[7,45] Καὶ οὐχὶ λέγειν μὲν ὁ Μάρκιος, ἐξ ὧν διαστήσει τὴν πόλιν, ἐπεχείρησε, πράττειν δ´ οὐχ οἷα ἔλεγεν ἐπεβάλετο, ἀλλὰ καὶ στῖφος ἀνθρώπων εἰς ἅπασαν ὑπηρεσίαν ἑτοίμων παρ´ ἑαυτῷ ἔχων, καλούμενος ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἡμῶν οὐκ ἀπαντᾷ, καὶ τοῖς ὑπηρέταις τοῖς ἡμετέροις, ὁπότε κελευσθέντες ἄγειν αὐτὸν ἐπιβάλλοιντο, πληγὰς ἐντρίβεται, καὶ οὐδὲ τῶν ἡμετέρων σωμάτων τὼ χεῖρε τελευτῶν ἀπέχεται. ὥστε περίεστιν ἡμῖν, τό γ´ ἐπὶ τοῦτον εἶναι μέρος, ὄνομα μὲν εὐπρεπὲς ἀσύλου ἀρχῆς ἐπὶ χλευασμῷ κείμενον ἔχειν, ἔργον δὲ τῶν ἀποδεδομένων τῇ ἀρχῇ μηδ´ ὁτιοῦν πράττειν. πῶς δ´ ἂν ἑτέροις ἀδικεῖσθαι λέγουσι βοηθήσαιμεν, οἷς γε μηδ´ αὐτοῖς ὑπάρχει τἀσφαλές; ταύτας μέντοι τὰς ὕβρεις οἱ πένητες ὑβριζόμενοι πρὸς ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς οὔπω τυραννοῦντος, ἀλλ´ ἔτι μέλλοντος, καὶ τὰ μὲν ἤδη πεπονθότες, ὦ βουλή, δεινά, τὰ δ´ εἰ μὴ τὸ πλεῖον ὑμῶν μέρος ἐμποδὼν ἐγένετο παρασχεδὸν ἐλθόντες παθεῖν, ἄρα εἰκότως ἀγανακτοῦμεν καὶ βοηθείας τινὸς οἰόμεθα δεῖν οὐκ ἄνευ τῆς ὑμετέρας συναγανακτήσεως τυχεῖν, ἐπὶ δίκην αὐτὸν ἴσην καὶ νόμιμον, ὦ βουλή, προσκαλούμενοι, περὶ ἣν ἅπασα ἡ πληθὺς μερισθεῖσα κατὰ φυλὰς λόγου δοθέντος τοῖς δεομένοις ἔνορκον ἐποίσει τὴν ψῆφον. ἴθι ἐκεῖ, Μάρκιε, καὶ ταῦθ´, ἃ μέλλεις λέγειν ἐνθάδε, πρὸς ἅπαντας τοὺς πολίτας ἀθρόους ἀπολογοῦ, εἴτε ὡς ἀπὸ τοῦ βελτίστου τὰ κράτιστα συνεβούλευες τούτοις καὶ συνήνεγκεν ἂν τῇ πόλει ταῦτα γενόμενα, εἴτε ὡς οὐκ ἔστι δίκαιον λόγων εὐθύνας ὑπέχειν τοὺς ἀποφαινομένους ἐνθάδε τὰς γνώμας, εἴτε ὡς οὐκ ἐκ προνοίας οὐδὲ ἐπιβουλῆς, ἀλλ´ ὀργῇ ἐπιτρέψας τὰ μιαρὰ ταῦτα παραινεῖν προήχθης, εἴθ´ ὁτιδήποτε ἄλλο ἀπολόγημα ἔχεις. καταβίβασον ἀπὸ τῶν ὑπερηφάνων καὶ τυραννικῶν αὐχημάτων ἐκείνων σεαυτὸν ἐπὶ τὸ δημοτικώτερον, ὦ πονηρέ, καὶ ποίησον ἤδη ποτὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις ὅμοιον. ἡμαρτηκότος λαβὲ καὶ παραιτουμένου σχῆμα ταπεινὸν καὶ ἐλεεινόν, οἷον ἀπαιτοῦσιν αἱ συμφοραί. μὴ βιαζόμενος τοὺς κακῶς πεπονθότας, ἀλλ´ ὑπερχόμενος ἀξίου σώζεσθαι. γενέσθω σοι παράδειγμα τῆς ἐπιεικείας, ᾗ χρώμενος ἂν εἴης πρὸς τοὺς ἅμα πολιτευομένους ἀνεπίληπτος, τὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν τούτων ἔργα, οἳ τοσοῦτοι μὲν ὄντες τὸ πλῆθος, ὅσους νῦν αὐτὸς ὁρᾷς, τοσαύτας δ´ ἀρετὰς ἀποδεδειγμένοι καὶ πολεμικὰς καὶ πολιτικάς, ἃς οὐδ´ ἐν πολλῷ πάνυ χρόνῳ διελθεῖν ῥᾴδιον, οὐδὲν ὠμὸν οὐδ´ ὑπερήφανον ἐξήνεγκαν τέλος καθ´ ἡμῶν τῶν φαύλων καὶ ταπεινῶν οἱ σεμνοὶ καὶ μεγάλοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ λόγων ἦρξαν συμβατηρίων αὐτοὶ πρότεροι προτείνοντες διαλλαγάς, ὅτε διεῖλεν ἡμᾶς ἀπ´ ἀλλήλων ἡ τύχη, καὶ τὰς συμβάσεις οὐχ ὡς ἑαυτοῖς ὑπελάμβανον ἄριστα ἕξειν, ἀλλ´ ὡς ἡμεῖς ἠξιοῦμεν συνεχώρησαν γενέσθαι, καὶ τὰ τελευταῖα ταυτὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν σιτοδοσίαν ἔναγχος τοῦ χρόνου προσκρούματα, ἐφ´ οἷς δι´ αἰτίας εἴχομεν αὐτούς, περὶ πολλοῦ ἐποιήσαντο ἀπολύσασθαι.

[7,45] "Nor did Marcius merely undertake to utter words that would divide the city, yet refrain from acting in accordance with his words, but actually keeping about him a body of men ready for any service, he refuses to appear before our magistrates when summoned, and showers blows upon our assistants when at our command they endeavour to bring him away, and at last does not even refrain from offering violence to our own persons. The consequence is that, as far as in him lies, we bear the specious name of an 'inviolable' magistracy, a term given in mockery, but discharge not one of the functions assigned to that magistracy. For how shall we give relief to others who complain that they are injured, when we ourselves have no security? When, therefore, we, the poor, have been thus insulted by one man who, though not yet a tyrant, is nevertheless aiming at tyranny; when we have already suffered many indignities, and came near suffering others, had not the majority of you, fathers, prevented it, have we not good reason to resent this and to feel that we ought to obtain some assistance as well as your sympathy in our resentment, when we summon him (p273) to a fair and legal trial, in which the whole populace, divided into their tribes, will give their votes under oath after all who desire to speak have been heard? Go thither, Marcius, and say in your defence before all the citizens in a body what you are intending to say here — either that with the best intention you gave the soundest advice to these senators and that your advice, if followed, would have been advantageous to the commonwealth, or that it is not right that those who deliver their opinions in this place should have to give an account of their words, or that it was not with premeditation or treacherous purpose, but in a momentary yielding to passion that you were led to give this abominable advice, or whatever other defence you can offer. Descend from that overbearing and tyrannical haughtiness to a more democratic behaviour, wretched man, and make yourself at last like other men. Assume the humble and piteous demeanour of one who has erred and is asking pardon, such a demeanour as your plight requires. Seek to save yourself, not by offering violence to those you have injured, but by courting their favour. As an example of moderation, the practice of which would make you free from all reproach on the part of your fellow-citizens, take the actions of these worthy men. Though they are so many in number as you yourself see here present, and have displayed so many virtues both in war and in peace that I could not easily enumerate them in a very long time, yet they, the venerable and great, passed no cruel or haughty (p275) sentence against us, the common and humble folk, but even took the lead themselves in making overtures and offered us a reconciliation when Fortune had divided us from one another, and they agreed to make the compact upon the conditions we desired, rather than upon those they thought would be best for themselves; and finally, when the difficulties recently arose over the distribution of corn, for which we blamed them, they took great pains to remove these grounds of offence.