§10.58.1πολλῶν δὲ λεχθέντων ἐνίκησεν ἡ γνώμη τῶν παραινούντων δεκαδαρχίαν αὖθις ἀποδεῖξαι τῶν κοινῶν κυρίαν.
After many opinions had been expressed, the view of those who advised appointing a decemvirate again to have charge of public affairs prevailed.
ἀτελής τε γὰρ ἡ νομοθεσία ἐφαίνετο, ὡς ἂν ἐξ ὀλίγου συντεθεῖσα χρόνου, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἤδη κεκυρωμένοις, ἵνα ἑκόντες τε καὶ ἄκοντες ἐν αὐτοῖς μένοιεν, ἐδόκει τινος ἀρχῆς αὐτοκράτορος δεῖν.
For the legislation seemed to be incomplete, as might be expected of what had been compiled in a short time, and for the laws already ratified, to the end that men, whether willing or unwilling, should abide by them, there seemed to be need of some absolute authority.
τὸ δὲ μάλιστα πεῖσαν αὐτοὺς προελέσθαι τὴν δεκαδαρχίαν ἦν ἡ τῶν δημάρχων κατάλυσις, ὃ παντὸς μάλιστα ἐβούλοντο.
But what chiefly persuaded them to choose the decemvirate was the abolition of the tribuneship, which they desired most of all.
§10.58.2ταῦτα μὲν ἐν κοινῷ σκοπουμένοις αὐτοῖς ἐδόκει, ἰδίᾳ δὲ οἱ πρωτεύοντες τοῦ συνεδρίου γνώμην ἐποιοῦντο μεταπορεύεσθαι τὴν ἀρχὴν δεδιότες, μὴ ταραχώδεις τινὲς ἄνθρωποι τηλικαύτης ἐξουσίας λαβόμενοι κακόν τι μέγα ἐργάσωνται.
These were the considerations that seemed good to them when they deliberated in public; but in private the leading men of the senate made up their minds to seek the office, fearing lest some turbulent men, obtaining so great power, should work some great mischief.
ἀγαπητῶς δὲ τοῦ δήμου τὰ δόξαντα τῇ βουλῇ δεξαμένου καὶ μετὰ πλείστης προθυμίας ἐπιψηφίσαντος αὐτοὶ μὲν οἱ δέκα ἄνδρες προεῖπον τὸν τῶν ἀρχαιρεσίων καιρόν, μετῄεσαν δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν οἱ ἐντιμότατοί τε καὶ πρεσβύτατοι τῶν πατρικίων.
And when the people gladly accepted the decisions of the senate and voted for them with the greatest enthusiasm, the ten men themselves announced the time for the elections, and the most honorable and senior among the patricians sought the office.
§10.58.3ἔνθα δὴ πολὺς ὑπὸ πάντων ἐπαινούμενος ἦν ὁ τῆς τότε δεκαδαρχίας ἡγεμὼν Ἄππιος, καὶ πᾶς ὁ δημοτικὸς ὄχλος ἐκεῖνον ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἠξίου κατέχειν ὡς οὐκ ἄλλου τινὸς ἄμεινον ἡγησομένου.
Thereupon Appius, the leader of the decemvirate of that time, was greatly praised by all, and the whole plebeian multitude demanded that he be kept in office, on the ground that no one else would lead better.
ὁ δʼ ἀναίνεσθαι μὲν προσεποιεῖτο κατʼ ἀρχὰς καὶ ἀπολύειν αὐτὸν ἠξίου λειτουργίας καὶ ὀχληρᾶς καὶ ἐπιφθόνου.
He, indeed, pretended at first to refuse and begged to be released from a service that was both burdensome and invidious.
τελευτῶν δʼ ὡς ἐλιπάρουν αὐτὸν ἅπαντες αὐτός τε ὑπέμενε μετιέναι τὴν ἀρχήν, καὶ τῶν συμπαραγγελλόντων τοὺς ἀρίστους αἰτιασάμενος οὐχ ἡδέως πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἔχειν διὰ τὸν φθόνον τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ φίλοις συνηγωνίζετο φανερῶς.
But at last, as everyone implored him, he consented to seek the office, and, accusing the best of his competitors of being ill-disposed toward him out of jealousy, he openly campaigned for his own friends.
§10.58.4ἀποδείκνυταί τε πάλιν ἐν ἀρχαιρεσίαις λοχίτισι νομοθέτης τὸ δεύτερον· σὺν δʼ αὐτῷ Κόιντος μὲν Φάβιος ὁ καλούμενος Οὐιβολανὸς ὁ τρὶς ὑπατεύσας, ἀνὴρ ἀνεπίληπτος εἰς τόδε χρόνου γενόμενος περὶ πᾶσαν ἀρετήν· ἐκ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων πατρικίων, οὓς ἐκεῖνος ἠσπάζετο, Μάρκος Κορνήλιος καὶ Μάρκος Σέργιος καὶ Λεύκιος Μηνύκιος καὶ Τίτος Ἀντώνιος καὶ Μάνιος Ῥαβολήιος, ἄνδρες οὐ πάνυ ἐπιφανεῖς· ἐκ δὲ τῶν δημοτικῶν Κόιντος Ποιτέλλιος καὶ Καίσων Δουέλλιος καὶ Σπόριος Ὄππιος· προσελήφθησαν γὰρ καὶ οὗτοι πρὸς τοῦ Ἀππίου κολακείας ἕνεκα τῶν δημοτικῶν, διδάσκοντος ὅτι δίκαιόν ἐστι μιᾶς ἀρχῆς κατὰ πάντων ἀποδεικνυμένης εἶναί τι καὶ τοῦ δήμου μέρος ἐν αὐτῇ.
And he was chosen legislator for the second time in the centuriate elections; and with him Quintus Fabius, surnamed Vibulanus, who had been consul three times, a man who up to that time had been blameless in every virtue; and of the other patricians, whom he favored, Marcus Cornelius, Marcus Sergius, Lucius Minucius, Titus Antonius, and Manius Rabuleius, men of no great prominence; and of the plebeians, Quintus Poetelius, Kaeso Duillius, and Spurius Oppius; for these too were co-opted by Appius in order to flatter the plebeians, as he argued that it was just, when a single authority was established over all, that some part of the people too should have a share in it.
§10.58.5εὐδοκιμῶν δʼ ἐφʼ ἅπασι τούτοις καὶ δοκῶν κράτιστος εἶναι βασιλέων τε καὶ τῶν κατʼ ἐνιαυτὸν ἡγησαμένων τῆς πόλεως παραλαμβάνει πάλιν τὴν ἀρχὴν εἰς τὸν ἐπιόντα ἐνιαυτόν.
Reaping great praise for all these things and being thought the best of both the kings and those who had led the city year by year, he took over the office again for the coming year.
ταῦτα κατʼ ἐκείνην ἐπράχθη τὴν δεκαδαρχίαν ὑπὸ Ῥωμαίων, ἄλλο δʼ οὐθὲν ὅ τι καὶ λόγου ἄξιον.
These things were done by the Romans during that decemvirate, and nothing else that was worthy of mention.