[7,43] Ἐμοὶ μὲν γὰρ δοκεῖτε, ὦ βουλή, περὶ μὲν τὰς διαλύσεις γνώμῃ τῇ βελτίστῃ κεχρῆσθαι - - - οἷς ἀνάγκη εἴκειν ... τοῦ βέβαια τηρεῖν τὰ συγκείμενα. θεοὺς γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐγγυητὰς ἐδώκατε τῶν ὁμολογιῶν, πολλὰ καὶ δεινὰ ἐπαρασάμενοι τοῖς παραβᾶσι τὰς συνθήκας αὐτοῖς τε καὶ ἐγγόνοις εἰς τὸν ἀεὶ χρόνον. ἀλλ´ ὅτι μὲν δὴ τά τε δίκαια ἀξιοῦμεν καὶ τὰ συμφέροντα, ἃ καὶ πολλὴ ἀνάγκη ποιεῖν ὑμᾶς μεμνημένους τῶν ὅρκων, ὡς πρὸς εἰδότας ἅπαντας οὐκ οἶδ´ ὅ τι δεῖ πλείω λέγοντα ἐνοχλεῖν. ὡς δ´ οὐ μικρὰ τὰ διαφέροντα ἡμῖν ἐστι τόνδε μὴ ἐκλιπεῖν τὸν ἀγῶνα μήτε βίᾳ εἴξαντας μήτ´ ἀπάτῃ παραχθέντας, ἀλλὰ κατὰ πολλὴν ἀνάγκην εἰς αὐτὸν ἀφίγμεθα, δεινὰ καὶ πέρα δεινῶν πεπονθότες ὑπὸ τοῦδε τοῦ ἀνδρός, μάθετε, ὦ πατέρες, μᾶλλον δ´ ἀναμνήσθητε· οὐδὲν γὰρ ὅ τι οὐ πρὸς εἰδότας ὑμᾶς ἅπαντας ἐρῶ· καὶ ἅμα γνώμῃ χρήσασθε οἰκείᾳ πρὸς τὰ λεγόμενα ἐνθυμηθέντες, εἰ {τῶν δημοτῶν} ἡμῶν ἐπεχείρησέ τις ἐν τῷ πλήθει τοιαῦτα λέγειν ἢ πράττειν καθ´ ὑμῶν, οἷα Μάρκιος ἐτόλμησεν ἐνθάδε εἰπεῖν, ποῖόν ποτ´ ἂν ὑμῖν παρέστη πρὸς αὐτὸν πάθος.

[7,43] "For my part, senators, I think you used the best judgment in regard to the accommodation - - - to which you are obliged to yield - - - to observe faithfully the terms agreed upon. For you gave us the gods as sureties for the performance of the terms by invoking many grievous curses upon those who should violate the compact, both upon them and upon their posterity forever. But I do not know that it is necessary the weary you by saying any more in order to convince you, who are all well acquainted with the facts, that our demands are only what is just and advantageous, and that you are under every necessity of carrying them out, if you are (p267) mindful of your oaths. Learn now, fathers, that it is a point of no small importance to us not to relinquish this contest, either yielding to force or deluded by trickery, but that we entered upon it because of the greatest necessity, having suffered outrageous treatment, and worse than outrageous, at the hands of this man. Or rather recall these facts from your own knowledge; for I shall say nothing that is not known to all of you. And at the same time use your own judgment in passing upon what I am saying, reflecting how, if any of us had attempted in an assembly of the people to say or do such things against your class as Marcius dared to utter here, you would have felt towards him.