§9.51.1ἀποδειχθέντων δὲ μετʼ ἐκείνους ὑπάτων Λευκίου Οὐαλερίου τὸ δεύτερον καὶ Τιβερίου Αἰμιλίου βραχύν τινα χρόνον ἐπισχόντες οἱ δήμαρχοι τὸν ὑπὲρ κληρουχίας πάλιν εἰσῆγον λόγον· καὶ προσιόντες τοῖς ὑπάτοις ἠξίουν βεβαιῶσαι τῷ δήμῳ τὰς ὑποσχέσεις, ἃς ἐποιήσατο ἡ βουλὴ Σπορίου Κασσίου καὶ Πρόκλου Οὐεργινίου ὑπατευόντων, δεόμενοί τε καὶ λιπαροῦντες.
And when Lucius Valerius (for the second time) and Tiberius Aemilius had been appointed consuls after them, the tribunes of the plebs, having waited for a short time, again introduced the proposal concerning the allotment of land; and going to the consuls, they demanded that they confirm to the people the promises which the senate had made when Spurius Cassius and Proclus Virginius were consuls, entreating and beseeching them.
§9.51.2καὶ οἱ ὕπατοι αὐτοῖς συνελάμβανον ἀμφότεροι, Τιβέριος μὲν Αἰμίλιος κότον τινὰ παλαιὸν εἰς τὴν βουλὴν οὐκ ἄλογον ἀναφέρων, ὅτι τῷ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ θρίαμβον αἰτουμένῳ κατάγειν οὐκ ἐπέτρεψεν, ὁ δὲ Οὐαλέριος ἀποθεραπεῦσαι τοῦ δήμου τὴν ὀργὴν βουλόμενος, ἣν εἶχε πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῷ Σπορίου Κασσίου θανάτῳ, ὃν ἀπέκτεινεν ὡς ἐπιχειροῦντα βασιλείᾳ ταμίας τότʼ ὢν Οὐαλέριος, ἄνδρα τῶν κατὰ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡλικίαν γενομένων ἐπιφανέστατον ἐν ἡγεμονίαις τε πολέμων καὶ πολιτικαῖς πράξεσιν, ὃς καὶ τὸ περὶ τῆς κληρουχίας πολίτευμα πρῶτος εἰσήγαγεν εἰς τὴν πόλιν, καὶ διʼ αὐτὸ μάλιστα ὑπὸ τῶν πατρικίων, ὡς δῆμον ἀναιρούμενος πρὸ αὐτῶν, ἐμισήθη.
And both the consuls supported them: Tiberius Aemilius, harboring a certain old and not unreasonable resentment against the senate because it had not permitted his father when he requested to celebrate a triumph; and Valerius, wishing to appease the anger of the people which they had toward him on account of the death of Spurius Cassius, whom Valerius, being then quaestor, had put to death on the ground that he was aiming at kingship—a man who was the most illustrious of his contemporaries in military commands and political deeds, who also first introduced the policy concerning the allotment of land to the city, and on this account especially was hated by the patricians, as raising the people before them.
§9.51.3τότε δʼ οὖν ὑποσχομένων τῶν ὑπάτων αὐτοῖς προθήσειν ἐν τῇ βουλῇ τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς διανομῆς τῶν δημοσίων κλήρων λόγον, καὶ τῆς ἐπικυρώσεως τοῦ νόμου συναρεῖσθαι, πιστεύσαντες αὐτοῖς οἱ δήμαρχοι παρῆσαν ἐπὶ τὴν βουλὴν καὶ λόγους διεξῆλθον ἐπιεικεῖς.
Since therefore the consuls then promised them that they would propose in the senate the discussion concerning the distribution of the public lands, and would assist in the ratification of the law, the tribunes, trusting them, appeared in the senate and delivered moderate speeches.
οἷς οὐδὲν ἀντιλέξαντες οἱ ὕπατοι, ὡς μὴ φιλονεικίας δόξαν ἀπενέγκαιντο, γνώμην ἀποδείκνυσθαι τοὺς πρεσβυτάτους ἠξίουν.
To which the consuls made no objection, so that they might not carry off a reputation for contentiousness, and they requested the eldest to express their opinions.
§9.51.4ἦν δʼ ὁ πρῶτος ὑπʼ αὐτῶν κληθεὶς Λεύκιος Αἰμίλιος θατέρου τῶν ὑπάτων πατήρ· ὃς ἔφη δοκεῖν αὐτῷ καὶ δίκαιον καὶ συμφέρον ἔσεσθαι τῇ πόλει, πάντων εἶναι τὰ κοινὰ καὶ μὴ ὀλίγων, τῷ τε δήμῳ πείθοντι ὑπουργεῖν συνεβούλευεν, ἵνα χάρις ἡ παραχώρησις αὐτῶν γένηται.
And the first called upon by them was Lucius Aemilius, the father of one of the consuls; who said that it seemed to him both just and advantageous for the city that public property should belong to all and not to a few, and he advised them to comply with the people who were persuading them, so that their concession might become a favor.
πολλὰ γὰρ καὶ ἄλλα μὴ δόντας αὐτῷ κατὰ προαίρεσιν, ὑπʼ ἀνάγκης συγκεχωρηκέναι· τούς τε κατέχοντας τὰς κτήσεις ὧν ἐκαρπώσαντο χρόνων λαθόντες ἠξίου χάριν εἰδέναι, κωλυομένους δὲ μὴ φιλοχωρεῖν.
For they had conceded many other things under necessity, though not giving them to the people by choice; and he demanded that those who held the possessions should feel grateful for the time during which they had enjoyed them without being noticed, and not cling to them when they were prevented from doing so.
§9.51.5ἔφη τε σὺν τῷ δικαίῳ, ὃ πάντες ὁμολογήσειαν ἰσχυρὸν εἶναι, τὰ μὲν δημόσια καινὰ πάντων εἶναι, τὰ δʼ ἴδια ἑκάστου τῶν νόμῳ κτησαμένων· καὶ ἀναγκαῖον ἤδη τὸ πρᾶγμα ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς γεγονέναι πρὸ ἐτῶν ἑπτακαίδεκα τὴν γῆν διανέμειν ψηφισαμένης.
And he said that, in accordance with justice, which all would agree is strong, public property is common to all, while private property belongs to each of those who have acquired it by law; and that the matter had already become necessary because the senate had voted seventeen years before to distribute the land.
καὶ τοῦτʼ ἀπέφηνεν ἐπὶ τῷ συμφέροντι τότʼ αὐτὴν βεβουλεῦσθαι, ἵνα μήτε γῆ χέρσος ᾖ, καὶ ὁ τὴν πόλιν οἰκουρῶν πένης ὄχλος μὴ ἀργός, ὥσπερ νῦν τοῖς ἀλλοτρίοις ἀγαθοῖς φθονῶν, ἐπιτρέφηται δὲ τῇ πόλει νεότης ἐν ἐφεστίοις καὶ κλήροις πατρῴοις, ἔχουσά τι καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ καλῶς τεθράφθαι μέγα φρονεῖν· §9.51.6ἐπεὶ τοῖς γʼ ἀκλήροις καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων κτημάτων, ἃ μισθοῦ ἐργάζονται, γλίσχρως διατρεφομένοις, ἢ ἀρχῆθεν μὴ ἐμφύεσθαι ἔρωτα γενεᾶς τέκνων, ἢ ἐμφύντα πονηρὸν ἐκφέρειν καρπὸν καὶ οὐδʼ εὐτυχῆ, ἐκ ταπεινῶν τε συμπορισθέντα οἷα εἰκὸς γάμων, §9.51.7καὶ ἐν κατεπτωχευμέναις τραφέντα τύχαις.
And he declared that the senate had then decided this for the advantage of the city, so that the land might not lie waste, and that the poor multitude residing in the city might not be idle, envying the goods of others as they do now, but that a youth might be reared for the city in homes and ancestral allotments, having some reason to be proud of being well brought up; since indeed for those who are landless and are scantily supported from the possessions of others, which they work for hire, either no desire for begetting children is natural from the beginning, or, if it is, it brings forth a bad and unfortunate fruit, being brought together from humble marriages, as is natural, and reared in impoverished fortunes.
ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν, ἔφη, γνώμην ἀποδείκνυμαι, τά τε προβουλευθέντα ὑπὸ τοῦ συνεδρίου καὶ διὰ τὰς μεταξὺ ταραχὰς παρειλκυσμένα ἐμπεδοῦν τοὺς ὑπάτους, καὶ τοὺς ποιησομένους τὴν διανομὴν ἄνδρας ἀποδεικνύναι.
"I therefore," he said, "express my opinion that the consuls should confirm the measures previously resolved by the senate and delayed because of the intervening disturbances, and appoint men who will make the distribution."