§10.57.1τῷ δʼ ἑξῆς ἔτει παραλαβόντες οἱ νομοθέται τὰ πράγματα πολιτείας κόσμον τοιόνδε τινὰ καθίστανται· εἷς μὲν αὐτῶν τάς τε ῥάβδους καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ παράσημα τῆς ὑπατικῆς εἶχεν ἐξουσίας, ὃς βουλήν τε συνεκάλει καὶ δόγματα ἐπεκύρου καὶ τἆλλα ἔπραττεν, ὅσα ἡγεμόνι προσῆκεν· οἱ δʼ ἄλλοι συστέλλοντες ἐπὶ τὸ δημοτικώτερον τὸ τῆς ἐξουσίας ἐπίφθονον ὀλίγῳ τινὶ διήλλαττον ὀφθῆναι τῶν πολλῶν·
In the following year, the lawmakers, having taken over the government, established some such order of the state: one of them held the rods and the other insignia of the consular authority, who convoked the senate and ratified its decrees and performed all the other duties that belonged to a leader; while the others, reducing the envy of their power toward a more popular character, differed but little in appearance from the multitude.
εἶτʼ αὖθις ἕτερος αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν καθίστατο, καὶ τοῦτʼ ἐκ περιτροπῆς ἐγίνετο παραλλὰξ ἐπʼ ἐνιαυτὸν ἑκάστου τὴν ἡγεμονίαν παραλαμβάνοντος εἰς συγκείμενόν τινα ἡμερῶν ἀριθμόν.
Then again another of them was established in authority, and this took place in turn, with each taking over the leadership successively for a certain agreed number of days throughout the year.
§10.57.2ἅπαντες δʼ ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ καθεζόμενοι διῄτων τὰ ἰδιωτικὰ συμβόλαια καὶ τὰ δημόσια, ὁπόσα πρός τε ὑπηκόους καὶ συμμάχους καὶ τοὺς ἐνδοιαστῶς ἀκροωμένους τῆς πόλεως ἐγκλήματα τυγχάνοι γινόμενα, μετὰ πάσης ἀνασκοποῦντες ἕκαστα ἐπιεικείας τε καὶ §10.57.3δικαιοσύνης.
All of them, sitting from early morning, decided private contracts and public matters, whatever complaints happened to arise both against subjects and allies and those who listlessly obeyed the state, examining each case with all fairness and justice.
ἐδόκει δὲ ἄριστα τὸν ἐνιαυτὸν ἐκεῖνον ἡ Ῥωμαίων πόλις ὑπὸ τῆς δεκαδαρχίας ἐπιτροπευθῆναι.
And the city of the Romans seemed to have been governed best during that year by the decemvirate.
μάλιστα δʼ αὐτῶν ἐπῃνεῖτο ἡ τοῦ δημοτικοῦ πρόνοια καὶ πρὸς ἅπαν τὸ βίαιον ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀσθενεστέρων ἀντίταξις· ἐλέχθη τε ὑπὸ πολλῶν, ὡς οὐδὲν ἔτι δεήσοι δήμου προστατῶν οὐδὲ τῶν ἄλλων ἀρχείων τῇ πόλει μιᾶς διοικούσης ἅπαντα ἡγεμονίας σώφρονος, ἧς ἀρχηγὸς Ἄππιος εἶναι ἐδόκει.
Most of all, their care for the common people and their opposition on behalf of the weaker against all violence was praised; and it was said by many that there would no longer be any need for protectors of the people nor for other magistracies in the city, since a single wise leadership, of which Appius seemed to be the head, was managing everything.
§10.57.4καὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ ὅλης τῆς δεκαδαρχίας ἔπαινον ἐκεῖνος ἐφέρετο παρὰ τοῦ δήμου.
And he carried away from the people the praise on behalf of the whole decemvirate.
οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἃ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων ἔπραττεν ἀπὸ τοῦ κρατίστου χρηστότητος ἔφερεν αὐτῷ δόκησιν, ἀλλὰ πολὺ μᾶλλον ἃ κατʼ ἰδίαν ἐπιτηδεύων διετέλει, κατά τʼ ἀσπασμοὺς καὶ προσαγορεύσεις φιλανθρώπους καὶ τὰς ἄλλας τῶν πενήτων φιλοφρονήσεις.
For not only did the things he did with the others from the best motives bring him a reputation for goodness, but much more so those things which he continued to practice in private, in friendly greetings and addresses, and his other kindnesses toward the poor.
§10.57.5οὗτοι οἱ δέκα ἄνδρες συγγράψαντες νόμους ἔκ τε τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν νόμων καὶ τῶν παρὰ σφίσιν αὐτοῖς ἀγράφων ἐθισμῶν προὔθηκαν ἐν δέκα δέλτοις τῷ βουλομένῳ σκοπεῖν, δεχόμενοι πᾶσαν ἐπανόρθωσιν ἰδιωτῶν καὶ πρὸς τὴν κοινὴν εὐαρέστησιν ἀπευθύνοντες τὰ γραφέντα.
These ten men, having compiled laws from both the Greek laws and their own unwritten customs, proposed them on ten tablets for anyone who wished to examine, receiving every correction from private individuals and directing what had been written toward the common satisfaction.
καὶ μέχρι πολλοῦ διετέλεσαν ἐν κοινῷ μετὰ τῶν ἀρίστων ἀνδρῶν συνεδρεύοντες καὶ τὴν ἀκριβεστάτην ποιούμενοι τῆς νομοθεσίας ἐξέτασιν.
And for a long time they continued to meet in public with the best men, making the most precise examination of the legislation.
§10.57.6ἐπειδὴ δʼ ἀποχρώντως ἐφαίνετο αὐτοῖς τὰ γραφέντα ἔχειν, πρῶτον μὲν τὴν βουλὴν συναγαγόντες οὐθενὸς ἔτι μεμφομένου τοῖς νόμοις προβούλευμα περὶ αὐτῶν ἐκύρωσαν.
And when what had been written seemed to them to be sufficient, first, having gathered the senate, they ratified a preliminary decree concerning them, with no one any longer finding fault with the laws.
ἔπειτα τὸν δῆμον καλέσαντες εἰς τὴν λοχῖτιν ἐκκλησίαν ἱερομνημόνων τε καὶ οἰωνιστῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἱερέων παρόντων καὶ τὰ θεῖα ὡς νόμος ἐξηγησαμένων ἀνέδωκαν τοῖς λόχοις τὰς ψήφους.
Then, having called the people to the centuriate assembly, with the keepers of sacred records, augurs, and other priests being present and explaining the divine matters as was the law, they delivered the ballots to the centuries.
§10.57.7ἐπικυρώσαντος δὲ καὶ τοῦ δήμου τοὺς νόμους, στήλαις χαλκαῖς ἐγχαράξαντες αὐτοὺς ἐφεξῆς ἔθεσαν ἐν ἀγορᾷ τὸν ἐπιφανέστατον ἐκλεξάμενοι τόπον.
And when the people also ratified the laws, engraving them on bronze pillars, they placed them in order in the forum, choosing the most conspicuous spot.
καὶ ἐπειδὴ βραχὺς ὁ τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτοῖς χρόνος ὁ λειπόμενος ἦν, συναγαγόντες τοὺς βουλευτὰς προὔθεσαν ὑπὲρ ἀρχαιρεσίων οἷα χρὴ γενέσθαι σκοπεῖν.
And when the time of their office remaining to them was short, having gathered the senators, they proposed to consider what ought to be done regarding the elections.