At ille cum videret, si vestrae auctoritati non paruisset, dissimilem se futurum sui, sin paruisset, munus sibi illud pro re publica susceptum vitae finem fore, maluit in maximo rei publicae discrimine emori quam minus quam potuisset videri rei publicae profuisse.
But when he saw that he would not be true to his nature if he did not obey your authority, whereas if he did obey, that charge undertaken for the sake of the Republic would be the end of his life, he preferred at the time of a severe crisis of the Republic to die outright rather than to appear to have done less for the Republic than he might have done.
final_alignments\Cicero_Philippic_9.json