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them, allied only by the inclination from above, I overcame all, so that I might not seem to spare his children and 3.36 preserve with them their paternal rule because of the oaths and the agreements, but because of the ancient clemency and the friendship toward that wonderful and most beloved emperor. If, then, just as I myself intended from the beginning, to do everything for the common benefit of the Romans, and to spend so much money, as you know, and to undergo every labor and danger, the others had also followed readily or at the very least, had not hindered me themselves, we would not now be deliberating about how we must be saved, but, if it is not invidious to say, about what sort of people we must enslave. But since these things were contrived thus, with some evil demon having cast a spell on us, and they readily took up war against me, who was taking great care for the common salvation, and they persuaded all the others, and they have squandered both all our resources and the common ones, no less against me than against all of you, if the truth must be told, and they have ruined the whole country from which the revenues were collected, and they have made the enemies fearsome to us, willingly giving up some cities to them, so that they might have allies against the Romans, and neglecting others, so that they were able to enslave them, and us very weak from the smallness of the army and the lack of money, and now everything for us has come to a state of impasse, each man must consider and contribute some opinion, by which our affairs will be better, and we will be delivered from both the present misfortune and that which is still expected. For both the Triballians 3.37 and Mysians and Persians alike, and any others who are our neighbors holding power, are not content with what was seized during the time of the war, but having once for all looked down on us, they do not wish to stop their greed anywhere. But I would gladly see that day, on which it would be possible to exact punishment from all these for the outrages committed against us. For not even during the time of the war did I willingly choose the alliance of the barbarians against the Romans, but I was driven to it by necessity by those who were fighting against me. For they, readily abandoning cities and lands, persuaded the Mysians and Triballians and any others to fight against me with all their strength. But indeed they themselves knew in their own minds, that, if I were established in power, not only would they gain nothing of ours, but they would also be forced to give back what they had seized, but with those others ruling, they would treat us like slaves; for which reasons they readily allied with them. Moreover, they did not remain inactive towards the Persians either, but they themselves first brought them in as allies against me, and later not once or twice, but many times they attempted to make them wage war on me, giving much money and promising more. Against so great a force of enemies standing all around, therefore, being at a loss for my own force, and especially fearing that those others might take them on as allies if they were overlooked, I necessarily considered their 3.38 alliance and friendship to be most important. But now that our 3.38 affairs have been well decided by the superior power, and all sedition and discord have been driven away, readily with you I will demand punishment for what was dared then. Since, therefore, no one will shrink from anything that seems profitable for us and for our good repute and the recovery of our former prosperity, speak readily all that you think is profitable, as I too will advise on what I think is better, and will be more easily persuaded by what is well said by others. For know well and clearly, that if we now both deliberate upon and do what is necessary, and procure a force from somewhere, we will be more desired by our existing friends and more feared by our enemies. But if we give up in the face of our powerlessness, and sit doing nothing, embracing inaction and quiet, nothing other than to be slaves to others will be left for us in a short time. For we must either rule, taking care of everything, and nothing of our former glory and of the

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αὐτοὺς, τῇ ἄνωθεν μόνῃ συμμαχούμενος ῥοπῇ, πάντων περιεγενόμην, ἵνα μὴ δοκῶ διὰ τοὺς ὅρκους καὶ τὰς συμβάσεις, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν ἀρχαίαν ἐπιείκειαν καὶ τὴν πρὸς βασιλέα τὸν θαυμαστὸν ἐκεῖνον καὶ φίλτατον ἐμοὶ φιλίαν τῶν παίδων τῶν ἐκείνου φείδεσθαι καὶ 3.36 τὴν πατρῴαν ἀρχὴν συνδιασώζειν. εἰ μὲν οὖν, ὥσπερ ἐξαρχῆς αὐτὸς διενοούμην, πάντα πράττειν ὑπὲρ τῆς κοινῆς Ῥωμαίων ὠφελείας, καὶ χρήματα ἀναλίσκειν τοσαῦτα ὄντα, ὅσα ἴστε, καὶ πάντα πόνον καὶ κίνδυνον ὑφίστασθαι, καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι συνείποντο προθύμως ἢ τό γε μετριώτερον, μὴ ἐκώλυον αὐτοὶ, οὐκ ἂν νῦν περὶ τοῦ ᾗ χρὴ σώζεσθαι, ἀλλ', εἰ μὴ ἐπίφθονον εἰπεῖν, περὶ τοῦ ὁποίους χρὴ καταδουλοῦν ἐβουλευόμεθα. ἐπεὶ δὲ οὕτω ταῦτα πονηροῦ τινος δαίμονος ἡμῖν βασκήναντος συνεσκευάσθη, καὶ πρὸς μὲν ἐμὲ τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς κοινῆς σωτηρίας πολλὴν πρόνοιαν ποιούμενον πόλεμον ᾔραντο προθύμως, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἅπαντας συνέπεισαν, καὶ τά τε ἡμέτερα ἅπαντα ἀναλώκασι καὶ τὰ κοινὰ, οὐδὲν ἧττον κατ' ἐμοῦ, ἢ καὶ καθ' ὑμῶν ἁπάντων, εἰ δεῖ τἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν, καὶ τὴν χώραν ἅπασαν διέφθειραν, ἀφ' ἧς αἱ συντάξεις συνελέγοντο, καὶ τοὺς μὲν πολεμίους φοβεροὺς ἐποίησαν ἡμῖν, πόλεις τὰς μὲν ἑκοντὶ προέμενοι ἐκείνοις, ἵν' ἔχωσι συμμάχους κατὰ Ῥωμαίων, τῶν δ' ἀμελήσαντες, ὥστ' ἐκείνους δύνασθαι καταδουλοῦν, ἡμᾶς δὲ ἀσθενεστάτους ὀλιγότητι τῆς στρατιᾶς καὶ χρημάτων ἀπορίᾳ, περιέστηκε δὲ νῦν ἡμῖν ἐν ἀπόρῳ πάντα, σκεπτέον ἕκαστον καὶ γνώμην τινὰ εἰσενεκτέον, δι' ἧς ἔσται τὰ πράγματα ἡμῖν βελτίω, καὶ τῆς τε παρούσης δυσπραγίας καὶ τῆς ἔτι ἀπαλλαξόμεθα προσδοκωμένης. Τριβα 3.37 λοί τε γὰρ ὁμοίως καὶ Μυσοὶ καὶ Πέρσαι καὶ εἰ δή τινες ἄλλοι γειτονοῦσιν ἡμῖν δυναστείαν ἔχοντες, οὐ τοῖς ἡρπασμένοις κατὰ τὸν τοῦ πολέμου χρόνον ἀρκοῦνται, ἀλλ' ἐφάπαξ καταφρονήσαντες, οὐδαμῇ στῆσαι τὴν πλεονεξίαν βούλονται. ἐγὼ δὲ ἡδέως ἂν εἶδον ἐκείνην τὴν ἡμέραν, ἐν ᾗ δίκας ἐκ τούτων πάντων ἂν ἐξῇ λαβεῖν τῶν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἠσελγημένων. οὐδὲ γὰρ οὐδὲ κατὰ τὸν τοῦ πολέμου χρόνον ἑκοντὶ τὴν τῶν βαρβάρων ᾑρούμην κατὰ τῶν Ῥωμαίων συμμαχίαν, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμούντων πρὸς ἀνάγκην ἐναγόμενος. ῥᾳδίως γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι πόλεις καὶ χώρας καταπροϊέμενοι, Μυσοὺς καὶ Τριβαλοὺς καὶ εἰ δή τινας ἄλλους ἔπειθον ἐμοὶ ἁπάσῃ δυνάμει πολεμεῖν. οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκεῖνοι ᾔδεσαν αὐτοὶ ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν, ὡς, ἐμοῦ μὲν καταστάντος ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς, οὐ μόνον οὐδὲν προσκτήσονται τῶν ἡμετέρων, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἡρπασμένα ἀναγκασθήσονται ἀποδιδόναι, ἐκείνων δὲ ἀρχόντων, οἷα ἀνδραπόδοις χρήσονται· δι' ἃ προθύμως συνεμάχουν. ἄλλως τε οὐδὲ πρὸς Πέρσας ἔμειναν ἀνεπιχείρητοι, ἀλλ' αὐτοί τε πρῶτοι ἐπήγοντο συμμάχους κατ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ ὕστερον οὐχ ἅπαξ καὶ δὶς, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλάκις ἐπεχείρησαν ἐμοὶ ἐκπολεμῶσαι, χρήματα πολλὰ τὰ μὲν διδόντες, τὰ δὲ ἐπαγγελλόμενοι. πρὸς οὖν τοσαύτην δύναμιν τῶν πανταχόθεν περιεστηκότων πολεμίων δυνάμεως οἰκείας ἀπορῶν, ἄλλως τε καὶ δεδοικὼς, μὴ παροφθέντας ἐκεῖνοι προσλάβωσι συμμάχους, ἀναγκαίως τὴν ἐκείνων περι 3.38 σπούδαστον ἐνόμιζον καὶ συμμαχίαν καὶ φιλίαν. νυνὶ δὲ τῶν 3.38 πραγμάτων καλῶς ὑπὸ τοῦ κρείττονος κριθέντων, καὶ πάσης στάσεως καὶ διχονοίας ἀπεληλαμένης, προθύμως σὺν ὑμῖν τῶν τότε τετολμημένων δίκας ἀπαιτήσω. ὡς οὖν οὐδενὸς ἀφεξομένου τῶν ὅσα λυσιτελεῖν ἡμῖν δοκεῖ καὶ πρὸς εὐδοξίαν καὶ ἀνάκλησιν τῆς προτέρας εὐετηρίας, πάντα λέγετε προθύμως, ὅσα οἴεσθε λυσιτελεῖν, ὡς καὶ ἐμοῦ ἅ τε δοκῶ βελτίω συμβουλεύσοντος, καὶ τοῖς καλῶς εἰρησομένοις τῶν ἄλλων μᾶλλον εὐχερέστερον πεισθησομένου. εὖ γὰρ ἴστε σαφῶς, ὡς, ἢν μὲν νῦν ἡμεῖς τὰ δέοντα καὶ βουλευώμεθα καὶ πράττωμεν, καὶ δύναμιν ποριζώμεθά ποθεν, τοῖς τε οὖσι φίλοις ποθεινότεροι ἐσόμεθα καὶ τοῖς πολεμοῦσι φοβερώτεροι. ἂν δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἀδυναμίαν ἀπειπόντες, καθεζώμεθα πράττοντες μηδὲν, τὴν ἀπραγμοσύνην καὶ τὴν ἡσυχίαν ἀσπαζόμενοι, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἡμῖν ἢ δουλεύειν ἑτέροις περιέσται ἐν βραχεῖ. ἢ γὰρ ἄρχειν δεῖ πάντα πραγματευομένους καὶ μηδὲν τῆς προτέρας δόξης καὶ τῆς