[13,5] Μετ´ οὐ πολὺ δὲ οἱ δήμαρχοι Καμίλλῳ φθονήσαντες ἐκκλησίαν κατ´ αὐτοῦ συνήγαγον καὶ ἐζημίωσαν αὐτὸν δέκα μυριάσιν ἀσσαρίων, οὐκ ἀγνοοῦντες, ὅτι πολλοστόν τι μέρος ὁ βίος ἦν αὐτῷ τοῦ κατακρίματος, ἀλλ´ ἵν´ ἀπαχθεὶς εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον ὑπὸ τῶν δημάρχων ἀσχημονήσῃ ὁ τοὺς ἐπιφανεστάτους κατορθώσας πολέμους. τὸ μὲν οὖν ἀργύριον οἱ πελάται τε καὶ συγγενεῖς αὐτοῦ συνεισενέγκαντες ἐκ τῶν ἰδίων χρημάτων ἀπέδοσαν, ὥστε μηδεμιᾶς πειραθῆναι ὕβρεως, ὁ δ´ ἀνὴρ ἀφόρητον ἡγούμενος τὸν προπηλακισμὸν ἐκχωρεῖν ἔγνω τῆς πόλεως. Γενόμενος δὲ πλησίον τῶν πυλῶν καὶ τοὺς παρόντας ἀσπασάμενος ὀλοφυρομένους καὶ δακρύοντας, οἵου στέρεσθαι μέλλοιεν ἀνδρός, πολλὰ κατὰ τῶν παρειῶν ἀφεὶς δάκρυα καὶ τὴν κατασχοῦσαν αὐτὸν ἀσχημοσύνην ἀνακλαυσάμενος, εἶπεν· ὦ θεοὶ καὶ δαίμονες, ἔφοροι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἔργων, ὑμᾶς ἀξιῶ δικαστὰς γενέσθαι μοι τῶν τε πρὸς τὴν πατρίδα πολιτευμάτων καὶ παντὸς τοῦ παρεληλυθότος βίου· ἔπειτ´, ἐὰν μὲν ἔνοχον εὕρητέ με ταῖς αἰτίαις, ἐφ´ αἷς ὁ δῆμος κατεψηφίσατό μου, πονηρὰν καὶ ἀσχήμονα τελευτὴν δοῦναι τοῦ βίου, ἐὰν δ´ ἐν ἅπασιν, οἷς ἐπιστεύθην ὑπὸ τῆς πατρίδος ἐν εἰρήνῃ τε καὶ κατὰ πολέμους, εὐσεβῆ καὶ δίκαιον καὶ πάσης ἀσχήμονος ὑποψίας καθαρόν, τιμωροὺς γενέσθαι μοι, τοιούτους ἐπιστήσαντας τοῖς ἠδικηκόσι κινδύνους καὶ φόβους, δι´ οὓς ἀναγκασθήσονται μηδεμίαν ἄλλην ἐλπίδα σωτηρίας ὁρῶντες ἐπ´ ἐμὲ καταφυγεῖν. ταῦτ´ εἰπὼν εἰς πόλιν Ἀρδέαν ᾤχετο.

[13,5] A little later the civil tribunes, in their hatred of Camillus, convened an assembly to attack him and fined him 100,000 asses. They were not (p245) unaware that his entire estate was but a small fraction of the amount of the fine, but they desired that this man who had won the most famous wars might incur disgrace by being haled to prison by the tribunes. The money was contributed by his clients and relatives from their own funds and paid over, so that he might suffer no indignity; but Camillus, feeling that the insult was unendurable, resolved to quit the city. When he had drawn near the gate and had embraced his friends there present who were lamenting and weeping at the thought of what a great man they were about to lose, he let many a tear roll down his cheeks and bewailed the disgrace that had befallen him, and then said: "Ye gods and genii who watch over the deeds of men, I ask you to become the judges of the measures I have taken with respect to the fatherland and of all my past life. Then, if you find me guilty of the charges on which the people have condemned me, that you will put a bad and shameful end to my life; but if in all the duties with which I have been entrusted by the fatherland both in peace and in war you find me to have been pious and just and free from any shameful suspicion, that you will become my avengers, bringing such perils and terrors upon those who have wronged me that they will be compelled, seeing no other hope of safety, to turn to me for help." After uttering these words he retired to the city of Ardea.