[7,29] Τί οὖν παθόντες οἱ δημαγωγοὶ περὶ τούτων ἡμῖν ἐγκαλοῦσιν, ὧν κοινὰς ἔσχομεν τὰς γνώμας καὶ τὰς τύχας, εἴτε δεινῶν ὄντων, ὡς οὗτοί φασιν, εἴτ´ ὠφελίμων, ὥσπερ ἡμεῖς οἰόμεθ´; ἃ μὲν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῇ νεωστὶ βουλῇ {γενομένῃ} διαβεβλήμεθ´ ὑπ´ αὐτῶν ὡς οὐκ ἀξιοῦντες μετριάσαι περὶ τὰς τιμὰς τῆς ἀγορᾶς, ὡς ἐπιβουλεύοντες ἀφελέσθαι τὴν ἐξουσίαν τῶν δημάρχων, ὡς μνησικακοῦντες ὑμῖν τῆς ἀποστάσεως καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ προθυμούμενοι κακῶσαι τὸ δημοτικόν, καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτ´ ἐγκλήματα ἔργοις ἀπολυσόμεθ´ οὐκ εἰς μακρὰν οὔτε κακὸν οὐθὲν ὑμᾶς ἐργασάμενοι τήν τ´ ἐξουσίαν τῶν δημάρχων, ἐφ´ οἷς τότε συνεχωρήσαμεν ὑμῖν ἔχειν, καὶ νῦν βεβαιοῦντες, τοῦ δὲ σίτου τὴν διάπρασιν ὡς ἂν ὑμῖν ἅπασι δόξῃ ποιησάμενοι. περιμείναντες οὖν, ἐάν τι μὴ γένηται τούτων, τότε κατηγορεῖτε ἡμῶν. εἰ δὲ βουληθείητε ἀκριβῶς ἐξετάσαι τὰ διάφορα, δικαιότερον ἂν ἡμεῖς οἱ πατρίκιοι τοῦ δήμου κατηγοροίημεν, ἢ τὴν βουλὴν ὑμεῖς ἔχοιτε δι´ αἰτίας. ἀδικεῖτε γὰρ ἡμᾶς, ὦ δημόται, καὶ μηθὲν ἀχθεσθῆτε ἀκούοντες, εἴ γ´ οὐκ ἀναμείναντες τῆς γνώμης ἡμῶν μαθεῖν τὸ τέλος κατηγορεῖν ἤδη αὐτῆς ἀξιοῦτε. καίτοι τίς οὐκ οἶδεν, ὅτι παντὶ τῷ βουλομένῳ ῥᾷστον ἔργον ἂν γένοιτο συγχέαι καὶ ἀνελεῖν ὁμόνοιαν ἐκ πόλεως τοιαῦτ´ ἐγκαλοῦντι, ὧν ἡ πίστις μέλλουσα καὶ ἐν ἀδήλῳ ἔτι οὖσα οὐ φυλακή ἐστι τοῦ μὴ παθεῖν τι κακόν, ἀλλὰ πρόφασις τοῦ ἀδικεῖν; καὶ οὐ τοῖς προεστηκόσιν ὑμῶν μόνον ὧν διαβάλλουσι τὴν βουλὴν καὶ συκοφαντοῦσιν ἐπιτιμᾶν ἄξιον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑμῖν οὐχ ἧττον ὧν πιστεύετε αὐτοῖς καὶ πρὶν ἢ πειραθῆναι ἀγανακτεῖτε. χρῆν γὰρ ὑμᾶς, εἰ τὰ μέλλοντα ἐφοβεῖσθε ἀδικήματα, καὶ τὰς ἐπ´ αὐτοῖς ὀργὰς μελλούσας ἔχειν. νῦν δὲ φαίνεσθε ταχύτερα μᾶλλον ἢ φρονιμώτερα ἐγνωκέναι καὶ τὸ ἀσφαλέστερον ἐν τῷ κακουργοτέρῳ τιθέναι.

[7,29] "What, then, possesses the demagogues to find fault with us for those things in which both our opinions and our fortunes are the same, whether they are hurtful, as they say, or advantageous, as we think. As to the accusations they have made against us in connection with the recent meeting of the senate, to the effect that we did not think fit to show any moderation in the matter of the price of provisions, that we were plotting to abolish the tribunician power, that we still resented your secession and were eager to injure the plebeians in every way, and all the other (p229) like charges, we shall soon refute them by our actions, not only in doing you no injury, but also in confirming even now the tribunician power upon the same terms on which we then granted it to you, and in selling the corn at such price as you shall all of you determine. Have patience, therefore, and if any of these things are not performed, accuse us then. But if you will carefully examine our differences, you will find that we patricians have greater reason to accuse the people than you have to blame the senate. For you wrong us, plebeians, — and be not offended at being told this, — if without waiting to learn the outcome of our deliberations you think fit to find fault with them already. Yet who does not know that it would be the easiest of all things for anyone who wished to do so to destroy and abolish from a state the spirit of harmony by charging others with designs of which the proof, being still in the future and not yet mag, is no safeguard to the accused against suffering some injustice, but rather an excuse to the accuser for doing an injustice? And it is not your leaders alone who deserve censure for accusing and calumniating the senate, but you yourselves no less than they for giving cdid to them and resenting injuries before experiencing them. For what you ought to have done, if it was future acts of injustice that you feared, was to reserve your anger for the future also; but, as matters stand, it appears that you have reached your decision with greater haste than prudence and are assuming that greater safety lies in greater baseness.