[7,40] Οὐ λανθάνει μὲν ἡμᾶς, ὦ βουλή, τὸ συμβησόμενον, ὅτι δι´ αἰτίας ἐσόμεθα παρὰ τῷ δήμῳ τῆς εἰς ὑμᾶς ἀφίξεως ἕνεκα, καὶ κατήγορον ἕξομεν τοῦ προβουλεύματος ἄνδρα τὴν αὐτὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔχοντα ἡμῖν, ὃς οὐκ ᾤετο δεῖν, ἃ δίδωσιν ἡμῖν ὁ νόμος, ταῦτα παρ´ ὑμῶν αἰτεῖν, οὐδ´ ἐν εὐεργεσίας μέρει τὸ δίκαιον λαμβάνειν. κίνδυνον δ´ οὐ τὸν ἐλάχιστον ἀναρρίψομεν εἰς δίκην ὑπαχθέντες, ἀλλ´ ὡς αὐτόμολοι καὶ προδόται καταγνωσθέντες τὰ αἴσχιστα πεισόμεθα. ἀλλὰ καίπερ ἐπιστάμενοι ταῦτα, ὅμως ὑπεμείναμεν εἰς ὑμᾶς ἐλθεῖν τῷ τε δικαίῳ πεποιθότες καὶ τοῖς ὅρκοις ἐπιτρέψαντες, οἷς ὀμόσαντες οἴσετε τὰς γνώμας. φαῦλοι μὲν οὖν ἡμεῖς γ´ ὡς περὶ τηλικούτων καὶ τοσούτων λέγειν καὶ πολὺ τοῦ προσήκοντος ἐνδεέστεροι, τὰ δὲ πράγματα οὐ φαῦλα, ὑπὲρ ὧν λέξομεν. τούτοις οὖν προσέχετε τὸν νοῦν, καὶ ἐὰν ὑμῖν δόξῃ δίκαιά τε καὶ συμφέροντα τῷ κοινῷ, προσθήσω δ´ ὅτι καὶ ἀναγκαῖα, συγχωρήσατε ἡμῖν αὐτῶν τυχεῖν ἑκόντες.

[7,40] "We are not ignorant, senators, of what will happen, namely, that we shall be censured before the people for coming to you, and shall have as our accuser in the matter of the preliminary decree a man who is possessed of the same power as ourselves and who did not think we ought to ask of you that which the law gives us or to receive as a favour that which is our right. And if we are tried for this, we shall run no hazard, but shall be condemned as deserters and traitors and suffer the worst of punishments. But though sensible of these things, we have consented to come to you, relying on the justice of our cause and trusting to the oaths under which you will express your opinions. We are indeed unimportant men to treat of such great and important subjects, and are far from equal to what the situation (p259) demands; but the matters we shall discuss are not unimportant. Attend, therefore, to these, and if they shall seem to you just and advantageous to the commonwealth — and, I may add, even necessary — permit us to obtain them of your own free will.