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and they allowed them to write laws for them, and they voted in addition that no judgment from them could be appealed; which previously had not been granted to any of the magistrates except the dictators. And these men ruled, each for a day, taking the insignia of leadership in turn. And having written the laws, they set them out in the forum; which, when they pleased everyone, were brought before the people, and having been ratified, were inscribed on ten tablets; for as many things as were judged worthy of preservation, were treasured up on small tablets. Those men, therefore, having completed the year, gave up their office, but another ten, having been chosen again, as if 2.140 elected for the overthrow of the state, ran it aground. for they all ruled together with equal power, and having selected the most audacious young men from the patricians, they did many violent things through them; and sometime late at the end of the year they added a few things on two tablets, having acted with complete arbitrariness in all things. from which not harmony, but even greater dissensions were about to arise for the Romans. Thus, then, the so-called twelve tables came into being at that time; but those lawgivers not only did these things, but also, after the year of their office had passed for them, they still remained in charge of affairs, holding the city by force, and not even assembling the senate or the people, so that they, coming together, might not depose them. And when the Aequi and Sabines began a war against the Romans, then, having prepared their own supporters, they arranged for the wars to be entrusted to them. So from their decemvirate, Servius Oppius and Appius Claudius remained in place, while the other eight marched against the enemy. Everything, however, both in the city and in the camps, was simply in turmoil, and from this a sedition again arose. For having invaded the land of the Sabines, the generals sent a certain Lucius Siccius, who was supreme in matters of war and counted among the first of the rank and file, with others as if to seize some position, and they destroyed the man by means of those sent out with him. And when a report came to the camp that the man along with others had been killed by the enemy, the soldiers, having rushed to recover the dead, found not a single body of the enemy, but many of their own countrymen, whom Siccius 2.141, defending himself, had killed when they attacked him. So when they saw them lying in a circle around him and turned towards him, they suspected what had happened and indeed they were in an uproar; in addition to these things, also because of something of this sort. A certain Lucius Verginius, being from the plebs and having a very beautiful daughter, was about to give her in marriage to Lucius Icillius, one of his own class. Claudius, having fallen in love with her and not succeeding, arranged for some men to claim her as a slave; and he was the judge. So the girl's father came from the camp and pleaded his case. But when Claudius gave judgment against her and the girl was handed over to those claiming her as a slave, and no one came to her aid, her father was overcome with grief, and having run his daughter through with a butcher's knife, he rushed out as he was to the soldiers. whom, not being well disposed even before, he so disturbed that they immediately hurried to the city against Claudius. And the others who were marching against the Sabines, when they learned this, abandoned their entrenchment, and joining with the rest, they appointed twenty of their own men as leaders, and they intended to do no small thing. And the rest of the populace in the city went over to them and joined them in the uproar. Amidst these events, Claudius, being afraid, went into hiding, but Oppius assembled the senate and sending a messenger, he asked the populace what they wanted. But they sought that Lucius Valerius and Marcus Horatius, men from the senators who were friendly to them, be sent to them, as they would give some answer through them. But when they were not sent, as the ten magistrates were afraid (for they were all now present), that they might use them as generals against them, they became even more angry. 2.142 Therefore, no small fear fell upon the senators from this, and for this reason, even against the will of the magistrates, they sent both Valerius and Horatius to them. And from this

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καὶ νόμους αὐτοῖς συγγράψαι ἐπέτρεψαν, μηδεμίαν τε δίκην ἐφέσιμον ἀπ' αὐτῶν γενέσθαι προσεψηφίσαντο· ο πρῴην οὐδενὶ τῶν ἀρχόντων πλὴν τῶν δικτατώρων ἐδέδοτο. ηρξάν τε ουτοι ἐφ' ἡμέραν εκαστος, ἐναλλὰξ τὸ πρόσχημα τῆς ἡγεμονίας λαμβάνοντες. καὶ νόμους συγγράψαντες εἰς τὴν ἀγορὰν ἐξέθηκαν· οι ἐπεὶ πᾶσιν ηρεσαν, ἐς τὸν δῆμον εἰσήχθησαν, καὶ κυρωθέντες σανίσιν ἐνεγράφησαν δέκα· οσα γὰρ φυλακῆς ἐκρίθησαν αξια, ἐν σανιδίοις ἐθησαυρίζοντο. ̓Εκεῖνοι μὲν ουν τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν ἀνύσαντες ἀφῆκαν τὴν ἀρχήν, ετεροι δ' αυθις αἱρεθέντες δέκα ωσπερ 2.140 ἐπὶ καταλύσει τῆς πολιτείας χειροτονηθέντες ἐξώκειλαν. πάντες γὰρ αμα ἀπὸ τῆς ισης ηρχον, καὶ νεανίσκους ἐκ τῶν εὐπατριδῶν θρασυτάτους ἐκλεξάμενοι πολλὰ δι' αὐτῶν ἐποίουν καὶ βίαια· ὀψὲ δέ ποτε ἐπ' ἐξόδῳ τοῦ ετους ὀλίγα αττα ἐν δύο σανίσι προσέγραψαν, ἐς πάντα δὴ αὐτογνωμονήσαντες. ἀφ' ων οὐχ ὁμόνοια, ἀλλὰ καὶ διαφοραὶ μείζους ̔Ρωμαίοις γενήσεσθαι εμελλον. Αἱ μὲν ουν λεγόμεναι δώδεκα δέλτοι ουτως τότε ἐγένοντο· οἱ δὲ νομοθέται ἐκεῖνοι οὐ μόνον ταῦτ' επραξαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτοῖς διελθόντος ετι τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐνέμειναν, βίᾳ τὴν πόλιν κατέχοντες, καὶ μηδὲ τὴν βουλὴν η τὸν δῆμον ἀθροίζοντες, ινα μὴ συνελθόντες παύσωσιν αὐτούς. Αἰκουῶν δὲ καὶ Σαβίνων πόλεμον αἰρομένων κατὰ ̔Ρωμαίων, τότε τοὺς ἐπιτηδείους αὐτοῖς παρασκευάσαντες διεπράξαντο σφίσι τοὺς πολέμους ἐπιτραπῆναι. ἐκ γοῦν τῆς δεκαρχίας αὐτῶν Σερούιος μὲν Οππιος καὶ Αππιος Κλαύδιος κατὰ χώραν εμειναν, οἱ δὲ ὀκτὼ ἐπὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἐστράτευσαν. Πάντα μέντοι ἁπλῶς καὶ τὰ ἐν τῷ αστει καὶ τὰ ἐν τοῖς στρατοπέδοις τετάρακτο, κἀντεῦθεν στάσις αυθις συνηνέχθη. ἐμβαλόντες γὰρ εἰς τὴν τῶν Σαβίνων γῆν οἱ στρατιάρχαι Λούκιόν τινα Σίκιον, ακρον τε τὰ πολέμια καὶ ἐν τοῖς πρώτοις τοῦ ὁμίλου καταριθμούμενον, μεθ' ἑτέρων ως τι χωρίον καταληψόμενον επεμψαν, καὶ διὰ τῶν συνεκπεμφθέντων αὐτῷ τὸν ανδρα διέφθειραν. λόγου δ' εἰς τὸ στρατόπεδον γεγονότος ὡς παρὰ πολεμίων τοῦ ἀνδρὸς σὺν αλλοις ἀνῃρημένου, οἱ στρατιῶται ἀνελέσθαι τοὺς νεκροὺς ὁρμήσαντες οὐδὲν σῶμα τῶν ἐναντίων εὑρήκασι, συχνοὺς δὲ τῶν ὁμοφύλων, ους ὁ Σίκιος 2.141 ἐπιθεμένους αὐτῷ ἀπέκτεινεν ἀμυνόμενος. ὡς ουν κύκλῳ τε αὐτοῦ κειμένους καὶ τετραμμένους πρὸς αὐτὸν ειδον, ὑπετόπασαν τὸ γενόμενον καὶ μέντοι καὶ ἐθορύβησαν· πρὸς δὲ τοῖς καὶ διά τι τοιοῦτον. Λούκιός τις Οὐεργίνιος ἐκ τοῦ πλήθους ων καὶ θυγατέρα εχων περικαλλῆ Λουκίῳ ̓Ικιλλίῳ τῶν ὁμοίων αὐτῷ ἐκδώσειν εμελλε. ταύτης ὁ Κλαύδιος ἐρασθεὶς καὶ μὴ τυχών, παρεσκεύασέ τινας δουλαγωγῆσαι αὐτήν· καὶ δικαστὴς ην ἐκεῖνος. ἐλθὼν ουν ὁ τῆς κόρης πατὴρ ἐκ τοῦ στρατοπέδου ἐδικαιολογεῖτο. ὡς δὲ ὁ Κλαύδιος ταύτης κατεψηφίσατο καὶ τοῖς δουλαγωγοῦσιν αὐτὴν ἡ κόρη παρεδόθη καὶ οὐδεὶς ἐπήμυνεν, ὑπερήλγησεν ὁ ταύτης πατήρ, καὶ τὴν θυγατέρα κοπίδι διαχειρισάμενος πρὸς τοὺς στρατιώτας ὡς ειχεν ἐξώρμησεν. ους οὐδὲ πρὶν ευ διακειμένους ουτως ἐτάραξεν ωστε εὐθὺς ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν πρὸς τὸν Κλαύδιον ἐπειχθῆναι. καὶ οἱ ετεροι δὲ οἱ ἐπὶ τοὺς Σαβίνους ἐστρατευμένοι, ἐπεὶ τοῦτ' εμαθον, τό τε τάφρευμα ἐξέλιπον, καὶ συμμίξαντες τοῖς λοιποῖς ανδρας εικοσιν ἑαυτῶν προεστήσαντο, καὶ οὐδὲν μικρὸν ἐλογίζοντο πρᾶξαι. καὶ τὸ αλλο δὲ πλῆθος τὸ ἐν τῇ πόλει προσεχώρησεν αὐτοῖς καὶ μετ' αὐτῶν ἐθορύβει. ̓Εν τούτοις ὁ μὲν Κλαύδιος φοβηθεὶς ἐκρύβη, Οππιος δὲ τήν τε βουλὴν ηθροισε καὶ πέμψας ἐπύθετο τοῦ πλήθους τί βούλονται. οἱ δὲ τὸν Οὐαλέριον Λούκιον καὶ τὸν ̔Οράτιον Μάρκον, ανδρας ἐκ τῶν βουλευτῶν αὐτοῖς προσκειμένους, πεμφθῆναι σφίσιν ἐζήτουν, ως τι δι' ἐκείνων ἀποκρινούμενοι. ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐπέμφθησαν, φοβηθέντων τῶν δέκα ἀρχόντων, ηδη γὰρ πάντες παρῆσαν, μὴ στρατηγοῖς αὐτοῖς κατ' αὐτῶν χρήσαιντο, ετι μᾶλλον ὠργίζοντο. 2.142 φόβος ουν τοῖς βουλευταῖς ἐνέπεσεν ἐντεῦθεν οὐ μέτριος, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ παρὰ γνώμην τῶν ἀρχόντων τόν τε Οὐαλέριον σφίσι καὶ τὸν ̔Οράτιον επεμψαν. κἀκ τούτου