Texte grec :
| [6,57] Ταῦτ´ εἰπόντος τοῦ Μενηνίου θροῦς πολὺς
ἐνέπεσε τῇ βουλῇ, καὶ διελάλουν ἕκαστοι κατὰ συμμορίας, οἱ
μὲν οἰκείως διακείμενοι πρὸς τοὺς δημοτικοὺς
παρακαλοῦντες ἀλλήλους πᾶσαν εἰσφέρεσθαι προθυμίαν,
ὅπως κατάξουσι τὸν δῆμον εἰς τὴν πατρίδα, ἐπειδὴ
προσειλήφεσαν ἡγεμόνα τῆς τότε γνώμης ἀνδρῶν
ἀριστοκρατικῶν τὸν ἐπιφανέστατον· οἱ δ´ ἀριστοκρατικοὶ
καὶ περὶ παντὸς θέλοντες μὴ κινεῖσθαι ἐκ τοῦ πατρίου
κόσμου τὴν πολιτείαν ἀποροῦντες, ὅ τι χρήσονται τοῖς
παροῦσι, μεταθέσθαι μὲν οὐκ ἀξιοῦντες τὰς προαιρέσεις,
μένειν δ´ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐγνωσμένων οὐ δυνάμενοι·
οἱ δ´ ἀκέραιοί τε καὶ τῶν στάσεων οὐδετέρᾳ
συμφιλονεικοῦντες εἰρήνην ἄγειν βουλόμενοι καὶ ὅπως μὴ
τειχήρεις ἔσονται σκοπεῖν ἀξιοῦντες. σιωπῆς δὲ γενομένης ὁ
πρεσβύτερος τῶν ὑπάτων ἐπαινέσας τὸν Μενήνιον τῆς
γενναιότητος, καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀξιώσας
ὁμοίους ἐκείνῳ γενέσθαι κηδεμόνας λέγοντάς τε ὅσα
φρονοῦσι μετὰ παρρησίας καὶ πράττοντας δίχα ὄκνου
τὰ δόξαντα, δεύτερον ἐκάλει τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἐξ ὀνόματος,
ἀξιῶν γνώμην ἀποφήνασθαι, Μάνιον Οὐαλέριον
ἀδελφὸν τοῦ συνελευθερώσαντος ἀπὸ τῶν βασιλέων
τὴν πόλιν, ἄνδρα παρ´ ὁντιναοῦν τῶν ἀριστοκρατικῶν
τῷ δήμῳ κεχαρισμένον.
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Traduction française :
| [6,57] When Menenius had thus spoken, a great murmuring broke out in the senate and
the members consulted together, each with their own groups. Those who were
favourably disposed toward the plebeians exhorted one another to devote every
energy toward bringing the people back to their country, now that they had got as the
champion of their present view the most distinguished man of the aristocratic party.
The aristocrats, in turn, who above everything wished no change to be made in the
traditional form of government, were at a loss how to act in the present juncture,
being unwilling to change their principles and yet unable to persist in their
resolutions. And those, again, who were neutral and sided with neither of the parties
in their (p27) strife, desired to see peace prevail and demanded that the senate should
consider means to prevent the city from being besieged. When silence reigned, the
elder of the consuls praised Menenius for his magnanimity and asked the rest to show
themselves equally loyal defenders of the state, not only by expressing their opinions
frankness, but also by carrying out their resolutions without fear; and then he called
upon a second senator by name in the same manner to deliver his opinion. This was
Manius Valerius, a brother of the Valerius who had assisted in delivering his country
from the kings, a man acceptable to the people beyond any other member of the
aristocratic party.
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