[12,14] Ὁ δὲ δικτάτωρ Κάμιλλος, οὗ στρατηγίᾳ ἡ πόλις ἥλω, ἐπὶ μετεώρου τινὸς ἑστὼς ἅμα τοῖς ἐπιφανεστάτοις Ῥωμαίων, ὅθεν ἅπασα ἡ πόλις ἦν καταφανής, πρῶτον μὲν ἐμακάρισεν ἑαυτὸν τῆς παρούσης εὐτυχίας, ὅτι καθελεῖν αὐτῷ μεγάλην καὶ εὐδαίμονα πόλιν ἐξεγένετο δίχα πόνου, ἣ Τυρρηνίας μὲν ἀνθούσης τότε καὶ πλεῖστον τῶν κατοικούντων τὴν Ἰταλίαν ἐθνῶν δυναμένης οὐκ ἐλαχίστη μοῖρα ἦν, Ῥωμαίοις δὲ περὶ τῆς ἡγεμονίας διαφερομένη καὶ πολλοὺς ὑπομείνασα πολέμους ἄχρι δεκάτης γενεᾶς διετέλεσεν, ἐξ οὗ δ´ ἤρξατο πολεμεῖν καὶ πολιορκεῖσθαι συνεχῶς, δέκα διήνεγκε τὴν πολιορκίαν ἔτη πάσης πειραθεῖσα τύχης. Ἔπειτ´ ἐνθυμηθείς, ὡς ἐπὶ μικρᾶς αἰωρεῖται ῥοπῆς ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων εὐδαιμονία, καὶ βέβαιον οὐδὲν διαμένει τῶν ἀγαθῶν, διατείνας εἰς οὐρανὸν τὰς χεῖρας εὔξατο τῷ τε Διὶ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις θεοῖς, μάλιστα μὲν ἀνεπίφθονον ἑαυτῷ τε καὶ τῇ πατρίδι γίνεσθαι τὴν παροῦσαν εὐδαιμονίαν· εἰ δέ τις ἔμελλε κοινῇ συμφορὰ τὴν Ῥωμαίων πόλιν ἢ τὸν αὐτοῦ βίον καταλαμβάνειν ἀντίπαλος τῶν παρόντων ἀγαθῶν, ἐλαχίστην γενέσθαι ταύτην καὶ μετριωτάτην.

[12,14] The dictator Camillus, by whose generalship the city had been captured, after taking his stand with the most prominent Romans upon a height from which the entire city was visible, first congratulated himself upon his present good fortune, in that it had fallen to his lot to destroy without hardship a great and prosperous city which was no unimportant part of Tyrrhenia — a country at that time flourishing and the most powerful of any of the nations inhabiting Italy — and which had constantly disputed the leadership with the Romans and had continued to endure many wars unto the tenth generation, and from the time when it began to wage war and to be besieged continuously had endured the siege for ten years, experiencing every kind of fortune. 2 (20) Then, remembering that men's happiness hangs upon a slight turn of the scales and that no blessings continue steadfast, he stretched out his hands toward heaven and prayed to Jupiter and the other gods that, if possible, his present good fortune might not prove a cause of hatred against either him or his country; but that if any calamity was destined to befall the city of Rome in general or (p235) his own life as a counterbalance to their present blessings, it might be very slight and moderate.