[9,45] Εἰ μὲν οὖν, ἔφη, ἥδε ἡ ἀρχὴ μεθ´ ὁμονοίας εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἐπὶ τῷ πάντων ἀγαθῷ παροῦσα σὺν οἰωνοῖς τε καὶ ὀττείαις, πολλῶν ἂν ἡμῖν ἐγίνετο καὶ μεγάλων ἀγαθῶν αἰτία, χαρίτων, ὁμοφροσύνης, εὐνομίας, ἐλπίδων χρηστῶν παρὰ τοῦ δαιμονίου, μυρίων ἄλλων· νῦν δέ, βία γὰρ αὐτὴν εἰσήγαγε καὶ παρανομία καὶ στάσις καὶ πολέμου δέος ἐμφυλίου καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔχθιστα ἐν ἀνθρώποις τί οὖν ἔτι καὶ μέλλει χρηστὸν ἔσεσθαί ποτ´ ἢ σωτήριον τοιαύτας λαβούσης τὰς ἀρχάς; ὥστε περίεστιν ἡμῖν ἴασιν καὶ ἀλεξήματα τῶν ἀναβλαστανόντων ἐξ αὐτῆς κακῶν ζητεῖν, ὁπόσα εἰς ἀνθρώπινον πίπτει λογισμόν, μενούσης ἔτι τῆς πονηρᾶς ῥίζης. οὐ γὰρ ἔσται πέρας οὐδ´ ἀπαλλαγὴ τῶν δαιμονίων χόλων, ἕως ἂν ἥδε ἡ βάσκανος ἐρινὺς καὶ φαγέδαινα ἐγκαθημένη πάντα σήπῃ καὶ διαφθείρῃ τὰ καλά. ἀλλ´ ὑπὲρ μὲν τούτων ἕτερος ἔσται λόγος καὶ καιρὸς ἐπιτηδειότερος, νῦν δ´ ἐπεὶ τὰ παρόντα εὖ τίθεσθαι χρή, πᾶσαν εἰρωνείαν ἀφεὶς τάδε ὑμῖν λέγω· οὔθ´ ὅδε ὁ νόμος οὔτ´ ἄλλος οὐδείς, ὃν οὐχ ἡ βουλὴ προβουλεύσει, κύριος ἐπὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ὑπατείας γενήσεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ λόγοις ἀγωνιοῦμαι περὶ τῆς ἀριστοκρατίας, κἂν εἰς τὰ ἔργα δέῃ χωρεῖν οὐδ´ ἐν τούτοις τῶν ἐναντιουμένων λελείψομαι· καὶ εἰ μὴ πρότερον ἔγνωτε, ὅσην ἰσχὺν ἔχει τὸ τῶν ὑπάτων κράτος, ἐπὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀρχῆς μαθήσεσθε.

[9,45] "If, now," he said, "this magistracy had been introduced into the commonwealth harmoniously, for the good of all, entering in with the sanction of both omens and religious rites, it would have been the source of many blessings to us — kindly services, harmony, wholesome laws, hopes of blessings from Heaven, and countless any other benefits. But as it is, since it was introduced by violence, lawlessness, sedition, the fear of civil war, and by everything mankind most abhors, what good or salutary thing can one now expect will ever come of it when it had such beginnings? So that it is vain for us to seek for a cure and for the aids which human reason suggests against the evils that are continually springing out of it, so long as the pernicious root remains. For we shall have no end of outbursts of the divine wrath, no deliverance from them, while this malignant curse and cancer, firmly imbedded in our body politic, corrupts and destroys all that is wholesome. But for the discussion of this subject another occasion will be more suitable. For the moment, since it is necessary (p75) to compose the present disturbances, I put aside all equivocation and say this to you: Neither this nor any other law shall become valid during my consulship without a preliminary decree of the senate; on the contrary, I will fight for the aristocracy not only with words, but, if it shall be necessary to proceed to deeds, I shall not be outdone by its opponents even in these. And if you did not know before the extent of the consular power, you shall learn it during my term of office."