Texte grec :
| [8,60] Μάρκιος μὲν δὴ τοιαύτης καταστροφῆς ἔτυχεν,
ἀνὴρ καὶ τὰ πολέμια ἄριστος τῶν καθ´ ἡλικίαν καὶ
πρὸς ἁπάσας τὰς ἡδονάς, ὅσαι ἄρχουσι νέων, ἐγκρατής, τά τε
δίκαια οὐκ ἀπὸ νόμου μᾶλλον ἀνάγκης διὰ
τιμωριῶν δέος ἀκούσιος ἀποδιδούς, ἀλλ´ ἑκών τε καὶ
πεφυκὼς πρὸς αὐτὰ εὖ, καὶ οὐδ´ ἐν ἀρετῆς μοίρᾳ τὸ
μηθὲν ἀδικεῖν τιθέμενος, οὐ μόνον τ´ αὐτὸς ἁγνεύειν
ἀπὸ πάσης κακίας προθυμούμενος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους
προσαναγκάζειν δικαιῶν· μεγαλόφρων τε καὶ δωρηματικὸς καὶ
εἰς ἐπανόρθωσιν ὧν ἑκάστῳ δέοι τῶν
φίλων, ὁπότε γνοίη, προχειρότατος, τά τε πολιτικὰ
πράττειν οὐδενὸς χείρων τῶν ἀριστοκρατικῶν· καὶ εἰ
μὴ τὸ στασιάζον τῆς πόλεως ἐμποδὼν αὐτοῦ τοῖς πολιτεύμασιν
ἐγένετο, μεγίστην ἂν ἡ Ῥωμαίων πόλις ἐπίδοσιν εἰς ἡγεμονίαν ἐκ
τῶν ἐκείνου πολιτευμάτων
ἔλαβεν. ἀλλ´ οὐ γὰρ ἐν δυνατῷ ἦν ἅμα πάσας τὰς
ἀρετὰς ἐν ἀνθρώπου γενέσθαι φύσει, οὐδὲ φύσεταί
τις ἀπὸ θνητῶν καὶ ἐπικήρων σπερμάτων περὶ πάντ´ ἀγαθός.
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Traduction française :
| [8,60] Such was the end of Marcius, who was not only the greatest general of his age,
but was superior to all the pleasures that dominate young men, and practised justice,
not so much through compulsion of the law with its threat of punishment and against
his will, but voluntarily and from a natural propensity to it. He did not regard it as a
virtue to do no injustice, and not only was eager to abstain from all vice himself, but
thought it his duty to compel others to do so too. He was both high-minded and
open-handed and most ready to relieve the wants of his friends as soon as he was
informed of them. In his talent for public affairs he was inferior to none of the
aristocratic party, and if the seditious element of the city had not hindered his
measures, the Roman commonwealth would have received the greatest accession of
power from those measures. But it was impossible that all the virtue should be found
together in a human being's nature, nor will anyone ever be created by Nature from
mortal and perishable seed who is good in all respects.
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