§11.54.1ἑλκομένου δὲ τοῦ χρόνου διακενῆς ἧκον εἰς τὴν πόλιν ἀπὸ τῶν συμμάχων ἄγγελοι λέγοντες, ὅτι πολλῇ στρατιᾷ μέλλουσιν ἐλαύνειν ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς Αἰκανοί τε καὶ Οὐολοῦσκοι, δεόμενοι βοήθειαν ἀποστεῖλαι σφίσι διὰ ταχέων ὡς ἐν τρίβῳ τοῦ πολέμου κειμένοις. §11.54.2ἐλέγοντο δὲ καὶ Τυρρηνῶν οἱ καλούμενοι Οὐιεντανοὶ παρασκευάζεσθαι πρὸς ἀπόστασιν, Ἀρδεᾶται τʼ αὐτῶν οὐκέτι ἦσαν ὑπήκοοι τῆς ἀμφιλόγου χώρας ὀργὴν ἔχοντες, ἣν ὁ Ῥωμαίων δῆμος αἱρεθεὶς δικαστὴς αὑτῷ προσεδίκασεν ἐν τῷ παρελθόντι ἐνιαυτῷ. §11.54.3ταῦτα ἡ βουλὴ μαθοῦσα ψηφίζεται στρατιὰν καταγράφειν καὶ τοὺς ὑπάτους ἀμφοτέρους ἐξάγειν δυνάμεις.
And while time was being dragged on in vain, messengers arrived in the city from the allies, saying that the Aequians and Volscians were about to march against them with a large army, and begging them to send assistance to them quickly, as they lay in the path of the war. It was also reported that those of the Etruscans called Veientes were preparing for a revolt, and the Ardeates were no longer submissive to them, harboring anger on account of the disputed territory which the Roman people, having been chosen as arbitrator, had adjudged to themselves in the preceding year. The senate, upon learning this, voted to levy an army and that both consuls should lead out the forces.
ἀντέπραττον δὲ τοῖς γνωσθεῖσιν ὑπʼ αὐτῶν οἱ τὸν νόμον εἰσφέροντες ἀφαιρούμενοί τε τοὺς ἀγομένους ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸν στρατιωτικὸν ὅρκον, καὶ τιμωρίαν οὐδεμίαν ἐῶντες λαμβάνειν παρὰ τῶν ἀπειθούντων. §11.54.4πολλὰ δὲ τῆς βουλῆς ἀξιούσης ἐν μὲν τῷ παρόντι χρόνῳ τὴν φιλονεικίαν καταβαλεῖν, ὅταν δὲ τέλος οἱ πόλεμοι λάβωσι, τότε προτιθέναι τὸν περὶ τῶν ἀρχαιρεσιῶν νόμον, οἵδε τοσούτου ἐδέησαν εἶξαι τοῖς καιροῖς, ὥστε καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐναντιώσεσθαι τοῖς δόγμασι τῆς βουλῆς ἔλεγον, καὶ οὐδὲν ἐάσειν δόγμα περὶ οὐδενὸς κυρωθῆναι πράγματος, ἐὰν μὴ τὸν ὑπʼ §11.54.5αὐτῶν εἰσφερόμενον προβουλεύσῃ νόμον.
But those who were introducing the law opposed their decrees, rescuing those who were being led by them to take the military oath, and not permitting any punishment to be inflicted upon those who disobeyed. Although the senate made many requests that they should drop their rivalry for the present, and that when the wars came to an end, they should then propose the law concerning the elections, these men were so far from yielding to the circumstances that they declared they would oppose the decrees of the senate concerning all other matters as well, and would not allow any decree to be ratified on any subject unless the senate should first pass a preliminary decree on the law introduced by them.
καὶ οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ συνεδρίῳ πρὸς τοὺς ὑπάτους ταῦτʼ ἀπειλῆσαι προήχθησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ὅρκους, οἵπερ εἰσὶ μέγιστοι παρʼ αὐτοῖς, κατὰ τῆς ἑαυτῶν πίστεως διομοσάμενοι, ἵνα μηδέ τι τῶν ἐγνωσμένων αὐτοῖς πεισθεῖσιν ἐξῇ καταλύειν.
And they were led not only to utter these threats in the senate to the consuls, but also in the assembly, swearing oaths, which are the greatest among them, by their own good faith, so that it might not be permitted to them, even if persuaded, to annul any of their resolutions.