[7,54] Ταῦτα μὲν Ἄππιος εἶπεν. Μάνιος δὲ Οὐαλέριος
ὁ δημοτικώτατος τῶν ἐκ τοῦ συνεδρίου καὶ περὶ
τὰς διαλλαγὰς πλείστην ἀποδειξάμενος προθυμίαν φανερῶς καὶ
τότε τῷ δήμῳ συνελάμβανε καὶ λόγον διεξῆλθε μετὰ πολλῆς
συγκείμενον φροντίδος, ἐπιτιμῶν
μὲν τοῖς οὐκ ἐῶσι μίαν εἶναι τὴν πόλιν, ἀλλὰ διαιροῦσι τὸ
δημοτικὸν ἀπὸ τῶν πατρικίων καὶ διὰ μικρὰς
προφάσεις πολέμους ἀναζωπυροῦσιν ἐμφυλίους· ἐπαινῶν δὲ
τοὺς ἓν τὸ συμφέρον καὶ κοινὸν ἡγουμένους
καὶ πάντ´ ἐλάττω τῆς ὁμονοίας τιθεμένους, διδάσκων,
ὡς, εἰ γένοιτο τῆς δίκης ὁ δῆμος, ὥσπερ ἀξιοῖ, κύριος,
καὶ ταύτην παρὰ τοῦ συνεδρίου τὴν χάριν ἑκόντος
λάβοι, τάχα μὲν οὐδ´ ἐπέξεισιν ἄχρι τέλους, ἀλλ´ ἀρκεσθεὶς αὐτῷ
τῷ κεκρατηκέναι τοῦ σώματος ἐπιεικέστερον
μᾶλλον ἢ χαλεπώτερον αὐτῷ χρήσεται. εἰ δ´ ἄρα ἐκ
παντὸς οἰομένων τρόπου τῶν δημάρχων τέλος ἐπιθεῖναι
δεῖν νόμιμον τῇ δίκῃ τῆς ψήφου γενήσεται κύριος,
ἀπολύσει τὸν ἄνδρα τῆς αἰτίας αἰδούμενος μὲν αὐτὸ
τὸ κινδυνεῦον σῶμα, οὗ πολλὰ καὶ καλὰ ἔργα ἔχει
μεμνῆσθαι, ἀνταποδιδοὺς δὲ ταύτην τὴν χάριν τῇ παρασχούσῃ
τὴν ἐξουσίαν αὐτῷ βουλῇ καὶ πρὸς μηδὲν ἐναντιωθείσῃ τῶν
μετρίων. παρεῖναι μέντοι τῇ δίκῃ συνεβούλευε καὶ
συναπολογεῖσθαι τῷ ἀνδρὶ καὶ τὸν δῆμον
ἀξιοῦν μηθὲν διαγνῶναι περὶ αὐτοῦ χαλεπὸν τούς θ´
ὑπάτους καὶ τοὺς ἐκ τοῦ συνεδρίου πάντας καὶ τοὺς
ἄλλους πατρικίους κατὰ πλῆθος ἀφικομένους· συνοίσειν
γὰρ οὐ μικρὰ τῷ κινδυνεύοντι καὶ τούτους εἰς
σωτηρίας ῥοπήν· καὶ μὴ μόνον αὐτοὺς οὕτως ἔχειν ταῖς
γνώμαις, ἀλλὰ καὶ πελάτας ἕκαστον τοὺς αὑτοῦ παρακαλεῖν καὶ
φίλους συνάγειν, καὶ εἴ τινας οἰκείως ἔχειν
σφίσι τῶν δημοτικῶν δι´ εὐεργεσίας ὑπολαμβάνουσι,
καὶ τούτους νυνὶ τὴν πρότερον ὀφειλομένην χάριν ἐπὶ
τῆς ψηφοφορίας ἀπαιτεῖν. τό τε φιλόχρηστον καὶ μισοπόνηρον
οὐκ ὀλίγον ἀπέφηνεν ἐκ τοῦ δήμου μέρος
ἐσόμενον, καὶ ἔτι πλεῖον τούτου, ὃ πρὸς τὰς τύχας
πάσχειν τι τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας καὶ ἐλεεῖν οἶδε τοὺς ἐν
τοῖς ἀξιώμασιν, ὅταν εἰς ταπεινὰ πέσωσιν αὐτῶν αἱ
τύχαι. ὁ δὲ πλείων λόγος ἐγίνετο αὐτῷ πρὸς τὸν
Μάρκιον παράκλησιν ἔχων νουθετήσει μεμιγμένην καὶ
δέησιν ἀνάγκῃ. ἠξίου γὰρ αὐτόν, ἐπεὶ διιστάναι τὸν
δῆμον ἀπὸ τῆς βουλῆς αἰτίαν ἔχει καὶ τυραννικὸς εἶναι
διαβάλλεται διὰ τὴν αὐθάδειαν τοῦ τρόπου, δέος τε
παρέστηκεν ἅπασι, μὴ δι´ αὐτὸν ἀρχὴ γένηται στάσεως
καὶ κακῶν ἀνηκέστων, ἃ φέρουσιν ἐμφύλιοι πόλεμοι,
μὴ ποιεῖν ἀληθεῖς καὶ κυρίας τὰς κατ´ αὐτοῦ διαβολὰς
μένοντα ἐν τῷ φθονουμένῳ τοῦ βίου, ἀλλὰ σχῆμα
ταπεινὸν μεταλαβεῖν καὶ τοῖς ἀδικεῖσθαι λέγουσι τὴν
ἐξουσίαν τοῦ σώματος παρασχεῖν, καὶ μὴ φεύγειν ἄδικον
ἔγκλημα λόγῳ μετὰ δίκης ἀπολυόμενον. ταῦτα
γὰρ αὐτῷ πρός τε σωτηρίαν ἀσφαλέστατα εἶναι καὶ
πρὸς εὐδοξίαν, ἧς ὀρέγεται, λαμπρότατα καὶ τοῖς προυπηργμένοις
ἔργοις ἀκόλουθα. εἰ δ´ αὐθαδέστερος ἔσται
μᾶλλον ἢ μετριώτερος, καὶ τὴν βουλὴν ἀξιώσει πάντα
κίνδυνον δι´ ἑαυτὸν ὑπομένειν, κακὴν μὲν ἧτταν, αἰσχρὰν δὲ
νίκην τοῖς πεισθεῖσι προσάψειν αὐτὸν ἀπέφαινεν· ἦν τ´ ἐνταῦθα
πολὺς ὀλοφυρόμενος καὶ τῶν καταλαμβανόντων κακῶν τὰς πόλεις
ἐν ταῖς διχοστασίαις τὰ μέγιστα καὶ φανερώτατα ἐπιλεγόμενος.
| [7,54] Thus Appius spoke. Then Manius Valerius, who was the greatest friend to the
plebeians of all the senators and had shown the greatest zeal for the accommodation,
upon this occasion also openly espoused their cause and delivered a speech,
composed with much thought, in which he censured those senators who would not
permit the commonwealth to remain united, but sought to divide the plebeians from
the patricians and for trifling causes (p303) to rekindle the flames of strife. He then
commended those who held that there was but one advantage to be considered and
that the common advantage, and regarded everything else as secondary to harmony;
and he showed them that, if the populace obtained the right to try this man, as they
demanded, and received this privilege also with the consent of the senate, possibly
they would not even press the prosecution to the end but, satisfied with having got
him in their power, would treat him with lenity rather than severity. And even if the
tribunes should believe it to be necessary by all means to carry the case through to its
lawful conclusion and the populace should thus be empowered to give their votes
concerning him, they would acquit him of the charge, partly out of respect for the
defendant himself, and partly by way of making this return to the senate for the
favour it had granted by giving them this power and by opposing them in nothing that
was reasonable. Nevertheless, he advised that not only the consuls, but all the
senators and the rest of the patricians as well should be present in a body at the trial
and assist Marcius in making his defence and entreat the people to come to no harsh
decision concerning him, assure and them that the presence of these men also would
contribute not a little toward turning the scales on the side of the defendant's
acquittal' and he advised that they should not only thus assist him themselves by
expressing their views, but that each of them should summon his own clients and
assemble his friends, and if they thought that any of the plebeians were attached to
them as the result of benefits they had (p305) received from them, they should ask these
too to show their gratitude for former favours now when they were to give their votes.
He showed them also that there would be no small element among the populace
which loved the right and hated the wrong, and an even larger number who knew
how to sympathize with human misfortunes and to feel compassion for men in
position of honour when their fortunes have suffered reverse. But the greater part of
his speech was addressed to Marcius himself, in which he joined exhortation to
admonition, and entreaty to compulsion. For he begged of him, since he was accused
of dividing the populace from the senate and also charged with being tyrannical by
reason of his arbitrary manner, and since all men were filled with fear that because of
him there would spring up sedition and all the irreparable evils which civil wars bring
in their train, that he would not make true and valid the accusations against himself
by persevering in his invidious way of life, but would change it to an humble
deportment, submit his person to the power of those who complained of being
injured, and not decline to clear himself by a just defence of an unjust charge. For
that course was not only for saving his life the surest, he told him, but also, as
regarded the reputation he coveted, the most brilliant, and it was in keeping with the
deeds he had already performed; whereas, if he should show himself arrogant rather
than moderate and expect the senate to expose themselves to every danger for his
sake, he declared that the defeat he might bring to those who had listened to him
would be disastrous, while a victory would be disgraceful to them. He then indulged
(p307) in many lamentations and enumerated the most important and the most obvious
evils that befall states in times of dissension.
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