[6,56] Ἀλλ´ ὅτι μὲν δεῖ καταλύσασθαι τὴν στάσιν, εἴποι τις ἄν, οὐχ ἧττον ἡμεῖς ἐγνώκαμεν καὶ πολλὴν παρεσχήμεθα προθυμίαν· πῶς δ´ ἂν καταλυσαίμεθ´ αὐτήν, τοῦτο πειρῶ λέγειν. ὁρᾷς γάρ, ὅση περὶ τὸν δῆμόν ἐστιν αὐθάδεια, ὃς οὔτε πέμπει πρὸς ἡμᾶς περὶ διαλύσεων αὐτὸς ἀδικῶν οὔτε τοῖς ὑφ´ ἡμῶν ἀποσταλεῖσιν ἀποκρίνεται πολιτικὰς καὶ φιλανθρώπους ἀποκρίσεις, ἀλλ´ ὑπερηφανεῖ καὶ ἀπειλεῖ, καὶ εἰκάσαι ῥᾴδιον οὐκ ἔστιν ὅ τι βούλεται. πρὸς δὲ ταῦτα τί παραινῶ νῦν πράττειν, ἀκούσατέ μου. ἐγὼ τὸν δῆμον οὔτ´ ἀδιαλλάκτως οἴομαι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἔχειν οὔτε δράσειν τι, ὧν ἀπειλεῖ, τεκμαιρόμενος, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὅμοια τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔργα, πολὺ δὲ μᾶλλον ἡμῶν ἐσπουδακέναι περὶ τὰς διαλύσεις {οἴομαι}. ἡμεῖς μὲν γὰρ καὶ πατρίδα τὴν τιμιωτάτην κατοικοῦμεν καὶ βίους καὶ οἴκους καὶ γενεὰς καὶ πάντα τὰ πλείστου ἄξια ἐν ταῖς ἰδίαις ἐξουσίαις ἔχομεν· ὁ δ´ ἄπολις καὶ ἀνέστιός ἐστι καὶ τῶν ἀναγκαιοτάτων αὐτῷ στέρεται σωμάτων βίου τε τοῦ καθ´ ἡμέραν οὐκ εὐπορεῖ. τίνος οὖν χάριν, εἴ τις ἔροιτό με, τὰς προκλήσεις οὐ δέχεται τὰς ἡμετέρας ὅμως κακοπαθῶν αὐτός τε οὐδὲν ἐπιπρεσβεύεται πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ὅτι νὴ Δία, φαίην ἄν, ἄχρι τοῦδε λόγων ἀκούει παρὰ τῆς βουλῆς, ἔργον δ´ οὐδὲν ὁρᾷ γινόμενον ἐξ αὐτῶν οὔτε φιλάνθρωπον οὔτε μέτριον, ἐξηπατῆσθαί τε οἴεται πολλάκις ὑφ´ ἡμῶν ὑπισχνουμένων ἀεί τινα πρόνοιαν αὐτοῦ ποιήσεσθαι, μηδὲν δὲ προνοουμένων. πρεσβείας δὲ πέμπειν οὐχ ὑπομένει διὰ τοὺς ἐνθάδε κατηγορεῖν εἰωθότας αὐτοῦ δεδοικώς τε μή τινος, ὧν ἀξιοῖ, διαμάρτῃ. τάχα δ´ ἄν τι καὶ φιλοτιμίας ἀνοήτου περὶ αὐτὸν εἴη πάθος· καὶ οὐδέν γε θαυμαστόν, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς εἰσί τινες, οἷς τὸ δύσερι τοῦτο καὶ φιλόνεικον ἔνεστιν ἰδίᾳ τε καὶ κοινῆ οὐκ ἀξιοῦσιν ἡττᾶσθαι τοῦ ἀντιπάλου, ἀλλ´ ἐκ παντὸς ἀεὶ ζητοῦσι περιεῖναι τρόπου καὶ μὴ πρότερον χαρίζεσθαί τι, ἢ λαβεῖν τὸ μέλλον εὖ πάσχειν ὑποχείριον. ἐννοούμενος δὴ ταῦτα οἴομαι δεῖν πρεσβείαν ἀποσταλῆναι πρὸς τοὺς δημοτικοὺς ἐκ τῶν μάλιστα πιστευομένων· τοὺς δ´ ἀποσταλησομένους ἄνδρας αὐτοκράτορας εἶναι παραινῶ, διαλυσομένους αὐτοῖς τὴν στάσιν, ἐφ´ οἷς ἂν αὐτοὶ δικαιῶσι, καὶ μηδὲν ἔτι τῇ βουλῇ προσαναφέροντας· αὐτοὶ γὰρ εἴσονται τοῦτο. οἱ δὲ νῦν ὑπεροπτικοὶ δοκοῦντες εἶναι καὶ βαρεῖς μαθόντες, ὅτι ἀληθῶς σπουδάζετε περὶ τὴν ὁμόνοιαν, καὶ εἰς ἐπιεικεστέρας συγκαθήσουσιν αἱρέσεις, οὐδὲν ἀξιοῦντες οὔτε τῶν αἰσχρῶν οὔτε τῶν ἀδυνάτων. τὸ γὰρ ἠρεθισμένον ἅπαν, ἄλλως τε κἂν ταπεινὸν ᾖ, πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ὑπερηφανοῦντας ἀγριαίνεσθαι φιλεῖ, πρὸς δὲ τοὺς θεραπεύοντας ἡμεροῦσθαι.

[6,56] "But, someone may say, we know as well as you that the sedition ought to be appeased, and we have laboured earnestly to that end. Undertake not to tell us how we may appease it. For you see how headstrong the people are grown: though they themselves are the offenders, they neither send to us to treat of an accommodation nor give to the men we have sent to them answers that are those of fellow-citizens or considerate, but indulge in haughtiness and threats, so that it is not easy to guess what they want. Hear, then, in what manner I advise you to act now in this situation. For my part, I do not believe either that the people are irreconcilable (p23) toward us or that they will carry out any of their threats. My reason is that their actions do not agree with their words, and I judge that they are far more in earnest than we about the accommodation. For while we continue to live in our own country, which is most dear to us, and have in our own power our fortunes, our houses, our families, and everything that means most to us, they are without country or habitation, are bereft of their dearest relations, and lack for their daily bread. If anyone should ask me for what reason, then, the people even under these miseries do not accept our invitations and why they do not on their own initiative send to treat with us, I should answer: Because, most assuredly, they thus far hear words from the senate, but see no act of kindness or moderation follow the words; and the feel that they have been often deceived by us, in that we are always promising to take some measures of relief for them, but taking none. They are unwilling to send envoys to us because of those who are accustomed to inveigh against them here and because they fear they may fail of some of their demands. Perhaps too they may be possessed by some feeling of senseless rivalry. And no wonder; since there are some even among us ourselves in whom this quarrelsome and contentious spirit resides, both in private and in public matters, men who cannot bear to be overcome by their adversaries, but are always seeking by any means whatever to get the better of them and never to confer a favour before they have subdued those who are to have the benefit of it. In view of these considerations (p25) I think an embassy should be sent to the plebeians consisting of persons in whom they have the greatest confidence; and I advise that those to be sent be invested with full power to put an end to the sedition upon such terms as they themselves shall think fit, without again referring anything to the senate. For if the plebeians, who now seem to be scornful and sullen, shall become aware of this, learning that you are in earnest regarding the accommodation, they will condescend to more moderate condition stone will demand nothing of us that is either dishonourable or impossible. For all men, when inflamed with anger, particularly those of humble condition, are wont to be enraged against those who treat them haughtily, but to be mild toward those who court their favour."