Texte grec :
| [9,54] Ταῦτ´ εἰπόντος Ἀππίου καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὀλίγου
δεῖν πάντων τὴν αὐτὴν γνώμην ἀποφηναμένων ἡ
μὲν βουλὴ διελύετο. οἱ δὲ δήμαρχοι δι´ ὀργῆς ἔχοντες
τὴν ἀποτυχίαν ἀπῄεσαν καὶ μετὰ τοῦτ´ ἐσκόπουν, ὅπως
τιμωρήσονται τὸν ἄνδρα· ἔδοξεν οὖν αὐτοῖς πολλὰ
βουλευσαμένοις δίκῃ τὸν Ἄππιον ὑπαγαγεῖν θάνατον
ἐχούσῃ τὸ τίμημα. καὶ μετὰ ταῦτ´ ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ
ἀνδρὸς κατηγορήσαντες παρεκάλουν ἥκειν ἅπαντας εἰς
τὴν ἀποδειχθησομένην ἡμέραν ὡς διοίσοντας ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ
ψῆφον. ἃ δὲ κατηγορεῖν ἔμελλον, ταῦτ´ ἦν· ὅτι
πονηρὰς ἐτίθει κατὰ τοῦ δήμου γνώμας, καὶ στάσιν
εἰσῆγεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, καὶ δημάρχῳ χεῖρας ἐπήνεγκε
παρὰ τοὺς ἱεροὺς νόμους, καὶ σταρτιᾶς ἡγησάμενος σὺν
βλάβῃ τε καὶ αἰσχύνῃ μεγάλῃ ἀνέστρεψε. ταῦτα
προειπόντες ἐν τῷ πλήθει, καὶ ῥητήν τινα ἀποδείξαντες
ἡμέραν, ἐν ᾗ τέλος ἔφησαν ἐπιθήσειν τῇ δίκῃ,
παρήγγειλαν αὐτῷ παρεῖναι τότ´ ἀπολογησομένῳ.
ἀγανακτούντων δ´ ἁπάντων τῶν πατρικίων καὶ
παρεσκευασμένων ἁπάσῃ προθυμίᾳ σώζειν τὸν ἄνδρα, καὶ
τὸν Ἄππιον παρακαλούντων εἶξαι τῷ καιρῷ καὶ σχῆμα ταῖς
παρούσαις τύχαις ἁρμόττον μεταλαβεῖν, οὐδὲν ἔφη ποιήσειν ὁ
ἀνὴρ οὔτ´ ἀγεννὲς οὔτε τῶν προγεγονότων ἔργων
ἀνάξιον, μυρίους δ´ ἂν ὑπομεῖναι θανάτους πρότερον
ἢ γονάτων ἅψασθαί τινος· τούς θ´ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ δεῖσθαι
παρεσκευασμένους διεκώλυεν εἰπών, ὡς διπλασίως ἂν
αἰδεσθείη ταῦθ´ ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ποιοῦντας ἑτέρους ὁρῶν,
ἃ μηδ´ αὐτὸν ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοῦ πράττειν πρέποντα ἡγεῖται.
ταῦτά τε δὴ καὶ πολλὰ ὅμοια τούτοις λέγων, καὶ οὔτ´
ἐσθῆτα ἀλλάξας οὔτε τὸ τῆς ὄψεως γαῦρον ἀλλοιώσας
οὔτε φρονήματός τι ὑφέμενος, ὡς εἶδεν ὀρθὴν καὶ
μετέωρον ἐπὶ τῇ προσδοκίᾳ τοῦ ἀγῶνος τὴν πόλιν, ὀλίγων
ἔτι λειπομένων ἡμερῶν ἑαυτὸν διεχρήσατο. οἱ μὲν δὴ
προσήκοντες αὐτῷ νόσον ἐσκήπτοντο γενέσθαι τοῦ
θανάτου αἰτίαν· προενεχθέντος δὲ τοῦ σώματος εἰς τὴν
ἀγορὰν ὁ μὲν υἱὸς αὐτοῦ προσιὼν τοῖς δημάρχοις καὶ
τοῖς ὑπάτοις ἠξίου τὴν νόμιμον ἐκκλησίαν αὐτῷ
συναγαγεῖν καὶ τὸν ἐν ἔθει Ῥωμαίοις ὄντα ἐπὶ ταῖς ταφαῖς
ἀγορεύεσθαι τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν λόγον ἐπιτρέψαι
περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς διελθεῖν. οἱ δὲ δήμαρχοι καλουμένης
ἔτι τῆς ἐκκλησίας ὑπὸ τῶν ὑπάτων ἐνίσταντο, καὶ
παρήγγελλον τῷ μειρακίῳ τὸν νεκρὸν ἀποφέρειν. οὐ
μὴν ὁ δῆμός γ´ ἠνέσχετο οὐδὲ περιεῖδε τὴν ὕβριν,
ἄτιμον ἐκβληθῆναι τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλ´ ἐπέτρεψε τῷ μειρακίῳ
τὰς νομιζομένας ἀποδοῦναι τῷ πατρὶ τιμάς. Ἄππιος
μὲν οὖν τοιαύτης τελευτῆς ἔτυχεν.
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Traduction française :
| [9,54] After Appius had spoken thus and almost all the others had expressed the same
opinion, the senate was dismissed. The tribunes, angry at their failure, departed and
after that considered how they might take revenge on the man; and they decided,
after long deliberation, to bring him to trial on a capital charge. Then, having accused
him before the popular assembly, they asked all to be present on the day they should
appoint in order to give their votes concerning him. The charges they planned to
bring against him were these: that he had been spring mischievous opinions against
the populace and introducing sedition into the commonwealth, that he had laid hands
on a tribune contrary to the sacred laws, and that after taking command of the army
he had returned home with great loss and disgrace. After announcing these
accusations to the populace and appointing a definite day on which they said they
would hold the trial, they summoned him to appear on the day named and make his
defence. All the patricians resented this proceeding and were prepared to use every
effort to save Appius, and they urged him to yield to the occasion and to assume a
bearing suitable to his present fortunes; but he declared (p105) that he would do nothing
ignoble or unworthy of his former conduct, and that he would rather die a thousand
deaths than cling to the knees of any man. And though his friends were prepared to
make entreaties in his behalf, he would not permit it, saying that he would be doubly
ashamed to see others doing for him things which he thought unbecoming even for
him to do for himself. After he had said this and many other things of like nature
and neither changed his dress, altered the haughtiness of his looks nor abated
anything of his proud spirit, when now he saw the whole city intent upon his trial and
on tiptoe with expectation, and only a few days were left, he made away with himself;
his relations, however, pretended that he had died a natural death. When his body
was brought into the Forum, his son went to the tribunes and consuls and asked them
to assemble the people for him in the manner usual upon such occasions and give
him leave to deliver the eulogy over his father according to the practice of the Romans
at the funerals of worthy men.But the tribunes, even while the consuls were calling
the assembly, vetoed it and bade the youth take away the body. However, the people
would not permit this nor allow the body to be cast out in dishonour and ignominy,
but gave leave to the youth to render the customary honours to his father. Such was
the end of Appius.
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