Cicero- De Imperio Chapters 34-39

Atque haec qua celeritate gesta sint quamquam videtis, tamen a me in dicendo praetereunda non sunt.

And although you have seen with what speed these things were done, however in speaking I must not omit it.

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Quis enim umquam aut obeundi negoti aut consequendi quaestus studio

For whoever in their enthusiasm for conducting business or for obtaining profit,

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tam brevi tempore tot loca adire, tantos cursus conficere potuit,

Was able to go to so many places in such a short time, to complete such great journeys,

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quam celeriter Cn. Pompeio duce tanti belli impetus navigavit?

As quickly as the momentum of so great a war sailed forth under the leadership of Pompey?

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Qui nondum tempestivo ad navigandum mari Siciliam adiit, Africam exploravit; inde Sardiniam cum classe venit,

He, when the sea was not yet reasonable, went to Sicily, explored Africa, from there he came with his fleet to Sardinia

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atque haec tria frumentaria subsidia rei publicae firmissimis praesidiis classibusque munivit;

And he protected these three sources of corn for the Republic with the strongest garrisons and fleets.

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inde cum se in Italiam recepisset, duabus Hispanis et Gallia [transalpina] praesidiis ac navibus confirmata,

From there, when he had returned to Italy, after the two spains and Transalpine Gaul had been secured with garrisons and ships,

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missis item in oram Illyrici maris et in Achaiam omnemque Graeciam navibus,

After the ships had been sent similarly to the coast of Illyrieum and to all parts of Archia and Greece,

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Italiae duo maria maximis classibus firmissimisque praesidiis adornavit;

He equipped the two seas of Italy with very large fleets and very strong garrisons;

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ipse autem ut Brundisio profectus est, undequinquagesimo die totam ad imperium populi Romani Ciliciam adiunxit;

but when he himself sent out from Brundisium, on the 49th day he joined the whole of Cilicia to the empire of the Roman people;

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omnes, qui ubique praedones fuerunt, partim capti interfectique sunt, partim unius huius se imperio ac potestati dediderunt .

All the pirates, who had been everywhere, were either captured and killed, or they gave themselves over to the power and authority of this one man

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Idem Cretensibus, cum ad eum usque in Pamphyliam legatos deprecatoresque misissent, spem deditionis non ademit, obsidesque imperavit.

This man did not take away hope of surrender from the Cretans,When they had sent ambassadors and suppliants to him right into Pamphyllia, and he demanded hostages.

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Ita tantum bellum, tam diuturunum, tam longe lateque dispersum, quo bello omnes gentes ac nationes premebantur, Cn. Pompeius extrema hieme apparavit, ineunte vere susceptit, media aestate confecit.

In this way, Pompey, at the end of winter prepared, at the start of spring undertook and by the middle of summer finished such a war, so long lasting, spread so far and wide, a war by which all people and nations were burdened.

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Est haec divina atque incredibilis virtus imperatoris. Quid ceterae, quas paulo ante commemorare coeperam, quantae atque quam multae sunt?

This is the godlike and incredible virtue of the general. What of his other virtues, which I began to speak of a little before, how many and how great they are!

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Non enim bellandi virtus solum in summo ac perfecto imperatore quaerenda est

For we must not only look for excellence in war in the supreme and perfect general;

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sed multae sunt artes eximiae huius administrae comitesque virtutis.

But there are many other qualities which are handmaidens and companions of this excellent virtue

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Ac primum, quanta innocentia debent esse imperatores? quanta deinde in omnibus rebus temperantia?

And first, how great should the integrity of generals be? How great, then should their self-control be in all matters?

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quanta fide? quanta facilitate? quanto ingenio? quanta humanitate?

How great their honesty? How great their good nature? How great their talent? How great their humanity?

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Quae breviter qualia sint in Cn. Pompeio consideremus: summa enim omnia sunt, Quirites,

Let us briefly consider which of these qualities are in Pompey: for they are all of the upmost importance Romans,

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sed ea magis ex aliorum contentione quam ipsa per sese cognosci atque intellegi possunt.

But they can be recognised and understood more by comparison with others than by themselves.

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Quem enim imperatorem possumus ullo in numero putare, cuius in exercitu centuriatus veneant atque venierint?

For which general can we consider a general at all in whose army the office of centurion can be bought and sold?

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Quid hunc hominem magnum aut amplum de re publica cogitare,

What great or distinguished things can we imagine that man thinks about the republic,

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qui pecuniam, ex aerario depromptam ad bellum administrandum,

He who has divided up money amongst magistrates, taken from the public treasury for the running of the war

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aut propter cupiditatem provinciae magistratibus diviserit, aut propter avaritiam Romae in quaestu reliquerit?

Either because of his desire for provincial command, or because of greed had left it behind in Rome for his own profit?

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Vestra admurmuratio facit, Quirites, ut agnoscere videamini qui haec fecerint:

Your murmur shows, Romans, that you seem to recognise those who have done these things:

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ego autem nomino neminem; qua re irasci mihi nemo poterit, nisi qui ante de se voluerit confiteri.

But I name no-one, so no-one can be made angry with me by the matter, who does not wish to confess about himself first

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Itaque propter hanc avaritiam imperatorum quantas calamitates, quocumque ventum est, nostri exercitus ferant quis ignorat?

And so who is unaware of how great the calamities that our armies bear are, wherever they came, on account of this greed of the generals.

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Itinera quae per hosce annos in Italia per agros atque oppida civium Romanorum nostri imperatores fecerint recordamini:

Remember the journeys which our generals have made throughout these years in Italy, through the fields and towns of Roman citizen:

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tum facilius statuetis quid apud exteras nationes fieri existimetis.

Then you will more easily judge what you think happens among foreign nations.

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Utrum pluris arbitramini per hosce annos militum vestrorum armis hostium urbis,

Whether you think that through these years more cities of enemies have been destroyed by the weapons of your soldiers,

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an hibernis sociorum civitates esse deletas?

Or more states of allies form their winter quarters?

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Neque enim potest exercitum is continere imperator, qui se ipse non continet,

For neither can that general restrain himself,

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neque severus esse in iudicando, qui alios in se severos esse iudices non volt.

nor can he be strict in judging, who does not want other judges to be strict against him.

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Hic miramur hunc hominem tantum excellere ceteris,

In this context are we surprised that such a man excels over the others to such an extent

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cuius legiones sic in Asiam pervenerint, ut non modo manus tanti exercitus,// sed ne vestigium quidem cuiquam pacato nocuisse dicatur?

Whose legions arrive in Asia in such a way that neither the hand of such a great army, //but not even its footprint is said to have harmed anyone that had been subdued?

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iam vero quem ad modum milites hibernent cotidie sermones ac litterae perferuntur:

Moreover everyday conversations and letters are delivered to tell us how the soldiers are spending their winter

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non modo ut sumptum faciat in militem nemini vis adfertur,

Not only is force not applied to anyone to spend money on a soldier,

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sed ne cupienti quidem cuiquam permittitur.

but not even a man who wants to is allowed to do so.

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Hiemis enim, non avaritiae perfugium maiores nostri in sociorum atque amicorum tectis esse voluerunt.

For our ancestors wanted refuge in the houses of allies and friends to be for winter, not for greed.

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Cicero- De Imperio Chapters 34-39

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