登陆注册
37600900000480

第480章

it may also be for the instruction of the younger sort, what kind of virtue those men, from whose loins we are derived, were exercised in.As for ourselves, our business is, during the space of time, to live virtuously, than which nothing can be more to our advantage; which course of virtue it is alone that can preserve our liberty; for as to our ancient state, I have heard of it by the relations of others; but as to our later state, during my lifetime, I have known it by experience, and learned thereby what mischiefs tyrannies have brought upon this commonwealth, discouraging all virtue, and depriving persons of magnanimity of their liberty, and proving the teachers of flattery and slavish fear, because it leaves the public administration not to be governed by wise laws, but by the humor of those that govern.For since Julius Caesar took it into his head to dissolve our democracy, and, by overbearing the regular system of our laws, to bring disorders into our administration, and to get above right and justice, and to be a slave to his own inclinations, there is no kind of misery but what hath tended to the subversion of this city; while all those that have succeeded him have striven one with another to overthrow the ancient laws of their country, and have left it destitute of such citizens as were of generous principles, because they thought it tended to their safety to have vicious men to converse withal, and not only to break the spirits of those that were best esteemed for their virtue, but to resolve upon.their utter destruction.Of all which emperors, who have been many in number, and who laid upon us insufferable hardships during the times of their government, this Caius, who hath been slain today, hath brought more terrible calamities upon us than did all the rest, not only by exercising his ungoverned rage upon his fellow citizens, but also upon his kindred and friends, and alike upon all others, and by inflicting still greater miseries upon them, as punishments, which they never deserved, he being equally furious against men and against the gods.For tyrants are not content to gain their sweet pleasure, and this by acting injuriously, and in the vexation they bring both upon men's estates and their wives; but they look upon that to be their principal advantage, when they can utterly overthrow the entire families of their enemies; while all lovers of liberty are the enemies of tyranny.Nor can those that patiently endure what miseries they bring on them gain their friendship; for as they are conscious of the abundant mischiefs they have brought on these men, and how magnanimously they have borne their hard fortunes, they cannot but be sensible what evils they have done, and thence only depend on security from what they are suspicious of, if it may be in their power to take them quite out of the world.Since, then, we are now gotten clear of such great misfortunes, and are only accountable to one another, (which form of government affords us the best assurance of our present concord, and promises us the best security from evil designs, and will be most for our own glory in settling the city in good order,) you ought, every one of you in particular, to make provision for his own, and in general for the public utility: or, on the contrary, they may declare their dissent to such things as have been proposed, and this without any hazard of danger to come upon them, because they have now no lord set over them, who, without fear of punishment, could do mischief to the city, and had an uncontrollable power to take off those that freely declared their opinions.Nor has any thing so much contributed to this increase of tyranny of late as sloth, and a timorous forbearance of contradicting the emperor's will; while men had an over-great inclination to the sweetness of peace, and had learned to live like slaves; and as many of us as either heard of intolerable calamities that happened at a distance from us, or saw the miseries that were near us, out of the dread of dying virtuously, endured a death joined with the utmost infamy.

We ought, then, in the first place, to decree the greatest honors we are able to those that have taken off the tyrant, especially to Cherea Cassius; for this one man, with the assistance of the gods, hath, by his counsel and by his actions, been the procurer of our liberty.Nor ought we to forget him now we have recovered our liberty, who, under the foregoing tyranny, took counsel beforehand, and beforehand hazarded himself for our liberties;but ought to decree him proper honors, and thereby freely declare that he from the beginning acted with our approbation.And certainly it is a very excellent thing, and what becomes free-men, to requite their benefactors, as this man hath been a benefactor to us all, though not at all like Cassius and Brutus, who slew Caius Julius [Caesar]; for those men laid the foundations of sedition and civil wars in our city; but this man, together with his slaughter of the tyrant, hath set our city free from all those sad miseries which arose from the tyranny." (8)3.And this was the purport of Sentius's oration, (9) which was received with pleasure by the senators, and by as many of the equestrian order as were present.And now one Trebellius Maximus rose up hastily, and took off Sentius's finger a ring, which had a stone, with the image of Caius engraven upon it, and which, in his zeal in speaking, and his earnestness in doing what he was about, as it was supposed, he had forgotten to take off himself.

This sculpture was broken immediately.But as it was now far in the night, Cherea demanded of the consuls the watchword, who gave him this word, Liberty.These facts were the subjects of admiration to themselves, and almost incredible; for it was a hundred years since the democracy had been laid aside, when this giving the watchword returned to the consuls; for before the city was subject to tyrants, they were the commanders of the soldiers.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 嵩山野竹禅师录

    嵩山野竹禅师录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 我不是文娱才子

    我不是文娱才子

    在媒体和粉丝眼里,他是才华横溢、学贯中西的大才子。在他们看来,张扬会成为一个时代的标签。但是张扬不想这样,他不想当才子,压力太大、负担太重。他不想当明星,那样太累、不自由。他想要当一个个性洒脱、口无遮拦的人,他想要当一个可以肆意洒脱的人。
  • 邪魅殿下欺上身:娇宠小萌妃

    邪魅殿下欺上身:娇宠小萌妃

    【复仇宠文爽文,双宠,请书友们多多支持!】冷宫之内,她饮恨而亡;皇城之巅,她泣血重生。她是邻国公主,天资灼华,一手医术出神入化,却惨被皇姐和夫君折磨致死。一朝重生,成为凤王府三小姐,祖母心狠手辣,姨娘折磨刁难,庶妹个个欲置她于死地。她见招拆招,扮猪吃老虎,勾搭权贵,只为一泯心中血海深仇!却不想勾搭上了一个妖孽!白日她面纱遮脸,一枚银针,悬壶济世。夜里某妖孽夜夜爬床,对她娇宠万分,“这血海深仇我替你报,亡国之恨我替你解,只是娘子可否替为夫,一解这相思之毒?”他是高高在上的摄政王,狂傲,冷漠,却独独对她一宠上天!某男言:“娘子,为夫愿意用万里江山,换你赤心相待!”
  • 二少爷的封神路

    二少爷的封神路

    神降六年,大陆各族,精英汇粹,争夺神位;夏无忧领众伙伴,进王都,上北荒,下南疆,战兽族,斗虫族;直至众生之巅,登顶至高无上龙座,“今,我来封神!”
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!
  • 人生的二分之一

    人生的二分之一

    从普通的高中开学那日起,顾木木和梁晓阳就再没想到这一生都离不开对方了。读者群:256529198
  • 狼与魔法师

    狼与魔法师

    战争带来了虚假的和平,处在夹缝中的我们,到底该如何生存?
  • 少年时1

    少年时1

    苏璃和杜少宣是大学时候的恋人,因故分开。约四年后,杜少宣携子游玩,躲雨至一家廊下,不想是苏璃的家。两人由此重逢。江昙台是杜少宣的同事,他心底有个喜欢多年的女同学;但两人自初中毕业后就没有再见过面。十几年后,俩人却在QQ上重逢了......有时候,爱情大概就是你进一步,我进九十九步。如果你退一步,——那么,我能退一万步。
  • 美国倒计时

    美国倒计时

    美国黄石公园地下沉睡着一个“美国终结者”——世界上最大的超级火山。黄石超级火山已跨越了60万年周期喷发时间点——随时可能喷发;这个地球上最嗜血的死亡幽灵,足以改变整个行星的气候而导致物种的灭绝。近几年,科学家发现,这个终结者异动频现,且正以每年7厘米的速度迅速长大……
  • 数字权柄

    数字权柄

    他们伴随着数字出生,注定成为新时代的主宰神的权柄战争下,人究竟何去何从顺从是死,反抗更是死