1Indeed, when I saw just now with you the tears of Gaius Marcellus, an excellent man endowed with memorable family devotion, the memory of all the Marcelli flooded my heart; to them, though they are dead, you have restored their dignity by preserving Marcus Marcellus, and you have rescued a most noble family, already reduced to a few, almost from extinction. 11This day you rightly place before your greatest and countless occasions of thanksgiving. 11For this deed belongs to Gaius Caesar alone; 11the others carried out under your leadership were great, indeed, but done with a large and numerous company. 11But of this deed you are at once both leader and companion: and it is indeed so great that, while time will bring an end to your trophies and monuments — for there is nothing made by labour and hand which age does not wear out and consume — yet this justice and leniency of yours will flourish more every day.
12Thus whatever length of time takes away from your works, it will add to your praises. 12And all the other victors in civil wars you had already surpassed before in fairness and mercy: but today you have conquered yourself. 12I fear that what I am about to say may not be understood by hearing as well as I myself feel it in my thoughts: you seem to have conquered victory itself, when you gave back to the conquered what had been taken from them. 12For although by the right of victory itself we, the conquered, would all have perished, we have been saved by the judgement of your clemency. 12Rightly, then, are you alone unconquered, by whom even the terms and power of victory itself have been conquered.