Texte grec :
| [6,72] Παυσαμένου δὲ τοῦ Οὐαλερίου παρελθὼν
ὁ Σικίννιος οὐκ ἐξ ἑνὸς ἔφη δεῖν λόγου τὸ συμφέρον
ἐξετάζειν τοὺς εὖ βουλευομένους, ἀλλ´ ὑποτίθεσθαι τὸν
ἐναντίον αὑτοῖς λόγον, ἄλλως τε καὶ περὶ τηλικούτων
πραγμάτων σκοποῦντας· ἠξίου τε λέγειν πρὸς ταῦτα
τοὺς βουλομένους ἅπασαν αἰδῶ καὶ εὐλάβειαν
ἀποθεμένους· οὐ γὰρ ἐπιτρέπειν τὰ πράγματα σφίσιν εἰς
τὰς τοιαύτας ἀνάγκας κατακεκλεισμένοις οὔτ´ ὄκνῳ οὔτ´
αἰσχύνῃ εἴκειν. σιωπῆς δὲ γενομένης ἐπειδὴ πάντες εἰς
ἀλλήλους ἀπέβλεπον ἐπιζητοῦντες τὸν ὑπὲρ τοῦ κοινοῦ
λέξοντα, ἐφαίνετο δ´ οὐδείς· ὁ γὰρ Σικίννιος τοῖς
αὐτοῖς πολλάκις ἐχρῆτο λόγοις· παρέρχεται κατὰ τὰς
ὑποσχέσεις Λεύκιος Ἰούνιος ἐκεῖνος ὁ βουλόμενος
ἐπικαλεῖσθαι Βροῦτος καὶ τυχὼν ἐπισημασίας παρὰ τοῦ
πλήθους ἀθρόας τοιαύτην διέθετο δημηγορίαν· Τὸ
δέος ὑμᾶς, ὦ δημόται, τὸ τῶν πατρικίων ἐντετηκὸς ἔτι
ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἐκπλήσσειν ἔοικε, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τεταπεινωμένοι
φέρειν τοὺς λόγους εἰς μέσον, οἷς εἰώθατε
χρῆσθαι πρὸς ἀλλήλους, ὀκνεῖτε. οἴεται δ´ ἴσως ἕκαστος
ὑμῶν τὸν πλησίον ὑπὲρ τοῦ κοινοῦ λέξειν, καὶ
πάντας μᾶλλον, εἴ τι κινδύνευμά ἐστιν, ὑπομενεῖν, αὐτὸς δ´
ἐν τῷ ἀσφαλεῖ βεβηκώς, ὅ τι ἂν ἐκ τοῦ τολμηροῦ χρηστὸν
περιγένηται, τούτου τὸ μέρος ἕξειν
ἀδεῶς· κακῶς εἰδώς. εἰ γὰρ ἅπαντες τοῦτο ὑπολάβοιμεν, ἡ
καθ´ ἕνα ὑμῶν ἕκαστον ἀτολμία κοινὴ πᾶσιν
ἔσται βλάβη, καὶ ἐν ᾧ τὸ ἴδιόν τις ἀσφαλὲς ἀποσκοπεῖ τὸ
μετὰ πάντων κοινὸν ἀπολεῖ. ἀλλ´ εἰ καὶ μὴ
πρότερον ἔγνωτε, ὅτι λέλυται τὸ δέος ὑμῶν καὶ τὸ
ἐλεύθερον ἅμα τοῖς ὅπλοις βεβαίως ἔχετε, νῦν γ´ ἤδη
μάθετε διδασκάλοις χρησάμενοι τούτοις. οἱ γὰρ ὑπερήφανοι
καὶ βαρεῖς οὐκ ἐπιτάττοντες ὑμῖν ὡς πρότερον
ἥκουσιν οὐδ´ ἀπειλοῦντες, ἀλλὰ δεόμενοι καὶ
παρακαλοῦντες, ἐπὶ τὰ ὑμέτερα ὑμᾶς κατιέναι, καὶ ὡς ἐλευθέροις
ἐξ ἴσου ἤδη ἄρχονται ὁμιλεῖν. τί οὖν ἔτι
καταπέπληχθε αὐτοὺς καὶ σιωπᾶτε, ἀλλ´ οὐκ ἐλεύθερα
φρονεῖτε καὶ διαρρήξαντες ἤδη ποτὲ τοὺς χαλινοὺς λέγετε
εἰς τὸ κοινόν, ἃ πεπόνθατε πρὸς αὐτῶν; ὦ σχέτλιοι,
τί δεδοίκατε; μή τι πάθητε ἡγεμόνι τῆς ἐλευθεροστομίας ἐμοὶ
χρώμενοι; κινδυνεύσω γὰρ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν εἰπεῖν
τὰ δίκαια μετὰ παρρησίας ἐγὼ πρὸς αὐτοὺς καὶ οὐδὲν
ἀποκρύψομαι. καὶ ἐπειδὴ Οὐαλέριος οὐδὲν ἔφησεν εἶναι
τὸ κωλῦον ἀναστρέφειν ὑμᾶς ἐπὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα τῆς βουλῆς
διδούσης τὴν κάθοδον καὶ προσεψηφισμένης τὸ μὴ
μνησικακεῖν, ταῦτ´ ἀποκρινοῦμαι πρὸς αὐτόν, ἅπερ
ἐστὶν ἀληθῆ καὶ ἀναγκαῖα εἰρῆσθαι.
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Traduction française :
| [6,72] When now Valerius had done speaking, Sicinius came forward and said that
those who deliberated wisely ought not to examine the expediency of any measure
from a single point of view, but should suggest to themselves the opposite view as
well, particularly when affairs of so great moment were under consideration. Then he
asked any who pleased to answer these proposals, laying aside all modesty and
caution; for their situation, now that they were reduced to such distress, did not
permit of their yielding to either hesitation or undue modesty. When there was
silence, they all looked at one another to find out who would prospect for the
common cause; but none appeared, though Sicinius repeated the same request
several times. At last Lucius Junius, the man who wanted Brutus to be added to
p69his name, came forward in accordance with his promise, and being received with
general applause from the crowd, delivered a speech of the following tenor:
"It seems, plebeians, that the dread of the patricians is still so firmly rooted in your
minds that it holds you in terror, and, humbled on that account, you shrink from
uttering in public the arguments that you are wont to use to one another. For each
one openly, perhaps, thinks that his neighbour will plead the common cause and that
all the others rather than he will undergo any danger there may be, while he himself,
standing in a place of safety, will enjoy, free from fear, his share of the benefit arising
from the boldness of the other. But in this he is mistaken; for if we should all hold this
opinion, the cowardice of each one of you will prove a common injury to all, and
while every man consults his own safety, he will be destroying the common safety of
all. But even if you did not know before that you are freed from this dread and that
you have your liberty secure as long as you have your arms, learn it now at least,
taking these men as your teachers. For these arrogant and stern men have not come
with orders for you, as before, or with threats, but begging and beseeching you to
return to your homes, and now begin to deal with you as with free men upon equal
terms. Why, then, are you any longer in awe of them and why are you silent? Why
do you not assume the spirit of free men, and having now broken at last the curb
which held you, tell all men what you have suffered at their hands? Unhappy men, of
what are you afraid? That you will suffer some harm if you follow my lead in giving
free rein to the tongue? For I shall expose myself to the danger of (p71) declaring to
them frankly the justice of your cause, concealing nothing. And since Valerius has
said that nothing hinders you from going back to your homes, the se having given you
leave to return and having decreed you an amnesty besides, I shall give him this
answer — that which is the very truth and must needs be told.
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