Texte grec :
| [6,41] Οὐ γὰρ δήπου συνεξαπατᾶν ὑμᾶς ἐπιστάμενον τὴν
ἀπάτην καὶ βουλευσάμενόν με μετὰ ταύτης συγκακουργεῖν
ὑπολαμβάνετε. εἰ γὰρ ταῦτα ὑμῖν
εἰσέρχεται περὶ ἐμοῦ ὡς ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων
κακουργοτέρου, - - - ὅ τι βούλεσθε χρώμενοί μοι ταύτης
μὲν τῆς ὑποψίας ἐμοὶ πειθόμενοι τὰς ψυχὰς ἐλευθερώσατε,
ἐπὶ δὲ τοὺς πολεμίους τὴν ὀργὴν μετάθετε
ἀπὸ τῶν φίλων, οἳ πόλιν τε ὑμᾶς ἀφελούμενοι ἥκουσι
καὶ ἀντ´ ἐλευθέρων δούλους ποιήσοντες καὶ τἆλλα,
ὅσα δεινὰ ἐν ἀνθρώποις νενόμισται, διαθεῖναι σπεύδοντες
οὐ πόρρω τῆς χώρας εἶναι ἀγγέλλονται. προθύμως οὖν
ἀπολύσασθε τὰς διαβολὰς καὶ δείξατε
αὐτοῖς, ὅτι καὶ στασιάζουσα ἡ Ῥωμαίων δύναμις κρείττων
ἑτέρας ἐστὶν ὁμονοούσης· ἢ γὰρ οὐχ ὑπομενοῦσιν
ὑμᾶς ἐπιόντας ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἢ δίκας ὑφέξουσι τῆς τόλμης
ἀξίας· ἐνθυμήθητε γάρ, ὅτι Οὐολοῦσκοι καὶ Σαβῖνοί
εἰσιν, ὧν πολλάκις ἐκρατήσατε μαχομένων, οἱ
τὸν πόλεμον ἐπάγοντες ὑμῖν, οὔτε σώματα νῦν μείζονα
λαβόντες οὔτε ψυχὰς τῶν προτέρων ἀλκιμωτέρας
κτησάμενοι, ἀλλ´ ὡς ἐχθρῶς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἐχόντων
καταφρονήσαντες ὑμῶν. ὅταν δὲ τοὺς πολεμίους
τιμωρήσησθε, ἐγγυῶμαι ὑμῖν τὴν βουλὴν ἐγὼ τάς τε
ὑπὲρ τῶν χρεῶν φιλονεικίας καὶ ὅ τι ἂν ἄλλο παρ´
αὐτῆς αἰτῆσθε μέτριον, ἀξίως τῆς ἀρετῆς, ἣν ἂν παράσχησθε
ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ, βραβεύσειν. τέως δ´ ἀφείσθω
πᾶσα μὲν οὐσία, πᾶν δὲ σῶμα, πᾶσα δ´ ἐπιτιμία πολίτου
Ῥωμαίου ἀρρυσίαστος ἀπό τε δανείου καὶ ἄλλου
παντὸς συμβολαίου. τοῖς δὲ προθύμως ἀγωνισαμένοις
κάλλιστος μὲν στέφανος πόλις ἥδε ἡ γειναμένη στᾶσα
ὀρθή, καλὸς δὲ καὶ ὁ παρὰ τῶν συνόντων ἔπαινος
ὑπάρξει· καὶ ὁ παρ´ ἡμῶν κόσμος ἱκανὸς οἶκόν τ´
ἐπανορθῶσαι χρήμασι καὶ γένος ἐπιλαμπρῦναι τιμαῖς.
παράδειγμά τε ὑμῖν ἀξιῶ γενέσθαι τοὐμὸν εἰς τοὺς
κινδύνους πρόθυμον· ὑπεραγωνιοῦμαι γὰρ ὡς ὁ κράτιστα
ἐρρωμένος ὑμῶν.
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Traduction française :
| [6,41] "For surely you do not imagine that I am (p359) joining in their deception knowingly
and that I have concerted with them to do you some injury. For if it occurs to you to
entertain these thoughts of me, do to me what you will, treating me as the most
depraved of all men. Believe, then, what I say and banish this suspicion from your
minds. Turn your anger from your friends to your enemies, who have come with the
purpose of taking your city and making you slaves instead of free men, and are
striving to inflict on you every other severity which mankind holds in the greatest
fear, and are now said to be not far from your confines. Withstand them, therefore,
with alacrity and show them that the power of the Romans, though weakened by
sedition, is superior to any other when harmonious; for either they will not sustain
your united attack or they will suffer condign punishment for their boldness. Bear in
mind that those who are making war against you are Volscians and Sabines, whom
you have often overcome in battle, and that they have night larger bodies nor braver
hearts now than their ancestors had, but have conceived a contempt for you because
they thought you were at odds with one another. When you have taken revenge on
your enemies, I myself pledge that the senate will reward you, both by composing
these controversies concerning the debts and by granting everything else you can
reasonably ask of them, in a (p361) manner adequate to the valour you shall show in the
war. In the mean time let every possession, every person, and every right of a
Roman citizen be left secure are seizure for either debt or any other obligation. To
those who shall fight zealously their most glorious crown will be that this city, which
gave them birth, still stands intact, and glorious praise also from their fellow-soldiers
will be theirs; and the rewards bestowed by us will be sufficient both to restore their
fortunes by their value and to render their families illustrious by the honours
bestowed. I desire also that my zeal in exposing myself to danger may be your
example; for I will fight for my country as stoutly as the most robust among you."
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