---
title: "History of Rome, Books I–X · Ab urbe condita I–X"
author: "Livy"
translator: "Benjamin Oliver Foster"
title_ru: "История Рима от основания города, книги I–X"
author_ru: "Тит Ливий"
languages: [la, en]
shelf: "Classical Latin"
section: 9 of 50
url: https://scriptura.si/works/livy-history-of-rome-1/9/
cite: "Livy, tr. Benjamin Oliver Foster, History of Rome, Books I–X · Ab urbe condita I–X, section 9. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/livy-history-of-rome-1/9/"
---

# History of Rome, Books I–X · Ab urbe condita I–X

*Livy, tr. Benjamin Oliver Foster*

Russian: История Рима от основания города, книги I–X, Тит Ливий

From Aeneas and Romulus to the kings, the founding of the Republic, Lucretia, Horatius at the bridge, Coriolanus, the Gauls in Rome and the Samnite wars.

> Latin: Livy, Ab urbe condita I–X, ed. Robert Seymour Conway and Charles Flamstead Walters (Oxford Classical Texts), from the Perseus Digital Library (canonical-latinLit, phi0914.phi001.perseus-lat3, CC BY-SA 4.0).

> English: Benjamin Oliver Foster, Livy (Loeb Classical Library), from the Perseus Digital Library (phi0914.phi001.perseus-eng1). Notes are not included.

> Rows follow the references the two texts share (books, chapters and sections), cut where both reach the end of a sentence.

## 9. Book II · chapters 23–33

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/livy-history-of-rome-1/9/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/livy-history-of-rome-1/9/#p-N

[¶0] 23.4. Besides this, his straggling beard and hair had given a savage look to his countenance. He was recognized nevertheless, despite the hideousness of his appearance, and the word went round that he had commanded companies; yet other military honours were openly ascribed to him by the compassionate bystanders, and the man himself displayed the scars on his breast which bore testimony to his honourable service in various battles.

> Latin: 23.4. ad hoc promissa barba et capilli efferauerant speciem oris. noscitabatur tamen in tanta deformitate, et ordines duxisse aiebant, aliaque militiae decora uolgo miserantes eum iactabant; ipse testes honestarum aliquot locis pugnarum cicatrices aduerso pectore ostentabat.

[¶1] 23.5. When they asked the reason of his condition and his squalor, he replied, while the crowd gathered about him much as though it were an assembly, that during his service in the Sabine war not only had the enemy's depredations deprived him of his crops, but his cottage had been burnt, all his belongings plundered, and his flocks driven off.

> Latin: 23.5. sciscitantibus unde ille habitus, unde deformitas, cum circumfusa turba esset prope in contionis modum, Sabino bello ait se militantem, quia propter populationes agri non fructu modo caruerit, sed uilla incensa fuerit, direpta omnia, pecora abacta, tributum iniquo suo tempore imperatum, aes alienum fecisse.

[¶2] 23.6. Then the taxes had been levied, in an untoward moment for him, and he had contracted debts. When these had been swelled by usury, they had first stripped him of the farm which had been his father's and his grandfather's, then of the remnants of his property, and finally like an infection they had attacked his person, and he had been carried off by his creditor, not to slavery, but to the prison and the torturechamber.

> Latin: 23.6. id cumulatum usuris primo se agro paterno auitoque exuisse, deinde fortunis aliis; postremo uelut tabem peruenisse ad corpus; ductum se ab creditore non in seruitium, sed in ergastulum et carnificinam esse.

[¶3] 23.7. He then showed them his back, disfigured with the wales of recent scourging. The sight of these things and the man's recital produced a mighty uproar.

> Latin: 23.7. inde ostentare tergum foedum recentibus uestigiis uerberum. ad haec uisa auditaque clamor ingens oritur. non iam foro se tumultus tenet, sed passim totam urbem peruadit.

[¶4] 23.8. The disturbance was no longer confined to the Forum, but spread in all directions through the entire City. Those who had been bound over, whether in chains or not, broke out into the streets from every side, and implored the Quirites to protect them.

> Latin: 23.8. nexi, uincti solutique, se undique in publicum proripiunt, implorant Quiritium fidem. nullo loco deest seditionis uoluntarius comes; multis passim agminibus per omnes uias cum clamore in forum curritur.

[¶5] 23.9. At no point was there any lack of volunteers to join the rising; everywhere crowds were streaming through the different streets and shouting as they hurried to the Forum.

> Latin: 23.9. magno cum periculo suo qui forte patrum in foro erant in eam turbam inciderunt;

[¶6] 23.10. Great was the peril of those senators who happened to be in the Forum and fell in with the mob, which would not indeed have stopped short of violence had not the consuls, Publius Servilius and Appius Claudius, hurriedly intervened to put down the insurrection. But the crowd turned on them and displayed their chains and other hideous tokens.

> Latin: 23.10. nec temperatum manibus foret, ni propere consules, P. Seruilius et Ap. Claudius, ad comprimendam seditionem interuenissent. at in eos multitudo uersa ostentare uincula sua deformitatemque aliam.

[¶7] 23.11. These, they cried, were the rewards they had earned, and they bitterly rehearsed the campaigns they had each served in various places. They demanded, in a manner much more threatening than suppliant, that the consuls should convene the senate; and they surrounded the Curia, that they might them.

> Latin: 23.11. haec se meritos dicere, exprobrantes suam quisque alius alibi militiam; postulare multo minaciter magis quam suppliciter ut senatum uocarent; curiamque ipsi futuri arbitri moderatoresque publici consilii circumsistunt.

[¶8] 23.12. selves witness and control the deliberations of the state. The consuls succeeded in collecting only a few of the senators whom chance had thrown in their way.

> Latin: 23.12. pauci admodum patrum, quos casus obtulerat, contracti ab consulibus; ceteros metus non curia modo sed etiam foro arcebat, nec agi quicquam per infrequentiam poterat senatus.

[¶9] 23.13. The rest were afraid to enter not only the Curia but even the Forum, and nothing could be done because those present were too few. Whereat the people concluded they were being flouted and put off, and that the missing senators were absent not from accident, nor fear, but with the intent to hinder action, and that the consuls themselves were paltering; nor did they doubt that their misery was made a jest.

> Latin: 23.13. tum uero eludi atque extrahi se multitudo putare, et patrum qui abessent, non casu, non metu, sed impediendae rei causa abesse, et consules ipsos tergiuersari, nec dubie ludibrio esse miserias suas.

[¶10] 23.14. A little more and not even the majesty of the consuls could have held in check the angry crowd, when the absent Fathers, uncertain whether they should incur more danger by holding back or by coming forward, finally came into the senate, and the required number being at length assembled, not only the senators, but even the consuls themselves were unable to agree.

> Latin: 23.14. iam prope erat ut ne consulum quidem maiestas coerceret iras hominum, cum incerti morando an ueniendo plus periculi contraherent, tandem in senatum ueniunt. frequentique tandem curia non modo inter patres sed ne inter consules quidem ipsos satis conueniebat.

[¶11] 23.15. Appius, a headstrong man, was for settling the matter by the exercise of consular authority; when one or two men had been arrested, the others, he said, would calm down. Servilius, more inclined to gentle measures, believed that it was safer, as well as easier, to assuage their fury than to quell it.

> Latin: 23.15. Appius, uehementis ingenii uir, imperio consulari rem agendam censebat; uno aut altero arrepto, quieturos alios: Seruilius, lenibus remediis aptior, concitatos animos flecti quam frangi putabat cum tutius tum facilius esse.

[¶12] 24.1. In the midst of the debate a greater alarm arose from a new quarter, for some Latin horsemen galloped up with the disquieting news that a Volscian army was advancing to attack the City. This report awoke very different feelings —so completely had their dissensions divided the state into two —in the Fathers and the plebs.

> Latin: 24.1. inter haec maior alius terror: Latini equites cum tumultuoso aduolant nuntio Uolscos infesto exercitu ad urbem oppugnandam uenire. quae audita—adeo duas ex una ciuitate discordia fecerat—longe aliter patres ac plebem adfecere.

[¶13] 24.2. The commons were jubilant; they said that the gods were taking a hand in punishing the arrogance of the senators. They encouraged one another not to give in their names; it would be better to perish all together than alone. Let the Fathers serve, let the Fathers take up arms, that those might incur the hazards of war who received its rewards.

> Latin: 24.2. exsultare gaudio plebes; ultores superbiae patrum adesse dicere deos; alius alium confirmare ne nomina darent; cum omnibus potius quam solos perituros; patres militarent, patres arma caperent, ut penes eosdem pericula belli, penes quos praemia, essent.

[¶14] 24.3. The Curia, on the other hand, was downcast and dismayed. In their twofold fear —of their fellow-citizens and of the enemy —they begged Servilius the consul, whose character appealed more to the people than did that of his colleague, that he would extricate the state from the fearful perils with which it was beset.

> Latin: 24.3. at uero curia, maesta ac trepida ancipiti metu et ab ciue et ab hoste, Seruilium consulem, cui ingenium magis populare erat, orare ut tantis circumuentam terroribus expediret rem publicam.

[¶15] 24.4. Thereupon the consul adjourned the senate and went before the people. There he declared that the Fathers were anxious to consult the interests of the plebs, but that their deliberations concerning that very important part —but only a part after all —of the state had been broken off by their fears for the entire nation.

> Latin: 24.4. tum consul misso senatu in contionem prodit. ibi curae esse patribus ostendit ut consulatur plebi; ceterum deliberationi de maxima quidem illa sed tamen parte ciuitatis metum pro uniuersa re publica interuenisse;

[¶16] 24.5. It was impossible, when the enemy was almost at the city gates, to consider anything before the war; and even if there should be some slight respite in that regard, it was neither to the credit of the plebs to refuse to arm for their country, unless they should first receive a recompense, nor honourable to the Fathers to be driven by fear into passing measures for the relief of their fellow-citizens which they would have passed later of their own free will.

> Latin: 24.5. nec posse, cum prope ad portas essent, bello praeuerti quicquam, nec, si sit laxamenti aliquid, aut plebi honestum esse, nisi mercede prius accepta, arma pro patria non cepisse, neque patribus satis decorum per metum potius quam postmodo uoluntate adflictis ciuium suorum fortunis consuluisse.

[¶17] 24.6. He then confirmed his speech by a proclamation in which he commanded that no one should hold a Roman citizen in chains or durance so that he should not be able to give in his name to the consuls, and that none should seize or sell a soldier's property so long as he was in camp, or interfere with his children or his grandchildren.

> Latin: 24.6. contioni deinde edicto addidit fidem quo edixit ne quis ciuem Romanum uinctum aut clausum teneret, quo minus ei nominis edendi apud consules potestas fieret, neu quis militis, donec in castris esset, bona possideret aut uenderet, liberos nepotesue eius moraretur.

[¶18] 24.7. When this edict had been published, the debtors who were present at once enlisted, and from every quarter, all over the City, they hastened from the houses where their creditors no longer had the right to detain them, and rushed into the Forum to take the military oath.

> Latin: 24.7. hoc proposito edicto, et qui aderant nexi profiteri extemplo nomina, et undique ex tota urbe proripientium se ex priuato, cum retinendi ius creditori non esset, concursus in forum ut sacramento dicerent fieri.

[¶19] 24.8. It was a great throng, nor were there any soldiers whose courage and usefulness in the Volscian war were more conspicuous. The consul led his troops against the enemy, and pitched his camp at a short distance from theirs.

> Latin: 24.8. magna ea manus fuit, neque aliorum magis in Uolsco bello uirtus atque opera enituit. consul copias contra hostem educit; paruo dirimente interuallo castra ponit.

[¶20] 25.1. The next night the Volsci, relying on the lack of harmony among the Romans, attacked their camp on the chance that the darkness might encourage desertions or treachery. But the sentries perceived them, the army was roused, and, the signal being given, rushed to arms.

> Latin: 25.1. proxima inde nocte Uolsci, discordia Romana freti, si qua nocturna transitio proditioue fieri posset, temptant castra. sensere uigiles; excitatus exercitus; signo dato concursum est ad arma; ita frustra id inceptum Uolscis fuit.

[¶21] 25.2. Thus the design of the Volsci came to naught, and the remainder of the night was devoted by both armies to sleeping. On the following day at dawn the Volsci filled up the trenches and assaulted the rampart, and soon they were everywhere pulling down the palisades.

> Latin: 25.2. reliquum noctis utrimque quieti datum. postero die prima luce Uolsci fossis repletis uallum inuadunt.

[¶22] 25.3. On every side the consul's men were clamouring for the signal —none more loudly than the debtors. He waited a moment, to test the temper of the soldiers. When there could no longer be any doubt of their great ardour, he finally gave the command for a sortie and released them, eager for the fray. At the very first onset the enemy were routed.

> Latin: 25.3. iamque ob omni parte munimenta uellebantur, cum consul, quamquam cuncti undique et nexi ante omnes ut signum daret clamabant, experiendi animos militum causa parumper moratus, postquam satis apparebat ingens ardor, dato tandem ad erumpendum signo militem auidum certaminis emittit.

[¶23] 25.4. While they ran, the foot-soldiers struck at them from behind as long as they could keep up the pursuit; then the horsemen drove them panic-stricken clear to their camp. Soon the camp itself had been surrounded by the legions, and when the Volsci had fled from it in terror, it was taken and plundered.

> Latin: 25.4. primo statim incursu pulsi hostes; fugientibus, quoad insequi pedes potuit, terga caesa; eques usque ad castra pauidos egit. mox ipsa castra legionibus circumdatis, cum Uolscos inde etiam pauor expulisset, capta direptaque.

[¶24] 25.5. Next day Servilius led his forces to Suessa Pometia, where the enemy had taken refuge, and within a few days took the town and gave it up to be sacked. This yielded some slight relief to the soldiers, who needed it badly.

> Latin: 25.5. postero die ad Suessam Pometiam quo confugerant hostes legionibus ductis, intra paucos dies oppidum capitur; captum praedae datum. inde paulum recreatus egens miles;

[¶25] 25.6. The consul led his army back to Rome, with great honour to himself. As he was setting out on his return thither ambassadors approached him from the Volsci of Ecetra, who were alarmed at their own prospects, in view of the capture of Pometia. A decree of the senate granted them peace, but took away their land.

> Latin: 25.6. consul cum maxima gloria sua uictorem exercitum Romam reducit. decedentem Romam Ecetranorum Uolscorum legati, rebus suis timentes post Pometiam captam, adeunt. his ex senatus consulto data pax, ager ademptus.

[¶26] 26.1. Directly after this the Sabines also caused an alarm at Rome —for it was indeed a turmoil rather than war. One night the City got word that a Sabine army bent on pillage had come as near as the river Anio, and was there plundering and burning farmhouses right and left.

> Latin: 26.1. confestim et Sabini Romanos territauere; tumultus enim fuit uerius quam bellum. nocte in urbem nuntiatum est exercitum Sabinum praedabundum ad Anienem amnem peruenisse; ibi passim diripi atque incendi uillas.

[¶27] 26.2. The Romans at once dispatched in that direction all their cavalry, under Aulus Postumius, who had been dictator in the Latin war. He was followed by the consul Servilius with a picked body of foot-soldiers.

> Latin: 26.2. missus extemplo eo cum omnibus copiis equitum A. Postumius, qui dictator bello Latino fuerat; secutus consul Seruilius cum delecta peditum manu.

[¶28] 26.3. Many stragglers were cut off by the cavalry and, when the column of infantry drew near, no resistance was offered by the Sabine troops. Exhausted not only by their march but by their night of pillage as well, a great part of them had gorged themselves in the farmhouses with food and wine, and had scarcely vigour enough to run away.

> Latin: 26.3. plerosque palantes eques circumuenit, nec aduenienti peditum agmini restitit Sabina legio. fessi cum itinere tum populatione nocturna, magna pars in uillis repleti cibo uinoque, uix fugae quod satis esset uirium habuere.

[¶29] 26.4. A single night having sufficed for hearing of the Sabine war and ending it, men's hopes next day ran high that peace was now assured in every quarter, when legates from the Aurunci appeared before the senate to say that unless the territory of the Volsci were evacuated they should declare war.

> Latin: 26.4. nocte una audito perfectoque bello Sabino, postero die in magna iam spe undique partae pacis, legati Aurunci senatum adeunt, ni decedatur Uolsco agro bellum indicentes.

[¶30] 26.5. The Auruncan army had set out from home at the same time with the legates, and the report that it had already been seen not far from Aricia threw Rome into such a state of confusion that it was impossible to bring the matter regularly before the senate, or to return a peaceful answer to a people who had already drawn the sword, while they themselves were also arming.

> Latin: 26.5. cum legatis simul exercitus Auruncorum domo profectus erat; cuius fama haud procul iam ab Aricia uisi tanto tumultu conciuit Romanos ut nec consuli ordine patres nec pacatum responsum arma inferentibus arma ipsi capientes dare possent.

[¶31] 26.6. They marched on Aricia in fighting order, joined battle with the Aurunci not far from the town, and in a single engagement finished the war.

> Latin: 26.6. Ariciam infesto agmine itur; nec procul inde cum Auruncis signa conlata, proelioque uno debellatum est.

[¶32] 27.1. Having routed the Aurunci, and having been, within a few days, victorious in so many wars, the Romans were looking for the help which the consul had promised and the senate guaranteed, when Appius, partly out of native arrogance, partly to discredit his colleague, began to pronounce judgment with the utmost rigour in suits to recover debts. In consequence, not only were those who had been bound over before delivered up to their creditors, but others were bound over.

> Latin: 27.1. fusis Auruncis, uictor tot intra paucos dies bellis Romanus promissa consulis fidemque senatus exspectabat, cum Appius et insita superbia animo et ut collegae uanam faceret fidem, quam asperrime poterat ius de creditis pecuniis dicere. deinceps et qui ante nexi fuerant creditoribus tradebantur et nectebantur alii.

[¶33] 27.2. Whenever this happened to a soldier he would appeal to the other consul. The people flocked to the house of Servilius: it was he who had made them promises; it was he whom they reproached, as each rehearsed his services in the wars and displayed the scars he had received. They demanded that he should either lay the matter before the senate or lend his aid as consul to his fellow-citizens, as general to his soldiers.

> Latin: 27.2. quod ubi cui militi inciderat, collegam appellabat. concursus ad Seruilium fiebat; illius promissa iactabant; illi exprobrabant sua quisque belli merita cicatricesque acceptas. postulabant ut [aut] referret ad senatum, [aut] ut auxilio esset consul ciuibus suis, imperator militibus.

[¶34] 27.3. They moved the consul by this plea, but the situation forced him to temporize, so vehemently was the other side supported, not only by his colleague, but by the entire party of the nobles. And so he steered a middle course, and neither avoided the dislike of the plebs nor gained the goodwill of the Fathers.

> Latin: 27.3. mouebant consulem haec, sed tergiuersari res cogebat; adeo in alteram causam non collega solum praeceps erat sed omnis factio nobilium. ita medium se gerendo nec plebis uitauit odium nec apud patres gratiam iniit.

[¶35] 27.4. These considered him a pusillanimous consul and an agitator, while the commons held him to be dishonest; and it was soon apparent that he was as cordially hated as Appius.

> Latin: 27.4. patres mollem consulem et ambitiosum rati, plebes fallacem, breuique apparuit aequasse eum Appi odium.

[¶36] 27.5. The consuls had got into a dispute as to which should dedicate the temple to Mercury. The senate referred the case to the people for decision. Whichever consul should, by command of the people, be entrusted with the dedication was to have charge of the corn-supply, to establish a guild of merchants, and perform the solemn rites in the presence of the pontifex.

> Latin: 27.5. certamen consulibus inciderat, uter dedicaret Mercuri aedem. senatus a se rem ad populum reiecit: utri eorum dedicatio iussu populi data esset, eum praeesse annonae, mercatorum collegium instituere, sollemnia pro pontifice iussit suscipere.

[¶37] 27.6. The people assigned the dedication to Marcus Laetorius, a centurion of the first rank —a choice which would readily be understood as intended not so much to honour Laetorius, to whom a commission had been given which was too exalted for his station in life, as to humiliate the consuls.

> Latin: 27.6. populus dedicationem aedis dat M. Laetorio, primi pili centurioni, quod facile appareret non tam ad honorem eius cui curatio altior fastigio suo data esset factum quam ad consulum ignominiam.

[¶38] 27.7. Appius and the Fathers were furious then, if they had not been before; but the plebeians had plucked up heart and threw themselves into the struggle with far more spirit than they had shown at first.

> Latin: 27.7. saeuire inde utique consulum alter patresque; sed plebi creuerant animi et longe alia quam primo instituerant uia grassabantur.

[¶39] 27.8. For, despairing of help from consuls and senate, they no sooner beheld a debtor being haled away than they flew to his assistance from every side.

> Latin: 27.8. desperato enim consulum senatusque auxilio, cum in ius duci debitorem uidissent, undique conuolabant. neque decretum exaudiri consulis prae strepitu et clamore poterat, neque cum decresset quisquam obtemperabat.

[¶40] 27.9. It was impossible for the consul's decree to be heard above the din and shouting, and when it had been pronounced nobody obeyed it. Violence was the order of the day, and fear and danger had quite shifted from the debtors to the creditors, who were singled out and maltreated by large numbers in full sight of the consul.

> Latin: 27.9. ui agebatur, metusque omnis et periculum, cum in conspectu consulis singuli a pluribus uiolarentur, in creditores a debitoribus uerterant.

[¶41] 27.10. To crown these troubles came the fear of a Sabine invasion. A levy was decreed, but no one enlisted. Appius stormed and railed at the insidious arts of his colleague, who, he said, to make himself popular, was betraying the state by his inactivity; and to his refusal to give judgment for debt was adding a fresh offence in refusing to hold the levy as the senate had directed.

> Latin: 27.10. super haec timor incessit Sabini belli; dilectuque decreto nemo nomen dedit, furente Appio et insectante ambitionem collegae, qui populari silentio rem publicam proderet et ad id quod de credita pecunia ius non dixisset, adiceret ut ne dilectum quidem ex senatus consulto haberet;

[¶42] 27.11. Nevertheless the welfare of the state was not wholly forgotten, nor the authority of the consulate abandoned; he would himself, single-handed, assert both his own and the senate's majesty.

> Latin: 27.11. non esse tamen desertam omnino rem publicam neque proiectum consulare imperium; se unum et suae et patrum maiestatis uindicem fore.

[¶43] 27.12. When the usual daily throng of lawless men was standing about him, he gave orders to seize one who was a conspicuous leader in their disturbances. The lictors were already dragging the man away, when he appealed; nor would the consul have granted the appeal, for there was no question what the decision of the people would be, had not his obstinacy been with difficulty overcome, more by the advice and influence of the nobles than by the popular outcry, so steeled was he to endure men's hate.

> Latin: 27.12. cum circumstaret cotidiana multitudo licentia accensa, arripi unum insignem ducem seditionum iussit. ille cum a lictoribus iam traheretur prouocauit; nec cessisset prouocationi consul, quia non dubium erat populi iudicium, nisi aegre uicta pertinacia foret consilio magis et auctoritate principum quam populi clamore; adeo supererant animi ad sustinendam inuidiam.

[¶44] 27.13. From that moment the trouble grew worse each day, and not only were there open disturbances, but what was far more pernicious, secret gatherings and conferences. At last the consuls whom the plebeians so hated went out of office. Servilius had the goodwill of neither party, but Appius was in high esteem with the senators.

> Latin: 27.13. crescere inde malum in dies, non clamoribus modo apertis sed, quod multo perniciosius erat, secessione occultisque conloquiis. tandem inuisi plebi consules magistratu abeunt, Seruilius neutris, Appius patribus mire gratus.

[¶45] 28.1. Aulus Verginius and Titus Vetusius then entered upon the consulship. Whereat the plebs, uncertain what sort of consuls they would prove to be, held nightly gatherings, some on the Esquiline and other son the Aventine, lest if they met in the Forum they might be frightened into adopting ill-considered measures, and manage all their business rashly and at haphazard.

> Latin: 28.1. A. Uerginius inde et T. Uetusius consulatum ineunt. tum uero plebs incerta quales habitura consules esset, coetus nocturnos, pars Esquiliis, pars in Auentino facere, ne in foro subitis trepidaret consiliis et omnia temere ac fortuito ageret.

[¶46] 28.2. This seemed to the consuls, as indeed it was, a mischievous practice. They laid the matter before the Fathers, but their report could not be discussed in an orderly fashion, so tumultuously was it received, with shouts from every part of the house and expressions of indignation from the senators, that a thing which ought to have been settled by an exercise of consular authority should be invidiously referred by the consuls to the senate.

> Latin: 28.2. eam rem consules rati, ut erat, perniciosam ad patres deferunt, sed delatam consulere ordine non licuit; adeo tumultuose excepta est clamoribus undique et indignatione patrum, si quod imperio consulari exsequendum esset, inuidiam eius consules ad senatum reicerent:

[¶47] 28.3. It was evident that if only there were magistrates in the nation there would have been no assembly in Rome but the assembly of the people; as it was, the government was broken up into a thousand separate curias and meetings. One single man —a more significant word than consul —of the type of Appius Claudius, would have dispersed those assemblages in a moment.

> Latin: 28.3. profecto si essent in re publica magistratus, nullum futurum fuisse Romae nisi publicum concilium; nunc in mille curias contionesque [cum alia in Esquiliis, alia in Auentino fiant concilia] dispersam et dissipatam esse rem publicam.

[¶48] 28.4. When the consuls, thus upbraided, asked the Fathers what then they desired them to do, and promised that their conduct of the matter should be no whit less strenuous and stern than the senate wished, it was resolved that they should hold a levy with the utmost severity: it was idleness that made the plebeians lawless.

> Latin: 28.4. unum hercule uirum—id enim plus esse quam consulem—qualis Ap. Claudius fuerit, momento temporis discussurum illos coetus fuisse. correpti consules cum, quid ergo se facere uellent—nihil enim segnius molliusue quam patribus placeat acturos—percontarentur, decernunt ut dilectum quam acerrimum habeant:

[¶49] 28.6. Having adjourned the senate, the consuls mounted the tribunal and cited the young men by name. When no one answered to his name, the crowd, which surrounded the speaker as in a public meeting, declared that it was impossible to deceive the commons any longer;

> Latin: 28.6. otio lasciuire plebem. dimisso senatu consules in tribunal escendunt; citant nominatim iuniores. cum ad nomen nemo responderet, circumfusa multitudo in contionis modum negare ultra decipi plebem posse;

[¶50] 28.7. the consuls would never have a single soldier unless a public guarantee were given: liberty must first be restored to every man before arms were given him, that he might fight for his country and his fellow-citizens, not for a master.

> Latin: 28.7. nunquam unum militem habituros ni praestaretur fides publica; libertatem unicuique prius reddendam esse quam arma danda, ut pro patria ciuibusque, non pro dominis pugnent.

[¶51] 28.8. It was clear to the consuls what the senate had bidden them do; but of all those who had uttered truculent speeches within the walls of the curia they found not one at their side to share their odium, and they saw before them a terrible struggle with the people.

> Latin: 28.8. consules quid mandatum esset a senatu uidebant, sed eorum, qui intra parietes curiae ferociter loquerentur, neminem adesse inuidiae suae participem; et apparebat atrox cum plebe certamen.

[¶52] 28.9. Accordingly they thought it best, before proceeding to extremities, to consult the senate a second time. When it met, the youngest senators all rushed up in hot haste to the seats of the consuls, bidding them to abdicate their office and to lay down an authority which they lacked the spirit to support.

> Latin: 28.9. prius itaque quam ultima experirentur senatum iterum consulere placuit. tum uero ad sellas consulum prope conuolare minimus quisque natu patrum, abdicare consulatum iubentes et deponere imperium, ad quod tuendum animus deesset.

[¶53] 29.1. Having sufficiently weighed both the courses open to them, the consuls finally said: “Lest you should say that you had not been warned, Conscript Fathers, we are on the verge of a great mutiny. We demand that those who are loudest in accusing us of cowardice stand by us while we hold the levy.”

> Latin: 29.1. utraque re satis experta tum demum consules: 'ne praedictum negetis, patres conscripti, adest ingens seditio. postulamus ut hi qui maxime ignauiam increpant adsint nobis habentibus dilectum. acerrimi cuiusque arbitrio, quando ita placet, rem agemus.' redeunt in tribunal;

[¶54] 29.2. “The most severe amongst you, since such is your pleasure, shall guide our procedure.” They returned to the tribunal, and purposely commanded to cite by name one of those who were present. When he stood still without answering, in the midst of a little knot of men who, fearing the possibility of violence, had gathered round him, the consuls sent a lictor to him.

> Latin: 29.2. citari nominatim unum ex iis qui in conspectu erant dedita opera iubent. cum staret tacitus et circa eum aliquot hominum, ne forte uiolaretur, constitisset globus, lictorem ad eum consules mittunt.

[¶55] 29.3. The lictor was driven back. Whereupon, with a cry of “Shame!” the senators who were attending the consul rushed down from the tribunal to assist the lictor.

> Latin: 29.3. quo repulso, tum uero indignum facinus esse clamitantes qui patrum consulibus aderant, deuolant de tribunali ut lictori auxilio essent.

[¶56] 29.4. But when the mob turned from the officer, whom they had merely prevented from arresting the man, and assailed the senators, the consuls intervened and checked the brawl, in which no stones had been thrown nor any weapons used, and there were more shouts and expressions of rage than hurts.

> Latin: 29.4. sed ab lictore nihil aliud quam prendere prohibito cum conuersus in patres impetus esset, consulum intercursu rixa sedata est, in qua tamen sine lapide, sine telo plus clamoris atque irarum quam iniuriae fuerat.

[¶57] 29.5. The senate was convened in confusion, and they deliberated in still greater confusion. Those who had been roughly handled demanded an investigation, and all the more violent members urged the resolution, not only with speeches but with shouts and uproar.

> Latin: 29.5. senatus tumultuose uocatus tumultuosius consulitur, quaestionem postulantibus iis qui pulsati fuerant, decernente ferocissimo quoque non sententiis magis quam clamore et strepitu.

[¶58] 29.6. When at length their passions had subsided, and the consuls berated them for showing as little sanity in the Curia as the people had shown in the Forum, they began to deliberate in an orderly manner.

> Latin: 29.6. tandem cum irae resedissent, exprobrantibus consulibus nihilo plus sanitatis in curia quam in foro esse, ordine consuli coepit. tres fuere sententiae.

[¶59] 29.7. Three proposals were made. Publius Verginius advised against a general relief: only those who, relying on the promise of Publius Servilius the consul, had fought in the Volscian, Auruncan, and Sabine wars should, he thought, be considered.

> Latin: 29.7. P. Uerginius rem non uolgabat; de iis tantum qui fidem secuti P. Seruili consulis Uolsco Aurunco Sabinoque militassent bello, agendum censebat.

[¶60] 29.8. Titus Largius held that this was no time for merely requiting services; the whole commons was submerged in debt, and the situation could not be remedied unless provision were made for all; indeed, if some were treated in one way and some in another, it would heighten the discontent instead of allaying it.

> Latin: 29.8. T. Largius, non id tempus esse ut merita tantummodo exsoluerentur; totam plebem aere alieno demersam esse, nec sisti posse ni omnibus consulatur; quin si alia aliorum sit condicio, accendi magis discordiam quam sedari.

[¶61] 29.9. Appius Claudius, naturally harsh, and rendered savage by the hatred of the plebs on the one hand and the praises of the Fathers on the other, said that it was not misery but licence that had stirred up so great a hubbub, and that wantonness was what ailed the plebs rather than anger.

> Latin: 29.9. Ap. Claudius, et natura immitis et efferatus hinc plebis odio, illinc patrum laudibus, non miseriis ait sed licentia tantum concitum turbarum et lasciuire magis plebem quam saeuire.

[¶62] 29.10. That was precisely the mischief which the appeal occasioned; for the consuls might threaten but could not command, when those who had shared in the guilt might be constituted the court of appeal.

> Latin: 29.10. id adeo malum ex prouocatione natum; quippe minas esse consulum, non imperium, ubi ad eos qui una peccauerint prouocare liceat.

[¶63] 29.11. “Come,” said he, “let us appoint a dictator, from whom there is no appeal.”

> Latin: 29.11. 'agedum' inquit, 'dictatorem, a quo prouocatio non est, creemus; iam hic quo nunc omnia ardent conticescet furor.

[¶64] 29.12. “At once this frenzy which has now set everything ablaze will be stilled. Let anybody strike a lictor then, knowing that the right to scourge and behead him rests with that one man whose majesty he has violated!”

> Latin: 29.12. pulset tum mihi lictorem qui sciet ius de tergo uitaque sua penes unum illum esse cuius maiestatem uiolarit.'

[¶65] 30.1. Many felt, and with reason, that the proposal of Appius was stern and cruel; on the other hand those of Verginius and Largius were inexpedient because of the precedent; particularly that of Largius, since it destroyed all credit. The most reasonable and moderate plan, in its regard for both sides, was held to be that of Verginius.

> Latin: 30.1. multis, ut erat, horrida et atrox uidebatur Appi sententia; rursus Uergini Largique exemplo haud salubres, utique Largi [putabant sententiam], quae totam fidem tolleret. medium maxime et moderatum utroque consilium Uergini habebatur;

[¶66] 30.2. But owing to party spirit and consideration for private interests, things which have always been hurtful to public deliberations and always will be, Appius prevailed, and came very near to being himself appointed dictator, a step which would infallibly have estranged the commons, and that at a most dangerous moment, since the Volsci, the Aequi, and the Sabines were all, as it chanced, up in arms at once.

> Latin: 30.2. sed factione respectuque rerum priuatarum, quae semper offecere officientque publicis consiliis, Appius uicit, ac prope fuit ut dictator ille idem crearetur; quae res utique alienasset plebem periculosissimo tempore, cum Uolsci Aequique et Sabini forte una omnes in armis essent.

[¶67] 30.4. But the consuls and the older senators saw to it that a magistracy rendered formidable by its paramount authority should be committed to a man of gentle disposition, and chose for dictator Manius Valerius, son of Volesus.

> Latin: 30.4. sed curae fuit consulibus et senioribus patrum, ut imperium sua ui uehemens mansueto permitteretur ingenio:

[¶68] 30.5. The plebs, though they perceived that it was against themselves that the creation of a dictator was aimed, still, since it was through a law proposed by a brother of Valerius that they possessed the right of appeal, they had no fear of any harsh or oppressive act on the part of one of that family.

> Latin: 30.5. M'. Ualerium dictatorem Uolesi filium creant. plebes etsi aduersus se creatum dictatorem uidebat, tamen cum prouocationem fratris lege haberet, nihil ex ea familia triste nec superbum timebat;

[¶69] 30.6. An edict which the dictator soon promulgated strengthened their confidence. It conformed essentially to the edict of Servilius; but Valerius and the office he held commanded greater confidence, and, ceasing to struggle, men gave in their names. So large an army had never been enrolled before.

> Latin: 30.6. edictum deinde a dictatore propositum confirmauit animos, Seruili fere consulis edicto conueniens; sed et homini et potestati melius rati credi, omisso certamine nomina dedere. quantus nunquam ante exercitus, legiones decem effectae; ternae inde datae consulibus, quattuor dictator usus.

[¶70] 30.8. Ten legions were embodied; each consul was given three of these, and the dictator had four. Nor could war be deferred any longer, for the Aequi had invaded Latin territory. Emissaries from the Latins begged the senate either to send them help or permit them to take up arms themselves in defence of their country.

> Latin: 30.8. nec iam poterat bellum differri. Aequi Latinum agrum inuaserant. oratores Latinorum ab senatu petebant ut aut mitterent subsidium aut se ipsos tuendorum finium causa capere arma sinerent.

[¶71] 30.9. It seemed safer that the Latins should be defended without arming them, than that they should be suffered to resume their weapons. Vetusius the consul was dispatched to them, and this ended the pillaging. The Aequi left the fields, and trusting more to situation than to arms, secured themselves on the summits of the ridges.

> Latin: 30.9. tutius uisum est defendi inermes Latinos quam pati retractare arma. Uetusius consul missus est; is finis populationibus fuit. cessere Aequi campis, locoque magis quam armis freti summis se iugis montium tutabantur.

[¶72] 30.10. The other consul marched against the Volsci. Lest he too might waste his time, he provoked the enemy, chiefly by ravaging their lands, to bring their camp nearer and do battle with him.

> Latin: 30.10. alter consul in Uolscos profectus, ne et ipse tereret tempus, uastandis maxime agris hostem ad conferenda propius castra dimicandumque acie exciuit.

[¶73] 30.11. In the plain between the camps the two armies formed their lines, each in front of its own stockade.

> Latin: 30.11. medio inter castra campo ante suum quisque uallum infestis signis constitere.

[¶74] 30.12. In numbers the Volsci were somewhat superior, and accordingly they came on in a loose and careless order. The Roman consul did not advance, nor did he allow a response to the enemy's shout. He commanded his men to plant their spears in the ground and stand still until the enemy had come to close quarters; then they were to assail them with all their might, and settle the question with the sword.

> Latin: 30.12. multitudine aliquantum Uolsci superabant; itaque effusi et contemptim pugnam iniere. consul Romanus nec promouit aciem, nec clamorem reddi passus defixis pilis stare suos iussit: ubi ad manum uenisset hostis, tum coortos tota ui gladiis rem gerere.

[¶75] 30.13. The Volsci, weary with running and shouting, hurled themselves upon the Romans, who seemed to be numb with fear. But when the attackers found that their charge was firmly met and saw the swords flash in their faces, they were no whit less confounded than if they had fallen into an ambush, and turned and fled; and even flight was beyond their strength, since they had been running as they entered the battle.

> Latin: 30.13. Uolsci cursu et clamore fessi cum se uelut stupentibus metu intulissent Romanis, postquam impressionem sensere ex aduerso factam et ante oculos micare gladios, haud secus quam si in insidias incidissent, turbati uertunt terga; et ne ad fugam quidem satis uirium fuit, quia cursu in proelium ierant.

[¶76] 30.14. The Romans on the contrary, having stood at ease at the beginning of the fight, were fresh and strong; they readily caught up with the exhausted Volsci, and having taken their camp with a rush, pursued their enemies beyond it to Velitrae, where vanquished and victors burst into the city in one body.

> Latin: 30.14. Romani contra, quia principio pugnae quieti steterant, uigentes corporibus, facile adepti fessos, et castra impetu ceperunt et castris exutum hostem Uelitras persecuti uno agmine uictores cum uictis in urbem inrupere;

[¶77] 30.15. More blood was shed there, in the promiscuous slaughter of all sorts of people, than had been in the battle itself. A very few were granted quarter, having come without arms and given themselves up.

> Latin: 30.15. plusque ibi sanguinis promiscua omnium generum caede quam in ipsa dimicatione factum. paucis data uenia, qui inermes in deditionem uenerunt.

[¶78] 31.1. While these things were going on in the Volscian country, the dictator put to rout the Sabines —by far Rome's most important enemy —and captured their camp.

> Latin: 31.1. dum haec in Uolscis geruntur, dictator Sabinos, ubi longe plurimum belli fuerat, fundit [fugatque] exuitque castris.

[¶79] 31.2. Attacking with his cavalry, he made havoc of their centre, which, in extending their wings too widely, they had unduly weakened; and in the midst of the disorder the infantry assailed them. By a single rush the camp was captured and the war ended.

> Latin: 31.2. equitatu immisso mediam turbauerat hostium aciem, quam, dum se cornua latius pandunt, parum apte introrsum ordinibus [aciem] firmauerant; turbatos pedes inuasit. eodem impetu castra capta debellatumque est.

[¶80] 31.3. From the time of the fight at Lake Regillus no other battle of those days was more famous. The dictator entered the City in triumph. In addition to the customary honours a place was assigned him in the circus, for himself and his descendants, to witness the games, and a curule chair was put there for him.

> Latin: 31.3. post pugnam ad Regillum lacum non alia illis annis pugna clarior fuit. dictator triumphans urbem inuehitur. super solitos honores locus in circo ipsi posterisque ad spectaculum datus;

[¶81] 31.4. The Volsci, having been conquered, were deprived of the Veliternian land; colonists were sent from the City to Velitrae and a colony was planted. Soon after this there was a battle with the Aequi, though the consul was against it, for it was necessary to approach the enemy from unfavourable ground;

> Latin: 31.4. sella in eo loco curulis posita. Uolscis deuictis Ueliternus ager ademptus; Uelitras coloni ab urbe missi et colonia deducta. cum Aequis post aliquanto pugnatum est, inuito quidem consule quia loco iniquo subeundum erat ad hostes;

[¶82] 31.5. but his men accused him of dragging out the campaign in order that the dictator might relinquish his office before their return to the City, and his promises thus come to naught, as the consul's promises had done before. Vetusius was thus driven to order an advance at random, up the mountains which confronted him.

> Latin: 31.5. sed milites extrahi rem criminantes ut dictator priusquam ipsi redirent in urbem magistratu abiret inritaque, sicut ante consulis, promissa eius caderent, perpulere ut forte temere in aduersos montes agmen erigeret.

[¶83] 31.6. This ill-advised measure the enemy's cowardice turned into success, for before the Romans had come within a spear's throw, the Aequi, appalled at their audacity, abandoned the camp which they had maintained in a highly defensible position, and threw themselves down into the valleys on the other side. There the Romans gained considerable booty and a bloodless victory.

> Latin: 31.6. id male commissum ignauia hostium in bonum uertit, qui priusquam ad coniectum teli ueniretur, obstupefacti audacia Romanorum, relictis castris quae munitissimis tenuerant locis, in auersas ualles desiluere. ibi satis praedae et uictoria incruenta fuit.

[¶84] 31.7. Though a threefold success had thus been gained in the war, neither senators nor plebeians had been relieved of their anxiety respecting the outcome of affairs at home, so great was the artfulness, as well as influence, with which the money-lenders had laid their plans to baffle not only the commons but even the dictator himself.

> Latin: 31.7. ita trifariam re bello bene gesta, de domesticarum rerum euentu nec patribus nec plebi cura decesserat: tanta cum gratia tum arte praeparauerant feneratores quae non modo plebem, sed ipsum etiam dictatorem frustrarentur.

[¶85] 31.8. For after the return of the consul Vetusius, the first business which Valerius brought before the senate was in behalf of the victorious people, that the senate might declare its policy regarding the treatment of those bound over for debt.

> Latin: 31.8. namque Ualerius post Uetusi consulis reditum omnium actionum in senatu primam habuit pro uictore populo, rettulitque quid de nexis fieri placeret.

[¶86] 31.9. This resolution having failed to pass, the dictator said: “I do not please you in urging harmony. You will soon wish, I warrant you, that the Roman plebs had men like me for their spokesmen. For my own part I will not be the means of further disappointing my fellow citizens, nor will I be dictator to no purpose.”

> Latin: 31.9. quae cum reiecta relatio esset, 'non placeo' inquit, 'concordiae auctor. optabitis, mediusfidius, propediem, ut mei similes Romana plebis patronos habeat. quod ad me attinet, neque frustrabor ultra ciues meos neque ipse frustra dictator ero.

[¶87] 31.10. “Internal strife and foreign war made this office necessary to the nation; peace has been secured abroad, but at home it is being thwarted; I will play my part as a private citizen rather than as a dictator, when the mutiny breaks out.” So saying he left the Curia and laid down his office.

> Latin: 31.10. discordiae intestinae, bellum externum fecere ut hoc magistratu egeret res publica: pax foris parta est, domi impeditur; priuatus potius quam dictator seditioni interero.' ita curia egressus dictatura se abdicauit.

[¶88] 31.11. It was evident to the people that resentment of their wrongs had caused him to resign the magistracy. And so, as though he had kept his pledge (for it had not been his fault that it was not being carried out), they attended him as he retired to his house with manifestations of favour and approval.

> Latin: 31.11. apparuit causa plebi, suam uicem indignantem magistratu abisse; itaque uelut persoluta fide, quoniam per eum non stetisset quin praestaretur, decedentem domum cum fauore ac laudibus prosecuti sunt.

[¶89] 32.1. Thereupon the senators became alarmed, fearing that if the army should be disbanded there would again be secret gatherings and conspiracies. And so, although the levy had been held by order of the dictator, yet because the men had been sworn in by the consuls they regarded the troops as bound by their oath, and, under the pretext that the Aequi had recommenced hostilities, gave orders to lead the legions out of the City.

> Latin: 32.1. timor inde patres incessit ne, si dimissus exercitus foret, rursus coetus occulti coniurationesque fierent. itaque quamquam per dictatorem dilectus habitus esset, tamen quoniam in consulum uerba iurassent sacramento teneri militem rati, per causam renouati ab Aequis belli educi ex urbe legiones iussere.

[¶90] 32.2. This brought the revolt to a head. At first it is said, there was talk of killing the consuls, that men might thus be freed from their oath; but when it was explained to them that no sacred obligation could be dissolved by a crime, they took the advice of one Sicinius, and without orders from the consuls withdrew to the Sacred Mount, which is situated across the river Anio, three miles from the City.

> Latin: 32.2. quo facto maturata est seditio. et primo agitatum dicitur de consulum caede, ut soluerentur sacramento; doctos deinde nullam scelere religionem exsolui, Sicinio quodam auctore iniussu consulum in Sacrum montem secessisse. trans Anienem amnem est, tria ab urbe milia passuum.

[¶91] 32.3. —This version of the story is more general than that given by Piso, namely that the Aventine was the place of their secession.

> Latin: 32.3. ea frequentior fama est quam cuius Piso auctor est, in Auentinum secessionem factam esse.

[¶92] 32.4. —There, without any leader, they fortified their camp with stockade and trench, and continued quietly, taking nothing but what they required for their subsistance, for several days, neither receiving provocation nor giving any.

> Latin: 32.4. ibi sine ullo duce uallo fossaque communitis castris quieti, rem nullam nisi necessariam ad uictum sumendo, per aliquot dies neque lacessiti neque lacessentes sese tenuere.

[¶93] 32.5. There was a great panic in the City, and mutual apprehension caused the suspension of all activities. The plebeians, having been abandoned by their friends, feared violence at the hands of the senators; the senators feared the plebeians who were left behind in Rome, being uncertain whether they had rather they stayed or went.

> Latin: 32.5. pauor ingens in urbe, metuque mutuo suspensa erant omnia. timere relicta ab suis plebis uiolentiam patrum; timere patres residem in urbe plebem, incerti manere eam an abire mallent:

[¶94] 32.6. Besides, how long would the seceding multitude continue peaceable? What would happen next if some foreign war should break out in the interim?

> Latin: 32.6. quamdiu autem tranquillam quae secesserit multitudinem fore? quid futurum deinde si quod externum interim bellum exsistat?

[¶95] 32.7. Assuredly no hope was left save in harmony amongst the citizens, and this they concluded they must restore to the state by fair means or foul.

> Latin: 32.7. nullam profecto nisi in concordia ciuium spem reliquam ducere; eam per aequa, per iniqua reconciliandam ciuitati esse.

[¶96] 32.8. They therefore decided to send as an ambassador to the commons Agrippa Menenius, an eloquent man and dear to the plebeians as being one of themselves by birth. On being admitted to the camp he is said merely to have related the following apologue, in the quaint and uncouth style of that age:

> Latin: 32.8. placuit igitur oratorem ad plebem mitti Menenium Agrippam, facundum uirum et quod inde oriundus erat plebi carum. is intromissus in castra prisco illo dicendi et horrido modo nihil aliud quam hoc narrasse fertur:

[¶97] 32.9. In the days when man's members did not all agree amongst themselves, as is now the case, but had each its own ideas and a voice of its own, the other parts thought it unfair that they should have the worry and the trouble and the labour of providing everything for the belly, while the belly remained quietly in their midst with nothing to do but to enjoy the good things which they bestowed upon it; they therefore conspired together that the hands should carry no food to the mouth, nor the mouth accept anything that was given it, nor the teeth grind up what they received.

> Latin: 32.9. tempore quo in homine non ut nunc omnia in unum consentiant, sed singulis membris suum cuique consilium, suus sermo fuerit, indignatas reliquas partes sua cura, suo labore ac ministerio uentri omnia quaeri, uentrem in medio quietum nihil aliud quam datis uoluptatibus frui;

[¶98] 32.10. While they sought in this angry spirit to starve the belly into submission, the members themselves and the whole body were reduced to the utmost weakness.

> Latin: 32.10. conspirasse inde ne manus ad os cibum ferrent, nec os acciperet datum, nec dentes quae acciperent conficerent. hac ira, dum uentrem fame domare uellent, ipsa una membra totumque corpus ad extremam tabem uenisse.

[¶99] 32.11. Hence it had become clear that even the belly had no idle task to perform, and was no more nourished than it nourished the rest, by giving out to all parts of the body that by which we live and thrive, when it has been divided equally amongst the veins and is enriched with digested food —that is, the blood.

> Latin: 32.11. inde apparuisse uentris quoque haud segne ministerium esse, nec magis ali quam alere eum, reddentem in omnes corporis partes hunc quo uiuimus uigemusque, diuisum pariter in uenas maturum confecto cibo sanguinem.

[¶100] 32.12. Drawing a parallel from this to show how like was the internal dissension of the bodily members to the anger of the plebs against the Fathers, he prevailed upon the minds of his hearers.

> Latin: 32.12. comparando hinc quam intestina corporis seditio similis esset irae plebis in patres, flexisse mentes hominum.

[¶101] 33.1. Steps were then taken towards harmony, and a compromise was effected on these terms: the plebeians were to have magistrates of their own, who should be inviolable, and in them should lie the right to aid the people against the consuls, nor should any senator be permitted to take this magistracy.

> Latin: 33.1. agi deinde de concordia coeptum, concessumque in condiciones ut plebi sui magistratus essent sacrosancti quibus auxilii latio aduersus consules esset, neue cui patrum capere eum magistratum liceret.

[¶102] 33.2. And so they chose two “tribunes of the people,” Gaius Licinius and Lucius Albinus. These appointed three others to be their colleagues. Amongst the latter, Sicinius, the promoter of the revolt, was one, as all agree; the identity of the other two is less certain.

> Latin: 33.2. ita tribuni plebei creati duo, C. Licinius et L. Albinus; ii tres collegas sibi creauerunt. in his Sicinium fuisse, seditionis auctorem: de duobus, qui fuerint minus conuenit.

[¶103] 33.3. Some hold that there were only two tribunes elected on the Sacred Mount, and that the law of inviolability was enacted there. During the secession of the plebs Spurius Cassius and Postumus Cominius entered upon their consulship.

> Latin: 33.3. sunt qui duos tantum in Sacro monte creatos tribunos esse dicant, ibique sacratam legem latam. per secessionem plebis Sp. Cassius et Postumius Cominius consulatum inierunt.