[7,23] Εἰ δέ τισιν ὑμῶν δεινὰ μὲν τὰ τοῦ δήμου ἔργα εἶναι δοκεῖ, καὶ κωλύεσθαι αὐτὸν οἴονται δεῖν τὰ λοιπὰ ἐξαμαρτάνοντα, δέος δ´ εἰσέρχεται, μὴ δόξωσι λύειν τὰς ὁμολογίας πρότεροι καὶ παραβαίνειν τοὺς ὅρκους, γνώτωσαν, ὅτι οὐκ ἄρχοντες, ἀλλ´ ἀμυνόμενοι, οὐδ´ ἀναιροῦντες τὰς ὁμολογίας, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἀνῃρηκότας τιμωρούμενοι {αὐτὸ δρῶσιν}, ἀναίτιοί τε πρὸς θεοὺς ἔσονται καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ σφετέρῳ συμφέροντι τὰ δίκαια πράξουσι. μέγα δ´ ὑμῖν γενέσθω τεκμήριον, ὅτι τοῦ λύειν τὰς ὁμολογίας καὶ παρασπονδεῖν οὐχ ὑμεῖς, ἀλλὰ τὸ δημοτικὸν ἄρχει μέρος οὐκ ἀξιοῦν ἐμμένειν, ἐφ´ οἷς εὕρετο τὴν κάθοδον· οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ κακῶς δρᾶσαι τὴν βουλήν, ἀλλ´ ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ ὑπ´ ἐκείνης κακοῦσθαι τὴν τῶν δημάρχων ἐξουσίαν ᾐτήσατο. χρῆται δ´ αὐτῇ οὐκέτι εἰς ἃ δεῖ οὐδ´ ἐφ´ οἷς εὕρετο, ἀλλ´ ἐπὶ διαφθορᾷ καὶ συγχύσει τῆς πατρίου πολιτείας. μέμνησθε γὰρ δήπου τὴν νεωστὶ γενομένην ἐκκλησίαν καὶ τοὺς ὑπὸ τῶν δημαγωγῶν ῥηθέντας ἐν αὐτῇ λόγους, ὅσην ἐπεδείξαντο αὐθάδειάν τε καὶ ἀκοσμίαν, καὶ νῦν, ἐφ´ οἵου εἰσὶν αὐχήματος οἱ μηδὲν ὑγιὲς φρονοῦντες, ἐπειδὴ ἔγνωσαν, ὡς ἐν τῇ ψήφῳ ἐστὶν ἅπαν τὸ τῆς πόλεως κράτος, ἧς αὐτοὶ κρατήσουσι πλείους ἡμῶν ὄντες. τί οὖν καταλείπεται ποιεῖν ἡμῖν ἀρξάντων ἐκείνων παρασπονδεῖν καὶ παρανομεῖν, εἰ μὴ τὸ ἀμύνεσθαι τοὺς ἄρξαντας, καὶ ἃ τέως ἀδίκως ἔχουσιν ἀφελέσθαι σὺν δίκῃ, καὶ εἰς τὸ λοιπὸν παῦσαι πλειόνων ἐφιεμένους· χάριν εἰδότας τοῖς θεοῖς, ὅτι οὐκ εἴασαν αὐτοὺς τὰ πρῶτα πλεονεκτήσαντας εἰς τὰ λοιπὰ σωφρονεῖν, ἀλλὰ ταύτην ἐνέβαλον αὐτοῖς τὴν ἀναισχυντίαν τε καὶ πολυπραγμοσύνην, ὑφ´ ἧς ὑμεῖς ἀναγκασθέντες τά τ´ ἀπολωλότα πειρᾶσθε ἀναλαβεῖν, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ δι´ ἧς προσῆκε φυλακῆς λαβεῖν.

[7,23] "But if any of you, while looking upon the actions of the populace as outrageous and believing that they ought to be prevented from making any further mistakes, are nevertheless afraid of seeming to be the first to violate the agreement and transgress the oaths, let them know that, since they will not be the aggressors but will be repelling aggression, (p215) and will not be violating the agreement but rather punishing the violators of it, they will not only be guiltless towards the gods, but will also be doing an act of justice while they consult their own interest. And let this be a strong argument that it is not you who are taking the first steps to break the agreement and violate treaty, but rather the plebeian element, by not observing the conditions upon which they obtained their return. For, after asking for the tribunician power, not in order to injure the senate, but to secure themselves from being injured by the senate, they no longer employ this power for the purposes they ought or on the terms on which they obtained it, but for the overthrow and destruction of the established government. For surely you recall the recent assembly of the people and the harangues there made by their demagogues, what arrogance and unruliness they showed, and how these infatuated men vaunt themselves now, since they have discovered that the whole control of the commonwealth lies in the vote, which they will control, being more numerous than we. What, therefore, remains for us to do, now that they have begun to violate the compact and the law, but to repel to attacks of the aggressors, to deprive them justly of what they now unjustly possess, and for the future to put a stop to their craving for ever more and more? And we should return thanks to the gods for not having permitted them, when they had gained an unfair advantage at first, to act after that with moderation, but for having inspired them with this shamelessness and officiousness which have forced you to endeavour both to recover the rights you have lost and to guard with due care those that remain.