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wretched men, some you mercilessly destroyed, while others, after forcing them to endure every form of torture, you then put out of the way? What was the reason for you to become the perpetrators of so many evils? Caesar has perished. But not with our consent, the all-seeing eye knows; but by those in whom hatred against him was ingrained from some old grievances, by these and these alone was the deed done of their own will. Therefore, that he suffered the worst, since it is not at all our concern in the view of penalties, you should attribute to yourselves for vengeance. And yet she was our child who was living with him, so that it would have seemed pardonable, if he had committed any offense. And to pursue offenses in this way is least acceptable to the customs of the Romans. And this would perhaps be so if the crime were evident. But if one has nothing to charge, as we ourselves would wish to know, how could it happen that we should choose 568 things that are not expedient? Besides these things, for those who have nowhere to turn, if some undesirable thing should happen from someone, it might happen for them to act rashly even against their own customs. For those for whom the means of revenge are in very tight straits, they must attempt even things that are least customary in every way; for at the right time these things bring despair and the weakness and helplessness of the actors to transgress even the customary things. And when blame is attached to things being done, one might justly blame them; but for those who have the power to take revenge as they would wish, to cast upon themselves chosen shame, how is it not undesirable? Therefore, you should be no less forgiving of what has been done, than you wish to become avengers, against those who would be punished in sum unless they choose to appear wicked and worse than treaty-breakers. But if so, yet you should consider from past events with how many things, when you should have grown rich from your enemies, you have been enriched from what is ours. And I pass over 569 all that you enslaved, 569 having disregarded the treaties and agreements with the Romans; but how many you have profited from receiving from us giving or even conceding. For the guise of allies, and the pretense of still toiling for our interests, disposed those who were no less givers as if they were receivers, even if someone, being unwilling, gave while being deprived. Remember these things, and revering the agreements from the beginning by which you have been bound, henceforth put aside Caesar as a pretext, and let the thought enter your minds in what part of the earth you are settled while you do these things, and whether it will be without danger for you in the future. For on our side, since until now we shun the appearance of breaking the treaty, as being least fitting for us, the matters of battle have been undertaken rather gently; for it is a terrible thing that the agreements persuade one to do nothing even when suffering the most terrible things, and for those who suffer there is a refuge in the reverence for what has been sworn, even if someone might find fault. But as for you, where your audacity will end up, you will know before long, if you do not stop. 570 But still one must also restrain them by speaking; for thus we would both carry off the reputation among those who judge rightly that a reason for pardon has been left to us for the future, and justice will again be on our side, to exact penalties, with you giving them, even unwillingly, for us who choose to do so with divine aid, since you do not hesitate to begin the battle. For it is necessary to avoid completely the appearance of breaking the treaty. For the one who, in the face of so many terrible things, is offered a beginning towards peace and does not want it, that one would also justly bear the appearance of beginning the treaty-breaking. For to those who attack first, not to those defending themselves, will this inglorious title fall, if someone, by breaking the agreements, should provoke the defense. Therefore, it is necessary to choose one of two things, perhaps not based on what is fitting for the present occasion: either, having taken everything, to return to your own customs, or, possessing everything, to come to us, as those who will be again 571 for hire, to serve the rule of the Romans. For thus in both cases and with firm possession it would happen that you possess everything, and that the treaties have been excessively neglected would seem least likely. And to whichever side you may turn, you would not have cast off completely the reputation of a secure alliance, since what sense does it make

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ἀνθρώπους οἰκτρούς, τὰ μὲν ἀνηλεῶς διεχρήσασθε, τοὺς δὲ πᾶσαν ἰδέαν βασάνων διενεγκεῖν ἀναγκάσαντες ἔπειτα ἐκποδὼν ἔθεσθε; τί ὑμῖν τοῦ πράκτορας τοσούτων γενέσθαι κακῶν αἴτιον; Καῖσαρ ἀπώλετο. ἀλλ' οὐχ ἡμῶν γε θελόντων, οἶδεν ὁ πάνθ' ὁρῶν ὀφθαλμός· ἀλλ' οἷς ἐντέτροφε μῖσος τὸ κατ' ἐκείνου ἔκ τινων παλαιῶν μηνιμάτων, τούτοις καὶ μόνοις αὐτόβουλον εἴργασται τὸ πραχθέν. τὸ παθεῖν οὖν ἐκεῖνον τὰ χείριστα, ὡς οὐχ ἡμῖν μετὸν ὅλως εἰς ζημίας δό κησιν, σφίσιν αὐτοῖς εἰς ἐκδίκησιν περιγράφετε. καὶ μὴν παῖς ἦν ἡμῖν ἡ ἐκείνῳ συνοικοῦσα, ὥστ' ἂν καὶ συγγνωτέα ἐδόκει, ἤν πού τί οἱ καὶ πεπλημμέλητο. καὶ τὸ οὕτω τὰ πεπλημμελημένα μετέρχεσθαι τοῖς τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἤθεσιν ἥκιστα χωρητέα. καὶ τοῦτ' ἦν ἴσως εἰ προῦπτον ἦν τὸ ἀδίκημα. ἢν δὲ μηδὲν ἔχοι τις ἐγκαλεῖν ὡς καὶ αὐτοῖς ἡμῖν βουλομένοις εἰδέναι ἂν εἴη, πῶς ἂν 568 αἱρετέα ἡμῖν τὰ μὴ ξυνοίσοντα ξυνέβαινεν εἶναι; χωρὶς δὲ τού των, τοῖς μὲν οὐκ ἔχουσιν ἂν ὅπῃ τραπεῖεν, ἤν πού τι τῶν ἀβου λήτων παρά τινων γένοιτο, ἐκείνοις ἂν ξυμβαίη καὶ παρὰ τὰ οἰ κεῖα ἤθη παρατολμᾶν. οἷς γὰρ σφίσιν ἐν στενῷ κομιδῇ τὰ τῆς ἐκδικήσεως, ἐπιχειρητέα καὶ τὰ ἥκιστα ἂν ἐς ἅπαν συνήθη· φέ ρει γὰρ εἰς καιρὸν ταῦτα τὸ ἀπογνῶναι καὶ τὸ τῶν δρασειόντων ἀσθενὲς καὶ ἀμήχανον τοῦ καὶ τὰ συνήθη παραβαίνειν. καὶ ὧν πραττομένων ἡ μέμψις ἐφῆπται, αἰτιάσαιτ' ἄν τις δικαίως· οἷς δ' ἐν ἰσχύϊ τὸ μετελθεῖν ὡς βούλοιντ' ἄν, τὸ αἱρετὴν αἰσχύνην περιβαλέσθαι σφίσιν ἑαυτοῖς πῶς οὐκ ἀβούλητον; τῶν μὲν οὖν πεπραγμένων οὐχ ἧττον ξυγγνώμονας εἶναι χρή, ἢ ἐκδικητὰς βού λεσθε γίγνεσθαι, τοὺς οὐκ ἂν εἰ μὴ αἱροῖντο κακοὶ φαίνεσθαι καὶ ἐκσπόνδων χείρους ζημιωθησομένους τὸ σύνολον. εἰ δ' οὖν, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῶν φθασάντων σκεπτέα ἂν εἴη ὑμῖν ὁπόσοις, δέον παρ' ἐχθρῶν πλουτεῖν, ἐκ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐξωλβίσθητε. καὶ ἀφίημι 569 ὅσα ἠλογηκότες τῶν εἰς Ῥωμαίους σπονδῶν καὶ συνθηκῶν ἠνδρα 569 ποδίσασθε· ἀλλ' ὁπόσους ἡμῶν διδόντων ἢ καὶ ἐκκεχωρηκότων λαμβάνειν ἀπώνασθε. τὸ γὰρ τῶν συμμάχων σχῆμα, καὶ τὸ ἔτι δοκεῖν τῶν ἡμετέρων ὑπερπονεῖν, ὡς λαμβάνοντας διετίθει τοὺς οὐδὲν ἧττον διδόντας, κἄν τις καὶ ἄκων εἶναι ἐδίδου προσ αφαιρούμενος. τούτων μνήσθητε, καὶ τὰς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὁμολογίας αἰδεσθέντες αἷς ἐμπεπέδωσθε, Καίσαρα μὲν πρόφασιν τοὐντεῦ θεν ἀπόθεσθε, ἔννοια δὲ εἰσίτω ὅπῃ γῆς προσκαθήμενοι ταῦτ' ἐργάζεσθε, καὶ εἰ ἀκίνδυνα σφίσιν αὐτοῖς τὸ ἐς νέωτα ἔσται. ἡμῖν μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἐς τόδε δόκησιν παρασπονδήσεως, ὡς ἥκισθ' ἡμῖν πρέπουσαν, ἀποκλίνουσι μαλακώτερον τὰ τῆς μάχης ἐπικε χείρηται· δεινὰ γὰρ τὰ ξυγκείμενα ἀπρακτεῖν πείθει καὶ τὰ δει νότατα πάσχοντας, καὶ πάσχουσίν ἐστι καταφυγὴ ἡ τῶν διομω μοσμένων αἰδώς, ἤν τις καὶ μέμφοιτο. ὑμῖν δὲ ὅποι περιστή σεται τὰ τῆς τόλμης, οὐκ εἰς μακράν, εἰ μὴ παύσησθε, εἴσεσθε. 570 ἀλλ' ὅμως χρὴ καὶ προαναστέλλειν λέγοντας· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἐσαῦθις λελεῖφθαι ἡμῖν λόγον συγγνώμης παρὰ τοῖς τὰ δί καια κρίνουσι δόξαν ἀποισαίμεθ' ἄν, καὶ προσέσται τὸ δίκαιον αὖθις, τὰς δίκας λαμβάνειν, ὑμῶν διδόντων καὶ ἀκόντων, σὺν ἀρήξει θείᾳ προαιρουμένοις, ἐπείπερ ἄρχειν τῆς μάχης οὐ κατο κνεῖτε. δεῖ γὰρ τὴν τοῦ παρασπονδεῖν δόκησιν ἐς ἅπαν ἐκκλίνειν. ὁ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοσούτοις δεινοῖς τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐς εἰρηνικὰς ἀξιούμενος καὶ μὴ θέλων, ἐκεῖνος καὶ τὴν τοῦ παρασπονδεῖν τὴν ἀρχὴν δόκησιν δικαίως ἂν ἀπενέγκαιτ' ἄν. τοῖς γὰρ ἐπιοῦσι τὸ πρῶτον, οὐ τοῖς ἀμυνομένοις τὸ ἄδοξον τοῦτο πρόσρημα περιστήσεται, ἤν πού τις ἀδικῶν τὰς συνθήκας τὴν ἄμυναν προσκαλοῖτο. δυοῖν οὖν ἑλέσθαι θάτερον ἀναγκαῖον ἴσως καὶ οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ τῷ παρόντι καιρῷ πρέποντος, ἢ πάντα λαβόντας πρὸς τὰ ὑμέτερα ἐπανήκειν ἤθη, ἢ πάντ' ἔχοντας ἡμῖν προσφοιτᾶν, ὡς ἐπὶ μισθοῖς καὶ αὖ 571 θις ἐσομένους, τῇ τῶν Ῥωμαίων ὑπηρετεῖσθαι ἀρχῇ. οὕτω γὰρ κατ' ἄμφω καὶ ἐπὶ βεβαίῳ τῆς κτήσεως συμβαίη ἂν τὰ πάντα κεκτῆσθαι, καὶ τὸ εἰς ἄγαν τὰς σπονδὰς ἠμελῆσθαι ἥκιστ' ἂν δόξειε. καὶ ὅποι ποτ' ἂν προσχωρήσητε, τὴν τῆς ἐν ἀσφαλεῖ συμμαχίας δόξαν οὐκ ἐς ἅπαν ἀποβεβληκότες εἴητε, ἐπεὶ τίν' ἔχει λόγον