Texte grec :
| [7,23] Εἰ δέ τισιν ὑμῶν δεινὰ μὲν τὰ τοῦ δήμου
ἔργα εἶναι δοκεῖ, καὶ κωλύεσθαι αὐτὸν οἴονται δεῖν τὰ
λοιπὰ ἐξαμαρτάνοντα, δέος δ´ εἰσέρχεται, μὴ δόξωσι
λύειν τὰς ὁμολογίας πρότεροι καὶ παραβαίνειν τοὺς
ὅρκους, γνώτωσαν, ὅτι οὐκ ἄρχοντες, ἀλλ´ ἀμυνόμενοι,
οὐδ´ ἀναιροῦντες τὰς ὁμολογίας, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἀνῃρηκότας
τιμωρούμενοι {αὐτὸ δρῶσιν}, ἀναίτιοί τε πρὸς θεοὺς
ἔσονται καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ σφετέρῳ συμφέροντι τὰ δίκαια
πράξουσι. μέγα δ´ ὑμῖν γενέσθω τεκμήριον, ὅτι τοῦ
λύειν τὰς ὁμολογίας καὶ παρασπονδεῖν οὐχ ὑμεῖς, ἀλλὰ
τὸ δημοτικὸν ἄρχει μέρος οὐκ ἀξιοῦν ἐμμένειν, ἐφ´
οἷς εὕρετο τὴν κάθοδον· οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ κακῶς δρᾶσαι
τὴν βουλήν, ἀλλ´ ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ ὑπ´ ἐκείνης κακοῦσθαι
τὴν τῶν δημάρχων ἐξουσίαν ᾐτήσατο. χρῆται δ´ αὐτῇ
οὐκέτι εἰς ἃ δεῖ οὐδ´ ἐφ´ οἷς εὕρετο, ἀλλ´ ἐπὶ διαφθορᾷ
καὶ συγχύσει τῆς πατρίου πολιτείας. μέμνησθε
γὰρ δήπου τὴν νεωστὶ γενομένην ἐκκλησίαν καὶ τοὺς
ὑπὸ τῶν δημαγωγῶν ῥηθέντας ἐν αὐτῇ λόγους, ὅσην
ἐπεδείξαντο αὐθάδειάν τε καὶ ἀκοσμίαν, καὶ νῦν, ἐφ´
οἵου εἰσὶν αὐχήματος οἱ μηδὲν ὑγιὲς φρονοῦντες, ἐπειδὴ
ἔγνωσαν, ὡς ἐν τῇ ψήφῳ ἐστὶν ἅπαν τὸ τῆς πόλεως
κράτος, ἧς αὐτοὶ κρατήσουσι πλείους ἡμῶν ὄντες. τί
οὖν καταλείπεται ποιεῖν ἡμῖν ἀρξάντων ἐκείνων παρασπονδεῖν
καὶ παρανομεῖν, εἰ μὴ τὸ ἀμύνεσθαι τοὺς
ἄρξαντας, καὶ ἃ τέως ἀδίκως ἔχουσιν ἀφελέσθαι σὺν
δίκῃ, καὶ εἰς τὸ λοιπὸν παῦσαι πλειόνων ἐφιεμένους·
χάριν εἰδότας τοῖς θεοῖς, ὅτι οὐκ εἴασαν αὐτοὺς τὰ
πρῶτα πλεονεκτήσαντας εἰς τὰ λοιπὰ σωφρονεῖν, ἀλλὰ
ταύτην ἐνέβαλον αὐτοῖς τὴν ἀναισχυντίαν τε καὶ
πολυπραγμοσύνην, ὑφ´ ἧς ὑμεῖς ἀναγκασθέντες τά τ´ ἀπολωλότα
πειρᾶσθε ἀναλαβεῖν, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ δι´ ἧς προσῆκε
φυλακῆς λαβεῖν.
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Traduction française :
| [7,23] "But if any of you, while looking upon the actions of the populace as outrageous
and believing that they ought to be prevented from making any further mistakes, are
nevertheless afraid of seeming to be the first to violate the agreement and transgress
the oaths, let them know that, since they will not be the aggressors but will be
repelling aggression, (p215) and will not be violating the agreement but rather punishing
the violators of it, they will not only be guiltless towards the gods, but will also be
doing an act of justice while they consult their own interest. And let this be a strong
argument that it is not you who are taking the first steps to break the agreement and
violate treaty, but rather the plebeian element, by not observing the conditions upon
which they obtained their return. For, after asking for the tribunician power, not in
order to injure the senate, but to secure themselves from being injured by the senate,
they no longer employ this power for the purposes they ought or on the terms on
which they obtained it, but for the overthrow and destruction of the established
government. For surely you recall the recent assembly of the people and the
harangues there made by their demagogues, what arrogance and unruliness they
showed, and how these infatuated men vaunt themselves now, since they have
discovered that the whole control of the commonwealth lies in the vote, which they
will control, being more numerous than we. What, therefore, remains for us to do,
now that they have begun to violate the compact and the law, but to repel to attacks of
the aggressors, to deprive them justly of what they now unjustly possess, and for the
future to put a stop to their craving for ever more and more? And we should return
thanks to the gods for not having permitted them, when they had gained an unfair
advantage at first, to act after that with moderation, but for having inspired them
with this shamelessness and officiousness which have forced you to endeavour both
to recover the rights you have lost and to guard with due care those that remain.
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