Marc. 2.1Nūllīus tantum flūmen est ingenī, nūlla dīcendī aut scrībendī tanta vīs, tantaque cōpia quae nōn dīcam exōrnāre, sed ēnarrāre, C. Caesar, rēs tuās gestās possit.No one's stream of genius is so great, no power of speaking or writing so great and so abundant, that it could, I will not say adorn, but even recount your achievements, Gaius Caesar. Marc. 2.1Tamen hoc adfirmō et pāce dīcam tuā, nūllam in hīs esse laudem ampliōrem quam eam quam hodiernō diē cōnsecūtus es.Yet this I affirm, and I will say it with your leave, that among them there is no praise greater than that which you have won on this day. Marc. 2.5Soleō saepe ante oculōs pōnere idque libenter crēbrīs ūsurpāre sermōnibus, omnīs nostrōrum imperātōrum, omnīs exterārum gentium potentissimōrumque populōrum, omnīs rēgum clārissimōrum rēs gestās cum tuīs nec contentiōnum magnitūdine nec numerō proeliōrum nec varietāte regiōnum nec celeritāte cōnficiendī nec dissimilitūdine bellōrum posse cōnferrī, nec vērō disiūnctissimās terrās citius passibus cuiusquam potuisse peragrārī quam tuīs nōn dīcam cursibus, sed victōriīs lūstrātae sunt.I often set it before my eyes and gladly repeat it in frequent conversation, that all the achievements of our generals, all those of foreign nations and most powerful peoples, all those of the most famous kings, cannot be compared with yours, neither in the magnitude of the struggles nor in the number of battles nor in the variety of regions nor in the speed of accomplishment nor in the diversity of the wars, and that indeed the most widely separated lands could not have been traversed more quickly by anyone's steps than they have been traversed, I will not say by your marches, but by your victories.
Marc. 2.6Quae quidem ego nisi ita magna esse fatear ut ea vix cuiusquam mēns aut cōgitātiō capere possit, āmēns sim;And unless I were to confess that these things are so great that scarcely anyone's mind or thought can grasp them, I should be out of my mind; Marc. 2.6sed tamen sunt alia maiōra.but still there are other things greater. Marc. 2.6Nam bellicās laudēs solent quīdam extenuāre verbīs eāsque dētrahere ducibus, commūnicāre cum multīs, nē propriae sint imperātōrum.For some are accustomed to belittle military glories in words and to take them away from the leaders and share them with many, so that they may not belong to the commanders alone. Marc. 2.6Et certē in armīs mīlitum virtūs, locōrum opportūnitās, auxilia sociōrum, classēs, commeātūs multum iuvant, maximam vērō partem quasi suō iūre Fortūna sibi vindicat et, quicquid est prosperē gestum, id paene omne dūcit suum.And certainly in war the courage of the soldiers, the advantage of position, the help of allies, fleets and supplies help greatly, but the greatest part Fortune claims for herself, as if by her own right, and whatever has been done successfully she counts almost wholly her own.
Marc. 2.7At vērō huius glōriae, C. Caesar, quam es paulō ante adeptus socium habēs nēminem: tōtum hoc quantumcumque est, quod certē maximum est, tōtum est, inquam, tuum.But in this glory, Gaius Caesar, which you won a little while ago, you have no partner: the whole of it, however great it is — and it is certainly very great — the whole, I say, is yours. Marc. 2.7Nihil sibi ex istā laude centuriō, nihil praefectus, nihil cohors, nihil turma dēcerpit;No centurion, no prefect, no cohort, no squadron plucks any part of this praise for itself; Marc. 2.7quīn etiam illa ipsa rērum hūmānārum domina, Fortūna, in istīus sē societātem glōriae nōn offert: tibi cēdit, tuam esse tōtam et propriam fatētur.indeed, even that very mistress of human affairs, Fortune, does not offer herself as a partner in this glory: she yields to you, and confesses that it is wholly and properly yours. Marc. 2.7Numquam enim temeritās cum sapientiā commiscētur nec ad cōnsilium cāsus admittitur.For rashness is never mingled with wisdom, nor is chance admitted to counsel.