[9,33] Τοιούτους εἰπὼν λόγους καὶ οὔτε πρὸς ὀλοφυρμοὺς καὶ ἀνακλαύσεις τῆς συμφορᾶς τραπόμενος, οὔτ´ ἐν δεήσεσι καὶ προκυλισμοῖς ἀσχήμοσι ταπεινὸς φανείς, οὔτ´ ἄλλην ἀγεννῆ διάθεσιν ἀποδειξάμενος οὐδεμίαν παρέδωκε τὸν λόγον τοῖς συναγορεύειν ἢ μαρτυρεῖν βουλομένοις. πολλοὶ μὲν οὖν καὶ ἄλλοι παριόντες ἀπέλυον αὐτὸν τῆς αἰτίας, μάλιστα δὲ Οὐεργίνιος ὁ κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν ὑπατεύσας χρόνον καὶ τῆς νίκης αἴτιος εἶναι δοκῶν· ὃς οὐ μόνον ἀναίτιον αὐτὸν ἀπέφαινεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὡς κράτιστον ἀνδρῶν τὰ πολέμια καὶ στρατηγῶν φρονιμώτατον ἐπαινεῖσθαί τε καὶ τιμᾶσθαι ὑπὸ πάντων ἠξίου. ἔφη δὲ δεῖν, εἰ μὲν ἀγαθὸν οἴονται τέλος εἰληφέναι τὸν πόλεμον ἀμφοτέροις σφίσι τὴν χάριν εἰδέναι· εἰ δὲ πονηρὸν ἀμφοτέρους ζημιοῦν· κοινὰ γὰρ αὐτοῖς καὶ τὰ βουλεύματα καὶ τὰ ἔργα καὶ τὰς ἐκ τοῦ δαιμονίου τύχας γεγονέναι. ἦν δ´ οὐ μόνον ὁ λόγος τοῦ ἀνδρός, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ βίος πείθων, ἐν ἅπασιν ἐξητασμένος ἔργοις ἀγαθοῖς. προσῆν δὲ τούτοις, ὃ πλεῖστον ἐκίνησεν οἶκτον, ὄψεως σχῆμα συμπαθές, οἷον περὶ αὐτοὺς τοὺς πεπονθότας ἢ μέλλοντας πάσχειν τὰ δεινὰ γίνεσθαι φιλεῖ. ὥστε καὶ τοὺς προσήκοντας τοῖς ἀπολωλόσι καὶ δοκοῦντας ἀδιαλλάκτως ἔχειν πρὸς τὸν αἴτιον σφίσι τῆς συμφορᾶς, μαλακωτέρους γενέσθαι καὶ ἀποθέσθαι τὴν ὀργήν, ὡς ἐδήλωσαν. ἀναδοθεισῶν γὰρ τῶν ψήφων οὐδεμία φυλὴ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς κατεψηφίσατο. ὁ μὲν οὖν τὸν Σερουίλιον καταλαβὼν κίνδυνος τοιούτου τέλους ἔτυχεν.

[9,33] Having spoken in this manner and without either resorting to lamentations and wailings over his misfortune or abasing himself by entreaties and unseemly grovelling at the feet of anyone, and without displaying any other mark of an ignoble nature, he yielded the floor to those who desired to speak or bear witness in his favour. Many came forward and sought to clear him of the charge, and particularly Verginius, who had been consul at the same time with him and was regarded as having been the cause of the victory. He not only declared Servilius to be innocent, but argued that, as the bravest of men in war and the most prudent of generals, he deserved to be praised and honoured by all. He said that if they thought the war had ended favourably, they ought to feel grateful to both commanders, but if unfavourably, they ought to punish them both; for not only their plans, but also their actions and the fortunes meted out to them by Heaven had belonged to them both. Not only were the man's words convincing, but his whole life as well, which had been tested in all manner of good deeds. He had moreover — and this it was that stirred the greatest compassion — a look of fellow-suffering, such a look as one is apt to see on the faces of those who themselves have suffered calamities or are about to suffer them. Hence even the relations of the men who had lost their lives in the battle and seemed irreconcilable to the au of their misfortune became softened and laid aside their resentment, as they presently made evident. For (p35) when the votes had been taken, not a single tribe condemned him. Such was the outcome of the jeopardy in which Servilius had been placed.