§8.72.1τούτοις δὴ τοῖς λόγοις τοῦ Κασσίου θαμινὰ μεταπείθοντος ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τὸν ὄχλον παρελθὼν εἷς τῶν δημάρχων, Γάϊος Ῥαβολήιος, ἀνὴρ οὐκ ἄφρων, τήν τε διχοστασίαν τῶν ὑπάτων ὑπέσχετο παύσειν οὐκ εἰς μακράν, καὶ τῷ δήμῳ ποιήσειν φανερόν, ὅ τι χρὴ ποιεῖν.
While Cassius was frequently persuading the multitude in the assemblies with these arguments, one of the tribunes of the plebs, Gaius Rabuleius, a man not lacking in understanding, came forward and promised that he would soon end the discord between the consuls and make it clear to the people what they ought to do.
ἐπισημασίας δὲ γενομένης αὐτῷ μεγάλης καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο σιωπῆς· οὐχὶ ταῦτʼ, εἶπεν, ὦ Κάσσιε, καὶ σὺ Οὐεργίνιε, τὰ κεφάλαιά ἐστι τοῦ νόμου;
When a great applause was given to him, followed by silence, he said, "Is it not these, Cassius, and you, Virginius, which are the main points of the law?
ἓν μέν, εἰ χρὴ τὴν δημοσίαν γῆν κατʼ ἄνδρα διανεμηθῆναι, ἕτερον δʼ, εἰ χρὴ καὶ Λατίνους καὶ Ἕρνικας μέρος αὐτῆς λαβόντας ἔχειν; ὁμολογησάντων δʼ αὐτῶν· §8.72.2εἶεν δή· σὺ μέν, εἶπεν, ὦ Κάσσιε, ἀμφότερα ταῦτʼ ἐπιψηφίζειν ἀξιοῖς τὸν δῆμον, σὺ δὲ δὴ πρὸς θεῶν, ὦ Οὐεργίνιε, λέξον ἡμῖν, πότερα θάτερον ἀκυροῖς τῆς. Κασσίου γνώμης μέρος τὸ κατὰ τοὺς συμμάχους οὐκ οἰόμενος δεῖν ἰσομοίρους ἡμῖν Ἕρνικάς τε καὶ Λατίνους ποιεῖν, ἢ καὶ θάτερον μόνον ἀκυροῖς ἀξιῶν οὐδὲ ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς διανέμειν τὰ κοινά;
One, whether the public land ought to be distributed individually, and the other, whether the Latins and Hernicians also ought to receive a share of it and hold it?" When they had agreed to this, "Very well," he said, "you, Cassius, demand that the people vote on both of these; but you, in the name of the gods, Virginius, tell us, do you reject the one part of Cassius's proposal concerning the allies, not thinking it right to make the Hernicians and Latins equal in share with us, or do you reject the other part as well, deeming that we ought not to distribute the common property even to ourselves?
ταυτὶ γὰρ ἀπόκριναί μοι μηδὲν ἀποκρυψάμενος. §8.72.3εἰπόντος δὲ τοῦ Οὐεργινίου τῇ Λατίνων τε καὶ Ἑρνίκων ἀντιλέγειν ἰσομοιρίᾳ, τὸ δὲ κατὰ τοὺς πολίτας, εἰ πᾶσι δόξειε, διανέμεσθαι συγχωρεῖν, ἐπιστρέψας ὁ δήμαρχος εἰς τὸν ὄχλον εἶπεν· ἐπεὶ τοίνυν τὸ μὲν ἕτερον τῆς γνώμης μέρος ἀμφοτέροις τοῖς ὑπάτοις συνδοκεῖ, τὸ δʼ ἕτερον ἀντιλέγεται πρὸς θατέρου, ἰσότιμοι δʼ ἀμφότεροι, καὶ οὐχ οἷόν τε βιάσασθαι θατέρῳ τὸν ἕτερον, ὃ μὲν δίδοται δοται παρʼ ἀμφοτέρων, ἤδη λάβωμεν, ὑπὲρ οὗ δʼ ἀμφισβητοῦσιν, §8.72.4ἀναβαλώμεθα. ἐπισημήναντος δὲ τοῦ πλήθους ὡς τὰ πράτιστα ὑποθεμένῳ καὶ καταλύειν ἐκ τοῦ νόμου τὸ ποιοῦν διχοστασίαν μέρος ἀξιοῦντος, ἀπορῶν, ὅ τι χρὴ πράττειν, ὁ Κάσσιος καὶ οὔτʼ ἀναθέσθαι τὴν γνώμην προαιρούμενος οὔτε μένειν ἐπʼ αὐτῆς ἀντιπραττόντων τῶν δημάρχων δυνάμενος, τότε μὲν διέλυσε τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, ταῖς δʼ ἑξῆς ἡμέραις ἀρρωστίαν σκηπτόμενος οὐκέτι κατέβαινεν εἰς τὴν ἀγοράν, ἀλλʼ ὑπομένων ἔνδον ἐπραγματεύετο βίᾳ καὶ χειροκρασίᾳ κυρῶσαι τὸν νόμον·
Answer me this, concealing nothing." When Virginius said that he opposed the equal share of the Latins and Hernicians, but conceded that the part concerning the citizens should be distributed, if it should please all, the tribune, turning to the multitude, said: "Since, therefore, the one part of the proposal is approved by both consuls, while the other part is opposed by one, and since both are of equal authority and it is not possible for the one to force the other, let us now take what is granted by both, but concerning what they dispute, let us defer it." Since the multitude applauded him as having given the best advice and demanded that they remove from the law the part that caused the discord, Cassius, being at a loss what to do, and neither wishing to withdraw his proposal nor being able to persist in it since the tribunes opposed him, then dismissed the assembly. In the following days, pretending illness, he no longer came down to the forum, but remaining indoors, he actively contrived to pass the law by force and show of hands, and summoned as many of the Latins and Hernicians as he could to the voting.
καὶ μετεπέμπετο Λατίνων τε καὶ Ἑρνίκων ὅσους ἐδύνατο πλείστους ἐπὶ τὴν ψηφοφορίαν. §8.72.5οἱ δὲ συνῄεσαν ἀθρόοι, καὶ διʼ ὀλίγου μεστὴ ξένων ἦν ἡ πόλις.
They assembled in crowds, and in a short time the city was full of strangers.
ταῦτα μαθὼν ὁ Οὐεργίνιος κηρύττειν ἐκέλευσε κατὰ τοὺς στενωποὺς ἀπιέναι τοὺς μὴ κατοικοῦντας ἐν τῇ πόλει, χρόνον ὁρίσας οὐ πολύν.
When Virginius learned this, he ordered a proclamation to be made through the streets that those who did not dwell in the city should depart, setting a short limit of time.
ὁ δὲ Κάσσιος τἀναντία ἐκέλευσε κηρύττειν παραμένειν τοὺς μετέχοντας τῆς ἰσοπολιτείας, ἕως ἂν ἐπικυρωθῇ ὁ νόμος.
But Cassius ordered the contrary to be proclaimed, that those who shared in equal citizenship should remain until the law should be ratified.