§10.1.1μετὰ δὲ τούτους ὀλυμπιὰς μὲν ἦν ὀγδοηκοστή, ἣν ἐνίκα στάδιον Τορύμβας Θεσσαλὸς ἄρχοντος Ἀθήνησι Φρασικλέους· ὕπατοι δὲ ἀπεδείχθησαν ἐν Ῥώμῃ Πόπλιος Οὐολούμνιος καὶ Σερούιος Σολπίκιος Καμερῖνος.
After these came the eightieth Olympiad, in which Torymbas of Thessaly won the stade race, when Phrasicles was archon at Athens; and Publius Volumnius and Servius Sulpicius Camerinus were appointed consuls in Rome.
οὗτοι στρατιὰν μὲν οὐδεμίαν ἐξήγαγον οὔτε ἐπὶ τιμωρίας ἀναπράξει τῶν ἀδικούντων σφᾶς τε αὐτοὺς καὶ τοὺς συμμάχους οὔθʼ ὡς διὰ φυλακῆς τὰ οἰκεῖα ἕξοντες· τῶν δʼ ἐντὸς τείχους κακῶν πρόνοιαν ἐποιοῦντο, μή τι δεινὸν ὁ δῆμος ἐπὶ τῇ βουλῇ συστὰς ἐξεργάσηται.
These men led out no army, neither to exact vengeance from those who injured them and their allies, nor with the intention of securing their own territory by means of defense; instead, they took precaution against the evils within the walls, lest the populace, uniting against the senate, should commit some dread deed.
§10.1.2ἐταράττετο γὰρ αὖθις ὑπὸ τῶν δημάρχων ἀναδιδασκόμενος, ὅτι πολιτειῶν κρατίστη τοῖς ἐλευθέροις ἐστὶν ἡ ἰσηγορία, καὶ κατὰ νόμους ἠξίου διοικεῖσθαι τά τε ἰδιωτικὰ καὶ τὰ δημόσια.
For the populace was again disturbed, being taught by the tribunes that for free men, equal right of speech is the best of political systems, and they demanded that both private and public matters be administered according to laws.
οὔπω γὰρ τότε ἦν οὔτʼ ἰσονομία παρὰ Ῥωμαίοις οὔτʼ ἰσηγορία, οὐδʼ ἐν γραφαῖς ἅπαντα τὰ δίκαια τεταγμένα· ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ἀρχαῖον οἱ βασιλεῖς αὐτῶν ἔταττον τοῖς δεομένοις τὰς δίκας, καὶ §10.1.3τὸ δικαιωθὲν ὑπʼ ἐκείνων τοῦτο νόμος ἦν.
For at that time, there was as yet neither equality before the law nor equal right of speech among the Romans, nor were all rights set down in writing; but in ancient times, their kings used to decide cases for those who required it, and whatever was decided by them, this was the law.
ὡς δʼ ἐπαύσαντο μοναρχούμενοι, τοῖς κατʼ ἐνιαυτὸν ὑπατεύουσιν ἀνέκειτο τά τε ἄλλα τῶν βασιλέων ἔργα καὶ ἡ τοῦ δικαίου διάγνωσις, καὶ τοῖς ἀμφισβητοῦσι πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὑπὲρ ὁτουδήτινος ἐκεῖνοι τὰ δίκαια οἱ διαιροῦντες ἦσαν.
But when they ceased being ruled by monarchs, the other functions of the kings and the determination of justice were devolved upon the annual consuls, and they were the ones who decided the rights for those who disputed with one another concerning any matter.
§10.1.4τούτων δὲ τὰ μὲν πολλὰ τοῖς τρόποις τῶν ἀρχόντων ἀριστίνδην ἀποδεικνυμένων ἐπὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς ἀκόλουθα ἦν· κομιδῇ δʼ ὀλίγα τινὰ ἐν ἱεραῖς ἦν βύβλοις ἀποκείμενα, ἃ νόμων εἶχε δύναμιν, ὧν οἱ πατρίκιοι τὴν γνῶσιν εἶχον μόνοι διὰ τὰς ἐν ἄστει διατριβάς, οἱ δὲ πολλοὶ ἐμπορευόμενοί τε καὶ γεωργοῦντες διὰ πολλῶν ἡμερῶν εἰς ἄστυ καταβαίνοντες ἐπὶ τὰς ἀγορὰς ἄπειροι ἔτι ἦσαν.
Of these decisions, the greater part conformed to the character of the magistrates, who were appointed to these offices on the basis of nobility; but there were some very few rules laid up in sacred books which had the force of laws, of which the patricians alone had knowledge because of their residence in the city, while the multitude, being engaged in trade and agriculture and coming down to the city for the markets only after intervals of many days, were still ignorant of them.
§10.1.5τὸ δὲ πολίτευμα τοῦτο πρῶτος μὲν ἐπείρασεν εἰσαγαγεῖν Γάιος Τερέντιος δημαρχῶν ἐν τῷ παρελθόντι ἔτει, ἀτελὲς δὲ ἠναγκάσθη καταλιπεῖν τοῦ τε πλήθους ὄντος ἐπὶ στρατοπέδων καὶ τῶν ὑπάτων ἐπίτηδες ἐν τῇ πολεμίᾳ γῇ τὰς δυνάμεις κατασχόντων, ἕως ὁ τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτοῖς παρέλθῃ χρόνος.
Gaius Terentius was the first who attempted to introduce this measure when he was tribune of the plebs in the preceding year, but he was forced to leave it incomplete because the populace was in the camps and the consuls purposely detained the forces in the enemy's country until their term of office should expire.