History of Rome

​In the three hundred and tenth year from the founding of the city of Rome, military tribunes with consular power entered office for the first time: Aulus Sempronius Atratinus, Lucius Atilius, and Titus Caecilius, whose concord during their magistracy provided peace at home and even abroad.

​There are some who say that, because a war with Veii was added to the war with the Aequi and Volsci and the defection of the Ardeates, since two consuls could not manage so many wars at the same time, three military tribunes were created, without any mention of the proposed law concerning the election of consuls from the plebs, and that they used consular power and insignia.

​However, the right of that magistracy did not yet stand as established, because in the third month after they entered office, they resigned from their honor by a decree of the augurs, just as if they had been created with a flaw, because Gaius Curtius, who had presided over their comitia, had not pitched the tabernacle correctly.

​Envoys came from Ardea to Rome, complaining of the injury in such a way that it was apparent that, if it were removed and their land restored, they would remain in treaty and friendship.

​It was answered by the senate that the judgment of the people could not be rescinded by the senate, not only because it would be done with no precedent or right, but also for the sake of concord between the orders.

​If the Ardeates were willing to wait for their opportunity and leave the decision of alleviating their injury to the senate, they would afterwards rejoice that they had moderated their anger and would know that the patricians had been as concerned that no injury should arise against them as that any which had arisen should not be long-lasting. Thus the envoys, having said that they would report the matter as undecided, were courteously dismissed.

​The patricians, since the commonwealth was without a curule magistracy, assembled and created an interrex. The contention, whether consuls or military tribunes should be created, held the matter for several days during the interregnum.

​The interrex and the senate strove that comitia for consuls should be held, while the tribunes of the plebs and the plebs strove for military tribunes. The patricians won, because the plebs, since they were going to bestow this or that honor on the patricians anyway, ceased to contend in vain, and the leaders of the plebs preferred those comitia, ​in which their candidacy would not be considered, rather than those in which they would be passed over as unworthy. The tribunes of the plebs also left the contest without effect as a favor to the leading men of the patricians.

​Titus Quinctius Barbatus, the interrex, created consuls: Lucius Papirius Mugilanus and Lucius Sempronius Atratinus. Under these consuls, the treaty with the Ardeates was renewed; and this serves as evidence that they were consuls in that year, although they are found neither in the ancient annals nor in the books of the magistrates;

​I believe because there were military tribunes at the beginning of the year, for that reason, just as if they had been in power for the whole year, the names of these consuls who succeeded them were omitted.

​Licinius Macer is the authority that these things were found both in the Ardeatine treaty and in the linen books at the temple of Moneta. And there was peace at home, although so many terrors had been displayed by their neighbors abroad.