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it will be possible to say ways; but that you, though you remember, are ungrateful and are giving back to the emperor's children the opposite of the recompense that was fitting after his death? But this is not your way, just as the first was not. Moreover, what you have now decided is not worthy of the words you addressed to me on each occasion, even while the emperor was living. For surely you have not forgotten how you insisted you were most ready 2.34 to endure many struggles and dangers and death, if one might say so, for my benefit and that of my children, should the occasion call for it. Now that this occasion is at hand, you yourself will say if it is seemly for you to be tested by your deeds. Furthermore, I am not conscious of having offended you in any way, but from the time I arrived in the imperial household, I offered you no less goodwill or honor than I would to a brother, or rather far more, inasmuch as from him, being so far removed, no harm would befall me if he were dead, nor any benefit if he were alive; but you, while living, could be of the greatest help, and if you were to die, you would do no less harm to me and to the affairs of the Romans. And I, although I could string together many things and prove through them that you have decided what is neither expedient nor just, will say this one thing only, leaving the rest aside. For if one of the nobles, while passing along the road, happened to meet a woman who was living in widowhood and the evils arising from it, wasted away with orphan children who had no one to protect them, and for these reasons fearing many dangers and begging him to pity her misfortune and to stand up for her and her children, putting forward no other claim for justice than her noble birth and undeserved misfortune, would it not be necessary for you and anyone like you, neglecting all else, to take as much care of the woman as possible, and to consider the toils on her behalf worthy of an account of good repute 2.35 and justice? If, therefore, this alone would have been sufficient for persuasion, what plausible defense could you give, if, when this very thing and many other stronger reasons are present, you are seen to be inexorable. Therefore I beg you, abandon this plan and do not, for the sake of a small pretext, leave me and my infant children like a ship in the middle of the sea, bereft of a helmsman. But whether you first thought of this yourself—to consider the plan untimely and full of countless evils—or you were persuaded by another's advice, do not consider that man one of your friends, but your greatest enemy, plotting against your good repute and honor, and against our very salvation, and I will add, against all the affairs of the Romans in common. And even if I myself did not see from my own accord what was necessary, that there is no other surer salvation for us all in common than for you to be in charge of affairs, as you were while the emperor was living, I should have understood what was expedient at least from the emperor's own words, which he often spoke to me about you, and especially a little before his death. For while he was reclining on my knees, with you present, he said, "The time of my death has come. But you must see to it that, when I am gone, you are not deceived by certain reasonings or words of some people and attach yourself to another, having rejected this man here. For if this should happen, 2.36 nothing would then prevent you and your children and the entire dominion of the Romans from being destroyed; but by holding fast to him, you will take the best counsel for yourself and for our affairs." If, then, I was taught such things by the emperor and I myself know the same things from my own experience, what sense would it make for me to be persuaded by what you yourself have ill and improperly decided, and to be a willing party to it. If, therefore, you yourself, seeing from what I have said how great is the absurdity of the matter, refrain both from planning and saying such things, and, holding to your affairs as you are accustomed, you yourself do what is expedient for the Romans in common, with the hand from above also assisting, and you grant me peace to lament and bewail my misfortunes—for this is my only consolation and a respite from my troubles—you will be doing what is at once just, expedient, and fitting for yourself. But if, having rejected and cast aside everything, you become intent on one thing only, to persist in your decisions, bidding farewell to all,

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τρόπους εἰπεῖν ἐξέσται· ὅτι δὲ μεμνημένος ἀγνωμονεῖς καὶ τοῖς βασιλέως παισὶν ἐναντίας ᾗ προσῆκεν ἀποδίδως ἀμοιβὰς μετὰ τὴν ἐκείνου τελευτήν; ἀλλ' οὔτε τοῦτο σὸν, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ τὸ πρῶτον. οὐ μὴν ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τῶν πρὸς ἐμέ σου λόγων, οὓς ἑκάστοτε, καὶ βασιλέως ζῶντος, διεξίεις, ἄξια τὰ δεδογμένα νῦν. οὐ γὰρ δήπου γε ἐπιλέλησαι, ὡς πολλοὺς ἀγῶνας καὶ κινδύνους καὶ θάνατον, εἰ οἷόν τε εἰπεῖν, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐμῆς ὠφελείας καὶ τῶν παίδων ἑτοιμότατος 2.34 εἶναι, καιροῦ καλοῦντος, ὑπομένειν ἰσχυρίζου. οὗ νῦν παρόντος, εἴ σοι ἐξελέγχεσθαι ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων εὐπρεπὲς, αὐτὸς ἐρεῖς. ἔτι δὲ οὐδ' ἐμαυτῇ τι σύνοιδα σοὶ προσκεκρουκυῖα, ἀλλ' ἐξ ὅτου παρεγενόμην ἐν τοῖς βασιλείοις οἴκοις, οὐδὲν ἀποδέουσαν οὔτ' εὔνοιαν, οὔτε τιμὴν ἢ τἀδελφῷ κόντῳ παρειχόμην, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πλείω παραπολὺ, ὅσον ἐκείνου μὲν οὔτε τεθνεῶτος ἐμοί τις βλάβη, οὔτ' ὠφέλεια ζῶντος ἕψεται, τοσοῦτο διῳκισμένου· σὺ δὲ καὶ ζῶν τὰ μέγιστα ἂν ὀνήσαις, καὶ ἀποθανὼν οὐδὲν ἧττον ἐμοί τε καὶ τοῖς Ῥωμαίων πράγμασι λυμανῇ. ἐγὼ δὲ καίτοι πολλὰ συνείρειν ἔχουσα καὶ ἀποδεικνύναι δι' αὐτῶν, ὡς οὔτε συμφέροντα, οὔτε δίκαια ἐβουλεύσω, ἐκεῖνο μόνον ἐρῶ, τὰ ἄλλα καταλιποῦσα. εἰ γὰρ παριόντα τινὰ ὁδὸν τῶν ἐπιφανῶν τινι συνέβη γυναικὶ συντυχεῖν, χηρείᾳ μὲν συνούσῃ καὶ τοῖς ἐκ ταύτης κακοῖς, καὶ παισὶν ὀρφανοῖς καὶ μηδένα τὸν προστησόμενον ἔχουσι προστετηκυίᾳ καὶ διὰ ταῦτα πολλοὺς ὑφορωμένῃ τοὺς κινδύνους καὶ δεομένῃ τῆς δυστυχίας οἰκτεῖραι καὶ αὐτῆς προστῆναι καὶ τῶν παίδων, οὐδὲν ἕτερον εἰς δικαίου λόγον προβαλλομένῃ ἢ τὴν εὐγένειαν καὶ τὴν παρ' ἀξίαν κακοπραγίαν, οὐκ ἔδει καὶ σὲ καὶ πάντα ὁντινοῦν οἷος σὺ, τῶν ἄλλων ἀμελήσαντα, πρόνοιαν ποιήσασθαι τῆς γυναικὸς ὅση δυνατὴ, καὶ ἀξιόχρεως τοὺς ὑπὲρ ἐκείνης νομίσαι πόνους εἰς εὐκλείας 2.35 λόγον καὶ δικαιοσύνης; εἰ τοίνυν τοῦτο μόνον ἤρκεσεν ἂν εἰς πειθὼ, τίνα ἂν εὐπρόσωπον ἀπολογίαν ἀποδοίης, εἰ αὐτοῦ τε τούτου καὶ πολλῶν ἑτέρων ἰσχυροτέρων παρόντων, ἀπαραίτητος ὀφθῇς. διό σου δέομαι, ταύτης ἀποστῆναι τῆς βουλῆς καὶ μὴ προφάσεως ἕνεκα μικρᾶς ἐμέ τε καὶ νηπίους παῖδας τοὺς ἐμοὺς, ὥσπερ ἐν μέσῳ πελάγει ναῦν ἐρήμην κυβερνήτου, καταλιπεῖν. ἀλλ' εἴτ' αὐτὸς πρῶτος ἐνεθυμήθης, ἄκαιρον ἡγήσασθαι καὶ μυρίων γέμουσαν τὴν βουλὴν κακῶν, εἴθ' ἑτέρῳ συμβουλεύοντι ἐπείσθης, μὴ τῶν φίλων ἐκεῖνον, ἀλλ' ἔχθιστον ἡγεῖσθαι καὶ σοὶ μὲν πρὸς τὴν εὔκλειαν καὶ τὴν τιμὴν, ἡμῖν δὲ πρὸς αὐτὴν ἐπιβουλεύοντα τὴν σωτηρίαν, προσθήσω δ' ὅτι καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς Ῥωμαίων πράγμασι κοινῇ. ἐγὼ δὲ εἰ καὶ μὴ ἀφ' ἑαυτῆς αὐτὴ τὸ δέον συνεώρων, ὡς οὐδεμία τις ἑτέρα κοινῇ τοῖς πᾶσι βεβαιοτέρα σωτηρία, ἢ σὲ τοῖς πράγμασιν, ὥσπερ καὶ ζῶντος βασιλέως, ἐφεστάναι, ἐξ αὐτῶν γοῦν τῶν βασιλέως λόγων, οὓς περὶ σοῦ πολλάκις ἐποιεῖτο πρὸς ἐμὲ, μάλιστα δὲ πρὸ τῆς τελευτῆς μικρὸν, ἐχρῆν συνεῖναι τὸ συνοῖσον. ἀνακείμενος γὰρ ἐπὶ γόνασι τοῖς ἐμοῖς, σοῦ παρόντος, «ὁ μὲν καιρὸς» ἔφη «τῆς ἐμῆς ἥκει τελευτῆς. σὲ δὲ χρὴ σκοπεῖν, ὅπως ἐμοῦ μὴ ἀπελθόντος λογισμοῖς τισιν ἢ καὶ λόγοις ἐνίων ἀπατηθεῖσα, ἑτέρῳ τινὶ πρόσχῃς τὸν ἄνδρα τουτονὶ διωσαμένη. εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο συμβαίη, 2.36 οὐδὲν ἔτι τὸ λεῖπον σέ τε καὶ τέκνα καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἅπασαν τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἡγεμονίαν ἀπολέσθαι· αὐτῷ δὲ προσέχουσα, ἄριστα σαυτῇ τε καὶ τοῖς πράγμασι βουλεύσῃ.» εἰ δὴ τοιαῦτα πρός τε βασιλέως ἐδιδάχθην καὶ παρ' ἐμαυτῆς αὐτὴ τὰ ὅμοια γινώσκω, τίν' ἔχοι λόγον, οἷς αὐτὸς κακῶς καὶ ὡς οὐ δέον ἐβουλεύσω, πείθεσθαι καὶ αὐτὴν ἑκοῦσαν εἶναι. ἂν μὲν οὖν οἷς εἶπον τὴν ἀτοπίαν καὶ αὐτὸς τοῦ πράγματος ὅση κατιδὼν, ἀπόσχῃ τοῦ τε τοιαῦτα καὶ βουλεύεσθαι καὶ λέγειν, καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων, ὥσπερ εἴωθας, ἐχόμενος, αὐτὸς μὲν τὰ κοινῇ συνοίσοντα Ῥωμαίοις, καὶ τῆς ἄνωθεν χειρὸς συνεφαπτομένης, πράττῃς, ἐμοὶ δὲ παρέχῃς ἡσυχίαν, τὰς ἐμᾶς θρηνεῖν καὶ κόπτεσθαι συμφορὰς, τοῦτο γὰρ ἐμοὶ παραμυθία μόνον καὶ τῶν κακῶν ἀνακωχὴ, δίκαιά τε ὁμοῦ καὶ συμφέροντα καὶ σαυτῷ προσήκοντα ποιήσεις. ἂν δὲ πάντα διωσάμενος καὶ ἀποῤῥίψας, ἑνὸς μόνου γένῃ τοῦ τοῖς δεδογμένοις ἐγκαρτερεῖν, πᾶσι χαίρειν εἰπὼν,