Texte grec :
| [6,71] Παρελθὼν δὲ Μάνιος Οὐαλέριος, ὅσπερ ἦν
αὐτῶν πρεσβύτατός τε καὶ δημοτικώτατος,
ἐπιμαρτυρήσαντος αὐτῷ τὴν προθυμίαν τοῦ πλήθους εὐμενεστάταις
φωναῖς καὶ προσηγορίαις, ἐπειδὴ σιωπῆς ἔτυχε
τοιούτοις ἐχρήσατο λόγοις· Οὐδὲν ὑμᾶς ἔτι τὸ κωλῦόν ἐστιν,
ὦ δημόται, κατιέναι πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ ὑμέτερα
καὶ διηλλάχθαι πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας. ἐψήφισται γὰρ ἡ
βουλὴ καλὴν καὶ συμφέρουσαν ὑμῖν κάθοδον, καὶ γνώμην
πεποίηται μηδενὸς τῶν γεγονότων μνησικακεῖν·
ἡμᾶς τε οὓς ἐγίγνωσκε φιλοδημοτάτους ὄντας καὶ πρὸς
ὑμῶν τὰ δίκαια τιμωμένους πρεσβευτὰς ἀπέσταλκεν
αὐτοκράτορας ἀποδείξασα τῶν διαλύσεων, ἵνα μὴ δόξαις
μηδ´ εἰκασμοῖς χρώμενοι περὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας γνώμης,
ἀλλὰ παρ´ αὐτῶν ὑμῶν ἀκούσαντες, ἐφ´ οἷς ἀξιοῦτε
καταλύσασθαι τὴν διχοστασίαν, ἂν ᾖ μέτριόν τι τῶν
αἰτημάτων καὶ μήτε τῷ ἀδυνάτῳ μήτε ὑπ´ ἄλλης αἰσχύνης
ἀνηκέστου κωλύηται, συγχωρῶμεν ὑμῖν μηκέτι
τὴν τοῦ συνεδρίου γνώμην ἐκδεχόμενοι, μηδ´ εἰς χρόνους
μακροὺς καὶ φθόνους ἀντιπάλων ἀναβάλλοντες
τὰ πράγματα. ταῦτα δὴ τῆς βουλῆς ἐψηφισμένης δέχεσθε
ἄσμενοι τὰς χάριτας αὐτῶν, ὦ δημόται, μετὰ
πάσης προθυμίας καὶ σπουδῆς, ἐν μεγάλῳ τιθέμενοι
τὴν τοσαύτην εὐτυχίαν καὶ πολλὴν τοῖς θεοῖς χάριν
εἰδότες αὐτῆς, εἰ πόλις ἡ Ῥωμαίων ἡ τοσούτων ἄρχουσα
ἀνθρώπων, καὶ συνέδριον, ὃ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἔχει
πάντων τῶν ἐν ταύτῃ καλῶν, οὐκ ὂν αὐτοῖς πάτριον
οὐδενὶ τῶν ἀντιπάλων εἴκειν, ὑμῖν μόνοις ὑποκατακλίνονται
τῆς ἀξιώσεως ἑκόντες, καὶ οὔτε ἀκριβολογεῖσθαι περὶ τῶν
καθηκόντων ἑκατέροις ἠξίωσαν ὡς
ὑποδεεστέροις κρείττονες, ἀλλ´ αὐτοὶ πρότεροι περὶ
διαλύσεως ἐπρεσβεύσαντο, οὔτε τὰς αὐθάδεις ὑμῶν
ἀποκρίσεις, ἃς ἐποιήσασθε πρὸς τοὺς προτέρους πρέσβεις,
πρὸς ὀργὴν ἐδέξαντο, ἀλλ´ ὑπέμειναν ὑμῶν τὸ
σοβαρὸν τοῦτο καὶ μειρακιῶδες τῆς αὐθαδείας {βάρος},
ὥσπερ ἂν παίδων ἀφρόνων χρηστοὶ πατέρες· καὶ πάλιν
ἑτέραν πρεσβείαν ἀποστέλλειν ᾤοντο δεῖν καὶ τῶν δικαίων
μειονεκτεῖν καὶ πάντα ὑπομένειν, ὦ πολῖται, τὰ
μέτρια. ἐπὶ δὴ τοσαύτης βεβηκότες εὐτυχίας μὴ μέλλετε
λέγειν, ὦ δημόται, τίνων χρήζετε μηδ´ ἐντρυφᾶτε
ἡμῖν, καταλυσάμενοι δὲ τὴν στάσιν ἄπιτε χαίροντες εἰς
τὴν γειναμένην τε καὶ θρεψαμένην ὑμᾶς πόλιν, ᾗ τροφεῖά τε
καὶ χάριτας οὐ χρηστὰς ἀπεδίδοτε, καταλιπόντες αὐτὴν τὸ
γοῦν ἐφ´ ὑμῖν εἶναι ἔρημον καὶ μηλόβοτον. εἰ δὲ παρήσετε
τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον, εὔξεσθε πολλάκις ὅμοιον εὑρεῖν ἕτερον.
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Traduction française :
| [6,71] Then Manius Valerius, who was the oldest of the envoys and most in sympathy
with the common people, came forward, while the crowd testified their affection for
him by the friendliest expressions and appellations; and when he had secured silence,
he spoke as follows:
(p65) "Nothing now hinders you, plebeians, from returning to your homes and being
reconciled to the senators. For the senate has voted you an honourable and
advantageous return, and has decreed an amnesty for all that has happened. They
have also sent us as envoys, men whom they knew to be the greatest friends of the
people and deservedly honoured by you, giving us full powers with respect to the
accommodation, so that we may not judge of your sentiments by appearances or
conjectures, but may learn from you yourselves upon what terms you think fit to put
an end to the sedition, and, if there is any moderation in your demands and they are
not impossible or precluded by some irreparable dishonour attached to them, we may
grant them to you without waiting for the opinion of the senate or exposing the
negotiations to long delays and to the jealousy of your adversaries. Since, then, the
senate has passed this decree, do you receive their favours, plebeians, joyfully, with
the greatest alacrity and enthusiasm, setting a high value upon so great good fortune
and returning profound thanks therefor to the gods, in that the Roman
commonwealth, which rules over so many people, and the senate, which has the
command of all the blessings therein, though it is an established custom with them to
yield to none of their adversaries, nevertheless willingly yield some of their dignity in
favour of you alone. For they neither thought fit to enter into such a minute
discussion of the rights of each side as might be expected from superiors when
treating with their inferiors, but instead took the initiative themselves p67in sending
envoys to propose an accommodation, nor did they receive with anger the haughty
answers you gave to their former envoys, but endured this insolent and puerile
exhibition of your arrogance as good parents would endure that of their foolish
children; and they thought they ought to send another embassy and accept less than
their full rights, and to submit to anything, citizens, that is reasonable. Now that you
have met with so great good fortune, do not delay, plebeians, to tell us what you
desire and do not mock at us. But when you have put an end to the sedition, return
with joy to your country which gave you your birth and rearing, blessings for which
you made her a sorry recompense and return when you left her, as far as in you lay, to
be desolate and a pasture for flocks. But if you let this opportunity slip, you will wish
time and again for another."
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