Mur. 19.1Sed sī haec leviōra dūcis quae sunt gravissima et hanc urbānam suffrāgātiōnem mīlitārī antepōnis, nōlī lūdōrum huius ēlegantiam et scaenae magnificentiam tam valdē contemnere;But if you regard these things, which are of the greatest weight, as rather trivial, and set the vote of the city above that of the army, do not so utterly despise the elegance of this man's games and the splendour of his stage; Mur. 19.1quae huic admodum prōfuērunt.these helped him a great deal. Mur. 19.1Nam quid ego dīcam populum ac volgus imperītōrum lūdīs magnō opere dēlectārī?For why should I say that the people and the mass of the uninstructed take great delight in games? Mur. 19.1Minus est mīrandum.That is less to be wondered at. Mur. 19.1Quamquam huic causae id satis est;Yet that is enough for this case; Mur. 19.1sunt enim populī ac multitūdinis comitia.for the elections belong to the people and the multitude. Mur. 19.1Quā rē, sī populō lūdōrum magnificentia voluptātī est, nōn est mīrandum eam Mūrēnae apud populum prōfuisse.Therefore, if the splendour of games gives pleasure to the people, it is no wonder that it helped Murena with the people.
Mur. 19.39Sed sī nōsmet ipsī quī et ab dēlectātiōne commūnī negōtiīs impedīmur et in ipsā occupātiōne dēlectātiōnēs aliās multās habēre possumus, lūdīs tamen oblectāmur et dūcimur, quid tū admīrēre dē multitūdine indoctā?But if we ourselves, who are both kept from common amusement by our business and can find many other delights in our very occupation, are nonetheless entertained and drawn by games, why should you wonder at the uneducated multitude? Mur. 19.40Othō, vir fortis, meus necessārius, equestrī ōrdinī restituit nōn sōlum dignitātem sed etiam voluptātem.Otho, a brave man and my close friend, restored to the equestrian order not only its dignity but also its pleasure. Mur. 19.40Itaque lēx haec quae ad lūdōs pertinet est omnium grātissima, quod honestissimō ōrdinī cum splendōre frūctus quoque iūcunditātis est restitūtus.And so this law concerning the games is the most welcome of all, because to a most honourable order there has been restored, along with its distinction, the enjoyment of pleasure too. Mur. 19.40Quā rē dēlectant hominēs, mihi crēde, lūdī, etiam illōs quī dissimulant, nōn sōlum eōs quī fatentur;Games therefore give delight, believe me, even to those who pretend otherwise, not only to those who admit it; Mur. 19.40quod ego in meā petītiōne sēnsī.and this I felt in my own candidacy.
Mur. 19.40Nam nōs quoque habuimus scaenam competītrīcem.For I too had a stage as my rival. Mur. 19.40Quod sī ego quī trīnōs lūdōs aedīlis fēceram tamen Antōnī lūdīs commovēbar, tibi quī cāsū nūllōs fēcerās nihil huius istam ipsam quam inrīdēs argenteam scaenam adversātam putās?And if I, who as aedile had given three sets of games, was nevertheless disturbed by the games of Antonius, do you think that this very silver stage which you mock did you, who as it happened had given none, no harm at all? Mur. 19.41Sed haec sānē sint paria omnia, sit pār forēnsis opera mīlitārī, mīlitāris suffrāgātiō urbānae, sit idem magnificentissimōs et nūllōs umquam fēcisse lūdōs;But let all these things be granted equal: let work in the forum be equal to military service, the military vote equal to that of the city; let it be the same to have given the most magnificent games and never to have given any; Mur. 19.41quid?what then? Mur. 19.41in ipsā praetūrā Nihilne exīstimās inter tuam et huius sortem interfuisse?in the praetorship itself do you think there was no difference between your lot and his?