History of Rome

​The tribunes of the plebs, by preventing the consular elections through continuous struggles, when the state of affairs was almost brought to an interregnum, finally prevailed so that military tribunes with consular power should be elected.

​The reward of victory that was sought—that a plebeian should be elected—was null; all those elected were patricians: Marcus Fabius Vibulanus, Marcus Folius, Lucius Sergius Fidenas.

​In that year, a pestilence provided rest from other matters. A temple was vowed to Apollo for the health of the people. The duumviri performed many actions from the books for the purpose of appeasing the anger of the gods and averting the plague from the people.

​However, a great disaster was received in the city and the fields by the indiscriminate destruction of men and beasts, and fearing also famine resulting from the pestilence because the cultivators of the fields had been stricken with the disease, they sent agents to Etruria, the Pomptine territory, Cumae, and finally even to Sicily for the sake of grain. No mention was made of the consular elections.

​The military tribunes with consular power were all elected from the patricians: Lucius Pinarius Mamercus, Lucius Furius Medullinus, Spurius Postumius Albus.

​In that year, the force of the disease abated, ​nor was there danger from a shortage of grain, because provision had been made beforehand. Councils about initiating war were held in the assemblies of the Volsci and Aequi, and in Etruria at the temple of Voltumna. There, the matters were postponed to the following year, ​and it was guarded by a decree that no council should be held before that time, while the Veientine people complained in vain that the same fortune by which Fidenae had been destroyed was hanging over Veii.

​Meanwhile, at Rome, the leading men of the plebs, who had for a long time been gazing in vain at the hope of greater honor, while there was peace abroad, began to call meetings in the houses of the tribunes of the plebs.

​There, they held secret consultations and complained that they were so despised by the plebs that, although military tribunes with consular power had been elected for so many years, access to that honor had never been open to any plebeian.

​Their ancestors had shown great foresight in taking precautions that the plebeian magistracies should not be open to any patrician; otherwise, even the tribunes of the plebs would have had to be patricians; so worthless were they even to their own people, and despised no less by the plebs than by the patricians.

​Others excused the plebs and turned the blame upon the patricians: it was by their canvassing and arts that the path to honor was blocked for the plebs. If the plebs were allowed to breathe free from their mingled entreaties and threats, she would go to the vote mindful of her own people and, having secured help, would also assume power.

​It was decided, for the purpose of removing canvassing, that the tribunes should propose a law that no one should be allowed to add white to his garment for the purpose of candidacy. This may now seem a small matter and scarcely to be treated seriously, which at that time inflamed both patricians and plebs with immense conflict.

​However, the tribunes prevailed so as to pass the law; and it was apparent that the plebs, with irritated minds, would incline their support toward their own. Lest this support should be unrestrained, a decree of the senate was passed that consular elections should be held.