14

almost, but during the day, hiding two-edged daggers by their thighs under their cloaks, and forming gangs, whenever it grew dark, they would rob the more respectable people both in the whole market-place and in the narrow streets, taking from those they met their cloaks and belts and golden brooches and whatever else 7.16 they might have in their hands. And some, in addition to the robbery, they saw fit to kill, so that they might not report to anyone what had happened to them. 7.17 At this everyone, and especially those of the Blues who were not partisans, was greatly vexed, since not even they 7.18 remained unharmed. And from then on most people used bronze belts and brooches and cloaks far inferior to their station, so that they might not perish for their love of finery, and before the sun had yet set they would withdraw to their houses 7.19 and hide. And as the evil dragged on and no check was applied to the offenders by the authority set over the people, the audacity of the men was ever raised to a great height. 7.20 For wrongdoing, when it is granted license, is by nature carried to infinity, since even crimes that are punished are not wont to be completely 7.21 cut off. For by nature most men are easily turned to wrongdoing. 7.22 So the affairs of the Blues were proceeding in this way. But of the opposing partisans, some went over to their side, out of a desire to do wrong with them and not pay the penalty, while others took to flight and went secretly to other lands; but many also, being caught there, were destroyed by their opponents or punished by the authorities. 7.23 And many other young men flocked to this very society, though they had never before been concerned with these matters, but were drawn thither by the license of power and insolence. 7.24 For there is no pollution named by men which was not committed in this time 7.25 and did not remain unpunished. First, then, they were destroying their opponents, and as they proceeded they also killed those who had given them no offense. 7.26 And many people, having persuaded them with money, pointed out their own enemies, whom they immediately dispatched, charging them with the name of Greens, 7.27 though they were completely unknown to them. And these things were no longer done in darkness or in a secret corner, but at all hours of the day, and in every part of the city, if it so chanced, in the sight of the most distinguished men. 7.28 For they had no need to conceal their crimes, since, to be sure, no fear of punishment lay upon them, but there was even a certain claim to honor, as they made a display of strength and manliness, because with a single blow they killed an unarmed man who chanced to fall in their way, and no hope was left to anyone of living any longer in the precariousness of life. 7.29 For all suspected that death was upon them because they were terrified, and neither any secure place nor any safe time seemed to exist for anyone's salvation, since even in the most revered of sanctuaries and at festivals they were being killed for no reason, and no trust in friends and relatives was any longer left. For many were dying even by the plotting of their closest kin. 7.30 However, no investigation of what had been done was made. But unexpected calamities befell all, and no one came to the aid of those who had fallen. 7.31 And no force of any law or contract was any longer left in the stability of order, but everything, having turned to greater violence, was thrown into confusion, and the state was most like a tyranny, not an established one, however, but one changing every day 7.32 and always beginning. And the minds of the magistrates seemed as if they were panic-stricken, their spirit enslaved by fear of one man, and the judges, when giving their decisions on disputed matters, cast their votes, not as seemed to them just and lawful, but according as each of the litigants happened to be an enemy or a friend of the partisans. For a judge who had disregarded their command, death was the penalty that lay in store. 7.33 And many creditors, having recovered none of the debt, with great violence the notes to those who owed them

14

σχεδὸν, ἐν δέ γε ἡμέρᾳ ξιφίδια παρὰ τὸν μηρὸν δίστομα ὑπὸ τῷ ἱματίῳ ἀποκρυψάμενοι, ξυνιστάμενοί τε κατὰ συμμορίας, ἐπειδὰν ξυσκοτάζοι, ἐλωποδύτουν τοὺς ἐπιεικεστέρους ἔν τε ὅλῃ ἀγορᾷ κἀν τοῖς στενωποῖς, ἀφαιρούμενοι τοὺς παραπεπτωκότας τά τε ἱμάτια καὶ ζώνας τε καὶ περόνας χρυσᾶς καὶ εἴ τι 7.16 ἄλλο ἐν χερσὶν ἔχοιεν. τινὰς δὲ πρὸς τῇ ἁρπαγῇ καὶ κτείνειν ἠξίουν, ὅπως μηδενὶ τὰ ξυμπεσόντα σφίσιν 7.17 ἀναγγείλωσιν. οἷς δὴ ἅπαντες καὶ τῶν Βενέτων οἱ μὴ στασιῶται μάλιστα ἤχθοντο, ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ ἀπα7.18 θεῖς ἔμενον. καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ χαλκαῖς τὸ λοιπὸν ζώναις τε καὶ περόναις καὶ ἱματίοις πολλῷ ἐλασσόνως ἢ κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ὡς πλεῖστοι ἐχρῶντο, ὅπως δὴ μὴ τῷ φιλοκάλῳ ἀπόλωνται, καὶ οὔπω δεδυκότος ἡλίου ἐς τὰς 7.19 οἰκίας ἀναχωροῦντες ἐκρύπτοντο. μηκυνομένου δὲ τοῦ κακοῦ καὶ οὐδεμιᾶς ἐπιστροφῆς ἐς τοὺς ἡμαρτηκότας πρὸς τῆς τῷ δήμῳ ἐφεστώσης ἀρχῆς γινομένης ἐπὶ 7.20 μέγα τὸ τῶν ἀνδρῶν θράσος ἐς ἀεὶ ᾔρετο. ἁμαρτία γὰρ παρρησίας ἀξιωθεῖσα ἐπ' ἄπειρον φέρεσθαι πέφυκεν, ἐπεὶ καὶ κολαζόμενα τὰ ἐγκλήματα φιλεῖ οὐκ ἐς 7.21 τὸ παντελὲς ἀποκόπτεσθαι. φύσει γὰρ οἱ πλεῖστοι ἐς τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν εὐπετῶς τρέπονται. 7.22 Τὰ μὲν οὖν τῶν Βενέτων ἐφέρετο τῇδε. τῶν δὲ ἀντιστασιωτῶν οἱ μὲν ἐς τὴν ἐκείνων ἀπέκλινον μοῖραν, ἐπιθυμίᾳ τοῦ ξυναμαρτάνειν τε καὶ μὴ δοῦναι τὴν δίκην, οἱ δὲ φυγῇ ἐχόμενοι ἐς ἑτέρας τινὰς ἐλάνθανον χώρας· πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ αὐτοῦ καταλαμβανόμενοι διεφθείροντο πρὸς τῶν ἐναντίων ἢ πρὸς τῆς ἀρχῆς κολα7.23 ζόμενοι. καὶ ἄλλοι δὲ νεανίαι πολλοὶ ἐς ταύτην δὴ τὴν ἑταιρίαν ξυνέρρεον οὐδεπώποτε πρότερον περὶ ταῦτα ἐσπουδακότες, ἀλλὰ δυνάμεώς τε καὶ ὕβρεως 7.24 ἐξουσίᾳ ἐνταῦθα ἠγμένοι. οὐ γάρ ἐστιν οὐδὲν μίασμα ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων ὠνομασμένον, ὅπερ οὐχ ἡμαρτήθη τε 7.25 ἐν τούτῳ τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ τιμωρίας ἐκτὸς ἔμεινε. πρῶτον μὲν οὖν σφῶν τοὺς ἀντιστασιώτας διέφθειρον, προϊόντες δὲ καὶ τοὺς οὐδὲν προσκεκρουκότας αὐτοῖς 7.26 ἔκτεινον. πολλοὶ δὲ καὶ χρήμασιν αὐτοὺς ἀναπείσαντες ἀπεδείκνυον τοὺς σφετέρους ἐχθροὺς, οὕσπερ ἐκεῖνοι διεχρῶντο εὐθὺς ὄνομα μὲν Πρασίνων αὐτοῖς ἐπενεγ7.27 κόντες, ἀγνῶτας δὲ σφίσι παντάπασιν ὄντας. καὶ ταῦτα οὐκ ἐν σκότῳ ἔτι οὐδ' ἐν παραβύστῳ ἐγένετο, ἀλλ' ἐν ἅπασι μὲν τῆς ἡμέρας καιροῖς, ἐν ἑκάστῳ δὲ τῆς πόλεως χώρῳ, ἀνδράσι τοῖς λογιμωτάτοις τῶν πρασσομένων, ἂν οὕτω τύχοι, ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ὄντων. 7.28 οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐπικαλύπτειν ἐδέοντο τὰ ἐγκλήματα, ἐπεί τοι αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἐπέκειτο κολάσεως δέος, ἀλλά τις προσῆν καὶ φιλοτιμίας ἀξίωσις, ἰσχύος τε καὶ ἀνδρείας ἐμποιουμένοις ἐπίδειξιν, ὅτι δὴ πληγῇ μιᾷ τῶν τινα παραπεπτωκότων γυμνὸν ἔκτεινον, ἐλπίς τε οὐδενὶ τοῦ ἔτι βιώσεσθαι ἐν τῷ τῆς διαίτης σφαλερῷ ἔμενε. 7.29 πάντες γὰρ ἐγκεῖσθαι σφίσι τὸν θάνατον τῷ περιδεεῖς εἶναι ὑπώπτευον, καὶ οὔτε τόπος τις ὀχυρὸς οὔτε καιρὸς ἐχέγγυός τινι ἐς τὴν σωτηρίαν ἔδοξεν εἶναι, ἐπεὶ κἀν τοῖς τῶν ἱερῶν τιμιωτάτοις κἀν ταῖς πανηγύρεσι λόγῳ οὐδενὶ διεφθείροντο, πίστις τε οὐδεμία πρός τε τῶν φίλων καὶ τῶν ξυγγενῶν ἔτι ἐλέλειπτο. πολλοὶ γὰρ καὶ τῇ τῶν οἰκειοτάτων ἐπιβουλῇ ἔθνησκον. 7.30 Ζήτησις μέντοι οὐδεμία τῶν πεπραγμένων ἐγίνετο. ἀλλὰ τὰ πάθη ἀπροσδόκητα πᾶσιν ἔπιπτε καὶ τοῖς 7.31 πεπτωκόσιν οὐδεὶς ἤμυνε. νόμου δέ τινος ἢ συμβολαίου δύναμίς τις ἐν τῷ βεβαίῳ τῆς τάξεως οὐκέτι ἐλέλειπτο, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ βιαιότερον ἅπαντα τετραμμένα ξυνεταράχθη, τυραννίδι τε ἦν ἡ πολιτεία ἐμφερὴς μάλιστα, οὐ καθεστώσῃ μέντοι γε, ἀλλὰ καθ' ἑκάστην 7.32 τε ἀμειβομένῃ καὶ ἀεὶ ἀρχομένῃ. τῶν τε ἀρχόντων αἱ γνῶμαι ὥσπερ ἐκπεπληγμέναις ἐῴκεσαν, ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς φόβῳ δεδουλωμένων τὸ φρόνημα, οἵ τε δικάζοντες τὰς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀντιλεγομένων ποιούμενοι γνώσεις τὰς ψήφους ἐδίδοσαν, οὐχ ᾗπερ αὐτοῖς ἐδόκει δίκαιά τε καὶ νόμιμα εἶναι, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τῶν διαφερομένων ἑκάστῳ τὰ ἐκ τῶν στασιωτῶν δυσμενῆ τε καὶ φίλα ἐτύγχανεν ὄντα. δικαστῇ γὰρ ὠλιγωρηκότι τῆς ἐκείνων προρρήσεως θάνατος ἡ ζημία ἐπέκειτο. 7.33 Καὶ πολλοὶ μὲν δανεισταὶ τὰ γραμματεῖα τοῖς ὠφληκόσι ξὺν βίᾳ πολλῇ οὐδὲν τοῦ ὀφλήματος κεκομισμένοι