Texte grec :
| [7,32] Δίκαια μὲν δὴ ταῦτα προεχόμενοι πρὸς
ὑμᾶς μεγάλα, ὥς γ´ οὖν οἰόμεθα, πείθομεν ὑμᾶς μηδὲν
ἐξαμαρτάνειν· χρηστὰ δὲ καὶ φιλάνθρωπα ἔργα, οἷς
χρησόμεθα οὐκ ὀνειδίσαι βουλόμενοι ὑμᾶς, ἀλλ´ ἐπιεικεστέρους
ποιῆσαι, —χωρὶς τῶν παλαιῶν τὰ νεωστὶ
γενόμενα περὶ τὴν κάθοδον ὑμῶν, —{ὧν} ἡμεῖς μὲν
ἐπιλελῆσθαι βουλόμεθα, ὑμεῖς δὲ δίκαιοί ἐστε μεμνῆσθαι.
ἀναγκαζόμεθα δ´ αὐτὰ παραφέρειν νυνὶ χρῄζοντες ἀντὶ πολλῶν
καὶ μεγάλων, ὧν ὑμῖν δεομένοις
ἐχαρισάμεθα, ταύτην παρ´ ὑμῶν ἀντιλαβεῖν τὴν χάριν, μήτ´
ἀποκτεῖναι μήτ´ ἐκβαλεῖν τῆς πόλεως ἄνδρα
φιλόπολιν καὶ τὰ πολέμια πάντων κράτιστον. ζημιωσόμεθα γὰρ
οὐ μικρά, εὖ ἴστε, ὦ δημόται, τοιαύτης ἀποστερήσαντες ἀρετῆς
τὴν πόλιν. μάλιστα μὲν
οὖν δι´ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον ὑφεῖναι τῆς ὀργῆς δίκαιοί ἐστε
μνησθέντες, ὅσους ὑμῶν ἔσωσεν ἐν τοῖς πολέμοις, καὶ
μὴ λόγων μνησικακεῖν φαύλων, ἀλλ´ ἔργων μεμνῆσθαι
καλῶν. ὁ μὲν γὰρ λόγος ὑμᾶς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς οὐδὲν
ἔβλαψεν, αἱ δὲ πράξεις αὐτοῦ μεγάλα ὠφέλησαν. εἰ δὲ
πρὸς τοῦτον ἀδιαλλάκτως ἔχετε, ἡμῖν γέ τοι καὶ τῇ
βουλῇ χαρίσασθε αὐτὸν δεομένοις, καὶ διαλλάγητε ἤδη
ποτὲ βεβαίως τήν τε πόλιν, ὥσπερ ἐξ ἀρχῆς εἶχε, μίαν
εἶναι ποιήσατε. εἰ δὲ πείθουσιν ἡμῖν οὐ συγχωρήσετε,
εὖ ἴστε, ὅτι οὐδ´ ἡμεῖς βιαζομένοις ὑμῖν εἴξομεν, ἀλλ´
ἤτοι φιλότητος ἀδόλου καὶ χαρίτων ἔτι μειζόνων ἥδε
ἡ πεῖρα τοῦ δήμου πᾶσιν αἰτία ἔσται, ἢ πολέμου ἐμφυλίου αὖθις
ἄρξει καὶ κακῶν ἀνηκέστων.
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Traduction française :
| [7,32] "These are the weighty considerations of justice at least we so regard them
which we put forward in order to persuade you to make no mistakes; but as for our
benefits and kindly services, which we shall mention, not from any desire to reproach
you, but wishing to make you more reasonable, apart from those of former times
there are the recent ones in connection with your return, we desire to forget them,
though you have just reason to remember them; but we are under the necessity of
citing them at this time, asking that, for the many great favours we have bestowed
upon you at your request, you will grant us this one on your part neither to put to
death nor to banish from the state a man who loves his country and excels all others
in the art of war. For it will be no (p237) small loss to us, as you well know, plebeians, if
we deprive the commonwealth of such valour. Preferably, then, you ought to relent on
his own account, calling to mind how many of you he has saved in the wars, and
instead of retaining any resentment for his objectionable words, to remember his
glorious deeds. For his speech has done you no harm, whereas his actions have done
you great service. However, if you cannot be reconciled to this man, at least as a
favour to us and the senate yield him up to our entreaties, be at last firmly reconciled
to us, and cause the commonwealth to be united as it was in the beginning. But if you
do not yield to our persuasions, be assured that we shall not yield to your violence
either; but this testing of the populace will be either the source of a sincere friendship
and of still greater benefits for all, or the fresh beginning of civil war and irreparable
evils."
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