[6,59] Μετὰ τοῦτον ἀνέστη κληθεὶς Ἄππιος Κλαύδιος ὁ τῆς ἐναντιουμένης τῷ δήμῳ στάσεως ἡγεμὼν ἀνὴρ μέγα φρονῶν ἐφ´ ἑαυτῷ καὶ τοῦτ´ οὐκ ἄνευ δικαίας πάσχων αἰτίας· ὅ τε γὰρ ἴδιος αὐτοῦ βίος ὁ καθ´ ἡμέραν σώφρων καὶ σεμνὸς ἦν, ἥ τε προαίρεσις τῶν πολιτευμάτων εὐγενὴς καὶ τὸ ἀξίωμα σώζουσα τῆς ἀριστοκρατίας· ὃς ἀφορμὴν λαβὼν τὴν Οὐαλερίου δημηγορίαν τοιούτοις ἐχρήσατο λόγοις· Ἐν ἐλάττονι μὲν αἰτίᾳ ἂν Οὐαλέριος ἦν, εἰ τὴν αὑτοῦ γνώμην ἀπεφήνατο μόνην, τῶν δὲ τἀναντία ἐγνωκότων μὴ κατηγόρει· περιῆν γὰρ ἂν αὐτῷ μηδὲν ἀκοῦσαι τῶν προσόντων αὐτῷ κακῶν. ἐπεὶ δ´ οὐκ ἀπέχρησεν αὐτῷ τοιαῦτα συμβουλεύειν, ἐξ ὧν οὐδὲν ἄλλ´ ἢ τοῖς κακίστοις τῶν πολιτῶν δουλεύσομεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐναντιουμένων αὐτῷ καθήψατο κἀμοῦ ἁψιμάχως ἐμνήσθη, πολλὴν ἀνάγκην ὁρῶ κἀμοὶ περὶ τούτων εἰπεῖν καὶ πρῶτον ἀπολύσασθαι τὰς κατ´ ἐμαυτοῦ διαβολάς. ὠνείδισται γάρ μοι πρὸς αὐτοῦ ἐπιτήδευμα οὔτε πολιτικὸν οὔτ´ εὐπρεπές, ὡς ἀπὸ παντὸς χρηματίζεσθαι προῄρημαι τρόπου καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν πενήτων ἀφῄρημαι τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, καὶ ὡς ἡ ἀπόστασις τοῦ δήμου καὶ δι´ ἐμὲ οὐχ ἥκιστα γέγονεν· ὧν οὐδὲν ὅτι ἀληθές ἐστιν οὐδ´ ὑγιὲς ῥᾴδιον ὑμῖν μαθεῖν. ἴθι γάρ, εἰπὲ ὦ Οὐαλέριε, τίνες εἰσὶν οὓς κατεδουλωσάμην ἐγὼ πρὸς τὰ χρέα; τίνας ἐν δεσμοῖς πολίτας ἔσχον ἢ νῦν ἔχω; τίς τῶν ἀφεστηκότων διὰ τὴν ἐμὴν ὠμότητα ἢ φιλοχρηματίαν στέρεται τῆς ἑαυτοῦ πατρίδος; ἀλλ´ οὐκ ἂν ἔχοις εἰπεῖν. τοσούτου γὰρ δέω τινὰ πολιτῶν καταδεδουλῶσθαι διὰ χρέος, ὥστε πολλοῖς πάνυ τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ προέμενος οὐδένα τῶν ἀποστερησάντων με πρόσθετον ἐποιησάμην οὐδὲ ἄτιμον, ἀλλὰ πάντες εἰσὶν ἐλεύθεροι καὶ πάντες οἴδασί μοι χάριν φίλων τε καὶ πελατῶν ἐν τοῖς ἀναγκαιοτάτοις ἐξετάζονται. καὶ οὐ λέγω ταῦτα κατηγορῶν ἐγὼ τῶν μὴ τὰ παραπλήσια ἐμοὶ πεποιηκότων οὐδ´ εἴ τινες νόμῳ συγχωρούμενόν τι ἔδρασαν ἀδικεῖν αὐτοὺς οἴομαι, ἀλλὰ τὰς κατ´ ἐμαυτοῦ διαβολὰς ἀπολύομαι.

[6,59] After him, Appius Claudius, who was leader of the faction that opposed the people, being called upon to express his opinion, rose up, a man who set a great value upon himself and not without just cause; for his private life was sober and dignified, while his political principles were noble and calculated to preserve the dignity of the aristocracy. He, taking as his starting point the speech of Valerius, spoke as follows: "Valerius would have deserved less censure if he had merely expressed his own opinion, without inveighing against those who hold the opposite view, for in that case he would have had the advantage of not hearing an exposition of his own faults. However, since he has not been content with advising such a course as can end in nothing else than in making us slaves to the worst of the citizens, but has also attacked his opponents and had levelled some of (p33) his shafts at me, I find it quite necessary for me also to speak of these matters, and first to clear myself of the charges he has brought against me. For has reproached me with conduct neither seemly nor becoming to a citizen, charging that I have chosen to get money by every possible means and have deprived many of the poor of their liberty, and that the secession of the people took place chiefly because of me. Now it is an easy matter for you to learn that none of these allegations is true or well grounded. For come, tell us, Valerius: Who are the people whom I have enslaved on account of their debts? Who are the citizens I have kept, or now keep, in prison? Which of the seceders is deprived of his country through my cruelty or avarice? Why, you can name none. For I am so far from having enslaved any one of the citizens for debt that, after advancing my own money to very great numbers, I have caused none of those who defrauded me to be either handed over to me or disfranchised, but all of them are free and all are grateful to me and are numbered among my closest friends and clients. I do not say this by way of accusing those who have not acted as I have, nor do I think any men guilty of wrong-doing because they have done what was permitted by law; I am merely attempting to clear myself of the accusations brought against me.