Scaife ATLAS

CTS Library / On the Agrarian Law

On the Agrarian Law (2.8-2.9)

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0474.phi011.perseus-eng2:2.8-2.9
Refs {'start': {'reference': '2.8', 'human_reference': 'Chapter 2 Section 8'}, 'end': {'reference': '2.9', 'human_reference': 'Chapter 2 Section 9'}}
Ancestors [{'reference': '2'}]
Children []
prev
plain text • XML
next

I, O Romans, know in what condition I received the republic on the first of January: full of anxiety, full of fear. There was no evil, no misfortune which the good were not dreading and the bad looking out for. Every sort of seditious design against the existing constitution of the republic, and against your tranquillity, was said to be in contemplation,—some such to have been actually set on foot the moment we were elected consuls. All confidence was banished from the forum, not by the stroke of any new calamity, but by the general suspicion entertained of the courts of justice, and by the disorder into which they had fallen, and by the constant reversal of previous decisions. New authority, extraordinary powers, suited not to commanders, but to kings, were supposed to be aimed at.

4

And as I did not only suspect these things, but clearly saw them, (for indeed there was no secret made of what was being done,) I said in the senate that I would in this magistracy prove a consul devoted to the interests of the people. For what is there so advantageous to the people as peace? in which not only the animals to whom nature has given sense, but even the houses and fields appear to me to rejoice. What is so advantageous to the people as liberty? which is sought out and preferred to everything, not only by men, but even by the beasts. What is so advantageous to the people as tranquillity? which is so delightful a thing, that both you and your ancestors, and every brave man, thinks it worth his while to encounter the greatest labours, in order at length to enjoy tranquillity, particularly if he be a man in command, or a man of high rank. And we, therefore, are bound to give great praise and to show great gratitude to our ancestors, because it is owing to their labours that we are able to enjoy tranquillity without risk. How then can I avoid being devoted to the interests of the people, O Romans, when I see all these things,—our peace abroad, and the liberty which belongs to the Roman race and Roman name, and our domestic tranquillity, and everything, in short, which is considered by you as valuable or honourable, entrusted to the good faith, and, as it were, to the protection of my consulship?

Tokens

I 1 w 1
O 1 w 3
Romans 1 w 9
know 1 w 14
in 1 w 16
what 1 w 20
condition 1 w 29
I 2 w 30
received 1 w 38
the 1 w 41
republic 1 w 49
on 3 w 51
the 2 w 54
first 1 w 59
of 1 w 61
January 1 w 68
full 1 w 73
of 2 w 75
anxiety 1 w 82
full 2 w 87
of 3 w 89
fear 1 w 93
There 1 w 99
was 1 w 102
no 2 w 104
evil 1 w 108
no 3 w 111
misfortune 1 w 121
which 1 w 126
the 3 w 129
good 1 w 133
were 1 w 137
not 1 w 140
dreading 1 w 148
and 1 w 151
the 4 w 154
bad 1 w 157
looking 1 w 164
out 1 w 167
for 2 w 170
Every 1 w 176
sort 1 w 180
of 4 w 182
seditious 1 w 191
design 1 w 197
against 1 w 204
the 5 w 207
existing 1 w 215
constitution 1 w 227
of 5 w 229
the 6 w 232
republic 2 w 240
and 2 w 244
against 2 w 251
your 1 w 255
tranquillity 1 w 267
was 2 w 271
said 1 w 275
to 1 w 277
be 1 w 279
in 7 w 281
contemplation 1 w 294
some 1 w 300
such 1 w 304
to 2 w 306
have 1 w 310
been 1 w 314
actually 1 w 322
set 1 w 325
on 8 w 327
foot 1 w 331
the 7 w 334
moment 1 w 340
we 2 w 342
were 2 w 346
elected 1 w 353
consuls 1 w 360
All 1 w 364
confidence 1 w 374
was 3 w 377
banished 1 w 385
from 1 w 389
the 8 w 392
forum 1 w 397
not 2 w 401
by 1 w 403
the 9 w 406
stroke 1 w 412
of 6 w 414
any 1 w 417
new 1 w 420
calamity 1 w 428
but 1 w 432
by 2 w 434
the 10 w 437
general 1 w 444
suspicion 1 w 453
entertained 1 w 464
of 7 w 466
the 11 w 469
courts 1 w 475
of 8 w 477
justice 1 w 484
and 3 w 488
by 3 w 490
the 12 w 493
disorder 1 w 501
into 1 w 505
which 2 w 510
they 1 w 514
had 1 w 517
fallen 1 w 523
and 4 w 527
by 4 w 529
the 14 w 532
constant 1 w 540
reversal 1 w 548
of 9 w 550
previous 1 w 558
decisions 1 w 567
New 1 w 571
authority 1 w 580
extraordinary 1 w 594
powers 1 w 600
suited 1 w 607
not 3 w 610
to 4 w 612
commanders 1 w 622
but 2 w 626
to 5 w 628
kings 1 w 633
were 3 w 638
supposed 1 w 646
to 6 w 648
be 3 w 650
aimed 1 w 655
at 3 w 657
And 1 w 661
as 4 w 663
I 3 w 664
did 1 w 667
not 4 w 670
only 1 w 674
suspect 1 w 681
these 1 w 686
things 1 w 692
but 3 w 696
clearly 1 w 703
saw 1 w 706
them 1 w 710
for 4 w 715
indeed 1 w 721
there 1 w 726
was 4 w 729
no 8 w 731
secret 1 w 737
made 1 w 741
of 10 w 743
what 2 w 747
was 5 w 750
being 1 w 755
done 1 w 759
I 4 w 762
said 2 w 766
in 15 w 768
the 18 w 771
senate 1 w 777
that 1 w 781
I 5 w 782
would 1 w 787
in 16 w 789
this 1 w 793
magistracy 1 w 803
prove 1 w 808
a 54 w 809
consul 2 w 815
devoted 1 w 822
to 7 w 824
the 19 w 827
interests 1 w 836
of 11 w 838
the 20 w 841
people 1 w 847
For 1 w 851
what 3 w 855
is 8 w 857
there 2 w 862
so 4 w 864
advantageous 1 w 876
to 8 w 878
the 22 w 881
people 2 w 887
as 7 w 889
peace 1 w 894
in 18 w 897
which 3 w 902
not 5 w 905
only 2 w 909
the 23 w 912
animals 1 w 919
to 9 w 921
whom 1 w 925
nature 1 w 931
has 1 w 934
given 1 w 939
sense 1 w 944
but 4 w 948
even 1 w 952
the 24 w 955
houses 1 w 961
and 6 w 964
fields 1 w 970
appear 1 w 976
to 10 w 978
me 4 w 980
to 11 w 982
rejoice 1 w 989
What 1 w 994
is 9 w 996
so 5 w 998
advantageous 2 w 1010
to 12 w 1012
the 25 w 1015
people 3 w 1021
as 9 w 1023
liberty 1 w 1030
which 4 w 1036
is 10 w 1038
sought 1 w 1044
out 2 w 1047
and 7 w 1050
preferred 1 w 1059
to 13 w 1061
everything 1 w 1071
not 6 w 1075
only 3 w 1079
by 5 w 1081
men 2 w 1084
but 5 w 1088
even 2 w 1092
by 6 w 1094
the 26 w 1097
beasts 1 w 1103
What 2 w 1108
is 11 w 1110
so 7 w 1112
advantageous 3 w 1124
to 14 w 1126
the 27 w 1129
people 4 w 1135
as 11 w 1137
tranquillity 2 w 1149
which 5 w 1155
is 12 w 1157
so 8 w 1159
delightful 1 w 1169
a 81 w 1170
thing 3 w 1175
that 2 w 1180
both 1 w 1184
you 2 w 1187
and 8 w 1190
your 2 w 1194
ancestors 1 w 1203
and 9 w 1207
every 2 w 1212
brave 1 w 1217
man 3 w 1220
thinks 1 w 1227
it 9 w 1229
worth 1 w 1234
his 2 w 1237
while 1 w 1242
to 16 w 1244
encounter 1 w 1253
the 28 w 1256
greatest 1 w 1264
labours 1 w 1271
in 22 w 1274
order 2 w 1279
at 13 w 1281
length 1 w 1287
to 17 w 1289
enjoy 1 w 1294
tranquillity 3 w 1306
particularly 1 w 1319
if 1 w 1321
he 31 w 1323
be 7 w 1325
a 94 w 1326
man 4 w 1329
in 23 w 1331
command 2 w 1338
or 13 w 1341
a 97 w 1342
man 6 w 1345
of 12 w 1347
high 1 w 1351
rank 1 w 1355
And 2 w 1359
we 6 w 1361
therefore 1 w 1371
are 1 w 1375
bound 1 w 1380
to 18 w 1382
give 2 w 1386
great 2 w 1391
praise 1 w 1397
and 11 w 1400
to 19 w 1402
show 1 w 1406
great 3 w 1411
gratitude 1 w 1420
to 20 w 1422
our 5 w 1425
ancestors 2 w 1434
because 1 w 1442
it 12 w 1444
is 15 w 1446
owing 1 w 1451
to 22 w 1453
their 1 w 1458
labours 2 w 1465
that 3 w 1469
we 7 w 1471
are 2 w 1474
able 1 w 1478
to 23 w 1480
enjoy 2 w 1485
tranquillity 4 w 1497
without 1 w 1504
risk 1 w 1508
How 1 w 1512
then 1 w 1516
can 1 w 1519
I 6 w 1520
avoid 1 w 1525
being 2 w 1530
devoted 2 w 1537
to 24 w 1539
the 32 w 1542
interests 2 w 1551
of 13 w 1553
the 33 w 1556
people 5 w 1562
O 2 w 1564
Romans 2 w 1570
when 1 w 1575
I 7 w 1576
see 1 w 1579
all 3 w 1582
these 2 w 1587
things 2 w 1593
our 7 w 1598
peace 2 w 1603
abroad 1 w 1609
and 12 w 1613
the 35 w 1616
liberty 2 w 1623
which 6 w 1628
belongs 1 w 1635
to 25 w 1637
the 36 w 1640
Roman 3 w 1645
race 1 w 1649
and 13 w 1652
Roman 4 w 1657
name 1 w 1661
and 14 w 1665
our 8 w 1668
domestic 1 w 1676
tranquillity 5 w 1688
and 15 w 1692
everything 2 w 1702
in 29 w 1705
short 1 w 1710
which 7 w 1716
is 17 w 1718
considered 1 w 1728
by 7 w 1730
you 4 w 1733
as 12 w 1735
valuable 1 w 1743
or 17 w 1745
honourable 1 w 1755
entrusted 1 w 1765
to 26 w 1767
the 37 w 1770
good 2 w 1774
faith 1 w 1779
and 16 w 1783
as 13 w 1786
it 17 w 1788
were 4 w 1792
to 27 w 1795
the 38 w 1798
protection 1 w 1808
of 14 w 1810
my 1 w 1812
consulship 1 w 1822