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later Julius Caesar also suffered, since he was deemed worthy of the dictatorship contrary to the established customs. At that time, then, when Larcius became dictator, the 2.127 people attempted no revolution, but even took up arms. But as the Latins were keeping the peace under treaties, the creditors treated the debtors more violently, and the people for this reason again fell into sedition, so that they even ran together to the senate-house; and all in it would have been destroyed by those who burst in, if some had not reported that the Volsci were already invading the country. But at such news the people grew quiet, not out of regard for the senate, but as if it were on the verge of being destroyed by the enemy. Therefore they neither set a guard for the wall nor provided any assistance, until Servilius released those held for being in default, and decreed a suspension of collections for as long as they were on campaign, and promised to lighten their debts. Then, therefore, for these reasons, they marched out against the enemy and were victorious; but since their debts were not lightened nor did they obtain any other fair treatment, they again caused a disturbance and were enraged, and they rose in sedition against the senate and the generals. When war again broke out, some generals voted for a cancellation of debts, but others opposed it; for this reason Marcus Valerius was named dictator, being of the family of Publicola and beloved by the multitude; hence so many and so eagerly assembled, since he also promised them rewards, that they prevailed over both the Sabines and their allies the Volsci and Aequi. For these things the people voted other honors for Valerius and surnamed him Maximus; and the name, when translated into Greek, means 'greatest.' 2.128 But he, wishing to gratify the people, argued at length with the senate, but did not find it compliant. Therefore, leaping out of the senate-house in anger, and having harangued the people at length against the senate, he resigned his command. And the people were stirred up to sedition even more. For the creditors, holding to the strictness of their contracts and yielding nothing to the debtors, both missed what was right and failed in many other things. For poverty and the desperation resulting from it is a violent evil, and if it also takes hold of the multitude, it is most difficult to fight. At any rate, the strictness of the more powerful towards the weaker at that time became the cause of very many troubles for the Romans. For as the soldiery was both oppressed by campaigns and, having often hoped for much, was clearly deceived, and the debtors were insulted and tortured by the creditors, they were inflamed to such a degree of anger that many of the poor left the city and withdrew from the army and collected their provisions from the countryside as if from enemies. When these things had so transpired, since many were flocking to the seceders, the senators, fearing that these might become more hostile and that the neighboring peoples might join the sedition, sent heralds to them, promising to do for them whatever was in accordance with the senate's counsel. But as they grew very bold and accepted no proposal, one of the envoys, Agrippa Menenius, asked them to hear a certain fable; and having obtained his request, he said that all the members 2.129 of the body had revolted against the belly, and the eyes said: 'We make the hands active for work and the feet for walking'; and the tongue and lips: 'Through us the counsels of the heart are announced'; and the ears in turn: 'Through us the words of others are conveyed to the mind'; and the hands: 'As workers we acquire provisions'; and the feet again: 'Carrying the whole body we grow weary in journeys and in labors and in standing still; but while we are thus active, you alone, contributing nothing and being idle, are served by all of us like some mistress and you yourself enjoy the provisions from the toil of all of us.' And the belly agreed that these things were so, and said, 'If you please, leave me unprovided for, bringing me nothing.' This was resolved, and it was voted in common by the members that nothing should henceforth be supplied to the belly.

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υστερον καὶ ὁ Καῖσαρ ̓Ιούλιος επαθεν, ἐπεὶ παρὰ τὰ νενομισμένα τῆς δικτατωρείας ἠξίωτο. Τότε μὲν ουν δικτάτωρος γενομένου Λαρκίου οὐ2.127 δὲν ὁ δῆμος ἐνεωτέρισεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τοῖς οπλοις ἐγένοντο. τῶν δὲ Λατίνων ἡσυχίαν ἀγόντων ἐπὶ συνθήκαις, οἱ δανεισταὶ τοὺς ὀφειλέτας μετεχειρίζοντο βιαιότερον, καὶ ὁ δῆμος αυθις ἐστασίαζε διὰ τοῦτο, ωστε καὶ εἰς τὸ συνέδριον συνδραμεῖν· καὶ πάντες αν ὑπὸ τῶν εἰσπεσόντων ἐν αὐτῷ διεφθάρησαν, εἰ μή τινες τοὺς Οὐολούσκους εἰς τὴν χώραν ἐμβαλεῖν ηδη κατήγγειλαν. πρὸς δὲ τὴν τοιαύτην ἀγγελίαν ὁ δῆμος ἠρέμησεν, οὐχὶ φεισάμενος τῆς βουλῆς, ἀλλ' ὡς ὑπὸ τῶν πολεμίων οσον ουπω φθαρησομένης. διὸ ουτε τοῦ τείχους εθεντο φυλακὴν ουτε τινὰ παρεῖχον βοήθειαν, μέχρις ὁ Σερουίλιος τούς τε ἐξ ὑπερημερίας κρατουμένους ἀφῆκε, καὶ αδειαν τῶν εἰσπράξεων καθ' οσον στρατεύοιντο ἐψηφίσατο, καὶ κουφίσαι τὰ χρέα ὑπέσχετο. τότε μὲν ουν διὰ ταῦτα τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐπεξελθόντες ἐνίκησαν· μήτε δὲ τῶν χρεῶν κουφισθέντες μήτ' αλλου μηδενὸς τυχόντες ἐπιεικοῦς, καὶ πάλιν ἐθορύβουν τε καὶ ὠργίζοντο, καὶ κατὰ τῆς βουλῆς καὶ τῶν στρατηγῶν ἐστασίαζον. Πολέμου δὲ αυθις ἐπενεχθέντος οἱ μὲν στρατηγοὶ χρεῶν ἀποκοπὰς ἐψηφίζοντο, ἠναντιώθησαν δ' ετεροι· διὸ καὶ δικτάτωρ ἐρρήθη Οὐαλέριος Μάρκος, ἐκ τῆς Ποπλικόλα συγγενείας γενόμενος καὶ τῷ πλήθει φιλούμενος· ενθεν τοι τοσοῦτοι καὶ ουτω προθύμως, ἐπεὶ αὐτοῖς καὶ αθλα ὑπέσχετο, συνελέγησαν, ὡς καὶ τῶν Σαβίνων κρατῆσαι καὶ τῶν συμμαχούντων αὐτοῖς Οὐολούσκων καὶ Αἰκουῶν. ἐπὶ τούτοις αλλας τε τῷ Οὐαλερίῳ ὁ δῆμος τιμὰς ἐψηφίσατο καὶ Μάξιμον ἐπωνόμασεν· ἐξελληνιζόμενον δὲ μέγιστον 2.128 σημαίνει τὸ ονομα. ὁ δὲ θέλων τῷ δήμῳ χαρίσασθαι πολλὰ διειλέχθη τῇ γερουσίᾳ, ἀλλ' οὐκ εσχε ταύτην πειθήνιον. διὸ σὺν ὀργῇ ἐκπηδήσας τοῦ συνεδρίου, δημηγορήσας τε πρὸς τὸν δῆμον πολλὰ κατὰ τῆς βουλῆς τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἀπείπατο. καὶ ὁ δῆμος ετι μᾶλλον εἰς στάσιν ἠρέθιστο. οἱ γὰρ δανεισταί, τῆς περὶ τὰ συμβόλαια ἀκριβείας ἐχόμενοι καὶ μή τι τοῖς οφλουσιν ἐνδιδόντες, τοῦ ἀκριβοῦς τε διήμαρτον καὶ πολλῶν ἑτέρων ἀπέτυχον. ἡ γὰρ πενία καὶ ἡ ἐκ ταύτης ἀπόνοια κακόν ἐστι βίαιον, εἰ δὲ καὶ τὸ πλῆθος προσλάβοι, καὶ δυσμαχώτατον. πλείστων γοῦν δεινῶν τοῖς ̔Ρωμαίοις αἰτία ἡ τότε τῶν δυνατωτέρων πρὸς τοὺς ὑποδεεστέρους ἀκρίβεια γέγονεν. ὡς γὰρ ταῖς στρατείαις τε τὸ στρατιωτικὸν ἐπιέζετο καὶ πολλὰ πολλάκις ἐλπίσαν σαφῶς ἐξηπάτητο, καὶ παρὰ τῶν δανειστῶν οἱ ὀφειλέται ὑβρίζοντο καὶ ᾐκίζοντο, ἐς τοσοῦτον ὀργῆς ἐξεκαύθησαν ὡς καὶ τὴν πόλιν τῶν ἀπόρων πολλοὺς ἐκλιπεῖν καὶ ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου ἀναχωρῆσαι καὶ ἐκ τῆς χώρας ὡς πολεμίους τὰς τροφὰς ἐρανίζεσθαι. Ουτω δὲ τούτων συνενεχθέντων, ἐπεὶ πολλοὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀποστάντας συνέρρεον, δείσαντες οἱ βουλευταὶ μὴ ἐπὶ πλέον ουτοί τε ἐκπολεμωθῶσι καὶ τῇ στάσει συνεπίθωνται οἱ περίοικοι, διεκηρυκεύσαντο πρὸς αὐτούς, οσα πρὸς βουλῆς ησαν αὐτοῖς ποιεῖν ὑπισχνούμενοι. ὡς δὲ μάλιστα ἐθρασύνοντο καὶ οὐδένα λόγον ἐδέχοντο, εις τῶν πρέσβεων ̓Αγρίππας Μενήνιος μύθου τινὸς σφᾶς ἀκοῦσαι ἠξίωσε· καὶ τυχὼν ειπε στασιάσαι πρὸς τὴν γαστέρα τὰ μέλη 2.129 πάντα τοῦ σώματος, καὶ φάναι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὡς ἡμεῖς τάς τε χεῖρας ἐνεργοὺς εἰς εργα καὶ τοὺς πόδας πρὸς πορείαν τιθέαμεν, τὴν γλῶσσαν δὲ καὶ τὰ χείλη οτι δι' ἡμῶν τὰ τῆς καρδίας βουλεύματα διαγγέλλονται, τὰ ωτα δ' αυ ὡς δι' ἡμῶν οἱ ἑτέρων λόγοι τῷ νοῒ παραπέμπονται, τὰς δὲ χεῖρας οτι ἐργάτιδες ουσαι ἡμεῖς περιποιούμεθα πορισμούς, τοὺς πόδας δ' αυθις οτι απαν ἡμεῖς τὸ σῶμα φέροντες κοπιῶμεν κἀν ταῖς πορείαις κἀν ταῖς ἐργασίαις καὶ ἐν ταῖς στάσεσιν· ἡμῶν δ' ἐνεργούντων ουτω σὺ μόνη ἀσυντελὴς ουσα καὶ ἀεργὸς ὑπὸ πάντων ἡμῶν ὡς δέσποινά τις ὑπηρετῇ καὶ τῶν ἐκ καμάτου πάντων ἡμῶν πορισμῶν ἀπολαύεις αὐτή. ἡ δὲ γαστὴρ συνέθετο καὶ αὐτὴ ουτω ταῦτ' εχειν, καὶ εἰ δοκεῖ, εφησεν, ἀχορήγητόν με ἐάσατε, μηδέν μοι προσφέροντες. εδοξε ταῦτα, καὶ μή τι τοῦ λοιποῦ χορηγεῖσθαι τῇ γαστρὶ κοινῶς ἐψηφίσθη τοῖς μέλεσι.