The History of Rome, Books 01 to 08
desire to be still more invidious) any Claudius should say, Either
accept all, or I propose nothing; which of you, Romans, would bear it?
Will ye never look at facts rather than persons? but always listen with
partial ears to every thing which that officer will say, and with
prejudiced ears to what may be said by any of us? But, by Jove, their
language is by no means becoming members of a republic. What! what sort
is the measure, which they are indignant at its having been rejected by
you? very like their language, Romans. I ask, he says, that it may not
be lawful for you to elect, as consuls, such persons as ye may wish.
Does he require any thing else, who orders that one consul at least be
elected from the commons; nor does he grant you the power of electing
two patricians? If there were wars at the present day, such as the
Etrurian for instance, when Porsenna took the Janiculum, such as the
Gallic war lately, when, except the Capitol and citadel, all these
places were in possession of the enemy; and should Lucius Sextius stand
candidate for the consulate with Marcus Furius or any other of the
patricians: could ye endure that Sextius should be consul without any
risk; that Camillus should run the risk of a repulse? Is this allowing a
community of honours, that it should be lawful that two plebeians, and
not lawful that two patricians, be made consuls, and that it should be
necessary that one be elected from among the commons, and lawful to pass
by both of the patricians? what fellowship, what confederacy is that? Is
it not sufficient, if you come in for a share of that in which you had
no share hitherto, unless whilst suing for a part you seize on the
whole? I fear, he says, lest, if it be lawful that two patricians are to
be elected, ye will elect no plebeian. What else is this but saying,
Because ye will not of your own choice elect unworthy persons, I will
impose on you the necessity of electing persons whom you do not wish?
What follows, but that if one plebeian stand candidate with two
patricians, he owes no obligation to the people, and may say that he was
appointed by the law, not by suffrages?
41. "How they may extort, not how they may sue for honours, is what they
seek: and they are anxious to attain the highest honour, so that they
may not owe the obligations incurred even for the lowest; and they
prefer to sue for honours rather through favourable conjunctures than
by merit. Is there any one who can feel it an affront to have himself
inspected and estimated; who thinks it reasonable that to himself alone,
amidst struggling competitors, honours should be certain? who would
withdraw himself from your judgment? who would make your suffrages
necessary instead of voluntary; servile instead of free? I omit mention
of Licinius and Sextius, whose years of perpetuated power ye number, as
that of the kings in the Capitol; who is there this day in the state so
mean, to whom the road to the consulate is not rendered easier through
the advantages of that law, than to us and to our children? inasmuch as
you will sometimes not be able to elect us even though you may wish it;
those persons you must elect, even though you were unwilling. Of the
insult offered to merit enough has been said (for merit appertains to
human beings); what shall I say respecting religion and the auspices,
which is contempt and injustice relating exclusively to the immortal
gods? Who is there who does not know that this city was built by
auspices, that all things are conducted by auspices during war and
peace, at home and abroad? In whom therefore are the auspices vested
according to the usage of our forefathers? In the patricians, no doubt;
for no plebeian magistrate is ever elected by auspices. So peculiar to
us are the auspices, that not only do the people elect in no other
manner, save by auspices, the patrician magistrates whom they do elect,
but even we ourselves, without the suffrages of the people, appoint the
interrex by auspices, and in our private station we hold those auspices,
which they do not hold even in office. What else then does he do, than
abolish auspices out of the state, who, by creating plebeian consuls,
takes them away from the patricians who alone can hold them? They may
now mock at religion. For what else is it, if the chickens do not feed?
if they come out too slowly from the coop? if a bird chaunt an
unfavourable note? These are trifling: but by not despising these
trifling matters, our ancestors have raised this state to the highest
eminence. Now, as if we had no need of the favour of the gods, we
violate all religious ceremonies. Wherefore let pontiffs, augurs, kings
of the sacrifices be appointed at random. Let us place the tiara of
Jupiter's flamen on any person, provided he be a man. Let us hand over
the ancilia, the shrines, the gods, and the charge of the worship of the
gods, to those to whom it is impious to commit them. Let not laws be
enacted, nor magistrates elected under auspices. Let not the senate give
their approbation, either to the assemblies of the centuries or of the
Curiæ. Let Sextius and Licinius, like Romulus and Tatius, reign in the
city of Rome, because they give away as donations other persons' money
and lands. So great is the charm of plundering the possessions of other
persons: nor does it occur to you that by the one law vast wilds are
produced throughout the lands by expelling the proprietors from their
territories; by the other credit is destroyed, along with which all
human society ceases to exist. For every reason, I consider that those
propositions ought to be rejected by you. Whatever ye may do, I pray the
gods to render it successful."
42. The speech of Appius merely had this effect, that the time for
passing the propositions was deferred. The same tribunes, Sextius and
Licinius, being re-elected for the tenth time, succeeded in passing a
law, that of the decemvirs for religious matters, one half should be
elected from the commons. Five patricians were elected, and five out of
the plebeians; and by that step the way appeared opened to the
consulship. The commons, content with this victory, yielded to the
patricians, that, all mention of consuls being omitted for the present,
military tribunes should be elected. Those elected were, Aulus and
Marcus Cornelius a second time, Marcus Geganius, Publius Manlius, Lucius
Veturius, and Publius Valerius a sixth time. When, except the siege of
Velitræ, a matter rather of a slow than dubious result, there was no
disquiet from foreign concerns among the Romans; the sudden rumour of a
Gallic war being brought, influenced the state to appoint Marcus Furius
dictator for the fifth time. He named Titus Quinctius Pennus master of
the horse. Claudius asserts that a battle was fought that year with the
Gauls, on the banks of the Anio; and that then the famous battle was
fought on the bridge, in which Titus Manlius, engaging with a Gaul by
whom he had been challenged, slew him in the sight of the two armies and
despoiled him of his chain. But I am induced by the authority of several
writers to believe that those things happened not less than ten years
later; but that in this year a pitched battle was fought with the Gauls
by the dictator, Marcus Furius, in the territory of Alba. The victory
was neither doubtful nor difficult to the Romans, though from the
recollection of the former defeat the Gauls had diffused great terror.
Many thousands of the barbarians were slain in the field, and great
numbers in the storming of the camp. The rest dispersing, making chiefly
for Apulia, saved themselves from the enemy, both by continuing their
flight to a great distance, as also because panic and terror had
scattered them very widely. A triumph was decreed to the dictator with
the concurrence of the senate and commons. Scarcely had he as yet
finished the war, when a more violent disturbance awaited him at home;
and by great struggles the dictator and the senate were overpowered, so
that the measures of the tribunes were admitted; and the elections of
the consuls were held in spite of the resistance of the nobility, at
which Lucius Sextius was made consul, the first of plebeian rank. And
not even was that an end of the contests. Because the patricians refused
to give their approbation, the affair came very near a secession of the
people, and other terrible threats of civil contests: when, however, the
dissensions were accommodated on certain terms through the interference
of the dictator; and concessions to the commons were made by the
nobility regarding the plebeian consul; by the commons to the nobility,
with respect to one prætor to be elected out of the patricians, to
administer justice in the city. The different orders being at length
restored to concord after their long-continued animosity, when the
senate were of opinion that for the sake of the immortal gods they would
readily do a thing deserving, and that justly, if ever on any occasion
before, that the most magnificent games should be performed, and that
one day should be added to the three; the plebeian ædiles refusing the
office, the young patricians cried out with one accord, that they, for
the purpose of paying honour to the immortal gods, would readily
undertake the task, so that they were appointed ædiles. And when thanks
were returned to them by all, a decree of the senate passed, that the
dictator should ask of the people two persons as ædiles from among the
patricians; that the senate should give their approbation to all the
elections of that year.
BOOK VII.
_Two magistrates were added, the prætorship and curule ædileship. A
pestilence rages in the city, which carries off the celebrated
Furius Camillus. Scenic representations first introduced. Curtius
leaps on horseback completely armed into a gulf in the forum. Titus
Manlius, having slain a Gaul in single combat, who challenged any
of the Roman soldiers, takes from him a golden chain, and hence
gets the name of Torquatus. Two new tribes are added, called the
Pomptine and Publilian. Licinius Stolo is condemned on a law which
he himself had carried, for possessing more than five hundred acres
of land. Marcus Valerius, surnamed Corvinus, from having with the
aid of a crow killed a Gaul, who challenged him, is on the
following year elected consul, though but twenty-three years old. A
treaty of friendship made with the Carthaginians. The Campanians,
overpowered by the Samnites, surrender themselves to the Roman
people, who declare war against the Samnites. P. Decius Mus saves
the Roman army, when brought into very great danger by the consul
A. Cornelius. Conspiracy and revolt of the Roman soldiers in the
garrison of Capua. They are brought to a sense of duty, and
restored to their country, by Marcus Valerius Corvus, dictator.
Successful operations against the Hernicians, Gauls, Tiburtians,
Privernians, Tarquinians, Samnites, and Volscians._
1. This year will be remarkable for the consulship of a man of mean
birth, remarkable for two new magistracies, the prætorship and curule
ædileship. These honours the patricians claimed to themselves, in
consideration of one consulship having been conceded to the plebeians.
The commons gave the consulship to Lucius Sextius, by whose law it had
been obtained. The patricians by their popular influence obtained the
prætorship for Spurius Furius Camillus, the son of Marcus, the ædileship
for Cneius Quinctius Capitolinus and Publius Cornelius Scipio, men of
their own rank. To Lucius Sextius, the patrician colleague assigned was
Lucius Æmilius Mamercinus. In the beginning of the year mention was made
both of the Gauls, who, after having strayed about through Apulia, it