Texte grec :
| [8,8] Ὃν δὲ τρόπον ἀγωνιεῖσθε καὶ πῶς χρήσεσθε
τοῖς πράγμασιν, ἐπειδὴ γνώμην ἀξιοῦτέ με ἀποφήνασθαι, εἴτ´
ἐμπειρίαν μοι μαρτυροῦντες εἴτ´ εὔνοιαν εἴτε
καὶ ἀμφότερα, φράσω καὶ οὐκ ἀποκρύψομαι. πρῶτον
μὲν οὖν ὑμῖν παραινῶ σκοπεῖν, ὅπως εὐσεβῆ καὶ δικαίαν
πορίσησθε τοῦ πολέμου πρόφασιν. εὐσεβὴς δὲ
καὶ δικαία τοῦ πολέμου πρόφασις, ἥτις ἂν γένοιτο καὶ
ἅμα συμφέρουσα ὑμῖν, ἀκούσατέ μου. Ῥωμαίοις ἡ μὲν
ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑπάρξασα γῆ βραχεῖά ἐστι καὶ λυπρά, ἡ δ´
ἐπίκτητος, ἣν τοὺς περιοίκους ἀφελόμενοι ἔχουσι,
πολλὴ καὶ ἀγαθή· καὶ εἰ τῶν ἠδικημένων ἕκαστοι τὴν
ἑαυτῶν ἀξιοῖεν ἀπολαβεῖν, οὐδὲν οὕτως μικρὸν οὐδ´
ἀσθενὲς οὐδ´ ἄπορον, ὡς τὸ Ῥωμαίων ἄστυ γενήσεται.
τούτου δ´ οἴομαι δεῖν ὑμᾶς ἄρξαι. πέμπετε οὖν πρέσβεις ὡς
αὐτοὺς ἀπαιτοῦντες ἃς κατέχουσιν ὑμῶν πόλεις καὶ ὅσα τείχη ἐν
τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ γῇ ἐνετειχίσαντο
ἀξιοῦντες ἐκλιπεῖν, καὶ εἴ τι ἄλλο βίᾳ σφετερισάμενοι
τῶν ὑμετέρων ἔχουσι πείθοντες ἀποδιδόναι. πολέμου
δὲ μήπω ἄρχετε, πρὶν ἢ λαβεῖν τὰς παρ´ αὐτῶν ἀποκρίσεις. ἐὰν
γὰρ ταῦτα ποιήσητε, δυεῖν ὧν βούλεσθε
ὑπάρξει θάτερον ὑμῖν· ἢ τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἀπολήψεσθε ἄνευ
κινδύνων καὶ δαπάνης, ἢ καλὴν καὶ δικαίαν πρόφασιν
εἰληφότες ἔσεσθε τοῦ πολέμου. τὸ γὰρ μὴ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων
ἐπιθυμεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἀπαιτεῖν καὶ μὴ
τυγχάνοντας τούτου πολεμεῖν, ἅπαντες ἂν ὁμολογήσουσιν εἶναι
καλόν. φέρε δή, τί ποιήσειν οἴεσθε Ῥωμαίους
ταῦθ´ ὑμῶν προελομένων; πότερον ἀποδώσειν τὰ χωρία
ὑμῖν; καὶ τί κωλύσει πάντων αὐτοὺς ἀποστῆναι τῶν
ἀλλοτρίων; ἥξουσι γὰρ Αἰκανοί τε καὶ Ἀλβανοὶ καὶ
Τυρρηνοὶ καὶ πολλοὶ ἄλλοι τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἕκαστοι γῆν
ἀποληψόμενοι. ἢ καθέξειν τὰ χωρία καὶ μηθὲν τῶν
δικαίων ποιήσειν; ὅπερ ἐγὼ νομίζω. οὐκοῦν ἀδικεῖσθαι πρότεροι
λέγοντες ὑπ´ αὐτῶν κατὰ τὸ ἀναγκαῖον
ἐπὶ τὰ ὅπλα χωρήσετε καὶ συμμάχους ἕξετε, ὅσοι τὰ
ἑαυτῶν ἀφαιρεθέντες ἀπεγνώκασιν ἄλλως ἂν ἔτι αὐτὰ
ἢ πολεμοῦντες οὐκ ἀπολήψεσθαι. κράτιστος δ´ ὁ καιρὸς καὶ οἷος
οὐχ ἕτερος ἐπιθέσθαι Ῥωμαίοις, ὃν ἡ
τύχη τοῖς ἀδικουμένοις οὐδ´ ἂν ἐλπισθέντα παρεσκεύασεν, ἐν ᾧ
στασιάζουσι καὶ ὑποπτεύουσιν ἀλλήλους καὶ
ἡγεμόνας ἔχουσιν ἀπείρους πολέμου. ἃ μὲν οὖν ὑποτίθεσθαι ἔδει
λόγοις καὶ παραινεῖν φίλοις, μετὰ πάσης
εὐνοίας καὶ πίστεως εἰρημένα ὑπ´ ἐμοῦ, ταῦτ´ ἐστίν,
ἃ δὲ παρ´ αὐτὰ τὰ ἔργα ἑκάστοτε προορᾶσθαί τε καὶ
μηχανᾶσθαι δεήσει, τοῖς ἡγεμόσι τῆς δυνάμεως ἐπιτρέψατε
διανοεῖσθαι. πρόθυμον γὰρ καὶ τοὐμὸν ἔσται,
ἐν ᾧ ἄν με τάττητε τόπῳ, καὶ πειράσομαι μηδενὸς
εἶναι χείρων μήτε στρατιώτου μήτε λοχαγοῦ μήτε ἡγεμόνος·
ἀλλὰ καταχρῆσθέ μοι λαβόντες, ὅπου ἂν μέλλω
τι ὑμᾶς ὠφελήσειν, καὶ εὖ ἴστε ὅτι, εἰ πολεμῶν ὑμῖν
μεγάλα βλάπτειν δυνατὸς ἦν, καὶ σὺν ὑμῖν ἀγωνιζόμενος
μεγάλα δυνήσομαι ὠφελεῖν.
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Traduction française :
| [8,8] "As to the manner in which you will wage the contest and how you will handle the
situation, since you ask me to express my opinion whether this be a tribute to my
experience or to my goodwill or to both I shall give it without concealing anything.
In the first place, therefore, I advise you to (p25) consider how you may provide
yourselves with a righteous and just pretext for the war. And what pretext for war will
be not only righteous and just but also profitable to you at the same time, you shall
now learn from me. The land which originally belonged to the Romans is of small
extent and barren, but the acquired land which they possess as a result of robbing
their neighbours is large and fertile; and if each of the injured nations should demand
the return of the land that is theirs, nothing would be so insignificant, so weak, and so
helpless as the city of Rome. In doing this I think you ought to take the lead. Send
ambassadors to them, therefore, to demand back your cities which they are holding,
to ask that they evacuate all the forts they have erected in your country, and to
persuade them to restore everything else belonging to you which they have
appropriated by force. But do not begin war till you have received their answer. For if
you follow this advice, you will obtain one of two things you desire: you will either
recover all that belongs to you without danger and expense or will have found an
honourable and a just pretext for war. For not to covet the possessions others, but to
demand back what is one's own and, failing to obtain this, to declare war, will be
acknowledged by all men to be an honourable proceeding. Well then, what do you
think the Romans will do if you choose this course? Do you think they will restore the
places to you? And if they do, what is to hinder them from relinquishing everything
that belongs to others? For the Aequians, the Albans, the Tyrrhenians, and many
others will come each to get back their own land. Or do you think they will retain
these places and refuse all your just demands? (p27) That is my opinion. Protesting,
therefore, that they wronged you first, you will of necessity have recourse to arms,
and you will have for your allies all who, having been deprived of their possessions,
despair of recovering them by any other means than by war. This is a most
favourable and a unique opportunity which Fortune has provided for the wronged
nations, an opportunity for which they could not even have hoped, of attacking the
Romans while they are divided and suspicious of one another and while they have
generals who are inexperienced in war. These, then, Rome the considerations which it
was fitting to suggest in words and urge upon friends, and I have offered them in all
goodwill and sincerity. But when it comes to the actual deeds, what it will be
necessary to foresee and contrive upon each occasion, leave the consideration of
those matters to the commanders of the forces. For my zeal also shall not be
wanting in whatever post you may place me, and I shall endeavour to do my duty with
no less bravery than any common soldier or captain or general. Pray take me and use
me wherever I may be of service to you, and be assured that if, when I fought against
you, I was able to do you great mischief, I shall also be able, when I fight on your side,
to be of great service to you."
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