Texte grec :
| [8,31] Ἴθι δή μοι, Μηνύκιε, ἀπόκριναι, πότερα
καὶ τῇ βουλῇ τῆς τιμωρίας ἄξιος ἐφάνην εἶναι, ὅτι τὰ
κράτιστα ἐπολιτευόμην τε καὶ ἔπραττον, ἢ τῷ δήμῳ
μόνῳ; εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἅπασι ταὐτὰ ἐδόκει τότε καὶ πάντες
με ἀπηλάσατε, φανερὸν ὅτι πάντες οἱ ταῦτα βουληθέντες ἀρετὴν
μισεῖτε, καὶ τόπος οὐδείς ἐστιν ἐν τῇ
πόλει δεχόμενος καλοκαγαθίαν· εἰ δὲ βιασθεῖσα ἡ βουλὴ
συνεχώρησε τῷ δήμῳ καὶ τὸ ἔργον αὐτῆς ἀνάγκης ἦν,
οὐ γνώμης, ὁμολογεῖτε δήπου πονηροκρατεῖσθαι καὶ
μηδενὸς εἶναι τὴν βουλὴν ὧν ἂν προέληται κυρίαν.
ἔπειτ´ εἰς τοιαύτην ἀξιοῦτέ με κατελθεῖν πόλιν, ἐν ᾗ
τὸ κρεῖττον μέρος ὑπὸ τοῦ χείρονος ἄρχεται; πολλὴν
ἄρα κατεγνώκατέ μου μανίαν. φέρε, καὶ δὴ πέπεισμαι καὶ
διαλυσάμενος τὸν πόλεμον, ὥσπερ ἀξιοῦτε,
κατελήλυθα, τίς ἡ μετὰ ταῦτ´ ἔσται μου διάνοια καὶ
τίνα βίον ζήσομαι; πότερα τἀσφαλὲς καὶ ἀκίνδυνον
αἱρούμενος ἀρχάς τε καὶ τιμὰς καὶ τἆλλα ἀγαθά, ὧν
ἄξιον ἐμαυτὸν ἡγοῦμαι, μετιὼν θεραπεύειν ὑπομενῶ
τὸν ἔχοντα τὴν τούτων ἐξουσίαν ὄχλον; πονηρὸς ἄρα
ἐξ ἀγαθοῦ γενήσομαι, καὶ οὐδὲν ἔσται μοι τῆς προτέρας ἀρετῆς
ὄφελος. ἀλλ´ ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἤθεσι μένων καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν
προαίρεσιν τῆς πολιτείας φυλάττων
ἐναντιώσομαι τοῖς μὴ ταὐτὰ προαιρουμένοις; εἶτα οὐ
πρόδηλον, ὅτι πολεμήσει μοι πάλιν ὁ δῆμος καὶ δίκας
ἑτέρας πάλιν ἀξιώσει λαμβάνειν, τοῦτ´ αὐτὸ πρῶτον
ἔγκλημα ποιούμενος, ὅτι τῆς καθόδου δι´ ἐκείνου τυχὼν
οὐ τὰ πρὸς ἡδονὴν αὐτῷ πολιτεύομαι; οὐκ ἔνεστ´ ἄλλως εἰπεῖν.
ἔπειτ´ ἀναφανήσεταί τις ἕτερος Ἰκιλίῳ
παραπλήσιος ἢ Δεκίῳ θρασὺς δημαγωγός, ὃς αἰτιάσεταί
με διιστάναι τοὺς πολίτας ἀπ´ ἀλλήλων ἢ κατὰ τοῦ
δήμου πράττειν ἐπιβουλὴν ἢ προδιδόναι τοῖς πολεμίοις τὴν πόλιν
ἢ τυραννίδι, ὥσπερ καὶ Δέκιος ᾐτιάσατο, ἐπιχειρεῖν ἢ ἄλλο
ἀδικεῖν, ὁτιδήποτ´ ἂν αὐτῷ
φανῇ· οὐ γὰρ ἀπορήσει τὸ μισοῦν αἰτίας. ἥξει τε πρὸς
τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐγκλήμασι καὶ ταυτὶ φερόμενα οὐκ εἰς
μακράν, ὅσα ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ πέπρακταί μοι τούτῳ, ὅτι
χώραν ὑμῶν τέτμηκα καὶ λείαν ἀπελήλακα καὶ πόλεις
ἀφῄρημαι καὶ τοὺς ὑπὲρ τούτων ἀμυνομένους τοὺς μὲν
πεφόνευκα, τοὺς δὲ τοῖς πολεμίοις παραδέδωκα. ταῦτ´
ἐὰν οἱ κατήγοροι λέγωσι, τί φήσω πρὸς αὐτοὺς
ἀπολογούμενος ἢ τίνι βοηθείᾳ χρήσομαι;
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Traduction française :
| [8,31] "Come, answer me, Minucius, did I seem to the senate also to deserve
punishment for having promoted and pursued the best measures, or to the populace
only? For if you were all of the same opinion at that time and if all of you banished
me, it is plain that all of you who were of this mind hate virtue and that there is no
place in your city for p91loyalty to principle. But if the senate was forced to yield to the
populace and its action was the result of compulsion, not of conviction, you senators
admit, I take it, that you are governed by the baser element and that the senate has
not the power to act in any matter as it thinks fit. After this do you ask me to return
to such a city, in which the better element is governed by the worse? Then you have
judged me capable of an act of sheer madness! But come, suppose that I have been
persuaded, and having put an end to the war as you desire, have returned home; what
sentiments shall I entertain after this, and what manner of life shall I live? Shall I
choose the safe and secure course, and, in order to obtain magistracies, honours and
the other advantages of which I think myself worthy, consent to court the mob which
has the power of bestowing them? In that case I shall change from a worthy to a base
citizen and shall reap no benefit from my former virtue. Or, maintaining the same
character and observing the same political principles, shall I oppose those who do not
make the same choice? Then is it not obvious that the populace will again make war
upon me and insist on exacting fresh penalties, making this very point their first
charge against me, that after obtaining my return at their hands I do not humour
them in the measures I pursue? You cannot deny it. Then some other bold
demagogue, an Icilius or a Decius, will appear who will accused me of setting the
citizens at variance with one another, of forming a plot against the populace, of
betraying the commonwealth to the enemy, or of aiming at tyranny, even as Decius
charged me, or of any other crime that may occur to him; for hatred will never be at a
loss to find an (p93) accusation. And, besides the other charges, there will also be
brought up presently all the things I have done in this war — that I have laid waste
your country, driven off booty, taken your towns, slain some of those who defended
them and delivered up others to the enemy. If my accusers charge me with these
things, what shall I say to them in my defence, or on what assistance shall I rely?
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