[8,78] Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις διεξῄεσαν, ὅτι δημεῦσαι τὰ κοινὰ τῆς πόλεως ἐπιβαλόμενος οὔτε τῆς βουλῆς ψηφισαμένης οὔτε τῷ συνυπάτῳ δοκοῦν, βίᾳ κυροῦν ἐμέλλησε τὸν νόμον, ὃς οὐ καθ´ ἓν τοῦτο μόνον ἦν ἀσύμφορός τε καὶ ἄδικος, ὅτι προβουλεῦσαι δέον τὸ συνέδριον καὶ εἰ δόξειεν ἐκείνῳ κοινὴν ἁπάντων εἶναι τῶν ἐν τέλει τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς ἐποίει τὴν χάριν· ἀλλὰ καὶ κατ´ ἐκεῖνο τὸ πάντων σχετλιώτατον, ὅτι λόγῳ μὲν δόσις ἦν τοῖς πολίταις τῆς δημοσίας χώρας, ἔργῳ δ´ ἀφαίρεσις, Ῥωμαίων μὲν τῶν κτησαμένων αὐτὴν μίαν μοῖραν ληψομένων, Ἑρνίκων δὲ καὶ Λατίνων, ἧς οὐθὲν αὐτοῖς μετῆν, τὰς δύο· καὶ ὡς οὐδὲ τοῖς δημάρχοις ἐναντιωθεῖσι καὶ παραλύειν ἐκ τοῦ νόμου θάτερον ἀξιοῦσι μέρος τὸ κατὰ τὴν ἰσομοιρίαν τῶν ἐπηλύδων, ἐπείσθη, ἀλλὰ καὶ δημάρχοις καὶ συνυπάτῳ καὶ βουλῇ καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ὑπὲρ τοῦ κοινοῦ τὰ κράτιστα βουλευομένοις τἀναντία πράττων διετέλεσε. διεξελθόντες δὲ ταῦτα καὶ μάρτυρας αὐτῶν ἅπαντας τοὺς πολίτας ποιησάμενοι, μετὰ τοῦτ´ ἤδη καὶ τὰς ἀπορρήτους τῆς τυραννίδος παρείχοντο πίστεις, ὡς χρήματά τε συνενέγκαιεν αὐτῷ Λατῖνοι καὶ Ἕρνικες καὶ ὅπλα παρασκευάσαιντο καὶ συμπορεύοιντο ὡς αὐτὸν οἱ θρασύτατοι τῶν ἐν ταῖς πόλεσι νέων ἀπόρρητά τε ποιούμενοι βουλευτήρια καὶ πολλὰ πρὸς τούτοις ἕτερα ὑπηρετοῦντες, καὶ παρείχοντο τοὺς τούτων μάρτυρας πολλοὺς μὲν ἀστούς, πολλοὺς δ´ ἐκ τῶν ἄλλων συμμαχίδων πόλεων, οὔτε φαύλους οὔτ´ ἀφανεῖς. οἷς ἐπίστευσεν ὁ δῆμος, καὶ οὔτε λόγοις ἔτι ὑπαχθείς, οὓς ὁ ἀνὴρ ἐκ πολλῆς παρασκευῆς συγκειμένους διέθετο, οὔτ´ οἴκτῳ ἐνδοὺς τριῶν μὲν αὐτῷ παίδων μεγάλην παρεχόντων εἰς ἔλεον ἐπικουρίαν, πολλῶν δ´ ἄλλων συγγενῶν τε καὶ ἑταίρων συνολοφυρομένων, οὔτε τῶν κατὰ πολέμους ἔργων, δι´ οὓς ἐπὶ μήκιστον ἦλθε τιμῆς φειδὼ λαβών τινα, καταψηφίζεται τὴν δίκην. οὕτως τ´ ἄρα ἦν πικρὸς πρὸς τὸ τῆς τυραννίδος ὄνομα, ὥστ´ οὐδ´ ἐν τῷ τιμήματι τῆς δίκης μετρίᾳ ὀργῇ ἐχρήσατο πρὸς αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ θανάτου ἐτίμησεν. εἰσῄει γὰρ αὐτὸν δέος, μὴ φυγὰς ἐλασθεὶς ἐκ τῆς πατρίδος ἀνὴρ στρατηγῆσαι πολέμους τῶν τότε δεινότατος ὅμοια δράσῃ Μαρκίῳ τά τε φίλια διαβάλλων καὶ τὰ ἐχθρὰ συνιστὰς καὶ πόλεμον ἄσπειστον ἐπαγάγῃ τῇ πατρίδι. τοῦτο τὸ τέλος τῆς δίκης λαβούσης ἀγαγόντες οἱ ταμίαι τὸν ἄνδρα ἐπὶ τὸν ὑπερκείμενον τῆς ἀγορᾶς κρημνόν, ἁπάντων ὁρώντων ἔρριψαν κατὰ τῆς πέτρας. αὕτη γὰρ ἦν τοῖς τότε Ῥωμαίοις ἐπιχώριος τῶν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ ἁλόντων ἡ κόλασις.

[8,78] Besides this they went on to relate that Cassius, in proposing to give to the people the common possessions of the state without a decree of the senate or the consent of his colleague, had intended to get the law passed by force — a law that was inexpedient and unjust, not for this reason alone, that, though the senate ought to have considered the measure first, (p237) and, in case they approved of it, it ought to have been a joint concession on the part of all the authorities, he was making it the favour of one man, but also for the further reason — the most outrageous of all — that, though it was in name a grant of the public land to the citizens, it was in reality a deprivation, since the Romans, who had acquired it, were to receive but one third, while the Hernicans and the Latins, who had no claim to it at all, would get the other two thirds. They further charged that even when the tribunes opposed him and asked him to strike out the part of the law granting equal shares to the aliens, he had paid no heed to them, but continued to act in opposition to the tribunes, to his colleague, to the senate, and to all who consulted the best interests of the commonwealth. After they had enumerated these charges and named as witnesses to their truth the whole body of the citizens, they then at length proceeded to present the secret evidences of his having aimed at tyranny, showing that the Latins and the Hernicans had contributed money to him and provided this with arms, and that the most daring young men from their cities were resorting to him, making secret plans, and serving him in many other ways besides. And to prove the truth of these charges they produced many witnesses, both residents of Rome and others from the cities in alliance with her, persons who were neither mean nor obscure. In these the populace put confidence; and without either being moved now by the speech which the man delivered — a speech which he had prepared with much care,— or yielding to compassion when (p239) his three young sons contributed much to his appeal for sympathy and many others, both relations and friends, joined in bewailing his fate, or paying any regard to his exploits in war, by which he had attained to the greatest honour, they condemned him. Indeed, they were so exasperated at the name of tyranny that they did not moderate their resentment even in the degree of his punishment, but sentenced him to death. For they were afraid that if a man who was the ablest general of his time should be driven from his country into exile, he might follow the example of Marcius in dividing his own people and uniting their enemies, and bring a relentless war upon his country. This being the outcome of his trial, the quaestors led him to the top of the precipice that overlooks the Forum and in the presence of all the citizens hurled him down from the rock. For this was the traditional punishment at that time among the Romans for those who were condemned to death.