[7,49] Πρῶτον μὲν οὖν τοῦθ´ ὑμᾶς ἤδη ποτὲ ἀξιῶ βεβαίως μαθεῖν, ὅτι δυσμενῆ καὶ πολέμιον ἔχετε τῇ καθεστώσῃ πολιτείᾳ τὸν δημοτικὸν ὄχλον, καὶ πάνθ´ ὅσα μαλακισθέντες αὐτῷ συνεχωρήσατε μάτην θ´ ὑμῖν ἀνήλωται καὶ καταφρονήσεως αἴτια γέγονεν, ὡς διὰ τὴν ἀνάγκην συγχωρηθέντα ὑφ´ ὑμῶν, ἀλλ´ οὐκ ἀπ´ εὐνοίας οὐδὲ κατὰ κρίσιν. σκοπεῖτε γὰρ οὕτως. ὅτ´ ἀπέστη λαβὼν τὰ ὅπλα ὁ δῆμος ἀφ´ ὑμῶν καὶ πολέμιος ὑμῖν ἐτόλμησεν ἐκ τοῦ φανεροῦ γενέσθαι, ἀδικηθεὶς μὲν οὐδέν, τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι δὲ τὰ χρέα τοῖς συμβεβληκόσι διαλῦσαι σκηπτόμενος, καὶ εἰ ψηφίσαισθε ὑμεῖς χρεῶν τ´ ἀποκοπὰς καὶ ἄδειαν ὧν ἥμαρτε κατὰ τὴν ἀπόστασιν οὐθενὸς ἔτι δεήσεσθαι ἔφησεν, ἔγνωσαν οἱ πλείους ὑμῶν, οὐ γὰρ δὴ πάντες γε, παρακρουσθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν συμβούλων, ὡς μή ποτε ὤφελον, ἀκυρῶσαι τοὺς ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει τεθέντας νόμους καὶ μηθενὸς τῶν τότε γεγενημένων μνησικακεῖν ἀδικημάτων. οὐκ ἠγάπησε ταύτης τυχὼν τῆς χάριτος, ἧς μόνης μεμνημένος ἔφη πεποιῆσθαι τὴν ἀπόστασιν, ἀλλ´ εὐθὺς ἑτέραν ἔτι ταύτης ᾔτει μείζω καὶ παρανομωτέραν δωρεάν, ἐξουσίαν αὐτῷ δοθῆναι δημάρχους ἐξ αὐτοῦ καθ´ ἕκαστον ἔτος ἀποδεικνύναι, πρόφασιν μὲν ποιούμενος τὴν ἡμετέραν ἰσχύν, ἵνα δὴ τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις καὶ κατισχυομένοις τῶν πενήτων ἐπικουρία τις ὑπάρχῃ καὶ καταφυγή· ὡς δὲ τἀληθὲς εἶχεν, ἐπιβουλεύων τῷ κόσμῳ τῆς πολιτείας καὶ εἰς δημοκρατίαν περιστῆσαι τὰ πράγματα βουλόμενος. καὶ τοῦτ´ ἔπεισαν ἡμᾶς οἱ σύμβουλοι τὸ ἀρχεῖον ἐᾶσαι παρελθεῖν εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἐπὶ τῷ κοινῷ παραγινόμενον κακῷ, καὶ μάλιστ´ ἐπὶ τῷ κατὰ τῆς βουλῆς φθόνῳ, πολλά, εἴπερ ἄρα μέμνησθε, κεκραγότος ἐμοῦ καὶ μαρτυρομένου θεούς τε καὶ ἀνθρώπους, ὅτι πόλεμον ἐμφύλιον ἄπαυστον εἰς τὴν πόλιν εἰσάξετε, καὶ πάνθ´ ὅσα ὑμῖν προβέβηκε λέγοντος.

[7,49] "In the first place, I want you now at last to be firmly convinced of this, that your plebeian (p283) multitude is unfriendly and hostile to the established government, and that all the concessions you have through weakness made to them have not only been wasted by you, but have even exposed you to contempt, as having been granted by you through necessity rather than from goodwill or sober choice. For look at it in this way: When the populace took up arms, and, seceding from you, ventured to become openly your enemies, albeit they had received no injury, but offered as an excuse their inability to discharge their debts and impunity for the offences they had committed during their secession, they would make no further demands, the greater part of you, though not all, misled by their advisers, voted — as would to Heaven they had not! — to abrogate the laws enacted in the interest of the public faith and to grant an amnesty for all the offences that had been committed at that time. But the plebeians were not satisfied with obtaining this favour, which they said was the only one they had mentioned when they seceded, but straightway asked for another concession still greater and more illegal than this — that leave should be granted them to choose tribunes from their own number every year — making our superior strength their excuse for this demand, to the end, forsooth, that some aid and refuge might lie open to the poorer citizens who were wronged and oppressed, though in reality they were plotting against our form of government and desired to change it to a democracy. This magistracy also those advisers of our prevailed upon (p285) us to admit into the commonwealth, though its introduction was to the public detriment and in particular would arouse hatred against the senate, and notwithstanding that I, if you recall, exclaimed against it and called both gods and men to witness that you would bring into the commonwealth endless civil war, and foretold everything that has since befallen you.