Texte grec :
| [6,51] Οὕτω δὲ κακῶς ἐχόντων ἡμῖν τῶν ὑπαιθρίων
οὐδὲ τὰ ἐντὸς τείχους δεινὰ ἧττόν ἐστι φοβερά. οὔτε
γὰρ ὡς πολιορκησόμενοι παρεσκευάσμεθα ἐκ πολλοῦ
τὰ συμμαχικὰ οὔτε πλήθει αὐτοὶ ἀποχρῶντές ἐσμεν
ὡς πρὸς τοσαῦτα πολεμίων ἔθνη, τοῦ δ´ ὀλίγου καὶ
οὐκ ἀξιομάχου πληρώματος τὸ πλεῖόν ἐστι δημοτικόν,
θῆτες καὶ πελάται καὶ χειρώνακτες, οὐ πάνυ βέβαιοι
τεταραγμένης ἀριστοκρατίας φύλακες. αἵ τε νῦν αὐτομολίαι
συνεχεῖς αὐτῶν πρὸς τοὺς ἀφεστηκότας γινόμεναι, τὸ
σύμπαν ὕποπτον εἶναι παρεσκευάκασιν. ὑπὲρ
ἅπαντα δὲ ταῦτα ἡ τῶν ἐπιτηδείων συγκομιδὴ κρατουμένης
ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων τῆς γῆς ἀδύνατος οὖσα
φοβεῖ τε ἤδη λιμόν, ἐπειδάν τ´ ἐν τῷ ἀπόρῳ γενώμεθα ἔτι
μᾶλλον φοβήσει, χωρὶς δὲ τούτων ὁ μηδένα
χρόνον ἡμᾶς εὐσταθεῖν ταῖς διανοίαις ἐῶν πόλεμος.
ἅπαντα δ´ ὑπερβάλλει τὰ δεινὰ γύναια τῶν ἀποστατῶν καὶ
παιδία νήπια καὶ γηραιοὶ γονεῖς, ἐν ἐσθῆσιν
ἐλεειναῖς καὶ σχήμασι πενθίμοις περιφθειρόμενοι κατὰ
τὴν ἀγορὰν καὶ τοὺς στενωποὺς κλαίοντες, ἱκετεύοντες,
ἁπτόμενοι δεξιᾶς ἑκάστου καὶ γονάτων, ἀπολοφυρόμενοι τὴν
κατέχουσαν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον καθέξουσαν ἐρημίαν,
δεινὴ καὶ ἀνυπομόνητος ὄψις. οὐδεὶς
γοῦν ἐστιν οὕτως ὠμὸς τὸν τρόπον, ὃς οὐκ ἀνατρέπεται τὴν
ψυχὴν ὁρῶν ταῦτα καὶ πάσχει τι πρὸς τὰς
ἀνθρώπων τύχας. ὥστ´ εἰ μέλλοιμεν ἀσπείστως πρὸς
τὸ δημοτικὸν ἔχειν, ἀπαλλακτέον ἡμῖν καὶ ταῦτα τὰ
σώματα ἐκποδών, τὰ μὲν ὡς ἄχρηστα εἰς πολιορκίαν
ἐσόμενα, τὰ δ´ ὡς οὐ διαμενοῦντα βεβαίως φίλα.
ἀπελαυνομένων δὲ καὶ τούτων τίς ἡ φυλάξουσα τὴν πόλιν
ἔτι λειφθήσεται δύναμις; ἢ τίνι πιστεύσαντες ἐπικουρίᾳ
τὰ δεινὰ τολμήσομεν ὑπομένειν; ἡ μέντοι οἰκεία ἡμῶν
καταφυγὴ καὶ μόνη βέβαιος ἐλπίς, ἡ τῶν πατρικίων
ἀκμή, βραχεῖά ἐστιν, ὥσπερ ὁρᾶτε, καὶ οὐκ ἄξιον ἐπὶ
ταύτῃ μέγα φρονεῖν. τί οὖν οἱ τὸν πόλεμον ὑπομένειν
εἰσηγούμενοι ληροῦσι καὶ φενακίζουσιν ἡμᾶς,
ἀλλ´ οὐχὶ φανερῶς παραινοῦσιν ἀναιμωτὶ καὶ δίχα πόνου
παραδιδόναι τοῖς ἐχθροῖς ἤδη τὴν πόλιν;
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Traduction française :
| [6,51] "While our affairs in the open country are in this unhappy state, the situation
within the walls is no less terrible. For we have neither provided ourselves with allies
well in advance, as if we expected to be besieged, nor are we, unaided, sufficiently
numerous to resist so many hostile nations; and even of this small and inadequate
army the greater part consists of plebeians — labourers, clients, and artisans — not
altogether trustworthy guardians for a tottering (p11) aristocracy. Moreover, the
continual desertion of these now to the seceders has rendered all the rest liable to
suspicion. But more than all these things, the impossibility of bringing in provisions
while the country is in the power of the enemy already terrifies us, and when we are
once in actual want, will terrify us still more; and, apart from this, the war allows not
a moment's peace of mind. Yet surpassing all these calamities are the wretched wives,
the infant children, and aged parents of the seceders wandering to and fro in the
Forum and through every street, in pitiful garb and postures of mourning, weeping,
supplicating, clinging to the hands and knees of everyone and bewailing the forlorn
condition that afflicts them now and will according to them even more — a dreadful
and intolerable sight! No one, surely, is of so cruel a nature as not to have his heart
touched at seeing these things, or to feel some sympathy for the misfortunes of his
fellow-creatures. So that, if we are not going to trust the good faith of the plebeians,
we shall have to get rid of these persons also, since some of them will be of no use
while we are under siege and the others cannot be relied on to remain friendly. But
when these too are driven away, what forces will be left to defend the city? And
depending upon what assistance shall we dare to encounter these perils? Yet as for
our natural refuge and our only trustworthy hope, the patrician youth, they are few,
as you see, and it behooves us not to let our spirits rise because of them. Why, then,
do (p13) those who propose that we submit to war indulge in nonsense and deceive us,
instead of openly advising us to deliver up the city at once to our enemies without
bloodshed and without trouble?
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