Texte grec :
| [6,76] Ἐῶ τἆλλα, ὅσα οὔπω διαστασιάζοντες πρὸς
ὑμᾶς καὶ αὐτοὶ μέν γε μεταποιούμενοι τῶν ἐκ τῆς
ἀρχῆς ἐλπίδων συνεκινδυνεύσαμεν ὑμῖν. ἀλλ´ ἐπειδὴ
φανερῶς ἤδη τυραννίδα περιβεβλημένοι τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ
ἡμῖν ὥσπερ δούλοις παραχρώμενοι ἐξηλέγχθητε, ἡμεῖς
τ´ οὐκέτι ὅμοιοι ταῖς πρὸς ὑμᾶς διανοίαις διαμένοντες,
ἐν δὲ τούτῳ καὶ τὰ ὑπήκοα ὀλίγου δεῖν πάντα ἐπανίστατο,
ἀρξάντων μὲν τῆς ἀποστάσεως Οὐολούσκων,
ἀκολουθησάντων δ´ αὐτοῖς Αἰκανῶν Ἑρνίκων Σαβίνων
ἄλλων συχνῶν, ἐδόκει τε οἷος οὐχ ἕτερος εἶναι καιρός,
εἰ βουλομένοις ἡμῖν ἦν, δυεῖν ἐξεργάσασθαι θάτερον,
ἢ καταλύσασθαι τὴν ἀρχὴν ὑμῶν ἢ πρὸς τὸ λοιπὸν
ἀποδεῖξαι μετριωτέραν, ἆρα μέμνησθε, εἰς οἵαν ἀπόγνωσιν
τῆς ἀρχῆς ἤλθετε καὶ ὡς ἐν παντὶ δὴ ἀθυμίας
ἐγένεσθε, εἴτε μὴ συναρούμεθα τῶν ἀγώνων ὑμῖν, εἴτε
ὀργῇ ἐφέντες ὡς τοὺς πολεμίους τρεψόμεθα, καὶ ὅσας
δεήσεις καὶ ὑποσχέσεις ἐποιήσασθε; τί οὖν οἱ ταπεινοὶ
καὶ πρὸς ὑμῶν ὑβρισμένοι τότε ἐποιήσαμεν; ἡττηθέντες τῶν
δεήσεων καὶ πεισθέντες ταῖς ὑποσχέσεσιν, αἷς
ὁ βέλτιστος οὑτοσὶ Σερουίλιος ὑπατεύων τότε πρὸς τὸν
δῆμον ἐποιήσατο, οὐθὲν μὲν ἐμνησικακήσαμεν ὑμῖν
τῶν πάλαι, χρηστὰ δὲ περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἐλπίσαντες
χρόνου, παρέσχομεν ὑμῖν ἑαυτούς, καὶ πάντα τὰ πολέμια ἐν
ὀλίγῳ κατεργασάμενοι χρόνῳ παρῆμεν ἄγοντες
αἰχμαλώτους πολλοὺς καὶ λείας καλάς. ἀνθ´ ὧν
τίνας ἡμῖν χάριτας ἀπεδώκατε; ἆρά γε δικαίας καὶ τῶν
κινδύνων ἀξίας; πόθεν; πολλοῦ γε καὶ δεῖ. ἐψεύσασθε
μέν γε καὶ τὰς ὑποσχέσεις, ἃς ἐκελεύσατε τὸν ὕπατον
ὑπὲρ τοῦ κοινοῦ ποιήσασθαι, αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν ἄνδρα τουτονὶ τὸν
βέλτιστον, ᾧ κατεχρήσασθε πρὸς τὸν φενακισμόν, ἄμοιρον
ἐποιήσατε τοῦ θριάμβου πάντων μάλιστ´ ἀνθρώπων ἄξιον
ὄντα τῆς τιμῆς ταύτης τυχεῖν,
οὐκ ἐξ ἄλλου τινὸς προσθέντες αὐτῷ τὴν ὕβριν,
ἀλλ´ ὅτι τὰ δίκαια ποιεῖν ὑμᾶς ὡς ὑπέσχεσθε ἠξίου
καὶ ἀγανακτῶν ἐπὶ τῷ φενακισμῷ δῆλος ἦν.
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Traduction française :
| [6,76] "I omit the other dangers in which we engaged along with you while we were not
yet at odds with you and indeed laid claim ourselves to some share of the expected
profits of empire. But when p81at last it was clear that the empire that you had gained
was a tyranny, that you abused us like slaves, and that we no longer continued to
entertain the same feelings towards you, and when almost all your subjects revolted,
the Volscians setting the example, which was followed by the Aequians, the
Hernicans, the Sabines, and many others, and a unique opportunity seemed to offer
itself, if we chose to take advantage of it, to accomplish one of two things, either to
overthrow your empire or to render it more moderate for the future, do you
remember into what despair of your domination you fell and how you were in the last
stage of discouragement lest we should either not assist you in the war or, indulging
in our resentment, should go over to the enemy, and what entreaties and promises
you made? What did we, the humble folk who had been treated outrageously by you,
do then? We allowed ourselves to be overcome by the entreaties and prevailed upon
by the promises which the excellent Servilius here, who was consul at the time, made
to the people, and retained no resentment against you for the wrongs of the past, but
conceiving good hopes of the future, we entrusted ourselves to you; and having
subdued all your enemies in a short time, we returned with many prisoners and rich
spoils. For these services what return did you make to us? One that was just and
worthy of the dangers to which we had exposed ourselves? No, indeed; far from it!
Why, you violated even the promises which you had ordered the consul to make to us
in the name of the commonwealth; and this excellent man himself, whom you p83had
basely used to trick us, you deprived of his triumph, though he of all men most
deserved that honour, and you attached this disgrace to him for no other reason than
because he asked you to perform the act of justice that you had promised and made it
clear that he resented your deceit.
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