[7,30] Περὶ μὲν δὴ τῶν κοινῶν ἀδικημάτων, ἐφ´ οἷς τὴν βουλὴν οἱ δήμαρχοι διέβαλον, ἀποχρῆν οἴομαι τοσαῦτ´ εἰρῆσθαι. ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ καθ´ ἕνα ἕκαστον ἡμῶν, περὶ ὧν ἂν εἴπωμεν ἐν τῇ βουλῇ, συκοφαντοῦσι, καὶ διιστάναι τὴν πόλιν αἰτιῶνται, καὶ νῦν Γάιον Μάρκιον, ἄνδρα φιλόπολιν, ἐλευθέρᾳ φωνῇ χρησάμενον ὑπὲρ τῶν κοινῶν ἀποκτεῖναι ζητοῦσιν ἢ φυγάδα ποιῆσαι τῆς πατρίδος, βούλομαι καὶ περὶ τούτου τὰ δίκαια εἰπεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς· καὶ σκοπεῖτε, εἰ μετρίους καὶ ἀληθεῖς ἐρῶ τοὺς λόγους. ὑμεῖς, ὦ δημόται, διαλλαττόμενοι πρὸς τὴν βουλὴν ἀποχρῆν ὑμῖν ᾤεσθε τῶν δανείων ἀφεῖσθαι, καὶ βοηθείας ἕνεκα τῶν κατισχυομένων πενήτων ἄρχοντας ἐξ αὑτῶν ᾐτήσασθε ἀποδεικνύναι, καὶ ταῦτ´ ἀμφότερα πολλὴν εἰδότες ἡμῖν χάριν ἐλάβετε· καταλῦσαι δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν ὑπάτων ἢ τὴν βουλὴν ἄκυρον ποιῆσαι τῆς ὑπὲρ τῶν κοινῶν προστασίας καὶ τὴν τάξιν ἀνατρέψαι τῆς πατρίου πολιτείας οὔτ´ ᾐτήσασθε οὔτε μέλλετε. τί οὖν παθόντες ἐπιχειρεῖτε πάντα συγχεῖν ταῦτα νυνί; καὶ τίνι δικαίῳ πιστεύοντες τὰς τιμὰς ἡμῶν ζητεῖτε ἀφαιρεῖσθαι; εἰ γὰρ {ἐν} τοῖς μετέχουσι τῆς βουλῆς φοβερὸν ποιήσετε τὸ {μὴ} μετὰ παρρησίας ἃ φρονοῦσι λέγειν, τί ἂν εἴποιεν οἱ προεστηκότες ὑμῶν ἐπιεικές; ἢ ποίῳ χρησάμενοι νόμῳ θανάτῳ ζημιοῦν ἢ φυγῇ τῶν πατρικίων τινὰς ἀξιώσουσιν; οὔτε γὰρ οἱ παλαιοὶ νόμοι ταύτην διδόασιν ὑμῖν τὴν ἐξουσίαν, οὔθ´ αἱ νεωστὶ γενόμεναι πρὸς τὴν βουλὴν ὁμολογίαι. τὸ δ´ ἐκβαίνειν τοὺς νομίμους ὅρους καὶ τὴν βίαν κρείττονα ποιεῖν τῆς δίκης οὐκέτι δημοτικόν ἐστιν, ἀλλ´ εἰ τἀληθῆ βούλεσθε ἀκούειν τυραννικόν. ἐγὼ δὴ παραινέσαιμ´ ἂν ὑμῖν, ὧν μὲν εὕρεσθε παρὰ τῆς βουλῆς φιλανθρώπων μηδενὸς ἀφίστασθαι, ὧν δ´ οὐκ ἠξιώσατε διαλυόμενοι τὴν ἔχθραν τότε τυχεῖν μηδὲ νῦν ἀντιποιεῖσθαι.

[7,30] "Concerning the acts of injustice with (p231) which the tribunes have charged the senate as a body, I think what I have said sufficient. But since they also calumniate every one of us individually for whatever we say in the senate and charge that we are dividing the state, and since they are now endeavour you to put to death or banish Gaius Marcius, a man who loves his country and who expressed himself with frankness in discussing the public interests, I wish to tell you the rights of this matter also; and I ask you to consider whether what I shall say is not fair-minded and true. When you, plebeians, were treating for a reconciliation with the senate, you thought it enough for you to be discharged of your debts, and you desired leave to choose magistrates out of your own body to protect the poor from oppression; and when you obtained both these things, you were very grateful to us. But to undermine the office of the consuls, to take away the authority of the senate to protect the interests of the commonwealth, or to overthrow the established form of government are things you neither asked nor intended to ask. What possesses you, then, that you attempt now to upset all these institutions? Or relying upon what principle of justice do you seek to take away the offices which belong to us? For if you are going to make it dangerous for the senators to express their sentiments with frankness, what fairness is to be expected from the language of your leaders? Or relying upon what law will they undertake to punish any of the patricians with death or banishment? For neither the old laws nor the agreements recently made with (p233) the senate give you this power. But to transgress the bounds prescribed by the laws and to render force superior to justice is the mark, not of a democracy, but, if you desire to hear the truth, of a tyranny. For my part, I should advise you, while giving up none of the benefits which you obtained from the senate, not to lay claim, either, to any now which you did not then demand when you were treating for a reconciliation with them.