The History of Rome, Books 01 to 08
under the pretext of hostilities being renewed by the Æqui, they ordered
the legions to be led out of the city; by which proceeding the sedition
was hastened. And it is said that at first it was in contemplation to
put the consuls to death, that they might be discharged from their oath:
but that being afterwards informed that no religious obligation could be
dissolved by a criminal act, they, by the advice of one Sicinius,
retired, without the orders of the consuls, to the sacred mount, beyond
the river Anio, three miles from the city: this account is more general
than that which Piso has given, that the secession was made to the
Aventine. There without any leader, their camp being fortified with a
rampart and trench, remaining quiet, taking nothing but what was
necessary for sustenance, they kept themselves for several days, neither
being attacked, nor attacking others. Great was the panic in the city,
and through mutual fear all was suspense. The people left in the city
dreaded the violence of the senators; the senators dreaded the people
remaining in the city, uncertain whether they should prefer them to stay
or to depart; but how long would the multitude which had seceded, remain
quiet? what were to be the consequences then, if, in the mean time, any
foreign war should break out? they certainly considered no hope left,
save in the concord of the citizens; this should be restored to the
state by fair or by unfair means. It was resolved therefore that there
should be sent as ambassador to the people, Menenius Agrippa, an
eloquent man, and one who was a favourite with the people, because he
derived his origin from them. He being admitted into the camp, is said
to have related to them merely the following story in that antiquated
and uncouth style; "At a time when all the parts in the human body did
not, as now, agree together, but the several members had each its own
scheme, its own language, the other parts, indignant that every thing
was procured for the belly by their care, labour, and service; that the
belly, remaining quiet in the centre, did nothing but enjoy the
pleasures afforded it. They conspired accordingly, that the hands should
not convey food to the mouth, nor the mouth receive it when presented,
nor the teeth chew it: whilst they wished under the influence of this
feeling to subdue the belly by famine, the members themselves and the
entire body were reduced to the last degree of emaciation. Thence it
became apparent that the service of the belly was by no means a slothful
one; that it did not so much receive nourishment as supply it, sending
to all parts of the body this blood by which we live and possess
vigour, distributed equally to the veins when perfected by the digestion
of the food." By comparing in this way how similar the intestine
sedition of the body was to the resentment of the people against the
senators, he made an impression on the minds of the multitude.
33. Then a commencement was made to treat of a reconciliation, and among
the conditions it was allowed, "that the commons should have their own
magistrates, with inviolable privileges, who should have the power of
bringing assistance against the consuls, and that it should not be
lawful for any of the patricians to hold that office." Thus two tribunes
of the commons were created, Caius Licinius and L. Albinus. These
created three colleagues for themselves. It is clear that among these
was Sicinius, the adviser of the sedition; with respect to two, who they
were is not so clear. There are some who say, that only two tribunes
were elected on the sacred mount, and that there the devoting law was
passed. During the secession of the commons, Sp. Cassius and Postumus
Cominius entered on the consulship. During their consulate, the treaty
with the Latin states was concluded. To ratify this, one of the consuls
remained at Rome; the other being sent to the Volscian war, routs and
puts to flight the Volscians of Antium, and continuing his pursuit of
them, now that they were driven into the town of Longula, he takes
possession of the town. Next he took Polusca, also belonging to the
Volscians; then he attacked Corioli with all his force. There was then
in the camp, among the young noblemen, C. Marcius, a youth distinguished
both for intelligence and courage, who afterwards attained the cognomen
of Coriolanus. When, as the Roman army was besieging Corioli, and was
wholly intent on the townspeople, whom they kept shut up, without any
apprehension of war threatening from without, the Volscian legion,
setting out from Antium, suddenly attacked them, and, at the same time
the enemy sallied forth from the town, Marcius happened to be on guard.
He with a chosen body of men not only repelled the attack of those who
had sallied out, but boldly rushed in through the open gate, and having
cut down all in the part of the city nearest him, and having hastily
seized some fire, threw it in the houses adjoining to the wall. Upon
this the shouts of the townsmen mingling with the wailings of the women
and children, occasioned by the first fright,[88] as is usual, both
increased the courage of the Romans, and dispirited the Volscians,
seeing the city captured to the relief of which they had come. Thus the
Volsci of Antium were defeated, the town of Corioli was taken. And so
much did Marcius by his valour eclipse the reputation of the consul,
that had not the treaty concluded with the Latins by Sp. Cassius alone,
because his colleague was absent, served as a memorial of it, it would
have been forgotten that Postumus Cominius had conducted the war with
the Volscians. The same year dies Agrippa Menenius, a man during all his
life equally a favourite with the senators and commons, still more
endeared to the commons after the secession. To this man, the mediator
and umpire in restoring concord among his countrymen, the ambassador of
the senators to the commons, the person who brought back the commons to
the city, were wanting the expenses of his funeral. The people buried
him by the contribution of a sextans from each person.
[Footnote 88: I have here adopted the reading of Stacker and others,
scil. _ad terrorem, ut solet, primum ortus_.]
34. T. Geganius and P. Minutius were next elected consuls. In this year,
when every thing was quiet from war abroad, and the dissensions were
healed at home, another much more serious evil fell upon the state;
first a scarcity of provisions, in consequence of the lands lying
untilled during the secession of the commons; then a famine such as
befals those who are besieged. And it would have ended in the
destruction of the slaves at least, and indeed some of the commons also,
had not the consuls adopted precautionary measures, by sending persons
in every direction to buy up corn, not only into Etruria on the coast to
the right of Ostia, and through the Volscians along the coast on the
left as far as Cumas, but into Sicily also, in quest of it. So far had
the hatred of their neighbours obliged them to stand in need of aid from
distant countries. When corn had been bought up at Cumæ, the ships were
detained in lieu of the property of the Tarquinii by the tyrant
Aristodemus, who was their heir. Among the Volsci and in the Pomptine
territory it could not even be purchased. The corn dealers themselves
incurred danger from the violence of the inhabitants. Corn came from
Etruria by the Tiber: by means of this the people were supported. Amid
this distressing scarcity they would have been harassed by a very
inconvenient war, had not a dreadful pestilence attacked the Volsci when
about to commence hostilities. The minds of the enemy being alarmed by
this calamity, so that they were influenced by some terror, even after
it had abated, the Romans both augmented the number of their colonists
at Velitræ, and despatched a new colony to the mountains of Norba, to
serve as a barrier in the Pomptine district. Then in the consulship of
M. Minucius, and A. Sempronius, a great quantity of corn was imported
from Sicily, and it was debated in the senate at what rate it should be
given to the commons. Many were of opinion, that the time was come for
putting down the commons, and for recovering those rights which had been
wrested from the senators by secession and violence. In particular,
Marcius Coriolanus, an enemy to tribunitian power, says, "If they desire
the former rate of provisions, let them restore to the senators their
former rights. Why do I, after being sent under the yoke, after being,
as it were, ransomed from robbers, behold plebeian magistrates, and
Sicinius invested with power? Shall I submit to these indignities longer
than is necessary? Shall I, who would not have endured King Tarquin,
tolerate Sicinius. Let him now secede, let him call away the commons.
The road lies open to the sacred mount and to other hills. Let them
carry off the corn from our lands, as they did three years since. Let
them have the benefit of that scarcity which in their frenzy they have
occasioned. I will venture to say, that, brought to their senses by
these sufferings, they will themselves become tillers of the lands,
rather than, taking up arms and seceding, they would prevent them from
being tilled." It is not so easy to say whether it should have been
done, as I think that it might have been practicable for the senators,
on the condition of lowering the price of provisions, to have rid
themselves of both the tribunitian power, and all the restraints imposed
on them against their will.[89]
[Footnote 89: i. e. I think it might have been done; whether it would
have been right to do so, it is not so easy to decide. Livy means to say
that it was possible enough for the senators, by lowering the price of
corn, to get rid of the tribunes, &c. Such a judgment is easily formed;
it is not, however, he says, so easy to determine, whether it would have
been expedient to follow the advice of Coriolanus.]
35. This proposal both appeared to the senate too harsh, and from
exasperation well nigh drove the people to arms: "that they were now
assailed with famine, as if enemies, that they were defrauded of food
and sustenance, that the foreign corn, the only support which fortune
unexpectedly furnished to them, was being snatched from their mouth,
unless the tribunes were given up in chains to C. Marcius, unless he
glut his rage on the backs of the commons of Rome. That in him a new
executioner had started up, who ordered them to die or be slaves." An
assault would have been made on him as he left the senate-house, had not
the tribunes very opportunely appointed him a day for trial; by this
their rage was suppressed, every one saw himself become the judge, the
arbiter of the life and death of his foe. At first Marcius heard the
threats of the tribunes with contempt.--"That the right to afford aid,
not to inflict punishment, had been granted to that office; that they
were tribunes of the commons and not of the senators." But the commons
had risen with such violent determination, that the senators were
obliged to extricate themselves from danger by the punishment of
one.[90] They resisted however, in spite of popular odium, and employed,
each individual his own powers, and all those of the entire order. And
first, the trial was made whether they could upset the affair, by
posting their clients (in several places), by deterring individuals from
attending meetings and cabals. Then they all proceeded in a body (you
would suppose that all the senators were on their trial) earnestly
entreating the commons, that if they would not acquit as innocent, they
would at least pardon as guilty, one citizen, one senator. As he did not
attend on the day appointed, they persevered in their resentment. Being
condemned in his absence, he went into exile to the Volsci, threatening