Curiosities & wonders > Titus Livius' Roman history

232
TITUS LIVIUS’
Book III.
*' slaves and outlaws. Shall they, to whom the gods are
“ not sacred, have the impudence to insist after this, that
“ their persons are sacred and inviolable ? And, do you
“ flatter yourselves, that covered as you are with crimes,
“ both before gods and men, that you shall pass your
“ bill this year? By all that is sacred, if you even offer
to prefer it, the day in which I was chosen consul, w ill
“ prove more unfortunate, than that on which the re-
“ public lost Valerius. But my colleague and I have
taken our measures; and first of all, we are to march
“ the legions against the Aiqui and Volsci. How it
“ comes about, I cannot say, but the gods are ever more
“ favourable to us in war than in peace.—What would
“^have been the consequence, had it transpired among
“ these nations that the capitol was taken by exdes ?
«* However, it is better to form suspicions of what might
“ have happened, when all is over, than to put it to the
“ test by actual experiment.”
€HAP. XX.
'The Senate encouraged, and the people depressed.
So vigorous a discourse qnite stunned the people. The
senate pulled up their spirits, and began to think that
the republic was restored. The other consul, a better
assessor than principal, easily suffered his colleague to
take the lead in this weighty business, but claimed to
himself a share in the execution, which appertained his
office as consul. The tribunes treated all these me¬
naces as idle vapouring, asking with an air of contempt,
“ Where the consuls would get the army they meant
*• to lead out, for they might be assured, they would
«» not be suffered to make levies.” “ We have occasion
“ for none,” replied Quinctius, “ the citizens, when
“ they took up arms to recover the capitol, oil swore to
«* Valerius, not to lay them down without the consuls
•• permission : wherefore, we strictly enjoin every sol-
•< dier, who took that oath, to appear in arms to-morrow,
« at the lake of Regillus.” The tribunes cavilled, al¬
ledging, “ That the oath did not bind the soldiers to
his obedience, whowasthen only a private gentleman.