Sallust - Speech of Philippus 1.77 = 1.

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1 Maxume vellem, patres conscripti, rem publicam quietam esse aut in periculis
a promptissumo quoque defendi, denique prava incepta consultoribus noxae
esse. Sed contra seditionibus omnia turbata sunt et ab eis quos prohibere magis
decebat; postremo, quae pessumi et stultissimi decrevere, ea bonis et
sapientibus faciunda sunt. 2 Nam bellum atque arma, quamquam vobis invisa,
tamen quia Lepido placent, sumunda sunt, nisi forte cui pacem praestare et
bellum pati consilium est.
I would most greatly wish, men of the senate, that the republic be at peace or be
defended in times of danger by the most ready citizens, and at last that evil
undertakings be the ruin of their devisers. But everything is in disarray in the
face of seditions which were roused by those whose duty it was to supress them;
finally the worst and most foolish men make decisions, which have to be carried
out by the good and the wise. For war and weapons, although hateful to you,
nevertheless because they please Lepidus, must be taken up, unless perchance
someone plans to preserve peace and to suffer war.
3 Pro di boni, qui hanc urbem omissam cura nostra2 adhuc tegitis, M. Aemilius,
omnium flagitiosorum postremus, qui peior an ignavior sit deliberari non potest,
exercitum opprimundae libertatis habet et se e contempto metuendum effecit;
vos mussantes et restrictantes verbis et vatum carminibus pacem optatis magis
quam defenditis, neque intellegitis p398mollitia decretorum vobis dignitatem, illi
metum detrahi. 4 Atque id iure; quoniam ex rapinis consulatum, ob seditionem
provinciam cum exercitu adeptus est, quid ille ob bene facta cepisset, cuius
sceleribus tanta praemia tribuistis?
By you good gods, who watch over this city still, disregarded in our cares, Marcus
Aemilius, the lowest of all profligates, who one cannot say is regarded as more
evil or more cowardly, has the army to crush freedom and has made himself
someone to be feared from someone contemptible; you murmuring and dithering
look for peace with words and the prophecies of soothsayers rather than fighting
for it, and nor do you realise that by the irresoluteness of your decrees you are
losing your dignity, and Lepidus his fear. But this is the natural outcome; since he
has gained the consulship from his robberies, his province along with his army
because of sedition, what might he have taken through noble deeds, on whose
crimes you have bestowed so many rewards?
5 At scilicet eos, qui ad postremum usque legatos, pacem, concordiam, et alia
huiuscemodi decreverunt, gratiam ab eo peperisse! Immo despecti et indigni re
publica habiti praedae loco aestumantur, quippe metu pacem repetentes, quo
habitam amiserant. 6 Equidem a principio, cum Etruriam coniurare, proscriptos
arcessi, largitionibus rem publicam lacerari videbam, maturandum putabam et
Catuli consilia cum paucis secutus sum; ceterum illi qui gentis Aemiliae bene
facta extollebant et ignoscundo populi Romani magnitudinem auxisse, nusquam
etiam tum Lepidum progressum aiebant, cum privata arma opprimundae
libertatis cepisset, sibi quisque opes aut patrocinia quaerundo consilium
publicum corruperunt.
But doubtless, it is those who up to the end have voted for legates, peace,
harmony and other things of this kind, who have gained his favour! Nay,
despised and unworthy of having a share in the state, they are regarded as
plunder, since they seek peace in their fear, through which they had lost peace

when they had it. for my part, from the beginning when I saw that Etruria was
conspiring, that proscribed men were being recalled, that the state was
mutilated by bribery, I thought that we had to hurry, and with a few others I
followed the advice of Catulus; but those who exalted the fine deeds of the
Aemilian family, and that it had increased the magnitude of the Roman people in
his forgiveness, they said that then Lepidus on no occasion had advanced
decisively, although he had taken up private weapons in order to crush away
liberty, and each man perverted public counsel by seeking out wealth or
protection for themselves.

7 At tum erat Lepidus latro cum calonibus et paucis sicariis, quorum nemo diurna
mercede vitam mutaverit; nunc est pro consule cum imperio non empto sed dato
a vobis, cum legatis adhuc iure parentibus, et ad eum concurrere homines
omnium ordinum corruptissumi, flagrantes inopia et cupidinibus, scelerum
p400conscientia exagitati, quibus quies in seditionibus, in pace turbae sunt. Hi
tumultum ex tumultu, bellum ex bello serunt, Saturnini olim, post Sulpici, dein
Mari Damasippique, nunc Lepidi satellites. 8 Praeterea Etruria atque omnes
reliquiae belli arrectae, Hispaniae armis sollicitae, Mithridates in latere
vectigalium nostrorum quibus adhuc sustentamur, diem bello circumspicit; quin
praeter idoneum ducem nihil abest ad subvortundum imperium.
But then Lepidus was a mere brigand with a few camp followers and cut-throats,
of whom no one would have exchanged a day pay for his life; now he is a pro
consul with imperium not bought but given by you, with his legates still obedient
to him under the law, and the most corrupt men of all classes flock to him,
burning with neediness and lusts, driven on by the knowledge of their crimes, for
whom there is peace in seditons, disquiet in times of concord. These men sow
rebellion from rebellion, war from war, once the followers of Saturninus, then of
Sulpicius, afterwards of Marius and Damasippus and now the underlings of
Lepidus. Moreover Etruria and all the smouldering embers of war are roused, the
Spanish provinces are stirred to arms, Mithridates is close beside our tributaries
by which we are nourished, and watches for an opportunity for war; in short, with
the exception of a competent leader, there is nothing lacking for the overthrow
of the empire.

9 Quod ego vos oro atque obsecro, patres conscripti, ut animadvortatis neu3
patiamini licentiam scelerum quasi rabiem ad integros contactu procedere; nam
ubi malos praemia secuntur, haud facile quisquam gratuito bonus est. 10 An
expectatis dum exercitu rursus admoto ferro atque flamma urbem invadat? Quod
multo propius est ab eo quo agitat statu, quam ex pace et concordia ad arma
civilia. 11 Quae ille advorsum divina et humana omnia cepit, non pro sua aut
quorum simulat iniuria, sed legum ac libertatis subvortundae. Agitur enim ac
laceratur animi cupidine et noxarum metu, expers consili, inquies, haec atque illa
temptans, metuit otium, odit bellum, p402luxu atque licentia carendum videt
atque interim abutitur vostra socordia.

12 Neque mihi satis consili est, metum an ignaviam an dementiam eam

appellem, qui videmini tanta mala quasi fulmen optare se quisque ne attingat,
sed prohibere ne conari quidem.

Therefore, I beg you and beseech you, men of the senate, to take notice and not
to allow the licence of crime to infect like a madness those who are healthy; for
when rewards follow the wicked, it is not easy for anyone who is good to go
without pay. Or are you waiting until Lepidus comes back with an army and
enters the city with the sword and flames? That is much nearer the state which
he is in, than peace and concord are to civil arms. He takes up these arms
against all laws human and divine, not for injustices done to him or those whom
he pretends to represent, but to overturn laws and freedom. For he is hounded
and tormented in his mind by desire and fear of his wrongs, without a plan,
unsettled, trying this way then that, he fears peace, he fears war, he sees that
he must lack luxury and licence and meanwhile he takes advantage of your
negligence.
And nor do I have sufficient counsel whether I should call it fear or cowardice or
madness, when each man among you seems to long that such great evils like a
lightning bolt not touch him, but does not even try to prevent them.
13 Et quaeso considerate quam convorsa rerum natura sit; antea malum
publicum occulte, auxilia palam instruebantur et eo boni malos facile anteibant:
nunc pax et concordia disturbantur palam, defenduntur occulte; quibus illa
placent in armis sunt, vos in metu. Quid expectatis? Nisi forte pudet aut piget
recte facere. 14 An Lepidi mandata animos movere? Qui placere ait sua cuique
reddi et aliena tenet, belli iura rescindi, cum ipse armis cogat, civitatem
confirmari, quibus ademptam negat, concordiae gratis tribuniciam potestatem
restitui, ex qua omnes discordiae accensae.
And, pray, consider how the nature of things has been turned upside down;
before, public evil was planned secretly, and defence openly and on that account
good men easily came before wicked ones; now peace and harmony are
disturbed openly, and they are defended secretly; those whom are pleased by
these things are in arms, but you are in fear. What are you waiting for? Unless
perchance it is shameful or wearisome to do right. Do the commands of Lepidus
influence your hearts? He says that he wishes to render each one his own and
keep the property of others, that the laws of the war be rescinded, although he
himself uses force with his weapons, that citizenship be established in those he
denies it has been taken, that the tribunician power be restored for the sake of
harmony, from which all discords were kindled.
15 Pessume omnium atque impudentissume, tibine egestas civium et luctus
curae sunt? Cui nihil est domi nisi armis partum aut per iniuriam! Alterum
consulatum petis, quasi primum reddideris, bello concordiam quaeris quo parta
disturbatur, nostri proditor, istis infidus, hostis omnium bonorum! Ut te neque
p404hominum neque deorum pudet, quos per fidem aut periurio violasti!

16 Qui quando talis es, maneas in sententia et retineas arma te hortor, non
prolatandis seditionibus, inquies ipse, nos in sollicitudine attineas; neque te
provinciae neque leges neque di penates civem patiuntur; perge qua coeptas, ut
quam maturrume merita invenias.
O worst and most shameless of all men, are the need of the citizens and their
grief cares for you? You, for whom there was nothing at home except what was
gained by arms or through injustice. You ask for another consulship, as if you had
given up your first, you seek harmony with war, by which the harmony which had
been gained was disturbed, a traitor to us, unfaithful to those men, the enemy of

all good men! That you are not ashamed before neither men nor gods, whom you
have outraged through perfidy or perjury!
Since you are such as this, I urge that you remain true in your purpose and keep
your weapons, that by not deferring your plans, you yourself might be uneasy,
while we are kept in anxiety. Neither the provinces nor the laws nor the
household gods endure you as a citizen; continue as you have begun, that you
find what you deserve as soon as possible.
17 Vos autem, patres conscripti, quo usque cunctando rem publicam intutam
patiemini et verbis arma temptabitis? Dilectus advorsus vos habiti, pecuniae
publicae et privatim extortae, praesidia deducta atque imposita, ex lubidine
leges imperantur, cum interim vos legatos et decreta paratis. Quanto mehercule
avidius pacem petieritis, tanto bellum acrius erit, cum intelleget se metu magis
quam aequo et bono sustentatum. 18 Nam qui turbas et caedem civium odisse
ait et ob id armato Lepido vos inermos retinet, quae victis toleranda sunt ea, cum
facere possitis, patiamini potius censet; ita illi a vobis pacem, vobis ab illo bellum
suadet. 19 Haec si placent, si tanta torpedo animos obrepsit,4 ut obliti scelerum
Cinnae, cuius in urbem reditu decus ordinis huius interiit, nihilo minus vos atque
coniuges et liberos Lepido p406permissuri sitis, quid opus decretis, quid auxilio
Catuli? Quin is et alii boni rem publicam frustra curant.
You however, men of the senate, how long will you endure the republic being
unsafe through your delaying and will you attack arms with words? A levy has
been made against you, money has been extorted from the public treasury and
from private individuals, garrisons have been removed and positioned, laws are
enacted in accordance with caprice, when in the meantime you are prepared to
send legates and decrees. By Hercules, you should more eagerly seek peace, as
the more cruelly war will rage, when he realises that he is sustained more by
your fear than by right and good. For whoever says that he hates discord and the
slaughter of citizens and on that account he keeps you unarmed while Lepidus is
in arms, really advises you to suffer what the conquered must endure, since you
might inflict it on others. So such counsellers advise you to make war on him and
urge him to make war on you. If these things are pleasing, if such great torpor
has stolen your spirts, that having forgotten the crimes of Cinna, upon whose
return to the city the grace of this order perished, nevertheless you will entrust
your wives and your children to Lepidus, what need is there of decrees? What
need of Catulus help. surely he and other good citizens vainly care for the state.

20 Agite ut lubet, parate vobis Cethegi atque alia proditorum patrocinia, qui
rapinas et incendia instaurare cupiunt et rursus advorsum deos penatis manus
armare. Sin libertas et vera magis placent, decernite digna nomine et augete
ingenium viris fortibus. 21 Adest novus exercitus, ad hoc coloniae veterum
militum, nobilitas omnis, duces optumi; fortuna meliores sequitur; iam illa quae
socordia nostra5 collecta sunt, dilabentur.
22 Quare ita censeo: quoniam M.6 Lepidus exercitum privato consilio paratum
cum pessimis et hostibus rei publicae contra huius ordinis auctoritatem ad urbem
ducit, uti Ap. Claudius interrex cum Q. Catulo pro consule et ceteris, quibus
imperium est, urbi praesidio sint operamque dent nequid res publica detrimenti
capiat.

But do as you wish, gain the protection of Cethegus and other traitors, who
desire to renew pillaging and fires, and again to take armed action against the
household gods. But if liberty and truth are more pleasing, make decrees worthy
of your mane and increase the spirit in brave men. A new army is ready,
moreover the colonies of the veteran soldiers, all the nobility, the best leaders;
fortune follows the better men; now these forces which our negligence has
assembled will vanish.
Therefore I advise this; since Marcus Lepidus leads to the city an army prepared
in a private scheme along with the worst enemies to the republic against the
authority of this order, that Appius Claudius the interrex along with Quintus
Catulus the proconsul and others who have imperium, should defend the city and
give aid lest the republic suffer any harm.