Sallust - Bellum Iugurthinum 85

Speech of Marius

[85] “I know, fellow citizens, that it is by very different methods that most men ask for power at your hands and exercise it after it has been secured; that at first they are industrious, humble and modest, but afterwards they lead lives of indolence and arrogance. But the right course, in my opinion, is just the opposite; for by as much as the whole commonwealth is of more value than a consulate or a praetorship, so much greater ought to be the care with which it is governed than that which is shown in seeking those offices. Nor am I unaware how great a task I am taking upon myself in accepting this signal favor of yours. To prepare for war and at the same time to spare the treasury; to force into military service those whom one would not wish to offend; to have a care for everything at home and abroad — to do all this amid envy, enmity and intrigue, is a ruder task, fellow citizens, than you might suppose. Furthermore, if others make mistakes, their ancient nobility, the brave deeds of their ancestors, the power of their kindred and relatives, their throng of clients, are all a very present help. My hopes are all vested in myself and must be maintained by my own worth and integrity; for all other supports are weak.

“This too I understand, fellow citizens, that the eyes of all are turned towards me, that the just and upright favor me because my services are a benefit to our country, while the nobles are looking for a chance to attack me. Wherefore I must strive the more earnestly that you may not be deceived and that they may be disappointed. From childhood to my present time of life I have so lived that I am familiar with every kind of hardship and danger. As to the efforts, fellow citizens, which before your favors were conferred upon me I made without recompense, it is not my intention to relax them now that they have brought me their reward. To make a moderate use of power is difficult for those who from interested motives have pretended to be virtuous; for me, who have spent my entire life in exemplary conduct, habit has made right living a second nature.

“Bellum me gerere cum Iugurtha iussistis¹, quam rem nobilitas aegerrime tulit. Quaeso, reputate cum animis vestris, num² id mutare melius sit, si quem³ ex illo globo nobilitatis ad hoc aut aliud tale negotium mittatis, hominem veteris prosapiae ac multarum imaginum⁴ et nullius stipendi⁵: scilicet ut in tanta re ignarus omnium trepidet, festinet, sumat aliquem ex populo monitorem offici sui. Ita plerumque evenit, ut, quem vos imperare iussistis, is sibi imperatorem alium quaerat. Atque ego scio, Quirites⁶, qui, postquam consules facti sunt, et acta maiorum et Graecorum militaria praecepta⁷ legere coeperint: praeposteri homines….!

“Comparate nunc, Quirites, cum illorum⁸ superbia me hominem novum. Quae illi audire aut legere solent, eorum partem vidi, alia egomet⁹ gessi; quae illi litteris, ea ego militando didici. Nunc vos existimate, facta an¹⁰ dicta pluris¹¹ sint. Contemnunt novitatem meam, ego illorum ignaviam; mihi fortuna, illis probra obiectantur. Quamquam ego naturam unam et communem omnium existimo, sed fortissimum quemque generosissimum. Ac si iam ex patribus Albini¹² aut Bestiae¹² quaeri posset, mene an¹⁰ illos ex se gigni maluerint, quid responsuros creditis nisi sese liberos quam optimos voluisse?

“But if they rightly look down on me, let them also look down on their own forefathers, whose nobility began, as did my own, in manly deeds. They begrudge me my office; then let them begrudge my toil, my honesty, even my dangers, since it was through those that I won the office. In fact, these men, spoiled by pride, live as if they scorned your honors, but seek them as if their own lives were honorable. Surely they are deceived when they look forward with equal confidence to things which are worlds apart, the joys of idleness and the rewards of merit. Even when they speak to you or address the senate, their theme is commonly a eulogy of their ancestors; by recounting the exploits of their forefathers they imagine themselves more glory. The very reverse is true. The more glorious was the life of their ancestors, the more shameful is their own baseness. Assuredly the matter stands thus: the glory of ancestors is, as it were, a light shining upon their posterity, suffering neither their virtues nor their faults to be hidden.

Huiusce¹³ rei¹⁴ ego inopiam fateor, Quirites, verum¹⁵, id¹⁶ quod multo praeclarius est, meamet⁹ facta mihi dicere licet. Nunc videte, quam¹⁷ iniqui sint. Quod¹⁸ ex aliena virtute sibi arrogant, id mihi ex mea non concedunt, scilicet quia imagines non habeo et quia mihi nova nobilitas est, quam¹⁹ certe peperisse melius est quam acceptam corrupisse.

“Equidem ego non ignoro, si iam mihi respondere velint, abunde illis facundam et compositam²⁰ orationem fore. Sed in maximo vestro beneficio cum omnibus locis meque vosque maledictis lacerent, non placuit reticere, ne quis²¹ modestiam in conscientiam duceret²². Nam me quidem ex animi mei sententia nulla oratio²³ laedere potest: quippe²⁴ vera necesse est bene praedicent, falsa²⁵ vita moresque mei superant. Sed quoniam vestra consilia accusantur, qui mihi summum honorem et maximum negotium imposuistis, etiam atque etiam reputate, num²⁶ eorum paenitendum sit. Non possum fidei causa²⁷ imagines neque triumphos aut consulatus maiorum meorum ostentare, at, si res postulet, hastas, vexillum, phaleras, alia militaria dona, praeterea cicatrices adverso corpore. Hae sunt meae imagines, haec nobilitas, non hereditate relicta, ut illa²⁸ illis, sed quae ego meis plurimis laboribus et periculis quaesivi.

“Non sunt composita²⁰ verba mea: parvi²⁹ id facio. Ipsa se virtus satis ostendit; illis artificio opus³⁰ est, ut turpia facta oratione tegant. Neque litteras Graecas didici: parum³¹ placebat eas discere, quippe quae ad virtutem doctoribus nihil profuerant. At illa multo³² optima rei publicae doctus sum: hostem ferire, praesidia agitare, nihil metuere nisi turpem famam, hiemem et aestatem iuxta³³ pati, humi requiescere, eodem tempore inopiam et laborem tolerare. His ego praeceptis milites hortabor, neque illos arte colam, me opulenter, neque gloriam meam, laborem illorum faciam. Hoc est utile, hoc civile imperium. Namque cum tute³⁴ per mollitiem agas, exercitum supplicio cogere, id est dominum, non imperatorem esse. Haec atque alia talia maiores vestri faciendo seque remque publicam celebravere. Quis³⁵ nobilitas freta, ipsa dissimilis moribus, nos illorum aemulos³⁶ contemnit et omnes honores non ex merito, sed quasi debitos a vobis repetit. Ceterum³⁷ homines superbissimi procul errant. Maiores eorum omnia quae licebat illis reliquere: divitias, imagines, memoriam sui praeclaram; virtutem non reliquere, neque poterant: ea sola neque datur dono neque accipitur. Sordidum me et incultis³⁸ moribus aiunt, quia parum³¹ scite³⁹ convivium exorno neque histrionem ullum neque pluris⁴⁰ preti coquum quam vilicum habeo. Quae mihi libet confiteri, Quirites. Nam ex parente meo et ex aliis sanctis viris ita accepi⁴¹, munditias mulieribus, viris laborem convenire, omnibusque bonis oportere plus gloriae quam divitiarum esse; arma, non supellectilem decori⁴² esse.

“Quin ergo, quod⁴³ iuvat, quod⁴³ carum aestimant, id semper faciant: ament⁴⁴, potent⁴⁴; ubi adulescentiam habuere, ibi senectutem agant⁴⁴, in conviviis, dediti ventri et turpissimae parti corporis; sudorem, pulverem et alia talia relinquant⁴⁴ nobis, quibus illa epulis iucundiora sunt. Verum non ita est. Nam ubi se flagitiis dedecoravere turpissimi viri, bonorum praemia ereptum⁴⁵ eunt. Ita iniustissime luxuria et ignavia, pessimae artes, illis, qui coluere eas, nihil officiunt, rei⁴⁶ publicae innoxiae cladi sunt.

“Now that I have replied to them to the extent that my character — but not their crimes — demanded I shall say a few words about our country. First of all, be of good cheer as to Numidia, citizens; for you have put away everything which up to this time has protected Jugurtha — avarice, incompetence, and arrogance. Furthermore, there is an army in Africa familiar with the country, but by heaven! more valiant than fortunate; for a great part of it has perished through the greed or rashness of its leaders. Therefore do you, who are of military age, join your efforts with mine and serve your country, and let no one feel fear because of disasters to others or the arrogance of generals. I, Marius, shall be with you on the march and in battle, at once your counsellor and the companion of your dangers, and I shall treat myself and you alike in all respects. And surely with the help of the gods everything is ripe for us — victory, spoils, glory; but even though these were uncertain or remote, yet all good men ought to fly to the aid of their fatherland. Truly, no one ever became immortal through cowardice, and no parent would wish for his children that they might live forever, but rather that their lives might be noble and honored. I would say more, citizens, if words could make cowards brave. For the resolute I think I have spoken abundantly.”

Commentary

iussistis: 2nd plural verb, we don’t see a lot of those! ↩
num : whether ↩
quem : remember that after si, nisi, num and ne, all the ali-s fly away! Meaning that you won’t get aliquis (or other forms of it), just quis ↩
imaginum : imago, -inis (f) are statues or busts of ancestors that the Romans displayed in their houses ↩
stipendi : stipendium, -i (n) here means “military service” ↩
Quirites : this is a name for the Roman citizens as a collective, and comes from Quirinus, the deified Romulus ↩
praecepta : praeceptum, -i (n) - here go with “lessons” or “teachings”, referring to military treatises ↩
illorum : refers to the nobility ↩
egomet: the -met ending is just an intensifier. I for my part (or something similar) ↩ ↩²
an : or ↩ ↩²
pluris : genitive of value, worth more (literally of more) ↩
Albini et Bestiae : Albinus and Bestia were recent consuls, and those members of the nobility ↩ ↩²
Huiusce : the -ce is just emphatic, more like a of THIS! one… ↩
rei : the rei refers to the glory that was discussed at the end of the section right above ↩
verum : but ↩
id quod: that which ↩
quam : how ↩
quod : what, connected to the id later on ↩
quam….acceptam : the first quam is which referring to the nobilitas. The second quam is rather than. acceptam describes the first quam, so by extension the nobilitas ↩
compositam : this has the meaing of well structured, well put together, well designed ↩ ↩²
quis : after si, nisi, num, and ne….. ↩
duceret : sigh, duco can also mean consider, as it does here ↩
oratio : remember that there are 3rd declension nouns where your nominative ends in -o, so take this as your subject ↩
quippe….praedicent : “they speak true things, it’s necessary that they speak well.” ↩
falsa : add in another praedicent, with falsa as your direct object ↩
num : whether ↩
fidei causa : genitive + causa (in the ablative) = “for the cause of….” ↩
ut illa illis : add a “relicta” or something similar in here. as these things (the imagines and nobilitas) have been left behind for them (the nobles) ↩
parvi id facio : genitive of value, I consider (make) it of little (importance) ↩
opus est : this is an idiom (stock phrase) meaning “there is a need” or “it is useful” ↩
parum : too little, not at all ↩ ↩²
multo : ablative degree of difference, by much ↩
iuxta : equally, here ↩
tute per mollitiem agas : you conduct [yourself] through softness without risk ↩
Quis : = quibus, meaning on them, referring to the nobles’ ancestors ↩
illorum aemulos : emulators/rival of them, them referring to the nobles’ ancestors ↩
Ceterum : moreover ↩
incultis moribus : ablative of description, with unrefined customs ↩
scite : excellently, skillfully, knowledgeably ↩
pluris preti : genitive of value, of a greater price ↩
accepi : accepted here meaing “learned,” like received ↩
decori : dative of purpose, as an honor, meaning acted as, or even just was, an honor ↩
quod iuvat, quod carum aestimant : both quod’s are “which,” taking the id later on as their antecedent ↩ ↩²
ament…potent….agant….relinquant : note these as hortatory subjunctives, let them…. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴
ereptum eunt : ereptum is a supine, which is your PPP ending in -u or -um. It shows purpose, to steal, and is often paired with verbs of motion ↩
rei publicae innoxiae cladi sunt : a beautiful double dative!. They are as a disaster/ruin (_cladi) for the blameless republic (rei publicae innoxiae)_ ↩