Chapter 24
Original Latin
58 vehebatur in essedo tribunus plebis; lictores laureati antecedebant, inter quos aperta lectica mima portabatur, quam ex oppidis municipales homines honesti, obviam necessario prodeuntes, non noto illo et mimico nomine, sed Volumniam consalutabant. sequebatur raeda cum lenonibus, comites nequissimi; reiecta mater amicam impuri fili tamquam nurum sequebatur. O miserae mulieris fecunditatem calamitosam! Horum flagitiorum iste vestigiis omnia municipia, praefecturas, colonias, totam denique Italiam impressit.
59 reliquorum factorum eius, patres conscripti, difficilis est sane reprehensio et lubrica. versatus in bello est; saturavit se sanguine dissimillimorum sui civium: felix fuit, si potest ulla in scelere esse felicitas. sed quoniam veteranis cautum esse volumus, quamquam dissimilis est militum causa et tua—illi secuti sunt, tu quaesisti ducem—tamen, ne apud illos me in invidiam voces, nihil de genere belli dicam. Victor e Thessalia Brundisium cum legionibus revertisti. ibi me non occidisti. Magnum beneficium! potuisse enim fateor. quamquam nemo erat eorum qui tum tecum fuerunt qui mihi non censeret parci oportere.
60 tanta est enim caritas patriae ut vestris etiam legionibus sanctus essem, quod eam a me servatam esse meminissent. sed fac id te dedisse mihi quod non ademisti, meque a te habere vitam, quia non a te sit erepta: licuitne mihi per tuas contumelias hoc tuum beneficium sic tueri ut tuebar, praesertim cum te haec auditurum videres.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted Musean translation made directly from the Latin in separate source-only tasks; all 46 chapters and 119 sections retained. Source-language model review is recorded with the raw witness. Latin transcription: Perseus Project, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0; this adaptation uses the same license.
58 The tribune of the people rode in a war chariot. Laurel-crowned lictors went before him; among them an actress was carried in an open litter. Respectable townspeople, obliged to come out to meet her, greeted her not by her familiar stage name but as Volumnia. A carriage followed with pimps, his utterly worthless companions. His mother, pushed into the background, followed her filthy son’s mistress as though she were her daughter-in-law. Unhappy woman, what a disastrous fruit of motherhood! He stamped the traces of these disgraces upon every town, prefecture and colony—upon all Italy.
59 Criticizing the rest of his deeds, senators, is indeed a difficult and slippery business. He took part in the war; he gorged himself on the blood of citizens utterly unlike himself; he was fortunate, if there can be any fortune in crime. But since we wish the veterans’ interests protected, although the soldiers’ case is unlike yours—they followed their commander; you sought one out—I shall say nothing about the character of that war, lest you stir their hostility against me. Back to Brundisium you came from Thessaly, a victor with your legions. There you did not kill me. A great kindness! For I admit you could have. Yet no one among those with you then thought I should not be spared.
60 So great is love of country that even your legions held me sacred, remembering that I had saved it. But suppose you gave me what you did not take away, and that I owe you my life because you did not seize it: could your insults have allowed me to go on honoring this kindness as I was honoring it, especially when you saw that you would have to hear these things?
Plain English translation
Complete machine-assisted Plain English translation made independently and directly from the Latin in separate source-only tasks, not from the Musean edition or a historical English translation; all 46 chapters and 119 sections retained. Latin transcription: Perseus Project, Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0; this adaptation uses the same license.
58 The people’s tribune rode in a chariot. His lictors went ahead, decorated with laurel. Among them, a mime actress traveled in an open litter. Respectable townsmen had to come out to meet them. They greeted her, not by her familiar stage name, but as Volumnia. A carriage full of pimps followed. What worthless companions! His mother had been pushed to the rear. She followed her filthy son’s mistress as though this were her daughter-in-law. Poor woman! Having children brought her such misery! He stamped the tracks of these scandals on every town, prefecture, and colony—in short, on all Italy.
59 Senators, criticizing his other actions is certainly difficult and tricky. He took part in the war. He gorged on the blood of citizens nothing like himself. He was successful, if there can be success in crime. But we want the veterans’ interests protected. Their case is very different from yours. They followed a leader. You went looking for one. Still, I won’t discuss the kind of war it was. I don’t want you stirring up their hatred against me. You returned victorious from Thessaly to Brundisium with your legions. You didn’t kill me there. What a great favor! I admit you could have. Yet everyone who was with you then thought I should be spared.
60 People love their country so much that even your legions treated me as untouchable. They remembered that I’d saved it. But let’s say you gave me what you didn’t take away. Let’s say I owe you my life because you didn’t take it. Did your insults let me keep honoring this favor as I had before? Especially when you knew you’d hear all this?
About this section
Chapter 24 is part of Second Philippic by Marcus Tullius Cicero. This page sets the Latin original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is chapter 24 of 46 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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