Philippics Passage 15

augeatur igitur isto honore etiam is vir cui nullus honos tribui non debitus potest; grati simus in eius morte decoranda cui nullam iam aliam gratiam referre possumus. notetur etiam M. Antoni nefarium bellum gerentis scelerata audacia. his enim honoribus habitis Ser. Sulpicio repudiatae reiectaeque legationis ab Antonio manebit testificatio sempiterna. quas ob res ita censeo: cum Ser. Sulpicius Q. f. lemonia Rufus difficillimo rei publicae tempore, gravi periculosoque morbo adfectus, auctoritatem senatus, salutem rei publicae vitae suae praeposuerit contraque vim gravitatemque morbi contenderit, ut in castra M. Antoni quo senatus eum miserat perveniret, isque , cum iam prope castra venisset, vi morbi oppressus vitam amiserit maximo rei publicae tempore, eiusque mors consentanea vitae fuerit sanctissime honestissimeque actae in qua saepe magno usui rei publicae Ser. Sulpicius et privatus et in magistratibus fuerit:

Let this honor, then, also exalt a man to whom no honor can be given that he does not deserve. Let us show our gratitude by adorning in death the man to whom we can now return no other favor. Let the criminal audacity of Marcus Antony in waging an impious war also be branded. For through these honors rendered to Servius Sulpicius, there will remain everlasting testimony that Antony repudiated and rejected the embassy. For these reasons I propose as follows: Whereas Servius Sulpicius Rufus, son of Quintus, of the Lemonian tribe, at a most difficult time for the Republic, though afflicted by a grave and dangerous illness, placed the authority of the Senate and the safety of the Republic before his own life and struggled against the force and severity of his illness to reach the camp of Marcus Antony, to which the Senate had sent him; and whereas, after he had come near the camp, he was overcome by the force of his illness and lost his life at a moment of supreme importance to the Republic; and whereas his death accorded with a life conducted with the utmost purity and honor, during which Servius Sulpicius, both as a private citizen and in office, was often of great service to the Republic:

Qu'un tel honneur accroisse donc encore la gloire de cet homme, auquel aucun honneur ne saurait être accordé sans lui être dû. Montrons notre reconnaissance en honorant après sa mort celui que nous ne pouvons plus remercier autrement. Que soit aussi flétrie l'audace criminelle avec laquelle Marcus Antoine mène une guerre impie. Les honneurs rendus à Servius Sulpicius laisseront un témoignage éternel de l'ambassade qu'Antoine a repoussée et rejetée. Pour ces raisons, voici mon avis : attendu que Servius Sulpicius Rufus, fils de Quintus, de la tribu Lemonia, atteint d'une maladie grave et dangereuse en un moment très difficile pour la République, a fait passer l'autorité du Sénat et le salut de la République avant sa propre vie, et a lutté contre la violence et la gravité de sa maladie afin d'arriver au camp de Marcus Antoine, où le Sénat l'avait envoyé ; attendu que, parvenu déjà près du camp, il a succombé à sa maladie et perdu la vie en un moment critique pour la République ; attendu que sa mort fut conforme à une vie menée avec la plus grande pureté et le plus grand honneur, durant laquelle Servius Sulpicius, simple particulier comme magistrat, rendit souvent de grands services à la République :