[6]
You see what the case is; now consider what you ought to do. It seems to me that I ought to
speak in the first place of the sort of war that exists; in the second place, of its
importance; and lastly, of the selection of a general. The kind of war is such as ought above
all others to excite and inflame your minds to a determination to persevere in it. It is a war
in which the glory of the Roman people is at stake; that glory which has been handed down to
you from your ancestors, great indeed in everything, but most especially in military affairs.
The safety of our friends and allies is at stake, in behalf of which your ancestors have waged
many most important wars. The most certain and the largest revenues of the Roman people are at
stake; and if they be lost, you will be at a loss for the luxuries of peace, and the sinews of
war. The property of many citizens is at stake, which you ought greatly to regard, both for
your own sake, and for that of the republic.
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