Texte grec :
| [8,62] Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἅμα τοῖς σώμασι διαλυομένοις
καὶ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς, ὁτιδήποτ´ ἐστὶν ἐκεῖνο, συνδιαλύεται, καὶ
οὐδαμῇ οὐθὲν ἔτι ἐστίν, οὐκ οἶδ´ ὅπως
μακαρίους ὑπολάβω τοὺς μηθὲν μὲν ἀπολαύσαντας τῆς
ἀρετῆς ἀγαθόν, δι´ αὐτὴν δὲ ταύτην ἀπολομένους. εἰ
δ´ ἄφθαρτοι μέχρι τοῦ παντὸς αἱ ψυχαὶ τυγχάνουσιν
ἡμῶν οὖσαι καθάπερ οἴονταί τινες, ἢ χρόνον τινὰ μετὰ
τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν τῶν σωμάτων ἔτι διαμένουσι, μήκιστον
μὲν αἱ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν, ἐλάχιστον δ´ αἱ τῶν κακῶν,
ἀποχρῶσα τιμὴ φαίνοιτ´ ἄν, οἷς ἀρετὴν ἀσκοῦσιν
ἠναντιώθη τὰ ἐκ τῆς τύχης, ἡ παρὰ τῶν ζώντων εὐλογία καὶ
μνήμη μέχρι πλείστου παραμείνασα χρόνου·
ὃ καὶ τῷ ἀνδρὶ ἐκείνῳ συνέβη. οὐ γὰρ μόνον Οὐολοῦσκοι τὸν
θάνατον ἐπένθησαν αὐτοῦ καὶ ὡς τῶν
ἀρίστων γενόμενον ἐν τιμῇ ἔχουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ῥωμαῖοι,
ἐπειδὴ τὸ πάθος ἐγνώσθη, μεγάλην συμφορὰν ὑπολαβόντες
εἶναι τῆς πόλεως, πένθος ἐποιήσαντο ἰδίᾳ καὶ
δημοσίᾳ· καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες αὐτῶν, ἃ νόμος ἐστὶν αὐταῖς ἐπὶ τοῖς
ἰδίοις τε καὶ ἀναγκαίοις ποιεῖν κήδεσιν,
ἀποθέμεναι χρυσόν τε καὶ πορφύραν καὶ τὸν ἄλλον
ἅπαντα κόσμον μέλασιν ἀμφιασμοῖς χρώμεναι τὸν ἐνιαύσιον
ἐπένθησαν χρόνον. ἐτῶν δὲ μετὰ τὸ πάθος ὁμοῦ
τι πεντακοσίων ἤδη διαγεγονότων εἰς τόνδε τὸν χρόνον οὐ
γέγονεν ἐξίτηλος ἡ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς μνήμη, ἀλλ´
ᾄδεται καὶ ὑμνεῖται πρὸς πάντων ὡς εὐσεβὴς καὶ δίκαιος
ἀνήρ. ὁ μὲν δὴ κατασχὼν Ῥωμαίους κίνδυνος
ἐκ τῆς Οὐολούσκων τε καὶ Αἰκανῶν ἐπιστρατείας Μάρκιον
λαβούσης ἡγεμόνα, μέγιστος τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ γενόμενος καὶ
μικρὸν ἀποσχὼν τοῦ πᾶσαν τὴν πόλιν ἀνελεῖν ἐκ βάθρων,
τοιούτου τέλους ἔτυχεν.
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Traduction française :
| [8,62] Now if when the body perishes the soul also, whatever that is, perishes together
with it and no longer exists anywhere, I do not see how I can conceive to seem to be
happy who have received no advantage from their virtue but, on the contrary, have
been undone by this very quality. Whereas, if our souls are perchance forever
imperishable, as some think, or if they continue on for a time after their separation
from the body, those of good men for a very long time and those of the wicked for a
very short period, a sufficient reward for those who, though they have practised
virtue, have suffered the enmity of Fortune, would seem to be the praise of the living
and the continuance of their memory for the longest period of time. And that was the
case with this man. For not only the Volscians mourned his death and still hold him
in honour as having proved himself one of the best of men, but the Romans also,
when they were informed of his fate, looked upon it as a great calamity to the
commonwealth and mourned for him both in private and in public; and their wives,
as it is their custom to do at the loss of those who are nearest and dearest to them,
laid aside their gold and purple and all their other adornment, and dressing
themselves in black, mourned for him for the full period of a year. And though
nearly five hundred years have already elapsed since his death down to the present
time, his memory has not become (p183) extinct, but he is still praised and celebrated by
all as a pious and just man.
Thus ended the danger with which the Romans had been threatened by the
expedition of the Volscians and Aequians under the command of Marcius, a danger
that was greater than any to which they had ever been exposed before and came very
near destroying the whole commonwealth from its foundations.
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