The History of Rome, Books 01 to 08
handled, whilst the name of Mænius was cried up with encomiums, when at
every mention of the tribune the attachment of the surrounding people
vied by their applause and commendation with the loud praises of the
soldiers. And that circumstance occasioned more anxiety to the
patricians, than the wanton raillery of the soldiers against the
consul, which was in a manner a usual thing; and the election of Mænius
among the military tribunes being deemed as no longer questionable, if
he should become a candidate, he was kept out of it by an election for
consuls being appointed.
54. Cneius Cornelius Cossus and Lucius Furius Medullinus were elected
consuls. The commons were not on any other occasion more dissatisfied at
the election of tribunes not being conceded to them. This sense of
annoyance they both manifested at the nomination of quæstors, and
avenged by then electing plebeians for the first time as quæstors; so
that in electing four, room was left for only one patrician; whilst
three plebeians, Quintus Silius, Publius Aelius, and Publius Pupius,
were preferred to young men of the most illustrious families. I learn
that the principal advisers of the people, in this so independent a
bestowing of their suffrage, were the Icilii, three out of this family
most hostile to the patricians having been elected tribunes of the
commons for that year, by their holding out the grand prospect of many
and great achievements to the people, who became consequently most
ardent; after they had affirmed that they would not stir a step, if the
people would not, even at the election of quæstors, the only one which
the senate had left open to the commons and patricians, evince
sufficient spirit to accomplish that which they had so long wished for,
and which was allowed by the laws. This therefore the people considered
an important victory; and that quæstorship they estimated not by the
extent of the honour itself; but an access seemed opened to new men to
the consulship and the honours of a triumph. The patricians, on the
other hand, expressed their indignation not so much at the honours of
the state being shared, but at their being lost; they said that, "if
matters be so, children need no longer be educated; who being driven
from the station of their ancestors, and seeing others in the possession
of their dignity, would be left without command or power, as mere salii
and flamens, with no other employment than to offer sacrifices for the
people." The minds of both parties being irritated, since the commons
had both assumed new courage, and had now three leaders of the most
distinguished reputation for the popular side; the patricians seeing
that the result of all the elections would be similar to that for
quæstors, wherever the people had the choice from both sides, strove
vigorously for the election of consuls, which was not yet open to them.
The Icilii, on the contrary, said that military tribunes should be
elected, and that posts of honour should be at length imparted to the
commons.
55. But the consuls had no proceeding on hand, by opposing which they
could extort that which they desired; when by an extraordinary and
favourable occurrence an account is brought that the Volscians and
Æquans had proceeded beyond their frontiers into the Latin and Hernican
territory to commit depredations. For which war when the consuls
commence to hold a levy in pursuance of a decree of the senate, the
tribunes then strenuously opposed them, affirming that such a fortunate
opportunity was presented to them and to the commons. There were three,
and all very active men, and of respectable families, considering they
were plebeians. Two of them choose each a consul, to be watched by them
with unremitting assiduity; to one is assigned the charge sometimes of
restraining, sometimes of exciting, the commons by his harangues.
Neither the consuls effected the levy, nor the tribunes the election
which they desired. Then fortune inclining to the cause of the people,
expresses arrive that the Æquans had attacked the citadel of Carventa,
the soldiers who were in garrison having straggled away in quest of
plunder, and had put to death the few left to guard it; that others were
slain as they were returning to the citadel, and others who were
dispersed through the country. This circumstance, prejudicial to the
state, added force to the project of the tribunes. For, assailed by
every argument to no purpose that they would then at length desist from
obstructing the war, when they yielded neither to the public storm, nor
to the odium themselves, they succeed so far as to have a decree of the
senate passed for the election of military tribunes; with an express
stipulation, however, that no candidate should be considered, who was
tribune of the people that year, and that no one should be re-elected
plebeian tribune for the year following; the senate undoubtedly pointing
at the Icilians, whom they suspected of aiming at the consular
tribuneship as the reward of their turbulent tribuneship of the commons.
Then the levy began to proceed, and preparations for war began to be
made with the concurrence of all ranks. The diversity of the statements
of writers leaves it uncertain whether both the consuls set out for the
citadel of Carventa, or whether one remained behind to hold the
elections; those facts in which they do not disagree are to be received
as certain, that they retired from the citadel of Carventa, after having
carried on the attack for a long time to no purpose: that Verrugo in the
Volscian country was taken by the same army, and that great devastation
had been made, and considerable booty captured both amongst the Æquans
and in the Volscian territory.
56. At Rome, as the commons gained the victory so far as to have the
kind of elections which they preferred, so in the issue of the elections
the patricians were victorious; for, contrary to the expectation of all,
three patricians were elected military tribunes with consular power,
Caius Julius Julus, Publius Cornelius Cossus, Caius Servilius Ahala.
They say that an artifice was employed by the patricians (with which the
Icilii charged them even at the time); that by intermixing a crowd of
unworthy candidates with the deserving, they turned away the thoughts of
the people from the plebeian through the disgust excited by the
remarkable meanness of some. Then tidings are brought that the Volscians
and Æquans, whether the retention of the citadel of Carventa raised
their hopes, or the loss of the garrison at Verrugo excited their
resentment, united in making preparations for war with the utmost
energy: that the Antians were the chief promoters of the project; that
their ambassadors had gone about the states of both these nations,
upbraiding their dastardly conduct; that shut up within their walls,
they had on the preceding year suffered the Romans to carry their
depredations throughout their country, and the garrison of Verrugo to be
overpowered. That now not only armed troops but colonies also were sent
into their territories; and that not only the Romans distributed among
themselves and kept their property, but that they had made a present to
the Hernici of Ferentinum what had been taken from them. After their
minds were inflamed by these remonstrances, according as they made
applications to each, a great number of young men were enlisted. Thus
the youth of all the states were drawn together to Antium: there they
pitched their camp and awaited the enemy. When these accounts are
reported at Rome with much greater alarm than the circumstance
warranted, the senate instantly ordered a dictator to be nominated,
which was their last resource in perilous circumstances. They say that
Julius and Cornelius were much offended at this proceeding, and that the
matter was accomplished with great warmth of temper: when the leading
men of the patricians, complaining fruitlessly that the military
tribunes would not conform to the judgment of the senate, at last
appealed even to the tribunes of the commons, and stated that force had
been used even with the consuls by that body on a similar occasion. The
plebeian tribunes, overjoyed at the dissension among the patricians,
said, "that there was no support in persons who were not held in the
rank of citizens, nor even of human beings; if ever the posts of honour
were open, and the administration of government were shared, that they
should then see that the decrees of the senate should not be invalidated
by the arrogance of magistrates; that in the mean while, the patricians,
unrestrained as they were by respect for laws or magistrates, must
manage the tribunitian office also by themselves."
57. This contention occupied men's thoughts at a most unseasonable time,
when a war of such importance was on hand: until when Julius and
Cornelius descanted for a long time by turns, on "how unjust it was that
a post of honour conferred on them by the people was now to be wrested
from them, since they were generals sufficiently qualified to conduct
that war." Then Ahala Servilius, military tribune, says, "that he had
remained silent for so long a time, not because he was uncertain as to
his opinion, (for what good citizen can separate his own interests from
those of the public,) but because he wished that his colleagues should
of their own accord yield to the authority of the senate, rather than
suffer the tribunitian power to be suppliantly appealed to against them.
That even then, if circumstances permitted, he would still give them
time to retract an opinion too pertinaciously adhered to. But since the
exigences of war do not await the counsels of men, that the public weal
was of deeper importance to him than the good will of his colleagues,
and if the senate continued in the same sentiments, he would, on the
following night, nominate a dictator; and if any one protested against a
decree of the senate being passed, that he would be content with its
authority."[158] When by this conduct he bore away the well-merited
praises and good will of all, having named Publius Cornelius dictator,
he himself being appointed by him as master of the horse, served as an
instance to those who considered his case and that of his colleagues,
how much more attainable public favour and honour sometimes were to
those who evinced no desire for them. The war was in no respect a
memorable one. The enemy were beaten at Antium in one, and that an easy
battle; the victorious army laid waste the Volscian territory; their
fort at the lake Fucinus was taken by storm, and in it three thousand
men made prisoners; the rest of the Volscians being driven within the
walls, and not defending the lands. The dictator having conducted the
war in such a manner as to show that he was not negligent of fortune's
favours, returned to the city with a greater share of success than of
glory, and resigned his office. The military tribunes, without making
any mention of an election of consuls, (through pique, I suppose, for
the appointment of a dictator,) issued a proclamation for the election
of military tribunes. Then indeed the perplexity of the patricians
became still greater, as seeing their cause betrayed by their own party.
Wherefore, as on the year before, by bringing forward as candidates the
most unworthy individuals from amongst the plebeians, they produced a
disgust against all, even those who were deserving; so then by engaging
such of the patricians as were most distinguished by the splendour of
their character and by their influence to stand as candidates, they
secured all the places; so that no plebeian could get in. Four were
elected, all of them men who had already served the office, Lucius
Furius Medullinus, Caius Valerius Potitus, Numerius Fabius Vibulanus,