History of Rome

​The troublers of the populace were Spurius Maecilius, for the fourth time, and Marcus Metilius, for the third time, both elected as tribunes of the plebs in their absence.

​When they had published a proposal that the land captured from the enemy should be divided individual by individual, and that by this plebiscitum the fortunes of a large part of the patricians should be confiscated—

​for indeed there was scarcely any land which, as is natural in a city built on someone else’s soil, had not been acquired by arms, nor was there any which had been sold or publicly assigned except what the plebs held—

​the proposed contest seemed terrible both to the plebs and to the patricians. Nor did the military tribunes find a way of counsel, now in the senate, now in calling private meetings of the leading men, ​when Appius Claudius, the grandson of him who had been a decemvir for writing the laws, ​the youngest in years from the council of the patricians, is said to have stated that he brought from home an old and family counsel; for his great-grandfather, Appius Claudius, had shown the patricians the only way of breaking the tribunician power through the veto of their colleagues.

​New men were easily led away from their opinion by the authority of the leading men, if sometimes speech were employed mindful of the times rather than of dignity.

​Their minds were in proportion to their fortune; when they saw that their leading colleagues had pre-occupied all the gratitude of the plebs in carrying out the business, and that no room was left for themselves in it, ​they would incline not unwillingly to the cause of the senate, through which they might win favor for themselves both with the order as a whole and with the chief of the patricians.

​While all approved, and before everyone Quintus Servilius Priscus, praising the young man because he had not degenerated from the Claudian stock, the task was given that each should entice to veto whomsoever they could from the college of tribunes. The senate having been dismissed, the tribunes were canvassed by the leading men.

​By persuading, admonishing, and promising that this would be pleasing to each privately and pleasing to the entire senate, they secured six for the veto.

​And on the following day, when by agreement a report had been made to the senate concerning the sedition which Maecilius and Metilius were stirring up by a distribution of the worst example, ​such speeches were made by the leading patricians that each for himself now said that he had no plan left, nor did he see any other help anywhere except in the tribunician assistance; that the commonwealth, beset on all sides, was fleeing to the protection of that power, just like a helpless private citizen.

​It was a glorious thing for themselves and for their power that there was no more strength in the tribunate for harassing the senate and stirring up discord between the orders than for resisting wicked colleagues.

​Then a murmur of the whole senate arose, when the tribunes were called upon from all parts of the senate-house. Then, silence having been made, those who had been prepared by the favor of the leading men showed that they would veto the bill which had been proposed by their colleagues, and which the senate deemed to be for the destruction of the commonwealth. Thanks were returned to the vetoers by the senate.

​The proposers of the bill, having called an assembly, calling their colleagues betrayers of the interests of the plebs and slaves of the consulars, and having inveighed against them in other fierce language, withdrew their measure.