[8,69] Ταῦτα τῆς βουλῆς ψηφισαμένης ἀναστρέψας εἰς τὴν πόλιν ὁ Κάσσιος θρίαμβον κατάγειν ἠξίου δεύτερον ὡς τὰ μέγιστα τῶν ἐθνῶν κεχειρωμένος, χάριτι μᾶλλον ἁρπάζων τὸ τίμιον ἢ τῷ δικαίῳ λαμβάνων, ὃς οὔτε πόλεις κατὰ κράτος ἑλὼν ἐκ τειχομαχίας, οὔτ´ ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ μάχῃ στρατιὰν πολεμίων τρεψάμενος αἰχμάλωτα καὶ σκῦλα, οἷς κοσμεῖται θρίαμβος, ἔμελλε κατάγειν. τοιγάρτοι δόξαν αὐθαδείας καὶ τοῦ μηδὲν ἔτι τῶν ὁμοίων τοῖς ἄλλοις φρονεῖν τοῦτο τὸ ἔργον αὐτῷ πρῶτον {φθόνον} ἤνεγκε. διαπραξάμενος δὲ τὸν θρίαμβον αὑτῷ δοθῆναι τὰς πρὸς Ἕρνικας ἐξήνεγκεν ὁμολογίας· αὗται δ´ ἦσαν ἀντίγραφοι τῶν πρὸς Λατίνους γενομένων, ἐφ´ αἷς πάνυ ἤχθοντο οἱ πρεσβύτατοί τε καὶ τιμιώτατοι καὶ δι´ ὑποψίας αὐτὸν ἐλάμβανον οὐκ ἀξιοῦντες τῆς ἴσης τιμῆς τοῖς συγγενέσι Λατίνοις τοὺς ἀλλοεθνεῖς Ἕρνικας τυγχάνειν, οὐδὲ τοῖς πολλὰ εὐνοίας ἔργα ἐπιδειξαμένοις τοὺς μηδ´ ὁτιοῦν ἀγαθὸν δεδρακότας τῶν αὐτῶν φιλανθρώπων μετέχειν, τῇ τε ὑπεροψίᾳ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀχθόμενοι, ὃς ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς τιμηθεὶς οὐκ ἀντετίμησεν αὐτὴν τοῖς ἴσοις, οὐδὲ μετὰ κοινῆς γνώμης τῶν συνέδρων, ἀλλ´ ὡς αὐτῷ ἐδόκει γράψας ἐξήνεγκε τὰς ὁμολογίας. ἦν τ´ ἄρα τὸ ἐν πολλοῖς εὐτυχεῖν σφαλερὸν ἀνθρώπῳ χρῆμα καὶ ἀσύμφορον· αὐχήματός τε γὰρ ἀνοήτου πολλοῖς αἴτιον γενόμενον λανθάνει καὶ ἐπιθυμιῶν ἀρχηγὸν ἐκβαινουσῶν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν· ὃ καὶ τῷ ἀνδρὶ ἐκείνῳ συνέβη. τρισὶ γὰρ ὑπατείαις καὶ δυσὶ θριάμβοις μόνος τῶν τότε ἀνθρώπων ὑπὸ τῆς πόλεως τετιμημένος σεμνότερον ἑαυτὸν ἦγε καὶ μοναρχικῆς ἐξουσίας ἐλάμβανε πόθον· ἐνθυμούμενος δ´ ὅτι τοῖς βασιλείας ἢ τυραννίδος ἐφιεμένοις ῥᾴστη τε καὶ ἀσφαλεστάτη πασῶν ἐστιν ὁδὸς ἡ τὸ πλῆθος εὐεργεσίαις τισὶν ὑπαγομένη καὶ ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ διδόντος τὰ κοινὰ σιτεῖσθαι ἐθίζουσα, ταύτην ἐτράπετο· καὶ αὐτίκα οὐθενὶ προειπών· ἦν γάρ τις χώρα δημοσία πολλὴ παρημελημένη τε καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν εὐπορωτάτων κατεχομένη, ταύτην ἔγνω τῷ δήμῳ διανέμειν. καὶ εἰ μὲν ἄχρι τοῦδ´ ἐλθὼν ἠρκέσθη, τάχ´ ἂν αὐτῷ κατὰ νοῦν τὸ ἔργον ἐχώρησε· νῦν δὲ πλειόνων ὀρεγόμενος στάσιν οὐ μικρὰν ἤγειρεν, ἐξ ἧς οὐκ εὐτυχὲς τὸ τέλος αὐτῷ συνέβη. Λατίνους τε γὰρ ἠξίου τῇ καταγραφῇ τῆς χώρας συμπεριλαμβάνειν καὶ τοὺς νεωστὶ προσληφθέντας εἰς τὴν πολιτείαν Ἕρνικας οἰκεῖα ἑαυτῷ παρασκευάσας τὰ ἔθνη.

[8,69] The senate having passed this vote, Cassius returned to Rome and demanded a second triumph, as if he had subdued the greatest nations, thus attempting to seize the honour as a favour rather than (p207) to receive it as a right, since, though he had neither taken any cities by storm nor put to rout an army of enemies in the field, he was of lead home captives and spoils, the adornments of a triumph. Accordingly, this action first brought him a reputation for presumption and for no longer entertaining thoughts like those of his fellow citizens. Then, when he had secured for himself the granting of a triumph, he produced the treaty he had made with the Hernicans, which was a copy of the one that had been made with the Latins. At this the oldest and most honoured of the senators were very indignant and regarded him with suspicion; for they were unwilling that the Hernicans, an alien race, should obtain the same honour as their kinsmen, the Latins, and that those who had done them the least service should be treated with the same kindness as those who had shown them many instances of their goodwill. They were also displeased at the arrogance of the man, who, after being honoured by the senate, had not shown equal honour to that body, but had produced a treaty drawn up according to his own pleasure and not with the general approval of the senate. But it seems that to be successful in many undertakings is a dangerous and prejudicial thing for a man; for to many it is the hidden source of senseless price en the secret author of desires that are too ambitious for our human nature. And so it was with Cassius. For, being the only man at that time who had been honoured by his country with three consulships and two triumphs, he now conducted himself in a more pompous manner and conceived a desire for monarchical power. And bearing in mind that the easiest and safest way of all for those who aim at (p209) monarchy or tyranny is to draw the multitude to oneself by sundry gratifications and to accustom them to feed themselves out of the hands of the one who distributes the possessions of the public, he took that course; and at once, without communicating this intention to anyone, he determined to divide among the people a certain large tract of land belonging to the state which had been neglected and was then in the possession of the richest men. Now if he had been content to stop there, the business might perhaps have gone according to his wish; but as it was, by grasping for more, he raised a violent sedition, the outcome of which proved anything but fortunate for him. For he thought fit in assigning the land to include not only the Latins, but also the Hernicans, who had only recently been admitted to citizenship, and thus to attach these nations to himself.