[6,61] Καὶ πρὸς μὲν τὰς ὑπὸ τούτου ῥηθείσας διαβολὰς ἀρκεῖ τὰ εἰρημένα, ὑπὲρ δ´ ὧν βουλευσόμενοι συνεληλύθατε δοκεῖ μοι δίκαιά τ´ εἶναι καὶ τῆς πόλεως ἄξια καὶ συμφέροντα ὑμῖν, οὐ μόνον ἃ ἐν ἀρχαῖς ἀπεφηνάμην, ἀλλὰ καὶ νῦν ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς γνώμης ἐπιμένων ἀποφαίνομαι, μὴ συγχεῖν τὸν κόσμον τῆς πολιτείας, μηδὲ κινεῖν ἔθη πατέρων ἀκίνητα, μηδ´ ἀναιρεῖν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων πίστιν ἱερὸν χρῆμα, μεθ´ ἧς ἅπασα πόλις οἰκεῖται ἀσφαλῶς, δήμῳ τε μὴ εἴκειν ἀγνώμονι ἀδίκων ἔργων καὶ ἀθεμίτων χρῄζοντι· καὶ οὐχ ὅπως ὑποκατακλίνομαί τι τῆς γνώμης φόβῳ τῶν διαφόρων, οἳ τὸ ἐν τῇ πόλει δημοτικὸν ἐπ´ ἐμοὶ συνιστάντες δεδίττονταί με, ἀλλὰ πολὺ μᾶλλον ἢ πρότερον ἔρρωμαι τὴν ὀργὴν καὶ ἀγανακτῶ τοῖς αἰτήμασι τοῦ δήμου διπλασίως· ὑμῶν τ´ ὦ βουλή, τὸ παράλογον τῆς γνώμης τεθαύμακα, ὅτι οὐκ ἐπιτρέψαντες αὐτῷ, ὅτε οὔπω φανερὸς ἦν πολέμιος, χρεῶν ἀποκοπὰς καὶ κατακριμάτων ἀφέσεις αἰτουμένῳ, νῦν ἐπεὶ ἐν τοῖς ὅπλοις ἐστὶ καὶ τὰ πολεμίων δρᾷ, ταῦτ´ εἰ συγχωρήσετε βουλεύεσθε καὶ ὅ τι κἂν ἄλλο τι αὐτῷ δοκῇ· δόξει δὲ δήπου, καὶ πρῶτον ποιήσεται τῶν ἀξιουμένων, ἰσότιμον εἶναι καὶ τῶν αὐτῶν ἡμῶν μετέχειν. οὐκοῦν εἰς δημοκρατίαν περιστήσεται τὰ πράγματα τὴν ἀμαθεστάτην, ὥσπερ ἔφην, τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις πολιτειῶν καὶ ὑμῖν ἀσύμφορον τοῖς ἀξιοῦσιν ἄρχειν ἑτέρων; οὐκ, ἐάν γε σωφρονῆτε ὑμεῖς. ἢ πάντων ἂν εἴητε ἀφρονέστατοι, εἰ πρὸς ἑνὸς ἄρχεσθαι τυραννικοῦ ἀνδρὸς οὐκ ἀνασχετὸν ἡγησάμενοι δήμῳ τυραννίδι πολυκεφάλῳ νῦν ὑμᾶς αὐτοὺς παραδώσετε, καὶ ταῦτ´ οὐ μετὰ χαρίτων αὐτῷ πείθοντι συγχωρήσετε ὑπό τ´ ἀνάγκης κρατηθέντες καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἐξὸν ἄλλο τι δρᾶν νῦν ἡμῖν παρὰ γνώμην εἴξαντες. ὅταν δὲ τὸ ἀνόητον ἀντὶ τοῦ κολάζεσθαι ἐφ´ οἷς ἂν πλημμελήσῃ καὶ τὸ τιμᾶσθαι δι´ αὐτὰ προσλάβῃ, πῶς δοκεῖτε αὔθαδες ἔσται καὶ ὑπερήφανον; μὴ γὰρ δὴ ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἐλπίδι ἐπαίρεσθε, ὡς μετριάσει περὶ τὰς ἀξιώσεις ὁ δῆμος, ἐὰν φανερὸν αὐτῷ γένηται, ὅτι ὑμεῖς ἅπαντες ἐψηφίσασθε οὕτως.

[6,61] "As for the calamities which this man has uttered against me, what I have said suffices. But concerning the subject which you have met to discuss, it seems to me that what I not only proposed at first, but even now, continuing of the same opinion, still propose, was just, worthy of the commonwealth, and advantageous for yourselves, namely, not to disturb the form of our government nor to alter the unalterable customs of our ancestors, nor to banish from among men good faith, a sacred thing, through the possession of which every state dwells in security, nor to give way to a stupid populace which desires unjust and unlawful things. And not only do I not retract any part of my opinion through fear of my adversaries, who endeavour to frighten me by rousing the plebeians in the city against me, but I am much more than ever confirmed in my resentment, and my indignation at the demands of the people is doubled. And I am surprised, senators, at the inconsistency of your judgment, in that, after refusing to grant to the people at their request an abolition of their debts and a discharge from the (p39) judgments against them before they were as yet openly your enemies, you now, when they are in arms and are committing acts of hostility, deliberate whether you will grant these demands and anything else they may think fit. They will think fit, of course, and will make it the first of their demands to have an equal share of honours with us and to enjoy the same privileges. Will not the government then be transformed into a democracy, which of all human constitutions, as I said, is the most senseless and the least expedient for you who presume to rule over others? It will not be, if you are in your right senses. Otherwise you would be the most foolish of all men if, after regarding it as intolerable to be governed by one tyrant, you should now deliver yourselves up to the populace, a many-headed tyranny, and grant these things to them, not as a gracious concession to their pleading, but constrained by necessity and, on the assumption that it is not in our power to do anything else now, yielding against your will. And when this senseless multitude, instead of being punished for its offences, even obtains honours as a reward for those offences, how headstrong and arrogant do you think it will become? For do not encourage yourselves with the hope that the people will moderate their demands if it becomes known to them that you all concurred in this resolution.