Igitur eo dolore inpeditus, et quia stultitiae videbatur alienam rem periculo suo curare, legatos ad Bocchum mittit postulatum ne sine causa hostis populo Romano fieret: habere tum magnam copiam societatis amicitiaeque coniungendae, quae potior bello esset, et quamquam opibus suis confideret, tamen non debere incerta pro certis mutare; omne bellum sumi facile, ceterum aegerrume desinere; non in eiusdem potestate initium eius et finem esse; incipere quoivis, etiam ignavo licere, deponi, quom victores velint; proinde sibi regnoque suo consuleret, neu florentis res suas cum Iugurthae perditis misceret.
Held back, therefore, by this resentment, and because it appeared foolish to promote anothers interests at his own peril, Metellus sent envoys to Bocchus, to demand that he not become an enemy to the Roman people without provocation; at that moment, he said, Bocchus had a splendid opportunity to form a friendly alliance, which was preferable to war, and that although he might feel confidence in his own strength, nevertheless he ought not to exchange certainty for uncertainty; every war is easily begun but ended with extreme difficulty; its beginning and end are not under the control of the same individual; anyone at all, even a coward, may begin it, but it is broken off only when the victors are willing; therefore Bocchus ought to consult his own interests and those of his kingdom and not intertwine his own prosperity with Jugurthas ruined cause.
final_alignments\Sallust_Jugurtha.json