[10,11] Ἐν τοσούτῳ δὴ κινδύνῳ σαλεύοντες ἱκέται γινόμεθα ὑμῶν, ὦ πατέρες, ἐπισκήπτοντες θεούς τε καὶ δαίμονας, οἷς κοινῇ θύομεν, καὶ πολέμων ὑπομιμνήσκοντες, οὓς πολλοὺς καὶ μεγάλους σὺν ὑμῖν ἠράμεθα, μὴ περιιδεῖν ὠμὰ καὶ ἀνόσια ὑπὸ τῶν ἐχθρῶν παθόντας ἡμᾶς, ἀλλ´ ἐπαμῦναί τε καὶ συναγανακτῆσαι τιμωρίας ἡμῖν συνεισπράξαντας παρὰ τῶν ταῦτα βουλευσαμένων τὰς προσηκούσας, μάλιστα μὲν παρὰ πάντων, εἰ δὲ μή γε, παρὰ τῶν ἀρξάντων τῆς ἀθεμίτου συνωμοσίας. πρῶτον δὲ πάντων ἀξιοῦμεν ὑμᾶς, ὦ βουλή, ψηφίσασθαι πρᾶγμα, ὅπερ ἐστὶ δικαιότατον, τὴν ὑπὲρ τῶν μηνυομένων ζήτησιν ὑφ´ ἡμῶν τῶν δημάρχων γίνεσθαι. χωρὶς γὰρ τοῦ δικαίου καὶ ἀκριβεστάτας ἀνάγκη γίνεσθαι ζητήσεις, ἃς ἂν οἱ κινδυνεύοντες ὑπὲρ αὑτῶν ποιήσωνται. εἰ δέ τινες ὑμῶν εἰσιν οἷοι μηδὲ καθ´ ἓν εὐγνωμονεῖν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἅπαντας τοὺς ὑπὲρ τοῦ δήμου λέγοντας ἀντιτάττεσθαι, ἡδέως ἂν πυθοίμην παρ´ αὐτῶν, ἐπὶ τῷ δυσχεραίνουσι τῶν ἀξιουμένων καὶ τί μέλλουσιν ὑμᾶς πείθειν· πότερα μηδεμίαν ποιεῖσθαι ζήτησιν, ἀλλ´ ὑπεριδεῖν ἔργον οὕτω μέγα καὶ μιαρὸν ἐπὶ τῷ δήμῳ συνιστάμενον; καὶ τίς ἂν τοὺς ταῦτα λέγοντας ὑγιαίνειν φήσειεν, ἀλλ´ οὐχὶ συνδιεφθάρθαι καὶ κοινωνεῖν τῆς συνωμοσίας, ἔπειτα ὑπὲρ αὑτῶν δεδιότας, ἵνα μὴ γένωνται καταφανεῖς, ἀποσπεύδειν τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐξέτασιν; οἷς οὐκ ἂν δικαίως προσέχοιτε δήπου τὸν νοῦν. ἢ τῆς διαγνώσεως τῶν μηνυομένων οὐχ ἡμᾶς εἶναι κυρίους ἀξιώσουσιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν βουλὴν καὶ τοὺς ὑπάτους; τί οὖν τὸ κωλύον ἔσται τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο καὶ τοὺς προεστηκότας τοῦ δήμου λέγειν, ἐάν τινες ἐκ τῶν δημοτικῶν ἐπὶ τοῖς ὑπάτοις καὶ τῇ βουλῇ συστάντες πράττωσι τὴν τοῦ συνεδρίου κατάλυσιν, ὅτι τὴν περὶ τῶν δημοτῶν ἐξέτασιν αὐτοὺς δίκαιόν ἐστι ποιεῖσθαι τοὺς ἀνειληφότας τὴν τοῦ δήμου φυλακήν; τί οὖν ἐκ τούτου συμβήσεται; μηδεμίαν πώποτε γενέσθαι ζήτησιν περὶ μηθενὸς πράγματος ἀπορρήτου. ἀλλ´ οὔθ´ ἡμεῖς ἂν ταῦτ´ ἀξιώσαιμεν· ὕποπτος γὰρ ἡ φιλοτιμία· ὑμεῖς τ´ οὐκ ἂν ὀρθῶς ποιοῖτε τοῖς τὰ ὅμοια ἀξιοῦσι καθ´ ἡμῶν προσέχοντες τὸν νοῦν, ἀλλὰ κοινοὺς ἡγούμενοι τῆς πόλεως ἐχθρούς. οὐδενὸς μέντοιγε, ὦ βουλή, τοῖς πράγμασιν ὡς τάχους δεῖ. ὁ γὰρ κίνδυνος ὀξύς, καὶ ἡ μέλλησις τῆς ἀσφαλείας ἄωρος ἐν οὐ μέλλουσι δεινοῖς. ὥστ´ ἀφέντες τὸ φιλονεικεῖν καὶ λόγους διεξιέναι μακροὺς ψηφίσασθε ὅ τι ἂν δοκῇ κοινῇ συμφέρειν ἤδη.

[10,11] "Being tossed about on such a rough sea of perils, fathers, we come to you as suppliants, calling to witness the gods and lesser divinities to whom we sacrifice in common; and reminding you of the many great wars we have waged side by side with you, we implore you not to allow us to suffer this cruel and wicked fate at the hands of our enemies, but to assist us and share our indignation, joining with us in exacting suitable punishment from those who have formed these designs — from all of them preferably, but if that may not be, then at least from the authors of this nefarious conspiracy. First of all we ask, senators, that you will pass a measure that is in every respect just, to the effect that the investigation of the matters of which we have been informed shall be conducted by us, the tribunes. For, apart from the justice of this request, those investigations are bound to be strictest which are made by those whose own lives soldier in danger. If there are any among you who are not disposed to show a conciliatory spirit at all, but oppose every man who speaks in favour of the populace, I should like to inquire of them what there is in our demands that displeases them and what course (p199) they intend to recommend to you. Will it be to make no investigation whatever, but to ignore so awful and abominable a plot that is forming against the populace? Yet who would say that those who take that line are honest, and are not rather tainted with the same corruption and sharers in the conspiracy, and then, because they are afraid they will be discovered, vigorously oppose the inquiry into the truth? To such, surely, you would not rightly pay any heed. Or will they demand that those who are to have authority to determine the truth of these reports shall be, not we, the tribunes, but the senate and the consuls? What, then, is to prevent the leaders of the populace also from saying the same thing in case some plebeians, conspiring against the consuls and the senate, should plot the abolition of the latter — that, namely, the investigation of the plebeians would justly be made by the very men who have assumed the protection of the populace? What, then, will be the consequence of this procedure? Why, that no inquiry will ever be made into any secret matter. But, just as we would never make this demand — for partisan zeal arouses suspicion — so you would not be doing right in paying heed to those who insist upon the same course against us; on the contrary, you should look upon them as the common enemies of the state. However, senators, nothing is so necessary in the present juncture as haste; for the danger is acute, and delay in providing for our security is unseasonable in the presence of dangers that delay not. Do you, therefore, putting aside your rivalry and your long harangues, pass at once whatever decree seems conducive to the public good."