺς ἔθη καὶ νόμιμα βελτίω παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις ἐστὶν ἢ παρὰ Καρ
Furthermore, the customs and laws regarding money matters are better among the Romans than among the Carthaginians.
§6.56.2χηδονίοις παρʼ οἷς μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν αἰσχρὸν τῶν ἀνηκόντων πρὸς κέρδος, παρʼ οἷς δʼ οὐδὲν αἴσχιον τοῦ δωροδοκεῖσθαι καὶ τοῦ πλεονεκτεῖν ἀπὸ τῶν μὴ §6.56.3καθηκόντων καθʼ ὅσον γὰρ ἐν καλῷ τίθενται τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ κρατίστου χρηματισμόν, κατὰ τοσοῦτο πάλιν ἐν ὀνείδει ποιοῦνται τὴν ἐκ τῶν ἀπειρημένων πλεονεξίαν.
For among the latter, nothing that leads to gain is considered disgraceful, but among the former, nothing is more disgraceful than to accept bribes and to seek profit from improper sources. For in proportion as the Carthaginians consider gain from any source whatever to be honorable, to that same degree the Romans on the contrary regard greed from forbidden sources as a matter of reproach.
§6.56.4σημεῖον δὲ τοῦτο· παρὰ μὲν Καρχηδονίοις δῶρα φανερῶς διδόντες λαμβάνουσι τὰς ἀρχάς, παρὰ δὲ Ῥωμαίοις θάνατός ἐστι περὶ τοῦτο πρόστιμον.
And here is a proof of this: among the Carthaginians, they obtain offices by openly giving bribes, whereas among the Romans, the penalty for this is death.
§6.56.5ὅθεν τῶν ἄθλων τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐναντίων τιθεμένων παρʼ ἀμφοῖν, εἰκὸς ἀνόμοιον εἶναι καὶ τὴν παρασκευὴν ἑκατέρων πρὸς ταῦτα.
Hence, as the rewards of virtue are set in opposite ways by both, it is natural that the training of each toward these should also be dissimilar.
§6.56.6μεγίστην δέ μοι δοκεῖ διαφορὰν ἔχειν τὸ Ῥωμαίων πολίτευμα πρὸς βέλτιον ἐν τῇ περὶ θεῶν διαλήψει.
But the Roman constitution seems to me to have its greatest difference for the better in its conception of the gods.
§6.56.7καί μοι δοκεῖ τὸ παρὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις ὀνειδιζόμενον, τοῦτο συνέχειν τὰ Ῥωμαίων πράγματα, λέγω δὲ τὴν δεισιδαιμονίαν·
And it is what is censured among other men that seems to me to hold the Roman state together, I mean superstition.
§6.56.8ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἐκτετραγῴδηται καὶ παρεισῆκται τοῦτο τὸ μέρος παρʼ αὐτοῖς εἴς τε τοὺς κατʼ ἰδίαν βίους καὶ τὰ κοινὰ τῆς πόλεως ὥστε μὴ καταλιπεῖν ὑπερβολήν.
For to such a degree has this element been theatrically exaggerated and introduced among them into both their private lives and the public affairs of the city, that it leaves no room for excess.
ὃ καὶ δόξειεν ἂν πολλοῖς εἶναι θαυμάσιον.
This might seem wonderful to many.
§6.56.9ἐμοί γε μὴν δοκοῦσι τοῦ πλήθους χάριν τοῦτο πεποιηκέναι.
But to me at least, they seem to have done this for the sake of the common people.
§6.56.10εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἦν σοφῶν ἀνδρῶν πολίτευμα συναγαγεῖν, ἴσως οὐδὲν ἦν ἀναγκαῖος ὁ τοιοῦτος τρόπος·
For if it were possible to bring together a state of wise men, perhaps such a method would not be at all necessary.
§6.56.11ἐπεὶ δὲ πᾶν πλῆθός ἐστιν ἐλαφρὸν καὶ πλῆρες ἐπιθυμιῶν παρανόμων, ὀργῆς ἀλόγου, θυμοῦ βιαίου, λείπεται τοῖς ἀδήλοις φόβοις καὶ τῇ τοιαύτῃ τραγῳδίᾳ τὰ πλήθη συνέχειν.
But since every multitude is fickle and full of lawless desires, irrational anger, and violent passion, there is no other way but to hold them in check by unseen terrors and such theatrical representation.
§6.56.12διόπερ οἱ παλαιοὶ δοκοῦσί μοι τὰς περὶ θεῶν ἐννοίας καὶ τὰς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐν ᾅδου διαλήψεις οὐκ εἰκῇ καὶ ὡς ἔτυχεν εἰς τὰ πλήθη παρεισαγαγεῖν, πολὺ δὲ μᾶλλον οἱ νῦν εἰκῇ καὶ ἀλόγως ἐκβάλλειν αὐτά.
Therefore, the ancients seem to me to have introduced the conceptions of the gods and the beliefs about those in Hades into the minds of the multitude not at random and by chance, but rather the moderns are casting them out at random and irrationally.
§6.56.13τοιγαροῦν χωρὶς τῶν ἄλλων οἱ τὰ κοινὰ χειρίζοντες παρὰ μὲν τοῖς Ἕλλησιν, ἐὰν ταλάντου μόνον πιστευθῶσιν, ἀντιγραφεῖς ἔχοντες δέκα καὶ σφραγῖδας τοσαύτας καὶ μάρτυρας διπλασίους οὐ δύνανται τηρεῖν τὴν πίστιν· §6.56.14παρὰ δὲ Ῥωμαίοις κατά τε τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ πρεσβείας πολύ τι πλῆθος χρημάτων χειρίζοντες διʼ αὐτῆς τῆς κατὰ τὸν ὅρκον πίστεως τηροῦσι τὸ καθῆκον.
Consequently, to say nothing of other matters, those who handle public money among the Greeks, if they are entrusted with only a talent, though they have ten counters, as many seals, and twice as many witnesses, cannot keep their faith; whereas among the Romans, those who handle a very large amount of money in their offices and embassies keep their duty through the sole pledge of their oath.
§6.56.15καὶ παρὰ μὲν τοῖς ἄλλοις σπάνιόν ἐστιν εὑρεῖν ἀπεχόμενον ἄνδρα τῶν δημοσίων καὶ καθαρεύοντα περὶ ταῦτα· παρὰ δὲ τοῖς Ῥωμαίοις σπάνιόν ἐστι τὸ λαβεῖν τινα πεφωραμένον ἐπὶ τοιαύτῃ πράξει. [ξοδ. υρβ. ηαβετ ηαεξ ϝ. π. 264, 17. 293, 5 ξυμ αντεξεδεντιβυς αρξτε ξοηαερεντια εχξ. αντ. π. 188. ]
And while among other nations it is rare to find a man who keeps his hands off public money and is pure in this respect, among the Romans it is rare to find anyone detected in such a practice.