Texte grec :
| [10,19] Καταστάντος δὲ τοῦ θορύβου δικαστήριά
τε ἀπεδίδου τοῖς δεομένοις ἐκ πολλῶν παρειλκυσμένα
χρόνων, καὶ τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν ἐγκλημάτων αὐτὸς ἴσως
καὶ δικαίως διέκρινε δι´ ὅλης ἡμέρας ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος
καθεζόμενος, εὐπρόσοδόν τε καὶ πρᾷον καὶ φιλάνθρωπον τοῖς ἐπὶ τὴν δικαιοδοσίαν
ἀφικνουμένοις ἑαυτὸν
παρεῖχε καὶ παρεσκεύασεν ἀριστοκρατικὴν οὕτως φανῆναι τὴν πολιτείαν, ὥστε μήτε
δημάρχων δεηθῆναι τοὺς
διὰ πενίαν ἢ δυσγένειαν ἢ ἄλλην τινὰ ταπεινότητα
ὑπὸ τῶν κρειττόνων κατισχυομένους, μήτε καινῆς νομοθεσίας πόθον ἔχειν ἔτι τοὺς
ἐν ἰσηγορίᾳ πολιτεύεσθαι βουλομένους, ἀλλ´ ἀγαπᾶν τε καὶ χαίρειν ἅπαντας ἐπὶ τῇ
τότε κατασχούσῃ τὴν πόλιν εὐνομίᾳ. ταῦτά
τε δὴ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐπῃνεῖτο ὑπὸ τοῦ δήμου,
καὶ ἐπεὶ τὸν ὡρισμένον ἐτέλεσε τῆς ἀρχῆς χρόνον τὸ
μὴ δέξασθαι τὴν ὑπατείαν διδομένην τὸ δεύτερον μηδὲ
ἀγαπῆσαι τηλικαύτην λαμβάνοντα τιμήν. κατεῖχε γὰρ
αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῆς ὑπατικῆς ἐξουσίας ἡ βουλὴ πολλὰς προσφέρουσα δεήσεις, ἐπεὶ τὸ
τρίτον οἱ δήμαρχοι διεπράξαντο μὴ ἀποθέσθαι τὴν ἀρχήν, ὡς ἐναντιωσόμενον
αὐτοῖς καὶ παύσοντα τῶν καινῶν πολιτευμάτων, τὰ μὲν
αἰδοῖ, τὰ δὲ φόβῳ, τὸν δὲ δῆμον ὁρῶσα οὐκ ἀναινόμενον ὑπ´ ἀνδρὸς ἀγαθοῦ
ἄρχεσθαι. ὁ δ´ οὔτε τῶν
δημάρχων ἐπαινεῖν ἔφη τὸ ἀπαραχώρητον τῆς ἐξουσίας
οὔτε αὐτὸς εἰς ὁμοίαν ἐκείνοις ἥξειν διαβολήν. συναγαγὼν δὲ τὸν δῆμον εἰς
ἐκκλησίαν καὶ πολλὴν κατηγορίαν τῶν οὐκ ἀποτιθεμένων τὰς ἀρχὰς διαθέμενος
ὅρκους τε διομοσάμενος ἰσχυροὺς περὶ τοῦ μὴ λήψεσθαι
πάλιν τὴν ὑπατείαν, πρὶν ἀποθέσθαι τὴν προτέραν
ἀρχήν, προεῖπεν ἀρχαιρεσίων ἡμέραν· ἐν ᾗ καταστήσας ὑπάτους ἀπῄει πάλιν εἰς τὸ
μικρὸν ἐκεῖνο
καλύβιον καὶ τὸν αὐτουργὸν ἔζη βίον ὡς πρότερον.
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Traduction française :
| [10,19] The tumult having been appeased, he restored of all plaintiffs recourse to courts of
law, a matter for a long time delayed; and he himself decided most suits, with fairness
and justice, sitting (p229) on the tribunal the whole day and showing himself easy of
access, mild and humane to all who came to him for judgement. By this means he
made the government seem so truly an aristocracy that neither tribunes were
needed by those who through poverty, humble birth or any other point of inferiority
were oppressed by their superiors, nor was any desire for new legislation longer felt
by those who wished for a government based on equal rights; but all were contented
and pleased with the law and order which then came to prevail in the commonwealth.
Not only for these actions was Quintius praised by the populace, but also for
refusing the consulship when, upon his completion of the appointed term of office, it
was offered to him a second time, and for not even being pleased when that great
honour was tendered him. For the senate attempted to retain him in the consulship,
using many entreaties, because the tribunes for the third time had so managed that
they did not have to lay down their office; for they were confident that he would
oppose the tribunes and make them drop their new measures, partly out of respect
and partly out of fear, and they also saw that the populace did not refuse to be
governed by a good man. But Quintius answered that he not only did not approve of
this unwillingness on the part of the tribunes to give up their power, but he would not
himself incur the same censure as they had. Then he called an assembly of the
populace, and having inveighed in a long speech against those who would not resign
their magistracies, and taken solemn oaths with reference to his refusal to take the
consulship again before he had retired from his first term, he announced a day for the
election; then on the appointed (p231) day having named the consuls, he returned to
that little cottage of his and lived, as before, the life of a farmer working his own land.
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