§2.57.1τῷ δʼ ἑξῆς ἐνιαυτῷ βασιλεὺς μὲν οὐδεὶς ἀπεδείχθη Ῥωμαίων, ἀρχὴ δέ τις, ἣν καλοῦσι μεσοβασίλειον, ἐπεμελεῖτο τῶν κοινῶν τοιόνδέ τινα τρόπον ἀποδεικνυμένη· τῶν πατρικίων οἱ καταγραφέντες εἰς τὴν βουλὴν ὑπὸ Ῥωμύλου διακόσιοι τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὄντες, ὥσπερ ἔφην, διενεμήθησαν εἰς δεκάδας· ἔπειτα διακληρωσάμενοι τοῖς λαλοῦσι δέκα πρώτοις ἀπέδωκαν ἄρχειν τῆς πόλεως τὴν αὐτοκράτορα ἀρχήν.
In the following year, no king of the Romans was appointed, but a certain magistracy, which they call an interregnum, took charge of public affairs, being appointed in some such manner as this: the patricians who had been enrolled in the senate by Romulus, being two hundred in number as I said, were divided into decads; then, having cast lots, they assigned to the first ten who obtained the lot to rule the city with absolute power.
§2.57.2ἐκεῖνοι δʼ οὐχ ἅμα πάντες ἐβασίλευον, ἀλλʼ ἐκ διαδοχῆς ἡμέρας πέντε ἕκαστος, ἐν αἷς τάς τε ῥάβδους εἶχε καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἐξουσίας σύμβολα.
Those did not all rule at the same time, but in succession, each for five days, during which he held both the rods and the other insignia of kingly power.
παρεδίδου δʼ ὁ πρῶτος ἄρξας τῷ δευτέρῳ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν κἀκεῖνος τῷ τρίτῳ καὶ τοῦτʼ ἐγίνετο μέχρι τοῦ τελευταίου.
The first who ruled delivered the leadership to the second, and he to the third, and this went on until the last.
διεξελθούσης δὲ τοῖς πρώτοις δέκα τῆς πεντηκονθημέρου προθεσμίας ἕτεροι δέκα τὴν ἀρχὴν παρελάμβανον καὶ παρʼ ἐκείνων αὖθις ἄλλοι.
When the period of fifty days had expired for the first ten, another ten took over the government, and from them again others.
§2.57.3ἐπεὶ δʼ ἔδοξε τῷ δήμῳ παῦσαι τὰς δεκαδαρχίας ἀχθομένῳ ταῖς μεταβολαῖς τῶν ἐξουσιῶν διὰ τὸ μήτε προαιρέσεις ἅπαντας ὁμοίας ἔχειν μήτε φύσεις, τότε δὴ συγκαλέσαντες εἰς ἐκκλησίαν τὸ πλῆθος οἱ βουλευταὶ κατὰ φυλάς τε καὶ φράτρας ἀπέδωκαν αὐτῷ περὶ τοῦ κόσμου τῆς πολιτείας σκοπεῖν, εἴτε βασιλεῖ βούλεται τὰ κοινὰ ἐπιτρέπειν εἴτε ἀρχαῖς ἐνιαυσίοις.
But when it seemed good to the people to put an end to the decarchies, ¦358 being annoyed by the changes of power because not all of them had the same policies or natures, then indeed the senators, having called the multitude to an assembly by tribes and curiae, permitted them to consider the form of government, whether they wished to entrust the public affairs to a king or to annual magistrates.
§2.57.4οὐ μὴν ὅ γε δῆμος ἐφʼ ἑαυτῷ τὴν αἵρεσιν ἐποίησεν, ἀλλʼ ἀπέδωκε τοῖς βουλευταῖς τὴν διάγνωσιν ὡς ἀγαπήσων ὁποτέραν ἂν ἐκεῖνοι δοκιμάσωσι τῶν πολιτειῶν· τοῖς δὲ βασιλικὴν μὲν ἐδόκει καταστήσασθαι πολιτείαν ἅπασι, περὶ δὲ τοῦ μέλλοντος ἄρξειν στάσις ἐνέπιπτεν ἐξ ὁποτέρας ἔσται τάξεως.
The people, however, did not make the choice themselves, but referred the decision to the senators, as being satisfied with whichever of the two forms of government they should approve; and to all the senators it seemed good to establish a kingly government, but a dispute arose concerning the one who was to rule, from which class he should be.
οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ τῶν ἀρχαίων βουλευτῶν ᾤοντο δεῖν ἀποδειχθῆναι τὸν ἐπιτροπεύσοντα τὴν πόλιν, οἱ δʼ ἐκ τῶν ὕστερον ἐπεισαχθέντων, οὓς νεωτέρους ἐκάλουν.
For those from among the ancient senators thought that the one who was to govern the city ought to be appointed from their number, while those from the later introduced senators, whom they called the newer ones, thought he should be from theirs.