§6.23.1παραλαμβάνουσι δὴ ὕπατοι πάλιν τὴν ἐνιαύσιόν τε καὶ νόμιμον ἀρχὴν Ἄππιος Κλαύδιος Σαβῖνος καὶ Πόπλιος Σερουίλιος Πρίσκος· οἳ τὸ μὲν ἀνωτάτω συμφέρον εἶδον ὀρθῶς, ὅτι δεῖ περισπᾶν τὸν ἐντὸς τείχους θόρυβον ἐπὶ τοὺς ἔξω πολέμους· καὶ παρεσκευάζοντο κατὰ τοῦ Οὐολούσκων ἔθνους τὸν ἕτερον σφῶν ἐξάγειν στρατιάν, τιμωρήσασθαί τʼ αὐτοὺς προαιρούμενοι τῆς ἀποσταλείσης κατὰ Ῥωμαίων Λατίνοις συμμαχίας καὶ προκαταλαβεῖν τὰς παρασκευὰς αὐτῶν ἔτι συνεσταλμένας. ἠγγέλλοντο γὰρ κἀκεῖνοι δυνάμεις ἤδη καταγράφειν ἁπάσῃ σπουδῇ καὶ εἰς τὰ πλησίον ἔθνη πρεσβεύεσθαι παρακαλοῦντες ἐπὶ τὴν συμμαχίαν, πυθόμενοι τοὺς δημοτικοὺς ἀφεστηκέναι τῶν πατρικίων καὶ νομίσαντες οὐ χαλεπὸν εἶναι πόλιν οἰκείῳ πολέμῳ νοσοῦσαν ἄρασθαι.
The consuls Appius Claudius Sabinus and Publius Servilius Priscus then took over the annual and lawful magistracy. They rightly saw the supreme interest, namely that it was necessary to divert the tumult within the walls to wars outside; and they prepared to lead out an army against the nation of the Volscians under one of themselves, intending both to punish them for the alliance they had sent to the Latins against the Romans, and to forestall their preparations while they were still on a small scale. For those people also were reported to be already levying forces with all speed and sending embassies to the neighbouring nations to invite them into an alliance, having heard that the plebeians had revolted from the patricians, and thinking that it would not be difficult to destroy a city afflicted with domestic war. The consuls Appius Claudius Sabinus and Publius Servilius Priscus then took over the annual and lawful magistracy. They rightly saw the supreme interest, namely that it was necessary to divert the tumult within the walls to wars outside; and they prepared to lead out an army against the nation of the Volscians under one of themselves, intending both to punish them for the alliance they had sent to the Latins against the Romans, and to forestall their preparations while they were still on a small scale. For those people also were reported to be already levying forces with all speed and sending embassies to the neighbouring nations to invite them into an alliance, having heard that the plebeians had revolted from the patricians, and thinking that it would not be difficult to destroy a city afflicted with domestic war.
§6.23.2ἐπὶ τούτους δὴ στρατιὰν ἐξάγειν βουλευσάμενοι καὶ δόξαντες ἅπασι τοῖς συνέδροις ὀρθῶς βεβουλεῦσθαι προεῖπον ἥκειν ἅπασι τοῖς ἐν ἀκμῇ χρόνον ὁρίσαντες, ἐν ᾧ τὴν καταγραφὴν τῶν στρατιωτῶν ἔμελλον ποιεῖσθαι. ὡς δʼ οὐχ ὑπήκουον αὐτοῖς οἱ δημοτικοὶ καλούμενοι πολλάκις ἐπὶ τὸν στρατιωτικὸν ὅρκον, οὐκέτι τὴν αὐτὴν ἑκάτερος εἶχε γνώμην, ἀλλʼ ἔνθεν ἀρξάμενοι διεστήκεσάν τε καὶ τἀναντία πράττοντες ἀλλήλοις παρὰ πάντα τὸν τῆς ἀρχῆς χρόνον διετέλεσαν.
Having therefore resolved to lead out an army against them, and being judged by all the senators to have resolved rightly, they proclaimed that all those in the prime of life should appear, having fixed the time in which they were to make the levy of the soldiers. But when the plebeians, though often called upon to take the military oath, would not obey them, the two consuls no longer held the same opinion, but beginning from that point, they disagreed and continued acting in opposition to each other during the whole time of their magistracy. Having therefore resolved to lead out an army against them, and being judged by all the senators to have resolved rightly, they proclaimed that all those in the prime of life should appear, having fixed the time in which they were to make the levy of the soldiers. But when the plebeians, though often called upon to take the military oath, would not obey them, the two consuls no longer held the same opinion, but beginning from that point, they disagreed and continued acting in opposition to each other during the whole time of their magistracy.
§6.23.3Σερουιλίῳ μὲν γὰρ ἐδόκει τὴν ἐπιεικεστέραν τῶν ὁδῶν πορεύεσθαι τῇ Μανίου Οὐαλερίου γνώμῃ τοῦ δημοτικωτάτου προσθεμένῳ, ὃς ἠξίου τὴν ἀρχὴν ἰάσεσθαι τῆς στάσεως μάλιστα μὲν ἄφεσιν ἢ μείωσιν τῶν χρεῶν ψηφισαμένους, εἰ δὲ μήγε κώλυσιν τῆς ἀπαγωγῆς τῶν ὑπερημέρων κατὰ τὸ παρόν, παρακλήσει τε μᾶλλον ἢ ἀνάγκῃ τοὺς πένητας ἐπὶ τὸν στρατιωτικὸν ὅρκον ἄγειν καὶ τὰς τιμωρίας κατὰ τῶν ἀπειθούντων μὴ χαλεπὰς ποιεῖσθαι καὶ ἀπαραιτήτους, ὡς ἐν ὁμονοούσῃ πόλει, μετρίας δέ τινας καὶ ἐπιεικεῖς· κίνδυνον γὰρ ἂν εἶναι, μὴ πρὸς ἀπόνοιαν τράπωνται συνελθόντες εἰς ταὐτὸν ἄνθρωποι τῶν καθʼ ἡμέραν ἐνδεεῖς ἀναγκαζόμενοι στρατεύεσθαι τέλεσιν οἰκείοις.
For Servilius thought it best to pursue the milder course, aligning himself with the opinion of Manius Valerius, the most popular of the patricians, who urged that they should heal the beginning of the dissension, preferably by voting for the cancellation or reduction of debts, but if not that, at least by preventing the arrest of defaulting debtors for the present, and that they should bring the poor to the military oath by persuasion rather than by compulsion, and make the punishments against the disobedient not severe and inexorable, as in a harmonious city, but moderate and reasonable; for he warned that there would be a danger of men destitute of daily necessities, if forced to serve at their own expense, banding together and turning to desperate measures. For Servilius thought it best to pursue the milder course, aligning himself with the opinion of Manius Valerius, the most popular of the patricians, who urged that they should heal the beginning of the dissension, preferably by voting for the cancellation or reduction of debts, but if not that, at least by preventing the arrest of defaulting debtors for the present, and that they should bring the poor to the military oath by persuasion rather than by compulsion, and make the punishments against the disobedient not severe and inexorable, as in a harmonious city, but moderate and reasonable; for he warned that there would be a danger of men destitute of daily necessities, if forced to serve at their own expense, banding together and turning to desperate measures.