Texte grec :
| [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.
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Traduction française :
| [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.
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