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When food was not brought to it, neither were the hands nimble for work, having become weak due to the stomach's want, nor were the feet strong, nor did any other of the limbs provide its proper function unimpeded, but all things were inactive and hard to move and were completely immobile. And then they understood that the things brought to the stomach are supplied not more for it, but for them, and each of them partakes of the things brought to it. By these words the multitude understood that the properties of the wealthy are also for the benefit of the poor, and if the former should profit from loans and increase their properties, this does not result in harm for the many, since if the wealthy did not have, neither would the poor in times of necessity have 2.130 those who would lend, and they will perish when need is urgent. From this, having become gentler, they were reconciled, the senate having voted for them a lightening of their debts and a remission of arrears. But fearing that if their coalition were dispersed they would either not have the agreements fulfilled or they would be harmed upon being disbanded and one after another be punished under some pretext when caught, they agreed to help one another, if anyone were wronged in any way, and they swore oaths to this, and immediately they appointed two protectors from among themselves, and then more, so that they might have helpers and defenders for each company. And this they did not once, but from then on the matter, having begun, proceeded thus, and for a year they appointed the protectors as a kind of magistracy, called tribunes in the Latin tongue, for so the chiliarchs are called, but addressed as demarchs in the Hellenic language. So that the designation of tribunes might be distinguished, to the one they added the epithet "of the soldiers," and to the other, "of the plebs." These tribunes of the plebs, or demarchs, have become the cause of great evils for Rome. For they did not immediately have the name of magistrates, but they acquired power beyond all others, and they defended everyone who asked, and they rescued everyone who called upon them not only from private citizens, but also from the magistrates themselves, except for the dictators. And if anyone called upon them even when they were absent, that man was released from the one holding him and was either brought before the plebs by them or was even set free. But also if 2.131 it seemed good to them that something should not happen, they prevented it, whether a private citizen was the one doing it or a magistrate; whether the people or the senate was about to do something or to vote, if even one demarch opposed it, both the action and the vote became invalid. As time went on, they were permitted, or permitted themselves, to assemble the senate and to fine the one who did not obey and to use divination and to judge. For what was not permitted for them to do, they accomplished by their unopposed opposition to everything done by others. For they also introduced laws so that whoever offended them by deed or by word, whether a private citizen or a magistrate, should be sacred and be subject to the curse. And to be sacred was to have been destroyed; for so was named everything which, like some victim, was consecrated for slaughter. And the plebs named the demarchs themselves "sacrosanct," as being holy walls for the protection of those who called upon them. For among the Romans, "sacra" are the walls and "sancta" the holy things. Therefore they did many strange things; for they even threw consuls into prison and put some to death who had not even had a hearing. And no one dared to oppose them; otherwise, he himself would become "sacred." However, if some were not condemned by all of the demarchs, they appealed to those not in agreement for aid, and thus they came to trial either before those very men or before some judges or even before the plebs, and they belonged to the winning side. As time went on, the demarchs became ten in number; whence much of their strength was cast down. For colleagues are at variance with one another as if by nature, but more so by jealousy; and it is difficult for many, especially those in power, to be of one mind. At the same time, the others also, contriving to break up 2.132 their power,

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τροφῆς δὲ μὴ προσφερομένης αὐτῇ ουθ' αἱ χεῖρες πρὸς εργον ησαν εὐκίνητοι διὰ τὴν ενδειαν τῆς γαστρὸς ἀτονήσασαι, ουθ' οἱ πόδες ερρωντο, ουτε τι ετερον τῶν μελῶν τὴν οἰκείαν ἐνέργειαν παρεῖχεν ἀπρόσκοπον, ἀλλ' απρακτα πάντα δυσκίνητά τε η καὶ τέλεον ησαν ἀκίνητα. καὶ τότε συνῆκαν οτι τὰ τῇ γαστρὶ προσφερόμενα οὐ μᾶλλον ἐκείνῃ, ἀλλ' αὐτοῖς κεχορήγηνται καὶ αὐτῶν εκαστον τῶν ἐκείνῃ προσαγομένων παραπολαύει. Τούτοις τοῖς λόγοις τὸ πλῆθος συνῆκεν ὡς αἱ τῶν εὐπόρων οὐσίαι καὶ τοῖς πένησίν εἰσιν εἰς ὠφέλειαν, καὶ εἰ κἀκεῖνοι ὠφελοῖντο ἐκ δανεισμάτων καὶ τὰς οὐσίας αυξουσιν, οὐκ εἰς βλάβην τοῦτο τῶν πολλῶν ἀποβαίνει, ὡς ει γε μὴ εχοιεν οἱ πλουτοῦντες, οὐδ' οἱ πένητες αν ἐν καιροῖς ἀναγκαίοις εξουσι τοὺς 2.130 δανείσοντας, καὶ ἀπολοῦνται χρείας κατεπειγούσης. ἐντεῦθεν ἠπιώτεροι γενόμενοι κατηλλάγησαν, κουφισμὸν τῶν ὀφειλῶν καὶ τῶν ὑπερημεριῶν αφεσιν τῆς βουλῆς ψηφισαμένης αὐτοῖς. Φοβηθέντες δὲ μὴ σκεδασθείσης αὐτοῖς τῆς συστάσεως η τὰς συνθήκας οὐκ ἐπιτελεῖς εξουσιν η κακωθῶσι διαλυθέντες καὶ αλλος κατ' αλλην πρόφασιν κολάζοιτο συνεχόμενος, συνέθεντο ἐπαρήγειν ἀλλήλοις, αν τίς τι ἀδικοῖτο, καὶ ορκους ἐπὶ τούτῳ ὑπέσχον, καὶ προστάτας αὐτίκα ἐξ ἑαυτῶν δύο προεχειρίσαντο, ειτα καὶ πλείους, ιν' ειεν αὐτοῖς κατὰ συμμορίαν βοηθοί τε καὶ τιμωροί. καὶ τοῦτο οὐχ απαξ ἐποίησαν, ἀλλ' εκτοτε τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀρξάμενον ουτω προέβαινε, καὶ ἐπ' ἐνιαυτὸν τοὺς προστάτας ὡς ἀρχήν τινα ἀπεδείκνυσαν, τῇ μὲν τῶν Λατίνων γλώσσῃ καλουμένους τριβούνους, ουτω γὰρ οἱ χιλίαρχοι κέκληνται, δημάρχους δὲ προσαγορευομένους τῇ ̔Ελληνίδι φωνῇ. ινα δὲ διαστέλληται ἡ τῶν τριβούνων προσηγορία, τοῖς μὲν τὸ τῶν στρατιωτῶν, τοῖς δὲ τὸ τοῦ πλήθους προσέθεντο πρόσρημα. ουτοι δὴ τοῦ πλήθους οἱ τριβοῦνοι η δήμαρχοι μεγάλων κακῶν αιτιοι τῇ ̔Ρώμῃ γεγόνασι. τὸ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἀρχόντων ονομα οὐκ εσχον εὐθύς, ἰσχὺν δ' ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς αλλους ἐκτήσαντο, ημυνόν τε δεομένῳ παντί, καὶ πάντα τὸν ἐπιβοησάμενον σφᾶς ἀφῃροῦντο οὐκ ἐκ μόνων ἰδιωτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ἀρχόντων, πλὴν τῶν δικτατώρων. εἰ δέ τις καὶ ἀπόντας αὐτοὺς ἐπεκαλέσατο, κἀκεῖνος ἀπὸ τοῦ συνέχοντος αὐτὸν ἀπηλλάττετο καὶ η ἐς τὸ πλῆθος ὑπ' αὐτῶν εἰσήγετο η καὶ ἀπελύετο. ἀλλὰ καὶ ει τί που 2.131 εδοξεν αὐτοῖς μὴ γενέσθαι, ἐκώλυον, καν ἰδιώτης ην ὁ ποιῶν καν αρχων· καν ὁ δῆμος καν ἡ βουλὴ πράττειν εμελλέ τι καν ψηφίζεσθαι, εις δέ τις ἠναντίωτο δήμαρχος, απρακτος καὶ ἡ πρᾶξις καὶ ἡ ψῆφος ἐγίνετο. τοῦ χρόνου δὲ προϊόντος καὶ τὴν γερουσίαν ἀθροίζειν καὶ ζημιοῦν τὸν μὴ πειθαρχοῦντα καὶ μαντείᾳ χρῆσθαι καὶ δικάζειν ἐπετράπησαν η ἑαυτοῖς ἐπέτρεψαν. καὶ ο γὰρ ποιεῖν αὐτοῖς οὐκ ἐξῆν, κατώρθουν ἐκ τῆς ἀνανταγωνίστου πρὸς πᾶν τὸ πραττόμενον ὑφ' ἑτέρων ἐναντιώσεως. καὶ γὰρ καὶ νόμους εἰσήγαγον ιν' οστις αὐτοῖς εργῳ η λόγῳ προσκρούσῃ, καν ἰδιώτης ειη καν αρχων, ἱερός τε ῃ καὶ τῷ αγει ἐνέχηται. τὸ δὲ ἱερὸν ειναι ἀπολωλέναι ην· ουτω γὰρ πᾶν οπερ αν ωσπερ τι θῦμα εἰς σφαγὴν καθιερώθη, ὠνόμαστο. καὶ αὐτοὺς δὲ τοὺς δημάρχους τὸ πλῆθος σακροσάγκτους ὠνόμασαν, οιον τείχη αγια εἰς φρουρὰν τῶν σφᾶς ἐπικαλουμένων τυγχάνοντας. σάκρα γὰρ παρὰ ̔Ρωμαίοις τὰ τείχη καὶ σάγκτα τὰ αγια. εδρων ουν πολλὰ ατοπα· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ὑπάτους εβαλλον εἰς τὸ δεσμωτήριον καὶ ἐθανάτουν τινὰς μηδὲ λόγου τυγχάνοντας. καὶ οὐδεὶς αὐτοῖς ἐναντιωθῆναι ἐτόλμα· εἰ δὲ μή, καὶ αὐτὸς ἱερὸς ἐγίνετο. εἰ μέντοι τινὲς μὴ παρὰ πάντων τῶν δημάρχων κατεδικάζοντο, τοὺς μὴ ὁμογνωμονοῦντας ἐπεκαλοῦντο εἰς ἀρωγήν, καὶ ουτως εἰς δίκην καθίσταντο η παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐκείνοις η παρά τισι δικασταῖς η καὶ παρὰ τῷ πλήθει, καὶ τῆς νικώσης ἐγίνοντο. εἰς δέκα δὲ προϊόντος τοῦ χρόνου οἱ δήμαρχοι κατέστησαν· οθεν αὐτοῖς τὸ πολὺ τῆς ἰσχύος κατεβέβλητο. φύσει γὰρ ωσπερ, φθόνῳ δὲ μᾶλλον, ἀλλήλοις οἱ συνάρχοντες διαφέρονται· καὶ χαλεπὸν πολλοὺς ἐν δυνάμει μάλιστα οντας συμφρονῆσαι. αμα δὲ καὶ οἱ αλλοι διασπᾶν 2.132 τὴν αὐτῶν δύναμιν μηχανώμενοι,